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.

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.

Lineup:

A Buck involved in All-Star weekend?!?

* Adam “Big A” Maritato

Topics:

NBA All-Star weekend (beginning- 11:00)

NBA/Bucks trade deadline rumors (11: 00- end)

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.