Brew Hoop - Bucks vs. Cavaliers Gameday | Giannis impresses, offense struggles in preseason openerMilwaukee Bucks News and Analysis Since 2007https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47773/brewhoop_fave.png2013-10-09T11:24:05-05:00http://www.brewhoop.com/rss/stream/45801452013-10-09T11:24:05-05:002013-10-09T11:24:05-05:00VIDEO | Complete Giannis highlights vs. Cleveland
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<figcaption>David Richard-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Bucks' 18-year-old rookie was Milwaukee's obvious bright spot in an otherwise lackluster preseason opener in Cleveland, scoring 14 points to go with four rebounds, three blocks, two steals and two assists.</p> <p>Missed last night's <a href="https://www.brewhoop.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Bucks</a>/Cavs preseason opener? Not a problem.</p>
<p>Giannis Antetokounmpo's NBA debut was the (good) story for Milwaukee in <a href="http://www.brewhoop.com/2013/10/8/4818410/cavaliers-99-bucks-87-milwaukees-offense-goes-haywire-in-preseason">an otherwise disjointed, underwhelming starting point for the Larry Drew era</a>, and you can check out Giannis' complete highlights from Cleveland above. Read on below for Dan Sinclair's take on <a href="http://www.brewhoop.com/2013/10/8/4818410/cavaliers-99-bucks-87-milwaukees-offense-goes-haywire-in-preseason">why everyone should feel pretty good about the Bucks' youngster</a>:</p>
<blockquote><p>Holy cow, this dude is a physical anomaly. He looks gangly as all get out when he moves without the ball, but when he gets in the air with arms outstretched, he looks like a windmill strapped to a rocket ship. He handled the speed, size, and length of his opposition better than I expected, to be honest, but still made quite a few mistakes. He traveled while winding up his dribble at least twice and made a few ill-advised passes, but also swatted away an alley-oop pass with ease, blocked three other shots and drew a bunch of fouls. Nothing to discourage our obsession with his long-term potential, but certainly reason to think Giannis might do more harm than good in the early going of the regular season. He needs lots of practice time and maybe some extended run in the D-League to break a few bad habits, but a debut line of 14 points (3/7 fg, 1/3 threes, 7/10 ft), 4 reb, 3 blk, 2 ast, 2 stl, 5 to is about as much as you could have reasonably hoped for from the NBA's youngest player.</p></blockquote>
<p><em>Video Courtesy: </em><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/DawkinsMTA?feature=watch"><em>Dawk Ins Youtube Channel</em></a></p>
https://www.brewhoop.com/2013/10/9/4820370/giannis-antetokounmpo-video-highlights-cavaliersFrank Madden2013-10-08T21:55:06-05:002013-10-08T21:55:06-05:00Giannis impresses, offense misfires in Cleveland
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<figcaption>David Richard-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Bucks couldn't shoot straight for most of their opening preseason game, but that's not really important right now. Let's focus on GIANNIS.</p> <p>I won't bore you with too much of a narrative from this game. The <a href="https://www.brewhoop.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Bucks</a> led 6-4 (though two of those six points were later revealed to have been rewarded erroneously) and then Cleveland took off, building a significant lead by the end of the first quarter that was never seriously threatened. The Bucks couldn't shoot at all, finishing with a 37.7 team FG% and going just 4-18 from deep. They also left 12 points at the line, shooting 25-37 on free-throws. The defense was good enough to hold Cleveland below Larry Drew's targeted 43% shooting, but Milwaukee gave up 19 offensive rebounds and 24 points at the stripe.</p>
<p>But you all don't really care much about that, so let's run down the list of meaningful performances from the Bucks' roster.</p>
<p><b><span>Caron Butler</span></b>: Rough night. Butler had a hard time in the early going handling Cleveland's aggressive traps on the wings and committed a few turnovers trying to pass out of them. He made just one shot to go with a rebound, an assist, and two steals. Caron mostly took the shots you want him to take, he just didn't make them. He'll be better, though he might have more competition than expected.</p>
<p><b><span>Ersan Ilyasova</span></b>: His performance is far less important than his immediate health, as he appeared to roll his ankle defending a Cleveland fast break. He was down on the court for a few minutes and didn't return to the game. Wouldn't be surprised if he missed a chunk of preseason just to be safe, hopefully no more than that. Prior to the spill he was shooting the ball pretty well and even blocked a shot. Still looks to be a vital cog in Milwaukee's offense.</p>
<p><b><span>Larry Sanders</span></b>: The shot blocking was there from the opening tip as Sanders picked up right where he left off under the basket. He altered multiple shots beyond the ones he actually got his hands on and generally mucked things up. Oh, and he also got whistled for a technical after griping about and over-the-back call. It was all so familiar. Offensively, Sanders continues to function best as a garbageman and dunk-finisher. No shot was more emphatic than an early lob flush in a pick and roll with <span>Brandon Knight</span>, even though the dunk was later wiped out due to a shot-clock violation. When paired with <span>John Henson</span> on offense, Sanders set up camp around the elbow with Henson on the block a decent amount. It was a valiant (if strange) attempt to generate floor spacing but mostly led to awkward jumpers when Henson kicked the ball to him.</p>
<p><b>Brandon Knight</b>: Struggled with his shot but showed a bit more shot creation than expected, missing a few shots at the rim that led to putbacks for his teammates. He was also 0-3 from behind the arc. Knight finished with two assists in 20 minutes (not counting the aforementioned lob to Sanders), both on <span>O.J. Mayo</span> jumpers. Knight's strength, at least in comparison to his predecessor, was evident on defense and in the lane, he just had a hard time making anything concrete out of his good moves. He also had some trouble dealing with Cleveland's trapping, but coughed the ball up just twice.</p>
<p><b>O.J. Mayo</b>: Struggled with his shot just like his starting backcourt-mate, finishing with 7 points on 3-10 shooting (1-5 3PT). He didn't earn any free-throws but like Butler and Knight, they were mostly shots you were alright with seeing him take. Defensively, Mayo waffled from shut-down to shook, locking down in isolation but occasionally finding himself off-balance when threatened by a screen (Knight had the same issues). He matched Knight with two assists and turnovers apiece, and there wasn't much to say for his playmaking--both assists came on long two-point jumpers. Mayo's here to score, so when he isn't doing that he's not likely to make a big positive impact.</p>
<p><b>John Henson</b>: Still a rebounding machine, still a great weakside shotblocker who can wreak havoc on defense when paired with Sanders, still an uneven contributor on offense. Henson flashed a great running hook early in the game, but didn't do much with a multitude of post touches throughout the game. He had two very nice assists that both led to Milwaukee layups, flashing the sort of interior passing the Bucks could really use out of their big men.</p>
<p><b><span>Miroslav Raduljica</span></b>: Raduljica is BIG. Like, big to the extent that he makes other guys who are BIG look quite small. And he knows how to use it a little too, holding off defenders under the basket with sheer size and carving out space when rebounding. His two steals and two blocks speak to quick hands and instincts, but the five fouls in 18 minutes speak to his inexperience. He's also, um, quite slow on his feet. Raduljica isn't likely to play much so long as <span>Zaza Pachulia</span> is available, but his size alone makes him somewhat valuable as a spot-minute/situational big.</p>
<p><b><span>Luke Ridnour</span></b>: Just a clean, comfortable, unremarkable performance for the Motel 6 of point guards, Ridnour looked a lot like he did the last time he suited up for the Bucks. He rarely took a shot that seemed out-of-place (I mean, he only had three official shot attempts) and made the correct pass when it was there. He also tied Sanders for the team-high in rebounds with 5. Gave us a vintage Ridnour wrap-up foul in transition in the early going as well.</p>
<p><b><span>Gary Neal</span></b>: Suffered from the same accuracy issues as the rest of Milwaukee's perimeter players but didn't play <i>badly</i> by any stretch. He sparked the offense off the bench in the sense that he handled the ball a fair amount and did usual Gary Neal things. Finished with 2 steals (it was a festival of thievery for both teams), 2 assists, and 1 turnover.</p>
<p><b><span>Nate Wolters</span></b>. Played the entire fourth quarter and finished with a team-high 3 assists (the Bucks had 18 assists on 29 made shots, the ball movement just evenly distributed, something that might be a trend this season), Wolters looked pretty good running the offense, though he was facing Cleveland's scrubs for most of his court time. He missed all three of his own shot attempts as well.</p>
<p><b><span>Stephen Graham</span></b>. The camp invite showed off some shot-making ability and attacked the basket repeatedly, earning 5 foul shots and sinking them all to finish with a team-high 15 points on 5-10 FG. He also grabbed 3 offensive rebounds thanks to his high energy.</p>
<p><i>And now, the man you've all been waiting for...</i></p>
<p><b><span>Giannis Antetokounmpo</span></b>: Holy cow, this dude is a physical <i>anomaly</i>. He looks gangly as all get out when he moves without the ball, but when he gets in the air with arms outstretched, he looks like a windmill strapped to a rocket ship. He handled the speed, size, and length of his opposition better than I expected, to be honest, but still made quite a few mistakes. He traveled while winding up his dribble at least twice and made a few ill-advised passes, but also swatted away an alley-oop pass with ease, blocked three other shots and drew a bunch of fouls. Nothing to discourage our obsession with his long-term potential, but certainly reason to think Giannis might do more harm than good in the early going of the regular season. He needs lots of practice time and maybe some extended run in the D-League to break a few bad habits, but a debut line of 14 points (3/7 fg, 1/3 threes, 7/10 ft), 4 reb, 3 blk, 2 ast, 2 stl, 5 to is about as much as you could have reasonably hoped for from the NBA's youngest player.</p>
<p>A few more scattered observations:</p>
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<li><span>Cleveland boasts a handful of excellent rebounders, and they killed the Bucks on the offensive glass Tuesday night. <span>Anderson Varejao</span>, <span>Tristan Thompson</span>, <span>Anthony Bennett</span>, and camp invite <span>Kenny Kadji</span> all grabbed at least 4 offensive rebounds. Getting only 10 minutes out of Ersan Ilyasova hurt, but the Bucks looked totally undisciplined when it came to boxing out <a href="https://www.fearthesword.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Cavaliers</a> who came crashing in after every shot attempt.</span></li>
<li><span>The huge steal total is mostly a product of disorganized preseason gameplay, but the Bucks do have a lot of quick hands on the roster and finally a little strength in the backcourt to crowd opposing ballhandlers. Considering the number of steals it's a bit disappointing the Bucks could only tally 13 fast break points, but mistakes of inexperience (double-dribbles, sideline violations) killed a few transition opportunities.</span></li>
<li><span>The shooting is sure to be a concern, since one game is all we have to talk about, but let's hold off judgement for, like, two more games or something. The Bucks' roster is dotted with above-average three-point shooters. They were rusty playing in somebody else's building for the first time in a long while. It'll get better.</span></li>
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https://www.brewhoop.com/2013/10/8/4818410/cavaliers-99-bucks-87-milwaukees-offense-goes-haywire-in-preseasonDan Sinclair2013-10-08T08:35:46-05:002013-10-08T08:35:46-05:00Bucks/Cavs Game Thread and Live Tweet Coverage
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<figcaption>Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p>The Bucks begin their 2013-2014 season with a preseason stop in Cleveland to take on the Cavs. Behold, the first preview of the new year.</p> <p>Important viral video viewing before we begin.</p>
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<p>Cool. Now that that's out of the way, we can begin.</p>
<p>The season is finally here! The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.brewhoop.com/">Bucks</a> will be playing a game that is not against themselves!</p>
<p>The preseason begins with a stop in Cleveland, where the Bucks will square off against a divisonal foe, as well as a team that has the potential to replace the Bucks as the 8 seed group that the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.hothothoops.com/">Miami Heat</a> can feast on come April.</p>
<p>I had David Zavac from our friends at <a target="_blank" href="http://www.fearthesword.com/">Fear The Sword</a>, the Cavs SB Nation blog, join me to put this brief preview together for tonight's matchup.</p>
<h4>TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF</h4>
<p><b>Bucks: </b>The Bucks brought in 11 new players this summer, as well as an entirely new coaching staff. Hell, they're even having Bucks legend Sidney Moncrief join the television broadcast as a color analyst for the majority of road games. Everything is changing.</p>
<p>It's difficult to say what Bucks fans will see tomorrow, but coach <span>Larry Drew</span> has stressed that it will be different. This installment of the team will look to pressure the ball, both offensively and defensively. Each day, Drew has numbers plastered about the Bucks practice facility, in an effort to drill the team's goals into the player's minds. So far, numbers have included 43% (defensive field goal percentage), 4 (as in seconds it will take for the team to get the ball across half court, make or miss), and 46% (offensive field goal percentage). In short, Drew wants a mobile, fast, and smart offense with an active and pesky defense. It's not going to be polished by tonight, but that's what we'll be looking for come tip-off.</p>
<p><b>Cavs: </b><span>A lot has been made of the radical changes the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.fearthesword.com/">Cavaliers</a> have made to their roster and coaching staff. So of course, going into our first preseason game, the starting lineup is exactly the same as it was to begin last season. The headliner here is of course Kyrie Irving. He is amazing. The hope is that he is ready to be a true superstar and earn his place among the top point guards in the NBA. He says he has been working on a floater and getting his body in shape to be able to both carry the offensive load and play defense as well. Time will tell. </span></p>
<p><span>Andrew Bynum</span> was the big offseason name added, but he won't play. <span>Jarrett Jack</span>, however, will, and it will be interesting how he does leading a second unit that was probably rivaled by Portland and Portland only in terms of ineptitude. <span>Earl Clark</span> seems like a real NBA player, maybe, and he will be trying to steal Gee's starting spot. Ultimately, the Cavaliers fate this season will be determined by whether they can improve on the defensive side of the floor, as well as avoid the injuries to Irving and Varejao that hit them so hard last season. Oh, and some more development from <span>Dion Waiters</span> and <span>Tristan Thompson</span> would help as well. If you haven't noticed, the Cavaliers are a ton of variables and no one has any idea what will happen. The ceiling is high, the floor is low.</p>
<h4><b>PLAYER TO WATCH</b></h4>
<p><b>Bucks: </b><span>Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Bucks definitely have a lot of unknowns that will suit up tonight, but none more so than the 18 year-old kid out of Greece. Selected by the Bucks with the 15th pick of this year's draft without playing against any really formidable opposition, Antetokounmpo is about as big of an unknown as there is.</span></p>
<p>Having not played against any top (or even middle)-tier talent, Antetokounmpo showed the flashes of brilliance that had been talked about in the Bucks open practice at their inaugural fan fest this past weekend. Though he still has miles to go before completely tapping into that potential, Antetokounmpo has proven he belongs, whenever that may be. He'll see his handful of minutes in the preseason, with <span>Carlos Delfino</span> out (ankle) for the entire preseason. I can't say what you'll see out of him, but hey, it's at least something.</p>
<p><b>Cavs: </b><span><span>Anthony Bennett</span> is an easy one as the number one pick in the draft, but I will go with Tristan Thompson. The man is learning to shoot with a whole new hand. He will probably look totally awkward shooting, but his shooting always looked totally awkward. He is a maniac on the boards, though, and his tenacity on defense will probably be appreciated by new coach Mike Brown. Looking forward to seeing how his free throws look and if he gets any good looks in the flow of the game.</span></p>
<h4>QUESTION MARKS</h4>
<p><b>Bucks: </b><span>Outside of the massive overhaul this team has had, the next biggest question has been whether <span>Brandon Knight</span> is a ''true'' point guard. His past numbers haven't been particularly sunny, but Larry Drew has been known to get the best out of his point guards (see: <span>Jeff Teague</span>).</span></p>
<p>I'm interested to see how he handles the position early on. He hasn't handled pick and rolls well in his first few seasons, but did okay during the scrimmage. Now against another team, it will be interesting to see how Knight processes defenses and adapts within the new offense.</p>
<p><b>Cavs: </b><span>Anthony Bennett is a pretty big one, and given the investment the Cavaliers made by selecting him first overall, he might be the one whose answer means the most long-term for Cleveland. He was hurt all summer and admits he isn't in great basketball shape. His performance in an intra-squad scrimmage this weekend got blasted by Jason Lloyd, Cavs beat writer for the Akron Beacon-Journal. While many people question his defense at UNLV, Bennett has given interviews suggesting he was just fine on that end. While many people worry about extra weight he has put on over the summer, Bennett says he doesn't worry about it. </span></p>
<p>The guy is really skilled, and has a lot of traits that are hard to find. 250 lb. power forwards that are explosive and shoot from 3 pt range don't grow on trees. But Bennett has a lot to prove.</p>
<h4>PREDICTIONS??</h4>
<p><b>Bucks/Cavs: </b>Ugly, ugly basketball. Fingers crossed for no injuries to anyone important.</p>
<p>Follow along with both Brew Hoop and Fear the Sword here, as we'll continue to provide updates, commentary, and probably lots of shared anguish and laughter, all right below in the handy twitter update tool.</p>
<p><a data-widget-id="387439232018415617" href="https://twitter.com/ericbuenning/bucks-at-cavs-2" class="twitter-timeline">Tweets from @ericbuenning/bucks-at-cavs-2</a>
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https://www.brewhoop.com/2013/10/8/4815184/bucks-start-off-preseason-against-cavsInactiveUser10831872013-10-07T23:20:15-05:002013-10-07T23:20:15-05:00Bucks vs. Cavs Preview: And so it begins!
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<figcaption>Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Seven days after kicking off training camp, the new-look Bucks head to Cleveland for their preseason opener.</p> <table style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: 'Gotham Narrow SSm A', 'Gotham Narrow SSm B', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; border: 1px outset #aaaaaa; width: 700px; margin: 1em auto; padding: 0px; color: #333333; line-height: 20px;" class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" align="center" border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="5"><tbody style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;">
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<th style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 3px; border: 1px inset #aaaaaa; margin: 0px;" colspan="3" align="center" bgcolor="silver">13/14 NBA Preseason</th>
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<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 3px; border: 1px inset #aaaaaa; margin: 0px;" width="240"><center style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><center style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><center style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"> <center style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><img style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" src="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/579505/mil_medium.png" alt="Mil_medium"></center> <center style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;">(0-0, 0-0 away)</b></center> </center></center></center></td>
<th style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 3px; border: 1px inset #aaaaaa; margin: 0px;" align="center" width="20">vs.</th>
<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 3px; border: 1px inset #aaaaaa; margin: 0px;" width="240"><center style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><center style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"> <center style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><img style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; max-width: 100%;" alt="Cle" src="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1238133/CLE.va1408a9_medium.png"></center> <center style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;">(0-0, 0-0 home)</b></center> </center></center></td>
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<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 3px; border: 1px inset #aaaaaa; margin: 0px;" colspan="3" align="center" bgcolor="silver"><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;">October 8, 2013</b></td>
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<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 3px; border: 1px inset #aaaaaa; margin: 0px;" colspan="3" align="center"><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;">Quicken Loans Arena | Cleveland, OH</b></td>
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<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 3px; border: 1px inset #aaaaaa; margin: 0px;" colspan="3" align="center"><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;">6:00 CT</b></td>
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<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 3px; border: 1px inset #aaaaaa; margin: 0px;" colspan="3" align="center"><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;">FS Wisconsin | 620 WTMJ</b></td>
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<th style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 3px; border: 1px inset #aaaaaa; margin: 0px;" colspan="3" align="center" bgcolor="silver"><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;">Probable Starters</b></th>
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<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 3px; border: 1px inset #aaaaaa; margin: 0px;" align="right" width="240"><span><a style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0e371c; font-weight: bold;" class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.brewhoop.com/2013/1/nba/players/71910/brandon-jennings">Brandon Knight</a></span></td>
<th style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 3px; border: 1px inset #aaaaaa; margin: 0px;" align="center" width="20">PG</th>
<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 3px; border: 1px inset #aaaaaa; margin: 0px;" width="240"><a style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0e371c; font-weight: bold;" class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.brewhoop.com/2013/1/nba/players/149912/kyrie-irving">Kyrie Irving</a></td>
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<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 3px; border: 1px inset #aaaaaa; margin: 0px;" align="right" width="240"><span><b><span>O.J. Mayo</span></b></span></td>
<th style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 3px; border: 1px inset #aaaaaa; margin: 0px;" align="center" width="20">SG</th>
<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 3px; border: 1px inset #aaaaaa; margin: 0px;" width="240"><span>Dion Waiters</span></td>
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<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 3px; border: 1px inset #aaaaaa; margin: 0px;" align="right" width="240"><span><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span>Caron Butler</span></b></span></td>
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<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 3px; border: 1px inset #aaaaaa; margin: 0px;" width="240"><a style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0e371c; font-weight: bold;" class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.brewhoop.com/2013/1/nba/players/89070/alonzo-gee">Alonzo Gee</a></td>
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<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 3px; border: 1px inset #aaaaaa; margin: 0px;" align="right" width="240"><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span>Ersan Ilyasova</span><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"></b></td>
<th style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 3px; border: 1px inset #aaaaaa; margin: 0px;" align="center" width="20">PF</th>
<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 3px; border: 1px inset #aaaaaa; margin: 0px;" width="240"><a style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0e371c; font-weight: bold; background-color: #ffffff;" class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.brewhoop.com/2013/1/nba/players/149911/tristan-thompson"><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">Tristan Thompson</b></a></td>
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<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 3px; border: 1px inset #aaaaaa; margin: 0px;" align="right" width="240"><span><a style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0e371c; font-weight: bold;" class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.brewhoop.com/2013/1/nba/players/111962/larry-sanders">Larry Sanders</a></span></td>
<th style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 3px; border: 1px inset #aaaaaa; margin: 0px;" align="center" width="20">C</th>
<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 3px; border: 1px inset #aaaaaa; margin: 0px;" width="240"><b><span>Anderson Varejao</span></b></td>
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<th style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 3px; border: 1px inset #aaaaaa; margin: 0px;" colspan="3" align="center" bgcolor="silver"><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;">2012/13 Advanced Stats</b></th>
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<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 3px; border: 1px inset #aaaaaa; margin: 0px;" align="right" width="240"><span>94.7 (3rd)</span></td>
<th style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 3px; border: 1px inset #aaaaaa; margin: 0px;" align="center" width="20">Pace</th>
<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 3px; border: 1px inset #aaaaaa; margin: 0px;" width="240"><span>92.3 (13th)</span></td>
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<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 3px; border: 1px inset #aaaaaa; margin: 0px;" align="right" width="240"><span>103.6 (22nd)</span></td>
<th style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 3px; border: 1px inset #aaaaaa; margin: 0px;" align="center" width="20">ORtg</th>
<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 3px; border: 1px inset #aaaaaa; margin: 0px;" width="240"><span>104.3 (19th)</span></td>
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<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 3px; border: 1px inset #aaaaaa; margin: 0px;" align="right" width="240"><span>105.2 (12th)</span></td>
<th style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 3px; border: 1px inset #aaaaaa; margin: 0px;" align="center" width="20">DRtg</th>
<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 3px; border: 1px inset #aaaaaa; margin: 0px;" width="240"><span>109.4 (27th)</span></td>
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<p><b>On the <a href="https://www.fearthesword.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Cavaliers</a></b>: <a target="_blank" href="http://www.fearthesword.com/">Fear the Sword</a> | <a target="_blank" href="http://www.cavstheblog.com/">Cavs the Blog</a> | <a target="_blank" href="http://www.waitingfornextyear.com/tag/cavaliers/">Waiting For Next Year</a></p>
<p><b>Let the games begin</b>. Saturday's open scrimmage had its share of encouraging moments--<a target="_blank" href="http://www.brewhoop.com/2013/10/6/4808384/giannis-antetokounmpo-bucks-open-scrimmage-fan-fest">Giannis Antetokounmpo looked like an NBA player</a>, <span>Larry Sanders</span> can still dunk and block shots--but it also reminded us of the challenges of bringing together a brand new roster under a brand new coaching staff in less than a week. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nba.com/bucks/video/2013/10/07/camp131007mov-2613133">Larry Drew isn't exactly expecting a well-oiled machine</a> for Tuesday's preseason opener in Cleveland.</p>
<p>As expected, rust was rather evident during Saturday's intrasquad scrimmage, particularly on the offensive end . While both teams pushed the tempo and kept the ball moving (positives!), no one seemed capable of making a jumper and too many possessions ended with sloppy passes and/or poor spacing. And with good reason: the <a href="https://www.brewhoop.com/" class="sbn-auto-link" style="background-color: #ffffff;">Bucks</a>' offensive playbook has thus far taken a backseat to learning Drew's new defensive schemes, hints of which we saw clear signs of on Saturday. <a target="_blank" href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jsonline.com%2Fsports%2Fbucks%2Fbucks-starting-to-comprehend-larry-drews-defensive-system-b99113240z1-226544201.html&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.brewhoop.com%2F2013%2F10%2F7%2F4814936%2Fbucks-vs-cavaliers-preview-kyrie-irving" style="background-color: #ffffff;" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener">Via Charles Gardner</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"There's more showing for the big (man); you have to be a little more active on the perimeter," Sanders said.</p>
<p>"Being able to show on the screen and get back and affect the play is huge. We have a number of guys who can do that. It's just showing and rushing back to the paint, hands high, deflecting balls."</p>
<p>Earlier in the week Drew set a goal of 43% for defensive field goal percentage, a number that if achieved would put the Bucks among the elite defenses in the league.</p>
<p>"I have a color system and I have a number system and they have to learn that," Drew said. "I know it can be confusing at times.</p>
<p>"It calls for all five guys to be on a string when we call for a certain defense. Offensively, guys seem to know when it's their shot. We haven't put a whole lot of offensive stuff in. I've really been trying to focus on the defensive stuff and then we'll start slowly adding some offensive things."</p>
</blockquote>
<p><b>Starting</b>. Drew's presumed starting five coming into camp consisted of Knight, Mayo, Butler, Ilyasova and Sanders, and that's been the group getting reps together during scrimmages over the past week. On the injury front, <span>Carlos Delfino</span> (foot) and <span>Zaza Pachulia</span> (Achilles) are out, while <a target="_blank" href="http://www.foxsportswisconsin.com/nba/milwaukee-bucks/story/Bucks-Monday-Young-players-likely-to-be-?blockID=948367&feedID=5066">Ekpe Udoh (knee) and Khris Middleton (ankle) practiced on Monday</a> but continue to nurse injuries that limited them over the past week. <i>Update: via Ted Davis, <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/nbated">Udoh did not travel with the team</a>.</i></p>
<p>Don't expect Drew to take any chances with his banged-up players, but this is also the preseason, so you can expect plenty of guys getting extended looks as Drew tries to figure out exactly how to round out his rotation. <a target="_blank" href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jsonline.com%2Fblogs%2Fsports%2F226814141.html&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.brewhoop.com%2F2013%2F10%2F7%2F4814936%2Fbucks-vs-cavaliers-preview-kyrie-irving" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener">Via Gardner</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"It's preseason. Everybody is probably going to play at some point in the preseason," Drew said. "Everybody might not play tomorrow. But at some point they'll be in a position where they'll get some minutes."</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Hopefully that means we'll see less of Caron Butler (though getting older, he doesn't need 30 mpg in the preseason to prove what he can do) and more of Antetokounmpo and Middleton (if healthy) battling for backup small forward minutes.</p>
<p><b>Numbers game</b>. Drew's latest numerical goal for the Bucks is 46%, as in 46% shooting from the field for the season. <a href="http://www.foxsportswisconsin.com/nba/milwaukee-bucks/story/Bucks-Monday-Young-players-likely-to-be-?blockID=948367&feedID=5066" target="_blank">Via Andrew Gruman</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"I think we have good enough shooters," Drew said. "I think offensively if we execute and get the shots that we want, if we play together, I think there's no reason why we can't get up to that number or close to it.</p>
<p>"I put that number up there to challenge the team. If we move the basketball, execute our offense and play very unselfishly, we'll get high percentage shots. I know that's a big number and where it ranked at last year, but I'm going to throw that out there to challenge this team."</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Personally, I'm not a fan of raw FG% as an offensive benchmark, and if you read this site with any regularity you'll know why: it just isn't as closely correlated to scoring as you'd think. Sure, many of the best scoring teams also tend to have high marks in FG%, but there are also plenty of exceptions due to the increasing importance of three point shooting and the additional impact of free throws, turnovers and second chance points.</p>
<p>Consider that Drew's Hawks ranked 7th in shooting percentage (46.4%) last season but just 15th in points per possession (which is the ultimate gauge of effectiveness), while Boston ranked 6th in shooting but <i>20th in offensive efficiency</i>. On the flip side, the three-point-happy Knicks were only 18th in FG% and third in scoring efficiency. Bottom line: I'd be happy if the Bucks were a top-ten team in terms of FG% (which is about where 46% would likely put them), but that doesn't guarantee that they'll be a top ten team in terms of actual offensive efficiency. And at the end of the day, offensive and defensive efficiency (read: points) are the only two numbers that really matter in terms of wins and losses.</p>
<p><b>Cavs update</b>. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.cavstheblog.com/?p=22555#more-22555">Cleveland held a scrimmage of its own over the weekend</a>, losing center <span>Tyler Zeller</span> to a hip injury that is expected to keep him out of Tuesday's game. And while we all know that the Cavs are quite justifiably being built around all-star point guard Kyrie Irving, Cleveland's talented frontcourt is just as intriguing.</p>
<p>Veteran Anderson Varejao is returning from a blood clot that cost him most of last season, first overall pick <span>Anthony Bennett</span> has been battling weight problems since returning from offseason shoulder surgery, Andrew Bynum (rehabbing his knees, as per usual) is just hoping to play NBA basketball again, and former fourth overall pick <span>Tristan Thompson</span> switched from being a lefty to a righty over the summer. As a group, they figure to end up somewhere between awesome and, well, hugely disappointing. That dash of uncertainty aside, sixth in the East seems like a reasonable ceiling provided Kyrie stays healthy and both Varejao and Bynum can given them 50+ games.</p>
https://www.brewhoop.com/2013/10/7/4814936/bucks-vs-cavaliers-preview-kyrie-irvingFrank Madden