Comments on: The Best of a Bad Situation: 2. Michael Redd

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 12:58:16 +0000

@Ted It's hard to believe how good Redd was, but he really was amazing. Swap him and Robinson at their peaks in 2001 and I think the Bucks win a title. It's been fun writing these too. It's depressing to constantly read business jargon and lockout related articles all day when all you're looking to do is read about basketball. I was hoping we'd wrap this up and the league would be getting back, but it looks like that was wishful thinking.

By: Bizzucks

Bizzucks — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 18:47:59 +0000

@Ted Good call Ted. Couldn't agree more.

By: Ted

Ted — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 03:56:56 +0000

I was a little surprised to see Redd this high I thought maybe a different member of the big 3 would be #2 but i have no problem with him being this high. I would also just like to say b4 Mr. Shuttlesworth is crowned the top Buck of the last 20 years that it’s been alot of fun reading these and wanted to say nice job guys. It’s refreshing to read about basketball and not have it be about the lockout and who pointed their finger and gave dirty looks to David Stern this week and how long the meetings were and how nice Derek Fisher’s suits are. I hope to see the Bucks back on the hardwood soon, but until then keep up the good work guys.

By: Bizzucks

Bizzucks — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 22:55:29 +0000

I remember being torn as well about that contract. He would have been gone, no question about it, and then we would be out a scorer. Or we could pay too much for him, that’s the way of the NBA though. A lot of players have bad contracts, a lot more than are undervalued that’s for sure. The team did what probably had to be done, it would have been a lot easier to stomach in a larger market venue though, NY or LA would have no problem giving their guy that kind of cash.

By: Josh Hilgendorf

Josh Hilgendorf — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 15:34:03 +0000

@Matt As Jeremy alluded to, I certainly do not blame Redd for signing that contract. He would have been a complete idiot to turn it down. Still, the contract and Redd are linked. When I think of Redd, I think of the contract. I know Redd was a great player in Milwaukee and I loved watching him for the majority of his career. When I read it again, I suppose the "dollar signs circling his head" line is a little misleading. I didn't intend for it to mean Redd himself had money on his mind the entire time he was with the Bucks. I meant it to illustrate how I can't think of Redd without thinking of the contract.

By: Jeremy Schmidt

Jeremy Schmidt — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 13:54:52 +0000

@Matt I think it's less of a criticism of him and more of a criticism of what the franchise was valuing at the time. They decided it was more important to keep Redd, for whatever reason, than be fiscally smart. Everyone appreciates what Redd did, but even at the high level he was producing at and as well as he represented the organization, costs have to be considered. Considering how the team fared during the tenure of his contract, it's easy to look back and wonder if that money could have been more wisely spent on a number of players. But no one in the world would have passed up the contract he was offered.

By: Matt

Matt — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 21:04:45 +0000

“No matter how hard I try to remember Redd for his uncanny ability to put the ball in the hoop while shouting “Oh, and-one,” I can’t help but picture him doing it with dollar signs circling his head.”

I think that’s kind of unfair. The Bucks offered him tens of millions more than anyone else could. He’d have been a fool to turn down that money. As stated, his numbers got BETTER after he signed his fat contract. Name me another star that did that. You won’t come up with many names at all. If the Bucks hadn’t offered him the money, he’d have been gone. He would have gone to a better squad and he’d have been hated on for that. He couldn’t win.

How many more points could he have dumped in had his knees not betrayed him?

But for a second round pick, someone who had notshot, to latch on to the team that drafted him (remember, Dallas wanted him badly at one point) and become an All Star and bust his @$$ every single game…well, it’s a rarity.