Milwaukee Bucks Thread 2008–2009 (part 1)

[Gobias Industries]

I agree with you bbrauch. I'm not gonna go out of my way to catch a Bucks game for the forseeable future after these last 3 games.

 

LRMAM has been terrible for about 2 weeks now. He should only be used as a defensive stopper right now. What really irks me is Bogut's effort, or lack thereof. Even though Shaq went off, he still played a really good game. He played with energy that I've never seen from him before. If he would do that on a nightly basis, and get into good shape, he would average 18/12 in his sleep. He played good in the first quarter last night, but just kind of disappeared after that.

 

Outside of shooting, the teams biggest problem imo is our guards getting beat off the dribble. I've never seen anything like it. It happens almost everytime down the floor and Bogut leaves his man to contest the shot. If the guy misses, Bogut's guy has an easy putback (Biedrins had at least 3 baskets like this last night). Bogut picks up a foul on the guy and sends him to the line is also leading to a huge free throw disparity every game.

 

It would have been really nice to have been able to draft Westbrook with the 8 pick. He's a really good defender, and would have at least helped in that area.

[nate82]

D.J. Augustin looks to be a good PG in the making. I still believe the Bucks made the wrong choice with Alexander and should have went with Augustin instead. Even at Augustin's size he has been playing really good at the PG position.

[Gobias Industries]

I have litttle doubt Alexander is going to be a good player in a year or two, but I don't know what Hammond is doing. Is he building for the future, or trying to legitmately compete right now? He's made moves that completely contradict each other.

 

Augustin looks like a player. He's the guy I definitely did not want going into the draft, but I think he's gonna be a good sixth man.

[bbrauch2000]

Charlotte has been playing with a lot of 2 guard sets with Felton moving over to the 2 spot. I think they like that versatility and made the move with J-Rich to make that happen. They see Augustin as the PG of the future and knowing they dont have a lot to play for, are going to let him play off some of the hard edges he comes with.

 

If we believe that Sessions is the PG we will be building on in the future, which i think we should be, I can't see a reason to keep on sending Ridnour out there. We aren't competitive as is, at least let us see what we may have in him as his contract is coming to expiration. Charlotte is making this happen early on with Augustin, and i really think we should follow suit.

 

Alexander needs a lot of work, a lot. I think he can learn just as much from being on a practice court at this point as he can on the floor. With all the time on the road these first months of the season, the practices have been few and far between, which i think is really starting to effect the younger guys significantly. We are just falling into a trap that is leading into way too much one on one basketball. The most fun game I've seen all year was the loss to Toronto when it really looked like the Bucks were playing together, building off each other and playing with emotion. That was not even close to the team I saw last night. I have to imagine that Richard Jefferson and Michael Redd are going to be two of the bigger pieces available at the deadline. We need to turn that into youth that fits more of the Skiles mold.

 

Trotting out these veterans just doesnt make sense. We aren't going anywhere with this team, why not give us a glimpse of something we can look forward to?

[trwi7]

I don't know what Hammond is doing. Is he building for the future, or trying to legitmately compete right now? He's made moves that completely contradict each other.

This was by far my biggest problem this offseason and why I thought this team would be bad. You absolutely cannot try to win and build for the future at the same time in the NBA. What you end up getting is a 30-37 win team that lacks young assets to provide hope for the future, it lacks cap space because the veterans that are trying to win now are taking up a large portion of that space and you're not going to be bad enough to get a top lottery pick.

[MarquesJohnson2000]

Hammond is trying to clear out bad contracts like Bobby Simmons' and Mo Williams', nothing more.

 

He's in a tough position because the fans have lost faith in the team.. if they don't do some winning and do it soon there will be a lot of empty seats come February.

[trwi7]

if they don't do some winning and do it soon there will be a lot of empty seats come February.

 

Uhh, there's already a ton of empty seats. They're lucky to draw 14,000 for a weekend game.

[brwrsfan]

Thought I'd pull this one back out as the Bucks have been playing well lately and are back to 14-16. Some interesting developments today:

 

1. Damon Jones is reporting to the team. Not sure what the whole situation was but he can't hurt. He's a very good 3 point shooter at the very least. I didn't really understand the timing of it all until I found this on cnnsi this morning.

 

2. It is believed the Bucks have an offer on the table from the Los Angeles Lakers for Tyronn Lue, with the Bucks receiving veteran big man Chris Mihm in return. There have also been rumors that Lue could be dealt to Oklahoma City, perhaps as part of a package deal with teammate Charlie Villanueva.

 

That would make a lot of sense....Jones replaces Lue (who never plays and is terrible in my opinion) and Chris Mihm brings a solid rebounder and defender to the post, which we really only have 1 of in Bogut. Interesting...

[trwi7]

2. It is believed the Bucks have an offer on the table from the Los Angeles Lakers for Tyronn Lue, with the Bucks receiving veteran big man Chris Mihm in return. There have also been rumors that Lue could be dealt to Oklahoma City, perhaps as part of a package deal with teammate Charlie Villanueva.

 

That would make a lot of sense....Jones replaces Lue (who never plays and is terrible in my opinion) and Chris Mihm brings a solid rebounder and defender to the post, which we really only have 1 of in Bogut. Interesting...

That's not the rumor. The rumor is the Bucks sending Villanueva and Lue to Houston for Carl Landry and either Luther Head or Brent Barry. Houston would then send Lue to the Lakers for Chris Mihm.

[ILuvDaBush]

I don't like that trade at all. Landry is LRMaM without the defensive efficiency. He can bang a bit but is undersized. Head, as well, is undersized. Why can't we just package Lue with Danny Gadz (allowing him to return to LA, where he has had most of his success) and get back Mihm? Or, better, package Gadz/Villy/Jones for Mihm/Odom?

[trwi7]

Nobody wants Gadz. I think you're also underrating Landry. He's very efficient, he's a good defender and CV likely won't be here after this year. It's more of a get what you can for him now kind of deal.

[davego]

I read the Lue to the Lakers too. Phil wants a back-up point that know the triangle. I guess it would be Ok. I like the Houston part to make it a 3-way better. So long as a contract is shed; its a good deal.

 

Interesting benchmark game V the Pistons tonight. Detroit has beaten the Bucks like a rented mule (no offense to rented mules) the past few seasons. Let's see what Skiles has up his sleeve.

[Gobias Industries]

Landry is LRMaM without the defensive efficiency.

Landry is an excellent return for Charlie V. We're in a terrible spot with him. He either continues to play like he always has (inconsistent) and we don't resign him, or he plays great, and most likely becomes someone else's mistake after he prices himself out of the Bucks limit and gets paid. He's played very good that last month, so we'd be selling at his peak. Landry has a very team friendly deal, and is most likely the better player anyway.

 

I don't like giving up Lue though, but that's not a big deal.

[razzzorsharp]

Wow, what a win against the Spurs in SA. Great effort by Bogut and Ridnour.

[Gobias Industries]

They have been playing some really good ball lately, sans the 2nd half of the Pistons game. I'm thinking I'll go to the game Friday with that promotion they have going. (30 for a ticket and all you can eat food).

 

Redd played better last night, but missing wide open 3's is getting really old. His shot has no arc right now, and the long rebounds are leading to fast break pts for the opposition. He's never had so many open looks in his career and he's choking bad.

 

A guy like Kapono or Korver would be so much better for this team, not to mention the money you would save compared to Redd.

[TSack27]

I'm thinking I'll go to the game Friday with that promotion they have going. (30 for a ticket and all you can eat food).

They certainly seem more enjoyable to watch, not exactly sure what...hustle, attitude, teamwork, effort, defense, coaching or whatever.

 

If I didn't live 3 hours away, I'd really like to take advantage of this other promotion they have going for the next two weeks - get Joe Alexander elected to the dunk contest - $37 seats for $11.

[Menotti80]

bucks taking care of business again at home last night with another 25+ pt victory over the bobcats. they play them again tonight, and it's a must-win as far as i'm concerned

[razzzorsharp]

bucks taking care of business again at home last night with another 25+ pt victory over the bobcats. they play them again tonight, and it's a must-win as far as i'm concerned

It's very difficult for even the best team to win back to backs against the worst team. The Bucks and Bobcats are close in talent so if they split it wouldn't be the end of the world or season. They have a lot of games against subpar teams this month, it's my hope they they are over .500 by the end of it.

[Gobias Industries]

I would sit Bogut out this game. His back is killing him. And we still have a decent chance to beat this team without him.

[brewtank34]

Question?

If I go out to a bar tonight that has the NBA League Pass, will the game still be blacked out?

[nodakfan17]

Brewtank- was the game blacked out for you on League Pass? Even the Bucks' radio affiliate in Green Bay went with the NFL playoffs over Bucks @ Bobcats. I had to listen to the Sturgeon Bay affiliate through heavy static.

 

Toronto is a game and a half out of the 8-spot. Tonight is a perfect opportunity for Milwaukee to distance themselves from the competition. Go Bucks!

[Glennron]

After it looked like they might blow it the Bucks ended the game on 13-0 run. Good to see Redd with a season-high 35 too.

[trwi7]

If you guys want a great read, go look at the game thread on realgm. Especially the first 20 or so pages.

[ILuvDaBush]

Is Charlie Villanueva to the Bucks what Rickie Weeks is to the Brewers?

[Gobias Industries]

I'd say that's a fair comparison.