The 2009-2010 Milwaukee Bucks were picked to finish last in the Eastern Conference by most national pundits but the Bucks defied all odds to make the playoffs as the 6th seed and took the 3rd seeded Atlanta Hawks to 7 games despite missing Andrew Bogut and Micheal Redd. These stats put the Bucks overachieving in perspective:
- The Bucks won 12 more games this season than last season. That 12 game improvement was the largest improvement in the Eastern Conference and the 3rd largest improvement in the NBA (Oklahoma City +27, Memphis +16, Milwaukee +12, L.A. Clippers +10, and Charlotte +9).
- The Bucks shot 43.6% from the field in the regular season, finishing 29th of 30 NBA teams in shooting percentage edging out the worst team in the NBA, the New Jersey Nets who shot 42.9%.
- The Bucks shot 35.6% from three point range, finishing 12th in the NBA.
- Despite their improved record, attendance was down this season. The Bucks ranked 24th in the league in attendance: 619,453 total for an average of 15,108 per game. Down from 630,976 total for an average of 15,389 per game for the 2008-2009 campaign.
If you are short on time, The Sports Guy (Bill Simmons), succinctly summed up the Bucks season in a recent column: "The Exec of the Year: Milwaukee's John Hammond. Dumped Richard Jefferson's contract, picked Jennings, stole John Salmons from Chicago, nailed the Carlos Delfino signing, maintained his cap flexibility going forward, allowed the "Fear the Deer" era to unfold. That was a clinic on how to keep a small-market team relevant. Had Andrew Bogut not Theismann'ed his elbow, the Bucks absolutely would have beaten Boston in Round 1, and my mom would have been saying to me, "What's up with this Fear the Deer thing?" Alas. By the way, Scott Skiles being the 2009-10 Coach of the Year goes without saying. So I don't know why I said it." (source)
With all due respect to The Sports Guy, if you want a much more in-depth recap of the season through the eyes of Cheesehead Sports Nut, please read on...
In my Milwaukee Bucks 2009-2010 Season Preview I posed the biggest questions facing the Bucks:
Will Andrew Bogut and Michael Redd rebound from injuries?
We know the answer to the artist formerly known as Michael Redd. Bogut rebounded from injury but was lost for the season on a freak injury against the Phoenix Suns. That basically is a long winded way to say "sort of".
How will all of the players mesh with each other (seven players on the roster that did not play for the Bucks last season)?
Very well. In fact the midseason additions of Jerry Stackhouse and John Salmons seemed to improve team chemistry and solidify the Bucks for a playoff run despite finishing the season without the services of Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut.
Will Brandon Jennings become a legitimate starting point guard?
Yes he did. If Jennings continues to improve next season and Bogut returns healthy the Bucks might actually be an attractive destination for top-of-the-line NBA free agent heading into the 2011-2012 season. The Bucks will actually have the cap space to make a move because of all the money coming off the books next season (Redd owed $18.5 million and Dan Gadzuric owed $7.24 million). Before you get too excited, there is a very good chance the 2011-2012 NBA season will start with a lock-out. Plus, cap space and young talent is only a small part of the equation. When I say "Milwaukee would be an attractive destination" I mean purely in a basketball sense. Sadly, Milwaukee will never be able to compete with Miami and LA nightlife, scenery, etc...which has a HUGE impact on where NBA free agents sign.
How many players will Scott Skiles use in his rotation?
Once Bogut went down the Bucks struggled with establishing a consistent rotation, especially when their big men got in foul trouble. You know there are rotation issues when Primoz Brezec and Dan Gadzuric are playing big minutes in the playoffs.
Will the Bucks move one of their expiring contracts (Ridnour, Thomas or Elson)?
Yes and yes, John Hammond laid the foundation for trading expiring contracts by admitting that his first pick as Bucks general manager was a mistake. Instead of picking up Joe Alexander's option for a 3rd year, Hammond declined the option and thus allowed the Bucks to include Alexander's expiring contract in a deal for John Salmons. Very Ron Wolfian of Hammond...when you are wrong just admit your mistakes and move on...don't compound the mistake by holding onto "your guy" when you made the wrong decision.
In my five possible trades for the Bucks post, I correctly identified the Chicago Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers as potential trade partners but I included the wrong players.
The Bucks traded Hakim Warrick and Joe Alexander to the Chicago Bulls for John Salmons, Chicago's second round draft pick in 2011, Chicago's second round draft pick in 2012, and the option to switch first round draft picks in the 2010 NBA Draft (top 10 protected). This trade looks like a straight salary dump for the Bulls so that they can clear cap space to go after the top free agents (LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh or Joe Johnson). Some criticized the Bucks for giving salary cap flexibility to a division rival but with how much the Bucks got in return, the trade makes complete sense. Not only did the Bucks get a stud shooting guard, they get to leap ahead of the Bulls in the 2010 NBA Draft and added two second round picks down the road. Yes, this trade might have helped the Bulls clear space to land a marque free agent but it helped the Bucks make the playoffs and gives the Bucks a ton of roster flexibility for the next few seasons.
The Bucks traded Francisco Elson and Jodie Meeks to the Philadelphia 76ers for Primoz Brezec, Royal Ivey, and Philadelphia's second round draft pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. Meeks was the 41st player selected in the 2009 NBA Draft. The 76ers picked ended up being the 37th pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. This trade will ultimately come down to whether Meeks or the player the Bucks selected #37 in the 2010 NBA Draft turn out to have a better career.
Before I get to the final rankings, here are the players that appeared on previous rankings but did not finish the season with the Bucks:
Joe Alexander - Forward (Midseason #14 & Preseason #14): John Hammond's first pick as Bucks general manager is really his only mistake thus far.
Francisco Elson - Center (Midseason #13 & Preseason #12): I have absolutely nothing to say about Elson so let's just move on.
Jodie Meeks - Guard (Midseason #9 & Preseason #10): looked to be a solid bench guy, possibly a better shooting Desmond Mason. As I said earlier, Meeks will be compared to whoever the Bucks draft 37th overall in the upcoming 2010 NBA Draft.
Roko Ukic - Guard (Midseason #16 & Preseason #11): brief stay with little impact.
Hakim Warrick - Forward (Midseason #6 & Preseason #1): similar to Ron Wolf and John Hammond, when I am wrong I say I am wrong. As you can see, I listed Warrick #1 in my preseason rankings and #6 in my midseason rankings. In my defense, Warrick has a decent mid-range jumper, great length and freakish athleticism. If Warrick can find the right situation he will become a valuable bench player on a winning team. As long as Hammond didn't burn too many bridges I would completely support the Bucks bringing Warrick back on a one-year deal next year.
Final Rankings for the 2009-10 Season:
As a quick refresher, there are a number of factors that determine each player's value: short-term expectations, long-term expectations, salary, relative strength at each position and swagger. Yes, I know that some of those factors are subjective but that is why they are my rankings.
If you have a ton of time on your hands, take a quick look back at my Preseason or Midseason rankings before reading my final rankings of the 2009-10 Milwaukee Bucks. Get ready...it is time for the final rankings!
#15 Darnell Jackson - Forward (Midseason NR & Preseason NR): only appeared in one game (9 minutes, 2 points, and 2 rebounds) after being claimed off waivers from Cleveland. Jackson is only 24 years old and has an NBA power forward body (6'9" and 253 pounds), something the Bucks desperately need. Whether Jackson even gets a chance to play for the Bucks in 2010 depends on who John Hammond selects in the 2010 NBA Draft.
#14 Michael Redd - Guard (Midseason #15 & Preseason #2): as I said in a chat recently with Garry D. Howard, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's assistant managing editor of sports, I don't begrudge Michael Redd for getting paid $90 million by Senator Kohl. I blame Larry Harris and the NBA salary structure.
#13 Dan Gadzuric - Center (Midseason #12 & Preseason #15): it is tough call whether Jeff Suppan, Michael Redd or Danny G is the most hated professional athlete in Milwaukee right now. Although all three have been disappointments since signing huge long-term contracts, it took dumb general mangers to offer those contracts. Make no mistake about, I am not trying to get sympathy for any of the aforementioned overpaid athletes. I am just trying to highlight that Larry Harris and Doug Melvin offered the aforementioned obscene contracts.
#12 Primoz Brezec - Center (Midseason NR & Preseason NR): is a free agent after the season. Despite being 7'1" and 255 pounds, Brezec is 30 years old with limited athletic ability. Good for Brezec that he has played 8 seasons in the NBA. Unfortunately if Brezec plays a 9th season in the NBA then some team is in serious trouble. Yes, I ranked Brezec's carcass ahead of Mike Redd and Danny G. It was NOT in spite...it was based on each person's actual value to the team.
#11 Charlie Bell - Guard (Midseason #8 & Preseason #13):: in 39 regular season games Bell averaged 6.5 points on 38.1% shooting and 22.7 minutes per games. In 3 post-season games Bell played eight minutes and did not score.
Bell's biggest impact on the post-season was missing the last team meeting as well as the bus before their pivotal game 7 encounter with the Atlanta Hawks. As a result, the Bucks had Andrew Bogut and his broken elbow suit up for game 7 against the Atlanta Hawks instead of Bell. Bell has two years remaining on his contract ($3.8 million in 2010-2011 and $4.1 million in 2011-2012)...thanks again Larry Harris for screwing the Bucks.
Quick tangent, it becomes harder and harder to decide whether Larry Harris (signing Michael Redd, Dan Gazurich, Bobby Simmons, and Charlie Bell) or Ernie Grunfeld (see my post on the Ray Allen Heist) crippled the Bucks more. Good thing the Bucks are in the hands of a quality general manager finally. What is comical is that Grunfeld is actually still an NBA GM, all be it the guy that grossly overpaid Gilbert Arenas, but still an NBA GM.
#10 Royal Ivey - Guard (Midseason NR & Preseason NR): last season marked Ivey's second stint with the Bucks. At 6'4" and 215 pounds, Ivey is an interesting combo guard. At 28 years old, Ivey is a decent 3rd or 4th guard option off the bench. Ivey might be in the Bucks plans for 2010 if he accepts the veterans minimum.
#9 Jerry Stackhouse - Forward (Midseason #10 & Preseason NR): you can't underestimate the impact Stackhouse had on the Bucks after signing in mid-January. The Bucks were sorely missing a veteran presence outside of Kurt Thomas and Michael Redd this season and once Redd went down, the Bucks wisely moved to add Stackhouse. In the regular season Stackhouse averaged 8.5 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 20.4 minutes in 42 games. In the playoffs Stackhouse averaged 7.3 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 20.6 minutes in 7 games. Stackhouse reminds me a lot of Craig Counsell (utility infielder for the Milwaukee Brewers). If Stackhouse is willing to accept the veterans minimum, the Bucks should bring back Stackhouse purely for his leadership...any production he provides is just an added bonus.
#8 Luke Ridnour - Guard (Midseason #5 and Preseason #9):: was a great mentor for Brandon Jennings and a huge spark plug off the bench for the Bucks this season. Ridnour struggled in the playoffs firing air balls left and right. Turns out the air balls were justified since Ridnour was playing with a broken bone in his left wrist most of the playoffs.
Ridnour made $6.5 million last year and is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st. Although Ridnour was a big spark off the bench, Ridnour turns 30 next season and is on the downside of his career. The Bucks are contemplating whether to offer Ridnour their mid-level exception for next season. If the Bucks can sign Ridnour to a one-year deal at the mid-level exception then it is worth bringing him back. If Ridnour is looking for a multi-year deal then as hard as it might be, the Bucks should let Ridnour walk similar to how they let Ramon Sessions and Charlie Villanueva walk last offseason. As John Hammonds knows much better then his predecessors (Harris and Grunfeld), sometimes the best contracts are the ones never offered.
#7 Kurt Thomas - Center (Midseason #11 & Preseason #7): when Bogut went down at the end of the season, Thomas stepped up big. At 37, Thomas is no spring chicken but his tenacity is undeniable. In a couple of the Bucks playoff games in Atlanta. Thomas was mixing it up with the crowd. Much like Ridnour, Thomas becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1st. Bogut is expected to be fully recovered next season but Thomas would be a great back-up center option, especially if he would agree to return for less than the $3.8 million he made last season.
#6 Luc Richard Mbah a Moute - Forward (Midseason #3 & Preseason #4): is the perfect hybrid small/power forward in Scott Skiles' system. The Price (Google it if you don't get the reference by now) doesn't take a lot of shots and plays lock down defense. As a result, The Price routinely draws the best offensive non-center on the opposing team. I almost put The Prince higher for his defense alone but as you will see, the Bucks had a quality top 5 last season.
#5 Ersan Ilyasova - Forward (Midseason #4 & Preseason #8): despite looking eerily similar to an over-sized alien, Ilyasova flat out produced this season in his NBA return. One of the only positive things Larry Harris did as general manager of the Bucks was draft Ilyasova #36 overall in the 2005 NBA Draft (same draft Larry Harris took Bogut #1 overall).
As a rookie in 2006-07 Ilyasova averaged 6.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 14.7 minutes in 66 regular season games (started 14). Ilyasova went back to Europe to work on his game, which turned out to be a wise move. Ilyasova had an NBA coming out party in 2009-10 averaging 10.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 23.4 minutes in 81 regular season games (started 31).
Ilyasova earned $2.1 million last season in the first year of a three year deal that pays him $2.3 million in 2010-2011 and $2.5 million in 2011-2012. That is an absolute steal by NBA terms if Ilyasova continues to play like he did last season.
#4 Carlos Delfino - Guard/Forward (Midseason #7 & Preseason #5): speaking of bargains, Delfino is almost as big of a steal as the Ilyasova. Hammond acquired Delfino from the Toronto Raptors in a one sided sign-and-trade. Delfino signed a three year deal worth $10.5 million as a part of the deal. It is not that surprising Hammond wanted to acquire Delfino because Hammond was in the Detroit Pistons front office when they drafted Delfino in the 2004 NBA Draft.
Delfino, a 27-year-old from Argentina, averaged a career bests in points (11.0), rebounds (5.3), assists (2.7), and steals (1.1) while appearing in 75 regular season games (starting 66). Much like Ilyasova, if Delfino continues to put up numbers like last year, he will be grossly underpaid by NBA standards.
#3 John Salmons - Guard (Midseason NR & Preseason NR): as I discussed above, the Bucks acquired Salmons from the Chicago Bulls on February 18, 2010. Salmons went on to average 19.9 points in 30 regular-season games with the Bucks, leading the team in scoring 16 times. The Bucks went 25-12 (including the playoffs) with Salmons in the fold and made their first playoff appearance since 2006. In 7 playoff games, Salmons averaged 17.0 points despite being limited to 8 and 11 points in his last two playoff games.
Salmons has a unique body and game for a shooting guard. At 6'6" and 207 pounds, Salmons length creates match-up problems for other teams because he is a shooting guard that is as big as a small forward. The only knock on Salmons is that he turns 31 next season, which means he is probably on the downside of his career at this point. Unfortunately Salmons is not Steve Nash who is like a fine wine that keeps getting better with age.
Salmons holds a $5.8 million player option for next season which gives him the right to opt out of before July 1st. Here are some choice quotes form Salmons, you be the judge whether you think he will opt out:
- "Milwaukee has been great and the teammates have been great. In my eight years in the league, this is probably the first team I felt like was 100% a team. I felt like we played as a team."
- "I felt like the coaching staff was great, one of the best I've had. We played hard. I feel like this is one of the only teams where there wasn't a lot of agendas on the team; everybody played together. Everybody knew their role and did their job.
- "We got wins like that and it was fun to play on a team like that."
If Salmons does opt out, the Bucks would lose the exclusive negotiating status they now hold. Based on Salmons impressive play after joining the Bucks, odds are he will opt out to sign an extension before a new CBA changes the salary structure in the NBA. The only way I see Salmons refusing to opt out is if the Bucks offer a healthy extension. Current rumors are that the Bucks offered a three year, $27 million extension which would lock Salmons down for four years at $32.8 million...may be a little rich since he will be 35 years old at the end of the deal but probably still worth it.
#2 Brandon Jennings - Guard (Midseason #2 & Preseason #6):: burst onto the NBA scene with a 55-point performance in only his 7th professional game, which were the most points scored in an NBA game this entire season. For a reap of Jennings' historic performance, check out my post on it here.
Jennings started all 89 Bucks games this season. For the regular season Jennings averaged 15.5 points, 5.7 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.28 steals. For the post season Jennings averaged 18.7 points, 3.6 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.14 steals.
When the Bucks drafted Jennings #10 overall most NBA pundits thought that it was a reach but if the NBA gave a redo on the draft he would probably go 4th or 5th overall. Despite his injury, Blake Griffin would still go #1 because of his upside. Tyreke Evans and Stephen Curry would go next. The only question is whether a team would take Ricky Rubio or Brandon Jennings next.
Jennings was criticized for his lack of maturity before the draft but with a season under his belt, Jennings is already speaking like a veteran:
- "The day I got drafted, I said I wanted to make the playoffs. You probably looked at me like I was crazy, but I back up a lot of stuff I talk. Just the fact that we got here makes me want to work harder. Winning is everything to me."
- "This summer I'll work out, get stronger and come back a totally different player."
#1 Andrew Bogut - Center (Midseason #1 & Preseason #3): had his best season averaging 15.9 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game (second in the league). Although Bogut was robbed of an all-star appearance this season, he got an even higher honor when he was named third team all-NBA. Bogut was the first Buck to make an All-NBA team since Michael Redd was third-team All-NBA for the 2003-'04 season.
For a more in-depth look at Bogut, look at my previous Wednesday What Happened - Andrew Bogut's Season Ending Injury from April 7, 2010. Much like Redd, Bogut's season was cut short for the second straight year. Redd disappeared after his injury, while Bogut stayed in Milwaukee to be the ultimate teammate/cheerleader. Furthermore, Bogut said all the right things after going down with another season ending injury:
- "There are still a lot of areas in my game to work on. I want to work on my jumper and be consistent with it because I think it will open up the game."
- "I want to take the next step next year and hopefully become an all-star."
What's Next?
John Hammond has some big decisions coming up:
- Should he offer Salmons an extension?
- Should he offer Ridnour, Stackhouse, Thomas, or Ivey contracts?
- What should he do with three draft picks in the 2010 NBA Draft (#15 instead of #17 because of the option acquired in the Salmons Trade, #37 acquired from Philadelphia, and #47 the Bucks original second round pick)?
With baseball kicking into high gear I am going to shift to more Brewers coverage but check back in June when the off-season starts to heat up for the Bucks for full coverage of free agency and the 2010 NBA Draft.
Showing posts with label 2009-10 Milwaukee Bucks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2009-10 Milwaukee Bucks. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Game 5 of the 2010 NBA Playoffs - Bucks 91, Hawks 87...Bucks lead 3-2
The Bucks pulled off a thrilling 91-87 victory over the Hawks in their pivotal Game 5 battle in Atlanta. Let's look at some of the most memorable plays of the game:
Did you catch Bango's amazing dunk? Alright the dunk actually happened in Game 4 in Milwaukee but it was so nasty I had to include it.
With everyone is in a good mood I had to get in something positive about Dan Gadzuric. With a few minutes remaining in the first half Danny G hit an 18-footer from Scottie Williams' spot (if you are a real Bucks fan you know what I am talking about) and TNT announcer Kevin McHale asked whether there was a full moon out...high comedy. By the way, McHale is the Matt Millen of the NBA...much better announcer than general manager.
With 1:18 remaining in the game, Ersan Ilyasova pulled down a tough offensive rebound in traffic and threw it to Carlos Delfino who hit a clutch three with the shot clock about to expire to give the Bucks an 86-82 lead. That shot might go down as the shot of the series if the Bucks prevail in either Game 6 or Game 7.
I can't really pinpoint one play for John Salmons but he played absolute lock down defense on Joe Johnson the entire game. To put Salmons' performance in perspective, without his defensive effort on Johnson the Bucks would have lost this game by double digits.
Most people are going to remember Kurt Thomas drawing the charge on Joe Johnson for Johnson's 6th foul of the game with a few minutes remaining. That was a pivotal play but it was Thomas' relentless defense on Al Horford that impressed me most. Horford had a big game but it came mostly on mismatches when Thomas was forced to the bench because of foul trouble.
Luke Ridnour had ice water in veins tonight. Every time Scott Skiles called his number, Ridnour knocked down clutch shots with guys in his face...he was the second best guard on the court tonight.
The best guard on the court tonight was the young and feisty Brandon Jennings. Jennings shot lights out in the first quarter scoring 12 straight at one point. Jennings continues to play like a seasoned veteran despite not even being able to legally drink.
Couple of quick stats:
- The Bucks outscored the Hawks 18-5 over the last 4 minutes of the game.
- The Bucks snapped the Hawks 14-game home winning streak.
- The winner of Game 5 in series tied at 2-2 is 126-25 all-time.
After tonight, the Hawks officially have to Fear the Deer!
Did you catch Bango's amazing dunk? Alright the dunk actually happened in Game 4 in Milwaukee but it was so nasty I had to include it.
With everyone is in a good mood I had to get in something positive about Dan Gadzuric. With a few minutes remaining in the first half Danny G hit an 18-footer from Scottie Williams' spot (if you are a real Bucks fan you know what I am talking about) and TNT announcer Kevin McHale asked whether there was a full moon out...high comedy. By the way, McHale is the Matt Millen of the NBA...much better announcer than general manager.
With 1:18 remaining in the game, Ersan Ilyasova pulled down a tough offensive rebound in traffic and threw it to Carlos Delfino who hit a clutch three with the shot clock about to expire to give the Bucks an 86-82 lead. That shot might go down as the shot of the series if the Bucks prevail in either Game 6 or Game 7.
I can't really pinpoint one play for John Salmons but he played absolute lock down defense on Joe Johnson the entire game. To put Salmons' performance in perspective, without his defensive effort on Johnson the Bucks would have lost this game by double digits.
Most people are going to remember Kurt Thomas drawing the charge on Joe Johnson for Johnson's 6th foul of the game with a few minutes remaining. That was a pivotal play but it was Thomas' relentless defense on Al Horford that impressed me most. Horford had a big game but it came mostly on mismatches when Thomas was forced to the bench because of foul trouble.
Luke Ridnour had ice water in veins tonight. Every time Scott Skiles called his number, Ridnour knocked down clutch shots with guys in his face...he was the second best guard on the court tonight.
The best guard on the court tonight was the young and feisty Brandon Jennings. Jennings shot lights out in the first quarter scoring 12 straight at one point. Jennings continues to play like a seasoned veteran despite not even being able to legally drink.
Couple of quick stats:
- The Bucks outscored the Hawks 18-5 over the last 4 minutes of the game.
- The Bucks snapped the Hawks 14-game home winning streak.
- The winner of Game 5 in series tied at 2-2 is 126-25 all-time.
After tonight, the Hawks officially have to Fear the Deer!
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Andrew Bogut's Season Ending Injury & Review of 2005 NBA Draft
Andrew Bogut broke his right index finger, dislocated his right elbow, and broke bones in his right forearm on April 3, 2010 in Milwaukee against the Phoenix Suns. If you have a strong stomach, check out the video on YouTube.
The biggest bummer about Bogut's injury is that it happened right when the Bucks were poised to make a deep playoff run. John Salmons was firing on all cylinders since joining the Bucks at the trade deadline, Brandon Jennings continues to take the NBA by storm, Bogut was starting to cement himself as one of the best centers in the NBA, and the supporting cast (Delfino, Ilyasova, The Prince, Ridnour, and Stackhouse) was filling their complementary role perfectly.
Since the aforementioned injury ended Bogut's fifth NBA season, it is a good time to determine whether Bogut was the right choice. Let's jump in Doc Brown's Delorean and head back to 2005.
Going into the 2005 Draft Lottery the Bucks had the 6th best odds (or a 6.3% chance) of landing the 1st pick. The Bucks won the lottery and leapfrogged the Atlanta Hawks. The Bucks winning the 2005 Draft Lottery gave them the 1st pick in the NBA Draft for the fourth time in franchise history (Bucks took Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1969, Kent Benson in 1977, and Glenn Robinson in 1994).
The 2005 NBA Draft produced two of the best point guards to enter the NBA in the last decade: Deron Williams went 3rd to Utah and Chris Paul went 4th to New Orleans but going into the 2005 NBA Draft, the debate was whether to take Andrew Bogut or Marvin Williams. No matter what people like to say now, going into the 2005 NBA Draft, Deron Williams and Chris Paul were the consensus 3rd and 4th best players.
As a quick side note, the 2005 NBA Draft was one of the worst drafts in recent memory. If you take Andrew Bogut, Deron Williams, and Chris Paul out of the equation the only other players to go to an all-star game from the 2005 NBA Draft were Danny Granger (went 17th to Indiana) and David Lee (went 30th to New York).
Here is how the Milwaukee Bucks roster (at least the potential starters, I left out the scrubs) looked going into the 2005 NBA Draft:
Guard: T.J. Ford, Mo Williams, and Michael Redd (on 08/18/05 Charlie Bell signed as a free agent)
Forward: Desmond Mason, Toni Kukoc, and Joe Smith (on 08/08/05 Bobby Simmons signed as a free agent and on 10/26/05 Desmond Mason was traded along with a first round pick for Jamaal Magloire)
Center: Dan Gadzuric and Zaza Pachulia (on 08/11/05 Zaza Pachulia signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Hawks)
The Bucks thought they were set at point guard (Ford), shooting guard (Redd), small forward (Mason/Simmons), and power forward (Smith & Kukoc) which meant the only hole in the roster was the center position. As every NBA pundit knows, the hardest position to fill is center. So talent and need aligned for the Bucks heading into the 2005 NBA Draft. That said, I always support taking the best player available, especially in the NBA.
To decide whether the Bucks made the right decision taking Bogut instead of Marvin Williams, let's look at the numbers:
Andrew Bogut's season-by-season numbers:
2005-06: 82 G, 77 GS, 28.6 MIN, 9.4 PTS, 7.0 RB, 2.3 AST, 0.80 BLK
2006-07: 66 G, 66 GS, 34.2 MIN, 12.3 PTS, 8.8 RB, 3.0 AST, 0.50 BLK
2007-08: 78 G, 78 GS, 34.9 MIN, 14.3 PTS, 9.7 RB, 2.6 AST, 1.70 BLK
2008-09: 36 G, 33 GS, 31.2 MIN, 11.7 PTS, 10.3 RB, 2.0 AST, 1.00 BLK
2009-10: 69 G, 69 GS, 32.3 MIN, 15.9 PTS, 10.1 RB, 1.8 AST, 2.50 BLK
Marvin Williams' season-by-season numbers:
2005-06: 79 G, 07 GS, 24.7 MIN, 8.5 PTS, 4.8 RB, 0.8 AST, 0.30 BLK
2006-07: 64 G, 63 GS, 34.0 MIN, 13.1 PTS, 5.3 RB, 1.9 AST, 0.50 BLK
2007-08: 80 G, 80 GS, 34.6 MIN, 14.8 PTS, 5.7 RB, 1.7 AST, 0.40 BLK
2008-09: 61 G, 59 GS, 34.3 MIN, 13.9 PTS, 6.3 RB, 1.3 AST, 0.60 BLK
2009-10: 81 G, 81 GS, 30.5 MIN, 10.1 PTS, 5.1 RB, 1.1 AST, 0.60 BLK
Andrew Bogut's career averages:
331 G, 323 GS, 32.3 MIN, 12.7 PTS, 9.0 RB, 2.4 AST, 1.4 BLK, 0.7 STL
Marvin Williams' career averages:
365 G, 290 GS, 31.4 MIN, 11.9 PTS, 5.4 RB, 1.4 AST, 0.5 BLK, 0.8 STL
As the numbers show, Andrew Bogut has been more injury prone than Marvin Williams but that is not a big surprise since Bogut is a center and Williams is a small forward. Besides appearances and steals, Bogut's numbers are better than Williams' across the board. Plus, Williams’ peaked in 2007-08 while Bogut’s numbers keep improving (Bogut's 2008-09 season numbers are a little skewed because he only played 36 games). I know things are a little raw right now since Bogut just suffered a season ending injury but things could be much worse...the Bucks could have taken Marvin Williams with the 1st pick in the 2005 NBA Draft instead of Andrew Bogut.
The biggest bummer about Bogut's injury is that it happened right when the Bucks were poised to make a deep playoff run. John Salmons was firing on all cylinders since joining the Bucks at the trade deadline, Brandon Jennings continues to take the NBA by storm, Bogut was starting to cement himself as one of the best centers in the NBA, and the supporting cast (Delfino, Ilyasova, The Prince, Ridnour, and Stackhouse) was filling their complementary role perfectly.
Since the aforementioned injury ended Bogut's fifth NBA season, it is a good time to determine whether Bogut was the right choice. Let's jump in Doc Brown's Delorean and head back to 2005.
Going into the 2005 Draft Lottery the Bucks had the 6th best odds (or a 6.3% chance) of landing the 1st pick. The Bucks won the lottery and leapfrogged the Atlanta Hawks. The Bucks winning the 2005 Draft Lottery gave them the 1st pick in the NBA Draft for the fourth time in franchise history (Bucks took Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1969, Kent Benson in 1977, and Glenn Robinson in 1994).
The 2005 NBA Draft produced two of the best point guards to enter the NBA in the last decade: Deron Williams went 3rd to Utah and Chris Paul went 4th to New Orleans but going into the 2005 NBA Draft, the debate was whether to take Andrew Bogut or Marvin Williams. No matter what people like to say now, going into the 2005 NBA Draft, Deron Williams and Chris Paul were the consensus 3rd and 4th best players.
As a quick side note, the 2005 NBA Draft was one of the worst drafts in recent memory. If you take Andrew Bogut, Deron Williams, and Chris Paul out of the equation the only other players to go to an all-star game from the 2005 NBA Draft were Danny Granger (went 17th to Indiana) and David Lee (went 30th to New York).
Here is how the Milwaukee Bucks roster (at least the potential starters, I left out the scrubs) looked going into the 2005 NBA Draft:
Guard: T.J. Ford, Mo Williams, and Michael Redd (on 08/18/05 Charlie Bell signed as a free agent)
Forward: Desmond Mason, Toni Kukoc, and Joe Smith (on 08/08/05 Bobby Simmons signed as a free agent and on 10/26/05 Desmond Mason was traded along with a first round pick for Jamaal Magloire)
Center: Dan Gadzuric and Zaza Pachulia (on 08/11/05 Zaza Pachulia signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Hawks)
The Bucks thought they were set at point guard (Ford), shooting guard (Redd), small forward (Mason/Simmons), and power forward (Smith & Kukoc) which meant the only hole in the roster was the center position. As every NBA pundit knows, the hardest position to fill is center. So talent and need aligned for the Bucks heading into the 2005 NBA Draft. That said, I always support taking the best player available, especially in the NBA.
To decide whether the Bucks made the right decision taking Bogut instead of Marvin Williams, let's look at the numbers:
Andrew Bogut's season-by-season numbers:
2005-06: 82 G, 77 GS, 28.6 MIN, 9.4 PTS, 7.0 RB, 2.3 AST, 0.80 BLK
2006-07: 66 G, 66 GS, 34.2 MIN, 12.3 PTS, 8.8 RB, 3.0 AST, 0.50 BLK
2007-08: 78 G, 78 GS, 34.9 MIN, 14.3 PTS, 9.7 RB, 2.6 AST, 1.70 BLK
2008-09: 36 G, 33 GS, 31.2 MIN, 11.7 PTS, 10.3 RB, 2.0 AST, 1.00 BLK
2009-10: 69 G, 69 GS, 32.3 MIN, 15.9 PTS, 10.1 RB, 1.8 AST, 2.50 BLK
Marvin Williams' season-by-season numbers:
2005-06: 79 G, 07 GS, 24.7 MIN, 8.5 PTS, 4.8 RB, 0.8 AST, 0.30 BLK
2006-07: 64 G, 63 GS, 34.0 MIN, 13.1 PTS, 5.3 RB, 1.9 AST, 0.50 BLK
2007-08: 80 G, 80 GS, 34.6 MIN, 14.8 PTS, 5.7 RB, 1.7 AST, 0.40 BLK
2008-09: 61 G, 59 GS, 34.3 MIN, 13.9 PTS, 6.3 RB, 1.3 AST, 0.60 BLK
2009-10: 81 G, 81 GS, 30.5 MIN, 10.1 PTS, 5.1 RB, 1.1 AST, 0.60 BLK
Andrew Bogut's career averages:
331 G, 323 GS, 32.3 MIN, 12.7 PTS, 9.0 RB, 2.4 AST, 1.4 BLK, 0.7 STL
Marvin Williams' career averages:
365 G, 290 GS, 31.4 MIN, 11.9 PTS, 5.4 RB, 1.4 AST, 0.5 BLK, 0.8 STL
As the numbers show, Andrew Bogut has been more injury prone than Marvin Williams but that is not a big surprise since Bogut is a center and Williams is a small forward. Besides appearances and steals, Bogut's numbers are better than Williams' across the board. Plus, Williams’ peaked in 2007-08 while Bogut’s numbers keep improving (Bogut's 2008-09 season numbers are a little skewed because he only played 36 games). I know things are a little raw right now since Bogut just suffered a season ending injury but things could be much worse...the Bucks could have taken Marvin Williams with the 1st pick in the 2005 NBA Draft instead of Andrew Bogut.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Tweet Beat...The Prince and Clay Matthews Showing Maturity
As always, these are tweets from today (March 25, 2010) sent by native Cheeseheads or transplanted Cheeseheads. For this installment of "Tweet Beat" I wanted to highlight two young, up and coming players from the Milwaukee Bucks and the Green Bay Packers:
The Buck - The Price (Luc Richard Mbah a Moute) recently tweeted about giving his time to others, which shows he is selfless on and off the court:
Tweet #1: "Got done with practice... Ready to go to the children's hospital and hang with the kids...."
Tweet #2: "Next time u think things are not going ur way or u having a bad day, think about the kids who are going thru cancer and their families...."
If you want to follow The Prince on twitter, click here.
The Packer - Clay Matthews tweeted about hunting which proves that even a California boy can be converted to a Cheesehead in no time:
Tweet #1: "Just shoot a bow 4 the 1st time and it was everything I imagined... That arrow was hummin!!"
Tweet #2: "Note to self... Keep a bent arm as the wire will slap the *#;? outta ur forearm... OUCH!!!"
If you want to follow Clay on twitter, click here.
The Buck - The Price (Luc Richard Mbah a Moute) recently tweeted about giving his time to others, which shows he is selfless on and off the court:
Tweet #1: "Got done with practice... Ready to go to the children's hospital and hang with the kids...."
Tweet #2: "Next time u think things are not going ur way or u having a bad day, think about the kids who are going thru cancer and their families...."
If you want to follow The Prince on twitter, click here.
The Packer - Clay Matthews tweeted about hunting which proves that even a California boy can be converted to a Cheesehead in no time:
Tweet #1: "Just shoot a bow 4 the 1st time and it was everything I imagined... That arrow was hummin!!"
Tweet #2: "Note to self... Keep a bent arm as the wire will slap the *#;? outta ur forearm... OUCH!!!"
If you want to follow Clay on twitter, click here.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
2010 NBA Trade Deadline Advice for John Hammond
Milwaukee Bucks General Manager John Hammond has shown he can wheel and deal since he joined the organization in April of 2008. Of the roster Hammond inherited, only 5 players remain: 3 untradeable contracts (Michael Redd, Dan Gadzuric and Charlie Bell), 1 up-and-comer (Ersan Ilyasova) and 1 franchise center (Andrew Bogut).
As the 2010 NBA Trade Deadline approaches (Thursday, February 18, 2010) a quick look at the Milwaukee Bucks roster shows they have very few assets to trade:
Untradeable:
- Michael Redd (SG): has torn multiple knee ligaments the last two seasons. Redd is earning $17 million this year and has a player option worth $18.3 million next year.
- Dan Gadzuric (C): plays sparingly despite earning $6.75 million this year and $7.25 million next year.
- Charlie Bell (SG): has been starting since Redd's injury but Bell's age (30) and bloated contract (3-years, $11.55 million left) makes him untradeable until the last year of his deal.
Expiring Contracts:
- Luke Ridnour (PG): has been the 6th man of the year for the Bucks. Ridnour is earning $6.5 million this season and since the Bucks are still in the playoff hunt they will most likely hold on to Ridnour unless they get a really attractive offer.
- Kurt Thomas (PF): has drawn interest from Portland and other teams looking for a dependable veteran. Thomas is earning $3.8 million this season which is relatively cheap for a veteran big man as sad as that sounds.
- Hakim Warrick (PF): I grossly overvalued Warrick's value in my pre-season Milwaukee Bucks Preview here. Warrick's athleticism and versatility might be attractive to a borderline contender since he is earning $3 million this season.
- Joe Alexander (SF): Hammond's first draft pick as Bucks GM has been an absolute bust. Hammond (like Ron Wolf) swallowed his pride and did not exercise the Bucks team option for the 3rd year of Alexander's rookie contract. Alexander is earning $2.58 million this season which is VERY expensive for someone that has yet to appear for the Bucks this season and is toiling in the NBDL.
- Francisco Elson (PF/C): is out indefinitely with an injury so despite his cheap salary ($1.7 million) for an NBA veteran big man, the Bucks cannot trade Elson.
- Jerry Stackhouse (SG/SF): is earning a prorated $680,000 veteran minimum this season and is highly unlikely to get traded since he was signed a little less than a month ago which means every other NBA team could have signed Stackhouse if they were interested in his services.
Favorable short-term deals:
- Ersan Ilyasova (SF/PF): was drafted 36th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2nd Round of the 2005 NBA Draft. Ilyasova's career has been all over the map since getting drafted by the Bucks: Tulsa, OK (NBDL '05-'06), Milwaukee, WI (NBA '06-'07), and Barcelona, Spain (FC Barcelona '07-'09) before returning to the Bucks on a 3-year, $6.96 million deal this offseason. Ilyasova is a budding NBA star with a cheap contract which makes him borderline untradeable.
- Carlos Delfino (SG/SF): was drafted by the Detroit Pistons while Bucks GM John Hammond was a member of Detroit's front office. Hammond acquired Delfino this off-season in a sign-and-trade deal (3-year, $10.5 million contract with only $500,000 guaranteed in the 2nd year and the 3rd year is a team option) because of his affinity to Deflino which means Delfino is unlikely to get traded.
Prospects:
- Luc Mbah a Moute (SF/PF): The Prince (check here for an explanation of the nickname) has been a lock down defender since the Bucks drafted him in the 2nd round of the 2008 NBA Draft. Add in that The Prince's offensive game is improving and he makes next to nothing by NBA standards (2-years, $1.6 million left) and you see why The Prince is almost untradeable.
- Jodie Meeks (SG): too early to tell whether the rookie will be a good professional player. Based on his production in college at Kentucky and cheap contract (3-years, 2.3 million) the Bucks will hold onto Meeks based on potential alone.
Untouchable:
- Andrew Bogut (C): despite his expensive extension (5-year, $60.5 million) kicking in this season, franchise centers don't come along often so the Bucks would have to get an amazing offer to even entertain moving the future all-star.
- Brandon Jennings (PG): his 55 point performance put the Milwaukee Bucks on the national radar. Although the rookie has come back to earth in recent weeks, Jennings is the most untouchable player on the Bucks roster based on his potential and cheap rookie contract (5-years, $14.5 million).
Despite having few trade assets, I did my best to work the ESPN Trade Machine. Only try the trade machine if you have hours to kill but I guess if you have read this far then you must have ample discretionary time to spend on hypothetical NBA trades. All of these trades involve the Milwaukee Bucks taking on money long-term which Bucks GM John Hammond has said he will entertain since the Bucks only have $25 million committed for the 2011-12 season.
Here is the logic, teams want to dump long-term contracts for short-term contracts if at all possible. Furthermore, the Milwaukee Bucks will have a hard time enticing marquee free agents to sign in Milwaukee so they will most likely have to acquire them via trades. Finally, with a core of Brandon Jennings and Andrew Bogut locked up for the next 5 seasons players should be happier to play in Milwaukee then they have been in a long time. Here are my 5 trade deadline deals that the Milwaukee Bucks would do in a heart beat:
#5) Between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Golden State Warriors:
Golden State gets:
- Joe Alexander (SF): 1-year, $2.58 million
- Kurt Thomas (PF): 1-year, $3.8 million
- Luke Ridnour (PG): 1-year, $6.5 million
Milwaukee gets:
- Anthony Randolph (PF): 4-years, $10.77 million left ($1.84 million in '09-'10, $1.97 million in '10-'11, $2.91 million team option in '11'-'12 and $4.05 million qualifying offer in '12-'13)
- Monta Ellis (SG): 5-years, $55 million left (first 4 years $11 million guaranteed each season and 5th year player option for $11 million)
It is no secret that Golden State has been trying to move Monte Ellis ever since his infamous motorcycle accident. Ellis's large contract and the emergence of rookie Stephen Curry has only increased Golden State's interest in trading Ellis. The currently hurt and disgruntled Anthony Randolph is the exact type of power forward the Bucks have been searching for since Vin Baker left many moons ago. This trade allows Milwaukee to fill holes at shooting guard and power forward in one fell swoop. Basically this trade is a salary dump for Golden State.
Speaking of salary dump trades, the Bucks shipping Richard Jefferson to San Antonio for Kurt Thomas, Fabricio Oberto (who was then traded for Amir Johnson who was then part of the Carlos Delfino sign-and-trade) and Bruce Bowen (retired) is not looking like such a horrible trade with how bad Richard Jefferson is playing. The Spurs are considered one of the smartest franchises in the NBA so nice to see the Bucks fleece them in a trade. Also don't forget Jefferson is still owed $15 million next season. As the dust starts to settle, Richard Jefferson for Kurt Thomas and Carlos Delfino looks like a great trade for the Bucks.
#4) Between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Sacramento Kings:
Sacramento gets:
- Kurt Thomas (PF): 1-year, $3.8 million
- Luke Ridnour (PG): 1-year, $6.5 million
Milwaukee gets:
- Kevin Martin (SG): 4-years, $46.24 million left ($10.18 million in '09-'10, $11.1 million in '10-'11, 12.02 million in '11-'12 and $12.94 million in '12-'13)
The emergence of presumptive rookie of the year Tyreke Evans has lead to a crowded back court in Sacramento. Acquiring Ridnour would allow Evans to get some schooling under Ridnour just like Brandon Jennings has gotten in the first half of the season. This trade allows the Bucks to fill their gaping hole at shooting guard and allows Sacramento to transition from the Kevin Martin era to the Tyreke Evans era.
#3) The Milwaukee Bucks and the Portland Trailblazers:
Portland gets:
- Kurt Thomas (PF): 1-year, $3.8 million
- Milwaukee's 2010 1st round pick (top 5 protected)
Milwaukee gets:
- Rudy Fernandez (SG): 4-years, $7.79 million left ($1.17 million in '09-'10, $1.25 million in '10-'11, $2.18 million team option in '11'-12 and $3.19 qualifying offer in '12-'13)
- Travis Outlaw (SF/PF): 1-year, $4 million
Portland's GM Kevin Pritchard has been dubbed an NBA genius even though he is the guy that drafted gimpy Greg Oden (and his explicit camera phone pictures) ahead of Kevin Durant (possibly an all-time NBA great) so there is always room to snooker Pritchard in a trade. Plus, Pritchard is on record as having interest in getting bigger on the front line for a playoff run so Thomas is an attractive option. Rudy Fernandez is apparently "untouchable" at this point but the Bucks' draft pick might sweeten the deal enough for Pritchard to bite which would allow Milwaukee to get their shooting guard of the future while adding to their record number of international players all at once.
#2) The Milwaukee Bucks and the Chicago Bulls:
Chicago gets:
- Kurt Thomas (PF): 1-year, $3.8 million
- Luke Ridnour (PG): 1-year, $6.5 million
Milwaukee gets:
- Kirk Hinrich (SG): 3-years, $26.5 million left ($9.5 million in '09-'10, $9 million in '10-'11 and $8 million in '11-'12)
Chicago is in full on salary dump mode. With the best young point guard in the NBA (Derrick Rose) and a fair amount of cap space going into the most anticipated NBA off-season in a decade, the Bulls are hoping to land one if not two of the prized NBA Free agents this off-season: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh or Joe Johnson. By dumping Hinrich's contract they get one step closer to landing one or possibly two of the aforementioned studs in the off-season. Milwaukee gets to shore up their shooting guard position for the next few seasons at a fairly palatable price with a contract that actually decreases in yearly payout, which is unusual in professional sports.
#1) The Milwaukee Bucks and the Philadelphia 76ers:
Philadelphia gets:
- Hakim Warrick (PF): 1-year, $3 million
- Kurt Thomas (PF): 1-year, $3.8 million
- Luke Ridnour (PG): 1-year, $6.5 million
- Milwaukee's 2010 1st round pick (top 5 protected)
Milwaukee gets:
- Andre Iguodala (SG): 5-years, $68.7 million left ($12.2 million in '09-'10, $12.35 million in '10-'11, $13.53 million in '11-'12, $14.72 million in '12-'13 and $15.9 million player option in '13-'14).
If Philadelphia could throw an atom bomb and their roster and start over they would. Philadelphia's best player is Iguodala but $68.7 million over 5 years is a hefty sum to pay him so it wouldn't be all that surprising to see them dump his salary. You think the Bucks had it bad with Michael Redd and Danny G. Without Iduodala, Philadephia has $40.4 million committed to Elton Brand, Samuel Dalembert, Jason Kapono and Louis Williams for the 2010-11 season so anything is possible with Philadelphia.
If you read this far I want to thank you very much for spending all this time reading my random thoughts on the Milwaukee Bucks and potential trades that will never happen. Please feel free to leave a comment at the bottom or email me (bpbsports@gmail.com) your thoughts on these trades or any other trade ideas you might have as the 2010 NBA Trade Deadline approaches.
As the 2010 NBA Trade Deadline approaches (Thursday, February 18, 2010) a quick look at the Milwaukee Bucks roster shows they have very few assets to trade:
Untradeable:
- Michael Redd (SG): has torn multiple knee ligaments the last two seasons. Redd is earning $17 million this year and has a player option worth $18.3 million next year.
- Dan Gadzuric (C): plays sparingly despite earning $6.75 million this year and $7.25 million next year.
- Charlie Bell (SG): has been starting since Redd's injury but Bell's age (30) and bloated contract (3-years, $11.55 million left) makes him untradeable until the last year of his deal.
Expiring Contracts:
- Luke Ridnour (PG): has been the 6th man of the year for the Bucks. Ridnour is earning $6.5 million this season and since the Bucks are still in the playoff hunt they will most likely hold on to Ridnour unless they get a really attractive offer.
- Kurt Thomas (PF): has drawn interest from Portland and other teams looking for a dependable veteran. Thomas is earning $3.8 million this season which is relatively cheap for a veteran big man as sad as that sounds.
- Hakim Warrick (PF): I grossly overvalued Warrick's value in my pre-season Milwaukee Bucks Preview here. Warrick's athleticism and versatility might be attractive to a borderline contender since he is earning $3 million this season.
- Joe Alexander (SF): Hammond's first draft pick as Bucks GM has been an absolute bust. Hammond (like Ron Wolf) swallowed his pride and did not exercise the Bucks team option for the 3rd year of Alexander's rookie contract. Alexander is earning $2.58 million this season which is VERY expensive for someone that has yet to appear for the Bucks this season and is toiling in the NBDL.
- Francisco Elson (PF/C): is out indefinitely with an injury so despite his cheap salary ($1.7 million) for an NBA veteran big man, the Bucks cannot trade Elson.
- Jerry Stackhouse (SG/SF): is earning a prorated $680,000 veteran minimum this season and is highly unlikely to get traded since he was signed a little less than a month ago which means every other NBA team could have signed Stackhouse if they were interested in his services.
Favorable short-term deals:
- Ersan Ilyasova (SF/PF): was drafted 36th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2nd Round of the 2005 NBA Draft. Ilyasova's career has been all over the map since getting drafted by the Bucks: Tulsa, OK (NBDL '05-'06), Milwaukee, WI (NBA '06-'07), and Barcelona, Spain (FC Barcelona '07-'09) before returning to the Bucks on a 3-year, $6.96 million deal this offseason. Ilyasova is a budding NBA star with a cheap contract which makes him borderline untradeable.
- Carlos Delfino (SG/SF): was drafted by the Detroit Pistons while Bucks GM John Hammond was a member of Detroit's front office. Hammond acquired Delfino this off-season in a sign-and-trade deal (3-year, $10.5 million contract with only $500,000 guaranteed in the 2nd year and the 3rd year is a team option) because of his affinity to Deflino which means Delfino is unlikely to get traded.
Prospects:
- Luc Mbah a Moute (SF/PF): The Prince (check here for an explanation of the nickname) has been a lock down defender since the Bucks drafted him in the 2nd round of the 2008 NBA Draft. Add in that The Prince's offensive game is improving and he makes next to nothing by NBA standards (2-years, $1.6 million left) and you see why The Prince is almost untradeable.
- Jodie Meeks (SG): too early to tell whether the rookie will be a good professional player. Based on his production in college at Kentucky and cheap contract (3-years, 2.3 million) the Bucks will hold onto Meeks based on potential alone.
Untouchable:
- Andrew Bogut (C): despite his expensive extension (5-year, $60.5 million) kicking in this season, franchise centers don't come along often so the Bucks would have to get an amazing offer to even entertain moving the future all-star.
- Brandon Jennings (PG): his 55 point performance put the Milwaukee Bucks on the national radar. Although the rookie has come back to earth in recent weeks, Jennings is the most untouchable player on the Bucks roster based on his potential and cheap rookie contract (5-years, $14.5 million).
Despite having few trade assets, I did my best to work the ESPN Trade Machine. Only try the trade machine if you have hours to kill but I guess if you have read this far then you must have ample discretionary time to spend on hypothetical NBA trades. All of these trades involve the Milwaukee Bucks taking on money long-term which Bucks GM John Hammond has said he will entertain since the Bucks only have $25 million committed for the 2011-12 season.
Here is the logic, teams want to dump long-term contracts for short-term contracts if at all possible. Furthermore, the Milwaukee Bucks will have a hard time enticing marquee free agents to sign in Milwaukee so they will most likely have to acquire them via trades. Finally, with a core of Brandon Jennings and Andrew Bogut locked up for the next 5 seasons players should be happier to play in Milwaukee then they have been in a long time. Here are my 5 trade deadline deals that the Milwaukee Bucks would do in a heart beat:
#5) Between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Golden State Warriors:
Golden State gets:
- Joe Alexander (SF): 1-year, $2.58 million
- Kurt Thomas (PF): 1-year, $3.8 million
- Luke Ridnour (PG): 1-year, $6.5 million
Milwaukee gets:
- Anthony Randolph (PF): 4-years, $10.77 million left ($1.84 million in '09-'10, $1.97 million in '10-'11, $2.91 million team option in '11'-'12 and $4.05 million qualifying offer in '12-'13)
- Monta Ellis (SG): 5-years, $55 million left (first 4 years $11 million guaranteed each season and 5th year player option for $11 million)
It is no secret that Golden State has been trying to move Monte Ellis ever since his infamous motorcycle accident. Ellis's large contract and the emergence of rookie Stephen Curry has only increased Golden State's interest in trading Ellis. The currently hurt and disgruntled Anthony Randolph is the exact type of power forward the Bucks have been searching for since Vin Baker left many moons ago. This trade allows Milwaukee to fill holes at shooting guard and power forward in one fell swoop. Basically this trade is a salary dump for Golden State.
Speaking of salary dump trades, the Bucks shipping Richard Jefferson to San Antonio for Kurt Thomas, Fabricio Oberto (who was then traded for Amir Johnson who was then part of the Carlos Delfino sign-and-trade) and Bruce Bowen (retired) is not looking like such a horrible trade with how bad Richard Jefferson is playing. The Spurs are considered one of the smartest franchises in the NBA so nice to see the Bucks fleece them in a trade. Also don't forget Jefferson is still owed $15 million next season. As the dust starts to settle, Richard Jefferson for Kurt Thomas and Carlos Delfino looks like a great trade for the Bucks.
#4) Between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Sacramento Kings:
Sacramento gets:
- Kurt Thomas (PF): 1-year, $3.8 million
- Luke Ridnour (PG): 1-year, $6.5 million
Milwaukee gets:
- Kevin Martin (SG): 4-years, $46.24 million left ($10.18 million in '09-'10, $11.1 million in '10-'11, 12.02 million in '11-'12 and $12.94 million in '12-'13)
The emergence of presumptive rookie of the year Tyreke Evans has lead to a crowded back court in Sacramento. Acquiring Ridnour would allow Evans to get some schooling under Ridnour just like Brandon Jennings has gotten in the first half of the season. This trade allows the Bucks to fill their gaping hole at shooting guard and allows Sacramento to transition from the Kevin Martin era to the Tyreke Evans era.
#3) The Milwaukee Bucks and the Portland Trailblazers:
Portland gets:
- Kurt Thomas (PF): 1-year, $3.8 million
- Milwaukee's 2010 1st round pick (top 5 protected)
Milwaukee gets:
- Rudy Fernandez (SG): 4-years, $7.79 million left ($1.17 million in '09-'10, $1.25 million in '10-'11, $2.18 million team option in '11'-12 and $3.19 qualifying offer in '12-'13)
- Travis Outlaw (SF/PF): 1-year, $4 million
Portland's GM Kevin Pritchard has been dubbed an NBA genius even though he is the guy that drafted gimpy Greg Oden (and his explicit camera phone pictures) ahead of Kevin Durant (possibly an all-time NBA great) so there is always room to snooker Pritchard in a trade. Plus, Pritchard is on record as having interest in getting bigger on the front line for a playoff run so Thomas is an attractive option. Rudy Fernandez is apparently "untouchable" at this point but the Bucks' draft pick might sweeten the deal enough for Pritchard to bite which would allow Milwaukee to get their shooting guard of the future while adding to their record number of international players all at once.
#2) The Milwaukee Bucks and the Chicago Bulls:
Chicago gets:
- Kurt Thomas (PF): 1-year, $3.8 million
- Luke Ridnour (PG): 1-year, $6.5 million
Milwaukee gets:
- Kirk Hinrich (SG): 3-years, $26.5 million left ($9.5 million in '09-'10, $9 million in '10-'11 and $8 million in '11-'12)
Chicago is in full on salary dump mode. With the best young point guard in the NBA (Derrick Rose) and a fair amount of cap space going into the most anticipated NBA off-season in a decade, the Bulls are hoping to land one if not two of the prized NBA Free agents this off-season: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh or Joe Johnson. By dumping Hinrich's contract they get one step closer to landing one or possibly two of the aforementioned studs in the off-season. Milwaukee gets to shore up their shooting guard position for the next few seasons at a fairly palatable price with a contract that actually decreases in yearly payout, which is unusual in professional sports.
#1) The Milwaukee Bucks and the Philadelphia 76ers:
Philadelphia gets:
- Hakim Warrick (PF): 1-year, $3 million
- Kurt Thomas (PF): 1-year, $3.8 million
- Luke Ridnour (PG): 1-year, $6.5 million
- Milwaukee's 2010 1st round pick (top 5 protected)
Milwaukee gets:
- Andre Iguodala (SG): 5-years, $68.7 million left ($12.2 million in '09-'10, $12.35 million in '10-'11, $13.53 million in '11-'12, $14.72 million in '12-'13 and $15.9 million player option in '13-'14).
If Philadelphia could throw an atom bomb and their roster and start over they would. Philadelphia's best player is Iguodala but $68.7 million over 5 years is a hefty sum to pay him so it wouldn't be all that surprising to see them dump his salary. You think the Bucks had it bad with Michael Redd and Danny G. Without Iduodala, Philadephia has $40.4 million committed to Elton Brand, Samuel Dalembert, Jason Kapono and Louis Williams for the 2010-11 season so anything is possible with Philadelphia.
If you read this far I want to thank you very much for spending all this time reading my random thoughts on the Milwaukee Bucks and potential trades that will never happen. Please feel free to leave a comment at the bottom or email me (bpbsports@gmail.com) your thoughts on these trades or any other trade ideas you might have as the 2010 NBA Trade Deadline approaches.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Tweet Beat...Andrew Bogut Gambling Style
Milwaukee Buck Andrew Bogut continues to push the edge of the envelope via Twitter (see previous "Tweet Beat" from December 2009). Bogut tweeted at roughly 11 a.m. on Thursday, February 4, 2010: "About to fill my pockets up playing poker on this long flight to nyc. Alllllll in."
May be I am overreacting but Bogut better choose his words carefully in light of Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton getting suspended by the NBA for the rest of the season (source). The suspension stemmed from a disagreement over a gambling debt incurred on a team flight that escalated to both players bring guns to the locker room to "settle the debts".
Bogut is a fun loving guy but NBA Commissioner David Stern is not taking NBA player gambling lightly. As a result of the Arenas/Crittenton incident some teams have moved to outlaw gambling on team flights. If Bogut and the rest of the Bucks want to gamble on team flights they better do it without broadcasting it to the world.
May be I am overreacting but Bogut better choose his words carefully in light of Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton getting suspended by the NBA for the rest of the season (source). The suspension stemmed from a disagreement over a gambling debt incurred on a team flight that escalated to both players bring guns to the locker room to "settle the debts".
Bogut is a fun loving guy but NBA Commissioner David Stern is not taking NBA player gambling lightly. As a result of the Arenas/Crittenton incident some teams have moved to outlaw gambling on team flights. If Bogut and the rest of the Bucks want to gamble on team flights they better do it without broadcasting it to the world.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Milwaukee Bucks 2009-10 Midseason Player Rankings
Get ready for a mega look at the first half of the Milwaukee Bucks season.
Positives from the 1st half of the 2009-10 season:
- The Bucks started the season 8-3.
- Rookie point guard Brandon Jennings looks like an superstar in the making.
- Center Andrew Bogut is proving his worth in the first year of his five-year contract extension. Bogut only missed a handful of games so far and is averaging 32.9 minutes (2nd to Jennings), 15.6 points (2nd to Jennings), 10.3 rebounds (1st) and 2.14 blocks (1st).
- The Bucks off-season acquisitions of Carlos Delfino, Ersan Ilyasova and Hakim Warrick on cheap, short-term contracts are looking like money well spent.
- The Bucks are 2 games out of the 8th playoff spot held by the Chicago Bulls (Bucks currently lead the Bulls in their season series 2-1) despite being picked to finish dead last in the Eastern Conference by almost every national publication.
- The Bucks are protecting the Fortress on 4th (the Bradley Center for those of you that are not hip to Cheesehead lingo) with a 12-7 home record.
Negatives from the first half of the season:
- After starting the season 8-3, the Bucks went 9-20 over their next 29 games.
- The Bucks lost Michael Redd to the same knee injury for the second straight season.
- The Bucks are having a hard time closing out close games: lost 9 games by 3 points or fewer.
- The Bucks have struggled in overtime games going 2-4.
- Like most NBA teams, the Bucks have trouble on the road 5-17 record (1-5 on their recent West coast swing).
Stock Up:
- Charlie Bell, mostly because of Redd's injury, went from preseason #13 to #8.
- Brandon Jennings went from preseason #6 to #2.
Stock Down:
- Michael Redd went from preseason #2 to #15.
- Hakim Warrick went from preseason #1 to #6.
A Quick Look Back:
If you look back at my Milwaukee Bucks 2009-2010 Season Preview, this is how things looked coming into the season (click here):
- Sports Illustrated picked the Bucks to finish last in the Eastern Conference.
- InsideHoops.com ranked the Bucks the 29th best team in the NBA narrowly edging out the Minnesota Timberwolves.
- ESPN.com's season opening power rankings have the Bucks listed 27 out of 30 narrowly edging out the Memphis Grizllies, Minnesota Timberwolves and Sacramento Kings.
Surprisingly the Bucks were ranked below the Nets in every preview...good job "experts".
Here were the questions coming into the season:
- Will Andrew Bogut and Michael Redd rebound from injuries? Yes to Bogut, big no to Redd.
- How will all of the players mesh with each other (seven players on the roster that did not play for the Bucks last season)? The team has meshed pretty well so far all things considered.
- Will Brandon Jennings become a legitimate starting point guard? Qualified yes since we are only a half season into what looks like a very promising NBA career.
- How many players will Scott Skiles use in his rotation? Still settling out with the loss of Redd and the addition of Stackhouse.
- Will the Bucks move one of their expiring contracts (Ridnour, Thomas or Elson)? Still don't know, the only one that looks valuable is Ridnour but whether the Bucks try to move Ridnour depends on whether the Bucks are in the mix for the NBA playoffs.
The List:
Here are my updated rankings of the 2009-2010 members of the Milwaukee Bucks. Just as a refresher, there are a number of factors that determine each player's value: short-term expectations, long-term expectations, salary, relative strength at each position and swagger (I know that some of those factors are subjective). Here is the updated list:
#16 (previously #11) - Roko Ukic (Guard): One of my preseason predictions came true. I predicted despite Ukic's potential the Bucks would have a hard time finding minutes for him because of the crowded backcourt (Jennings, Ridnour, Redd, Bell and Meeks). Ukic appeared in only 13 games for the Bucks before asking for his release so that he could get more playing time in Europe, Ukic ultimately signed with Fenerbahçe Ülker in Turkey.
#15 (previously #2) - Michael Redd (Guard): Might have played his last productive game for the Bucks on January 10, 2009 against the Lakers in Los Angeles. Redd has gone from a second-round pick in the 2000 NBA Draft (43rd overall) to the 10th highest paid player in the NBA in 2010. The Bucks owe Redd $17 million this year and Redd holds a $18.3 million player option for next season. $18.3 million is a ton of money to pay a 30 year-old shooting guard coming off two reconstructive knee surgeries on the same knee over two years. Redd is a devout Christian so some might argue that if he follows "The Golden Rule" he should decline his player option for next season but that would be downright foolish. Redd is unlikely to make $18.3 million the rest of his life so why not bank that for one season of rehab. What complicates the situation is that Redd is one of the nicest guys in the NBA and has possibly the quickest release in the NBA so it is hard to bad mouth him. The knock on Redd is that he was never a "max contract guy". Michael Redd would have thrived as a second or third option on a good team but never carried the Bucks as a franchise player.
#14 (previously #14) - Joe Alexander (Forward): John Hammond's first draft pick as Milwaukee Bucks GM is officially a bust after only one and a half seasons. Hammond choose Joe Alexander #8 overall in the 2008 NBA Draft (instead of taking Brook Lopez, Anthony Randolph or Courtney Lee just to name a few). Alexander had a very unimpressive rookie campaign, he played in 59 games but only averaged 4.7 points, 1.9 rebounds and .7 assists. Alexander has yet to play for the Bucks this season because of injuries. The Bucks essentially gave up on Alexander earlier this season by declining their team option on Alexander for 2010-2011 which rarely happens after only two seasons in the NBA. Alexander is currently on a rehab stint in the NBDL. If Alexander wants to resurrect his career, he has to stay healthy for more then a few weeks at a time.
#13 (previously #12) - Francisco Elson (Center): Appeared in a team low 11 games (besides Stackhouse who has only been with the team 2 games) contributing next to nothing in those appearances. Elson is earning the easiest $1.7 million in NBA history this year.
#12 (previously #15)- Dan Gadzuric (Center): Ganny G only appeared in 19 games (started 6) because a number of recurring injuries this season. Much like Elson, Gadzuric is earning a ton of money ($6.75 million) for limited production.
#11 (previously #7) - Kurt Thomas (forward): Speaking of earning a ton of money for playing very little, Thomas rounds out the triumvirate. Playing time has been hard to come by for Thomas with the emergence of new comers Ersan Ilyasova, Hakim Warrick and Carlos Delfino. Add in the recent signing of Jerry Stackhouse and Thomas is going to earn $3.8 million this season for clapping and occasionally dispensing wisdom to the younger players on the team...its great to be Kurt Thomas.
#10 (previously NR) - Jerry Stackhouse (Forward): A very smart signing by John Hammond. Stackhouse's veteran presence will be crucial with the loss of Michael Redd. Although Stackhouse is in the twilight of his career, what is not to like about Stackhouse? Over his 856 game career Stackhouse has averaged 18.4 points, 3.6 assists, 3.4 rebounds and .97 steals. Furthermore, Stackhouse has said all the right things since joining the Bucks: "I get along well with everybody. These guys are going to help keep me young." Stackhouse signed for peanuts by NBA standards. To put it in perspective, Stackhouse will earn $340,000 for the rest of the season while Elson, Gadzuric and Thomas will earn roughly $6.5 million for the rest of the season (that doesn't even factor in the $6.5 million they already earned this season) or 18 times more than Stackhouse for much less production. The Bucks will get a huge bang for the buck (no pun intended) for Stackhouse in the second half of the season, look for him to move into the Top 5 Bucks by the end of the season if he can stay healthy.
#9 (previously #10) - Jodie Meeks (Guard): Despite the loss of Redd, Meeks has been given very few chances to play this season (appeared in 32 games, starting none). As stated earlier, playing time is hard to come by in the Bucks crowded backcourt. There is no question that Meeks can score, he set the University of Kentucky single game scoring record last year but Meeks needs to improve on the defensive end of the court if he wants Bucks coach Scott Skiles to increase his playing time.
#8 (previously #13) - Charlie Bell (Guard): Bell has started at shooting guard at various points this season because of Michael Redd's well documented injuries. Unfortunately Bell doesn't have a ton statistics to show for it. Bell has appeared in 39 games (started 22) averaging 26 minutes, 7.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, .72 steals and .23 blocks. If I were Scott Skiles, I would give Meeks more playing time then Bell. The Bucks have both Bell and Meeks signed through the 2011-2012 season but between now and then Bell will earn $9.75 million and Meeks will earn $2 million. If it is all about the money then play Bell but if it is all about the future then play Meeks now...worked out pretty well with Luc Richard Mbah a Moute last season.
#7 (previously #5) - Carlos Delfino (Guard/Forward): Delfino has started 29 games for the Bucks this season but has not maximized his opportunities so far. Despite being 5th in minutes per game on the Bucks if you don't count Redd, Delfino is averaging less than 10 points a game (9.2) while shooting less than 40% from the field. Delfino was acquired in a sign and trade with the Toronto Raptors in the off-season and signed a 3 year, $10.5 million contract (earns equal amounts of $3.5 million per year as opposed to most NBA contracts that step up after each season) so he is still relatively cheap by NBA standards. Look for Delfino to have a better year next year and a breakout season in his contract year 2011/2012 so he can sign a lucrative contract with another team for the 2012-13 season.
#6 (previously #1) - Hakim Warrick (Forward): May be the Memphis Grizzlies were smart for deciding not to offer their former first-round pick a contract in the off-season. The Grizzlies, much like the Bucks, were picked to be bottom feeders of their conference at the start of the season. Currently the Grizzlies are 23-19 and only one game out of the 8th seed in the Western Conference. I put Warrick #1 on the list at the start of the season (biggest mistake of the rankings obviously) because Warrick's combination of size, speed, athleticism and shooting range seemed to make him an ideal fit for the Bucks uptempo offense. At the very least, I thought Warrick would be a perfect 6th man for the Bucks, unfortunately that hasn't been the case. On the positive side, Warrick appeared in 40 of 41 games this season for the Bucks (only started only 6 games though) and is attempting to make the most of his time on the court. Warrick is averaging 22.1 minutes, 10.2 points and 4.3 rebounds.
#5 (previously #9) - Luke Ridnour (Guard): At the start of the season Ridnour looked like the most likely candidate to get traded since he is in the last year of his contract and only earning $6.5 million. While that might still happen if the Bucks fall out of playoff contention before the trading deadline, Ridnour has been a huge spark for the Bucks off the bench. Despite not starting a single game this season and battling through a number of injuries, Ridnour is one of only three Bucks to appear in every game this season along with Ilyasova and Jennings. Rindour is not even in the top 6 in minutes per game but only trails Jennings and Bogut in points per game (again not counting Redd), Jennings in assists and has the highest assist to turnover ratio on the team. Ridnour has helped Jennings flourish and John Hammond should only consider trading Ridnour if he can get a very good player in return (such as Kirk Hinrich and Jerome James for Luke Ridnour and Dan Gadzuric...probably would never happen but the trade worked in the NBA Trade Machine on ESPN.com, check out the website here if you want to waste 4 or 5 hours on hypothetical trades that you have no control over). Otherwise the Bucks should let Ridnour play out his contract and see if he is willing to return next year for a below market deal.
#4 (previously #8) - Ersan Ilyasova (Forward): John Hammond faced a decision in the off-season on what to do with Charlie Villanueva. If the Bucks resigned Charlie V it would push the them over the luxury tax with a long-term Danny G like contract. Instead, John Hammond brought Ersan Ilyasova back from Europe at a much cheaper price. The statistics and money, all be it only through a half of a season, shows that it was a smart decision.
Statistics:
- Ilyasova: 41 games (31 started), 24.4 MPG, .417 FG%, .351 3P%, .727 FT%, 6.8 Rebounds (2.1 offensive and 4.7 defensive) and 10.7 points.
- Charlie V: 41 games (16 started), 27.3 MPG, .437 FG%, .321 3P%, .821 FT%, 5.5 Rebounds (1.2 offensive and 4.3 defensive) and 14.0 points.
The Money:
- Ilyasova: $6.96 million for three years ('09-10: $2.1 million, '10-11: $2.3 million and '11-12: $2.54 million) or $2.32 million per year.
- Charlie V: $37.7 million for five years ('09-10: $6.50 million, '10-11: $7.02 million, '11-12: $7.54 million, '12-13: $8.06 million and '13-14: $8.58 million player option) or $7.54 million per year.
The Bucks opted to bring back Ilyasova for three years at little more than what Charlie V will make in the first season of a five year contract. If Ilyasova can put on a little muscle over the next year while maintaining his outside touch, he fits the profile of a budding NBA superstar.
#3 (previously #4) - Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (Forward): He is an actual prince in his native village of Bia Messe in Cameroon (source: here) so he will be referred to as "The Prince" any time he is mentioned going forward. Besides fighting some minor injuries this season, The Prince picked up this season where he left off last season by playing lock down defense on the opposing team's best offensive player. Although The Prince does not score very much, he is 3rd on the team in rebounds and provides the Bucks with some much needed versatility (can play both small forward and power forward). The Prince is being paid like a peasant by NBA standards (a mere $736,420) and is worth every penny.
#2 (Previously #6) - Brandon Jennings (Guard): After half a season Jennings looks like a trail blazer in every sense of the word. In only his 7th NBA game Jennings took the NBA by storm when he dropped a Double Nickel (tied for 2nd most in Bucks history) on the Golden Sate Warriors. Since then, the Bucks have been moved to a few national TV appearances and are actually talked about by the national media. To put his 55 points in perspective, here is the list of most points by a rookie in NBA history:
- 58: twice by Wilt Chamberlain (January and February 1960)
- 57: once by Rick Barry (December 1965)
- 56: once by Earl Monroe (February 1968)
- 55: Brandon Jennings (Saturday, November 14, 2009), Wilt Chamberlain (November 1959) and Elgin Baylor (February 1959)
Jennings is the first player to forgo college and opt to play in Europe for a season to satisfy the NBA requirement of being out of high school for one season before entering the NBA. Jennings is in the top 4 among all rookies in almost every offensive statistic: 1st in assists, 2nd in scoring, 3rd in free-throw percentage and 4th in three-point percentage. With Blake Griffin (#1 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft) out for the season and Ricky Rubio (#5 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft) playing in Europe, Tyreke Evans and Brandon Jennings are looking like the darlings of the 2009 NBA Draft. Jennings did not put up big number in Italy last season, so most teams were afraid to draft him but 7 of the 9 teams that passed on him are re-thinking their decision. The only teams that can defend their decision to pass on Jennings are the Los Angeles Clipper and Sacramento Kings. The Clippers got Blake Griffin #1 and despite his freak knee injury should be closer to Lebron James than Michael Olowokandi (but it just shows you how snake bitten of a franchise the Clipper really are). The Kings picked Tyreke Evans #4 (good job Memphis taking Hasheem Thabeet #2 and Oklahoma City James Harden #3) and looks to be the odds on favorite to win the rookie of the year award.
#1 (Previously #3) - Andrew Bogut (Center): Maybe Bogut read the Forbes article at the start of the season that claims he is one of the NBA's most over paid players. The Bucks have Bogut under contract for five-years for $60.5 million ('09-'10: $10 million, '10-'11: 11.05 million, '11-12: $12.1 million, '12-13: 13.15 million and '13-14: 14.2 million) which is really cheap by NBA standards for a starting NBA center, especially if Bogut can stay healthy. With Redd out, the Bucks can finally funnel the offense through Bogut which is what they should have been doing all along. The Bucks are 12-2 when Bogut scores 17 or more points. I actually find this to be a legitimate statistic because sometimes those statistics are a shame. An example of a sham statistic is that the NFL loves to flash the stats that when "running back X gains more than 100 yards rushing his team is 12-2". Usually those rushing yards are gained in the second half when the team is leading and they are trying to bleed the clock. As a result, the running back gets 100 yards because his teams is winning as opposed to the other way around. In the case of Bogut, it is almost the opposite. When the Bucks get Bogut involved in the offense early and often the team wins games. Bogut passes well for a big man (tied for 4th on the team in assists) which makes even more of a case to run the offense through him. Besides assists, Bogut is averaging a double-double so far this season and is either first or second in every major category for the Bucks: 32.9 minutes per game (2nd to Jennings), 15.6 points per game (2nd to Jennings), 10.3 rebounds per game (1st) and 2.14 blocks per game (1st).
Final Thoughts:
With the young core of Ilyasova, The Price, Jennings and Bogut, despite what most pundits say, the Bucks look a like a team on the rise for the 2011-2012 season. That is the only hitch, I did say the 2011-2012 season. The Bucks still need to shed some ugly Larry Harris contracts after next season, Michael Redd and Danny G are scheduled to earn a combined $25.5 million for the 2010-11 NBA season. For the 2011-12 season the Bucks only have $19.6 million committed ($25.6 million if team options are exercised) all on "core" players Andrew Bogut ($12.1 million), Charlie Bell ($4.1 million), Carlos Delfino ($3.5 million team option), Brandon Jennings ($2.5 million team option), Ersan Ilyasova ($2.5 million) and Jodie Meeks ($900,000). That is a pretty nice, cheap core for the 2011-12 season. If Hammond can hit on 50% of his picks in the next two drafts with his 4 picks (2 first rounders and 2 second rounders) the Milwaukee Bucks will be a fun team to watch.
Positives from the 1st half of the 2009-10 season:
- The Bucks started the season 8-3.
- Rookie point guard Brandon Jennings looks like an superstar in the making.
- Center Andrew Bogut is proving his worth in the first year of his five-year contract extension. Bogut only missed a handful of games so far and is averaging 32.9 minutes (2nd to Jennings), 15.6 points (2nd to Jennings), 10.3 rebounds (1st) and 2.14 blocks (1st).
- The Bucks off-season acquisitions of Carlos Delfino, Ersan Ilyasova and Hakim Warrick on cheap, short-term contracts are looking like money well spent.
- The Bucks are 2 games out of the 8th playoff spot held by the Chicago Bulls (Bucks currently lead the Bulls in their season series 2-1) despite being picked to finish dead last in the Eastern Conference by almost every national publication.
- The Bucks are protecting the Fortress on 4th (the Bradley Center for those of you that are not hip to Cheesehead lingo) with a 12-7 home record.
Negatives from the first half of the season:
- After starting the season 8-3, the Bucks went 9-20 over their next 29 games.
- The Bucks lost Michael Redd to the same knee injury for the second straight season.
- The Bucks are having a hard time closing out close games: lost 9 games by 3 points or fewer.
- The Bucks have struggled in overtime games going 2-4.
- Like most NBA teams, the Bucks have trouble on the road 5-17 record (1-5 on their recent West coast swing).
Stock Up:
- Charlie Bell, mostly because of Redd's injury, went from preseason #13 to #8.
- Brandon Jennings went from preseason #6 to #2.
Stock Down:
- Michael Redd went from preseason #2 to #15.
- Hakim Warrick went from preseason #1 to #6.
A Quick Look Back:
If you look back at my Milwaukee Bucks 2009-2010 Season Preview, this is how things looked coming into the season (click here):
- Sports Illustrated picked the Bucks to finish last in the Eastern Conference.
- InsideHoops.com ranked the Bucks the 29th best team in the NBA narrowly edging out the Minnesota Timberwolves.
- ESPN.com's season opening power rankings have the Bucks listed 27 out of 30 narrowly edging out the Memphis Grizllies, Minnesota Timberwolves and Sacramento Kings.
Surprisingly the Bucks were ranked below the Nets in every preview...good job "experts".
Here were the questions coming into the season:
- Will Andrew Bogut and Michael Redd rebound from injuries? Yes to Bogut, big no to Redd.
- How will all of the players mesh with each other (seven players on the roster that did not play for the Bucks last season)? The team has meshed pretty well so far all things considered.
- Will Brandon Jennings become a legitimate starting point guard? Qualified yes since we are only a half season into what looks like a very promising NBA career.
- How many players will Scott Skiles use in his rotation? Still settling out with the loss of Redd and the addition of Stackhouse.
- Will the Bucks move one of their expiring contracts (Ridnour, Thomas or Elson)? Still don't know, the only one that looks valuable is Ridnour but whether the Bucks try to move Ridnour depends on whether the Bucks are in the mix for the NBA playoffs.
The List:
Here are my updated rankings of the 2009-2010 members of the Milwaukee Bucks. Just as a refresher, there are a number of factors that determine each player's value: short-term expectations, long-term expectations, salary, relative strength at each position and swagger (I know that some of those factors are subjective). Here is the updated list:
#16 (previously #11) - Roko Ukic (Guard): One of my preseason predictions came true. I predicted despite Ukic's potential the Bucks would have a hard time finding minutes for him because of the crowded backcourt (Jennings, Ridnour, Redd, Bell and Meeks). Ukic appeared in only 13 games for the Bucks before asking for his release so that he could get more playing time in Europe, Ukic ultimately signed with Fenerbahçe Ülker in Turkey.
#15 (previously #2) - Michael Redd (Guard): Might have played his last productive game for the Bucks on January 10, 2009 against the Lakers in Los Angeles. Redd has gone from a second-round pick in the 2000 NBA Draft (43rd overall) to the 10th highest paid player in the NBA in 2010. The Bucks owe Redd $17 million this year and Redd holds a $18.3 million player option for next season. $18.3 million is a ton of money to pay a 30 year-old shooting guard coming off two reconstructive knee surgeries on the same knee over two years. Redd is a devout Christian so some might argue that if he follows "The Golden Rule" he should decline his player option for next season but that would be downright foolish. Redd is unlikely to make $18.3 million the rest of his life so why not bank that for one season of rehab. What complicates the situation is that Redd is one of the nicest guys in the NBA and has possibly the quickest release in the NBA so it is hard to bad mouth him. The knock on Redd is that he was never a "max contract guy". Michael Redd would have thrived as a second or third option on a good team but never carried the Bucks as a franchise player.
#14 (previously #14) - Joe Alexander (Forward): John Hammond's first draft pick as Milwaukee Bucks GM is officially a bust after only one and a half seasons. Hammond choose Joe Alexander #8 overall in the 2008 NBA Draft (instead of taking Brook Lopez, Anthony Randolph or Courtney Lee just to name a few). Alexander had a very unimpressive rookie campaign, he played in 59 games but only averaged 4.7 points, 1.9 rebounds and .7 assists. Alexander has yet to play for the Bucks this season because of injuries. The Bucks essentially gave up on Alexander earlier this season by declining their team option on Alexander for 2010-2011 which rarely happens after only two seasons in the NBA. Alexander is currently on a rehab stint in the NBDL. If Alexander wants to resurrect his career, he has to stay healthy for more then a few weeks at a time.
#13 (previously #12) - Francisco Elson (Center): Appeared in a team low 11 games (besides Stackhouse who has only been with the team 2 games) contributing next to nothing in those appearances. Elson is earning the easiest $1.7 million in NBA history this year.
#12 (previously #15)- Dan Gadzuric (Center): Ganny G only appeared in 19 games (started 6) because a number of recurring injuries this season. Much like Elson, Gadzuric is earning a ton of money ($6.75 million) for limited production.
#11 (previously #7) - Kurt Thomas (forward): Speaking of earning a ton of money for playing very little, Thomas rounds out the triumvirate. Playing time has been hard to come by for Thomas with the emergence of new comers Ersan Ilyasova, Hakim Warrick and Carlos Delfino. Add in the recent signing of Jerry Stackhouse and Thomas is going to earn $3.8 million this season for clapping and occasionally dispensing wisdom to the younger players on the team...its great to be Kurt Thomas.
#10 (previously NR) - Jerry Stackhouse (Forward): A very smart signing by John Hammond. Stackhouse's veteran presence will be crucial with the loss of Michael Redd. Although Stackhouse is in the twilight of his career, what is not to like about Stackhouse? Over his 856 game career Stackhouse has averaged 18.4 points, 3.6 assists, 3.4 rebounds and .97 steals. Furthermore, Stackhouse has said all the right things since joining the Bucks: "I get along well with everybody. These guys are going to help keep me young." Stackhouse signed for peanuts by NBA standards. To put it in perspective, Stackhouse will earn $340,000 for the rest of the season while Elson, Gadzuric and Thomas will earn roughly $6.5 million for the rest of the season (that doesn't even factor in the $6.5 million they already earned this season) or 18 times more than Stackhouse for much less production. The Bucks will get a huge bang for the buck (no pun intended) for Stackhouse in the second half of the season, look for him to move into the Top 5 Bucks by the end of the season if he can stay healthy.
#9 (previously #10) - Jodie Meeks (Guard): Despite the loss of Redd, Meeks has been given very few chances to play this season (appeared in 32 games, starting none). As stated earlier, playing time is hard to come by in the Bucks crowded backcourt. There is no question that Meeks can score, he set the University of Kentucky single game scoring record last year but Meeks needs to improve on the defensive end of the court if he wants Bucks coach Scott Skiles to increase his playing time.
#8 (previously #13) - Charlie Bell (Guard): Bell has started at shooting guard at various points this season because of Michael Redd's well documented injuries. Unfortunately Bell doesn't have a ton statistics to show for it. Bell has appeared in 39 games (started 22) averaging 26 minutes, 7.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, .72 steals and .23 blocks. If I were Scott Skiles, I would give Meeks more playing time then Bell. The Bucks have both Bell and Meeks signed through the 2011-2012 season but between now and then Bell will earn $9.75 million and Meeks will earn $2 million. If it is all about the money then play Bell but if it is all about the future then play Meeks now...worked out pretty well with Luc Richard Mbah a Moute last season.
#7 (previously #5) - Carlos Delfino (Guard/Forward): Delfino has started 29 games for the Bucks this season but has not maximized his opportunities so far. Despite being 5th in minutes per game on the Bucks if you don't count Redd, Delfino is averaging less than 10 points a game (9.2) while shooting less than 40% from the field. Delfino was acquired in a sign and trade with the Toronto Raptors in the off-season and signed a 3 year, $10.5 million contract (earns equal amounts of $3.5 million per year as opposed to most NBA contracts that step up after each season) so he is still relatively cheap by NBA standards. Look for Delfino to have a better year next year and a breakout season in his contract year 2011/2012 so he can sign a lucrative contract with another team for the 2012-13 season.
#6 (previously #1) - Hakim Warrick (Forward): May be the Memphis Grizzlies were smart for deciding not to offer their former first-round pick a contract in the off-season. The Grizzlies, much like the Bucks, were picked to be bottom feeders of their conference at the start of the season. Currently the Grizzlies are 23-19 and only one game out of the 8th seed in the Western Conference. I put Warrick #1 on the list at the start of the season (biggest mistake of the rankings obviously) because Warrick's combination of size, speed, athleticism and shooting range seemed to make him an ideal fit for the Bucks uptempo offense. At the very least, I thought Warrick would be a perfect 6th man for the Bucks, unfortunately that hasn't been the case. On the positive side, Warrick appeared in 40 of 41 games this season for the Bucks (only started only 6 games though) and is attempting to make the most of his time on the court. Warrick is averaging 22.1 minutes, 10.2 points and 4.3 rebounds.
#5 (previously #9) - Luke Ridnour (Guard): At the start of the season Ridnour looked like the most likely candidate to get traded since he is in the last year of his contract and only earning $6.5 million. While that might still happen if the Bucks fall out of playoff contention before the trading deadline, Ridnour has been a huge spark for the Bucks off the bench. Despite not starting a single game this season and battling through a number of injuries, Ridnour is one of only three Bucks to appear in every game this season along with Ilyasova and Jennings. Rindour is not even in the top 6 in minutes per game but only trails Jennings and Bogut in points per game (again not counting Redd), Jennings in assists and has the highest assist to turnover ratio on the team. Ridnour has helped Jennings flourish and John Hammond should only consider trading Ridnour if he can get a very good player in return (such as Kirk Hinrich and Jerome James for Luke Ridnour and Dan Gadzuric...probably would never happen but the trade worked in the NBA Trade Machine on ESPN.com, check out the website here if you want to waste 4 or 5 hours on hypothetical trades that you have no control over). Otherwise the Bucks should let Ridnour play out his contract and see if he is willing to return next year for a below market deal.
#4 (previously #8) - Ersan Ilyasova (Forward): John Hammond faced a decision in the off-season on what to do with Charlie Villanueva. If the Bucks resigned Charlie V it would push the them over the luxury tax with a long-term Danny G like contract. Instead, John Hammond brought Ersan Ilyasova back from Europe at a much cheaper price. The statistics and money, all be it only through a half of a season, shows that it was a smart decision.
Statistics:
- Ilyasova: 41 games (31 started), 24.4 MPG, .417 FG%, .351 3P%, .727 FT%, 6.8 Rebounds (2.1 offensive and 4.7 defensive) and 10.7 points.
- Charlie V: 41 games (16 started), 27.3 MPG, .437 FG%, .321 3P%, .821 FT%, 5.5 Rebounds (1.2 offensive and 4.3 defensive) and 14.0 points.
The Money:
- Ilyasova: $6.96 million for three years ('09-10: $2.1 million, '10-11: $2.3 million and '11-12: $2.54 million) or $2.32 million per year.
- Charlie V: $37.7 million for five years ('09-10: $6.50 million, '10-11: $7.02 million, '11-12: $7.54 million, '12-13: $8.06 million and '13-14: $8.58 million player option) or $7.54 million per year.
The Bucks opted to bring back Ilyasova for three years at little more than what Charlie V will make in the first season of a five year contract. If Ilyasova can put on a little muscle over the next year while maintaining his outside touch, he fits the profile of a budding NBA superstar.
#3 (previously #4) - Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (Forward): He is an actual prince in his native village of Bia Messe in Cameroon (source: here) so he will be referred to as "The Prince" any time he is mentioned going forward. Besides fighting some minor injuries this season, The Prince picked up this season where he left off last season by playing lock down defense on the opposing team's best offensive player. Although The Prince does not score very much, he is 3rd on the team in rebounds and provides the Bucks with some much needed versatility (can play both small forward and power forward). The Prince is being paid like a peasant by NBA standards (a mere $736,420) and is worth every penny.
#2 (Previously #6) - Brandon Jennings (Guard): After half a season Jennings looks like a trail blazer in every sense of the word. In only his 7th NBA game Jennings took the NBA by storm when he dropped a Double Nickel (tied for 2nd most in Bucks history) on the Golden Sate Warriors. Since then, the Bucks have been moved to a few national TV appearances and are actually talked about by the national media. To put his 55 points in perspective, here is the list of most points by a rookie in NBA history:
- 58: twice by Wilt Chamberlain (January and February 1960)
- 57: once by Rick Barry (December 1965)
- 56: once by Earl Monroe (February 1968)
- 55: Brandon Jennings (Saturday, November 14, 2009), Wilt Chamberlain (November 1959) and Elgin Baylor (February 1959)
Jennings is the first player to forgo college and opt to play in Europe for a season to satisfy the NBA requirement of being out of high school for one season before entering the NBA. Jennings is in the top 4 among all rookies in almost every offensive statistic: 1st in assists, 2nd in scoring, 3rd in free-throw percentage and 4th in three-point percentage. With Blake Griffin (#1 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft) out for the season and Ricky Rubio (#5 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft) playing in Europe, Tyreke Evans and Brandon Jennings are looking like the darlings of the 2009 NBA Draft. Jennings did not put up big number in Italy last season, so most teams were afraid to draft him but 7 of the 9 teams that passed on him are re-thinking their decision. The only teams that can defend their decision to pass on Jennings are the Los Angeles Clipper and Sacramento Kings. The Clippers got Blake Griffin #1 and despite his freak knee injury should be closer to Lebron James than Michael Olowokandi (but it just shows you how snake bitten of a franchise the Clipper really are). The Kings picked Tyreke Evans #4 (good job Memphis taking Hasheem Thabeet #2 and Oklahoma City James Harden #3) and looks to be the odds on favorite to win the rookie of the year award.
#1 (Previously #3) - Andrew Bogut (Center): Maybe Bogut read the Forbes article at the start of the season that claims he is one of the NBA's most over paid players. The Bucks have Bogut under contract for five-years for $60.5 million ('09-'10: $10 million, '10-'11: 11.05 million, '11-12: $12.1 million, '12-13: 13.15 million and '13-14: 14.2 million) which is really cheap by NBA standards for a starting NBA center, especially if Bogut can stay healthy. With Redd out, the Bucks can finally funnel the offense through Bogut which is what they should have been doing all along. The Bucks are 12-2 when Bogut scores 17 or more points. I actually find this to be a legitimate statistic because sometimes those statistics are a shame. An example of a sham statistic is that the NFL loves to flash the stats that when "running back X gains more than 100 yards rushing his team is 12-2". Usually those rushing yards are gained in the second half when the team is leading and they are trying to bleed the clock. As a result, the running back gets 100 yards because his teams is winning as opposed to the other way around. In the case of Bogut, it is almost the opposite. When the Bucks get Bogut involved in the offense early and often the team wins games. Bogut passes well for a big man (tied for 4th on the team in assists) which makes even more of a case to run the offense through him. Besides assists, Bogut is averaging a double-double so far this season and is either first or second in every major category for the Bucks: 32.9 minutes per game (2nd to Jennings), 15.6 points per game (2nd to Jennings), 10.3 rebounds per game (1st) and 2.14 blocks per game (1st).
Final Thoughts:
With the young core of Ilyasova, The Price, Jennings and Bogut, despite what most pundits say, the Bucks look a like a team on the rise for the 2011-2012 season. That is the only hitch, I did say the 2011-2012 season. The Bucks still need to shed some ugly Larry Harris contracts after next season, Michael Redd and Danny G are scheduled to earn a combined $25.5 million for the 2010-11 NBA season. For the 2011-12 season the Bucks only have $19.6 million committed ($25.6 million if team options are exercised) all on "core" players Andrew Bogut ($12.1 million), Charlie Bell ($4.1 million), Carlos Delfino ($3.5 million team option), Brandon Jennings ($2.5 million team option), Ersan Ilyasova ($2.5 million) and Jodie Meeks ($900,000). That is a pretty nice, cheap core for the 2011-12 season. If Hammond can hit on 50% of his picks in the next two drafts with his 4 picks (2 first rounders and 2 second rounders) the Milwaukee Bucks will be a fun team to watch.
Monday, January 11, 2010
What to do with Michael Redd?
Michael Redd went from a second round draft pick out of Ohio State to a borderline NBA superstar. Unfortunately Redd's last two season have been riddled with knee injuries. In consecutive seasons Redd has torn both his ACL and MCL in the same knee. Let me repeat that, Redd tore the same ACL and MCL two seasons in a row.
What complicates Redd's most recent injury is that he is entering the final year of the richest contract in Milwaukee Bucks franchise history. After the 2004-05 NBA season, Larry Harris (the worst executive in Bucks history which is saying something because Ernie Grunfeld did some damage on his way out of Milwaukee en route to Washington) talked Redd into spurning a similar offer from the Cleveland Cavaliers to sign a "max" six-year, $91 million contract with the Milwaukee Bucks.
The aforementioned "max" contract makes Redd the 10th highest paid player in the NBA this season (click here). That means Michael Redd is making more money than: Pau Gasol, Kevin Garnett, Amare Stoudemire, Vince Carter, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, Dwight Howard and Chris Paul just to name a few. The final year of the contract is a player option worth $18.3 million, which Redd will now undoubtedly exercise since he could not command anywhere close to that as an injured free agent.
Earlier this year I posed a question to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's senior sports editor Bill Windler about trading Michael Redd and an expiring contract for Tracy McGrady (click here and scroll to the bottom of the page to read the exchange). The trade would allow both franchises a "fresh start" with a player coming off a significant knee injury. When I say "fresh start" I really mean it would have been a thinly veiled way for Milwaukee to dump salary. McGrady is in the last year of his contract which would free up tons of cap space for the cash strapped Milwaukee Bucks next year while Houston would be on the hook for another $18.3 million for Redd in the 2010-11 season. Windler agreed that it would be a nice salary dump for Milwaukee, unfortunately that deal is no longer possible with Redd's most recent injury.
After appearing in only 6 games as a rookie (2000-01 NBA Season), Redd made an impact in Milwaukee for the next decade. Redd, like most borderline NBA superstars, was woefully underpaid by NBA standards early in his career and now is woefully overpaid since he is a scorer and not much more (think Alan Houston, Steve Francis, Jermaine O'Neal etc). Redd has never averaged over 5 rebounds or 4 assists for a season which makes his astronomical contact even harder to reconcile.
If Redd picks up his option, he will comprise roughly 1/3rd of the Milwaukee Bucks' 2010-11 payroll. Right now the Bucks have $50,205,954 committed for the 2010-11 season with Redd scheduled to make $18,300,000. Best case scenario, Redd returns for the second half of next season at no where near 100%. The Bucks have no choice but to pay Redd $18.3 million next season to a player over the age of 30 coming off multiple knee surgeries.
Despite losing Redd, the Milwaukee Bucks have options at shooting guard. All indications are that Charlie Bell will take over in the short term. Although Bell has been underwhelming since Milwaukee matched Miami's offer sheet for the restricted free agent a few years ago, his play has improved this season. Bell is signed through the 2011-12 season so if he can continue to produce, his contract goes from being characterized as a very expensive bench player's contract to very reasonable starter's contract.
John Hammond acquired Carlos Delfino this offseason in part because of his versatility. Delfino has been playing mostly at small forward but can play shooting guard. Like Bell, Delfino is signed through 2011-12 at a relatively cheap cap number. Look for Skies to toy with inserting Delfino in the starting lineup if Bell struggles.
Although Luke Ridnour is a point guard, he has been playing well this season despite playing through nagging injuries all season. Milwaukee likes to pair Ridnour with rookie sensation Brandon Jennings so there is a chance Skiles will insert both of them into the starting lineup. Ridnour is earning $6.5 million in the last year of his contract, which will most likely be his last season with Milwaukee. In fact, if Rindour continues to play well he is probably the most likely player to get traded at the trading deadline (assuming Milwaukee is out of playoff contention).
Finally rookie Jodie Meeks (who has been looked over most season) is another option for Scott Skiles. In terms of symbolism, it would be a seamless transition to insert Meeks into the lineup for Redd. Meeks was a 2nd round pick out of a Kentucky where he set a school record for points scored in a game last season. Meeks has shown his ability to score in bunches this season. If Meeks can pick up his play on the defensive end he has chance to earn significant minutes in Redd's absence.
What complicates Redd's most recent injury is that he is entering the final year of the richest contract in Milwaukee Bucks franchise history. After the 2004-05 NBA season, Larry Harris (the worst executive in Bucks history which is saying something because Ernie Grunfeld did some damage on his way out of Milwaukee en route to Washington) talked Redd into spurning a similar offer from the Cleveland Cavaliers to sign a "max" six-year, $91 million contract with the Milwaukee Bucks.
The aforementioned "max" contract makes Redd the 10th highest paid player in the NBA this season (click here). That means Michael Redd is making more money than: Pau Gasol, Kevin Garnett, Amare Stoudemire, Vince Carter, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, Dwight Howard and Chris Paul just to name a few. The final year of the contract is a player option worth $18.3 million, which Redd will now undoubtedly exercise since he could not command anywhere close to that as an injured free agent.
Earlier this year I posed a question to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's senior sports editor Bill Windler about trading Michael Redd and an expiring contract for Tracy McGrady (click here and scroll to the bottom of the page to read the exchange). The trade would allow both franchises a "fresh start" with a player coming off a significant knee injury. When I say "fresh start" I really mean it would have been a thinly veiled way for Milwaukee to dump salary. McGrady is in the last year of his contract which would free up tons of cap space for the cash strapped Milwaukee Bucks next year while Houston would be on the hook for another $18.3 million for Redd in the 2010-11 season. Windler agreed that it would be a nice salary dump for Milwaukee, unfortunately that deal is no longer possible with Redd's most recent injury.
After appearing in only 6 games as a rookie (2000-01 NBA Season), Redd made an impact in Milwaukee for the next decade. Redd, like most borderline NBA superstars, was woefully underpaid by NBA standards early in his career and now is woefully overpaid since he is a scorer and not much more (think Alan Houston, Steve Francis, Jermaine O'Neal etc). Redd has never averaged over 5 rebounds or 4 assists for a season which makes his astronomical contact even harder to reconcile.
If Redd picks up his option, he will comprise roughly 1/3rd of the Milwaukee Bucks' 2010-11 payroll. Right now the Bucks have $50,205,954 committed for the 2010-11 season with Redd scheduled to make $18,300,000. Best case scenario, Redd returns for the second half of next season at no where near 100%. The Bucks have no choice but to pay Redd $18.3 million next season to a player over the age of 30 coming off multiple knee surgeries.
Despite losing Redd, the Milwaukee Bucks have options at shooting guard. All indications are that Charlie Bell will take over in the short term. Although Bell has been underwhelming since Milwaukee matched Miami's offer sheet for the restricted free agent a few years ago, his play has improved this season. Bell is signed through the 2011-12 season so if he can continue to produce, his contract goes from being characterized as a very expensive bench player's contract to very reasonable starter's contract.
John Hammond acquired Carlos Delfino this offseason in part because of his versatility. Delfino has been playing mostly at small forward but can play shooting guard. Like Bell, Delfino is signed through 2011-12 at a relatively cheap cap number. Look for Skies to toy with inserting Delfino in the starting lineup if Bell struggles.
Although Luke Ridnour is a point guard, he has been playing well this season despite playing through nagging injuries all season. Milwaukee likes to pair Ridnour with rookie sensation Brandon Jennings so there is a chance Skiles will insert both of them into the starting lineup. Ridnour is earning $6.5 million in the last year of his contract, which will most likely be his last season with Milwaukee. In fact, if Rindour continues to play well he is probably the most likely player to get traded at the trading deadline (assuming Milwaukee is out of playoff contention).
Finally rookie Jodie Meeks (who has been looked over most season) is another option for Scott Skiles. In terms of symbolism, it would be a seamless transition to insert Meeks into the lineup for Redd. Meeks was a 2nd round pick out of a Kentucky where he set a school record for points scored in a game last season. Meeks has shown his ability to score in bunches this season. If Meeks can pick up his play on the defensive end he has chance to earn significant minutes in Redd's absence.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Tweet Beat...Milwaukee Bucks Pushing the Limits of Twitter
From time to time I will post notable Tweets by Wisconsin athletes, coaches or commentators along with my thoughts. For the inaugural "Tweet Beat" it had to involve the Milwaukee Bucks since they have been involved in some interesting Tweets.
Former Milwaukee Buck Charlie Villanueva, while still playing for the Bucks, created a firestorm by tweeting during half time of a Bucks/Celtics game last season. Only four current Milwaukee Bucks (Andrew Bogut, Charlie Bell, Brandon Jennings and Jodie Meeks) and one Bucks announcer (Jim Pashke) tweet but there have been some interesting tweets lately:
Tweet Beat #1: Bogut doesn't want to get in hot water but...
AndrewMBogut tweeted this at 8:50 p.m. on December 16th, 2009: "If I am completely honest about certain things that pertain to tonight's events, someone will steal $$ from me. Honesty is not cool anymore."
AndrewMBogut tweeted this at 9:28 p.m. on December 16th, 2009: "Quick Note.The events tonight, could mean alot of things. If people assume Im talkin bout the game not my prob. :) I was talking bout CHESS"
My Thoughts:
Adrew Bogut was obviously referring to the highly questionable blocking call Kobe Bryant drew on him with 48 seconds remaining in overtime and the Bucks leading the Lakers 106-102. Kobe made the layup and the free throw to complete the 3 point play which pulled the Lakers within a point of the Bucks. Bryant hit a jumped over Charlie Bell as time expired to give the Lakers a 107-106 victory over the Bucks. The call was so questionable that it made PTI the following day. Both Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon agreed it was a no call at best but definitely not a block on Bogut.
The Bucks had a number of chances to win the game (missed free throws down the stretch) so they can't pin the loss solely on the horrible call by the referee but it is an example of "status calls" that happen in the NBA. Bryant got that call because of his reputation and last name. If that was Jodie Meeks instead of Kobe Bryant there is no way a foul is called on Bogut, especially at that crucial of a moment in overtime.
Tweet Beat #2: Stay classy Cleveland...
Paschketball tweeted this at 10:07 a.m. on December 18th, 2009: "Gadzuric patella tendon NWT. Bucks walked into Gund Arena with clocks set to 5.4 - Time left when LA inbounded to Kobe in OT. Coincidence?"
My Thoughts:
After losing a heart breaker in overtime to the Lakers on Wednesday at home as discussed above, the Bucks traveled to Cleveland for a Friday night nationally televised game against the Cavs. As Bucks play-by-play announcer explained via Twitter, when the Bucks took the court for their shoot around Friday morning the Cavs put the exact amount of time on the clock that was left when the Lakers inbounded the ball down a point in overtime. As everyone knows, Kobe Bryant knocked down a jumper as time expired to beat the Bucks 107-106. It could be a coincidence as Paschke said but I highly doubt it. The trash talking by Cleveland didn't motivate the Bucks, they lost to Cleveland 85-82 in their second nationally televised game of the season.
Tweet Beat #3: Thou shall not break David Stern's twitter rules...
flintstone14 tweeted this at 2:21 p.m. on December 18th, 2009: "Man, 7500 is a bit steep for @YUNGBUCK3 tweeting after a game. Unreal."
My Thoughts:
Charlie Bell is talking about the $7,500 fine the league imposed on Brandon Jennings for violating NBA rules. Brandon Jennings tweeted the following message in the locker room right after Milwaukee beat Portland 108-101 in double overtime: "Back to .500. Yess!!! '500' means were doing good. Way to Play Hard Guys."
Here is the NBA's "social media" rule: "During games, the use of cell phones, PDAs, other electronic communication devices and social media or networking sites by coaches, players and other team basketball personnel is prohibited. For purposes of this rule, "during games" means the period of time beginning 45 minutes before the start of the game and ending after the post-game locker room is open to the media, and coaches and players have first fulfilled their obligation to be available to the media attending the game. "During the game" also means halftime."
According to the letter of the law Jennings broke the rule but should that result in a $7,500 fine? The Tweet was removed from Jennings' Twitter account but he is much lighter in the wallet as a result of the fine. I understand that the NBA does not want players to give away information too close to tip or during the game (might give gamblers a slight edge) but why after the game? This rule has unintended consequences and needs to be revisited.
Former Milwaukee Buck Charlie Villanueva, while still playing for the Bucks, created a firestorm by tweeting during half time of a Bucks/Celtics game last season. Only four current Milwaukee Bucks (Andrew Bogut, Charlie Bell, Brandon Jennings and Jodie Meeks) and one Bucks announcer (Jim Pashke) tweet but there have been some interesting tweets lately:
Tweet Beat #1: Bogut doesn't want to get in hot water but...
AndrewMBogut tweeted this at 8:50 p.m. on December 16th, 2009: "If I am completely honest about certain things that pertain to tonight's events, someone will steal $$ from me. Honesty is not cool anymore."
AndrewMBogut tweeted this at 9:28 p.m. on December 16th, 2009: "Quick Note.The events tonight, could mean alot of things. If people assume Im talkin bout the game not my prob. :) I was talking bout CHESS"
My Thoughts:
Adrew Bogut was obviously referring to the highly questionable blocking call Kobe Bryant drew on him with 48 seconds remaining in overtime and the Bucks leading the Lakers 106-102. Kobe made the layup and the free throw to complete the 3 point play which pulled the Lakers within a point of the Bucks. Bryant hit a jumped over Charlie Bell as time expired to give the Lakers a 107-106 victory over the Bucks. The call was so questionable that it made PTI the following day. Both Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon agreed it was a no call at best but definitely not a block on Bogut.
The Bucks had a number of chances to win the game (missed free throws down the stretch) so they can't pin the loss solely on the horrible call by the referee but it is an example of "status calls" that happen in the NBA. Bryant got that call because of his reputation and last name. If that was Jodie Meeks instead of Kobe Bryant there is no way a foul is called on Bogut, especially at that crucial of a moment in overtime.
Tweet Beat #2: Stay classy Cleveland...
Paschketball tweeted this at 10:07 a.m. on December 18th, 2009: "Gadzuric patella tendon NWT. Bucks walked into Gund Arena with clocks set to 5.4 - Time left when LA inbounded to Kobe in OT. Coincidence?"
My Thoughts:
After losing a heart breaker in overtime to the Lakers on Wednesday at home as discussed above, the Bucks traveled to Cleveland for a Friday night nationally televised game against the Cavs. As Bucks play-by-play announcer explained via Twitter, when the Bucks took the court for their shoot around Friday morning the Cavs put the exact amount of time on the clock that was left when the Lakers inbounded the ball down a point in overtime. As everyone knows, Kobe Bryant knocked down a jumper as time expired to beat the Bucks 107-106. It could be a coincidence as Paschke said but I highly doubt it. The trash talking by Cleveland didn't motivate the Bucks, they lost to Cleveland 85-82 in their second nationally televised game of the season.
Tweet Beat #3: Thou shall not break David Stern's twitter rules...
flintstone14 tweeted this at 2:21 p.m. on December 18th, 2009: "Man, 7500 is a bit steep for @YUNGBUCK3 tweeting after a game. Unreal."
My Thoughts:
Charlie Bell is talking about the $7,500 fine the league imposed on Brandon Jennings for violating NBA rules. Brandon Jennings tweeted the following message in the locker room right after Milwaukee beat Portland 108-101 in double overtime: "Back to .500. Yess!!! '500' means were doing good. Way to Play Hard Guys."
Here is the NBA's "social media" rule: "During games, the use of cell phones, PDAs, other electronic communication devices and social media or networking sites by coaches, players and other team basketball personnel is prohibited. For purposes of this rule, "during games" means the period of time beginning 45 minutes before the start of the game and ending after the post-game locker room is open to the media, and coaches and players have first fulfilled their obligation to be available to the media attending the game. "During the game" also means halftime."
According to the letter of the law Jennings broke the rule but should that result in a $7,500 fine? The Tweet was removed from Jennings' Twitter account but he is much lighter in the wallet as a result of the fine. I understand that the NBA does not want players to give away information too close to tip or during the game (might give gamblers a slight edge) but why after the game? This rule has unintended consequences and needs to be revisited.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Milwaukee Bucks Squad 6
Milwaukee Bucks Center Andrew Bogut started "Squad 6" to spice up the crowds for Bucks home games. Here is the intro paragraph from the official "Squad 6" website: "Andrew Bogut wants you to help the Milwaukee Bucks create a home court advantage at the Bradley Center this season. So much so, that he's bought 100 Lower Level tickets for every game to give out to the most energetic, fanatical and rowdy Bucks fans he can find."
I commend Andrew Bogut for doing this. This allows some fans that might not be able to afford tickets a chance to attend games. Furthermore, it makes the home crowds for Bucks games much more energetic. What an all around great idea.
A number of people across the league are taking notice. Mark Cuban (owner of the Dallas Mavericks) recently attended the Bucks/Mavs game in Milwaukee and tweeted this: "@AndrewMBogut those fans were the most fun fans I have seen on the road EVER. It made the atmosphere 100x better. More PBR for them." Great endorsement from one of the most forward thinking owners in professional sports.
For more information on "Squad 6" click here.
I commend Andrew Bogut for doing this. This allows some fans that might not be able to afford tickets a chance to attend games. Furthermore, it makes the home crowds for Bucks games much more energetic. What an all around great idea.
A number of people across the league are taking notice. Mark Cuban (owner of the Dallas Mavericks) recently attended the Bucks/Mavs game in Milwaukee and tweeted this: "@AndrewMBogut those fans were the most fun fans I have seen on the road EVER. It made the atmosphere 100x better. More PBR for them." Great endorsement from one of the most forward thinking owners in professional sports.
For more information on "Squad 6" click here.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Brandon Jennings Drops 55
The NBA has not seen a scoring barrage like this from a rookie since the late 1960's. Here is a breakdown of the most points scored in a game by a rookie in NBA history:
58: Wilt Chamberlain (January 1960 and February 1960).
57: Rick Barry (December 1965).
56: Earl Monroe (February 1968).
55: Brandon Jennings (Saturday, November 14, 2009), Wilt Chamberlain (November 1959) and Elgin Baylor (February 1959).
Jennings became the third player in Milwaukee Bucks history to score more than 50 points in a game, joining Michael Redd and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Jennings' 55 points is the second highest single game point total in franchise history, Michael Redd holds the record with 57. You have to see it to believe it, check out Jennings' shot chart: here.
The Bucks are only seven games into the season but Brandon Jennings is forcing the national media to cover a team that most writers picked to be the worst team in the Eastern Conference. The Bucks lucked out starting with a relatively light schedule to start the season; the Bucks are tied with Indiana for the least games played. The Bucks are also one of only four teams to be undefeated at home so far this season (others are Atlanta, Phoenix and Denver). There is a long NBA season ahead but if Brandon Jennings is involved in 75 more games then people are going to tune in just in case.
58: Wilt Chamberlain (January 1960 and February 1960).
57: Rick Barry (December 1965).
56: Earl Monroe (February 1968).
55: Brandon Jennings (Saturday, November 14, 2009), Wilt Chamberlain (November 1959) and Elgin Baylor (February 1959).
Jennings became the third player in Milwaukee Bucks history to score more than 50 points in a game, joining Michael Redd and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Jennings' 55 points is the second highest single game point total in franchise history, Michael Redd holds the record with 57. You have to see it to believe it, check out Jennings' shot chart: here.
The Bucks are only seven games into the season but Brandon Jennings is forcing the national media to cover a team that most writers picked to be the worst team in the Eastern Conference. The Bucks lucked out starting with a relatively light schedule to start the season; the Bucks are tied with Indiana for the least games played. The Bucks are also one of only four teams to be undefeated at home so far this season (others are Atlanta, Phoenix and Denver). There is a long NBA season ahead but if Brandon Jennings is involved in 75 more games then people are going to tune in just in case.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Milwaukee Bucks 2009-2010 Season Preview
I am sure that everyone has read at least one or two previews of the upcoming season for the Milwaukee Bucks. To put it bluntly, things do not look promising according to the "experts". Sports Illustrated picked the Bucks to finish last in the Eastern Conference. InsideHoops.com ranked the Bucks the 29th best team in the NBA narrowly edging out the Minnesota Timberwolves. ESPN.com's season opening power rankings have the Bucks listed 27th team in the NBA ahead of only the Memphis Grizllies, Minnesota Timberwolves and Sacramento Kings. The silver lining is that the Bucks will have a hard time moving down on any of those lists. That means the only place the Bucks can go is up.
All Milwaukee Bucks fans know the questions coming into the season:
- Will Andrew Bogut and Michael Redd rebound from injuries?
- How will all of the players mesh with each other (seven players on the roster that did not play for the Bucks last season)?
- Will Brandon Jennings become a legitimate starting point guard?
- How many players will Scott Skiles use in his rotation?
- Will the Bucks move one of their expiring contracts (Ridnous, Thomas or Elson)?
All of these questions have been dissected by a number of publications. Instead I am going to rank the players on the Milwaukee Bucks current roster from 15 to 1. There are a number of factors that determine each player's value: short term expectations, long term expectations, salary, relative strength at each position and swagger. I know that some of those factors are subjective but it is my list. I will update this list throughout the season but without further ado, here is the initial list:
#15 - Dan Gadzuric (Center): his hustle earned him a six-year, $36 million contract. That contract will go down as the second worst contract in Bucks history behind the Anthony Mason debacle. There are two season remaining on the contract at $6.75 million for 2009 and $7.25 million for 2010. Gadzuric would not be worth $1.4 million over the next two seasons let alone $14 million.
#14 - Joe Alexander (Forward): Bucks GM John Hammond made a number of shrewd trades to rid the Bucks of bloated contracts since he took over for Larry Harris in 2008 but his first draft pick as Bucks GM has been a bust. Hammond choose Joe Alexander #8 overall in the 2008 NBA Draft. Alexander played sparingly as a rookie and is out 8 to 12 weeks with a hamstring injury to start the 2009-2010 campaign. He has a relatively cheap contract but is in danger of have his team option declined for next season (a VERY rare move in the NBA) meaning the Bucks would give up on him after only two seasons.
#13 - Charlie Bell (Guard): speaking of bloated contracts, the Bucks have Bell under contract for the next three season for an average of a little less than $4 million a year. That makes Bell the 6th highest paid player on the Bucks roster when he is not even a lock to make their rotation.
#12 - Francisco Elson (Center): old back-up centers are a dime a dozen in the NBA. Elson should get limited minutes and is really not effective as Gadzuric but ranks ahead of him because he costs the bucks $5 million less than Gadzuric this season.
#11 - Roko Ukic (Guard): he was "the other guy" in the Carlos Delfino/Amir Johnson trade with the Toronto Raptors. Ukic could be a good point guard down the road but is a raw talent at this point. Ukic holds a player option for 2010/11 for $1.45 million which might be good value since the Bucks only point guard locked up long-term is 2009 first round pick Brandon Jennings. Former point guard and current Bucks coach Scott Skiles is going to have a hard time finishing minutes for Ukic though with an already crowded backcourt.
#10 - Jodie Meeks (Guard): the Bucks choose Meeks in the second-round of the 2009 NBA Draft. The Bucks hope that Meeks will follow in the footsteps of Michael Redd. Meeks has a chance to make the biggest move this season of anyone not named Brandon Jennings. Meeks scored a University of Kentucky record 54-points last season against Tennessee. If Meeks broke the Kentucky scoring record against an inferior opponent it might not mean as much but he did it against a formidable opponent. Whether that firepower translates to the NBA remains to be seen.
#9 - Luke Ridnour (Guard): the writing is on the wall, the Bucks are trying to move him to make way for rookie point guard Brandon Jennings. Ridnour has one season remaining on his contract for $6.5 million. Look for the Bucks to move Ridnour if they can.
#8 - Ersan Ilyasova (Forward): after playing in Europe for a few seasons he rejoins the Bucks at a very reasonable price three-years, roughly $9 million. The Bucks opted to bring back Ilyasova at 20% the cost of Charlie V and thus far that looks to be the right move. Ilyasova will get a lot of minutes off the bench at both forward positions.
#7 - Kurt Thomas (forward): looks to be the starting power forward for the Bucks this season but at the age of 37 he is not their long-term answer at that position. He has a palatable contract at $3.8 million this season but as the season draws on look for Warrick and Ilyasova to take over at power forward.
#6 - Brandon Jennings (Guard): he is the first player to forgo college and opt to play in Europe for a season to satisfy the NBA rule of being out of high school for one season before entering the NBA. The Bucks selected Jennings #10 overall in the 2009 NBA Draft. Most experts consider the 2009 NBA Draft Class one of the weakest in a number of years (besides Blake Griffin) and outside of Ricky Rubio, Jennings might be the biggest boom/bust pick the draft. Luckily the Bucks have a former point guard as their head coach, look for Skiles to be the perfect mentor for Jennings.
#5 - Carlos Delfino (Guard/Forward): GM John Hammond got his former player back. While in the front office at Detroit, in the same draft that Detroit passed on Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade for Darko, Hammond was part of the brain trust that selected Delfino #25 in the 2003 NBA Draft.
#4 - Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (Forward): for how much of a bust Joe Alexander has been, the Bucks looked to have struck gold in the second round of that draft with Mbah a Moute. Bucks coach Scott Skiles preaches defense and that is what Mbah a Moute provides. The versatility that Mbah a Moute provides at both forward positions makes him quite an asset at his paltry salary of $750,000.
#3 - Andrew Bogut (Center): in a recent article Forbes claimed Bogut is one of the NBA's most over paid players. The Bucks have Bogut under contract for five years for roughly $60 million. If Bogut provides double digits points and rebounds on a consistent basis he will prove Forbes wrong. If Bogut continues to struggle with back issues then he will "earn" the title of over paid.
#2 - Michael Redd (Guard): he has gone from a second-round pick in the 2000 NBA Draft (43rd overall) to the face of the Bucks franchise. Redd spurned the Cleveland Cavs (and the chance to play with Lebron) to sign a max contract with the Bucks in 2005. Although he is coming off knee surgery that limited Redd to only 33 games last season, he looked like his old self in the preseason. The Bucks are on the hook for $17 million this year and Redd holds a player option for $18.3 for 2010/11 that he should exercise ASAP since there is no way he would get paid anywhere close to that next season. Many people claim Redd cannot lead a team, that he a quality "second banana". This season Redd has a chance to prove all those people wrong.
#1 - Hakim Warrick (Forward): the Memphis Grizzlies decided not to offer the talented former first-round pick a contract in the offseaon. The Bucks jumped at the chance to get Warrick because he is one of the most athletic players in the NBA. Warrick is playing for a long-term contract after signing a one-year contract with the Bucks worth roughly $3.5 million, which always translates into a motivated and productive player in the NBA.
All Milwaukee Bucks fans know the questions coming into the season:
- Will Andrew Bogut and Michael Redd rebound from injuries?
- How will all of the players mesh with each other (seven players on the roster that did not play for the Bucks last season)?
- Will Brandon Jennings become a legitimate starting point guard?
- How many players will Scott Skiles use in his rotation?
- Will the Bucks move one of their expiring contracts (Ridnous, Thomas or Elson)?
All of these questions have been dissected by a number of publications. Instead I am going to rank the players on the Milwaukee Bucks current roster from 15 to 1. There are a number of factors that determine each player's value: short term expectations, long term expectations, salary, relative strength at each position and swagger. I know that some of those factors are subjective but it is my list. I will update this list throughout the season but without further ado, here is the initial list:
#15 - Dan Gadzuric (Center): his hustle earned him a six-year, $36 million contract. That contract will go down as the second worst contract in Bucks history behind the Anthony Mason debacle. There are two season remaining on the contract at $6.75 million for 2009 and $7.25 million for 2010. Gadzuric would not be worth $1.4 million over the next two seasons let alone $14 million.
#14 - Joe Alexander (Forward): Bucks GM John Hammond made a number of shrewd trades to rid the Bucks of bloated contracts since he took over for Larry Harris in 2008 but his first draft pick as Bucks GM has been a bust. Hammond choose Joe Alexander #8 overall in the 2008 NBA Draft. Alexander played sparingly as a rookie and is out 8 to 12 weeks with a hamstring injury to start the 2009-2010 campaign. He has a relatively cheap contract but is in danger of have his team option declined for next season (a VERY rare move in the NBA) meaning the Bucks would give up on him after only two seasons.
#13 - Charlie Bell (Guard): speaking of bloated contracts, the Bucks have Bell under contract for the next three season for an average of a little less than $4 million a year. That makes Bell the 6th highest paid player on the Bucks roster when he is not even a lock to make their rotation.
#12 - Francisco Elson (Center): old back-up centers are a dime a dozen in the NBA. Elson should get limited minutes and is really not effective as Gadzuric but ranks ahead of him because he costs the bucks $5 million less than Gadzuric this season.
#11 - Roko Ukic (Guard): he was "the other guy" in the Carlos Delfino/Amir Johnson trade with the Toronto Raptors. Ukic could be a good point guard down the road but is a raw talent at this point. Ukic holds a player option for 2010/11 for $1.45 million which might be good value since the Bucks only point guard locked up long-term is 2009 first round pick Brandon Jennings. Former point guard and current Bucks coach Scott Skiles is going to have a hard time finishing minutes for Ukic though with an already crowded backcourt.
#10 - Jodie Meeks (Guard): the Bucks choose Meeks in the second-round of the 2009 NBA Draft. The Bucks hope that Meeks will follow in the footsteps of Michael Redd. Meeks has a chance to make the biggest move this season of anyone not named Brandon Jennings. Meeks scored a University of Kentucky record 54-points last season against Tennessee. If Meeks broke the Kentucky scoring record against an inferior opponent it might not mean as much but he did it against a formidable opponent. Whether that firepower translates to the NBA remains to be seen.
#9 - Luke Ridnour (Guard): the writing is on the wall, the Bucks are trying to move him to make way for rookie point guard Brandon Jennings. Ridnour has one season remaining on his contract for $6.5 million. Look for the Bucks to move Ridnour if they can.
#8 - Ersan Ilyasova (Forward): after playing in Europe for a few seasons he rejoins the Bucks at a very reasonable price three-years, roughly $9 million. The Bucks opted to bring back Ilyasova at 20% the cost of Charlie V and thus far that looks to be the right move. Ilyasova will get a lot of minutes off the bench at both forward positions.
#7 - Kurt Thomas (forward): looks to be the starting power forward for the Bucks this season but at the age of 37 he is not their long-term answer at that position. He has a palatable contract at $3.8 million this season but as the season draws on look for Warrick and Ilyasova to take over at power forward.
#6 - Brandon Jennings (Guard): he is the first player to forgo college and opt to play in Europe for a season to satisfy the NBA rule of being out of high school for one season before entering the NBA. The Bucks selected Jennings #10 overall in the 2009 NBA Draft. Most experts consider the 2009 NBA Draft Class one of the weakest in a number of years (besides Blake Griffin) and outside of Ricky Rubio, Jennings might be the biggest boom/bust pick the draft. Luckily the Bucks have a former point guard as their head coach, look for Skiles to be the perfect mentor for Jennings.
#5 - Carlos Delfino (Guard/Forward): GM John Hammond got his former player back. While in the front office at Detroit, in the same draft that Detroit passed on Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade for Darko, Hammond was part of the brain trust that selected Delfino #25 in the 2003 NBA Draft.
#4 - Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (Forward): for how much of a bust Joe Alexander has been, the Bucks looked to have struck gold in the second round of that draft with Mbah a Moute. Bucks coach Scott Skiles preaches defense and that is what Mbah a Moute provides. The versatility that Mbah a Moute provides at both forward positions makes him quite an asset at his paltry salary of $750,000.
#3 - Andrew Bogut (Center): in a recent article Forbes claimed Bogut is one of the NBA's most over paid players. The Bucks have Bogut under contract for five years for roughly $60 million. If Bogut provides double digits points and rebounds on a consistent basis he will prove Forbes wrong. If Bogut continues to struggle with back issues then he will "earn" the title of over paid.
#2 - Michael Redd (Guard): he has gone from a second-round pick in the 2000 NBA Draft (43rd overall) to the face of the Bucks franchise. Redd spurned the Cleveland Cavs (and the chance to play with Lebron) to sign a max contract with the Bucks in 2005. Although he is coming off knee surgery that limited Redd to only 33 games last season, he looked like his old self in the preseason. The Bucks are on the hook for $17 million this year and Redd holds a player option for $18.3 for 2010/11 that he should exercise ASAP since there is no way he would get paid anywhere close to that next season. Many people claim Redd cannot lead a team, that he a quality "second banana". This season Redd has a chance to prove all those people wrong.
#1 - Hakim Warrick (Forward): the Memphis Grizzlies decided not to offer the talented former first-round pick a contract in the offseaon. The Bucks jumped at the chance to get Warrick because he is one of the most athletic players in the NBA. Warrick is playing for a long-term contract after signing a one-year contract with the Bucks worth roughly $3.5 million, which always translates into a motivated and productive player in the NBA.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Bucks Decline to Match Sessions Offer Sheet
The Milwaukee Bucks declined to match the offer sheet that combo point guard/shooting guard Ramon Session signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves (source here). Last Friday Sessions signed a four-year offer sheet with the Timberwolves worth a reported $16 million. This move comes as no surprise as Bucks General Manager John Hammond continues to re-shape the roster he inherited from former Bucks General Manager Larry Harris. Signing Sessions would have put the Bucks over the luxury tax threshold, which neither Hammond nor Bucks Owner Herb Kohl were interested in doing.
The Bucks already have a crowded backcourt with Brandon Jennings, Luke Rindour and Roko Ukic at point guard as well as Michael Redd, Jodie Meeks and Charlie Bell at shooting guard. The last name on that list Charlie Bell is an example of the difference between the Larry Harris regime and the John Hammond regime. While General Manager of the Bucks, Harris matched the five-year $18.5 million offer sheet that Bell signed with the Miami Heat in 2007 (source here). The Bell contract has proved to be wasted money and it was smart for Hammond not to repeat the mistakes of his predecessor.
Bucks fans are fortunate that Hammond has a long-term vision for the roster. There is so much turnover in professional front offices, usually General Managers mortgage their future for short term results. Hammond could have resigned Sessions but it would have created an even bigger logjam at the guard position. Instead, much like declining to re-sign Charlie Villanueva, Hammond opted for long-term financial relief. The open question is whether long-term financial relief will come at the expense of short-term results.
The Bucks already have a crowded backcourt with Brandon Jennings, Luke Rindour and Roko Ukic at point guard as well as Michael Redd, Jodie Meeks and Charlie Bell at shooting guard. The last name on that list Charlie Bell is an example of the difference between the Larry Harris regime and the John Hammond regime. While General Manager of the Bucks, Harris matched the five-year $18.5 million offer sheet that Bell signed with the Miami Heat in 2007 (source here). The Bell contract has proved to be wasted money and it was smart for Hammond not to repeat the mistakes of his predecessor.
Bucks fans are fortunate that Hammond has a long-term vision for the roster. There is so much turnover in professional front offices, usually General Managers mortgage their future for short term results. Hammond could have resigned Sessions but it would have created an even bigger logjam at the guard position. Instead, much like declining to re-sign Charlie Villanueva, Hammond opted for long-term financial relief. The open question is whether long-term financial relief will come at the expense of short-term results.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Milwaukee Bucks Continue Wheeling and Dealing
Milwaukee Bucks General Manager John Hammond continued to reshape the Bucks’ roster by trading power forward Amir Johnson and guard Sonny Weems to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for small forward Carlos Delfino and guard Roko Ukic. Earlier in the off-season, the Bucks acquired Johnson from the Detroit Pistons in a three-team trade. After the Bucks signed free agent power forward Hakim Warrick to a one-year contract at the end of July, Johnson became expendable (source: here). Delfino joins the Bucks in a “sign and trade;” he played in Russia last season, but the Raptors retained his rights (source: here).
This deal works out well for both sides because the Bucks have a glut of power forwards and the Raptors have a surplus of small forwards. Johnson was in the final year of a three-year contract, anyway. Preliminary indications are that Delfino will sign a three-year deal for $3 to $4 million a season (source: here).
Hammond acquiring Delfino is no shocker. Hammond was in the Detroit Pistons front office when the Pistons drafted Delfino in the first round of the 2003 NBA draft, and has kept an eye on Delfino ever since. With these moves, Hammond is reshuffling the Bucks roster without committing too much money long term. This allows the Bucks to have ongoing financial flexibility and some fresh blood, too. All in all, I think it was a good move.
This deal works out well for both sides because the Bucks have a glut of power forwards and the Raptors have a surplus of small forwards. Johnson was in the final year of a three-year contract, anyway. Preliminary indications are that Delfino will sign a three-year deal for $3 to $4 million a season (source: here).
Hammond acquiring Delfino is no shocker. Hammond was in the Detroit Pistons front office when the Pistons drafted Delfino in the first round of the 2003 NBA draft, and has kept an eye on Delfino ever since. With these moves, Hammond is reshuffling the Bucks roster without committing too much money long term. This allows the Bucks to have ongoing financial flexibility and some fresh blood, too. All in all, I think it was a good move.
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