Milwaukee Bucks 2019 - 20 Season Thread

[balsamlaker]

I understand that Chris Paul has been a great player in the league, but is 36 and 37 y/o Chris Paul really that much of an improvement over Bledsoe, Hill, at least one of the rare remaining first rounders, $15+ million dollars, plus more? That is likely what it would cost the Bucks.

[pacopete4]

Giannis unfollows the Bucks and all of his teammates on Instagram. I miss the days of this stuff not existing sometimes and this is a perfect example of why. But, this can’t be a very good sign of things.

[RollieTime]

Giannis unfollows the Bucks and all of his teammates on Instagram. I miss the days of this stuff not existing sometimes and this is a perfect example of why. But, this can’t be a very good sign of things.

 

Looks like he’s basically only following people in his immediate family like his brothers, girlfriend, and dog with only one or two others total mixed in. I wouldn’t find it too concerning personally. I know he’s deleted his social media accounts in the past. He might just be distancing himself from basketball for a couple weeks before it starts up again. He does things a bit differently than most people.

[stoutdude04]

Someone said he does this every off season.

[HiAndTight]

I hope the Bucks go all out and bring in Bradley Beal. He is exactly what they need to win a Championship. He is due nearly $29 million next season and the Bucks will need to line up financially to make the trade.

 

You start with Bledsoe and his $17 million. They will be able to flip him for a pick or two. Pick up Ilyasova’s contract for $7 million and trade him. Add Donte DiVincenzo and his $3 million to get the numbers close and as a solid player that the Wizards would love to add. Add the first round pick the Bucks got from the Pacers for the 2020 draft and one of their own whether it’s a 2021 or 2022 first round pick.

 

Bucks Receive:

Bradley Beal

 

Wizards Receive:

Eric Bledsoe

Donte DiVincenzo

Ersan Ilyasova

2 first round picks

 

Giannis has the ball in his hands and can be the point guard/point forward and with George Hill on the roster, we will be fine.

 

I would love Beal, but I have to believe they'll get 10 better offers than that. If those 1st round picks were lottery picks, sure, but they're not.

 

A big part of it will be cutting cap space for the Wizzards. Bled has one year guaranteed left and then they can cut him. Ersan obviously is non-guaranteed. DD is a really good young player. And then I'd guess the Bucks would have to offer up their own future 1st(I thought 2024 was the first year they could deal it) and they could make that unprotected.

 

Also, we're looking at Bled as the playoff failure, but he's a really good player in the regular season. And honestly, he'd be a really nice player IF we already had a player like Beal. But either way, he does have some credit. With so many teams trying to ensure they don't add cap space in the event that Giannis does walk...it becomes a little more feasible.

 

Though it's more likely the Bucks will target a Reddick type player. Either way, if the Bucks are going to make a big upgrade, it'll cost DiVincenzo and at least the Indy 1st along with Bled.

 

 

I'm also hoping that due to Covid related issues and...again, the fact that teams like the Mavs, Lakers, Warriors and others aren't likely to go out and sign a guy to a multi-year deal, that MLE we've got available might net us a better player than it would have in the past. I'd think players who'd normally be looking at ~15 million or so, may be willing to take the 4/40 the Bucks can offer with opt outs in there.

[HiAndTight]

I understand that Chris Paul has been a great player in the league, but is 36 and 37 y/o Chris Paul really that much of an improvement over Bledsoe, Hill, at least one of the rare remaining first rounders, $15+ million dollars, plus more? That is likely what it would cost the Bucks.

 

 

Yes.

[HiAndTight]

Yes, but that's ignoring the fact there's a bunch of other teams who can put together a much better package. Better players, and more importantly better draft picks. If you're Washington, you want Bledsoe and some nebulous 1st round picks down the road that will likely never be lottery picks?

 

 

What teams do you think are going to pursue Bradley Beal who'd be owed 2 years and ~83 million dollars?

 

That team would be taking themselves out of the chase for Giannis.

 

What would really scare me about this deal would be if the Bucks were desperate enough to do what Nate suggested and what the Clippers did with the Thunder in giving them the option to swap in the future.

 

And you'd be losing your only promising young player in DD(Who'd be a pretty significant addition for Washington and who you're undervaluding quite a bit).

 

All this just brings back how disappointing it is that Bledsoe can't figure it out. He's so talented and he's capable of being the player we need. He just locks up in the playoffs offensively. Really would like to see what Billy Donovan could do with him...or a better coach who could use his talented a big better...but that doesn't look to be an option.

[adambr2]

A little more clarity on the meeting with Giannis and Horst the other day.

 

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29885281/sources-bucks-tell-giannis-antetokounmpo-spend-build-him

[HiAndTight]

A little more clarity on the meeting with Giannis and Horst the other day.

 

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29885281/sources-bucks-tell-giannis-antetokounmpo-spend-build-him

 

 

A pessimist would ask why the hell didn't they do that last year. At least it'd give you a ~21 million dollar contract to trade.

 

But I like to be optimistic. Better to tell him you're willing to spend than nothing at all I guess.

[DuWayne Steurer]

A little more clarity on the meeting with Giannis and Horst the other day.

 

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29885281/sources-bucks-tell-giannis-antetokounmpo-spend-build-him

 

 

A pessimist would ask why the hell didn't they do that last year. At least it'd give you a ~21 million dollar contract to trade.

 

But I like to be optimistic. Better to tell him you're willing to spend than nothing at all I guess.

 

I think after being two games away from the finals the previous year, the idea was they would take that experience and build on it.

 

Before the bubble, this was almost a 70 win team. we can analyze and discuss all we want what happened in the bubble to the bucks. The layoff hurt their timing more than other teams. They had their minds on other things. Bud isn't a good playoff coach. It can be any or all of those things, but at the end of the day they put together a 70 win team. Whatever else they didn't do they had the talent to win. It fell apart in the end and it sucks. Hearing that they're going to go out and rebuild it and make it better is encouraging. There's no way bud can't hear the criticism of being a poor playoff coach. I hope he hears that and takes it to heart and looks in a mirror and tries to dig deep and see what he can do to be better. I don't think for a second the talent was the problem, I think Bud needs to adjust his strategies once we are playing a best of seven instead of a best of 82.

[DuWayne Steurer]

A little more clarity on the meeting with Giannis and Horst the other day.

 

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29885281/sources-bucks-tell-giannis-antetokounmpo-spend-build-him

 

 

A pessimist would ask why the hell didn't they do that last year. At least it'd give you a ~21 million dollar contract to trade.

 

But I like to be optimistic. Better to tell him you're willing to spend than nothing at all I guess.

 

I think after being two games away from the finals the previous year, the idea was they would take that experience and build on it.

 

Before the bubble, this was almost a 70 win team. we can analyze and discuss all we want what happened in the bubble to the bucks. The layoff hurt their timing more than other teams. They had their minds on other things. Bud isn't a good playoff coach. It can be any or all of those things, but at the end of the day they put together a 70 win team. Whatever else they didn't do they had the talent to win. It fell apart in the end and it sucks. Hearing that they're going to go out and rebuild it and make it better is encouraging. There's no way bud can't hear the criticism of being a poor playoff coach. I hope he hears that and takes it to heart and looks in a mirror and tries to dig deep and see what he can do to be better. I don't think for a second the talent was the problem, I think Bud needs to adjust his strategies once we are playing a best of seven instead of a best of 82.

[DuWayne Steurer]

A little more clarity on the meeting with Giannis and Horst the other day.

 

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29885281/sources-bucks-tell-giannis-antetokounmpo-spend-build-him

 

 

A pessimist would ask why the hell didn't they do that last year. At least it'd give you a ~21 million dollar contract to trade.

 

But I like to be optimistic. Better to tell him you're willing to spend than nothing at all I guess.

 

I think after being two games away from the finals the previous year, the idea was they would take that experience and build on it.

 

Before the bubble, this was almost a 70 win team. we can analyze and discuss all we want what happened in the bubble to the bucks. The layoff hurt their timing more than other teams. They had their minds on other things. Bud isn't a good playoff coach. It can be any or all of those things, but at the end of the day they put together a 70 win team. Whatever else they didn't do they had the talent to win. It fell apart in the end and it sucks. Hearing that they're going to go out and rebuild it and make it better is encouraging. There's no way bud can't hear the criticism of being a poor playoff coach. I hope he hears that and takes it to heart and looks in a mirror and tries to dig deep and see what he can do to be better. I don't think for a second the talent was the problem, I think Bud needs to adjust his strategies once we are playing a best of seven instead of a best of 82.

[HiAndTight]

I think after being two games away from the finals the previous year, the idea was they would take that experience and build on it.

 

Before the bubble, this was almost a 70 win team. we can analyze and discuss all we want what happened in the bubble to the bucks. The layoff hurt their timing more than other teams. They had their minds on other things. Bud isn't a good playoff coach. It can be any or all of those things, but at the end of the day they put together a 70 win team. Whatever else they didn't do they had the talent to win. It fell apart in the end and it sucks. Hearing that they're going to go out and rebuild it and make it better is encouraging. There's no way bud can't hear the criticism of being a poor playoff coach. I hope he hears that and takes it to heart and looks in a mirror and tries to dig deep and see what he can do to be better. I don't think for a second the talent was the problem, I think Bud needs to adjust his strategies once we are playing a best of seven instead of a best of 82.

 

Yeah, but again, to play devils advocate, they were two games away in large part because they had Brogdon. And they were two games away from having to play the Warriors who were FAR-FAR more talented than the Brewers.

 

I don't agree the layoff hurt their timing more than other teams. They don't rely on timing. They rely on one guy who's not a great ball handler or shooter(though great at pretty much everything else) to try and drive and then kick it out. But they're not a team that has a lot of ball movement. They're pretty much exclusively drive and kick.

 

I would agree that the Bucks have the talent...for the most part. They're clearly lacking a more explosive ball handler who can shoot. Even at his best, that's not Bledsoe(he can't shoot). It's also not Middleton who brings back images of Big Dog when he dribbles in traffic.

And I don't think Bud's gonna change. I don't think it's a lack of effort on his part or that his message doesn't get through, he's just got a system. One that I don't think will work in the playoffs. Like a Mike D'Antoni.

 

I don't even think it was a big mistake to let Brogdon go necessarily. He had a pretty average season. But they let him go because they didn't want to pay him...and right now that contract would come in real handy. This just doesn't mean much to me. You're pretty much telling Giannis the obvious. We're willing to spend money to keep you, a once in a generation type talent. And for the Bucks that generation is like a generation in John Tyler's family.

 

 

Again though, better they say it than not, and this might be the best possible off-season for the Bucks to add a good player with their limited assets.

[young guns]

Clippers. Just wow. Worse to be them or us?

[MrTPlush]

I think going up 3-1 and losing in 7 games is better than getting throttled narrowly avoiding a sweep at the hands of the #5 seed when you are the best team in basketball. Considering the Bucks also choked as the #1 seed last year and are trying to get one of the best young players in the game to sign an extension...yikes.

 

The 2010-2011 Bulls lost in the first round, as did the 06-07 Mavs. Those are the only showings worse than the Bucks this century for a #1 seed.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Ours is probably worse, but I mentioned during the Orlando series that I thought the bubble would be a great equalizer. The high seeds that would have had serious home court advantages really got stung by it. This is more like a game at the local park. Fans matter in the NBA. The energy they bring contributes to a lot of 16-3 runs. I think the league has done a great job in the circumstances but this is still weird. It's not the same. Without the wild card you just have a bunch of world class players going head to head. Over the years a lot of NBA players have said things about fans not realizing how intense and competitive practice can be. I think we're sort of getting to see what that's like now.

[CheezWizHed]

Big Dog didn't age well and played poorly on defense, but he'd improve this team. In fact, I think he defense would be much better on this team than back in the day of isolation-offense.

[stoutdude04]

Clippers. Just wow. Worse to be them or us?

 

I think the Clippers. They had the best 'odds' at winning and have 2 clear superstar players and were up 3-1. Just my opinion though.

[nate82]

I am going to go with the Clippers also. The Bucks never really looked like they were going to win the series against Miami. The Clippers on the other hand just look like they had the series in hand and put it on cruise control and lost.

[HiAndTight]

I am going to go with the Clippers also. The Bucks never really looked like they were going to win the series against Miami. The Clippers on the other hand just look like they had the series in hand and put it on cruise control and lost.

 

How much more does losing to the Heat hurt now though also? I thought the Clippers were the biggest threat coming into the season with their perimeter defense. Then obviously Bam blew up and the Heat looked like they'd be a threat(one I thought we'd overcome).

 

I think the Bucks would have matched up pretty well with the Lakers...not that it matters now.

[HiAndTight]

So the Bucks apparently can't use Ersan's salary? That doesn't make sense to me. I've seen several players with non-guaranteed contracts used in deals to match salaries in the past.

 

If that's the case, the potential for an already difficult to make trade to acquire anyone of substance seems that much less likely.

[nate82]

I am going to go with the Clippers also. The Bucks never really looked like they were going to win the series against Miami. The Clippers on the other hand just look like they had the series in hand and put it on cruise control and lost.

 

How much more does losing to the Heat hurt now though also? I thought the Clippers were the biggest threat coming into the season with their perimeter defense. Then obviously Bam blew up and the Heat looked like they'd be a threat(one I thought we'd overcome).

 

I think the Bucks would have matched up pretty well with the Lakers...not that it matters now.

 

The Bucks are about the exact same team as the Lakers. Even though Bledsoe sucks in the playoffs I would take him over what the Lakers have.

 

The Clippers lost to an inferior team the Bucks lost to a really good team. The Heat are better than their record shows. Before the lockdown I believed the Heat were going to cause problems in the playoffs. They were a very strong 5 seed before the lockdown and were the same team after.

 

The Heat were really a 3 seed or a 2nd seed ppaying as the 5th seed. The Bucks should have beat them but losing to them is not as bad as the Clippers losing to the Nuggets.

[DuWayne Steurer]

The Clippers did lose to an inferior team, but you can't really say enough about how amazing Murray and Jokic have played the last week. Those two guys have been absolutely incredible.

[HiAndTight]

 

The Bucks are about the exact same team as the Lakers. Even though Bledsoe sucks in the playoffs I would take him over what the Lakers have.

 

The Clippers lost to an inferior team the Bucks lost to a really good team. The Heat are better than their record shows. Before the lockdown I believed the Heat were going to cause problems in the playoffs. They were a very strong 5 seed before the lockdown and were the same team after.

 

The Heat were really a 3 seed or a 2nd seed ppaying as the 5th seed. The Bucks should have beat them but losing to them is not as bad as the Clippers losing to the Nuggets.

 

 

I don't know...Rondo's like the opposite of Bledsoe. Garbage in the regular season, pretty damn good in the post-season.

 

Still, I don't disagree with any of your points, I'm just saying I thought the Clippers were the biggest obstacle and ultimately the team that'd stop us from winning a title. Then to see them bounced by the Nuggets...that just stings that much more. Almost like watching the Bucks go up 2-0, lose, then watch KD and then Klay go down with injuries in the finals.

 

The Bucks are a competent Bledsoe away from potentially going for their second straight finals.

[tmwiese55]

Haven't ran through this one in a while, kind of decompressing the L. Good posts by many and pretty much everyone talking seems to have a good grasp on where this is at, imo, especially Snapper.

 

As others have said, first thing I'd be doing is trying on Beal. Do all you can, if you fail then move on to some of the other names mentioned. I don't see any obvious connections of Beal to players on our team, but if you could get in his ear that this is where he prefers to be that would help. After that, as others have said, they need more shooting and guys who can dribble/shoot. someone who can be the lead in the PnR with Giannis as the screener. And not just one guy, need that person as a #2/#3 guys and then some bench shooter types (think of guys like Barrea, Patty Mills etc on past title teams). Trey Burke was had for nothing pre bubble. If not good dribble/shoot guys you also need a sharpshooter or two in the Redick/Harris mold, it's possible to steal a guy like this late in the 1st or 2nd round. heck, that's where lots of those guys come from like Robinson/Harris.

 

I don't think Bud haaaas to go. But half court offense has to be addressed. After the initial spread the court while breaking you have to go to normal ball screen and ball movement like everyone else runs. Giannis is the ultimate screener/finisher. Maybe he hasn't because Bled isn't a good enough shooter. If so I think it was the wrong decision, if you look at Bled before MKE he was a very good PnR lead.