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.

It’s official. I have given up on the Milwaukee Bucks for the remainder of the 2011 season. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, positive to take away from this wretched season. So I’m throwing in the towel.

There was an insane amount of optimism leading up to this season. Posting a 50 win season, advancing to the second round of the playoffs, and actually looking like a legit contender in a small market. All of it, every single last bit, is gone.

When did this officially happen? I’d like to say two Saturdays ago, when the Bucks lost at home to the lowly Detroit Pistons. But I stuck it out for another week, hoping that the Bucks would prove me wrong and play some good basketball. Then I watched this Saturday’s game against the Indiana Pacers, a game in which the Bucks kept it close until the fourth quater, upon which they shot 4 for 20 or some God-awful percentage.

There are simply no more excuses for this type of effort. I would argue that the Bucks are an objectively better team than the Pistons and the Pacers, both Central Division foes. Yet the Bucks managed to lose convincingly to each of them on consecutive weekends. These weren’t close, “grind-em’-out” losses either. These were “man isn’t awesome that we get to play the Bucks?” losses.

You can’t blame injuries anymore. Brandon Jennings is back, and so is Carlos Delfino. Andrew Bogut is kind of healthy, but occasionally misses games because of migraines or back issues. John Salmons has been ineffective all season, so his recent injury is no excuse. And then there’s Drew Gooden, who’s had plantar fasciitis for months and is unsure of whether or not he’ll return this season. Also, Drew Gooden is Dan Gadzuric 2.0 with a similar contract, so if that doesn’t give you nightmares, I don’t know what does.

You also can’t blame the influx of new “talent” that John Hammond signed in the offseason. Corey Maggette was supposed to finally buy into a system that works, like the Bucks coaching staff thought they had. He gets the the free throw line way more than anyone on the team (255 attempts this season. Second is Salmons with 151). But it hasn’t translated into wins, or even better team basketball.

And then there’s Scott Skiles, the should-have-been NBA Coach of the Year last season who took the Atlanta Hawks to seven games in the playoffs and looked to have the team playing it’s best basketball since the George Karl days. His questionable lineups in crunch time lead me to believe that maybe he just forgets about some of the players he has on his bench (how many times have you screamed at the TV this season while Keyon Dooling is running the point over Jennings in the final minutes of a game?)

At this point last season, the Bucks won more than 20 games to clinch a playoff spot and actually lend some credibility to professional basketball in Milwaukee. With the All-Star break upon us this week, there’s no reason to have that sort of optimism again. Instead, we’ll be watching the NBA playoffs and wondering how a team like the 76ers or the Pacers beat us out for the rights to get slaughtered by Miami or Boston.

Sadly, it’s another lost season for the Bucks. If I can offer any shining light, it’s that we have solid, young talent in Andrew Bogut and Brandon Jennings. But being saddled with bad contracts (I’m looking at you, Drew Gooden) doesn’t help us, so I’m still guessing that the Bucks are a few years removed from making legit noise in the playoffs.

I could end this article with a crappy play-on word (‘The Buck(s) stops here’, or ‘go Buck yourself’), but I won’t. Because unlike the Bucks, I’m better than that. For now, let’s watch the Super Bowl on repeat and look forward to baseball season, because NBA basketball around here is just “Buck”-ing stupid.

Oops.

WST Podcast (2/2/11) Part 2

Duration: 11:10

Topics:

• Are the Milwaukee Bucks primed for another second half run?

• Brandon Jennings’ return.

• Who is the biggest reason for the Bucks’ small turnaround.

• Would you still welcome a trade at the deadline?

WST Podcast 1.18.11 Part 2

Duration: 24:20

Topics:

• How have the Bucks gotten so bad?

• Can we continue to blame the Bucks’ struggles on their strength of schedule and injuries?

• Are we likely to see another strong second half out of the Bucks?

• Are there any season saving trades that could be on the horizon?

• Shout Outs!

• Bart Scott’s interview with Sal Paolantonio.

WiscoSportsTalk Podcast Part 3

Duration: 12:45

Topics:

- Brandon Jennings out 4-6 weeks following surgery on his broken foot.

- What is Brandon Jennings’ impact on the team?

- Can the Bucks avoid a big a slide?

-Possible trades.

- Shout Outs!

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.

WiscoSportsTalk Podcast Part 2

Duration: 11:20

Topics:

- Bucks 3 game winning streak

- Who has contributed to the turn around.

- Is Andrew Bogut back to the Andrew Bogut of last season?

- Who do you want to see start and see the most playing time?

WiscoSportsTalk Podcast Part 3

Duration: 22:00

Topics:

-Big tip in by Bogut to finish the Pacer game!  But still the Bucks can’t shoot!

- Which players aren’t buying in and why cant this team succeed?

- Skiles obviously has an agressive defensive system, but what exactly is Skiles doing on the offensive end?

- Possible trade partners

- Brewers Trade the #26 rated minor league prospect, 2b Brett Lawrie to the Toronto Blu Jays in exchange for starting pitcher, Shaun Marcum.

- Are the Brewers back in “win now” mode?

- What’s next for Prince Fielder?