Eastern Conference Finals: Milwaukee Bucks vs Toronto Raptors

[HiAndTight]

Not sure if you guys know this yet...but the reporter leaked a story immediately after the game that Giannis is likely to leave MKE if there is no Finals run in 2020. That's who asked the question. He got pissed and left. Rightfully.

 

 

Was it that Malika Andrews story on ESPN?

 

I hope that was because Giannis was annoyed by the BS reporting and not because it was something that leaked from his camp. Though I really don't know how big of a camp he has that decides such things as he seems to keep things pretty close to his family.

 

As much as one would think Giannis is loyal to the Bucks NBA players want to win and sadly it is fairly easy for them to get paid the most and get pretty easy championship runs by bolting. We will see how long he loves Milwaukee if they can’t even get to the finals.

 

He doesn’t seem like the kind of guy to bolt that fast...but I guess you never know.

 

 

But it isn't. He'll get paid the most by playing in Milwaukee. No team will be able to offer him nearly as much as the Bucks can.

[HiAndTight]

I know this is a bad attitude to have, but the whole "we'll be back" talk never does much for me. Everyone thinks they'll be back. Sometimes you just don't make it back. We could follow Philly's path next year and get knocked out in Round 2. We just don't know. People think we'll have an improved supporting cast next year -- how? We don't even have enough to keep all our own much less bring in much for outside help, and we're not likely getting immediate help in the draft. I think we'll have to lean on Giannis more than ever before and count on his improvement.

 

Every missed opportunity is a missed opportunity. We were at full health in the ECF which gave us a great shot. We might not have the same luck next year.

 

Best case scenario is we are indeed back, we keep most of the supporting cast, and Durant leaves Golden State and we knock off a weaker Warrior team. Worst case scenario is we don't make it back, Giannis doesn't sign his supermax, and we are forced to trade him after next season. Both scenarios could happen.

 

 

After losing a shot to go to the finals, there's not much that's going to do anything for anyone the day after. But the difference between this team and any other Brewers/Bucks teams of the past is we've got "the guy" on our team. We've got Giannis.

 

I don't know who has said that we'll have an improved supporting cast next year? I'm hoping we can retain most of our supporting cast next year and they'll learn and grow from this disappointing loss, but I haven't seen anyone talking about how much better the talent will be.

 

I don't think it needs to be. I don't think we NEED to add much. Just keep most of who we have. Hopefully, some of the younger role players will improve and we'll be able to get something out of them. But mostly you're counting on Giannis being less one dimensional offensively by developing a better shot, this team being more experienced and not shooting poorly and little else.

[nodakfan17]

It’s funny to think that Lasry and Edens have owned the team for 5 years and the Bucks’ two best assets (Giannis and Middleton) are holdovers from the Herb Kohl era.

 

 

I don't. Giannis is the single best asset in the entire NBA. Really hard to blame them for not topping that in 5 years. And then I'd say they've brought a pretty biggest asset to the Bucks by helping them build a stadium. Or adding a full supporting cast of players around those two. Or coach Bud.

I get the sense that Lasry and Edens believe the team’s recent success is due, in part, to their ‘superior management,’ and while I credit them for securing the arena (which also enriched their own interests), I was merely pointing out they inherited their two best basketball assets. And while Coach Bud is great, they also employed an unqualified personal friend for 4 years.

[HiAndTight]

I get the sense that Lasry and Edens believe the team’s recent success is due, in part, to their ‘superior management,’ and while I credit them for securing the arena (which also enriched their own interests), I was merely pointing out they inherited their two best basketball assets. And while Coach Bud is great, they also employed an unqualified personal friend for 4 years.

 

Ok, but they're hardly the only ones who believe that Jason Kidd is a capable coach.

 

I actually liked his defensive philosophy in theory when he came here. Especially when I thought Maker was gonna be a much-much better player(I never thought he'd be a future MVP as others actually wrote, but still).

 

We were a VERY long team and I liked the 1990's, Nolan Richardson, 40(or 48) minutes of hell type defensive strategy with..I'm going back now, but MCW at the point, 6'7, Midds at the 2, 6'8, Giannis, 6'11, Thon and Larry Sanders.

 

So that didn't work obviously, but if it had and if he could have just incorporated it better, ie, going to it less....whatever, I'm not going to defend what Kidd did here. Just the owners reasons for believing Kidd could be a good coach.

 

He did do a good job in Brooklyn the year before, taking a roster that was built by using whatever big names they could gather up and they performed well after the first month or so of that season.

 

He also created the opportunity for Giannis to work with guys like KG.

 

Kidd was an unmitigated disaster in Milwaukee, but I understand why he was appealing for the owners at the time of the hire and I can't fault them for it.

 

They also got a bit unlucky. Without Jabari Parker suffering two knee injuries, he looked like he could have become a REALLY good player to play alongside Giannis. He made that stupid comment about defense, but he showed effort on defense, particularly in the post-season last year, the problem is, he was coming back from knee injuries.

 

There's no reason to believe he couldn't have been a 20+ PPG scorer, a guy who gets you 8 boards a game and shoot 80/50/40 the way he was developing. So they got hurt there to.

 

 

 

So the owners to this point, IN MY opinion, have hired a VERY bad HC, they hired a VERY good GM who hired a very good HC after that, they got a little unlucky when they ended up losing their #2 pick in the draft with very little production due to injuries.

 

What they REALLY needed to do after the mess that came with hiring Horst was stabilize the organization and make the right decisions moving forward.

 

I've mentioned a couple, but since then, they've done that. They didn't pay Jabari 40 million over 2 years just because he was the 2nd pick, they built a great roster around Giannis.

 

 

The real question comes to this off-season. How committed are they? Are they willing to REALLY spend? Because CHL and I could argue for hours over which players are most important, but if they REALLY want a championship, they just give the GM-free range to sign everyone and go way into the luxury tax. That's unrealistic, but it'd be ideal.

 

The next best would be to go well into that tax to at least bring back a good young core with Midd, Brogdon and yes, I know he's not popular right now, but Mirotic and then try to find a way to retain Lopez OR Hill one way or the other.

 

They've done many things right in the past couple years, but now they need to show they're truly committed. This team, if it's kept together can grow and win title(S). It's up to the owners.

 

 

If they bungle this off-season and try to save a few dollars, they're going to let the single most important NBA player get away like Cleveland did, except in this scenario, Giannis ain't coming back if he leaves because he doesn't have the same ties to Milwaukee.

 

Now I can't speak to how much they believe their current success has to do with them, but I can say definitively how much their future success does.

 

 

 

Like KGB says in Rounders, "Pay the man, pay the man his money." Of course in this case, it'd be men, and it'd be pay the men their money and then some because it's more important that we keep them than it is that we pay them exactly what they're worth. In a vaccum, Middleton either takes a 4 year 100 million dollar deal or he walks. Brogdon takes a 4 year 60 or he walks, Mirotic takes a 3 year 30 or he walks, but these players will determine what happens with Giannis. So if it takes going 20 into the luxury tax what's the alternative? Watching the Bucks brand new areana sit empty save for the games where LeBron, KD, Curry and....it makes me even sick to say it, but Giannis come to town?

 

 

I doubt anyone made it this far, but here's another little anecdote on why I believe Middleton should be signed;

 

With that being said, Second Spectrum’s imperfect matchup stats give us some hints on how players fair against Middleton. For instance, Leonard is only averaging 12 points on 47.7 possessions per game when Middleton is his primary defender. Durant only averaged nine points on 42.5 possessions. For the most part, Middleton does very well against elite offensive players at his position.

 

He's a complete player. Game 5 when he had a straight jacket on him and couldn't get his shot going, he was finding people and getting rebounds and making things tough on Kawhi. We need him back here badly.

[coolhandluke121]

I'm at total peace. It helps that I always believed Toronto was capable of being a great team. They kind of got overlooked even more than the Bucks did, with everyone slobbering over rosters with more star power in bigger markets. I hope they beat the Warriors, and I believe they're capable of doing so.

 

Can we have an off season thread? With the first 3 pages dedicated to arguing about Hill please and thank you?

[Pugger]

Bucks defense was more than fine. Their offense was horrible.

 

 

The Bucks scored 100 points in regulation just once in the final four games. The game they lost by 22.

 

It was 100 pct the Bucks offense and absolutely NOT their defense.

 

Yup. Its hard to win when you can't hit the broad side of a barn, especially in the post season.

[HiAndTight]

I'm at total peace. It helps that I always believed Toronto was capable of being a great team. They kind of got overlooked even more than the Bucks did, with everyone slobbering over rosters with more star power in bigger markets. I hope they beat the Warriors, and I believe they're capable of doing so.

 

Can we have an off season thread? With the first 3 pages dedicated to arguing about Hill please and thank you?

 

 

Agreed on the Raptors. That's why I was REALLY hoping that the Sixers would have won that series. They're good and they're long and they're athletic, but the "Giannis Wall," can be beaten. What really is tough for him to beat without a great-great defender like Kawhi is the Giannis Wall and then someone playing him as tough on the ball.

 

 

I thought Boston and Toronto were the two biggest threats. I didn't think Indy was one(with or without Oladipo) and I thought we'd be able to beat the Sixers because I just don't have faith in Embid like others do.

 

As for Hill, god please no. I'm not sure if that should have been in blue or not since this topic has been debated to death already. If the owners are willing to go crazy and go way into the luxury tax, I'd be happy if he'd be back next year. I think we all would. The off-season isn't far away though, so we'll see what happens with that shortly.

 

You never DID end up giving an opinion on Rondo though. IF he were willing to sign on for the taxpayers MLE,how'd you feel about him being your veteran PG next year? This would assume they lose Lopez of course(unless he's willing to re-sign for ~4.3 million which is unlikely, but possible since he'd made quite a bit in his career but for bad teams).

 

 

 

In the draft, give me the Center from Arkansas, Maryland or a good PG if one is available.

[True Blue Brew Crew]

I'm struggling to find where someone is advocating for signing Rajon Rando, but whomever that is, they clearly don't understand what makes Bud's offense around Giannis tick. This team collapsed when they couldn't get shots to fall. And it would be a good idea to add Rondo? Ummm, no.

[coolhandluke121]

Yeah, playing 10 feet off Bledsoe was as big of a factor in building The Giannis Wall as anything else. So no thanks to Rondo. I used to like him despite the attitude, but without being quicker than everyone else, he's not nearly as much of a weapon.

 

You know who probably would have been a gamer and not choked or tightened up in this series? Divincenzo. I had wanted him on the Bucks since he roasted UW as a true freshman in the NCAA tournament, and of course he was Final Four MVP a few years later. Really looking forward to seeing what he can do next year.

[HiAndTight]

Bucks defense was more than fine. Their offense was horrible.

 

 

The Bucks scored 100 points in regulation just once in the final four games. The game they lost by 22.

 

It was 100 pct the Bucks offense and absolutely NOT their defense.

 

Yup. Its hard to win when you can't hit the broad side of a barn, especially in the post season.

 

 

For sure, and the more each point matters, the more you see the ball coming up short because guys are getting tight. You can see the difference in the follow through or lack thereof.

 

But again, lets all remember, the Raptors were a team known for choking, VanVleet and Lowry were the two biggest culprits and once they started playing well, they got their confidence back. "Trust the process," to steal the Sixers slogan, but our process now is just watching this team overcome obstacles. Giannis and his shooting, Bledsoe and his tightening up in the post-season. Mirotic and whatever the hell that was from him this past series(he's a really good player, making his total and complete collapse that much more confounding).

 

They'll learn and they'll grow. I just hope Giannis takes a vacation and lets his body rest. I could really see him in the gym right now starting his off-season program.

 

Speaking of which, that reminds me of a story. Dan Gable, one of the top maybe 6 or 7 greatest wrestlers of all time(And the greatest coach) just got done winning the World Championship's just after his Sr year in college by absolutely dominating his opponents, won 17-6 in the Championship and that was the closest match he had all the way through. He gets back to the hotel with a few other former Olympic Champs and World Champs and they're all talking about what they're gonna do, eat, whatever Gable says nothing. His roommate, from whom I heard this story see him putting on sweats and his running shoes. "What the hell are you doing," he asks. Gable says, "I'm gonna run "the circle." Not sure what that was, but it came out to 8.5 miles. It's 10 PM on a Saturday, just an hour after the "regular crowd shuffles in" and these guys are all laughing at him.

 

There are a few people every generation who have that type of drive and commitment. Sometimes it can make you successful and overcome talent. When you're already talented, it can make you great.

 

 

That's the type of guy Giannis has shown he is. The only concern I have for Giannis this off-season is there's someone in his camp to make sure he doesn't over-train. I'm sure he'll get his 1,000 shots a day up, but the physical toll the running takes and all that, he needs to take it easy.

[HiAndTight]

I'm struggling to find where someone is advocating for signing Rajon Rando, but whomever that is, they clearly don't understand what makes Bud's offense around Giannis tick. This team collapsed when they couldn't get shots to fall. And it would be a good idea to add Rondo? Ummm, no.

 

 

If you're struggling so far to find where someone advocated signing Rondo, why did you even mention him? Also, if you think we're going to do that much better than Rondo, I'm not sure you understand the realities of the Bucks current payroll situation and salary restrictions.

 

And I threw him out there because he's an outstanding passer and, while never being a great on-ball defender, he's been very good at playing the passing lanes and playing team defense. More importantly, because he has an enormous BB IQ and has performed at his best in the biggest moments and we're talking about looking for a potential BACKUP PG under an assumed scenario that the Bucks don't bring back George Hill.

 

You don't seem to understand that the Bucks struggled badly in the half court and just last year Rondo averaged 10 pts, 12 assists and 8 rebounds in the playoffs.

 

 

But by all means, please dazzle me with a suggestion as to who we could bring in to play a backup role at the point who has playoff experience and who could be available for ~5.7 million a year since I "obviously" don't understand the very basic offense that Bud runs with Giannis?

[HiAndTight]

Yeah, playing 10 feet off Bledsoe was as big of a factor in building The Giannis Wall as anything else. So no thanks to Rondo. I used to like him despite the attitude, but without being quicker than everyone else, he's not nearly as much of a weapon.

 

You know who probably would have been a gamer and not choked or tightened up in this series? Divincenzo. I had wanted him on the Bucks since he roasted UW as a true freshman in the NCAA tournament, and of course he was Final Four MVP a few years later. Really looking forward to seeing what he can do next year.

 

Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but the Bucks offense needs to evolve a bit next year as well. It can't stay the same all the time no matter who's out there. I'm talking about a backup PG who can get the ball moving and who can find guys and get them the ball in position to shoot it. One of the big problems was so often you saw Bled or Giannis stumbling and fumbling the ball before kicking it out. Rondo's a longer PG and a great ball handler. You start the game with Giannis and 4 guys who can shoot ideally, fine, but then in that second unit, you need someone else to handle the PG duties. Plus, coach Bud is smart with Giannis, meaning he rests him quite a bit. So the next PG doesn't have to be a 43 pct 3 point shooter. Just able to keep the offense on track while guys are resting.

 

I like the upside that DDV brings, but we've seen so little out of him. I'm just looking around at potential PG's we could bring in...and I know you firmly believe George Hill will be back, I think his contract will be prohibitive, so this hypothetical assumes that Hill is gone.

 

I didn't watch Rondo play much this year...and honestly not much last year except for the post-season where he looked outstanding. His quickness looked fine then, but at his age, you can fall off pretty quickly.

 

But mainly, it's not easy finding a veteran, proven PG who is still young enough to be able to give you those 15-20 minutes, maybe 25 minutes and talented enough yet to actually help open up the offense. I hope one thing changes about the Bucks offense next season. I hope that try to incorporate some more movement and picks. Right now the offense is basically, one guy in each corner, two guys on both sides at the top of the 3 point line and then Giannis driving and if they double, him kicking it out.

 

So you need to find a guy who's

A-Got playoff experience.

B-In this hypothetical scenario would be able to be signed for 5-6 million.

C-Can get guys an open shot.

D/E-Obviously good defense is a plus, but passable defense would be alright, but also they need to be able to penetrate as well.

 

I've been a fan of Elfrid Payton since he came out, but he can't shoot and he's not exactly a proven vet who's been tested. Also likely to cost more.

 

I floated Ricky Rubio and Patrick Beverly, but I think both are going to be able to command much more than we'd be willing to pay. Beverly looks like a 10-12 million dollar a year player to me. Probably a better starting PG than Bledsoe to be honest. His defense is at least as good and he's still in his prime athletically. In fact, I'd probably trade a guy like Brogdon for Beveryly and as Hill seems to be your favorite not superstar on the team, Brogdon's been mine. So not really realistic guys for what may be the tax payers MLE.

 

After that, you're left with a grouping of guys like Derek Rose and TJ McConnell. Though honestly, I'd be really happy to bring in McConnell. I kinda like him and think he could play some minutes for us. I think he could even start for a 20-25 game stretch and the Bucks wouldn't lose that much.

 

Perhaps it'll come from someone getting traded and then bought out at the end of the year, or the Bucks will find another gem as they did with Lopez. Better yet, the owners are willing to pay 200 million in payroll and we get to run it back with everyone together again.

 

I do know this though, just because the Bucks offense is designed to get shooters around Giannis doesn't mean you can't afford to have a 34 pct 3 point shooter who's also a great passer playing the point for stretches during the game

 

As for the draft, I'm jumping on board the Jontay Porter bandwagon. I think he's got a very high upside as a stretch 4 and his passing ability could end up being elite for a big man. Injuries are a concern, but 30th pick in the NBA draft is going to be a long shot to become much anyway.

 

I am definitely interested to see what DDV can do next year though. He seems like a more talented version of Pat C. I don't think he quite had the 44 inch vertical, but I thought it was not too far off.

[True Blue Brew Crew]

If you're struggling so far to find where someone advocated signing Rondo, why did you even mention him? Also, if you think we're going to do that much better than Rondo, I'm not sure you understand the realities of the Bucks current payroll situation and salary restrictions.

 

Settle down, I was trying to be nice. You're post in response to CHL was poorly written. And Rondo is a terrible fit with this team. If you don't understand why, then by all means continue to put your lack of understanding of the Bucks offense and what they need around Giannis on full display for all.

[adambr2]

By the way, I 100% expect Vanvleet to go back fo being a pumpkin in the Finals, because that's just how it goes for us.

[HiAndTight]

If you're struggling so far to find where someone advocated signing Rondo, why did you even mention him? Also, if you think we're going to do that much better than Rondo, I'm not sure you understand the realities of the Bucks current payroll situation and salary restrictions.

 

Settle down, I was trying to be nice. You're post in response to CHL was poorly written. And Rondo is a terrible fit with this team. If you don't understand why, then by all means continue to put your lack of understanding of the Bucks offense and what they need around Giannis on full display for all.

 

Seems to me you're the one who's struggled to understand the problem we ran into in the post-season. We won't hit shots, we have very little ball movement.

 

But again I ask you, find me a veteran PG who could be available for ~5.7 million dollars that you like better? That's all you have to do. Prove me wrong, make a list and then you can show me how little I understand.

 

Or maybe it'd be alright to NOT have Giannis dribble into a crowd(or Bled) and have someone who can actually distribute the ball when the game slows down and you have to play a half-court style game more often in the post-season and the guy who nearly averaged a Triple Double just last year might be a decent backup PG.

[coolhandluke121]

Interesting that Brogdon says he wants to shed a little weight this summer. I know I've mentioned his bulk and lack of quickness a few times and people keep trying to dismiss it, so it's vindicating to hear from the horse's mouth. Not that I ever doubted myself on that; I've always found it really easy to see when a player is carrying more than the ideal amount of weight, even when everybody else denies it.

 

https://www.nba.com/bucks/video/teams/bucks/2019/05/27/2625143/1558984549961-exit-interviews-malcolm-brogdon-2625143

 

On that note, I hope they find a way to avoid losing talent for nothing, but I'm really not looking forward to seeing Khris's physique next fall after his salary more than doubles. He even acknowledged that he takes about a month off before training each summer. That seems like a lot.

[tmwiese55]

By the way, I 100% expect Vanvleet to go back fo being a pumpkin in the Finals, because that's just how it goes for us.

 

You're not wrong that streaks happen. And he just went through a hot one so regression is likely. But he's a 38-40% shooter, which is obviously good. Going 14/17 is obviously ridiculous but take away the couple slop bounce ones he got lucky on at 12/17 isn't that crazy off a hot streak for a good shooter who's usually shooting wide open. The folks acting like he was terrible based on a few bad games previously were the ones overreacting. Good coach trusted a good shooter

[Samurai Bucky]

By the way, I 100% expect Vanvleet to go back fo being a pumpkin in the Finals, because that's just how it goes for us.

We should probably ask Reggie Miller how long the affect of the birth of a child will go in this case. Too bad somebody didn't set up a rule for a drinking game to include that phrase.

[homer]

Interesting that Brogdon says he wants to shed a little weight this summer. I know I've mentioned his bulk and lack of quickness a few times and people keep trying to dismiss it, so it's vindicating to hear from the horse's mouth. Not that I ever doubted myself on that; I've always found it really easy to see when a player is carrying more than the ideal amount of weight, even when everybody else denies it.

 

https://www.nba.com/bucks/video/teams/bucks/2019/05/27/2625143/1558984549961-exit-interviews-malcolm-brogdon-2625143

.

 

All he said was "I might shed a little weight". That could mean "I don't want as much stress on my flat feet". If he loses 5 or 10 pounds it will not impact his quickness.

[FVBrewerFan]

Interesting that Brogdon says he wants to shed a little weight this summer. I know I've mentioned his bulk and lack of quickness a few times and people keep trying to dismiss it, so it's vindicating to hear from the horse's mouth. Not that I ever doubted myself on that; I've always found it really easy to see when a player is carrying more than the ideal amount of weight, even when everybody else denies it.

 

https://www.nba.com/bucks/video/teams/bucks/2019/05/27/2625143/1558984549961-exit-interviews-malcolm-brogdon-2625143

 

On that note, I hope they find a way to avoid losing talent for nothing, but I'm really not looking forward to seeing Khris's physique next fall after his salary more than doubles. He even acknowledged that he takes about a month off before training each summer. That seems like a lot.

 

Not sure anyone claimed Brogdon was quick, or that he had 0% body fat. Athletes try things all the time. Losing weight, adding muscle, etc. It doesn't necessarily mean he'll be quicker. But you can feel vindicated if you want, it's a good feeling.

 

FWIW, you point out way too often how you can detect body fat in athletes that nobody else can. It's a little weird.

[coolhandluke121]

 

FWIW, you point out way too often how you can detect body fat in athletes that nobody else can. It's a little weird.

 

Well I think it's weird that people can't see it, and that they argue about it and take exception to my observations. Brogdon and especially Khris both need to trim down a little. Toronto's small ball lineups ran circles around the Bucks, and nobody will ever convince me that's not part of the reason why. Given Brogdon the starting SF job if Khris walks and he's fine, but losing 10 pounds will make a big difference in his defense as a guard.

[coolhandluke121]

 

All he said was "I might shed a little weight". That could mean "I don't want as much stress on my flat feet". If he loses 5 or 10 pounds it will not impact his quickness.

 

Trimming down definitely helps quickness. And just as importantly, you don't get tired as quickly if you're carrying less weight. Being able to be quick in short bursts is no more important than being able to maintain top speed for long periods of time chasing a guy like Norman Powell or Fred Van Vleet through screens.

 

And even if he is just doing for his feet, that just proves my point about how his previous injuries are a concern moving forward, another point that got me some excessively incredulous replies despite being supported by known facts and, now, by Brogdon's own words.

[FVBrewerFan]

 

All he said was "I might shed a little weight". That could mean "I don't want as much stress on my flat feet". If he loses 5 or 10 pounds it will not impact his quickness.

 

Trimming down definitely helps quickness. And just as importantly, you don't get tired as quickly if you're carrying less weight. Being able to be quick in short bursts is no more important than being able to maintain top speed for long periods of time chasing a guy like Norman Powell or Fred Van Vleet through screens.

 

And even if he is just doing for his feet, that just proves my point about how his previous injuries are a concern moving forward, another point that got me some excessively incredulous replies despite being supported by known facts and, now, by Brogdon's own words.

 

Van Vleet is carrying more excess pounds than Brogdon, so why is he quicker? It's so obvious, can't believe nobody can see this.

[HiAndTight]

Interesting that Brogdon says he wants to shed a little weight this summer. I know I've mentioned his bulk and lack of quickness a few times and people keep trying to dismiss it, so it's vindicating to hear from the horse's mouth. Not that I ever doubted myself on that; I've always found it really easy to see when a player is carrying more than the ideal amount of weight, even when everybody else denies it.

 

https://www.nba.com/bucks/video/teams/bucks/2019/05/27/2625143/1558984549961-exit-interviews-malcolm-brogdon-2625143

 

On that note, I hope they find a way to avoid losing talent for nothing, but I'm really not looking forward to seeing Khris's physique next fall after his salary more than doubles. He even acknowledged that he takes about a month off before training each summer. That seems like a lot.

 

 

Well, you went way further than saying he needed to shed a little weight. You said that it was becoming an "emergency" to trade him now. I also think you're WAY overplaying what he said. He was asked what he wanted to accomplish this off-season and he said he wanted to "come back in great shape, keep getting better, keep improving...I MIGHT shed a little weight."

 

You portrayed him as though he was Glenn Davis(not literally). He's a thicker guy. He's got broad shoulders. I would definitely still disagree with anyone who thought he was overweight. Especially when they showed him working out without his shirt during the end of the Pistons series.

 

Saying you want to come back in "great shape," and "might shed a little weight," is different than you're portraying it here in MY opinion. LeBron has said and done the same thing. I'll let others watch the video and judge for themselves, but think you're taking a pretty benign statement about him wanting to come back in great shape and running with it.

 

As for Middleton, you may be right, maybe he's the type of guy who puts it in cruise control when he gets paid. Though he did sign a 70 million dollar deal and he was fine after that, so I don't really share your concern. The NBA season is long, these guys get beat up. If he takes a month off every off-season before he starts going at it, it's worked so far, why change things up.

 

 

I'm just curious to see how much the Bucks owners step up this off-season. They have to know that they're on the clock right now.

[HiAndTight]

 

FWIW, you point out way too often how you can detect body fat in athletes that nobody else can. It's a little weird.

 

Well I think it's weird that people can't see it, and that they argue about it and take exception to my observations. Brogdon and especially Khris both need to trim down a little. Toronto's small ball lineups ran circles around the Bucks, and nobody will ever convince me that's not part of the reason why. Given Brogdon the starting SF job if Khris walks and he's fine, but losing 10 pounds will make a big difference in his defense as a guard.

 

 

Wait a second, now Khris Middleton is overweight?

 

https://cdn-s3.si.com/s3fs-public/2018/09/09/malcolm_brogdon_bucks_embed_.jpg

 

That's Brogdon during the season.

 

 

This is Khris Middleton;

 

https://sixerswire.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/khrismiddleton.jpg?w=1000&h=583

 

I'm not sure what you're looking at if you think Middleton "especially" has to trim down. Brogdon could try to get leaner. As I said, he's pretty thick. Not fat at all, but he's thick. He could try lifting less just try dropping a few pounds. But Middleton is skinny. That one is just strange to me.