We’ve got a special guest in studio today in sometime contributor Ross Geiger. No, Ross did not go to Ohio State and he is not Michael Redd’s publicist. He’s just an optimist who still believes. And who knows, maybe he’ll be the one who is right on Redd. I’m not holding my breath, but it’s worth some consideration. Enjoy.

His role, his status, his future and his health is all uncertain, but folks find your calendars, because some time next February, Michael Redd will be back.  And despite the doom and gloom that’s been predicted, it might not be all bad.

Redd has been gone, forgotten, and ignored by the majority of the NBA world. And there are plenty of good reasons for that. But, instead of talking about all the things Redd can’t do, let’s talk about his potential impact upon return to the Milwaukee Bucks next season.  Laugh now, but Redd’s timetable could be key in helping increase the Bucks 2011 playoff chances.  At the very least, he could help Corey Magette. Read more…

Luda stopped by Brandon Jennings' basketball camp

When listing the most unlikely pedestrians to roam the streets of the City of Mequon this week, one would think Ludacris would have to make the cut.

And yet, here we are.

One of Atlanta’s most flamboyant rappers graced Brandon Jennings’ basketball camp with his presence Thursday, a scene considerably more likely in Atlanta.  Or in Chicago.  Or Los Angeles.  Or New York.  Or pretty much any NBA city in the league.

But perhaps Ludacris feels like Jennings’ “has more range than a Texan.”  Maybe he can relate to Jennings, who is “on the rise and has people who despise him.”  Forgive the poor use of Luda lyrics, but I was inspired by a Journal-Sentinel commentor who mentioned that we should forgive the rapper for being late, but his time and his clothes had to coordinate.

The rap game’s finest actor was in Milwaukee promoting a new brand of liquor according to Fox6now.com and took the time to stop by Jennings’ camp.

This is not Jennings’ first rap encounter.  We all remember the Joe Budden situation last summer, but he also appeared in a video for local rapper Ray Nitti’s BOW and in early June exchanged words on Twitter with rapper Young Buck over the use of the name Young Buck.  Seriously.

But for the time being, his most recent dealings, with the most successful rapper he’s had any association with, seem to be nothing but positive.  In the Fox6 story, a representative for Luda mentioned they may be interested in a partnership with Jennings in the future.

And if they wanted to stop by Milwaukee for a game or two this year, that wouldn’t be so bad either.

Jeremy Schmidt writes the Milwaukee Bucks blog Bucksketball.com

The Opener

Milwaukee opens the regular season on Saturday October 30, which should be no surprise for a few reasons. First, Milwaukee typically starts every year on the road for whatever reason (26 years in a row!), pushing their first home game to the last weekend in October.  Second, it’s a Saturday night home game, which will be something of a weekly tradition in Milwaukee this season.  The Bucks will play a home game on a Saturday 17 times this season.  Couple that with the increased expectations and excitement about the team and we’re looking at a possible significant attendance boom.  Milwaukee had just 13 Saturday home games last year.

Back-to-Backs: 23

With 23 back-to-backs this year (22+ for the third straight season), Milwaukee will tie Chicago for the league lead in that category.  Right out of the gates, they come pretty quickly.  Milwaukee has three back-to-backs by the end of week two in the season, with two sweeps looking possible and some intriguing tests in a home game against Portland and a road game in Boston for games four and five.

National TV Games: 4

Milwaukee has just four games on the national slate, the November 3rd game at Boston, February 16 vs. Denver, March 6 vs. Boston, and the April 6 contest at Miami, but that’s nothing to fret.  Last season they had zero and ended up playing three (as I recall) on ESPN.  Starting with four is progress, bumping that up to six or seven with stellar play would be even better.

March: The Month of Opportunity

Much like last season, March will be a month of opportunity for Milwaukee. 15 games are on the docket for the Bucks and with 10 of them coming at home, the team could be heading into April like a lion. And the five road games aren’t exactly all against world beaters, Washington, Boston, New York, Charlotte and Toronto all could be beatable.

Come for the Globetrotters, stay for the Bucks

For the first time in over 35 years, Milwaukee will be ringing in the New Year in the Bradley Center with a home game on January 1 against the Mavericks.  If tradition holds true and the Harlem Globetrotters play in Milwaukee on New Year’s Eve, you could set up a nice little two day family basketball fest here in the Mil to open up 2011.  Or recover from your hangover with a Bloody Mary at the BC and check out the Roddy Beaubois/Brandon Jennings rematch.  And hope Dirk doesn’t sink another buzzer beater.

No extended stays out West

Where this season’s schedule really favors the Bucks is the lack of an extended trip out West. Remember last season’s death march to the left coast in January?  Michael Redd blew out his knee, Andrew Bogut missed a layup in Phoenix and the Bucks got blown out a few times.  The saving grace was a very well played game on Martin Luther King Jr. Day against Houston and the signing of Jerry Stackhouse the same day, two things that seemed to have sparked the turnaround that would last through April.  Well there is no death march this year.  The Bucks longest trips to the West are a three game trip to Portland, Los Angeles (Lakers) and Sacramento in late December and three in late January/early February against the Clippers, Suns and warriors.  The December swing should merit extra attention though.  Milwaukee has two games on a mini-tour of Texas the week before in Dallas and San Antonio before coming home to play Utah as a prelude to their three games.  It’s a five game trip, but with the benefit of a stop home for rest.

Miniature home stands

Last season, Milwaukee had the luxury of two five-game home stands, something they won’t see this year.  Milwaukee has four four-gamers, ranging from difficult (Orlando, Miami, Indiana and Houston) to easy Indiana, the Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves.

Jeremy Schmidt writes the Milwaukee Bucks blog Bucksketball.com

This right here my friends, could be a saving grace for next season’s Milwaukee Bucks. Read more…

Anticipation for the Bucks season to start typically isn’t high. The team has the unfortunate task of competing for the hearts and minds of Milwaukeeans with the Green Bay Packers. Family Night in Green Bay, a team scrimmage, just drew over 40,000 fans and had many leaving with visions of a Super Bowl dancing in their heads. The NFL will do that to people. Every year the league is essentially wide open, waiting for one team with a strong defense and terrific quarterback to step up and outlast the competition. The Packers seem to meet both those criteria and just two season removed from a 6-10 finish look to be ready to make the final leap. It can be just that easy in the NFL, even for the smallest media market in the three major sports.

Meanwhile, the Bucks are looking to build on their most successful season in years and are generating some legitimate interest for the first time in a long time. I spoke with a worker at the Bucks booth inside the expo center at State Fair and he told me sales were three times what they were last year. Everyone’s getting ready to watch competitive playoff basketball for the second consecutive year, something Milwaukee hasn’t had as apart of our lives since Y2K was going to blow up the grid.

But for a small market team in the NBA, are title aspirations ever a serious goal? The Bucks are heading into this season two seasons removed from a 34-48 season that counted as a legitimate leap, albeit one few noticed. Unlike the Packers, Milwaukee is probably still a season or two from legit contender status, and that still depends on making the right move at every turn. The margin for error in Milwaukee is considerably less than  it is for the team 120 miles to the North. A step back in the next season or two and suddenly everyone’s jumping ship. For a small market team, that would be a blow that could be too significant to take.

And that’s what people often wonder about the NBA. Can small market team’s compete?

I say yes.

And I say no. Read more…