For years now i have heard the Milwaukee Bucks coaches preach defense and effort.  Head Coaches like Larry Krystkowiak and Terry Stotts wanted to instill that winning mentality but, for some reason, it never stuck.  Since Scott Skiles was hired as Head coach before last season the team has played differently under him and it shows as the Bucks have surged to a 35-29 record, good for 5th in the East.

Skiles demands the most out of his players, this is why he GETS the most out of his players.  Skiles a former NBA PG who holds the record for most assists in a single game with 30.  If you never had the opportunity to see him play you can be assured that this Bucks team plays just as he did.  They get after it on defense, play team basketball and put maximum effort for four quarters of play.  Playing hard every game every night is something the other coaches couldn’t get out of the Bucks.  In seasons prior, the team would roll over if they fell behind 10-15, now the team wont quit even if they’re down 30.  There are no more losing games that we shouldn’t, for example losing to the Twolves, Nets.

But Skiles’ system sometimes runs its course on teams and they start not buying into defense and effort every night.  In Phoenix and Chicago he was fired during his 3rd and 4th year respectively in each coaching stint. It should be stated that he made the playoffs 5 out of 9 seasons as a coach and looks poised to make it 6 of 10.  For some reason i think he and John Hammond  (Bucks GM) will find guys to put around Andrew Bogut and Brandon Jennings that buy into Skiles system.  Guys like Tyrus Thomas in Chicago didnt buy in and ruined the chemistry and ultimately got Skiles fired.  This is  probably the reason Hakim Warrick was shipped out of town.

Last night the Bucks beat the Jazz 95-87 at the Bradley Center.  Utah has been the hottest team in the league and has the number one offense in terms of efficiency, shooting 49 percent from the field.  Skiles’ system and defense proved too much for the Jazz in the end.  Bogut led the way with 4 blocks, but the big play was when Ersan Ilyasova hit the offensive glass and got a put back to put the Bucks ahead 89-87.

As of right now, the guys are dialed into the offensive strategy of great ball movement on offense and pulverizing team defense.  Utah’s Head Coach Jerry Sloan stated that this Bucks team was the best interior defensive team he had faced all year.  How far it will carry the Bucks is ultimately up to them; rest assured, Skiles will be there every day pushing them harder.  He is a proven winner and so are his teams. The sky’s the limit for this team, or at least a tough fought 1st round series for Milwaukee fans.  Fear The Deer!!

As the calender turns to March the days get longer and the Brewers get set to begin spring training.  Most Milwaukee sports fans are talking about the run Marquette has made to get back into the tournament, or who’s going to be in the rotation for the Brewers.  But why isn’t anybody talking about the Bucks? You know, that NBA team that’s only a half game behind the 5th place team in the Eastern Conference.

I understand that most years us Wisco sports fans are already looking at draft prospects and seeing where the Bucks could land in the lottery. This is not like most years.  There is a buzz growing around Milwaukee, but the buzz isn’t nearly big enough.

As it stands right now the now the Bucks are 32-29 while holding on to the 6th spot and they’re only a half game out of the 5th seed for the playoffs.  Tonight in the Bradley Center (BC), we welcome the Cleveland Lebron’s for a showdown.  This should be a good way to measure where the Bucks are at for a couple different reasons.  First, The Cavs are an elite team and this would give us a decent estimate to where we actually are as a team.  Another, for me at least, is to see how many BUCKS fans show up in their BUCKS jerseys to support the BUCKS.

While I am expecting a sellout tonight at the BC, its not like a sellout you might see at a Brewer game against a division foe.

The Brewers have proved over the past 3 years that putting a competitive product on the field will draw Milwaukee’s fans out the game in record numbers.  The Brewers have drawn 3 million plus fans for two straight years which, apparently, is a major accomplishment  (my team does it every year).  But, like the Brewers, The Bucks are competing and are likely to be in the playoffs, but still empty seats are all over the BC.  Only a few times this year have the Bucks sold out games, and it was for the usual suspects… LA Lakers, Dwayne Wade’s Miami Heat, and the Chicago Bulls.  On other nights the crowd looks comparable to a WNBA game (maybe not that bad).

Being a Bucks fan and Cubs fan I ask you, Bucks fans, Where’s the same pride in your team?  I can’t show up to a Brewer game wearing my Cubs jersey without getting berated by half the stadium. But If I wore aCavs jersey to tonight’s game, I’d fit in just fine.  Somethings wrong here.

What do the Bucks have to do to draw fans??? I understand the tailgating experience at Miller Park is excellent and most Milwaukee residents are fans of drinking first and their team second.  So it is hard to compare, but if your looking to party with friends before a Bucks game, Water and Old World 3rd St. has got you covered.  Downtown has many establishments right around the BC so fans can grab a bite to eat and some drinks before.  Tickets are cheap; Bucks.com offers many different ticket deals.  They even collaborate with other local businesses to provide several different promotional deals that usually results in people leaving the BC with free stuff.

So, are you guys just not NBA fans? I’ve heard people say that they wont go to an NBA game because they lost the team aspect of the game years ago and that it has become a one on one “street ball” game. You couldn’t be more wrong.  Those same people will use that false statement to say that college basketball is a better brand of basketball than the NBA.  I just ask these people to watch the Bucks once and they will notice this Bucks squad wins games by playing team ball and playing hard defensively all game, every game.  Casual sports fans always say that there is no defense played in the NBA and maybe in some cases your right but the Bucks are most certainly playing defense.

The Bucks have ranked in the top ten in defensive efficiency almost the whole year.  When people compare the pro game to the college game they need to realize that these guys are professionals.  In the college game, there are more set plays because the longer shot clock allows for it .  There is a great deal of difference when playing for 35 seconds compared to 24 seconds. In the NBA if a guard gets daylight, he’s taught to shoot it.  why? because you may not get a better look and since they’re professionals, in most cases, an open shot is going in.  College kids NEED to run sets longer in order to open up easy shot attempts.  UW’S Jason Bohannon needs to play within the swing offense because he doesn’t have the ability to consistently create his own shot effectively.  John Salmons can and does time and time again; so why would you want him to play that so called “better brand of basketball” when he can just go to the hoop and score it?

If people want good, defensive basketball then they should Love tonight’s matchup between two of the best defensive teams the league has to offer.

The bottom line is that all you Bucks fans out there need to get those people out for a game.  You know at least a few people who don’t watch the team because of the ridiculous points listed earlier.  This team doesn’t have any “superstars” but they play excellent basketball as a team and finally starting to turn the corner .  Tell people that.  Milwaukee can be a great basketball city like it was back in 2001 but we just need the fringe basketball fans back at the games and back with the Bucks.   Bucks fans you have one job…. grab someone who doesn’t watch the Bucks and watch a game with them.  Who knows, maybe they may like what they see and want to go to a game.

Build Bucks Nation one fan at a time Bucks fans.  It’s your duty.

The Milwaukee Bucks’ newly acquired pieces and renewed commitment on the defensive end have resulted in a four game winning streak and a 28-28, .500 record overall.  As of today, that 28-28 record is good enough for seventh in the eastern conference and 1.5 and 3 games out of the sixtth and fifth play-off spots, respectively.  Many Bucks fans aren’t satisfied, though and plan on continuing the up-swing.  I don’t blame them.  It’s time to get excited! It’s time to buy in!

From many outsiders’ points of view, the Bucks are playing out of their minds and Bucks fans should curb their enthusiasm and brace themselves for the inevitable fall that usually comes with post- all-star break Bucks basketball.

No need Bucks fans.  Why? because this new team is entirely too sound for another fall like that to occur.

The Milwaukee Bucks, since making the trade for G John Salmons are  more balanced offensively and are unrelenting defensively.  John Salmons has helped the Bucks on the offensive end in a number of different ways.  Obviously, scoring the basketball (17.8 ppg since joining the team) but he has also helped by getting to the free throw line (5.8 attempts a night) and finding other teammatees.  He has also helped on the defensive end by staying in front of his man and using his 6’6 frame to challenge shooters.

The link above will take you to a discussion board topic titled “The Milwaukee Bucks, One of the great mysteries of the league”.  NBA fans are dumb founded by the fact that the Bucks are able to win despite having quote  “worst talent on paper in the league”.  If those same fans would take a look at the statistics and the way the Bucks play as a team, their winning ways might not be so mysterious.

First off, Andrew Bogut is finally the center piece of the Milwaukee Bucks’ offensive strategy and he has responded by averaging 17. 3 ppg, 11. 3 rebs and 2.8 blks per game over the month of February.  Bogut is also shooting an excellent 53% from the field and is the anchor for a Bucks defense that ranks ninth in the league in terms of defensive efficiency.

Bogut is the man

Second, the Bucks rank second last to the 5 win, New Jersey Nets when it comes to field goal percentage, but they also average the most field goal attempts per game in the league.  The Milwaukee Bucks are among the best offensive rebounding teams in the NBA and those reloads allow for them to be efficient offensively.

Third, the Bucks not only create second chance opportunities with their tremendous offensive rebounding capabilities but they have also convert the 6th most 3 point shots in the league, averaging almost eight made three pointers a game.

Mystery solved.  The Bucks are playing defense, working hard on the glass, sharing the ball with teammates and, most importantly, coming up with victories.  What more can you ask for?

The Bucks will look to continue their winning ways tonight in Indianapolis, against the Pacers and again Saturday and

Time to step up rook

Sunday on the road in Miami and Atlanta.  The Bucks can really help themselves by finding a way to win at least two out of these nextthree games.  Getting rookie PG Brandon Jennings going again offensively would be huge as the Bucks continue their play-off push.  I believe the Bucks can make the play-offs without the young Buck elevating his game but if Brandon can get his shooting percentage above 40% and he continues to knock down open three’s; we may be looking at the 5th or 6th seed in the Eastern Conference play-offs.

But like Andrew Bogut always says, lets take it one game at a time.  It starts tonight agaist the Pacers.

Go Buck!!

In a last minute trade deadline deal, the Milwaukee Bucks sent Jodie Meeks and Francisco Elson to the 76ers for Royal Ivey, Primoz Brezic, and a second round draft pick.

This is Ivey’s 2nd go round with the Bucks, and he told the Journal-Sentinel that he’s “happy to be back in Milwaukee.” That’s definitely a refreshing thing to hear, although neither Ivey or Brezic are expected to play many minutes for the Bucks (barring injury, of course).

I wasn’t expecting the Bucks to deal Meeks, and I believe they may have given up on him too early.  I assume that Scott Skiles didn’t like what he saw from Meeks on the defensive end, and rather than have him sit on the bench and not develop, they opted to deal him for expiring contracts.

Still, I think Meeks had a strong upside on offense and given the right amount of time, could have corrected any defensive miscues.

John Salmons has worked out well for the Bucks so far, posting double digit points and a clutch three-pointer in his debut Friday against Detroit.  Salmons followed up that performance  with 19 points in a win against Charlotte Saturday night at the Bradley Center.

Bucks fans got some good news during/following the 127-99 drubbing by the red hot Houston Rockets on Wednesday night.  Bucks fans who had a computer or smart phone on hand were elated to find out that the Bucks had traded F-C Kurt Thomas and C Francisco Elson to the Chicago Bulls for SG John Salmons.  John Salmons is a career 45% shooter and has really come on in the last two seasons (18 ppg) when he’s been given the opportunity to start.

Then, after a lot of speculation and anticipation for the the deal to be finalized, we found out that the two players originally reported to be involved, were completely wrong.  The actual deal involves PF Hakim Warrick and former lottery pick, F Joe Alexander for G John Salmons.  Even better!

This deal works out great for both teams for many reasons.  First, I mentioned earlier that John Salmons must start in order for a team to get his best effort.  That will not be a problem in Milwaukee because he will be expected to start and score at a high and efficient rate.  He’s also known as a capable defender and should be able to help on that end simply because hes the prototypical size for an NBA shooting guard.  You can’t say the same for current starter Charlie Bell (6’3) and backup Jodie Meeks (6’4).  This also works from a contractual standpoint because John Salmons makes a fair amount for his services this year (5.2 mil) and next (5.5 mil) then expires after the 2010-2011 season.  This fits in perfectly with GM John Hammonds grand 2011 plan that sees Michael Redd’s and Dan Gadzuric’s contracts expire and clear 25.5 mil off the books just between the two. Also, the Bulls clear nearly 5.6 mil off the books this off-season as they prepare to make a run at one of the prized 2010 NBA free agents.

There is still much speculation that suggests the Bucks will make another move before today’s two o’clock deadline.  The Bucks have made it clear that they covet a Power Forward and have shown interest in Pacers F Troy Murphy and Clippers F Drew Gooden ( who may be re-leased/bought out).  Many dont believe the Bucks plan to move on with the streaky 22 year old PF Ersan Ilyasova and the offensively limited F Luc Richard Mbah a Moute.  Adam “Big A” Maritato suggested the Bucks trade PG Luke Ridnour and C Kurt Thomas for Knicks F Al Harrington.  The Knicks have stated that they covet Luke Ridnour and Al Harrington could fill the void at PF for this season and provide some offensive capability.  The problem is, Al Harrington would be tough to sell the idea of defense to and I think he may end up in Scott Skiles’ dog house; much like Hakim Warrick did.

Follow WiscoSportsTalk on Twitter for more Bucks rumors leading up to the trade deadline and stay tuned tomorrow for the NBA/Bucks update podcast that will cover every move made around the NBA and it’s impact.

With the trade deadline looming on Feb. 19 only 18 days away, the Milwaukee Bucks are faced with a slight problem. What do they do? Should they be buyers, sellers, or just stay the course?

Faced with this same problem last year with the likes of Charlie Villanueva and Ramon Sessions, the Bucks chose to stay the course and hopefully make the playoffs.They fell short, and in the offseason, Milwaukee lost both guys in free agency and acquired nothing in return. They could have made a move to acquire a pick or a young talented piece but instead they chose to “compete” for a playoff spot.

Now, here we area again, a year later and in the same position. Wondering the same questions. We have expiring contracts in Luke Ridnour, Hakim Warrick, Kurt Thomas, Joe Alexander, Francisco Elson, and the newly-acquired Jerry Stackhouse. Together they amount to $18.3 million in expiring contracts.  

Some contracts we will just let expire, while some have too much value not to acquire something in return for. Both Ridnour and Warrick definitely have the most value. These guys are solid contributors and would be very useful to team in the playoffs looking for a scorer off the bench. Some may value Thomas’ defense, but he is slow-footed, and all he is good for is low-post defense.On offense, he can knock down the open 15-18 footer, which works well for a high pick-n-roll situation. Alexander has no value because of injuries ,and his expiring contract is his only value to the team (I won’t get started on him).

As of today the Bucks stand 20-25, which is only three games behind Chicago and Miami for the seventh and eighth seeds. General Manager John Hammond has insisted that he wants to win now.  The Bucks must decide what to do, and I’ll examine each option.

Stick with Team as Is

They are 20-25 as stated. They started the season rolling to an 8-3 record out of the gate. Then Michael Redd came back and threw off the entire offense. Some may ask, how a 20 ppg player can throw off an offense?

Well, he is like a black hole, every time there is a ball swing, he keeps it.  He does a crossover between his legs, and then you know it’s going up. He fails to get teammates involved, and that hurts the chemistry. Milwaukee is 5-13 in games he has played in, while 15-12 in games that he hasn’t.

Brandon Jennings and Andrew Bogut also have greater success while Redd is off the floor. Bogut is finally looked at as the team’s No. 1 option on offense. He has a great face-up post game and is showing a little ability to hit a 10-12-ft jumper.

Bogut and his running mate, Jennings, have developed a chemistry in the high pick-n-roll game. Jennings is so quick that it is hard to get an angle on him defensively, and he can get into the paint and create for himself or for a teammate.

I do think the Bucks can challenge for a playoff spot by holding on to what they have. But, is it worth it to be the eighth seed in the playoffs? I say yes, because you get invaluable experience for a team full of young players who don’t know how different the level of play is in the playoffs.

Trade Away Players

If we fail to win a few games before the deadline, our hand may be forced to make some trades for younger talent and picks. I think Hammond would be more willing to pull the trigger on some of these guys.

Unlike last year, there are not as many young players who would gain some trade interest. I think a team that needs either a scoring or point guard coming off the bench would be in the race for Ridnour.

He hits open shots, runs the offense well, and rarely turns the ball over. If the Bucks could receive a young talent or late first-round pick for him, I’d do it. One team who may need a backup is the Utah Jazz.

Hakim Warrick is of equal value although his stock is expiring less than Ridnour’s ($3.6-6.5 million). He is an offensive-minded player off the bench and has proven he can score since he has been in the league.  He’s also proven that he plays no defense.

One team that may like him is the Atlanta Hawks. I think he would fit well coming off the bench for them, while also not ruining their cap space for FA next offseason.

Kurt Thomas may be traded for a second pick to a contender who is short a backup big man.  Again, injuries in the next 18 days will play a factor because new needs may arise.

Alexander and Elson would only be throw-ins for a trade just to make the money work. I can’t see either drawing ANY interest. Stackhouse is here to stay in Milwaukee. Hammond had him in Detroit and sees him as a veteran leader. He can also be Hammond’s eyes in the locker room.

I’m sure Jerry is telling him who is good for the team and who isn’t. You don’t want bad chemistry guys around your young talent (Michael Redd).

Trade For Players

This is the least possible option for Milwaukee. We have no pieces that anyone would want in exchange for a big name. Jennings would have to be involved, but that’s not happening.

Caron Butler would be the only guy who could draw interest. He is from Racine, so he’d basically be home, and the Wizards are looking to blow up their team.  If we could give them an expiring and our first they might be intrigued. Would I do it? Probably not. I don’t see this happening at all or any other scenario where the Bucks acquire a star player coming to fruition.

The best option for me is to stay the course and try to gain cap room for this offseason and next season when Redd and Dan Gadzuric come off the books. One thing’s for sure, it will be an interesting two weeks for Bucks fans everywhere.

Let me hear your opinion!  Comment on the article, and I will respond. Thank you.

The Milwaukee Bucks could not continue the win streak Monday night in San Antonio.  Michael Redd looked like he hadn’t picked up a basketball since his injury against Detroit earlier in the season as he went 1-6 from the charity stripe.

While the Bucks looked flat in the first half,  Spurs fan favorite Matt Bonner ignited his team by sinking several three pointers on his way to a 23 point, 6 rebound night.  The Bucks ended the half up by two but couldn’t sustain the lead as Tim Duncan and George Hill hit several shots to expand the lead.

Rookie Brandon Jennings looked human as he converted on just 6 of his 21 shots and committed 5 turnovers.  Ersan Ilyasova and Hakim Warrick probably should have shot more often as they combined for 35 points while shooting 65% from the field.  The Power Forward tandem also converted on all of their combined 8 free throw attempts.

For the majority of the game, the Bucks lacked the energy and discipline on the defensive end that has carried them to their surprising start.  Next stop is New Orleans to take on the Chris Paul-less Hornets (6-9, Home 5-2, away 1-7).

Notes:

Andrew Bogut:  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Andrew Bogut is eyeing an early return and will be out anywhere from four to eleven games, depending on how his body responds during recovery.

(LRMaM) Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is still listed as day to day.

Bucks v.s Spurs Highlights:

In a heated affair last night, the Milwaukee Bucks edged the Memphis Grizzlies at the FedEx Forum, 103-98.

Brandon Jennings led all scorers with 26 points, but he was hardly the top story.  Luke Ridnour and Ersan Ilyasova stole the spotlight.  Luke Ridnour came off the bench and had 13 points and 12 assists (8 in 1st half), while Ersan got the start at the 4-spot and finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds.

Ersan hit the glass hard, boxed out bigger players all game long, and had some great passes on the offensive end.  He reminds me of a young but raw Dirk Nowitizki. Ilyasova is only 22 years old, and he seems to be buying into Skiles’ system because he is one of the most consistent defenders on the team.

Once again the team played short-handed without Andrew Bogut, Michael Redd, LRMaM (Luc Richard Mbah a Moute), and Joe Alexander (Potsie).

Memphis jumped out to a ten point lead at the end of the first half.  They had everything falling down-low with their big men Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol.  In the second half the Grizzlies stopped going down-low and started going one on one and playing with tunnel vision.

When the Grizzlies stopped moving the ball effectively, the Bucks began getting after it.  Memphis was paced by Rudy Gay and Marc Gasol who each had a double-double in points and rebounds. Gay had 24 and 10;  Gasol had 14 and 14.

Charlie Bell started making jump shots for the first time this year, and he finished the game with a season high 19 points, including 5 three pointers.  He was big all night on both ends of the floor.

Milwaukee travels to San Antonio to play the Spurs on Monday night.  The Spurs may still be without Manu Ginobili, but Tony Parker-Longoria returned last night and helped the team beat the Wiz.

With the recent injuries to “Redd and Gimpy” (Guard Michael Redd and Center Andrew Bogut) many Milwaukee Bucks fans figured that the season was going to slowly fall back into the proverbial basement that they have seemed to get comfortable in the past few years.

Nuh Uh!!

Not anymore. Not with this bunch, and certainly not with rookie sensation, Brandon Jennings.  If there are still any doubts about how good he is, and even scarier, how good he can be, they should have been squashed with last night’s performance.

A Bucks team without Redd, Bogut and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute played well enough to win against an also short-handed Charlotte Bobcats team, 95-88.

Takin' Over.

The Bobcats began to key in on Jennings after his excellent first quarter, which allowed for Jennings to show his ability as a facilitator.

Jennings racked up 7 assists during the ball game while setting up teammates, Carlos Delfino (9 points, 6 rebs, 5 assists), Ersan Ilyasova (13 points, 7 rebs) and Hakim Warrick (16, 9 rebs).  Luke Ridnour also hit some big shots down the stretch when the Bobcats began to make a push late in the fourth quarter.

I’m choosing not to focus on the fact that the Bucks allowed their opponent to shoot a season-high 51 % from the field while they shot just 41%.

I’m choosing not to focus on the fact that the Bobcats attempted twice as many free throws as the Bucks did, but managed to convert only 60% of them.

I’m also choosing to overlook the fact that the Bucks turned the ball over more times than the Bobcats did, and when you add up all these mistakes, it’s astonishing that we won.

I’m going to focus on the fact that, despite all of that, The Bucks are adding another notch to the Win column.  Excellent. Now the Bucks need to forget about last game and focus on doing it again.

After last night’s win, the Bucks immediately boarded a plane headed to Memphis, TN to take on the Grizzles (4-8, 3-2 Home, 1-6 Away).

Don’t let the record fool you.  This team is capable of scoring in a variety of different ways and without Andrew Bogut, it’s going to be frustrating going against the likes of  6’11 Power Forward, Zach Randolph and 7’1 budding Center, Marc Gasol.

The Bucks will also have their hands full with scoring Gaurd OJ Mayo and high-flyng Forward Rudy Gay.

The Bucks schedule is starting to look a lot tougher and with the recent injuries to three key starters, the Bucks will need everybody every night to try to weather the storm.

We have Brandon jennings, therefore I Believe.  Do you?

Highlights from last night’s win at Home against the Bobcats:

Andrew Bogut and Carlos Delfino each poured in 21 as the 6-3 Bucks beat up on the hopeless 0-12 Nets, 99-85.  Rookie Sensation Brandon Jennings had 19 points and 8 assists but also had 8 turnovers.

Nets were lead by CDR (Chris Douglas-Roberts) and rookie T-Will (Terrence Williams) who both reached career highs in points with 31 and 20, respectively.

Bucks have one more home game against the recently acquired Stack Jack (Stephen Jackson) and the Charlotte Bobcats before they hit the road for four games.

The Bucks are indicating that veteran guard Michael Redd should be returning in two games from his minor knee injury.

Bogut is expected to miss two to four weeks with a leg strain and a contusion. That’s right, I said contusion, not concussion. Essentially, Bogut is expected to miss two to four weeks with a leg bruise.

Remember the Green Bay Packers old punter, Josh Bidwell? Well, he had testicular cancer and ended up losing one of his balls. And he still has more balls than Andrew Bogut.