Ah Media Day (starting at noon Central on Bucks.com), a tradition as old as time itself. A chance to come together yet again, normally after three or more months, and begin kindling the hope that this season will be something special. A chance for Giannis to regale us with bad jokes. A chance for us to play Media Day Bingo:
Updated MEDIA DAY BINGO CARD: pic.twitter.com/U3cLwESQnn
— Frank Madden (@fmaddenNBA) September 26, 2016
For Milwaukee, it’ll be a Media Day unlike any other because when our free space “...championship...” is mentioned, it’ll be in the context of our having actually just won the dang thing. Of course the idea will be to repeat, but don’t be surprised if the players and staff are even more relaxed than usual later today. It is hard to articulate just how great a metaphorical weight has been lifted from everyone’s shoulders even if they’ll be working to recreate the intensity of the playoff hunt of just a few months ago.
Media Day also signals the formal beginning of training camp and preseason activities. The Bucks have done some tinkering with the roster without breaking its now multiyear core apart, though they’ll welcome the opportunity to gradually put together strategy instead of figuring it out on the fly. In a few weeks they’ll be able to test their progress in some exhibition games and, shortly after that, it’s back to the real deal.
The offseason has passed. Long live the preseason!
Let’s roundup!
Milwaukee Bucks — 2021 NBA Champions (Teutonia World)
I’d be woefully remiss if I didn’t start this week’s slate with some of the finest content to come out of this title, bar none. If you’ve spent any time online in this fanbase you’ve probably already seen some of Teutonia World’s work (podcast or video). This is the latest piece of work bringing everything from the title run full-circle. Excellent, excellent stuff.
Giannis’ Rise, the 2021 Championship and Being a Part of History (SLAM Magazine)
Another helping of great post-title content here, this time with a Brandon Jennings byline. What Brandon captures best with his words, inadvertently or not, is how genuinely excited he was for the team and city to have reached the summit. His tenure in Milwaukee could’ve been a footnote immortalized by a meme, but it somehow worked out to be a storyline that took on a significance nobody could’ve anticipated when Jennings coyly declared they’d beat the Heatles in six games.
Giannis Antetokounmpo: “I can’t be fake, I don’t want to be buddy with other players” (Eurohoops)
Even if Giannis is laying it on a little thick here, there is a core of truth in what he says here (which is part of a longer interview with an outlet named COSMOTE TV in Greece). When he’s out there on the floor he’ll claw past any opponent in his way to secure victory. Either you’re on his team or you aren’t, and it is as simple as that, emotions and power relationships between sports figures be damned.
If you want the full content of said interview with COSMOTE TV, find a transcribed/translated version of the interview here courtesy of r/MKEBucks and user SuperTeamDestroyer34.
Wisconsin Herd Names Chaisson Allen as Head Coach (Wisconsin Herd)
It’s been all quiet on the Herd front for quite awhile between their not participating in the 2020-2021 G-League season and the departure of head coach Chase Buford to Australia. But no longer! The Oshkosh crew have recently revealed their 2021-2022 schedule, elevated new front office staff, and, most importantly, named Chaisson Allen as Buford’s successor.
Allen spent the 2019-2020 G-League season as part of the Herd staff and he’s spent seasons working with the Long Island Nets and Capital City Go-Go as well. From his bio he’ll be bringing plenty of experience working in player development at the college and minor league level. Key to his job is not only developing the regular Herd roster to push those players onto the next phase in their career, but to incorporate Mike Budenholzer’s principles and whichever Bucks get sent over to Oshkosh for playing time.
Congrats to Chaisson!
The NBA’s Anti-Vaxxers Are Trying to Push Around the League—And It’s Working (Rolling Stone)
The give and take between the league and players union on this front will be interesting to watch. It’s a testament to the strength of the union that the league can’t do a whole bunch on the front of unvaccinated players and instead have to hope specific cities start putting mandates in place. A lot of this reads as a Kyrie Irving slam piece due to his combination of high profile, high position in union leadership, and on-again, off-again Covid positions, so take all of that for what it’s worth.
Between having all player-adjacent staff vaccinated, mask usage, and whatever other mandates teams will put in place for fans, the league should be able to avoid any meaningful outbreaks.
Time will tell!
Fan Post of the Week
Coral may be slowly strangling the site, but RJ isn’t going to let it go away quietly! With “Bud Wiser vs Russell A. Poldrack” we’ve a studied meditation on Budenholzer’s ability to get players playing a tier or two above their usual selves in the regular season before the playoffs takes the shine off. I’m not sure which of the new guys will experience the best luck with performance enhancement via Bud, but I’d be curious how pronounced the trend of regular season good v. playoffs bad is across the league as well. Are we especially bad on this metric?
Social Media Section
Congrats to Andrew on his engagement!
Sooo, got engaged today that’s pretty neat! pic.twitter.com/jwbd3z2EQ9
— Andrew (@AndrewG_NBA) September 26, 2021
Just let it play with the sound on. Trust me.
Scottie Scheffler adds a little more on the board.#RyderCup // @RyderCupUSA
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) September 25, 2021
NBC and @peacockTV
https://t.co/7vlXcgSvt4 pic.twitter.com/agBH2T2aah
Shot...
Gilbert Arenas on Ben Simmons. I've been saying this, let him play like giannis.
— David Portillo (@D_Portillo_0) September 23, 2021
pic.twitter.com/UltLPWyN7Q
...chaser
“Let Ben Simmons play like Giannis.” https://t.co/G4biz5tb24 pic.twitter.com/eUp0UQiBUg
— Lroom backup (@Gintama_stan) September 23, 2021
The Wolves are proudly filling the role Milwaukee held up until like five years ago
one sign of a healthy organization is announcing the shock firing of your GM via two-sentence press release in which you misspell the name of your franchise https://t.co/7NWKxVZUVJ
— Devin Gordon (@DevinGordonX) September 22, 2021
I’ve no idea Giannis’s thought process when he chooses which stock photos of himself to post
The trophy tour continues in South Carolina
Our long column nightmare is nearly at an end with the formal offseason closing. That means a return of Know Your Enemy, a return of the retired janitor’s prediction record, and a chance for me to brainstorm some other twists and turns I can throw into this bad boy.
While I think about all that, kick back, relax, and let the dulcet tones of Brook Lopez answering questions about what he did all offseason lull you into a state of benign satisfaction at Media Day.
Happy Monday!
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