Should the Bucks Fire Coach Kidd?

It’s no secret that the Milwaukee Bucks are an excellent team offensively. The problem with this team currently is their inconsistent defensive effort. The Bucks gave up franchise records for three-pointers made in the same week to two of the worst offensive teams in the NBA (Dallas Mavericks-19 and Utah Jazz-18) this season. Coach Kidd blamed poor effort from the players after both games, and said that the Bucks attempted to change the defensive scheme to no avail. However, it is pretty evident that it is not merely the player’s effort contributing to these poor outings. The scheme of trapping players excessively leads to many potential open three-point shots. The Mavericks and Jazz did their homework on the Bucks and exploited this weakness to their full advantage. There comes a time where the management must question whether or not this scheme, and Coach Kidd as a whole, can tap the maximum potential of this young team. This team is lacking the signature win against a quality opponent and most of the losses suffered against the better teams of the league really boils down to the coaching staff. The Bucks could have lost twice to the Cleveland Cavaliers, got decimated by the Oklahoma City Thunder and struggle mightily at times against other teams. There are too many individually good defensive players on this team (Giannis, Snell, and Middleton to name a few) for them to be underachieving as much as they have during this 2017-2018 season. There is a silver lining to their struggles, however, because it is only December and the coaching staff still has plenty of time to figure it out. I believe the Bucks have the talent necessary to earn the 4th seed or better in the Eastern Conference, which would earn them home-court advantage in at least the first round of the playoffs. It is up to the coaching staff to fix the problems on defense and propel this team to the next level.

Bucks 3-0 in Bledsoe Era

We are a month into the NBA season, and things are looking pretty good for the Milwaukee Bucks. They are currently second in the Central Division with a 7-6 record and have the league’s leading scoring in Giannis Antetokounmpo (31.3 PPG). On November 7th, the team traded center Greg Monroe, as well as a first and second-round draft pick, to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for point guard Eric Bledsoe. Bledsoe is coming off the best statistical year of his career, putting up 21.1 PPG, 6.3 APG, 4.8 RPG and 1.4 SPG during the 2016-2017 season. Bucks fans have already seen his impact on the team as they are 3-0 since making the trade for him a little over a week ago. The addition of Bledsoe has the city of Milwaukee buzzing about the potential of this team going forward. Many NBA analysts are predicting that the Bucks could finish as high as the second seed in the playoffs come April. The second seed would be an astonishing achievement given the fact that the Eastern Conference has juggernauts such as the Boston Celtics (led by NBA champion Kyrie Irving), the Cleveland Cavaliers (led by 3x NBA champion LeBron James) and the Washington Wizards (led by the lethal backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal). Bledsoe brings scoring, speed, defensive intensity, and playmaking ability to a team that desperately needed a complementary player to go alongside Antetokounmpo. He also adds depth to their current roster as they can now take Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon off the bench in the Sixth Man role.

Expectations are even higher for this team now that they boast one of the league’s most intimidating offenses. The most interesting thing about this Bucks team is that they have a lethal offense without forward Jabari Parker, who is still recovering from his second torn ACL that he suffered back in February of this year. In 52 games last season, he averaged 21.4 PPG, 3.0 APG, and 6.5 RPG. Parker is expected to make his return in February of 2018, and the NBA should be terrified of this team once he is back and playing at a high level.

Photo by:  Akash Kataruka

In Giannis We Trust

Giannis Antetokounmpo wasted no time starting his MVP campaign for the 2017-2018 season. In just four games this season he has put up 36.8 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 5.3 APG, and 2.3 SPG.  He earned Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors for the NBA’s opening week of play and also put up the most points (147) by a Bucks player through the first four games of the season since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (146) in the 1970-1971 season.

Giannis is playing this season, and every season from here on out, for his father who recently passed away from a heart attack at the age of 54. On October, 21st 2017, Giannis led the Milwaukee Bucks past the Portland Trailblazers in Milwaukee 113-110, a game dedicated to his late father. His teammates gave him the game ball, and he signed it saying, “This is for daddy. We got a win tonight. I had 44 points.” He had a clutch steal on All-Star Trailblazer’s guard C.J. McCollum in the last 30 seconds of the game, and he broke away for the go-ahead dunk. The Trailblazers were down 111-110 on the last possession of the game when he blocked Jusuf Nurkić’s potential game-winning shot to seal the game for the Bucks. Giannis asserted his dominance in this game and sent a message to the league to not take him lightly.

The absolute tear that Giannis is on has NBA fans left wondering just how much better this young player can get. While it’s not realistic to think he’ll continue to average 36 PPG, it is plausible to think that he could average anywhere from 25-30 PPG this season. Giannis is, without a doubt, the best talent the Bucks have seen since Michael Redd, and hopefully he can continue his great play through the rest of the regular season and deep into the postseason.

The (Pre) Season is Here!

The NBA preseason is underway, and all teams have expanded their rosters to allow players without a permanent roster spot to showcase their skills and potentially make the team. Some of these players on the Bucks include NBA veteran Joel Anthony, Brandon Rush, and Kendall Marshall. Two of these players, Rashad Vaughn and Gary Payton II, have stood out from the rest in the first two preseason games of the year.

Vaughn, a third-year player from UNLV, has struggled at times during his two years on the team and needs to prove himself in the next couple of weeks to secure his spot in the rotation. He has averaged 17 PPG in the first two preseason games, which is the highest PPG total on the team thus far. Also, as far as I’m concerned, he has the played the hardest of any player trying to make the team. His basketball growth is clearly visible to us fans, and hopefully this will translate into positive, consistent contributions during the regular season.

Another player who has impressed at the start of the preseason is Gary Payton II (son of NBA Hall of Famer Gary Payton). After going undrafted in 2016, Payton earned a spot on the Bucks roster in April of this year (2017). He played 6 games for the Bucks last season averaging 3.3 PPG, 2.2 APG and 2.0 RPG. In the first two games of action this season he has put up some solid stats, averaging 11 PPG, 3.0 APG and 4.5 RPG. What is most noticeable about Payton’s game is that he is EXTREMELY athletic but lacks the fundamentals needed to contribute consistently. If he can manifest all of his talents this season, then I believe that there won’t be any problems getting him minutes.

It should be very interesting to see who does/does not make the team as the rest of the preseason plays out. I think I speak for all us when I say that it is very exciting to have NBA action once again. Here’s to a successful season Buck’s fans!

Small Market with Big Dreams

Excitement is growing as a new NBA season will be upon us in just about a month. The Golden State Warriors swept through the 2017 NBA Playoffs before knocking off LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers four games to one in the 2017 NBA Finals. Such a dominating performance, as expected, should increase motivation for the young, hungry teams to compete with this juggernaut. The Milwaukee Bucks, one of these up-and-coming teams, are coming off a 42-40 season that concluded with a very competitive first-round playoff series loss to the Toronto Raptors (four games to two). As the Bucks look to take another step in their growth, here is a season preview for two key players returning this season: Giannis Antetokounmpo and Malcolm Brogdon.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, simply known as “The Greek Freak,” is coming off his best statistical season since being drafted by the team in 2013. The 22-year-old phenom posted career highs in every major statistical category (22.9 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 5.4 APG, 1.6 SPG & 1.9 BLKPG) earning him All-NBA Second Team honors for the 2016-2017 season. He is the first player in NBA history to finish in the top 20 for total points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks for an entire season (according to NBA.com). Giannis was also the first Buck’s player to appear in the All-Star game since Michael Redd in 2004 and the first Buck’s All-Star game starter since Sidney Moncrief back in 1986. These impressive achievements were capped off with a Most Improved Player award at the 2017 KIA NBA Awards ceremony. This was the first time a Milwaukee Buck has ever won this award and also the first NBA award for the Bucks since Ricky Pierce won Sixth Man of the Year in 1990. All of the noise he is making has current and former players taking notice. Kobe Bryant, one of the greatest players in NBA history, gave the Greek Freak a daunting challenge for this upcoming 2017 season: MVP.

The NBA was definitely put on alert when second-round pick Malcolm Brogdon took home 2017 KIA NBA Rookie of the Year honors. He was only the 2nd player in Bucks history to win the award (Kareem Abdul Jabbar in 1969-1970) and was the first player drafted outside the first-round to win it. Brogdon, 24, graduated in five years from the University of Virginia with an undergrad in history as well as a master’s degree in public policy, earning him the nickname “The President.” Many deem him the steal of the draft this past season for his immediate, positive impact as well as putting up 10.2 PPG, 4.2 APG and 2.8 RPG. Most notable about Brogdon is his off-court presence in the city of Milwaukee. He serves as a role model for young children due to his humble demeanor and outstanding work ethic. Already viewed as a veteran heading into his second year, Brogdon is definitely on the NBA’s radar as a breakout player to watch this upcoming season.

“Own the Future” is the Milwaukee Bucks slogan, but it seems as if the future is already here. The team is coming off a historic year and I, as well as all Bucks fans, are extremely anxious to see if all this young talent can manifest itself into a deep playoff run. This team has definitely disappointed in the past, but this time around the sentiment is different. The team, the coaches, the front office and the fans are ready to take the next step. It’s time for the NBA to Fear the Deer!