Monday Morning Media Roundup: May 22nd, 2023

Another week gone, another week without a firm decision on a new head coach just yet. While GM Jon Horst has phoned up what feels like a couple hundred candidates to replace Mike Budenholzer, no clear frontrunner has emerged. And that’s just fine since it appears neither Phoenix nor Philly are in a massive rush to lock down any prime candidate that could reside on all three teams’ wanted list.

Plus, the longer the process takes, the longer the vacation Giannis Antetokounmpo gets to go on before returning to Milwaukee to likely give a final sign off on any coaching hire, too. Let Horst chat with as many people as he likes to narrow down a list of, say, 50, to a list of 20, to a list of 2 or 3 before bringing the franchise in to meet with finalists for the vibe check to end all vibe checks.

There will come a point at which the Bucks have been interviewing for so long that a creeping sense of indecision will set in. We’re not there yet, not by a long shot. Whoever comes in will likely make or break the medium-term future of the Bucks given the outsized role they’ll have in convincing Giannis to continue sticking around. If it takes a month or more to find that person, so be it.

Let’s roundup!

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From Jeter to Giannis, failure is a matter of perspective (ESPN)

We are rapidly nearing on a month since the Bucks got bounced from the playoffs and Giannis’s “there is no such thing as failure in sports” quote is still doing the rounds out there. A testament to the altered relationship between fans/players/sport in our contemporary era and the quotes Giannis routinely makes that rapidly expand beyond the enclosure of a press room to cultural discussions beyond sports.

‘Pessimism’ Tyronn Lue Can Be Acquired from LA amid Bucks, Suns Buzz (Bleacher Report)

Reports like this one that really have you wondering whether Jon Horst asked, “pretty please?” I understand the interest from Milwaukee’s side and have also failed to grasp why Lue or the Clippers would have interest in his parting for Lake Michigan. For Lue it would primarily come down to the opportunity to coach a Giannis (and the unholy amounts of money HED would shove in his pockets). As far as Lue’s employer, there really is no logical angle there for the Bucks to exploit.

Nuggets’ dominance signals shift to new era in Western Conference (NBA.com)

The ebb and flow of basketball fortune moves quickly — just ask us. If you took every reference to “Denver Nuggets”, replaced it with “Milwaukee Bucks”, and just put Bucks players in the story, it’d read like any old think piece in the lead up and immediate aftermath of our rise. Now, two years later, the coach is cashing unemployment checks and the GM may or may not be planting TNT in the player core cartoon villain-style. Ebbs and flows.

6 standouts who helped their draft stock the most (Yahoo) & Hornets face Scoot Henderson vs. Brandon Miller question after landing No. 2 pick (CBS Sports) & 7 standout prospects from the NBA Draft Combine (NBA.com)

More draft stuff for the draft curious. Frankly, there is no incentive to dive all that deeply into the draft vis a vis the Bucks since we could just sell pick 58 and snag dudes as undrafted free agents instead. Like most draft nights what will matter is how selections will impact the competitive environment Milwaukee will have to deal with three, four, five seasons from now.

Fan Post(s) of the Week

Not content to post once and rest uneasily lest a competitor enter the ring, R983 posted not once, not twice, but three times last week to secure another FPOTW award. We’ve got, “Can the Bucks Afford to Hire an Unproven Coach Who Might Not Work Out?”, “Top 38 Current/Relevant NBA Head Coaches”, and “All Defense, No Shooting Team”.

I tend to agree with G may’s critique that Giannis should’ve gotten a shout as a member of the AD-NS team awards, liked the fiery stance with regards to hiring a first-time coach, and am thrilled Horst got R983’s 33rd ranked head coach in for an interview. Thanks for the numerous submissions as always!

Where in the World is... Jae Crowder’s Next Team?

We’re off to Japan to find a suitable employer for Jae! Meet the Sendai 89ers:

• The city: Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan - pop. ~1.1 million
• The league: B. League - First Division
• The pay: Averages about $200-$400K for foreign players with a maximum of $1 million
• The logo: Certainly looks like it was designed for a team debuting in 2005

• The pitch: Known for its abundance of floral life, Sendai — nicknamed the City of Trees — is the perfect destination for the washed up NBA player looking for a fusion of the big city and the quiet countryside. Curious about cuisine? Worry not! Sendai is the home of numerous local specialties with a special emphasis on seafood given the city’s location near major ports. Want to get away to Tokyo for the weekend? It’s merely 90-120 minutes away by bullet train. Best of all, you’ll be playing for a team with a name reminiscent of one of you’re past possible employers. When you take the floor at Xebio Arena, you’ll be stepping on the same hallowed ground KISS performed upon in 2019. That’s special.

The Social Media Section

Steam engine head

The “Mike Budenholzer days before he started collecting unemployment checks” piece

Giannis the type of grown-ass man to take pictures with every fortune cookie he’s about to open

A convention built for some of the worst sports fans the internet has yet seen

Let his mayoralty continue long after he is traded this summer

Checking in with Serge who was having a normal Sunday

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I did see on MarJon Beauchamp’s Instagram that he is still in Milwaukee as of this past weekend. He was busy asking the online ether about anyone in Milwaukee who owned a boat. It was comforting knowing he hadn’t taken a chunk of his rookie salary and immediately plowed it into a monstrosity called the SS Holy One. Sailing the Milwaukee River and Lake Michigan may look appealing, but you can only do it for a few months out of the year. MarJon sticking to the land belies long-term thinking normally accessible to savvy veterans. Big things coming that young man’s way.

Happy Monday!