The three o’clock pm (CST) NBA trade deadline passed an hour ago with the Bucks never even being mentioned in one trade rumor.

For most Bucks fans this should come as no surprise being that GM John Hammond said a deal was unlikely and their lack of usable trade assets.

The Bucks are certainly in no position to package a 1st round pick with any player currently on the roster in an attempt at a buy-now move with the recent surge of star power into the Eastern Conference.  Trading Jennings or Bogut would also be a risky move since both of their trade value’s around the league are at a very low point and Hammond has seemed to put all his eggs in their basket.

Oklahoma City was a trade partner I alluded to in an article last week that was rumored to have interest in interior help and they received it this afternoon in the form of Kendrick Perkins ( they also received PG Nate Robinson).  However,  The Thunder were clear about their unwillingness to trade C/PF Serge Ibaka and instead just parted with 24 year old PF Jeff Green and veteran back-up C Nenad Kristic.

I am glad the Bucks stayed away from any low ball offers such as this one but one has to wonder what is John Hammond’s plan?

Many were at least looking for Hammond to correct some of the financial mistakes he made during the off-season by clearing one or more of the Gooden/Maggette/Salmons contracts.

Hammond seems to still be stuck on the notion that this team can compete at a high level if they avoid injury.  That train of thought was questionable at best before the deadline deals that brought Carmelo Anthony and Deron Williams to the Eastern Conference.  Following these trades and upward building likely to come for all of the East’s top-teams; The Bucks’ ceiling and potential as a contender are becoming lower and smaller by the day.

Bucks fans are left telling themselves that any favorable opportunity’s for the Bucks to clear salary or add young talent of any kind couldn’t have presented themselves.

Unfortunately, the likely scenario is exactly what we all feared heading into the trade deadline.  That the Bucks are stuck with no real trade assets to acquire young pieces or clear salary.  That is the only explainable scenario because the NBA trade deadline is the perfect time for losing teams to unload large contracts off on contending teams that are looking for someone to push them towards a play-off run.

Obviously no team felt that the players on the Bucks’ current roster are worth the contracts they would have to absorb for their services.

John Hammond has used the off-season to make large contracts disappear in the past (see Richard Jefferson and Bobby Simmons), so today’s deadline won’t be their last opportunity to do so.

The problem is not only are the Bucks not good enough to compete for a relevant play-off position (or any play-off position for that matter) but they don’t appear to be bad enough to sneak into a top 5 pick and a difference maker in this summer’s draft.

Middling is not a position any team, in any sport wants to be in.

John Hammond will appear on Sports Radio 1250′s Pro Hoops Show this evening at 6 pm and hopefully will explain his thought process going into the trade deadline and his plan for the future.

Other News:

- Michael Redd Joined his teammates as a partial participant in practice on Monday and the timaetable for his return is unknown at this point

- Rookie PF Larry Sanders was assigned to the Milwaukee Bucks’ D League affiliate Fort Wayne Mad Ants this week to receive more court time.

Andrew Bogut has grown as a basketball player and as a member of the city of Milwaukee’s community since he was drafted number one overall by the Milwaukee Bucks six years ago.

Bogut has grown from a skinny 20 year old who struggled to bang with most NBA bigs to an elite interior defender, solid rebounder and one of the most unique Centers in the league.

In fact, during the Milwaukee Bucks’ improbable 22-8 run last season Bogut played at an all-star level and was considered by many to be the second best Center in the league behind Orlando’s Dwight Howard.

Fortunes changed for Bogut and the Bucks when Andrew took a nasty fall last April against the Phoenix Suns that sidelined him for the rest of the Milwaukee Bucks’ resurgent season.

Expected to make a full recovery in time for the opening tip of the 2010-2011 season, The Milwaukee Bucks went on a spending spree during the free agency and off-season period in an attempt to avoid regression following a terrific season.

Free agent acquisitions didn’t work out as planned, injuries occurred throughout the roster and Andrew Bogut’s right elbow was clearly bothering him.

So here the Milwaukee Bucks are again. Held in financial contempt by the $75 million owed to John Salmons and Drew Gooden over the next five years and the nearly $31 million owed to Corey Maggette over the next three.

The Milwaukee Bucks currently have the ninth highest payroll in the NBA and currently sit 12 games under .500 with a 21-33 record. This is good enough for 10th place in the terribly weak Eastern conference and slated for the 9th pick in the 2011 draft if the lottery balls fall as they are likely to.

For a team in the Bucks’ financial situation, These results are inexcusable and need to be dealt with ASAP.

Even with Michael Redd’s $18.3 million expiring from the Bucks’ books, they still have important decisions to make. There are draft picks to pay, veterans like Luc Richard Mbah a Moute to make extension decisions about and that’s all before you factor in a likely shrinking salary cap due to a change in the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement.

The challenge is to clear contracts like those owed to Maggette, Salmons and Gooden when all three are having underwhelming seasons and attain relatively low value throughout the NBA.

Sadly, this is where Andrew Bogut may be able to help the Bucks for the final time.

Though Bogut’s offense has been horrendous this season (.488 TS%. Eerily similar to the inefficient, Brandon Jennings’ .480 TS%) He still should have high value throughout the league as a 26 year old elite defender and rebounder.

Bogut is currently second in blocks per game and is actually first in blocks recovered by his team. Bogut also ranks top ten in the league in rebounding percentage with him collecting and estimated 18.4 % of his teams rebounds.

It is my belief that Andrew will regain strength and confidence in his right arm and reclaim his status as one of the NBA’s best all around big men. The problem is the Bucks cannot afford to hedge their bets on that occurring.

This is why it makes the most sense to trade Andrew to a team that feels they contend for a title by acquiring the 6th tear Center. This team should have young players or draft picks that they are willing to part with and have the financial capacity to take on one of the three bad contracts mentioned above.

A trade partner that makes sense for both parties is the young and exciting Oklahoma City Thunder. Oklahoma City’s roster is operating under the salary cap at the moment so they wouldn’t have to match the Bucks’ salaries to get a deal done. OKC also has young Players such as Jeff Green, Serge Ibaka and James Harden that try may be willing to part with in order to acquire a Center who could provide the interior presence to compliment Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook’s game.

Trade idea:

Bucks get: Ibaka/ Harden/ OKC’s 1st round pick

Thunder get: Bogut/Salmons

Explanation: Bucks clear John Salmons’ long term contract. Add a 21 year old athletic Center with Bogut-like upside and a young Shooting Guard with upside, who’s kind of a forgotten man in OKC. Bucks also add a likely late 1st round pick but young players on favorable contracts will be the new standard in Milwaukee after this deal is made. OKC adds the interior presence that could make them championship contenders and a wing that could add more on-court value than Harden if he gets hot after a trade like he has in the past.

Another Partner that makes sense for the Bucks to contact about Bogut’s availability is the Houston Rockets. It’s a known fact that the Rockets are willing to part with Yao’s expiring contract for a productive post player, preferably a Center. I think this deal might grab their attention.

Trade idea:

Bucks get: Patrick Patterson/ Jordan Hill/Courtney Lee/ Chase Budinger/ Jared Jeffries-exp/Yao-exp/ Hou 2011 1st round pick

Rockets get: Bogut/Maggette/Salmons/CDR/Brockman/Boykins

Explanation: The Rockets receive the best player involved in the trade in Andrew Bogut and have to take on some rough contracts because of it. If the Rockets truly covet a franchise caliber Center then this deal is the best way to go about doing it. Bogut will likely be the best Center available at the trade deadline for Yao’s contract and if the Rockets let him expire, there are no real franchise Centers that will be made available during the free agency period this summer.

The Bucks clear two of their worst contracts in Maggette and Salmons while acquiring Yao Ming and Jared Jeffries expirings. The Bucks also add shooters in Courtney Lee and Chase Budinger as well as two solid PF prospects in Patrick Patterson and Jordan Hill.

It is sad that our most valuable asset will likely only bring in a couple of young prospects and help clear a few of GM John Hammond’s mistakes but theses are deals that have a chance to really pay off. And if they don’t, i’s lot easier to watch and accept a group of young players struggling to get wins than it is a group of lackadaisical veterans on the wrong side of 30.

Change is needed Bucks fans. Hopefully it will come before February 24th at around 3 in the afternoon.

Wisconsin State Journal Bucks Writer and insider, Gery Woelfel is reporting via his Twitter account that Milwaukee Bucks second year Point Guard, Brandon Jennings, Will miss four to six weeks of action with a foot injury.  The Injury is said to be a fractured fifth metatarsal in the 21 year old’s left foot.

This comes as a shock to most Bucks fans because tonight’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers will be the the first missed game of the point Guard’s young career.

Jennings currently leads the Bucks in scoring (17.9 ppg) and his absence will surely be missed on a team that has struggled to score the basketball all season long.  Jennings is also the Bucks’ best three point shooter making just under two a game at a 37% clip.

Back-up Keyon Dooling is expected to move into the starting line-up and third stringer, Earl Boykins will be counted on to provide a scoring punch off the bench after playing only sparingly throughout the first 25 games of the season.

The Bucks are in the midst of an absolutely brutal strecth in which they will play 10 play-off teams from last season including the Lakers, Magic, Spurs and Heat twice.  In other words the Bucks are in a lot of trouble.

The Bucks’ offense has been absolutely horrendous all season long and the Jennings loss is sure to make it worse.  Jennings has his haters but now we will get to see what this team actually is comprised of without the young Point Guard’s opportunistic defensive swipes and energetic personality both on and off the court.

Jennings is not the model of efficiency but he is an excellent penetrator that the defense always has to be mindful of.  John Salmons, Corey Maggette and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute have struggled mightily hitting open shots when the defense had to respect Jennings’ penetration.  It’s hard to believe they will shoot better when their is little to no penetration out of Dooling and Boykins.

Another concern is that as streaky as Brandon is from outside, he has been the Bucks’ best 3 point shooter since Carlos Delfino went down.  On a team that is going to have to rely on Andrew Bogut’s inside play, it’s going to be very hard to space the floor enough to give Andrew the real estate to work with.

In order for the Bucks to keep their heads above water during this stretch, and especially now that Jennings is out, John Salmons and Corey Maggette need to play like their contract’s suggest they are supposed to.  Settling for and missing jumpers cannot be tolerated from those two any longer.

I would also expect Chris Douglas-Roberts to be given the green light to attack tthe rim and try to help pick up the scoring load however possible.

Jennings is a large part of what Bucks are trying to get accomplished but the story is still the same with him gone.  The Bucks need to continue to lock down on the defensive end and start hitting shots that professional basketball players should be able to hit.  They also cannot allow another huge disparity in the offensive rebound column like they did agaisnt the Utah Jazz in Saturday’s collapse at the Bradley Center (Off Rebs/Total Rebs. Utah- 14/42, Mil- 3/28).

Lastly, they just need to believe.  The Bucks look like a team that doesn’t have any confidence in their abilities or in the abilities of their teammates.  This team can win if they stay positive and make sure they do all of the little things.  They can’t afford to have a bad night defensively and they can’t afford to not fight for every rebound and loose ball.

If the Bucks can recapture their blue collar personality of last season and manage to hit some shots along the way,  they can survive this brutal stretch without Jennings.

If they can’t, well…

The Month of December has answered some questions about the Milwaukee Bucks, but it has also raised a few others.

The questions going into the month of December read something like, Is Andrew Bogut going to return to last season’s dominating form, this season?  Has Brandon Jennings improved his game?  Have the Bucks’ off-season acquisitions killed their chemistry?

The answers to those questions appear to be yes, yes and no, Coach Skiles won’t let them.

The Bucks are 4-3 in the month of December, with their only losses coming to teams with a combined record of 55-20.  Not to mention that two out of those three games were played on the road and the other was against the red-hot Miami Heat.

The Bucks seem to be starting to mesh on the court and finally some of their shots are starting to fall.  in December the Bucks have shot 42.5% from the field, which doesn’t seem great until you compare it to the 40.6% clip that the team shot in November.  Brandon Jennings 43% from three point land this month suggests he’s gotten his stroke from deep back and Andrew Bogut has been on a tear this month averaging 19.8 ppg, 14.2 rpb (4.7 of those offensive rebounds) and a whopping 4 blocks per game.

With those type of numbers coming out of our franchise Center, it’s easy to see why the Bucks have seemed to re-grasp last years magic.

But, What about the additions?  What about John Hammond’s $95 Million dollar summer experiment ( signing John Salmons and Drew Gooden and trading for Corey Maggette)?  what returns have we seen from the any of the newcomers?

Well, that’s a different story.  John Salmons, who I believe to be very key to this teams success, has had a few very good scoring games (21, 16, and 17 points at over 50% fg) that make you think that John will be fine.  Then, he also has games (7, 16, and 5 points at under 30%) that leave Bucks fans scratching their heads and cursing at their television sets.

Salmons seems to be putting forth effort on the defensive end and fitting into the flow of the offense quite nicely but his shots just won’t fall.

Drew Gooden has been battling Plantar fasciitis and has had to sit since the the 1st but turned in two very good performances against the the Dallas Mavericks and the San Antonio Spurs.  In the Buzzer beater loss to the Spurs, Gooden poured in 20 points to go along with 11 rebounds and a block.  Gooden’s presence seemed to spark the Bucks’ late run in last nights game but consistency and defensive awareness have been the thorn in Drew’s side.

Gooden and Salmons deserve the benefit of the doubt because they are trying their best to work through their struggles.  The third member of the $95 million dollar experiment, Corey Maggette, does not deserve the benefit of the doubt.

The past two weeks have seen Corey’s minutes become sporadic and his play on the court has followed that trend.  Corey’s defense at times looks inspired, but mostly looks like he simply doesn’t care.  He clearly has the ability to score but often times is looking to simply draw contact rather than attempt a shot while drawing contact.  The Referee’s seem to recognize this and Corey’s free throw attempts have dipped because of it.

My distaste for Corey stems not only from his inconsistent effort but also the reports from Hoopsworld.com writer, Alex Kennedy, that there is turmoil in the Bucks’ Locker room.  General Manager, John Hammond has denied these claims but Kennedy states that the comments came from a player acquired via trade, who apparently s upset with his current situation and standing with the team.  Since Chris Douglas -Roberts and John Brockman (both acquired via trade) seem to love the city of Milwaukee and don’t seem to be the type, Corey Maggette has to be the culprit.

Corey’s playing time has slipped from a little over 20 mpg to a little over 10 mpg in the last four contests.  This news has even caused the Milwaukee Bucks’ best fan community, The RealGM Board, to create a “Mole Removal” Corey Maggette trade idea thread.

Chris Douglas-Roberts is the one off-season acquisition that John Hammond can point to and call a complete success at this point in the season.  After returning from his scary eye laceration in pre-season, CDR has been the model of consistency for the Bucks.

CDR has averaged 10 points per contest and almost never turns the ball over.  He constantly gives 100% effort on both sides of the ball and it seems that Brandon Jennings has finally found his running mate to get out on the break with.

CDR got the start last night for the first time this season and made the most of it throwing in 21 points while shooting 53% from the field. CDR’s 3 point stroke has also been much better than advertised.  He doesn’t shoot a lot of them but he knocks down the ones that he should, which has been, maybe, the Bucks’ biggest problem this season.

The Bucks seem to be working through their shortcomings and identifying the guys that are going to give them the best chance to win on a nightly basis.  The team seemed to be doing the same thing around this time last year before they completely figured it out and won 22 of their last 30 games.

Bottom line is when the Bucks shoot 42% or above and combine that with the kind of defense they always play, they are very tough to beat.  42% isn’t a lot to ask for, so this quizzical month of December could again end up being but a small blemish on an otherwise successful Bucks season.

Pending the results of medical examinations the Milwaukee Brewers will complete a trade that will bring in 13-game winning pitcher, Shaun Marcum.  In exchange, the Brewers will send talented second base prospect Brett Lawrie to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Brett Lawrie was ranked the #26 best minor league prospect back in July, but Shaun Marcum adds an accomplished starting pitcher to a staff in need.

Marcum went 13-8 in 31 games last season with a 3.64 ERA.  Shaun Marcum also totes a very strong 2.0 BB/9.

The Brewers seem to be committed to winning with moves like this being made. They have their winter meetings this week and the topic of what to do with 1B Prince Fielder will most definitely be at the table.

This deal also alludes to the Brewers’ feelings of wanting to keep 2B Rickie Weeks in Milwaukee for the long term.

For quick Brewer updates follow @WiscoSportsTalk on Twitter.

The Blue Jays have acquired 27-year-old right-handed pitcher, Carlos Villanueva from the Brewers for a player to be named later.

Villanueva had a tumultuous career with the Brewers as a starter and remained shaky after he was moved to the bullpen after starting games in each of his first four big league seasons.  last year he posted 11.4 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in 52 2/3 innings of relief.

Villanueva is arbitration eligible for the second time meaning he will earn more than the  $950K salary he earned in last season.  Though, MLBTradeRumors.com suggests that Villanueva’s ERA was hurt by the players around him and that we shouldn’t be surprised to see Villanueva succeed in Toronto this season.

Defense independent pitching stats suggest Villanueva’s 4.61 ERA was inflated in 2010. That suggests his ERA could dip with a similar performance in 2011, but moving to the homer-friendly Rogers Centre could be challenging for Villanueva, who allowed more fly balls than ground balls last year. Villanueva has handled both lefties and righties successfully throughout his career.

There are no indications as to who the player involved in the trade will be at this time.

We’ll update you with more information about this trade and other possible trades that are currently in the works as we learn more.

The Marquette men’s basketball team (4-1) continues to show a ton of potential every time they suit up.

That didn’t change in Monday night’s loss to the #1 ranked Duke Blue Devils. The young and, in large part, inexperienced Golden Eagles fought very hard and it seemed that they might be headed for another upset of the Duke Blue Devils in the same tournament (the CBE Classic Championship in Kansas city) that they defeated them in four years ago.

A few reoccurring problems reared their ugly heads in the end as our Golden Eagles fell victim to the top ranked team in the country, 82-77.

The Negatives

- The MU basketball team, at least in recent memory, has always struggled with skilled big men due to their lack of interior size and skill.

6’10, 240 lb Junior Forward, Mason Plumlee absolutely dominated the game on both ends of the floor last night. He consistently caught the ball deep inside and finished strong around the hoop all evening.

Plumlee went 12-16 from the field (mostly on lay-ups and dunks) and he also found his teammates on a few very nice passes in route to a three assist performance. Plumlee also dominated the glass and the defensive interior adding 12 rebounds and swatting five shots.

Plumlee is one of the better big-men that MU will face all season but I know many MU fans had loftier expectations for the improved underclassmen, Chris Otule and Freshmen big, Devante Gardner.

- Darius Johnson-Odom (DJO) and the rest of the MU basketball team’s love affair with the three ball has to cease when your shooting a putrid 20% from deep. DJO didn’t even record a field goal until the second half and him, Dwight Buycks, Vander Blue, Jae Crowder and even Jimmy Butler seemed content settling for jumpers during points in the game when they needed a bucket.

Jimmy and Jae both finished with pretty strong offensive performances (22 pts, 15 pts respectively) but this team is clearly best when they are attacking the hoop. In their defense, Mason Plumlee’s dominance in the paint may have deterred them from continuing to go to the tin.

- My final gripe is the offense when Dwight Buycks is running the offense. Dwight has clearly improved his overall game since arriving on campus at MU, but I’m not sure he’s the distributor that this team needs this season.

This team is clearly loaded with offensive talent and a PG committed to running the offense and finding the open man would definitely help the flow of the offense. I’m not saying that I don’t think Dwight can be that guy, but I do think there may be better options for that job on the current roster.

The Positives

- MU fans have got to be more than encouraged with what they saw from sophomore PG, Junior Cadougan last night. Junior was an excellent change-of-pace floor general against a tremendous basketball team. He was a huge reason for MU’s run that tied the game early to mid-way through the second half. Junior finished with seven assists and took what the defense gave him offensively as he finished with 5 points on 2-3 shooting.

These numbers aren’t flashy, but again, if you can find a PG committed to getting the talent around him the ball where they like to receive it; this team could be very scary.

- Creating turnovers. That’s how our Golden Eagles stayed in the ball game. They baited Freshmen standout, Kyrie Irving and National Championship holdover, Nolan Smith into a whopping 11 turnovers just between the two of them (19 overall).

Vander, Dwight and especially Jae displayed excellent hands as they stripped the ball from Duke’s studs several times.

Otule and Gardner will improve MU’s interior defense this season but Buzz Williams will have to preach play-making and staying opportunistic for this defense to be considered strong.

- Interior scoring was ample against a tough interior opponent. Devante once again displayed  a pretty good offensive arsenal inside (nine points, 4-7) and Chris Otule was average which is pretty much all you can ask from him when hes going against Mason Plumlee. Jae Crowder has also shown the ability to score inside and out.

- The Talent! I know the experience and chemistry isn’t there yet, but you’ve got to admit that this team has the potential to be something special.

MU didn’t play their best game and they stuck with the best team in the country. They will only get better from here on out.

The Golden Eagles have another chance to make some noise against the # 18 ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs in the consolation round of CBE Classic Championship tonight at 6:45.

Gonzaga (2-2) has lost to two very tough teams in Kansas State and San Diego State.  Gonzaga’s 7 ft Center, Robert Sacre may give Marquette problems but I see this being another close game.

I don’t make score predictions but win or lose, we’ll see some encouraging things from this team.

A lot of Green Bay Packer Fans can rest easy now that two pivotal parts of the Packers Defense have been extended long term contracts. The news that DL Ryan Pickett and FS Nick Collins both will be extended today came from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s columnist, Greg A. Bedard.

It is reported that DL Ryan Pickett has received a four year extension worth a total of $28 million.  FS Nick Collins accepted a three year extension worth a total of 23 million dollars.

Quotes:

“I signed the papers today, We’ve been working on this off and on for a year.” I’m just happy to stay in Green Bay.” It meant the world to him to be here, his family likes it here; he loves to fish, he’s a small town guy, he loves being part of the Green Bay community.” – Ryan Pickett

“love this defense, I think I was built for it…I think the defense is going to grow leaps and bounds from last year.” – Ryan Pickett

“Our No. 1 goal is to get to the Super Bowl.”- Ryan Pickett’s response when asked if he and Collins made the decision together.

This Move will go a long way in helping the Packers return to the post season and compete for a Super Bowl championship.  Once again, the Ted Thompson haters have to eat a little bit of humble pie after this deal.  He’s done an excellent job of retaining quality talent on favorable deals.  Way to go Teddy. Go Pack!

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!!

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.