Milwaukee Bucks 2014 - 2015 (part 1)

[patrickgpe]

i think you are right with around 30. Parker is playing as well as I have expected. I didn't account for Mayo having a great preseason. If Sanders can return to form from 2 seasons ago, they could fight for the 7th or 8th seed. Either way this team will be fun to watch. I think with Kohl gone, the team has chagned stragetgy from having to make the playoffs, to simply trying to be good in a few season which is all bucks fans wanted.

[fondybrewfan]

If all the pieces fall in place they could contend for a playoff spot since the Eastern Conference is still pretty terrible after the top 3 or 4 teams. If they get anything out of Mayo or Ersan that would be a positive. I think Sanders does have a good year. He will never be much more than a defensive stopper and rebounder but that is really all you need from that spot.

 

I will stick with my 32 win projection for now but I could see them getting up to 40 or so if things go right. I just can't imagine them being anywhere near their win total from last year.

[ELCABALLO45]

Well, there was so much good in that game but to end up blowing a 24 point lead and lose in OT sucks. No matter what. There was so much to dissect from this game. Short version..

 

The Good

- Brandon Knight played well at point.

- Larry Sanders looks back. He frustrated Jefferson all night.

- OJ Mayo looked good, especially on defense.

- The passing in the first half was about as good as you can do it.

- The team defense played awesome, holding Charlotte to 40.6% shooting on the night.

 

 

The Bad

- To many times settled for long 2s on offensive possessions, especially late in the game.

- Dudley and Zaza playing over Henson and Greak Freak is mind blowing and annoying.

- The rebounding was horrible. A big reason why Charlotte got back into the game.

- Khris Middleton as much as a I like him took soooo many stupid shots late in the game.

- Parker looked way to antsy.

 

Overall, it really really sucks that they lost but they were up 24, against a good team on the road. That's an encouraging sign. They don't know how to finish games yet. Besides rebounding the ball, they outplayed Charlotte for most of the game. Once Kidd figures out his rotation more and Parker settles down this team could actually be really fun to watch.

[fondybrewfan]

That 4th Quarter was basically the Brewers 2nd half crammed into 24 minute of basketball. For as good as they played early they played bad at the end. They had a ton of turnovers and bad shots, especially in the 4th Q. It seems like Middleton or Knight took every shot in the 4th and no one was passing anymore. I thought Kidd could have shaken up that lineup a bit and put Mayo in there; he played really well.

[patrickgpe]

good analysis, elcaballo.

 

overall they played about how i expected. This team will be very up and down this season, which is expected with such a young team. They did show their potential in the first half.

 

Mayo looks like a different player under Kidd.

Sanders also looks like a different player, but did mess up defensively on the 3 by Walker at the end of regulation.

Also the Jennings trade continues to look like one of the better in team history.

[Jenkins5]

Biggest thing from last night, this is the first time since I was a young kid following Big Dog and Ray Allen that I have been excited for the Bucks. They are a good team to watch and there is a lot to love about the teams make up. They have so much depth that is it actually more of a problem. To many talent guys that need minutes. My take aways from last night:

 

I watched the first three quarters and it was great basketball. Sharing and protecting the ball, being aggressive and attacking on defense, and really they looked sharp. We got up 24 so I left to go get some food in the fourth quarter....came back and it was 1 minute left in regulation...they blew the lead.

 

Brandon Knight for the first time in his career truly looked like not only a starting PG in the NBA (not a combo or SG) but a top tier type of PG. He attacked when he needed to attack, played pretty good defense, he was sharing the ball with great vision, he got to the line a bunch, and while he had a down shooting game overall he went 22 points 13 assist and 8 rebounds! He is so explosive and if he keeps improving his passing and at being a floor general, he very well could be our future at PG.

 

Larry Sanders is back and I am so glad we didn't trade him. He is a building block for this team simply because of the presence he brings on defense. Offensively he continues to look better but his defense makes a huge difference.

 

Middleton is becoming a very nice player. He as of right now it the guy they want for the last shot. He has best stroke on the team I think.

 

Ersan and Mayo need minutes and both looked good in their time last night. They simply are guys you need to get going and show off. Both completely killed stock last season and neither I think are in the long term plan for future. Hopefully they can get us good return from a contending team. Kidd really wanted Dudley so he will be here all season.

 

I'm fine with Giannis coming off bench as a 6 man however not a fan of Marshall, Giannis, Henson losing such a large amount of minutes to Bayliss, Dudley and Zaza. Like I said we are a really deep team however there are only so many minutes to go around.

 

Walker was Walker last night, he has the clutch gene as we all have seen from his since college.

 

Rebounding a awful. 15 offensive boards giving up is middle school like and we need our bigs to play bigger in that aspect.

[fondybrewfan]

The difference between the top 5 and the next 7 is really pretty small on the team. I just hope Giannis can consistently get 20-25 minutes or so a game; he needs at least that much to develop. He played a pretty solid game last night I thought. I think you could put him in the starting lineup for Dudley. Dudley played almost 30 minutes last night and basically had no stat line; he was more or less invisible.

 

I wish they would have gotten Parker involved in the offense a bit more. I thought Knight was having a good game then I saw this morning he was only 5-17. Yikes.

 

The Bucks starting 5 might not be in the upper tier of the NBA but it does appear their bench will be just as good as anyone's.

[davego]

I enjoyed the game too. I'd disagree on Middelton having a good jumper. I hope that develops over the year. For know, I'd like Jason to run sets for actual jump shooters at the end of the game.

[ELCABALLO45]

Thank you, patrickgpe

 

And I completely agree with the Knight analysis here. He attacked the rim so much in the 1st half and his ability to blow by Kemba Walker multiple times and get into the paint was actually quite shocking. His defense in OT on Walker was also great. Kemba pulled a shot out of his you know what to beat him.

 

I think my favorite part about Jason Kidd as a coach is, the fact that he can look at someone like OJ Mayo and if he's whining he can just tell him to shut up. Basically say "I'm a first ballot hall of fame PG, I have been to the finals and won a gold medal. Please tell me something I don't know". Not that I agree with the thought that just because he is a former player he knows everything but the fact that these young guys on this team at least have to respect Kidd and what he is saying because of what he has done.

[Outlander]

I'm at the other end with Knight, reminds me a lot of Jennings and don't really want them signing Knight to a large contract. Best case scenario would be another team buying into Knight and the Bucks getting some nice assets in return.

[fondybrewfan]

Its too bad the PG crop in next year's draft is going to be so weak. Knight is probably better long term than anyone we could pick up in the top 10 next year.

 

I like Knight more than Jennings but it still seems that when it comes to crunch time in the 4Q he tends to turn into an impatient chucker.

 

If anyone should have taken that shot on Tuesday it should have been Mayo with the way he was shooting it. The problem is that he would have been coming off of the bench cold.

[ELCABALLO45]

To think, this team could be 2-0 right now. It wasnt pretty but the young Bucks took care of business. This is what they were suppose to do. Quick summary..

 

THE GOOD

- OJ Mayo continues to look like the guy we hoped we signed last year. 5 of 7 from downtown.

- Brandon Knight with another solid line of 13points 7ast and 7reb

- LARRY SANDERS! Is back, he grabbed 15 rebounds with 4 blocks and multiple alter shots. Awesome having him back.

- Jabari Parker came out aggressive and notched his first career double double.

- John Henson got into the game early and contributed with 5 blocks.

- THE CROWD!! Holy crap was that awesome to see and hear.

 

THE BAD

- They really struggled keeping Philadelphia out of the paint, especially when Sanders went to the bench.

- Early in the 1st half the lack of rebounding showed its ugly head again.

- Khris Middleton continues his transformation to Monta Ellis. I have no idea why he feels the need to continue to force shots, but holy crap dude. Pass it once in awhile.

 

It was awesome to see Kidd start to adjust with his rotation, Henson came in 1st off the bench for the bigs and Greak Freak played a little more as well. I am starting to become a big believer in Kidd. I do think he likes to ride with the "hot" group out there a little to long. I understand that we went on our run with Bayless and Wolters on the court together but those are 2 guys I dont really want to see on the court at the same time very often. I also think it's cool to see how much OJ Mayo has seem to grow up, his pass on the fast break to let Jabari throw down as so unselfish of him, great to see.

 

Speaking of Jabari, I would love to see him more aggressive. It's like someone needs to remind him "Hey man, YOU ARE JABARI PARKER!". Take the mid range shot if they give it to you, kid.

 

All in all, good to get the win at home, and good for the new owners and Jason Kidd on getting their first win with Milwaukee. Onto, Washington!

[FVBrewerFan]

Just read Bucks have broken off talks with Knight's agent about an extension. I don't love him at PG, and too small to play much at the 2. He would be a good 6th man for a lot of teams. But he can score, and I think he's playing really good defense early on here. To me, this is a good test for Kidd. Can he make Knight into a true PG this season? Otherwise, probably need to trade him before he's a FA.

 

Pretty simple formula so far, Bucks can compete when they're not turning it over. I know they're young but that's the stat I'll be keeping my eye on. That, and they need a few "go to" plays/ players if they go 3-4 trips without scoring.

[HiAndTight]

Its too bad the PG crop in next year's draft is going to be so weak. Knight is probably better long term than anyone we could pick up in the top 10 next year.

 

I like Knight more than Jennings but it still seems that when it comes to crunch time in the 4Q he tends to turn into an impatient chucker.

 

If anyone should have taken that shot on Tuesday it should have been Mayo with the way he was shooting it. The problem is that he would have been coming off of the bench cold.

 

 

I think it's a little premature to suggest that. Lets at least wait and see a couple of these young guys get on the court before we deem this group sub-par. I'll be particularly interested in following how Mudiay does this year overseas. He matched up against former Bucks draft pick Stephon Marbury in his first game.

[fondybrewfan]

Nice win last night albeit against a pretty depleted Pacers team. They will probably get blasted by the Bulls tonight though

[Outlander]

It sure does look like the Bucks will be fighting for the 8 seed. This Bucks team can certainly compete with the Knicks, Celtics, Hornets, Pacers, Pistons, Magic and Sixers.

[trwi7]

They've beaten two D-League teams and blew a 24 point lead against a mediocre team. These 4 games tell us nothing other than old scrubs like Dudley, Zaza and Ersan somehow continue to get playing time over young guys who need minutes to develop.

[BrewBalls]

maybe this is a stupid question, but if the Bucks stunk and/or traded up in next year's draft (not unreasonable to think) it seems natural they would target someone like Emmanuel Mudiay, who at least right now is the top PG prospect. and extending Sanders also isn't unreasonable.

 

so for all the money the Bucks may have in a year or two, what kind of player would they target in FA? It would seem like the starting roster would be pretty much set if they did draft a PG.

I would look to sign Wesley Matthews (4yrs/$45M) to start at SG. He's a solid defender who helps spread the floor with his range. it also doesn't hurt that he's from Wisconsin. If they can draft a PG like Mudiay they have the makings of a solid young roster.

 

Starters:

PG - Mudiay

SG - Matthews

SF - Antemnkounpo

PF - Parker

C - Sanders

 

Bench:

PG - Marshall, Wolters

SG - Mayo, Dudley, Bayless

SF - Middleton, Ingles

PF - Ilyasova, O'Bryant

C - Henson, Pachulia

[Outlander]

They've beaten two D-League teams and blew a 24 point lead against a mediocre team. These 4 games tell us nothing other than old scrubs like Dudley, Zaza and Ersan somehow continue to get playing time over young guys who need minutes to develop.

Disagree, you can tell a lot in a few games. Just like it was obvious they would be horrible after a game or two last year it is obvious they are 8 seed material this year. They beat two teams from the east that they potentially will be better than and blew a big lead to another team competing for the 8 seed. It is very obvious they will be competing to the end for the 8 seed.

[fondybrewfan]

Dudley and Ersan have both been pretty awful. Giannis has played pretty well the last couple of games; I would get him in the starting line up over Ersan. If Kidd likes Giannis off the bench I would rather he start Mayo than Ersan or Dudley.

 

Parker seems to be struggling with his shot a bit and is rushing things around the basket. Hopefully he starts to settle down a bit.

 

The Bucks have been competitive in every game so far this year; something that definitely could not be said last year. There biggest weaknesses appear to be turnovers and rebounding. Based on what I have seen they will be in contention for a low playoff seed. The Eastern Conference is still pretty terrible.

[GAME05]

I watched the second half last night. The defensive rebounding was just terrible. They'd make an effort for the offensive boards, but defensively it was like they just expected the ball to fall to them as long as they just stood there. Taj Boyd got so many points by just making an effort and getting the put-back. And what was usually Parker's fault, a number of times the Bulls' offensive player could move into the lane and Parker didn't play zone very well and just allowed the pass for an easy shot. The way I saw it, the Bucks did a lot of dumb things and the Bulls are a smart enough team to know how to take advantage of that.

 

But everything is new to the Bucks in about every aspect. I expect things will tighten up as the season goes on. Also happy that Jabari seems more like the player who is still learning instead of the player who is simply outclassed.

[patrickgpe]

another game that Middleton cannot get onto the court, I don't understand how he is not in the rotation. Really my only complaint with Kidd so far after 2 weeks.

[fondybrewfan]

That didn't make a whole lot of sense to me either; also Parker barely played in the 2nd half. I hope that was injury related. Dudley, Ersan, and Bayless are getting way to many minutes and taking away from guys like Middleton, Parker, and Henson. Dudley has brought next to nothing so far this year. Dudley getting minutes over Middleton doesn't make any sense to me unless there are some off court issues with Middleton.

 

Can't complain too much about 4-4 right now; it looks like this team will not be in competition for a Top 5 pick this year.

 

Giannis looks like he has really taken a step forward this year; he still struggles with his shot at times but he can get to the rim on anyone. Mayo has also been a pleasant surprise.

[RobDeer 45]

Sorry but I haven't watched a game this year, pretty much just read what is on this thread and watch highlights. Do you think they are not playing some of these guys because they want their record to be bad? Be bad this year, let young guys learn, get a high draft pick, win for a long time..... Just a thought with nothing to really base it off.

[patrickgpe]

not at all, they are trying to win games. Its a new ownership that needs to get community support for a new arena, I don't think the bucks have any interest in tanking this season