2021 NBA Finals: Milwaukee Bucks vs Phoenix Suns BUCKS WIN THE TITLE!!!!

[OldSchoolSnapper]

With the Bucks financial situation they likely can't keep guys like Portis and Tucker and multiple titles over the next decade will depend on how often they can pick those pieces up at under-market prices.

 

I've never been a huge proponent of running back the same group no matter how successful. It rarely seems to work and infusing new role players always felt like the way to go. You'll still have years it doesn't work, but I don't think Portis is someone you can commit to long-term when he's likely a flash in the pan that's going to make a ton of money because he had a nice run at the right time.

[lcbj68c]

If anybody can find Bucks Radio Network audio calls from last night online, I would be forever grateful.

[patrickgpe]

With the Bucks financial situation they likely can't keep guys like Portis and Tucker and multiple titles over the next decade will depend on how often they can pick those pieces up at under-market prices.

 

I've never been a huge proponent of running back the same group no matter how successful. It rarely seems to work and infusing new role players always felt like the way to go. You'll still have years it doesn't work, but I don't think Portis is someone you can commit to long-term when he's likely a flash in the pan that's going to make a ton of money because he had a nice run at the right time.

Bucks have so much money tied into their top 4 paid players, they are going to have to rely on draft picks, and veteran ring chasers to fill out a roster yearly.

[GAME05]

With Portis mentioning being depressed until he came to Milwaukee in his speech, I could see him taking a discount to stay here (declining his option and then re-signing for somewhat more) and have that mentally better situation. Never know just what he'll be valuing when it comes to free agency. Maybe being a 6th man and being cheered as a hero every time he takes the court is better than more money and starting on a mediocre team. If it were only ever about money Giannis would be leaving now, too. But even for a slight bump I can't figure where Milwaukee would be able to come up with the money since you'd figure they'll want to be out of the luxury tax next season.

 

I'm seeing them put DDV in the PJ Tucker role and giving Portis' minutes to Connoughton/? and just hoping for the best.

[lcbj68c]

If anybody can find Bucks Radio Network audio calls from last night online, I would be forever grateful.

 

For others interested, you can find bits of Paschke's call on this intro to the podcast

 

https://wtmj.com/bucks-flagship-podcast-3/

 

The 7-20-21 Bucks Talk listing

[tigerbrew]

 

To repeat next year (especially against a healthy Nets team), the Bucks need to replace DDV with a better starting SG. DDV is the weak link in the Bucks starting lineup. The Bucks also have to retain Portis, he's the perfect center in the Bucks system with his shooting, offense, rebounding, hustle and energy.

 

I completely disagree. You can't replace DDV with anyone as the Bucks don't have the cap room to do that. DDV maybe the weak link in the Bucks starting lineup but he is a really good defender at SG. He can also score rather reliably while he is not on the level of Middleton or Holiday he is definitely a good 4th option on the team as a scorer. Portis is also signed for next year as he signed a 2-year deal in the off season so he will be here for the 2021-2022 season.

 

The Bucks already foresaw the need to upgrade the SG starter position when they attempted to replace DDV with Bogdan Bogdanović last offseason, and they almost did if not for a leaker to the media. DDV is a good defender but is not a reliable scorer, and he's quite injury prone. Wouldn't be surprise if Horst upgrade the SG starter position this offseason or during next season with the playoffs in mind.

 

Portis is most likely opting out of his player option for next season, but the Bucks can still retain him with a new contract.

[tigerbrew]

For me, I think the Bucks will retain Portis, but let Forbes and Teague go. I think Tucker will very likely be gone too unless he's willing to accept a much lower salary to stay with the Bucks next season. I also think Horst will try to upgrade the SG starter position.

 

The team is owned by 3 billionaires who have already proven they are willing to spend big on payroll to win a championship. I don't underestimate their desire to win another championship.

 

 

Bucks are limited on what they can do financially next year. That almost assuredly means DDV will be back. He's a good player - and the club is better with him. But I doubt we are getting anyone else.

 

Portis and Tucker are the next guys on the list. I expect Portis is gone. Someone will give him a lot more money than we will offer - and a bigger role. Can't blame him if he takes it.

 

Tucker is interesting as he is a limited player - but what he does he does very well. Will someone overpay for him? Not sure. He's a good guy to have.

 

The big thing for Milwaukee will be how much they are willing to spend over the luxury cap. In the NBA, going over the cap is pretty harsh.

 

Giannis, Middleton, Holiday, Lopez, DDV and Pat C make $129M. Plus we have $5M in stretched salaries. That means $134M.

 

The estimated Salary Cap next season is $115M. The Luxury cap is $140M. We've got a few young guys to pay minimal money - plus our 2nd round pick. Those will all get us near the Luxury Cap. Once you go past $140M, you pay the following penalties:

 

- $0-5MM above tax line: $1.50 per dollar (up to $7.5MM)

- $5-10MM above tax line: $1.75 per dollar (up to $8.75MM)

- $10-15MM above tax line: $2.50 per dollar (up to $12.5MM)

- $15-20MM above tax line: $3.25 per dollar (up to $16.25MM)

 

Thus, if you give Bobby Portis $10M, and drive your total to $150M - you are then subject to penalties of $14.25M. And so you ask, is Bobby Portis worth nearly $25M?

 

So even though we can resign Portis and Tucker and Forbes - the cost of doing so gets very expensive - very quickly.

 

I think we will do something similar to past year - find veterans willing to fill those slots for near minimum pay. It's not ideal, but that's how things work.

Edited July 22, 2021 by tigerbrew

[DuWayne Steurer]

DDV is not injury prone. He tore a ligament in his ankle in a fluke injury after playing all but 6 games in the regular season.

 

He's a more than capable scorer. They don't really need him (or any SG) to be a volume scorer with Giannis, Middleton, and Jrue handling the massive bulk of scoring.

 

He's a good defender, good rebounder, good 3P shooter, and distributes the ball well. With the team as cash strapped as they are, DDV fills the role he's asked to play just fine.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

I'd genuinely rather have DDV than Boggy going forward. I think he fills a niche better for this roster. Aside from the tampering penalty, not getting him was a total blessing. Boggy is another streaky, soft shooter. We don't need that, and we wouldn't have Portis and possibly not Tucker if that had gone through.

 

Replacing DDV is not something I'm even slightly worried about; rather I think his best days are ahead. I'm assuming Portis and Tucker are gone and that's where my concern is.

[tigerbrew]

Agree that DDV is a good defender and a very good rebounder for his position. But he's not a reliable scorer, he's streaky and gets into ice cold shooting spells often. The Bucks may need more reliable scoring from the SG position next postseason, especially against a healthy Nets team.

 

Besides his rookie year, DDV is also injured this playoffs and missed almost all of the postseason, fortunately the Bucks have Tucker to replace him and Pat also did a very good job replacing him off the bench.

[LouisEly]

With Portis mentioning being depressed until he came to Milwaukee in his speech, I could see him taking a discount to stay here (declining his option and then re-signing for somewhat more) and have that mentally better situation. Never know just what he'll be valuing when it comes to free agency. Maybe being a 6th man and being cheered as a hero every time he takes the court is better than more money and starting on a mediocre team. If it were only ever about money Giannis would be leaving now, too. But even for a slight bump I can't figure where Milwaukee would be able to come up with the money since you'd figure they'll want to be out of the luxury tax next season.

He was depressed after making $14M from the Knicks in one season. Hopefully he can look back and say that money didn't buy him happiness.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

I've seen this 1000 times in sports. A guy has a great moment as a fill-in for a couple months. Says he loves it. Rumors swirl that he will stay because he liked it in whatever city. Then on the first day of FA, some crappy non-contending team signs him for $90 million. That is probably what happens with Portis. I guess there's a chance they make him a better offer but that option will 100% be declined. And I think they need to be really careful keeping him, even though everyone is going to say that they should.

[rickh150]

Anyone else feel the parade tomorrow would be a great time to honor the 71 team, as well, and throw them in the parade too, a parade they did not experience after winning in 71? Kill two birds with one stone. I’m guessing these old men would appreciate the thrill and excitement off the day, as well.

[FVBrewerFan]

They still have dead cap next year for Larry Sanders and Leuer. Seems like they played for us 20 years ago.

 

Also this. Just experiencing Giannis vs Rodgers in real time hits home for me. Giannis works out a deal to stay in town, wins a ring, and is already talking about more. Genuinely meant something to him to win in Milwaukee. Just makes Rodgers look even more pathetic. Whining noises.....ewww I want more love....more money....I'm not respected. Gross.

[homer]

Let's keep this thread about the Bucks and not about the Packers.

[lcbj68c]

They still have dead cap next year for Larry Sanders and Leuer. Seems like they played for us 20 years ago.

 

Also this. Just experiencing Giannis vs Rodgers in real time hits home for me. Giannis works out a deal to stay in town, wins a ring, and is already talking about more. Genuinely meant something to him to win in Milwaukee. Just makes Rodgers look even more pathetic. Whining noises.....ewww I want more love....more money....I'm not respected. Gross.

 

While being frustrated with Rodgers' summer "antics", I've never gotten the opinion that he wants more money (turned down being the highest paid player in the league) or more love. I think he genuinely wants to have more say over the roster construction than the GM and that's it. That he did not agree with the FA strategy and resource allocation the past few years and then it tipped over with not like the draft strategy and draft resource allocation last season. While I dont think he dislikes Jordan Love, I think he rightfully doesn't understand trading up and giving away assets to acquire a guy that's going to hold a clipboard for 5 years in his eyes instead of trading up for a talent that is going to bolster one of the other positions on the football field.

[lcbj68c]

My feelings I shared on Facebook this morning after letting it soak in a bit. Going to ride this feeling for a long time.

 

Being a Wisconsin sports fan is not for the faint of heart. Far away from the bright city lights on both oceanic coasts, a collection of athletes come together, forming teams that are largely rooted for by blue collar workers and farmers. Folks who's work ethic demands the same from the small market stars they scream for with the same vigor as their urban counterparts. World Championships are few and far between for those that love the programs that call Wisconsin home. They aren't bought. Rather they are earned.

It takes longer to do something the "right way". Just like a farmer knows to harvest when the crop is ripe, waiting out the process sure makes the fruit sweeter no matter how hungry you become by the wait.

 

Being a Bucks fan wasn't mandatory and it sure wasn't easy. I remember my Dad taking me to the Bradley Center to watch Allen Iverson/Sixers in 1996. The city/state hadn't sniffed success really in years. The Brewers had been bad for 14 years. The Bucks hadn't won a playoff series for 12 years. The Packers were coming on with Favre but were experiencing heartbreak to the Cowboys every January. I looked up at the rafters and saw 1 single banner from 1971, yet the Bradley Center arena was full of hopeful fans who were hungry for their City, for their Milwaukee, to ascend the mountain. We all showed up, albeit to see Allen Iverson, but to be entertained for one night in a largely meaningless mid-week basketball game. For me, the start of a journey of being a Milwaukee Bucks fan when being a Milwaukee Bucks fan didn't mean anything but disappointment. A faraway dream, with a lot more resting inside the heart than inside the brain.

 

As a young impressionable sports nut, it would have been easy and fulfilling to root for the Jordans instead of the Ray Allen. To take stock in David Robinson or Lebron James instead of Andrew Bogut or Michael Redd. But as predictable as the fall watermelon, the taste was worth the wait. Loyalty and patience was rewarded. Success was delivered by the guy(s) that took those same small-market, nose to the grindstone values and stomped on large market ideologies on their way to the top. Giannis didn't bolt for LA or Philly or Brooklyn or Miami or Houston, but instead he said, "This is my City and I don't leave until WE win one" Ownership didn't buy a star, they drafted one and then rewarded him with what the market demanded. Ownership didn't make phone calls from yachts in the bay and draw Middleton and Holiday to Milwaukee to be overwhelming favorites and play out the string to hoist a trophy...they drafted them and traded for them and said, "work hard and WE could be special".

 

Special it is to have done it in the only way a Wisconsin sports organization knows how. Tireless effort on years and years of unwavering hope. Milwaukee, you are World Champions and while we may have to wait another 50 years, they can never take it away from you. #MKE #MyCity #TheDeerWereFeared #2021NBAWORLDCHAMPIONS

[Jimbo]

I'm nothing more than a casual Bucks fan, but sat down last night to watch start to finish to experience possible Milwaukee sports history. I was up to 1 am, due to being 55 years old and may never witness a major sports championship again in this town.

 

I'm going to be the contrarian and say that neither *team* played all that great. The Bucks should have been up 20 after he first. Too many turnovers and missed shots. Either Middleton or Holiday have a decent game, this one is a laugher. I didn't DVR it. If I did, probably wouldn't save it.

 

I'm happy that the people of Milwaukee was able to experience something like this. This town needed it. Too many people like to look down on it. The whole world was watching and the city shined.

 

Giannis put on a performance that Wisconsinites will still be talking about in 2071.

[SomewhereInTime]

That was the first championship won in the state of Wisconsin by a major pro team since the 1965 Packers who beat the Cleveland Browns at Lambeau Field.

 

This was the first championship won in the Milwaukee metropolitan area since 1939 when the Packers beat the Giants at State Fair Park in West Allis.

[Outlander]

Really wish the parade was Friday, the combination of work, living in Madison and starting at 11 just doesn't make it possible for me. Now if the Brewers ever win it all, wouldn't miss it for the world.

 

Watched Game 6 at the UW Union, good atmosphere and the people there were really into it. I'm sure there were a lot of bandwagon fans but it was nice to see people from Madison get so into the Bucks. The bad part however was the second the game was over they turned off the feed and kicked everybody out, I was so ecstatic but also disappointed at the same time

[adamb100]

Still can’t believe we’re champions. The billboards around the city congratulating the Bucks makes me smile every time I see one.

[adambr2]

The Suns shot 68% from 3 in Game 5, turned the ball over 8 times, and lost.

 

The Bucks shot 22% from 3 in Game 6, turned the ball over 18 times, and won.

 

Weird game sometimes. Every game is really its own animal where a multitude of things can win it or lose it for you.

[homer]

The Suns shot 68% from 3 in Game 5, turned the ball over 8 times, and lost.

 

The Bucks shot 22% from 3 in Game 6, turned the ball over 18 times, and won.

 

Weird game sometimes. Every game is really its own animal where a multitude of things can win it or lose it for you.

 

Quantity over Quality oftentimes is a winner in basketball

[OldSchoolSnapper]

The Suns were destroyed on the glass almost the entire series, particularly offensively. Connaughton was out-rebounding Ayton by the end. The %s of three are somewhat misleading as the Suns mostly shot high % the whole series but the looks started getting harder once the Bucks adjusted and the attempts went way down after the first 2 games. Holiday picking up Paul before they could cross half court was arguably the biggest move of the entire series.

[GAME05]

Maybe that's on the Suns for not taking enough 3s when they were hitting them, or maybe that's on the Bucks for having a great defense to make sure that shot wasn't often available.