Trade deadlines are like the panic holiday. All these GM’s whose team’s are under performing feel like they need to make moves to “shake things up” or cut costs. That’s how guys like Tyson Chandler end up getting shipped away (almost) for nothing. The trade deadline leaves us with legendary failures like Steve Francis in New York. Typically the NBA trade deadline is on a Thursday. I think it’d be cooler if they made it the same number day every year like the MLB trade deadline. It’d be easier to remember for us common folk. I think the way it is constructed now is that it’s the Thursday after the all-star game, but I could be wrong. Anyway, typically that Thursday becomes the day everyone trashes their team’s GM or lauds them with praise. The Bucks, for example, were supposed to be active today. Richard Jefferson was supposedly a hot commodity, yet the trading deadline has passed and Richard Jefferson is still a Buck. This is where I may be inclined to rip into John Hammond for not getting a deal done. Yet I sit here conflicted.

On one hand Hammond has possibly turned the rest of this season into The Ramon Sessions Farewell Tour. Without saving the money owed to Jefferson next year the Bucks are facing a tall task in trying to resign Sessions. Jefferson’s contract is an albatross. As has been stated, Jefferson does not represent the future for the Bucks. He was at his peak a year or two ago and is heading down right now. Trading him and Luke Ridnour for the package that Portland supposedly had on the table would have been ideal.

But how realistic was that?

Everyone that really follows the Bucks was getting a little too excited about the prospect of that trade. So doesn’t it stand to reason that Portland – with a very astute general manager in Kevin Pritchard – knew they weren’t getting enough by having Jefferson as the center piece of the deal? That would explain the rumors that they wanted the Bucks to include either Sessions or a first round pick to sweeten the deal. They realized that they were doing the Bucks a favor by taking back Jefferson and his large deal. Granted it was a favor that helped them in the process by giving them an established wing scorer but it doesn’t push them over the edge into the pool of title contenders or anything.

Now we’re at the other hand.

As it stands the Bucks could still make a deal before the draft and create cap room to resign Sessions. If they traded Sessions with Jefferson they leave themselves without the talent or the youth required to interest other parties in deals. Giving away a draft pick would indicate once again that they are a team without a direction. They aren’t competing now and by trading away a draft pick with Jefferson they would be trading a future asset all in the name of saving money. To me this lack of a deal says it’s not necessarily all about the money in Milwaukee. Hammond appears to see that payroll is not as important as building a winning team.

At it’s best the lack of a trade shows not only the idea of a plan, but that John Hammond isn’t going to be a sucker . At worst it costs the Bucks Ramon Sessions. I’m thinking John Hammond isn’t going to panic about that worst case scenario, he knows what he’s doing.

When I was in elementary school we had detailed report cards. I wouldn’t even call them report cards, they were never that harsh. Report cards have letter grades and little feedback. On these everything was all checks and pluses and if a teacher really wanted to send a message they’d put a minus next to the check. Another difference between these and the cruel A-F system of junior high and high school was the detail. Sure, you may get a comment about what is going well and what needs attention in high school, but in grade school there was a detailed breakdown of each part of each class. There was a spot reflecting my listening, a spot for teamwork, a spot for time management, all of the skills I practiced and did not practice were rated. That sort of in depth analyzation was appreciated. It felt like my very own baseball card, except that I didn’t have my picture on the front and I’d hide it under the couch so my parents didn’t see it. With that in mind, and the “first half” of the season done and gone I’m thinking it’s time to take a look at Bucks General Manager John Hammond. I’m not ready to anoint him executive of the year, Milwaukee basketball savior, or barer of doom, there just has not been enough time to really judge the job he’s done. This is merely an update on the moves he has made and the impact they have had in the time he has been here.

Hires Scott Skiles: Check Plus
Thus far this has been the bet move Hammond has made. Skiles has brought a defensive intensity that Milwaukee has been missing since….umm….Sidney Moncrief? To this day I have a hard time believing that a Don Nelson coached team really had much defensive intensity, but we’ll be safe and say since then. Lately Skiles has really looked great. Without three of the team’s best players the Bucks have not missed a beat and are playing with more passion and energy than they have had all year. This is such a far cry from the last few years when Terry Stotts and Larry Krystowiak were in charge and the team tanked and tanked further when the stars went down. Skiles is known for his quick rebuilds and fiery manner, which has come back to haunt him as the years with teams go on, so we’ll see where things go in the coming years. For now, Skiles was the perfect man for the job.

Drafts Joe Alexander and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute: Check and Check Plus
One is a rousing success story and the other a mystery. First round picks are given a ton of leeway and a ton of criticism. No one ever wants to give up on a player with potential, but everyone wants to criticize them when they don’t live up to it right away. When Alexander was taken it was done with an eye to the future, especially once he was buried behind Jefferson on the depth chart. Alexander remains a tantalizing prospect for now, with a ceiling only he could jump to and a bottom dangerously low. Mbah a Moute has been an unbridled success. When a team gets any more than minimal production out of a second round pick it’s seen as a great find. When a team gets a reliable starter and it’s best defensive player out of a second round pick IN THEIR FIRST YEAR that is off the charts. Second round picks essentially have no risk involved, if they suck no one cares and they’re cut right away, so Mbah a Moute to me isn’t as great of a move as Skiles, but it’s pretty close.

Acquires Richard Jefferson for Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons: Check
This move is very difficult to judge. Easy Yi probably won’t ever be a star, he’ll probably actually never be as good as Jefferson. On the surface it seems like a no brainer. I’ve been harping on Jefferson all year about not being the star he is paid like, but that is not his fault. He is a two or a three guy on a pretty good team, not the number one option on a playoff team. When Redd kept going down and then Bogut went down that really forced Jefferson to be miscast as The Man. He’s handled that very well lately, likely, and not surprisingly, since Ramon Sessions and Charlie V. have stepped to the forefront of the Bucks. When Sessions took the reigns it also sped the game up a bit on offense and led to more transition, the offense Jefferson thrives in. The success of this trade will ultimately depend on what happens at the deadline with RJ. If he’s swapped that will likely lead to the Bucks being able to hold onto Sessions and Charlie V. And I’d much rather have those two guys than Easy Yi and Bobby Simmons.

Acquires Luke Ridnour and Damon Jones for Mo Williams and Desmond Mason: Check
This is a double edged sword. On one hand I love everything about the way Damon Jones has carried himself on the bench since arriving in Milwaukee. He’s invested in the game, he clowns with the refs and his teammates, he wears ridiculous bow ties on occasion when not suited up, the players seem to love having him around, and when he gets in the game he reminds me of some of the old guys at the rec league I used to work at. He’s always clapping his hands in disgust after missing a shot, like the three he bricked is a lay up for him and he’s so surprised he missed it. And watching him attempt to guard anyone anymore is a sight to behold as well. Jones looks like a future coach to me and that future should be sooner rather than later. But Luke Ridnour brings something of a dilemma. He hadn’t really played poorly before getting injured, but he still stood in the way of the obvious point guard of the future. It may have been good for Ramon Sessions to sit on the bench for a while this year, focusing on bringing energy and scoring rather than running a team. He’s developed even further as a scorer and now is looking very comfortable running the team. Would he have been displaying these skills all along? I don’t know. In spurts he looked great, but I think he needed more fine tuning. I think around January he was ready to take over. When Ridnour returns what will happen though? This will be the first major player rotation test Skiles will have. The early injuries made him go down the bench some, but he made all the obvious moves then. This will put his coaching acumen to test.

Signs Tyronn Lue: Check
Lue is little more than “just another guy”, but he ended up being pretty useful once injuries hit. He allowed Sessions and Ridnour to share the court and gave serviceable minutes as the backup point guard. His acquisition also gave them flexibility to acquire a wing guy better than anyone they could have had at an affordable rate last summer in Keith Bogans.

Acquires Keith Bogans and cash for Tyronn Lue: Check Plus
It’s always funny to me when I see “cash considerations” in a deal. I get the image of Keith Bogans having to bring with him a big bag of money to give to John Hammond. The only problem I’ve had with Bogans thus far is that it took this many months to get him. He offers exactly what the Bucks as currently constructed need, three point shooting and defense. On the shrewd scale this deal ranks a seven. The cheap deals the Bucks used to get Toni Kukoc to sign were nines on the shrewd scale by comparison.

Signs Francisco Elson: Check
Elson and Gadzuric have been left to hold down the fort since the injury to Andrew Bogut…and they haven’t been great. Gadzuric has had three-four moments where he’s appeared at the least competent this season, and Elson has had probably four-five. Since Elson makes 1/300th of the money Gadz makes, it seems like a steal. Realistically he’s an average backup guy. You know what you’re going to get, not much, and you aren’t going to pay more than two million. He knows his limitations and shows up to play hard every game. No complaints.

An important thing to remember is that Hammond is dealing with a pretty hands on type owner. Kohl wants to know what is going on and put his stamp of approval on things. It seems like there is a lot of pressure on Hammond to get this team back to the playoffs quick, which is a band-aid type move by the organization. Regardless, there are some general managers who fall into the extreme categories. Isaiah Thomas was EXTREMELY bad, whereas Sam Presti in Sea…Oklahoma City has been EXTREMELY good. Hammond is not an extreme guy. None of his deals have been real bad or real good, they’ve just been sound moves. He doesn’t seem to have the “get the most talent regardless of fit” complexity that some guys have, which is a huge plus. The one complaint I’d register is that he’s yet to take a stance on where this team needs to go. Either trade the young guys before you lose them (bad idea) or trade the overpaid sort of kind of stars making too much (good idea). He seems to be closer to the latter than the former, a good sign

After yet another Buck free All-Star Weekend the Bucks head to Detroit to begin the “second half” of the season. Watching the introductions to this game I can’t help but notice the once again expressionless face of Tim Duncan. Dwight Howard did a dance, Lebron did a dance, KG did a dance, almost everyone did something, but Duncan looked up stone-faced as ever and nodded his head. I’m sure Bill Russell was proud. Shaq had quite a routine with the Jabbawokies (I think that is their name). I think he stole a lot of that from his jam session dance-off with Dwight Howard last year, but I’ll still give him an A for effort.

I’ve grown accustomed to not having anyone to root for on these occasions, but miss the days when the Bucks were vying for three all-stars with Ray Allen, Glenn Robinson, and Sam Cassell. Perhaps next year at this time I’ll be beaming as Andrew Bogut catches a lob from Ramon Sessions while representing the finest the Eastern Conference has to offer.

If the Bucks can resign Sessions.

There have been some rumbles that the Bucks are interested in making a deal with Portland involving Richard Jefferson and Luke Ridnour. This would be a coup for the Bucks, as it would free up enough cap space to allow them to bring back Sessions and Charlie V. assuming their contract demands are reasonable. I wouldn’t hold my breath on this one though; I just don’t see why the Blazers would be that interested in making that deal. Does it make them a contender this year? No. Does it push them to the next level next year? No. They could use the benefit of RJ’s expiring contract in a few years when some of their young guys are up for extensions, but that seems like an unrealistic reason for a deal getting done.

Over at Brewhoop Frank Madden does a great job of breaking down the Bucks cap situation with an eye on how to avoid the luxury tax.

The week ahead is a very central themed week for the Bucks. Starting with a trip to Detroit, the Bucks follow with home games against Chicago and Cleveland. Without further ado…

February 17th Bucks @ Detroit (27-24)
I hope I’m not jinxing this, but Detroit is only three games ahead of Milwaukee in the standings. I almost want to start thinking these new look Bucks could make a run at them…and then I remember that these are the same Pistons that deal the Bucks heartbreaking losses time and time again. The most recent was especially difficult. The Bucks had chances to put away the Pistons, but for every free throw or lay-up by Ramon Sessions there was a Rasheed Wallace three waiting on the other end. Past successes being as they are the Pistons are still a shell of their former selves. Rodney Stuckey looks pretty good, but Wallace has had far fewer standout performances this year, and the acquisition of Iverson leaves them missing something defensively. The Pistons still have been too much for the Bucks this year, and I don’t expect a lot to change this week. That last sentence may or may not have been an attempt to reverse jinx the Pistons. I’ll decide that Tuesday night after the game.

February 18th Bucks v. Chicago (23-30)
I made two points about Chicago when I was looking at the Bucks playoff chances near the end of January. My first point was that Chicago was terrible on the road and their seven game road trip would destroy their playoff chances. Wrong. They somehow went 4-3 and easily could have gone 5-2 if not for a heartbreaker against Minnesota. The Bulls were a miserable road team before this, so how’d they get their act together for a midseason seven game roadie? That takes me to my other point – Tyrus Thomas. I said it was foolish for the Bulls to not throw minutes at Tyrus Thomas and see if he could be anything. Over the road trip Thomas averaged 32.5 minutes and responded with 14.7 points and 9.7 rebounds a game. Thomas seems like the perfect running mate for Derrick Rose, that is, unless Amare Stoudemire comes to town. Thomas is the Splenda to Stoudemire’s sugar. The Bulls now look like they’ll be making a serious run at that last playoff spot. At least they aren’t the Cubs.

February 20th Bucks v. Cleveland (40-11)
King James comes back to Milwaukee. I actually found the ball from the shot Ramon Sessions put up that James rejected rolling down my street a few weeks ago, so that was cool. Mo Williams will be fresh off his first (and I’ll bet only) all-star appearance. Mo is putting up similar numbers to the ones he had last year, just with a far superior team. He’s pretty much in a perfect role for himself, a complementary player responsible for hitting shots and keeping the ball moving. It’s mysterious how his defense has managed to improve so greatly though, it must be something in that Cleveland water.

In the very first piece I posted on this site I questioned whether or not Ramon Sessions was capable of being a great (or good) NBA point guard. Earlier in the season he was prone to bizarre turnovers having to do with a seemingly undeveloped ability to dribble the ball. Dribbling is probably the most basic part of a point guard’s job and something that he has surely been doing since he began playing basketball. I wasn’t sure earlier this year if this was a correctable problem, but fortunately as the season has gone on, I haven’t seen these silly turnovers nearly as much from Sessions…and now I’m afraid I won’t see him at all next year.

What I have seen from Sessions lately is a terrific all around game, game after game. Not only is he looking like a very good NBA point guard, but he’s looking like the point guard of the future for the Milwaukee Bucks, permitting they can afford to keep him around. Look at the numbers Sessions has put up since Michael Redd’s injury.

Minutes Points Assists Free Throws
38.7 21.6 6.1 7.9-9.3

Those aren’t bad. In fact, Devin Harris, an all-star, is averaging eerily similar numbers on the year. Harris is being seen as a franchise cornerstone for years to come in New Jersey. Harris is one of two players I thought of when trying to find a comparison for Sessions. The other is Tony Parker. I realize that Sessions lacks the quickness of Harris or Parker, or Harris’ springs, but like them he is not an accomplished jump shooter. I’ll also point out that Sessions athleticism is much better than given credit for. It’s not like this guy is being out run by Shaq and out jumped by Yao Ming. He can hold his own. But I digress. Here are the second season numbers PER numbers for the three as brought to you by John Hollinger of espn.com. Sessions obviously hasn’t finished his second season yet, but if anything his numbers will likely be going up.

Harris
SEASON FG% FT% P/40 R/40 A/40 TS% Ast TO Usg Reb PER
2005-06 .469 .716 17.4 3.9 5.6 54.4 23.0 10.9 21.1 5.9 17.51

Parker
SEASON FG% FT% P/40 R/40 A/40 TS% Ast TO Usg Reb PER
2002-03 .464 .755 18.3 3.1 6.2 54.2 24.0 11.0 22.1 4.5 17.17

Sessions
SEASON FG% FT% P/40 R/40 A/40 TS% Ast TO Usg Reb PER
2008-09 .451 .806 18.4 4.6 7.2 54.0 26.6 10.2 22.2 6.9 17.80

One thing that stands out to me is how good of a free throw shooter Sessions is for a second year guy. A lot of players take three or four years before they find the right groove at the NBA stripe, he’s been able to do it right away. Aside from that his numbers stack up very well with both these guys. Parker is a multiple all-star guy and Harris looks as though he will have multiple by this time next year. Parker had the luxury of playing pretty big minutes almost immediately whereas Harris (Jason Terry) and Sessions (Luke Ridnour) had to sit behind guys who weren’t very good point guards (Terry is a very productive fill it up scorer off the bench).

The one thing Sessions does not have in common with these two could be listed in a different, but very important, category: wins. Both Parker and Harris played on better teams, but were critical to the success of those teams. Parker would go on to win a Finals MVP and Harris probably should have if the Mavericks would not have been screwed in the Dwyane Wade series. It stands to reason that if Sessions is “let loose” wins will follow for the Bucks.

I guess that’s my whole point. Sessions is probably the most important player on the Bucks and the one most likely to sustain any importance league wide. Since taking the reigns at point guard Sessions has guided the team to two games over 120 points and a 1-1 record against two very good teams. He may not have a great outside shot or blinding speed, but Sessions is a very very good basketball player at the most important position in the NBA. Point guards have more to do with wins and losses than anyone else on a basketball court (unless Kobe and Lebron are on the court, but they really become point guards whenever they want anyway). I realize the cap situation will be tight for Milwaukee this off-season but it seems clear that the Bucks must do whatever they can to keep Sessions.

I was fortunate enough to land some pretty good seats to last night;s game courtesy of a friend of mine. It allowed me to see some things I usually would have missed from my typical perch up in the rafters of the BC. Or in the front row of the upper level since no one ever shows up up there.

1. Ron Artest is Crazy

Artest being crazy is nothing new, I mean he jumped into the stands. But this is the first experience I’ve had with it up close. The best example came in the third quarter with the Rockets down 22. Artest got fouled on a shot, earning him two free throws. Right after the foul was called he yelled “LETS GO!!” as loud as he could and pounded his chest two or three times. I was terrified. His teammates weren’t as enthused with the situation and didn’t even respond to this bizarre sight. Which brings me to my next point.

2. The Rockets Don’t Like Ron Artest

I’ve heard so many different tales with the theme that Artest was actually a great guy in the locker room. People have always said he’s just so uber-competitive that on the court he’s insane. Well I’d guess that there is some friction in this locker room, aside from what we already know. My example here took place in what I believe was the second quarter, but don’t quote me on that. The Rockets were about to line up to shoot a free throw and Artest began chirping at Brent Barry about something. Barry didn’t even move his head in Artest direction, just looked ahead and nodded. This was not enough for Ron-Ron and he moved closer to Barry and continued to jaw at him about something. Barry eventually gave the response that I used to give to my mother when she was nagging me about something when I was 14. He just agreed with whatever Artest was saying and kept repeating okay over and over until Artest left him alone. To say Barry seemed annoyed would be an understatement. It looked like any conversation had with Artest would be similar to this, he’s a man of last words it seems.

3. Luc Mbah a Moute Plays Serious D

This is nothing new as well. And you don’t need to be in any kind of nice seat to see that this guy locks down. But last night in the early going against McGrady he made life impossible. Everywhere TMac went Mbah a Moute followed close behind, using his extended limbs to bother any shot McGrady put up. Now I know McGrady is not what he once was (see above) but the way Mbah a Moute started off on him took him out of the game from the get go. McGrady never recovered and against other defenders seemed to not be all that interested in taking it to the hole, doing a lot of passing and little attacking. This all may have a lot to do with his knee situation obviously, but let’s give a hand to The Prince anyway.

4. Shane Battier Politely Disagrees With That Call

Battier is not adverse to arguing with a ref. This makes him like every other NBA player to ever lace up a pair of sneakers. What makes him different is the manner which he argues calls. It’s almost as if Battier is always trying to see things through the eyes of the ref when they are talking. I can’t even say he really argues with refs, he discusses things that just happened. He usually does all of this with a smile on his face that says, “I know you’re trying your best but I feel as if you may have erred on that call. I’m sure you’ll get ‘em next time though sir.”

5. Moving Yao Is A Project

I’ve seen it written that Yao is better than Dwight Howard. Not only do I disagree with that, but I don’t see how that is physically possible. There is no way Yao could ever function in any type of offense that was built around transition. I’ve seen semi-trucks change direction quicker than Yao. The poor guy gets assaulted every time he is on offense too. No one ever calls fouls on his assailants though, because they are covering a man who makes them look like a child. In addition to his transition struggles it takes Yao so long to execute any post move that by the time he is done his much smaller defender has leaped up and met him at his peak. The basketball life of Yao Ming seems difficult and painful judging by the grimace constantly on his face. And for all the offensive problems he has then he gets yelled at by Dikembe Mutombo when he gets back to the bench.

6. Joe Alexander Is Here To Shoot

Alexander was in the game for the last six or seven minutes of the game and he shot every time he touched the ball except once. The results? Usually either a swish or an airball. Alexander has a lot of highs and a lot of lows when he plays. At least it’s exciting. The fans seemed pretty excited to see him enter the game, good that Milwaukeeans have yet to give up on him.

7. Ramon Sessions and Charlie V. Are Very Good

It’s no longer amazing to me when these guys put up 20+ points and dominate the game. What I love about these two right now is that they are scoring all these points while keeping everyone involved in the game. Charlie V. once again dished out four assists to go with his 25 points and didn’t force anything. Sessions continues to dominate the paint at will. After getting to the line an astonishing 21 times against the Pistons, Sessions made 12 trips last night. Nasty.

8. Richard Jefferson Has Something Left In the Tank

Jefferson showed that he still is capable of being an effective player. For as much as I rag on him about his performance this year, he turned it up a notch yesterday. If the Bucks can continue to play more of an up-tempo game that should suit Jefferson better. He can still get out in transition and finish. Now he just needs to hit his free throws.

9. Scott Skiles Can Coach

I need to stop looking at the Bucks in the scope of the Bucks of the last few years. Scott Skiles is not Terry Stotts. Scott Skiles is not Larry Krystowiak. Scott Skiles will not allow this team to pack it in like the Bucks of yester year. No these are not quite your father’s Bucks of the 70s and 80s, but they are not your slightly older brother’s Bucks either. Every time I expect the Bucks to pack it in due to the injuries they seem to come out playing even harder than before. It’s possible that the Bucks have extradited any of the veterans who have not brought the correct attitude in the past during the stretches (cough cough, Mo Williams, cough cough). I don’t think enough credit has been heaped on Skiles for the job he has done to keep this group competing hard and working together. Not to mention finding the key to unlock the power of Charlie V. Now if he sticks with Sessions when Ridnour comes back I’ll really be impressed.