2007 NBA Milwaukee Bucks
Wisconsin's Pro Basketball Team Needs to Reverse Losing Trend
Advice for NBA teams to improve their respective teams as the 2007 trade deadline nears, covering all 30 teams, from worst to first. This installment: Milwaukee Bucks
This franchise has been dying for a winner since the Sidney Moncrief / Paul Pressey era, and this year has for Milwaukee Bucks fans sadly turned into a repeat of what they've experienced for almost 20 years (except for the anomaly of the their 50 win season in ’01). A team is assembled that has promise, a star player or two, and a solid supporting cast, all of this true at least on paper. But the games have to be played on the court, and Milwaukee’s record within their division (1-8) and on the road (8-21) so far this season has brought out the well-practiced gnashing of teeth among the faithful.
Fear not, Bucks lifers, I’ve come to spread the good news. Dorothy returned to Kansas, Rocky returned to the ring, and your NBA team will likewise shake off the 0 for forever collar that’s been chafing your collective neck and return to meaningful games in May. Even better, this feat can be accomplished without owner Herb Kohl having to fire sale the shoes, toasters and fixtures of his wonderful department store chain.
The strategy for this Milwaukee miracle, you ask? This year’s plan was sabotaged by an absurdly long list of injuries to key players, so if this trend rights itself and the Bucks stay healthy next year, the nucleus for success is already present. My advice for the club is to stay pat and play the good hand that GM Larry Harris has dealt your NBA franchise with his drafting and trades (Boykins and Hodge for Blake to Denver was as lopsided in the Buck’s favor as any swap in recent memory).
To use a poker analogy, you have 4 clubs on the flop, and with one out of the two cards left needed, your odds are pretty good for filling it in. The turn could come in this June’s draft, which has experts starting to believe may be one of the best ever talent-wise. Your Bucks are a high odds lottery team if the season ended now, especially with Michael Redd still down, and if coaches and management can accept their fate for this season, there could be a big payoff going forward over the next five years.
The plusses for this NBA club are substantial. Redd is a perennial All-League candidate despite playing in one of the smaller media markets. Andrew Bogut is developing quite nicely, despite the inflated expectations of some – this guy gives you flashbacks to Jack Sikma and his athleticism is better than the former seven-time NBA Hall of Fame center. Bobby Simmons is the real deal; the only question will be if he can recover from his foot surgeries. Mo Williams is having an outstanding year considering his inexperience and the team’s record. Bell and Villanueva are solid players and are young, and the adding of a true distributor in Boykins at least takes some of the pressure off Williams. Patterson is a push when measuring money for productivity, and my guess is he'll be moved before Harris and coach Terry Stotts settle on the roster they'll want to go to war with in the coming seasons.
We begin the downsides (after all, we can’t be thumbs up across the board for a sub-.400 winning percentage team) with a size issue. Boykin’s’ running the point when Bell or Williams share the back court with him makes the team extremely vulnerable to the large post-up guards that abound in the NBA. Dan Gadzuric and Brian Skinner, though apparently talented enough, play at least three inches under their listed height and are not getting the job done defensively when they spell the front line bigs. Their bench scoring has been almost non-existent at times, and they could badly use a Brent Barry-type 3 point bomber to make teams pay for collapsing on Bogut. Expect their draft to focus on a quality center who can block shots and the needed long-range sniper.
For once, the tired excuse of injuries that is used to rationalize lost seasons is substantiated with this NBA team. Kick back, have a brew and a braut cheese heads, enjoy Brett Farve’s coming back for another spin, and a year from now you will probably be talking playoffs for your long-downtrodden Milwaukee Bucks.
Next: Charlotte's Web of Talent
Prev: Sixers are Deep-Sixed
