Milwaukee Bucks, the NBA’s most surprising team this season. posted by Bucks Fan

The Milwaukee Bucks may only have a .500 record standing at 15 and 15, but they've already equaled last season's win total. They also occupy the Eastern Conference's No. 6 seed heading into the second third of the 2014 season. 

And in a conference starved for solid Nos. 1-8 depth like the West, a .500 record should qualify Jason Kidd's club for the postseason. 

Sure, the Bucks are far from perfect, they have their downfalls, like having a sputtering offense that ranks 20th in efficiency, but there is plenty to write home about as the defense is still slightly above average (No. 11 overall). As is the case with most young teams, continuity has been easier to find as the result of pure athleticism than tactical execution.

Kidd's influence is also evident when you examine point guard Brandon Knight's production. 

Knight is one of nine players—along with James Harden, Chris Paul, Damian Lillard, Stephen Curry, Kyle Lowry, LeBron James, John Wall and Russell Westbrook—averaging at least 18 points, five assists and four rebounds this season, and that is some great company to be in, considering the lack of premiere talent usually surrounding this Milwaukee team.

Knight's also improved dramatically from beyond the arc, where he's knocking down better than 40 percent of his attempts. He is drilling 46.4 percent of his catch-and-shoot triples, shots that account for more than 20 percent of his total production.

These are all positives and something that Bucs fans should be excited about moving forward. With such a young team, the Bucs need to not get ahead of themselves as they approach the mid season break and then the final stretch before post season. It’s easy to stumble on one’s on feet but with the way the Bucs are playing and the weak and sluggish East, making the postseason shouldn’t be a problem.

Milwaukee Bucks Preseason Report 2014 posted by Bucks Fan

The 2013-14 season was exceptionally bad for the Milwaukee Bucks, considering they had spent so much to form a great team. The teams spent big amounts to get Zaza Pachulia and O.J. Mayo, and Larry Sanders was signed for a four-year contract. Sanders, who is known for his great defense play, not only got into a bar fight but also injured his thumb, and Mayo put on weight and had a fight with the coach. However, the rest of the team was also quite terrible, and there were losses after losses and the team ended with 15-67.

For the next season, 2014-15, the only hope for the Milwaukee Bucks seems to be Jabari Parker, whom they acquired in the draft. The other players who came in through the draft were Johnny O'Bryant and Damien Inglis. In free agency, the team acquired Jerryd Bayless and Kendall Marshall, while in the trades they got Jared Dudley.

Parker, who is a Chicago native, will be pleased to be near his hometown. Larry Sanders will be gaining the most from the presence of Parker, as he has struggled with focus and effort in the past. The organizational shift will be good for Sanders, who is facing legal issues. Parker might be able to develop a positive atmosphere in the locker room, and provide Sanders with the required focus and sense of pride in the team. The balance of offensive between Mayo, Illyasova, and Parker, could be very beneficial for Sanders.

On the downside, Milwaukee Bucks could face issues with Mayo's attitude and the bad atmosphere he usually creates in the locker room. However, the team has acquired Mayo for his offensive ability, which could pay off, if he controls his attitude. This sounds unlikely, and there are chances of Mayo being traded by the end of the season.

Big Daddy Rides Brees’ Avalanche to the Bottom posted by Les Leonard

     What emotion described your mood after Sunday’s Superdome debacle? Did you feel disappointed, humiliated, angry, or betrayed? Big Daddy felt so humiliated by the Saints half-hearted effort. Only Brett Farve understood Saints fans embarrassment after his wood-stroking photos surfaced on the internet. Several of Big Daddy’s co-workers revisited the Madden Curse theory, citing Drew Brees’ God-awful performance in which 2 of his 4 interceptions resulted in pick-sixes. Others wondered if Cleveland Head Coach Eric Mangini instructed former Saints Scott Fujita and Mike Bell (two integral pieces to last year’s Super Bowl Championship team) to hire a Voodoo priestess to cast an Early Halloween spell on Drew. One thing is certain, the Browns’ coach unleashed his bag of tricks on the Crescent City, soundly out coaching Sean Payton all afternoon. Saints fans can only pray that the Black ’n’ Gold will collect tons of treats come Halloween night when Pittsburgh comes to town. In this edition of the Section 645 Saints Beat, Big Daddy tailgates in Champions Square, reports live from Section 645, recaps the Cleveland game, watches the New Orleans Hornets season opener, attends legendary Martinque chef Nat Carrier’s Birthday Bash, and releases his World Famous Pregame Information.

     Saints fans had Champions Square jam packed by 10 am. Some listened to the pregame concert, while others watched CBS’s coverage of the NFL Today on the big screen. No matter which option the Who Dat Army soldiers choose, they all munched down funnel cakes, hot dogs, and pretzels, watching down their tailgating eats with semi-cold $5.00 draught beers prior to entering the Superdome, where buying drinks smarts worse than a nun’s 3-sided ruler in parochial school. Once Big Daddy’s posse temporarily quenched their thirst, our group huddled around WWL’s Saints radio broadcast outside Gate C to catch some of Bobby Hebert’s, Deke Bellavia’s, and Mike Detillier’s pregame thoughts before ascending to hallowed Section 645 grounds near the summit of the Big Easy’s coolest man made mountain.

Bucks trade Gadzuric, Bell for Maggette posted by john howard

The Milwaukee Bucks traded Charlie Bell and Dan Gadzurik to the Golden State Warrios for Corey Magette.

 This is a good move for both teams and potentially a great move for Milwuakee.

Golden State is changing ownership and wants to get a younger nucleus to build around.  The Trade of Magette rids the team of $31 million for the next  3 years. 

As far as the Bucks go, this was a good move for a couple of reasons. One, if John Salmons leaves, then they have his replacement.  But, if they can resign Salmons, there is a lot more firepower for this team.  The Bucks made the playoffs and had a good showing without their top inside threat in Andrew Bogut. 

Small news, but could be a big deal.

Fun With Box Scores posted by Scott Shepherd

Every Monday, with the assistance of the good people over at www.basketball-reference.com, I like to take a look deep into the statistics of teams and players from around the league in a little post I like to call “Fun with Box Scores”.

Some of the gems I came across this week:

-Quinten Richardson has gone 9 games, 275 minutes played, without taking a single free throw this season.

-Even more remarkably, Jason Kidd has taken just 2 free throws in 347 minutes this season.

-73% of Daniel Gibson’s shots this season have been from beyond the three point line, by far the highest percentage of any player in the league with at least 50 shots taken.

-Since 1986, the record for most 40+ point games before December 1st is 14. Brandon Jennings’ 55 point outburst on Saturday was the 14th time that someone has scored at least 40 this season, tying the record, and we’ve still got 15 days left in the month.

-Speaking of Jennings, since 1986, no player has had a better three point field goal percentage during a 50-point game than he did on Saturday (minimum 3 attempts).

-In that same time span, Jennings is the youngest player ever to shoot at least 34 shots in a game.

-Nazr Mohammed led the Bobcats in scoring on Wednesday with a whopping 13 points. In nine games this season, the Cat’s have failed to have a player reach 20 points in five of them, by far the most in the league.

-Golden State has given up at least 100 points in every game this season. They are the only team in the league to do so this season.

The NBA, Where Desperation Happens posted by Chad

So, things aren't looking good for the NBA right now.  There are a lot of reasons, the economy, it struggles compared to the other sports anyway, superstar bailout calls, the "thug" image, and mainly the fact the refs don't really know how to call the game.  I have a hard time watching somebody get 4 steps through the lane and a 4 second later continuation call; sorry, but that's not basketball.  Toss in the fact that these refs that don't apparently enforce the rules are going to go on strike and they also gamble on basketball.. things aren't looking good.  Teams are desperate to pack the stands.

Don't worry fans!  The Nets have an amazing, really incredible, inspiration, and entirely chaotic way to get fans in teh stands.  Only good things can happen here, and that's a promise.  If you fork out 25g's for 10 games of the team's best seats you can put in a list of players that you want to come hang out with you for an hour.  You can have them at home, a birthday party, the office, or anywhere else you'd like to go.  No word on bachelor parties, hanging out at their house, or even the Gold Club all the guys love so much down in the ATL.  Patrick Ewing knows what I'm talking about.  So, lets say you have the cash and the desire to do this.. you really need to consider your options.  I'll help you take a look at the Nets top guys:

1.  Yi.  How could he not be #1?  The possibilities are endless!  Does a translator come with or do you just have to akwardly try to teach him English in that hour?  Where would you go with the guy.. the zoo?  Your crib?  What if you want to drive somewhere, does that mean you get to ride in his car since he can't fit in yours?  Does you have a lazyboy at home?  If so, you might be able to tape him going one on one against it.  My money says put it on Yi; it wouldn't be the first time he's knocked a chair to the ground in victory.  I'd love to see it.

Breaking down the Blazers....Part Five posted by ucatchtrout

The center position is one of the strongest spots on the Blazers roster.  And if you combine last seasons stats for Joel Pryzbilla and Greg Oden the numbers look pretty good. 13.4 pts, 15.7 rbs, 2.3 bks.  What team wouldn't be happy with that? 

Last season began with the Trailblazers annointing Greg as their starter at the 5 spot.  It was and up and down year for the youngster from Ohio State.  He started 39 games for Portland, had a career-high 24 points and 15 rebounds in a win against the Milwaukee Bucks on January 19.  If he'd been able to average 36 minutes per game his PER would have been 14.8 pts, 11.6 rbs, and 1.9 bks.  The season also had its low points for Oden.  Not only did he have trouble staying in games due to foul trouble, ( his PER for fouls if he'd averaged 36 min was 6.5) he had physical problems as well and suffered an injury to his foot during his first game against the Lakers, and fractured his kneecap in February during a collision with Corey Magette and missed three weeks. 



Much was made of the fact that Greg was only able to play in 61 games last season.  But if you compare that with Joel Pryzbillas 11 year NBA career, there were only 4 seasons in which Joel was able to play more than 61 games.  And it was only the second time in his five years in Portland that he was able to do so.  Fortunately for the Blazers, last season the grizzly veteran was a bit of an iron man and played in all 82 games for the first time in his career.
Continue reading "Breaking down the Blazers....Part Five"

Milwaukee Bucks: Where Are They Going? posted by Chad

The 2009-2010 Milwaukee Bucks roster is not yet set, but that doesn't mean we don't know where they are heading.  We do know where they are heading though, and that is straight down.  They are dumpster diving for young "talent" to try to turn themselves into a young, exciting squad.  Unfortunately, the young pieces that they have are either:  raw or simply not talented enough to make an impact, and this is going to be a long season in Milwaukee. 

PG:  Brandon Jennings, Luke Ridnour, Ramon Sessions (FA)
Jennings is getting a lot of hype around Milwaukee and from the coaching staff because of his speed and ability to get to the rim.  He is an extremely quick guard that can get end to end in a flash, but his jumpshot, experience, and cockiness all had NBA teams sour on him at the draft.  He could be a good player, but he is going to experience a lot of growing pains and spend a lot of time trying to defend bigger PG's on the block. 
Ridnour has been around the block and carries a hefty price tag, as he averaged 9.6 points and over 5 assists a game last year.  Those aren't bad numbers, but he isn't a great defender either.  I think you'll see Ridnour stay a Buck if Sessions signs elsewhere.  If Sessions re-signs in Milwaukee, then I think Ridnour will be traded for a pick, cap relief, and/or a young player.
Sessions is a young PG that put up pretty good numbers in Milwaukee, but apparently he isn't "exciting" enough for the Milwaukee brass.  He averaged over 12 points and 5.7 assists per game only playing 27 minutes a night.  His 3-point shooting, however, was atrocious at 17%.  Regardless, he did drop over 20 dimes in a game and also finished his NBA season with games of 10 points/9 assists, 19 points/7 assits, and 9 points/12 assists.  At his age and with his ability to see the floor, I am shocked the Bucks went with Jennings in the NBA draft and have not re-signed Sessions.  He might not be a potential Buck much longer, and that is disheartening to the Milwaukee fans.

Summer league--July 11 posted by john howard

Summer league is a time for development.  The Lakers are still deciding on what to do with Lamar Odom.  But, in the meantime, Adam Morrison is making the most of summer time.  He had 24 points 5 rebounds, 3 assist, and 1 turnover in his summer league debut.  Then, he had 22 points and hit 4 three pointers in his second game. Great numbers and improvement.  If Morrison can contribute off the bench, it will provide much needed insurance for if/when Ron Artest melts down.

The Milwaukee Bukcs are rebuilding and Joe Alexander had 14 points and 7 rebounds in his summer league debut.  Brenden Jennings had 10 points and Meeks had 14. 

News Review posted by z

The Vince Carter Trade:  Ok, getting Vince Carter is good.  But losing Courtney Lee and forcing Turkoglu out of town as a result of it isn't good.  I would rather have Lee and Turkoglu than Carter.  So, to me, Orlando is now worse.  This is a downgrade.  New Jersey's still not a very good team.

The Richard Jefferson Trade:  Plain and simple, this was a steal for the Spurs.  They got younger, and now have 4 guys who can fill it up.  The Spurs are very close to being able to win another title.  They need to add one more quality center.  They don't have enough height on their roster right now.  The Bucks just wanted to save money.

The Shaq Trade:  Great trade for the Cavs.  Shaq can slow down Dwight Howard if the Cavs meet the Magic again in the playoffs.  Shaq can get a bucket on his own, and take pressure off LeBron.  Shaq even still commands a double team, at times.  There's no serious commitment to Shaq either, because he only has 1 year left on his deal.  Awesome trade for Cleveland.  The Suns also just wanted to save money.

Minnesota drafting Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn:  I don't like it.  You can't piss off your young point guard with tons of potential by drafting another point guard immediately after him.  I bet Rubio would be happy right now if he was the clear cut point guard on the team.  Minny clearly should've drafted Curry or DeRozan, both of whom could play shooting guard.

Bucks re-sign center Miles Plumlee, agrees to 4-year deal (Yahoo Sports)

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Plumlee re-signs with Bucks on four-year deal

The Milwaukee Bucks have re-signed restricted free agent center Miles Plumlee, who agreed to a four-year deal. [read full article]

From FOX Sports Digital

Bucks re-sign center Miles Plumlee, agrees to 4-year deal

MILWAUKEE (AP) The Milwaukee Bucks have re-signed restricted free agent center Miles Plumlee. [read full article]

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Breaking down the Bucks in 2016 NBA Las Vegas Summer League

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NBA Summer League recap: Rockets 92, Bucks 89

The Milwaukee Bucks lost 92-89 to the Houston Rockets despite a late fourth-quarter run. [read full article]

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