Milwaukee Bucks 2018 - 2019

[DuWayne Steurer]

Another blowout win. The Bucs scored 124 points with nobody scoring more than 19 points. Divincenzo is contributing quite a bit right off the bat which is nice as well.

[bucks2281]

Wow. I’ve been waiting my entire life for a Bucks team this good

[trwi7]

[hurricanecrush]

I’ve been so pumped for the Bucks the last few years but the front office is so dysfunctional that it’s getting hard to be optimistic. I really hope Bud helps them turn the corner but I’m entering the season kind of neutral until I see something different.

Wow, so glad to be wrong, what a fun team!

[Boomer5]

Give the ownership credit. After so many terrible moves, they course corrected and hired a tremendous coach.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

I don't think the armchair point guard community has ever been more right in my life. Both in firing kid and bringing on Budenholzer. I guess sometimes the right call is the obvious one.

[Boomer5]

I don't think the armchair point guard community has ever been more right in my life. Both in firing kid and bringing on Budenholzer. I guess sometimes the right call is the obvious one.

 

You’re right. Both moves have been the consensus for years.

 

Even using our trade capital to acquire draft picks is something we have all been screaming for and they are finally doing.

[wallus]

I am happy that all of the new Brewers bandwagoners can jump on with the Bucks!

[OldSchoolSnapper]

I'll fully admit to being a Bucks bandwagoner. I always check their scores and hope they do will, usually make it to one game per year. But the NBA is just structured so poorly. So many games, and a regular season that means little as so many teams make the playoffs. Even this is sort of hard to care too much about. I end up tuning in fully when the playoffs start. I just can't follow 82 games over such a long time period. It's much easier for me to digest baseball even though play twice as many.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

I'll fully admit to being a Bucks bandwagoner. I always check their scores and hope they do will, usually make it to one game per year. But the NBA is just structured so poorly. So many games, and a regular season that means little as so many teams make the playoffs. Even this is sort of hard to care too much about. I end up tuning in fully when the playoffs start. I just can't follow 82 games over such a long time period. It's much easier for me to digest baseball even though play twice as many.

 

The Bucks have been an especially hard follow over the last few years, simply because they have had so much turnover. They'll acquire a guy, he'll be the "next big thing" for awhile, and they eventually give him away for pennies on the dollar. Or they draft a guy, don't play him, and he's gone in a few years. There's been no building or plan in place for so long ... much like the early 2000s Brewer teams. I used to follow the Bucks pretty closely, but seeing them draft guys like TJ Ford and Jennings, who showed so much promise, only to eventually give them away, really soured me. They make acquisitions like Knight and Michael Carter-Williams out to be exciting, then drop them. Greg Monroe ... Tim Thomas ... this team's recent history is littered with flashes in the pan. I hope Giannis isn't next, but the team's history doesn't give me much hope.

[FVBrewerFan]

Coach Bud getting a lot of love, and rightly so. But we need to give Horst some props too.

 

DiVincenzo was a great pick at that point in the draft, got mixed reviews on the pick.

 

Irsan was a great signing.

 

Lopez, another great signing. Lots of naysayers on that one.

 

Connaughton. Under the radar signing that looks to be another win. Another guard, like DiVo who can rebound (and score) and is more athletic than I thought.

 

So far so good, next moves will be tougher decisions. What to do (if anything) with Bledsoe, extend Middleton?, I think Brogdon will be a FA, what changes does he make this season, etc. At least I have more confidence in the decision making these days.

[Outlander]

I'll fully admit to being a Bucks bandwagoner. I always check their scores and hope they do will, usually make it to one game per year. But the NBA is just structured so poorly. So many games, and a regular season that means little as so many teams make the playoffs. Even this is sort of hard to care too much about. I end up tuning in fully when the playoffs start. I just can't follow 82 games over such a long time period. It's much easier for me to digest baseball even though play twice as many.

 

The Bucks have been an especially hard follow over the last few years, simply because they have had so much turnover. They'll acquire a guy, he'll be the "next big thing" for awhile, and they eventually give him away for pennies on the dollar. Or they draft a guy, don't play him, and he's gone in a few years. There's been no building or plan in place for so long ... much like the early 2000s Brewer teams. I used to follow the Bucks pretty closely, but seeing them draft guys like TJ Ford and Jennings, who showed so much promise, only to eventually give them away, really soured me. They make acquisitions like Knight and Michael Carter-Williams out to be exciting, then drop them. Greg Monroe ... Tim Thomas ... this team's recent history is littered with flashes in the pan. I hope Giannis isn't next, but the team's history doesn't give me much hope.

Giannis is a superster and potential hall of famer. Still could leave after his contract is up but is on a different level than all those others.

[pacopete4]

There’s gotta be a fire sale coming in Cleveland. Who on that roster, if any, would help this Bucks team?

[stoutdude04]

The Celtics beat the Bucks...at home...while making 24 triples...and only by 4. That is a solid loss there. I didn't get to see any of the game, so I am just looking at the box scores.

[Baldkin]

The Celtics beat the Bucks...at home...while making 24 triples...and only by 4. That is a solid loss there. I didn't get to see any of the game, so I am just looking at the box scores.

 

Boston is really good, especially if Irving is hitting his outside shot.

 

They switched everything and abused Lopez by running 1-5 pick 'n rolls and they also took advantage Bucks propensity to overhelp on penetration by setting short-side flare screens to free up a shooter 1 pass away. They are really well coached, I look forward to the Bucks getting to their level as the season goes on.

 

Even though the Bucks had a chance to tie it in the 4th, the game never really felt that close, it was a weird one in that sense.

[FVBrewerFan]

My take-away from the Celtics game is the Bucks adjustments will be easier than the Celtics. They have no answer for Giannis in the paint. Bucks didn't move the ball very well, didn't hit enough 3s and still could have won that game.

 

On defense, Coach Bud can make the adjustment and make sure Irving doesn't get all these open 3s. Even if that means come playoff time having Divencenzo guard him- because he actually did ok defending Irving.

[TURBO]

The Celtics beat the Bucks...at home...while making 24 triples...and only by 4. That is a solid loss there. I didn't get to see any of the game, so I am just looking at the box scores.

 

Bledsoe missing that free throw with 12 seconds left was a killer. Had he made both, it would have been a tie game with that same 12 seconds remaining.

 

[GAME05]

I keep reminding myself that this is just the 8th game under a new coach, with a new offensive and defensive scheme. Barring injury, there's no reason the Bucks shouldn't get better and better as the year goes on and they start to understand the system better. I also wonder if Lopez is going to find a way to get more involved.

 

I do find it curious that Thon is basically not playing yet. Maybe he has some big holes in his game that I really haven't noticed yet (besides his bulk, I suppose), or maybe Bud is treating him more like a rookie, who has to prove himself in training yet before he sees more time. Though I'm guessing more toward the end of the year we'll be seeing more of him. Still, somewhat surprising as he would seem to be the ideal type of player in this offense as a guy who can be fast, can clear the lane quickly yet give quick supporting defense, and can also hit the 3. I suppose I could say the same thing about DJ Wilson, but I have much less hope for him.

 

What to do (if anything) with Bledsoe, extend Middleton?, I think Brogdon will be a FA, what changes does he make this season, etc. At least I have more confidence in the decision making these days.

 

Seems pretty clear Middleton is the obvious #2 on this team, and is the perfect compliment as a pure shooter to Giannis' driving ability. And if you're going to be a 3-point shooting team, you can't get much better than Middleton. But with Delly and Henson still on the books for another year, it would seem that the only available move would be to not re-sign Bledsoe and use his money for a Middleton raise, with whatever leftover money going to some Lopez-like guys who would take a one-year deal. Seeing that the Suns have our first-round pick, it's hard to see us having any trade capital for someone to take a Delly/Henson expiring contract from us. Maybe that money goes to Brogdon and we just take a one-year step down in talent.

[nate82]

Speculation here but I think Thon hasn't been in the games yet as Bud doesn't feel comfortable with him playing significant minutes meaning he is either not running the plays correctly or he is not meshing correctly in the way they are playing. Bud has already called a timeout when they were winning to yell at Henson when he didn't run the play correctly in the 4th quarter. I think this was the game against Toronto when this happened.

 

As for FA next year I think the Bucks will have enough and they could go over as the 20-21 season only Giannis, Snell, Ilyasova, Wilson, and DiVincenzo are on the roster. So the Bucks have enough room to sign both Middleton and Brogdon if they want to. Bledsoe will obviously be gone as I don't see how they can afford him which I am fine with. I am not sure I would keep Brogdon as he looks like he is better as a 6th man than he is as a starter.

 

I think the Bucks may trade Wilson at some point and after this season Snell is easier to trade but after the 19-20 season he has some value where you can trade him for a draft pick (2nd round) with the expiring contract.

 

For this year I think a trade with Cleveland for something like Dellavedova, Wilson, and a protected 2nd round pick for Korver and Dekker. Korver replaces Dellavedova at a smaller rate. Korver played for Bud in Atlanta so he is familiar with what Bud is trying to do. Dekker is an expiring contract after this year which sheds Wilson's salary next year. This then allows Cleveland to be bad this year and next year. I fully expect Love to be traded once he is back healthy again and once he is eligible to be traded.

 

Another trade option could be Dragan Bender on the Suns. He would be an expiring as the Suns have declined his 19-20 option making him a free agent after this season. I like Bender over Thon as I believe Bender is more advanced offensively and defensively than Thon is. If the Bucks grab Korver that means they could trade Brogdon to the Suns for Bender plus something more to even out that trade.

[homer]

The Bucks scored 144 on Sacramento today. They are good.

[JackNicholson1974]

Not that I expect anyone here to know, but do you think Giannis leaves in free agency in a couple years?

[TURBO]

Not that I expect anyone here to know, but do you think Giannis leaves in free agency in a couple years?

 

When can he leave?

[sveumrules]

Not that I expect anyone here to know, but do you think Giannis leaves in free agency in a couple years?

 

A lot depends on how the team does over the next two tree seasons. Early returns on coach Bud are definitely encouraging.

 

Working in the Bucks favor are that they can offer the largest contract when the time comes & Giannis genuinely seems to love Milwaukee.

[bucks2281]

Not that I expect anyone here to know, but do you think Giannis leaves in free agency in a couple years?

 

When can he leave?

 

Summer of 2021

[TURBO]

So we have him for 4 more seasons, counting this one?

 

That is pretty far out to worry about now imo.