Milwaukee Bucks Thread 2008–2009 (part 2)

[I Heart Brewers]

Great point. Sessions was in the D-league for a spell wasn't he? That seemed to turn out pretty well for the Bucks. Why not give Jennings a chance to get consistent minutes against good competition and some instruction from the coaches there?

 

EDIT: I understand the economics of of it, but it would be nice to actually develop 19 year old talent instead of hoping to get them minutes here and there.

[Glennron]

I'm not crazy about the Jennings pick, but maybe it's the fact that it still bugs me that he skipped out on college to take the money in Europe for a year. I guess I'm just not confident in him staying in Milwaukee longer than he has to. Hopefully they can get something out of him before he bolts.

I guess I'm not completely positive, but I think he tried several times to get into Arizona but was unable to achieve the necessary academic requirements. Also, you don't know what his money situation was either so I can't exactly blame him for taking the money immediately.

[yoshii8]

From what I heard his game developed a lot last year playing professionaly in Europe. I heard Skiles say something like he will be able to contribute more than people think.

[I Heart Brewers]

From what I heard his game developed a lot last year playing professionaly in Europe. I heard Skiles say something like he will be able to contribute more than people think.

Not to be totally cynical but he also said the Jefferson trade was not a salary dump. I understand, he's got to sell tickets somehow.

[patrickgpe]

I was hoping for buddinger over meeks. Meeks is not a good defender and is an undersized 2. He is a shooter off the bench but thats about it.

[trwi7]

Not to be totally cynical but he also said the Jefferson trade was not a salary dump. I understand, he's got to sell tickets somehow.

It's really only a salary dump if they don't spend the money they saved from Jefferson on other players. I expect them to spend the money so it's not really a salary dump.

[yoshii8]

I was hoping for buddinger over meeks. Meeks is not a good defender and is an undersized 2. He is a shooter off the bench but thats about it.

Is Budinger a good defender? I like Meeks because he plays very fast, and he is a great shooter, two things that are very important qualites in an NBA player. Also I've heard he is a better defender than reports are saying.

[Diskono]

Is Budinger a good defender? I like Meeks because he plays very fast, and he is a great shooter, two things that are very important qualites in an NBA player. Also I've heard he is a better defender than reports are saying.

Biggest issue for me with Meeks is his size. Sort of like Charlie Bell, who is technically a pretty good defender IMO, but he still has a lot of trouble keeping up with bigger players.

[patrickgpe]

Is Budinger a good defender? I like Meeks because he plays very fast, and he is a great shooter, two things that are very important qualites in an NBA player. Also I've heard he is a better defender than reports are saying.

 

 

not really, his scouting report is that he easily gets beat off the dribble due to his poor lateral quickness. Meeks seems to have the same issue, but has less size than Budinger. He is a good shooter though and could help us as a backup 2 or 3.

[davego]

Meeks "could" be a really nice NBA player given the correct role (shooting the ball) and he extends his range to beyond the 3pt line. Value for the pick here should end up being pretty impressive.

 

I'm guessing Sessions might be moving on.

[RU Rah Rah]

I really like the Meeks pick in the second round. The guy can flat-out score.

[Gobias Industries]

The more I'm reading on Jennings, the more I'm liking the pick. He's definitely got the chance to be a superstar, and has a pretty intriguing personality. He's definitely a project, but I like that he's played in a Euroleague full of vets instead of one year of college where a guy with his talent would just dominate. Skiles really likes the guy, and I'm 100% confident in Skiles' opinion.

 

Meeks is a decent pick to me. If he makes the roster, he's a success. I would have rather had Budinger as well though. The fact that a GM as smart as Morey wound up with him kind of reaffirms that for me.

[LouisEly]

Budinger is more of a SF than a SG, and the Bucks have plenty of SFs. From what I gather, Ilyasova is regarded much higher than Budinger and CV is more of a SF than a PF - don't let the height fool you. So if they bring back Ilyasova then I think the right move is Meeks. Redd is listed at 6'6", and Meeks 6'4", so not much of a difference there. But I think Meeks is better than Bell, and with Redd out they need a guy who can score, so I think it is a good pick.

 

The thing with Blair is that almost every team passed on him, so that makes me think that it is a common opinion among GMs and professional talent evaluators. Let's say that Blair was a legitimate #10 overall pick; he ended up lasting almost until that pick in the second round. So every team from #10 overall to #37, which by my count was 21 different teams, passed on him. To me that says that there are legitimate concerns about his ability to play in the NBA.

[ILuvDaBush]

I totally am behind the Jennings pick. Honestly, I figured given the landscape that he wouldn't be there. An exciting playmaker at the PG position. And as others have said, with Skiles as his coach, he will be molded into a complete PG. What does this mean for Sessions? Hopefully he signs his restricted offer and becomes a FA next year, allowing for a full year of fighting for minutes with our future PG. Will it happen? Not with Luke the (former) Duck still on the payroll. But honestly, I think living as a "professional" last year in Europe can only help. I remember reading an article about how a young Dwight Howard had a difficult time coping his first year out of high school, living the life of a professional. Jennings lived a far harder lifestyle in Europe and had nothing but good things to say. That speaks volumes about his character. That he understands what being defined as a professional athlete entails can only help him in dealing with life in Mill-town, Cheese-sconsin. But hey, Wisconsin-Italy. They both love their cheese and alcohol.

As for Meeks, I would have prefered the Volleyball star as well. Chase and Joe Alexander, vying for the right to be called Vanilla Sky. Unfortunately, 'tis but a pipe dream.

[brewdude15]

Blair would've been a great second 2nd round pick, or second 1st round pick. He's had bad knees since high school, and he never missed a game or practice all throughout then and in college. He's a tough son-of-a-gun, and has plenty to prove in the NBA. The Spurs got another steal, and right now, they're my favorites to win the West. I predict a San Antonio-Cleveland/Orlando final.

[Diskono]

The thing with Blair is that almost every team passed on him, so that makes me think that it is a common opinion among GMs and professional talent evaluators. Let's say that Blair was a legitimate #10 overall pick; he ended up lasting almost until that pick in the second round. So every team from #10 overall to #37, which by my count was 21 different teams, passed on him. To me that says that there are legitimate concerns about his ability to play in the NBA.

Weren't the concerns more to do with his knee and injuries than his ability? I still think he's going to be a very good NBA player when healthy.

[brewdude15]

The thing with Blair is that almost every team passed on him, so that makes me think that it is a common opinion among GMs and professional talent evaluators. Let's say that Blair was a legitimate #10 overall pick; he ended up lasting almost until that pick in the second round. So every team from #10 overall to #37, which by my count was 21 different teams, passed on him. To me that says that there are legitimate concerns about his ability to play in the NBA.

Weren't the concerns more to do with his knee and injuries than his ability? I still think he's going to be a very good NBA player when healthy.

That is correct.

[crewcrazy]

I guess I'm starting to come around on Jennings after seeing his press conference. He seems excited to play for Scott Skiles, which you typically don't see from NBA players considering his reputation for riding guys hard. If he's willing to commit to becoming a better player I can get behind him.

 

I also like the pick of Meeks in the second round. The second the pick was announced I thought it wasn't a bad pick for that spot in the draft, and I can definitely see some parallels between him and Redd, who he could conceivably end up replacing. Both are capable of big point totals, but are mostly jump shooters. The guy can flat-out shoot, though, so hopefully guys like Jennings (and hopefully Sessions, although I'm not as optimistic of him returning now) will be able to penetrate and get him some open looks. Definitely not a bad guy to have around, and I think he'll definitely stick as an NBA player. I'm betting he's wishing he stayed in school and played a year for Calipari, though...I think he would've been a first round pick if this wasn't such a guard-heavy draft.

[endaround]

Thing is Redd was not a jump shooter at Ohio State. He was mostly a slasher but he could only really go left. It worked fine in college but pros can go either way on defense.

[JJHardy7]

I know, it's not a horrible pick, but I thought it was a lock that once Holliday fell to the Bucks that we'd take him. Even the guys on ESPN said Jennings would be a "project player".

The lock was Jennings. Ford at ESPN reported pretty much all day Thursday that Jennings was the guy if Flynn was gone. IMO Jennings is going to be a pick that teams will look back on and wonder why they didn't take him. He's been called Iverson Jr...I don't think that's a bad thing.

Also, how is taking Tyler at #13 a bad pick? Because he played 4 years? The dude was among the best players in college every year and has decent size for his position...something you can't say about several other first round picks. I think Tyler will easily be among the betters player in this 'terrible draft'. Do you want a guy that will be in the league 10+ years as a bad pick? I kind of wanted the Bucks to take him at #10. In a league full of players that don't put forth the effort and such, Tyler is going to easily have a long career. Energy guys that are getting paid millions now, but lack basketball IQ prove that Tyler should be a good player in this league. All-Star? Maybe not..but I don't see how anyone can question that pick.

[jwaltz]

NBAdraft.net asked Jennings what his favorite memory of this past year was and he responded "playing against Earl Boykins." Former Buck Boykins is a quality NBA caliber player and Jennings more than held his own against him. Jennings played with and against some good players over in Europe.

 

NBAdraft.net interviews with draftees including Jennings.

[JJHardy7]

Blair would've been a great second 2nd round pick, or second 1st round pick. He's had bad knees since high school, and he never missed a game or practice all throughout then and in college. He's a tough son-of-a-gun, and has plenty to prove in the NBA. The Spurs got another steal, and right now, they're my favorites to win the West. I predict a San Antonio-Cleveland/Orlando final.

I agree on the Spurs...don't agree on what you're saying about Blair. My main question with him is why did he slip? Obviously (at least from what's out there) it was his knees and such. 1st round picks have guaranteed contracts in the 1st round, but not in the 2nd round. Why wasn't he picked with the first 2nd round pick? That is exactly what I thought would happen, but there must be other issues about him. My guess is he hasn't missed games in college, but he's also going to play 50+ more games a year. I still would've liked to see the Bucks have bought him, but there have to be serious concerns about him for him not to be the 1st pick of the second round.

I'm betting he's wishing he stayed in school and played a year for Calipari, though...I think he would've been a first round pick if this wasn't such a guard-heavy draft.

I've heard Meeks didn't have much of a choice. Kentucky just bought a ton of recruits and they had too many players with scholarships for next year...

Thing is Redd was not a jump shooter at Ohio State. He was mostly a slasher but he could only really go left. It worked fine in college but pros can go either way on defense.

It has worked out so bad for Redd...at least it looks like you're knocking on him. I honestly don't like the Meeks pick. He's too small to play the 2 IMO, but for a 2nd round pick it's nothing to be upset about I guess. The real question will be how much Meeks can develop.

[LouisEly]

I've heard Meeks didn't have much of a choice. Kentucky just bought a ton of recruits and they had too many players with scholarships for next year...

 

Intentional, or an unintentional choice of words?

 

Iverson has played a lot at the 2, and Meeks is only listed as 2" shorter than Redd, so I don't think that being 6'4" is really too small to play the 2. I think other factors are more important.

[yoshii8]

Also Meeks is known for his athleticism and speed, along w/ his great shooting, so I think that could help him overcome being a 6'4" shooting guard.

[davego]

Meeks will have to extend his range. If he can shoot the 3 @ the NBA-level, he will be a nice addition.