Summertime

Did you know the 2007-2008 Milwaukee Bucks finished up the season by going 4-21 down the stretch? Me either. Nothing dulls the memory of a 26-56 season like summertime in Milwaukee. The Brewers are on pace to draw 3,000,000 fans, the city is beautiful, and for three months a year the weather is perfect. Some thoughts on the Bucks' off-season:

-As brewhoop has stated, Hammonds and Skiles are on the same page concerning both personnel and philosophy, and they share a vision of the team they want to build and how they plan to win. A strong, talented front-office with a plan for success and the confidence and experience to pull it off were prerequisites for turning this thing around, and Hammonds and crew have it in spades. The change in culture around the Bradley Center is going to do wonders for this franchise, and probably all without blowing up the team and getting pennies on the dollar for our underachieving talent.

-I am reversing course on the need to move Mo Williams. I felt at the end of the season that he needed to go, not because of a perceived need for a pass-first PG or his ole-style defense (which leaves much to be desired), but because of his reputed conflict with Bogut, which was one of the team's many chemistry problems.

Now though, with a new coaching staff and GM, the additions of RJ, Joe Alexander, and Luc Richard, and the recent resigning of Bogut, things have changed. Bogut's new contract officially solidifies the shift in his locker-room status from 'Possibly Underachieving 1st Overall Draft Pick' to 'Pillar of the Franchise Moving Forward'. He now makes more than Mo Williams, and is pretty much on par with Michael Redd, and I promise you players notice things like that.

In addition, the culture of the locker-room itself shifted dramatically with the trade/draft: Yi was a hard working kid who will probably go on to be an all-star caliber player, but as a non-english speaking nba rookie playing limited minutes, I am willing to speculate that he was one of the quieter guys on the team and not somebody really influencing the locker-room atmosphere. Beyond that, his role as a starter (seen by some as a non-basketball decision made in a deal between Kohl and the Chinese) only served to send the sensitive Charlie V into a disillusioned tailspin.

Our other loss this off-season, Bobby Simmons, spent the season sulking about his role and his mintues, had to play under the pressure of fans who saw him as underachieving on his contract (rightly so), and by most accounts was unhappy being in Milwaukee. He was probably not a fun dude to be around after most games.

Contrast those two locker-room chemistry negatives (Yi is a negative only by virtue of his inability to be much of a positive due to being in over his head and a rookie) with the new additions: a defensive minded, team first all-star whose game complements Michael Redd's; a young, insanely driven kid whose whole life revolves around getting better at basketball, and who as a rookie will gladly do all the small, thankless things on the court that make the difference between winning and losing; and a young man from Cameroon who was the first UCLA player in 34 years to start in 3 straight Final Fours and who prides himself on his defense.

These are team-first, hard working guys with winning pedigrees who will buy into Skiles' system and help carry the fresh air from the newly refurbished front office down into the locker-room and out onto the court.

The final piece to the New-TeamOrientated-MoWilliams-Puzzle is actually Mo himself, via John Hammonds. For all the sports radio talk that Mo and Redd can't function in the same backcourt, it will be John Hammond's endorsement of Mo that probably seals the deal and makes this team work. Letting Mo know that he's an important part of this team moving forward, encouraging him to be a playmaker (for himself as well as the rest of the guys), and letting the other guys on the team know Mo's job isn't just to pass them the ball will go a long way toward getting Mo to buy into the team and, oddly enough, play better team ball.

So in summary: Bogut's contract gives him the clout to be Mo's equal amongst the players, the new guys will be a breath of fresh air in a locker-room that needed a change of attitude, and John Hammond's endorsement will soothe Mo's ego and prevent the sort of insecurity that led to Charlie V's early season unraveling.

None of which helps Mo guard bigger PG's, but chemistry goes a long way and if he can mesh all of his other talents into the team it is hard to picture a better starting backcourt in the East (I am assuming Redd will buy into Skiles' 48-minutes-of-defense philosophy and finally improve the weakest part of his game).

-Here's to making new friends:

Go Get 'em, Scott, But Watch Your Back

Over the course of the last several seasons, I along with the rest of the city of Milwaukee, has sat back, watched, and lamented as the Bucks have been led by outstanding gentlemen, but poor first-year NBA head coaches. If I had gotten to know these men as people, not just as coaches for my hometown team, I have no doubt that I would have gotten along spledidly with Terry Porter, Terry Stotts, and Larry K. They are men that value team play and hustle, things sorely lacking in even the NBA's best teams. In the end, the hiring of these men was more about poor management than poor attitudes. I also have no doubt that if NBA players cared half as much about playing team basketball as they do about thier drug habits, Porter, Stotts, and Krystowiak would have been some of the more successful coaches that Milwaukee has seen. Unfortunately for the Bucks, as well the majority of the league, this is not the case.

Luckily, the Bucks have recently been able to solve the management problem, by going out and naming as general manager a man (John Hammond) from one of the most successful franchises not just in their division, but the entire league over the past 10 years (Detroit). By hiring the right man for the general manager position, the Bucks were able to attract a coach in Scott Skiles that has a history not just of taking teams to the playoffs, but taking teams to the playoffs who previously did not have hopes of being seen in the post-season in previous years. Anybody who doubts the committment of Skiles and his hustle/team play mentality has to look no further than his playing days. Any man who dishes out 30 assists in one game has my vote as a team player. In addition, no grown man would go out onto a professional basketball court in 5-inch shorts without knowing that he had the support of his teammates.

But this hiring comes with a warning for the Bucks, and for Skiles as well. Looking back at the history of the league and the Bucks, excellent defensive minded, hustle-themed, pass-first teams are made successful by the coach, not the players. While this is always seen and exemplified in a coach's early years with a team, it is rarely emphasized once the team has become consistently successful. That is when the media and fans begin to say that the team is nothing without certain players and that it is the coach's fault when losses mount. But this is rarely the case. In most instances it is the players that begin refusing to adhere to the coach's philosophy because they want more of the glory, accolades, and an extra suped-up Hummer in the 20 car garage. So, in the end, to the whim of the fans, it is the coach that is sent packing and not the over-indulged player.

So here is my warning to you Bucks management and Milwaukee fans: When Scott Skiles takes the Bucks back to the playoffs; when the Bucks are a top 4 seed; when the Bradley Center becomes the raucous cavern it was almost a decade ago; and Redd, Yi, and Bogut are getting articles written about them in Sports Illustrated; and finally when all seems to be falling apart again and things seem to be heading south - DO NOT STICK WITH THE PLAYERS! Hold onto the successful coach and his philosophy. He's the one that built the team mindset. He's the one that got them to play defense. He's the one that got them to pass the ball and hustle. The players are replaceable, a hard nosed respectable coach isn't. So trade Redd if you have to. Let Yi go if he's asking too much. They have figured this out in the NFL, and the truly successful teams in the NBA have figured it out too. The coach's philosophy doesn't change, the players' attitudes toward it do and it hurts the team.

So, assuming he does for Milwaukee what he did for Phoenix and Chicago, let's stick with Scott Skiles for a little while Milwaukee. Let's just trust him and see what he can do.

Good luck, Scott.

Snake of the Day

Part 3 in a 5+ part series

Featured Snake – King Cobra

Genus: Ophiophagus
Species: O. hannah

The King Cobra is the world’s largest venomous snake and can grow to almost 20 feet in length. The snakes venom is highly dangerous to humans and can have a kill rate of almost 75%, just a shade higher than the Bucks rate of losing this season. But, while the kill rate is high, the venom itself is only moderately potent, lesser than that of many other cobras. The King Cobra’s biggest advantage with its venom is that it has ½ inch long fangs that can deposit large amounts of the venom into the blood, making it extremely dangerous. The King Cobra’s home region lies in Southeast Asia and Indonesia.

Perhaps the most well known and distinguishing feature of the King Cobra is it’s hood. This is created when the snake flattens its top-most ribs and stands erect. This position is used for defense to scare away potential predators like mongoose, or to assert male dominance when wrestling with another snake. In these battles, both male snakes will stand erect with their hoods out and attempt to push the other to the ground. The one that is “pinned” first is the loser.
While the hood of the King Cobra is easily recognized as the most distinguishing feature, perhaps one of the less noted features of the snake is just as interesting and leads to some of the myth and fright behind these snakes. While many other species of snake rely on birds and small mammals for their diet, the King Cobra dines mainly on other snakes, resorting to lizards, birds, and rodents only when other snakes are scarce.

The King Cobra has been featured to emphasize Larry Harris’ own “hood,” this being his remarkably well-kept and less well-styled hair. This hairstyle makes the man look like he should be driving a Delorian. Perhaps this hair had the same effect on free agents that were worth paying as the King Cobra’s hood has on its predators when it is cornered…it scares them away. To his credit, Larry Harris’ hair did evolve with his age and to a certain extent, the times. In his younger days it was much more frightening with much less hair on the sides. But over time it came to be quite a nice do, although still with a little too much styling gel.

Information courtesy of http://www.wikipedia.org/
Picture 1: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/33/Ophiophagus_hannah2.jpg
Picture 2: http://newsfromrussia.com/img/idb/bucks.jpg

Snake of the Day

Part 2 in a 5 part series

Featured Snake: Coral Snake (65+ species total)

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Elapidae
Genus: Leptomicrurus
Micrurus
Micruroides

Species: Over 65

Coral snakes (pictured above) are known mainly for their red, yellow or white, and black bands around the length of their body. As commonly learned about in the 4th grade science class unit on camouflage and adaptation, coral snakes can commonly be confused with the eerily similar Scarlet Kingsnake. The difference being that the Scarlet Kingsnake (pictured below) has a harmless bite and most coral snakes have extremely potent venom. The difference is often remembered with simple mnemonic devices like “Red and yellow, kill a fellow; red and black, venom lack,” or “"If red touches black, it's OK, Jack. If red touches yellow, you're a dead fellow." It is important to note that these particular devices only work for coral snakes that call North America home.

Most coral snakes are short in length, though it is not unusual that they grow to around 24 inches. Some specimens have been reported at 60 inches or longer. Coral snakes tend to live a reclusive life, choosing to spend most of their time buried in leaf and ground litter or buried in the ground. This behavior leads to a very small percentage of snake bites each year coming from coral snakes.

Coral snakes have small non-retractable fangs. This means that they tend to hold onto their victim once they bite it to ensure that the venom is released into the victim. Due to the small fangs, bites are often ineffective against humans because they have trouble getting through shoes or thick clothes. Despite their less-than-manly fangs, coral snake venom is an extremely dangerous neurotoxin (poison that acts on nerve cells) that has every ability to take down a human.

We have chosen to feature the coral snake on our Snake of the Day to showcase the many faces of Larry Harris’ general manager costume. 2005 Season: In what would become the event that would spark this segment, Harris promised a player on the team who was beloved by Milwaukee citizens whether they were basketball fans or not, Desmond Mason, that there was no way he was going to be traded. Absolutely none. The next week Larry Harris proceeded to trade him to the Hornets for the lumbering oaf Jamaal Magloire and money. Through the media, Mason unleashed his artistic tongue on Harris, calling him “…the slipperiest snake in the grass I’ve ever seen.” So do not be fooled by Larry Harris into thinking that he is the harmless Scarlet Kingsnake that he appears to be, for he is actually a deadly venomous coral snake. But, while the venom is deadly, the fangs that deliver it are weak. Here’s to you Desmond Mason.

Snake of the Day

Part 1 in a 5 part series

Featured Snake – Reticulated Python (Python reticulatus)

Kindom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptila
Order: Squamata
Family: Pythonidae
Genus: Python

Species: P. reticulatus

The reticulated python, making its home in Southeast Asia and Indonesia, is the largest snake in the Eastern Hemisphere. It has fought a grueling battle over the years with the anacondas of South America for control of the title of World’s Longest Snake. This species of python was measured at a maximum length of 32 feet 9 inches, just a shade longer than the longest ever recorded anaconda. This length would be approximately equivalent to the length from the baseline to the NBA 3-point line, plus about 3 feet.

This monstrous snake is an ambush hunter. It sits and waits for an animal to enter its coils and then seizes them, squeezing the air and, consequently the life, out of its victims. Reticulated pythons have been rumored to kill panthers, tigers, and crocodiles, but the largest documented kills have been a 23-kilogram Sun Bear (10 weeks to digest) and 60 kg (123 lb.) pigs. They are generally able to eat anything up to ¼ their size and weight. Based on size estimates, it is possible for reticulated pythons to kill and eat humans, though accounts are rare and hard to verify.

Today there are approximately 5,400 reticulated python farms in Southeast Asia. The snakes are raised for their valuable skin to make purses and cowboy boots. In Indonesia, it is rumored that reticulated pythons, due to the popularity of raising them for money, actually outnumber humans in the country by an astounding 15 to 1 ratio.

Like the larger reticulated pythons, Larry Harris had the innate ability to squeeze the life out of not just humans, but an entire community of faithful NBA fans. With his series of poor trades and overpaid free agents Larry Harris managed to tighten around the Bucks franchise as well as the city of Milwaukee and watch as the heartbeat of the fans has slowly died. In addition to his soul-squeezing abilities, Larry Harris was able to lie in wait in the lower levels of the franchise, for years contemplating his time to strike, uncannily alike to the ambush attack of the reticulated python.

Information:
http://www.tigr.org/ - The Reptile Database
http://www.wikipedia.org/
Pictures:
hoglezoo.org
i.a.cnn.net/si/2007/writers/marty_burns/

Harris Farewell News Conference

For those so inclined, I would highly recommend giving a listen to Larry's farewell news conference. The man has taken a lot of criticism during the team's recent struggles, but the reality is that it will be at least a couple years before we can accurately judge his tenure as GM.

Much of the team as it stands now was put together by Harris (Mo, Villanueva, Bogut, Yi, Simmons, Ivey, Sessions, Mason, Bell, Gadzuric) and their success or failure moving forward will be Larry's real legacy, even if he is no longer around to watch it unfold. I personally think the man did a reasonably good job as GM as far as positioning this team for success in the future and while our coming week-long retrospective will poke fun at Mason's infamous 'snake in the grass' comments, it's not at all meant to be a cheap shot at Larry himself.

For an excellent, intelligent, and objective look back at the Larry Harris era check out our fellow bloggers at http://thebratwurst.com/. Probably one of the best reviews yet of the man's tenure as GM.

Coming Soon:

-We will take a look at the snake behind the grass in a week long retrospective of Larry Harris, the good the bad & the ugly. It will be both fun and educational as we profile the man and his tenure as general manager alongside a menagerie of serpents mundane and exotic. The five day series begins next Monday, March 24th. Photo courtesy Jack Orton/JSOnline.

Bucks heading towards a difficult decision.

As this disappointing season winds to an end, it's natural to look forward to the possibilities of next season in an attempt to forget the underwhelming effort of these 2007-2008 Milwaukee Bucks. And as an eternal sports-optimist and someone who picked the Bucks to make the Eastern Conference Finals this year (goodbye $5 bet), I have no shortage of tenuous half-evidences to point to suggesting that the team will be much improved in '08-'09:

-Ramon Sessions' impressive D-league play
-Bogut's emergence this year as a legitimately dominate big man
-That fact that every year they've been in the league, Bogut and Redd have worked hard to improve and add something to their games in the off-season
-Yi's expected improvement now that he has a season of nba basketball under his belt
-Charlie V's growth since the all-start break into 'the player we always thought he was going to be'

And other fans could probably add another half-dozen reasons to talk yourself into believing that next season will be different. But this question is not so much about whether things will be different; rather the question is, what if things are different?

These are Charlie V's numbers over the last five games: 24.6ppg, 9.6rpg, 1.2 bpg, and nearly 1 steal over what has been an average of 37 minutes per game. By most accounts he has been much improved since the all-start break, and especially since Yi's injuries opened up more playing time and a starting spot.

Now, pretend this is how the rest of the season plays out: Yi is limited/shut-down for the remaining games; Villanueva remains the starter at PF and continues anywhere near the pace he's been setting these last five games (20ppg, 10 rpg); the Bucks enter the off-season with legitimate all-star production at the PF spot (finally) and a chinese superstar drawing 100 million new fans to the franchise, and these two are not the same person. What then?

Presumably, there will be a new GM before next season. Both Charlie and Yi (assuming Charlie finishes this season strong) will be valuable assests, playing minutes at the same position. What does the new GM do? Go with the established 20ppg & 10rpg Villanueva, or the internationally popular Yi and his still unproven potential?

Probably no other man on the planet can draw as much worldwide attention and interest to the Bucks as Yi right now, and his impact goes way beyond the basketball court into business, politics, etc. On the other hand, the Bucks are a basketball team, the GM's job is to assemble a winning group of players, Charlie V is (hypothetically) an established 20/10 PF and a good guy to boot and how many years have the Bucks been searching for that?

Each of them is going to demand 40+ minutes a game to really develop and play at the level they're capable of, so at some point the minute-sharing of this season is not going to cut it. Ideally Villanueva can play SF equally well and the Bucks will enjoy the best of both worlds, but if he can't what then?

The new GM will have a tough decision on his hands and unless it is obvious very quickly that the right decision was made, what's left of the already disgruntled fans will turn their backs on the franchise. Photo courtesy chinadaily.com.

"They have all these eccentric plays, but then there's no one there to rebound." -MJ

That is the Bucks' season right there, summed up in twelve simple words. I could write a 5000 word essay about this season and still never quite strike the note/feeling that this quote captures so beautifully.

Try it during a game some time:

-2nd quarter, Bucks down 9 against a team they should be beating, they play good D for 24 seconds and force a tough shot, Bogut kicks the rebound out and the Bucks are hustling down court, it's 3v2 and now Mo pulls up for a 25-footer that clangs off the iron and out of bounds. The rest of the guys shuffle back to play defense again. 'They have all these eccentric plays, but then there's no one there to rebound.'

-Tie game, middle of the 4th quarter. Bucks play solid D for the first 15 seconds, then somebody penetrates the lane and Bogut steps up to challenge, nobody rotates to pick up Bogut's guy, and it's an easy assist for an uncontested dunk. Bogut looks pissed and whatever meager noise the crowd was making dies back down. 'They have all these eccentric plays, but then there's no one there to rebound.'

-Close game, the other team gets an open jumper that doesn't fall, but 2 of 5 Bucks have already taken off downcourt looking for a fast break and nobody else has put a body on anyone, offensive rebound. 'They have all these eccentric plays, but then there's no one there to rebound.'


Those twelve words capture it all, the bad shots and the soft rebounding/defense and the sense that the 5 guys on the court are never really on the same page. Just the general absurdity of trying to win with a team built around pieces that don't quite fit together and maybe don't want to anyway.

Can you even picture any of the starters hanging out with each other? Mo is thuggin' it, Bogut can't stand the 'hood mentality, Redd is very much about Jesus and the church, Yi is 19yrs old and wishes he was in California, Charlie Bell is still salty about free agency and the fans, Charlie V and Simmons are salty about their minutes, and Gadzuric is the same player he was $30 million dollars ago.

Winning fixes issues like these but the Bucks need to play with chemistry to win, so it's a catch-22. They play a few games well and then when they lose a couple there's a bunch of finger pointing and everbody returns to their own agenda. You get the sense that nobody values their teammates' contributions quite as highly as they value what they themselves bring to the table, and I don't know whose fault that is or how you fix it.

It's easy to say blow the team up and rebuild around so and so, but it's also just as easy to look at all the talent and say 'if only we can get them to play as a team we would really have something.' Is it the players' fault for being selfish? Is it the GM's fault for picking the players? Is it the coach's fault for not building unity? Is it nobody's fault because maybe everyone will gel at some point and all of this will work out for the best?

"Sadly, sadly, the sun rose; it rose upon no sadder sight than the man of good abilities and good emotions, incapable of their directed exercise, incapable of his own help and his own happiness, sensible of the blight on him, and resigning him-self to let it eat him away." -Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities.

Nothing is as frustrating as watching someone waste their potential, and that is what bothers fans so much about this team. Pictures from recent games:

Against Detroit:








Wednesday, against the Sonics:

Also against the Sonics, this guy here was blatantly trying to attract the attention of the Bucks girls, Energee, for most of the night:

He did eventually manage a wave and some giggling at the end of this performance.

Finally, a scene from the Feb. 23rd against Cleveland, it's Seniorgee performing the Soulja Boy dance:



This may have gotten the loudest cheers of the night, btw.

A Salvo of T-shirts

The winds of spring were blowing on a seasonable March night in southeastern Wisconsin. The city felt good as people were bustling about Milwaukee's occaisionally happening downtown district. Some were taking in the allures of a majestic stage performance of the Lion King. Others were revving up their engines and polishing their tires at the car show. Yet others were taking in the hustle and sportsmanship of the UWM Panthers in a showcase of incollegiate athleticism.

While others enjoyed these oh-so-worthwhile pursuits, I was getting ready for what I was sure would be an NBA game in which the hometown Bucks would be pasted by the San Antonio Spurs (even if Mo Williams decided to play for the Bucks instead of sign autographs at the car show).

But something happened that night. Something magical. No, the Bucks didn't win on two last second free throws by Michael Redd - in fact he proceded to miss them both. They did not win on a last second put back by Andrew Bogut off of one of the aforementioned missed free throws - although they had the chance for this as well.

What the Bucks did do was give out a souvenir FSN hat that is surprisingly comfortable and not all that unstylish. In addition, the Bucks made not only my night, but my entire season, by bringing out the most amazing piece of t-shirt launching machinery in the history of the t-shirt toss.

Despite the objections by the court manager in previous attempts to bring it out, she could not ruin this night. For at this game, Bango wrested her powers over the massive weapon and hauled it out onto the court. He then proceded to unleash not one, not two, but THREE unrivaled outbursts of balled up t-shirts to the stunned and raucous fans. The first salvo of t-shirts was something to behold when, in no more than 6 seconds, no less than 30 t-shirts were fired high into the rafters of the Bradley center into the awaiting arms of the ecstatic fans. Perhaps if we were to take this grandiose t-shirt launcher into the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan there would be no more war because all would be too excited that even they were able to catch t-shirts.

While the Bucks have been nothing short of a huge disappointment this season, the t-shirt toss has yet to let me down. And for this I applaud the Bucks organization.

'A Meeting of 2 Dragons'

In their first sellout since the season home-opener against Chicago, a mostly full Bradley Center and 200+ million fans watching back in China saw Yi match up against Yao for the second time this season, as the Bucks fell again to the Rockets 83-91. Thoughts from last night's game:

-Chinese fans were in abundance, filling most of the upper level and cheering loudly for both Yi and Yao whenever they would make a play. Chinese media could be seen wandering the stands and taking pictures of the festivities for those back in the People's Republic of China.

At one point during an intermission the Bucks celebrated the Chinese Lunar New Year by throwing out 200 red envelopes which we determined, despite my friend's best efforts to not catch TWO that practically fell into his lap, contained: two free passes to the March 5th game against Seattle, some Bucks stickers, a pin, and a one dollar bill, which we assume has some kind of cultural logic behind its inclusion. Or maybe it was just a big middle finger to the communist government.

-Capitalizing on a mid-season nba game that was drawing 50 million more viewers worldwide than Superbowl XLII, Harley-Davidson struck some sort of deal to have the pregame introductions wrap-up with Bango tooling around the court on a Harley for 30 odd seconds as the players stood awkwardly near center court, waiting to jump the ball. The bike was also brought out again for another couple laps later in the game. Assuming the people at Harley went through the trouble of ensuring that these joy rides were done at a time when the chinese television cameras were watching, this had to be a better return on investment than the $2.7 million per commercial FOX was charging for superbowl airtime.

-In a game where the hype was understandably focused around Yi and Yao, Andrew Bogut was by far the most impressive big man on the floor. He finished with 21 pts, 5 rebs, and 4 blocks, took at least 2 charges, and pretty much dominated one of the best centers in the game, Yao. Bogut repeatedly beat Yao on the block for high precentage buckets, blocked two of the 7'6" center's shots, and generally looked the more physical of the two down low.

It continued a string of impressive games for Bogut, and will hopefully quiet some of the complaints that Bogut has only played well against mediocre competition. In a lot of ways Bogut's progress from season to season has mirrored that of Michael Redd and the way both of them continue to improve with time speaks well for the franchise's prospects going forward.

-McGrady seems to thrive against teams that don't play defense with much intensity, and so naturally he continued his trend of killing the Bucks everytime he visits Milwaukee. McGrady finished with 33pts, 11 rebs, and 6 ast and had an answer for every milwaukee run.

McGrady vs. bad defense is like being in college and going down to the gym to play pick-up games with whatever other 4 guys are waiting to get in the next game, vs. playing in your intramural basketball league with your friends. Those pick-up games are fun but guys aren't killing themselves every possesion, people may already be tired from being on the court for a few games, and the talent level and intensity of teams as a whole is lower.

In the intramural games, you're playing against 5 guys who know and have played with each other before, everyone is (in theory) fresh and rested for the game, and the intensity level is way higher. Guys are playing tough defense, rotating and helping and giving hard fouls if someone is about to get an easy look. The fact that there are refs and fouls and a scoreboard and substititions all make for a much, much more intense game than your average college-student pick-up game.

Teams are playing to win and it shows, and a guy who can do very well for himself in pick-up games at the gym can suddenly look mediocre in intramural games where teams are actually trying to stop him.


McGrady is not mediocre however, so if most nba regular season games are 'intramural' games, the milwaukee bucks are the equivalent of a thursday afternoon pick-up game where the gym is only half-full because everybody is still at class and the talent/intensity are way down, and someone like McGrady is going to have a field day. And that is what happened saturday night.

-Just before the big t-shirt toss in the 4th quater, the Bucks were about to roll out a giant artillery gun/gattling gun contraption that sure looked like it would launch t-shirts into the farthest reaches of the upper level, when the woman in black, pictured above, put the kibosh on the whole operation, pulling Bango off the fire station even as he was going through a NASA-like checkdown of the weapon and its controls. This was a great disappointment as the weapon looked like it would have beeen something to behold, and few t-shirts make it up into the 400's.

A Chinese New Year Celebration

200 million overseas viewers
15,000 live raucous fans
100's of Milwaukee's finest karate masters
50 free t-shirts
12 players
4 hemispheres
2 epic Chinese giants of men
#1 fans in the NBA

As an avid Bucks fan for the past 26 years of my life, I was excited as any fan for the promise and dreams of the 2007-2008 Bucks season. The team had a new coach with a successful history of teams that play defense and hustle. Larry Harris signed one of the best points guards in the Eastern Conference to a contract he had earned with his skills and development last year. The front court was anchored by our former number one draft pick who is consistently proving more and more that he deserved to be a number one pick. And, lest we not forget, there was this Yi guy bringing all-star potential and the hopes and dreams of 1 billion people on his back straight to Fortress on 4th Street. The season could not possibly get any better.

In the excitement that the Bucks season promised, I was swept up in the pomp and grandeur, as I'm sure many other optimistic fans were, and I went out on a limb and purchased a Bucks 10-pack ticket plan from the incomparable account representative - Shaun Talley.

But then the season began. Losses mounted as the Bucks rarely displayed even the heart of a feeble doe, let alone that of a full sized 30 point Buck. Instead of the heart of a Buck, rather they stunk like the manure of the animal they were named after. Their lackluster performances and historic losses made me want to hurl. I was angry that I had been duped so bad into spending my hard earned $100 on Bucks tickets.

Yet, as a true fan always does, I continued to attend the games. I realized that, although the Bucks rarely won when I was in attendance, each game turned out to be an adventure of the highest magnitude. Whether it was meeting the greatest account representative in the world or simply my ticketmate getting a free program, each game brought a unique kind of excitement.

And then the Chinese New Year blew Yao Ming and his Houston Rockets into town. The atmosphere was electric. The concrete walls of the BC were rocking like I had not seen since the 6th game of the Eastern Conference Finals when Scott Williams was thrown out of the game and suspended in a controversy that still shakes Milwaukee Bucks fans to the core (sorry that's another article).

This game was fantastic. This time, instead of being handed a program, my ticketmate - and main author of this blog - managed to herocially snag a Chinese envelope which contained a voucher for 2 free tickets as well as a $1 bill. Was this merely a coincidence or some crafty planning on the part of our friend, Shaun Talley? Who knows, but it welcome none the less. Halftime included a demonstration by one of the finest martial arts schools in the Milwaukee Area. Many people do not realize the fine heritage of Milwaukee's martial arts (we are home to the legendary Frank Dux). There were also the antics of not only Bango, but his partner in crime from Houston. Their hi-jinks alone made the game worthwhile.

This is why I would like to take this time to thank all who were able to plan this rocking party. The Milwaukee Bucks organization. Yao and Yi for coming to America. The Chinese government, both for sending some of your best fans over for the game and also for insisting that 200 million of your peasant farmers were able to watch the game. Shaun Talley for getting us our outstanding tickets. And all who were in attendance that night. Thank you Milwaukee.

Harris to Stay the Course?

GM Larry Harris was quoted in a recent article by SI.com's Paul Forrester as saying:

"...your players dictate the style you're going to play," but cautions that the Bucks are trying to develop some semblance of offensive balance.

"We're a good perimeter-shooting team," Harris said, "but when we're willing to up-tempo the ball, our turnovers are tremendously high. An all-out fast-breaking team is not our style because we do have a low-post guy [in Bogut] and we want to play through him as well.

"So we'll run when we have opportunities, but Larry is a defensive guy. He's a no-nonsense person. He understands you need to have an inside-outside game. And adjusting our team to that style, because we've been so much the other way, [has required] almost a reprogramming that you can actually win that way."

"There are always conversations that take place when you're a month away from the trade deadline," Harris said. "But as for reports that we should break things up -- that's not what winning organizations do. I think our core is intact and we're building around that core. If you're a fan of the Milwaukee Bucks, if you're within the organization, you have to feel like we can identify what we're trying to do, who we're building around, who our future is and how we're trying to fit those pieces together."

All of which seem to suggest the Bucks will not be making any major moves before this month's trade deadline, despite an increase in grumbling from disgruntled fans looking for a major roster shake-up.

The Journal-Sentinel itself, historically a bastion of Herb Kohl support, even gave voice to those calls for change in an early 2008 article by the ultimate disgrunted fan, columnist Michael Hunt. Hunt ripped Bucks management from the top down and called for a complete team blow-up, declaring Bogut and Yi the only two pieces worth rebuilding around as the team moves forward.

Which, unjustified bad-mouthing of the front office aside, is not such an outlandish claim; Bogut and Yi are the two most untradeable assets the Bucks have, with the potential to form the most impressive front-court tandem since Tim Duncan and David Robinson collected 2 NBA championships in 6 years and nearly 2 more, prevented only by the short lived Shaquille O'Neal/Kobe Bryant Lakers dynasty.

And while Yi has not been nearly as dominate as Duncan was his rookie season (21.1 ppg, 11.9 rpg, 2.51 blocks), neither is Bogut nearly as old as Robinson was, and Yi has by all accounts shown flashes of the dominance that will hopefully come with more experience in the league. So it is not at all a stretch for Hunt to call those two the most valuable Bucks pieces. The problem with blowing up the team and rebuilding around those two, is the difficulty of getting much in return for the team's other assets.

Outside of Michael Redd, whom can the Bucks even attempt to move for any substantial return? Bell, Simmons, and Gadzuric all have contracts which make them undesirable, Mo has a slightly better case of the same problem, and Villanueva's stock is at an all-time low even if he probably would benefit from a change of scenery. So the only player they could even hope to get close to fair value for is Redd.

Which, at first, can also seem to be an appealing path to pursue. The team played a nice stretch earlier this season with Redd out, Mo has said he liked the temporary switch to SG and there was a nice balance between scoring and play making with Ivey and Mo as the starting backcourt, and there seemed to be more inside touches for Bogut and a better flow on offense in general with Redd on the bench. So if you can get a good, young, defensive-minded forward for Redd, why not make this trade? Defense, if you can actually believe that as a reason to hold on to Michael Redd.

The reality is that he is getting better at it, occasionally even locking his man down when he becomes sufficiently motivated (that out of 41 games so far this season there is only one game, against former Team-USA teammate Kobe, which I can reference to support this claim is one of the main criticisms of Redd). He just doesn't consistently make his defense a priority and that enables the lack of effort team-wide.

But Michael Redd does have the tools to do it, and even if it takes a painful unlearning of bad/lazy habits, one thing he has shown season to season is a dedication to improving his game. This is a man who came into the league as a 2nd round draft pick, played sparingly his first couple years, and earned his place as an NBA all-star by making progress each and every off-season. It would be shortsighted to not appreciate his history of improvement and trade him now just because the team as a whole has not yet found the chemistry and discipline necessary to play winning basketball.

Beyond all that, the other reason not to trade Redd and move Mo Williams to SG is that fact that most SG's in this league are in the 6'5"-6'7" range and Mo is generously listed at 6'1". Given that he is probably closer to 5'11" in real life and not known for shut-down defense himself, how will Mo match up defensively? So even if he finds the defensive focus that has so far eluded Michael, does he have the size to defend 2-guards? If you shift Royal Ivey over to cover for Mo, does he have the size/skill to get the job done?

Why not just hold on to Mo and Redd, keeping all their other skills on the court for you, and find a way to get them to buy into the defense/team-first/share-the-ball philosophy that is really the problem that has hamstrung this team? I think the point Larry Harris was trying to make is that this is a team with a lot of talented parts, that for whatever reason hasn't come together yet. And given the probable returns from blowing up the team, the best course is to let these guys struggle through this and figure out the path to winning basketball.

Which is actually a pretty solid conclusion to reach, unsatisfying as it may be to disgruntled fans and columnists alike.

SESSIONS OUT WITH LEFT HAND FRACTURE

'February 2, 2008
MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee Bucks rookie guard Ramon (rah-MAHN) Sessions sustained a left hand fracture in the team practice on Friday, February 1, General Manager Larry Harris announced today. Sessions was originally assigned to the Tulsa 66ers on November 8, 2007, before being recalled from the Bucks D-League affiliate yesterday. He is expected to miss six weeks of action.

Sessions appeared in 24 games (17 starts) with Tulsa, averaging a team-high 21.1 points (6th in the D-League), a team-high 7.6 assists (3rd in the D-League) and 6.5 rebounds (19th in the D-League) in 36.2 minutes per contest. His points, rebounds and assists add up to 35.2 per game, eighth in the league. Sessions is the only player to be named the D-League Performer of the Week twice this season, claiming the award on November 26, 2007 and January 28, 2008.

A 6-3, 190-lbs guard out of Nevada, Sessions was the 56th overall selection by the Bucks in the 2007 NBA Draft. He has been on assignment in Tulsa for the entire D-League season. He was joined by Bucks teammate David Noel on January 20. Sessions played in five preseason games with the Bucks, averaging 1.4 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 7.0 minutes of action.'

-http://www.nba.com/bucks/news/sessions_injury_080202.html

'A MESSAGE FROM BUCKS GM LARRY HARRIS:

We've just passed the mid-point of the 2007-08 season. Of course, we were hoping for a better record than we have to date. Fortunately, we still have an excellent opportunity to secure a playoff spot and become a solid, successful team during the second half of the season. I'll explain my logic shortly, but I first want to share a quote from Coach Krystkowiak that sums up well the psyche of our team and organization today.

"I'm not much into sugar-coating or trying to win a consolation prize-we need to win games. We aren't giving in. Our coaches aren't giving in. Our players aren't giving in. We're in a situation where we just got beat by the top 2 teams in the West...we were very much in the ball games. We're going to keep fighting and you'll see our team develop here in the second half of the season." - Larry Krystkowiak, 1/22/08

I agree completely with Larry K, and have the utmost confidence that he, the coaching staff and the players will turn the corner soon and convert some of these excruciating losses into rewarding victories.

When I last wrote, I mentioned that we needed to become better at closing out games. We're still working through that, but we also need to play consistently well for 48 minutes. We've been terrific in a bunch of these games for 3 quarters, only to be plagued by 12 minutes of subpar play. We have to correct this tendency, yet these are positive elements that we look to build on, and once we do, we can begin to count more of these games in the win column.

As I evaluate the last three months of the season, I'm excited about the quantity of home games that remain on the schedule. Your support is always appreciated, and sincerely is crucial, so it is always with added confidence that we take the Bradley Center court. We play 21 home games during February, March and April, compared to just 14 remaining road games. We also have just three remaining Western Conference road games (Memphis, Dallas and Minnesota). It is time for us to make up ground - we acknowledge that; and the schedule now provides that opportunity.

I believe that we have made progress and are getting better. I understand the record doesn't indicate that today, but I believe it will begin reflecting this improvement as we continue our pursuit of an Eastern Conference playoff berth. Thank you again for your support, and enjoy the second half of the season - we want nothing more than to see you pleased and proud of your investment in Bucks Basketball!

Bucks GM - Larry Harris'

"Let's go, Jake"

A big 'thank you' to Shaun Talley and the Bucks for hooking us up with courtside seats, which also turned out to be just behind the Buck's bench. The whole experience was very cool and something more 'regular' fans should be able to enjoy. It's not every game you get to see a HydroCollator running at full capacity, watch Bogut lay into Charlie V for not boxing out, and see your friend almost send Bango sprawling right in front of you. An all-around good time. Some observations from yesterday's game against the Warriors:

-In the upper recesses of section 400-something, you get a nice sense of spacing on the court and it's fun to watch fast-breaks develop, but it's hard to see much of the players beyond general body language, and when play is stopped things drag a little. Not so, courtside. That close, the game is an entirely different experience. In fact, timeouts and stoppages are actually as interesting as the game itself (and maybe even moreso, if you are right behind a team bench.) It's like seeing a celebrity in real-life, only now imagine seeing 10-20 of them at once and they're all different ages, come from different backgrounds, and don't necessarily like each other. That's what courtside is like.

-Up close, the size of the players and the game's physical nature becomes more apparant: some guys look leaner and stronger than they do on TV (Bogut), others look all-around bigger than you imagined (Bobby Simmons), and some look like they just graduated high school (Royal Ivey does not appear to be the 215lb he's listed at.)

-There is some kind of bench heirarchy: Yi went out of his way at one point to get up out of his seat and move two seats down the bench so Michael Redd could take Yi's seat. Later, after a timeout, Yi returned to the bench to where Gadzuric had just sat down and, just standing there for a moment, made brief eye contact with Gadzuric, whereupon Danny got up and moved a couple seats down the bench so Yi could take that seat.

It's funny that Yi was the one moving Gadzuric because that is not a typical rookie move. Maybe it is based on value to the franchise? I suppose everybody on the team, Danny included, knows 100 million chinese fans are not following the Bucks to watch Gadzuric's hustle game. It's cool that he's not bitter about it.

-During a stretch where the Bucks failed repeatedly to put a body people and prevent the offensive rebound, Bogut made a nice step-up to challenge penetration and alter a shot, only to have Villanueva's man collect an easy rebound and make an uncontested dunk. Bogut followed the play with about 5 seconds of very angry words for Villanueva as Charlie looked on, possibly perplexed by the concept of boxing your man out on defense.



-With the game out of reach in the 4th quater following a series of turnovers and GS fast-breaks, Coach K turned to the bench in disgust with a 'Let's go, Jake' for Voskuhl in a tone that completely conveyed the 'This is ridiculous, will somebody please hustle and play some defense? Anybody?!' sentiment.

-Bogut has a mysterious tattoo on his left shoulder-blade. It was difficult to make out with his jersey in the way, but guesses included the statue of liberty, the eiffel tower, or maybe both next to each other.

Coming Soon:

A profile of Bucks general manager Larry Harris, including a short biography and personal history, review and analysis of personnel decisions during his tenure, and a look at his continuing efforts to build the franchise into a legitimate championship contender.

Until then, courtesy of Xinhua, a picture of Yi Jianlian's reputed girlfriend, Li Yahong:



'Yahong, champion of the first 'prettiest girl" China Model Competition and pictured on left wearing the green dress, poses for a photo at the opening ceremony of "prettiest girl" China model competition 2006 in Beijing.'

Other pictures, courtesy of chinadaily.com, and a look at Guangdong, home province of Yi Jianlian.

Guangdong, located in southeast China and shaded red.

First Post/Bucks draft Yi

Resisting the shortsighted 'win-now' philosophy of drafting some bum who is 'nba ready' but probably won't average more than 10pts & 10rebs a game, the bucks' front office went with Yi Jianlian of China, one of the more intriguing prospects in the draft.

Yi, outside of Kevin Durant and Greg Oden, is probably the player with the most potential to radically improve the fortunes of his franchise.

There was some concern over the fact that Yi' reportedly does not want to play in Milwaukee, but from a purely basketball standpoint, and ignoring the immediate boost in fans and revenue that will come into the organization through Chinese interest, who were the other options at six anyway?

Brandan Wright? A young Joe Smith, minus the effort and toughness.

Corey Brewer? 6'8", 185lb shooting guard who can't shoot that well, and doesn't have the bulk to defend the bigger G/SFs in the Central Division (245lb LeBron, 220lb Luol Deng, even Tayshaun Prince is listed at 215lb.) This isn't going to be a problem for a guy whose selling point is defense?

Joakim Noah? The poor man's Gadzuric, only because poor men can't afford to pay $50+million for hustle, a few rebounds, and the ability to miss 12 footers. I like Gadzuric but can the Bucks afford two of him?

Julian Wright? Doesn't seem to offer anything we aren't already hoping to get out of Villanueva and/or Simmons next season and reportedly had a knack for not playing hard at Kansas.

That's it, those were the other legitimate choices at 6, none of them really fit a need (Brewer maybe, but he was probably over-hyped,) and they all project inferior to Yi anyway.

Yi is 7'0", 245lbs, can shoot, is explosive to the basket, rebounds and blocks, and by all accounts has the potential to be something special. Which you cannot really say about the possibilities mentioned above.

The Bucks need the next Nowitzki, KG or Duncan to compete at the highest level. A solid, 30 minute a night guy will help the team, but that is not what is going get them to the next level.

Yi brings the Bucks hype, an international star who can help market the team worldwide, and most importantly the opportunity to be a dominate team in the East for the next 10-15 years. Best. Pick. Ever.