You already know where we’re going to start:

First, all credit to Eric Woodyard. Someone needed to do a little direct pot-stirring and he has stepped up admirably to fill that role. The result? Just the juiciest of quotes ever that allows literally everyone to read into it whatever interpretation they like most.

Think ownership cheaped out? Malcolm may have just confirmed that.

Think Malcolm wasn’t meant to be a Buck because of on- and off-court fit problems? Malcolm may have also just confirmed that.

Which brings us to an interesting point of reflection now that the Malcolm Brogdon Bowl is at an end: This entire saga is one long advertisement for things being somewhere in-between. It’s beyond believable that both sides came to a different dollar value for Malcolm’s services, it’s beyond believable that Malcolm didn’t find that discrepancy to be flattering, and it’s beyond believable that Malcolm can be down on management/ownership and still be cool with his teammates.

What’s most believable, though? That the Bucks are now 2-0 when playing the Pacers this season.

Let’s roundup!

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Did Giannis Take LeBron’s Crown? (Slate) & Giannis Went Three-k Freak on the Lakers and Proved He’s Ready for His Own Crown (The Ringer)

Another week, another first appearance by an outlet! This week it’s the vaunted institution Slate examining in very Slate fashion whether Giannis “took” LeBron’s crown.

Spoiler: He did, but that doesn’t make these any less fun reads.

Friday’s notebook: Rim-protection rules day in Milwaukee (NBA.com)

Everyone is pretty well-informed about how good Milwaukee’s interior defense is, but I thought John Schuhmann did a great job picking out a couple of particular examples from Thursday’s game against the Lakers to really highlight the Bucks strength defending the paint.

The thing that jumps out most is the fact that Milwaukee has yet to really pay for allowing better shots in the opposite corner because of the scheme. It’s a testament to how few players in the league are capable of threading that kind of needle, and has gone a long way to making this team such a juggernaut.

Inside Brook and Robin Lopez’s Star Wars mad dash (ESPN) & Milwaukee Bucks Have 2 Sets Of Brothers On Their Roster This Season (NPR)

This is the heartwarming story of twin brothers who share an obsession with a media company, and their heartracing journey to the premier NOT of the latest Star Wars film... but the premier of a new Star Wars ride at Disney World.

Their obsession is admirable in its own way, I think?

Oh, and the team made NPR this last week. Not their first time since Giannis got some shine a few years back, but still, Audie Cornish is out here leading into a Bucks story. Fun!

The Bucks Have A Great Bench (Bucks.com)

Alex Boeder has really been on top of his game these past few weeks, and we’re all beneficiaries for it.

This past week he keyed in on Milwaukee’s bench units AKA the self-proclaimed Bench Mob. You could easily chalk up a lot of the success to how out-of-his-mind George Hill has been this year, but almost every single player fits his designated role with aplomb.

Just another string of evidence that all those bench-only units Mike Budenholzer was running weren’t actually a giant mistake.

Milwaukee Bucks, Represent Justice and incarcerated individuals at Racine correctional institution come together for impactful ‘Play for Justice’ Event (Bucks.com) & Giannis, Bucks visit prison as part of ‘Play for Justice’ initiative (FS Wisconsin)

Brought this up last week, and now we’ve got a few more details from the Bucks event alongside Represent Justice. It sounds like plenty of players attended the event, which included an hour-long discussion between incarcerated individuals, the players, members of the Bucks organization, and members of Represent Justice.

As always, all credit to the Bucks for the work they’ve done in the community over the years, and even more credit for leading from front on this initiative alongside the Sacramento Kings.

The Social Media Section

He remains forever and always the best

Forever grateful to have Marques back in the fold, especially for segments like this

Also, how many extensive interviews does Paschke get with Giannis a year? It’s impressive

This is literally insane

I now officially call the Brogdon Beef dead

The one, the only Teutonia World back at it again (sorry for the delay, TW!)

Caron Butler? You’ve got my attention

Giannis playing 87D chess

This isn’t about the Bucks, but it’s really about the Bucks if you squint

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MMMR 2019-2020 Prediction Record: 19-12

retired janitor’s 2019-2020 Prediction Record: 27-4

That highlighted section is what we call “keen basketball analysis” in the biz. The only saving grace to all of this is that my neither my future career prospects nor my current earnings rely on having anything resembling sensible sports opinions.

What’s even better is that I get to be woefully incorrect from the comfort of my old home since I’ll be in Wisconsin for the next week. That means kicking back on my mother’s couch, hot cocoa in hand, and enjoying the Bucks slaughtering the Philadelphia 76ers on Christmas Day.

Then it’s off to Atlanta on Friday to visit the Hawks before coming home Saturday to host the Magic. And the Bucks have to beat the Magic because there’s a very good chance it’ll be the first time I get called off the bench to serve as Brew Hoop’s “media” “representative”.

Crossing my fingers for another 3-0 week and avoiding getting the site absolutely blacklisted at the Forum!

Happy Monday!