Meet J.B. Bickerstaff, Rockets assistant coach and possible Milwaukee Bucks head coach (NBA.com)

As Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports, the Milwaukee Bucks are widening their head coach search parameters a bit, as Houston Rockets assistant coach J.B. Bickerstaff

The son of longtime NBA coach Bernie Bickerstaff, J.B. has already interviewed with the Detroit Pistons for their head coaching position and is rumored to be a candidate for the Phoenix Suns job, all according to Woj.

Bickerstaff was an assistant with the Charlotte Bobcats from 2004-2007 before heading to the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2007-2011.    He spent this past season as an assistant on Kevin McHale‘s coaching staff with the Houston Rockets.

Bickerstaff certainly doesn’t jump off the page, as the 34 year-old has had no coaching experience.  However, this may be an avenue the Bucks want to explore if they truly want a fresh start to the franchise.

The Bucks have already interviewed fellow Rockets assistant Kelvin Sampson as well as former Sonics and Blazers coach Nate McMillan.  They also have expressed interest in Lakers assistant Steve Clifford as well as former Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy.

Clifford is a Van Gundy disciple, who also worked under Don Nelson with the Dallas Mavericks. He had a hand in some very successful defenses before watching the Lakers fall apart this season.

Monta Ellis vs. Larry Sanders (photo via @jkoebert)

As Ken Berg of CBSsports.com reported, during halftime of Game 3 against the Miami Heat, Larry Sanders “almost came to blows” with teammate Monta Ellis in the locker room.    Sanders apparently gave a speech about playing together  and not worrying about next season or being selfish.  Ellis took offense to this and the two reportedly had to be physically separated.

Ellis has the opportunity to opt out of his $11 million contract for next year, and didn’t appreciate Sanders insinuating that his mind was elsewhere whilst on the court.

But I’m not buying it.  It’s hard to fathom that teammates would come to blows after one locker room speech in the heat of battle.  There had to be at least a few other instances that were bubbling underneath the surface that led to Game 3′s tussle.  To the drawing board!

• The Great Tattoo Debate

Both Sanders and Ellis are very heavily inked, and it’s reasonable to assume that they take pride in their body art.  At some point, the two had to have some heated discourse about who had the more impressive work done.  This probably didn’t end smoothly, and was never really settled, leaving tensions at an uncomfortably high level.

• Monta thinking that Larry’s art was rudimentary at best

Larry has worked hard developing himself both on and off the court.  A lot of his new found maturity can be attributed to his dedication to his family and his passion for expressing himself through art and design.  However, when Monta walked past some of Larry’s displays, eyed it up and down, and offered only a ”meh,” that must not have sat well with the big man.

• Larry was #TeamBackstreetBoys and Monta was #TeamNSync

We’ve all had this argument before, and it usually never ends on good terms.

Those are probably the most likely, but don’t count out these options.

• An ongoing debate on whether the Milwaukee Art Museum looks like a pelican or a sailboat

•  Larry ignored Monta’s facebook message and then posted a status so he HAD to be on.

• Spillover post-Brewers game due to differing Racing Sausage allegiances.
  

• Who REALLY ”had it all.”
  

• After 86 games, someone decided to be “cute” and change seats on the bench
  

• That one time Monta accused Larry of double dipping
  

• Who left John Henson outside too long in January, causing him to get a head cold
  

• Larry refusing to give Monta the ”courtesy wave” after he was so kind to let him merge into his lane
  

• The correct pronunciation of wingardium leviosa
  

• A disagreement as to what time they should go see Iron Man 3

• Monta bragging about how much more he got back in his tax returns
  

• Differing theories on what product Jim Boylan used for his hair.
  

We may never know what led to game 3′s incident.  However, you can be certain that we bloggers here at Bucksketball will get to the bottom of this, no matter what.  You have our word.

It’s been a little over one year since the trade for Monta was made. But has anything changed? (Photo: NBA.com)

A college advisor of mine once told me that, when making a big change in life, there were always two things to consider.  The first was to think of where this decision would leave me one year from that current moment.  What would be different and how would that affect me?  The other angle I was to consider was would I have more questions or more answers to my problem a year down the road? In other words, would the decision I made the year prior be the solution to my problem or just be another vexing layer to it?

A little over one year ago, the Milwaukee Bucks made a big change when they sent the oft-injured Andrew Bogut to Golden State in exchange for Monta Ellis.  The move was meant to serve as a fresh start for both Ellis and Bogut, as both players had reached an impasse of sorts with their respective teams.

The move was a logical one for the Warriors.  They had lacked any real interior defensive presence for quite some time, and the addition of Bogut made many begin to speculate how deep the team could go in the playoffs for years to come.  The Bucks, who were heading the wrong direction in the playoff hunt, made the swap in hopes that an electric offensive player like Ellis could propel them back in the race in similar fashion to the acquisition of John Salmons in 2010.  As we know, the Bucks finished that season 13-9 and fell short of the playoffs, finishing in that all too comfortable ninth seed.  Good job, good effort though, right?

—

Everyone expected this year to be different. With the backcourt getting a little in-game seasoning and the acquisition of a “true” center in Samuel Dalembert, Milwaukee seemed poised to regain its 2010 form.  Yet here we are with 13 games left in the season, and the Bucks are 34-35 and seem destined to serve as whipping boy for the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs.

So, what have we arrived at one year later?

The Bucks aren’t making it out of the first round of the playoffs.  They don’t appear capable of moving up and out of the eighth seed, either.  With the Philadelphia 76ers falling out of the playoff landscape after the loss of Andrew Bynum all year due to injury, we can’t say definitively that the Bucks have improved significantly upon last year’s standing.

There have been a few welcome surprises in the emergence of LARRY SANDERS! and the recent acquisition of JJ Redick.  There has even been a flicker of hope when John Henson has performed well.

This is all fine and good, but can we consider the past year progress?  Was it a success?

“Success” is a pretty subjective term when it comes to any given basketball season.  Since the trade last March, success was defined as making the playoffs for the Bucks.  This August, making the playoffs was still at the top of everyone’s wish list.  In this article by Charles F. Gardner, Brandon Jennings stated multiple times that the goal was to just get in to the playoffs and he and his teammates would do anything to achieve that.  Now, as they are comfortably in the playoff picture, does it feel like mission accomplished?

Here lies the much bigger issue.  At what point does simply snagging a playoff spot not become satisfactory?  When does finishing slightly above the middle of the pack become not good enough?  If the act of getting to the postseason is what your franchise considers a success, then how will you ever take it the next level?

Perhaps most importantly, does simply making the playoffs do anything to answer questions that plague a roster full of soon to be free agents? This season was an important one. Coming into it, everyone was operating without a net, from General Manager John Hammond down to sixth man Mike Dunleavy. We’ve seen some casualties, namely ex-Head Coach Scott Skiles. But we haven’t really seen any player definitively answer the questions that surrounded him before the season. We’re still unsure about Brandon Jennings. We don’t know if the first half or second half Ellis is the real one.

These are all questions that need to be answered for the Bucks going forward. On some of these issues, the ones relating to players who will be free agents namely, Milwaukee is running out of time. After what is likely to be a quick exit in this year’s postseason, it will be back to the drawing board for another off-season of uncertainty.  There are a lot of crucial moves to be made and things could be looking a lot different at the BMO Harris Bradley Center next season.

Let’s just hope that next year brings a lot more solutions than problems.

Join us (and those guys in the photo) tonight as we chat during the Bucks-Blazers game (Photo: USA Today)

I mean, what else is there to do on a Tuesday night?

Tonight, the Milwakee Bucks host the Portland Trail Blazers. A lot of people are excited about it. Take Blazers guard Eric Maynor for example.

Cold aint the word for this weather in Milwaukee!!!!

— Eric Maynor (@EMaynor3) March 19, 2013

Okay, so maybe that wasn’t exactly the pep talk you needed. However, there is plenty to be excited about.

- The Brandon Jennings vs. Damian Lillard match-up should be a compelling one.
- Can Monta Ellis continue to have it all?
- Both Bucks and Blazers writers will be here to interact with the fans.
- There is something else on other than the play-in tournament games.

The chat will begin at 7:00 p.m. CST right before tip-off.

(This is now that part in the post where I tell you all to be civil to each other).

Hope to see you there!

Everyone is all smiles with these new look Bucks. Can they keep it up? (Photo: ESPN.com)

Tonight, the Milwaukee Bucks look to end the road trip on another high note as they had to Sacramento to square off against the Kings.  After (expectedly) losing to the Clippers, the Bucks bounced back and handled the Golden State Warriors in quite impressive fashion.  Normally, we’d try and and be logical and make sure we’re not getting swept up in another wave of unrealistic optimism, but these Bucks are making that very difficult right now.  

Loss in LA aside, the team is improving offensively (headlined by the new and improved version of Brandon Jennings) and becoming more and more threatening each game.  The defense is still shaky at times, but it is consistent enough where it is keeping them in most games.  But wait, it gets better!

The Kings sport a 22-42 record and may not even be playing at Sleep Train Arena come next fall.  They are respectable at home (16-14), but if the Bucks are as hot as we want to believe they are, this game shouldn’t be a problem.

For more on the Kings, the Bucks, and tonight’s game, Greg Wissinger of Sactown Royalty chimed in:

What or who should we watch from the Kings tonight?

The guy to keep an eye on is Isaiah Thomas.  He’s had his minutes jerked around quite a bit this season, but he’s usually the heart of the team.  He’s in his second season after being the 60th overall pick in 2011, but he’s now the starter and one of the highlights of this Kings team.  And of course, you’ll also want to keep an eye on DeMarcus Cousins.  He’s pretty unpredictable, but he tends to struggle against teams with good big men and he’s been in a slump lately.  I’ll be surprised if he manages to break out of the slump against the Bucks.

What factors will be key for the Kings if they wish to win?

The Kings need to play as a team.  While that may sound overly simplistic, it’s been a major issue for the team.  Too often the Kings waive each other off and don’t seem to be running any sort of offense.  But sometimes to Kings play together and they can actually be a pretty good team.  The other big key is going to be the crowd.  The Kings play well when the crowd is amped up, and the Sacramento crowds have been coming out stronger recently to remind the NBA Board of Governors that the city supports the team even though we’d stopped supporting the Maloofs as owners.

Who would you rather move forward with:  Tyreke Evans or Brandon Jennings?

Their career stats are eerily similar, but I’d take Tyreke without too much hesitation.  Tyreke has committed himself to defense this season.  And while Tyreke has never been a particularly great shooter, his career shooting percentages look pretty solid when compared to Jennings.  I’ve always liked Jennings’ potential, but I have less faith that he’ll be able to reach it.  Tyreke has shown improvement even while stuck in the mess that is the Kings organization.  That tells me something.

Any advice on how to stay awake during this game?

Mike Dunleavy, excited after hearing about tonight’s chat. (Photo: The Basketball Jones)

Let’s be honest, you were all looking for something to do tonight other than watch “The Walking Dead.”

Tonight, we’ll be hosting a live chat as the Milwaukee Bucks close out their west coast road rip in Sacramento against the Kings.

(This is the part where I tell you to use common sense when chatting. I believe that you will all be civil, though).

The chat starts at 7:45 p.m. CST. Hope to see you all here!

Would you like to see this man become coach of the Bucks?

For a team fighting for the lowest playoff seed in the inferior conference, the Milwaukee Bucks sure have been receiving a lot of attention lately.

Whether it was rumors that placed young potential cornerstone Brandon Jennings at odds with management, trade rumors swirling around the starting backcourt,  or making the biggest splash of the trade deadline, the Bucks are at their most popular point since the brief Fear The Deer campaign (some would argue they are more popular, but I want to save that for later blogging).

With this new found popularity comes an increase in chatter and how to capitalize on it and make improvements to this team.  The most likely change will come at head coach. Jim Boylan has done a decent job filling in after Scott Skiles parted ways with the team, but it is unlikely that he is in the team’s long term plans.

Many men with previous coaching experience will be rumored to be interested, but Dave Begel of OnMilwaukee.com reports that one of the NBA’s greatest would like his shot at coaching.  From his article:

One name I didn’t hear, and one that I think should move to the very head of the line is a man I talked with last week who said he’d jump at the chance to coach the Bucks.  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.  I asked him flat out if he would be willing to be the head coach of the Bucks.  “Of course,” he replied.

So….yeah.  The all-time points leader and part time co-pilot to Peter Graves has an interest in coaching these Bucks.  There is no doubt that he brought it when he played, but what could he bring to the Bucks as a potential coach?

“I know how to prepare for a season as an individual and I know what that means in terms of team commitment.  I can get all the right people together that have some chemistry and care about each other and they love the game. That’s where teams are made or not made successful.  That’s very hard for GM’s to figure out. They know talent when they see it. But that ability to connect with your teammates, that personal chemistry is a hard thing to see in people.

I can help players learn how to develop that chemistry. We had Pete Newell out here (in Los Angeles) and he was a master at understanding the personal fire within each player. I’d be a coach who can provide respect and keep the guys on the same page for a whole season.”

It certainly is intriguing to hear Kareem’s stance on coaching after living through the Scott Skiles experience.  Also, consider that LARRY SANDERS!, arguably the Bucks most prized possession, would learn from one of the top three centers of all time, if not the best.  HOW PERFECT IS THAT?!?

Ideally, you’d think the Bucks would like to pursue someone with more coaching chops at this point, but this just may also be the perfect time to run the risk of hiring Kareem.  The Bucks are nowhere near the point of contention yet, but making this move may just be the first piece to the puzzle in making serious progress towards that.

What do you think?  Should the Bucks considering hiring Kareem, or should they go for a more sure thing?

Ekpe Udoh, taking time out of his busy schedule to join a hangout with some fans. (Photo via @freebigmacs and Andrew Lynch | Hardwood Paroxysm)

I have a confession.  Sometimes when I watch basketball games, I lose sight of the fact that the ten guys on the court are human.  That may sound extreme, but it is true.  I forget that these gigantic physical specimens worth millions and millions of dollars in the eyes of an individual or a group also worth millions and millions of dollars are just like us.  They enjoy the same music.  They laugh at the same jokes we laugh at.  They enjoy hanging out and having a good time, just like us.  That’s what makes yesterday’s events so awesome.

From Andrew Lynch at Hardwood Paroxysm:

Sunday evening, [Ekpe Udoh] jumped into a Google+ Hangout with various fans from “basketball twitter.” He started taking questions from people who had never spoken to an NBA player before. These weren’t journalists or reporters; they’re bloggers and fans whose entire existence was just made by a whimsical decision.

And Udoh brought the goods. He answered questions about defense, his favorite Kanye West album, who’s the best team in the league, what his favorite place to play is — basically, the only question he dodged was about his feelings toward being traded. That’s just good basketball instincts by Udoh. He even talked about whether he prefers boneless or bone-in chicken wings, for goodness sake.

Ekpe Udoh, who earns $3.524 million this season, created a Google+ account to chat with fans who never in a million years thought it would be possible.  Blake Potash was one of the bloggers who was fortunate enough to be in that hangout.  He answered some questions and shed some light on just how awesome yesterday was.

What was it like having a NBA player take the time out of his day to join you guys?

A lot of times you see NBA players promise to do things over twitter and flake out because it’s twitter and not binding at all. This instance really changed that perspective for us. For him, someone so famous to us, someone whose job is to play a game we all love, to take time out of his day to chat with a few fans, and end up being bombarded by questions from each side of the spectrum. The fact is that this event will be ingrained in our minds for the rest of our lives. Nine kids on twitter convinced Ekpe Udoh to hangout with them online, and it was pure awesomeness.

What was your favorite part?

Questions were mainly about common topics among basketball twitter, like “Do you like Kendrick Lamar”, “What’s your favorite Kanye West album”, “Do you like pineapple on pizza”, and various others about entertainment, music, and food.

My personal favorite part of the hangout was when somebody asked him, “If you could marry any famous actress/celebrity in the world, who would it be”. He responded with a very professional answer, something along the lines of “there are so many beautiful women in the world it’s hard to choose”. Basically he didn’t answer, but proceeded to turn the question onto us.

In about a second or two, all of us rattle off our choice, not having to think about it at all. It goes, Emma Watson, Anna Kendrick, Jennifer Lawrence, Jennifer Lawrence, Jennifer Lawrence, Jennifer Lawrence, Jennifer Lawrence, Jennifer Lawrence, Jennifer Lawrence. The fact that he actually asked us a question was kind of exciting like a “OMG he cares” type of thing, but then we respond with the same person seven times at a whim. It’s hard to choose a favorite moment since it was all amazing, but that’s something I personally thought was hilarious.

How does this change your opinion of Ekpe?

Honestly, I really didn’t know much about Ekpe besides what he had done on the basketball court. By doing something like this, I can now see what type of guy he is and how he carries himself. The way he was answering questions showed that he understand the type of power a pro athlete has with even the most simple questions. When asked about being traded he declined to answer, rightfully so, and never said anything that would make us think bad of him.

It was really cool to see that a player would reach out to fans, especially since I was one of the fans, and it paints the most positive picture of him as possible. I think it’s safe to say Ekpe Udoh is now one of our favorite players off of the court now. He was just a normal guy, and that is awesome.

That is awesome.

JJ Redick is the subject of trade rumors with the Bucks–USA Today

The Milwaukee Bucks, who are being forecasted to be  active at the upcoming trade deadline, are beginning to make prophets out of reporters.

Via Marc Stein of ESPN.com:

Weekend Dime addendum: Milwaukee now in mix for Magic’s JJ Redick. Bucks, I’m told, assessing their ability to retain sharpshooter long term.

To meet asking price for Redick — expiring(s) and a future first-round pick — Bucks naturally wanna know they can retain free agent-to-be

The Bucks most logical expiring contract to trade away is that of scoring machine Samuel Dalembert, who has already been linked to trade rumors.  The other more prominent expiring deals are Beno Udrih‘s and Mike Dunleavy‘s, but the Bucks are likely to hang on to both of those players. As Stein notes, Milwaukee would likely have to include future first-round picks as well.

Redick is averaging 15.3 points on 45.2% shooting this season. He has always been heralded for his outside shooting and non-stop movement on offense, attributes the Bucks (insert: adverb far more powerful than) desperately need.  He’s also known as a reliable, but not great defender.  In other words, he’s a healthier, younger and slightly smaller version of Mike Dunleavy.  And every team could use another Mike Dunleavy.

Zach Harper of CBSSports.com chimed in on the potential trade, saying that it would be wise for the Bucks to make this move.

If the Bucks are willing to give up a first-round pick and not have heavy protection on it, that could be more than enough to snag Redick away from Orlando and leave the rest of the NBA scrambling to find another available shooter. But the Bucks wanting to retain Redick in free agency shouldn’t deter them from not making a deal like this happen.

Milwaukee is sitting in the eighth seed with a four-game lead over the Philadelphia 76ers. They’re not in real danger of falling out of the playoffs, but they have a realistic chance of moving up to the fifth seed if they acquire another shooter for someone like Dalembert, who really isn’t a big part of their success. Even though they have played Miami well over the last couple of seasons, avoiding the Heat in the first round and trying to upset someone like New York, Indiana or Chicago should be the goal.

What do you think?  Should the Bucks stay put and not pull the trigger on this deal?  Or, do you agree with Captain James T. Kirk and myself?  Sound off below in the comments.

It’s Midseason Awards Time! Bango’s Excited! (Photo: Drew Olson/OnMilwaukee)

[waits for applause to die down]

Hello ladies and gentlemen, welcome to a night full of stars! Well some stars. Kinda stars. No All-Stars, but stars to us nonetheless. [gestures to random spot in the front row] This guy gets it.

I am Eric Buenning, your host for the evening and I’m glad you all could join myself and the millions of viewers at home for this event.

Tonight, we celebrate the past 82 days of Milwaukee Bucks basketball and the emotions that have come from it.

Let’s not waste any more time.  We all have places to be.

Please welcome our first presenter, Bradley Lindberg (who you all know and love as the voice in the beginning of the critically acclaimed Bucksketball podcast)!

The nominees for Milwaukee Bucks Rookie of the Year are…

Doron Lamb! Lamb, the 6-foot-5 guard drafted out of Kentucky and chosen with the 42nd overall pick. He is averaging 3.4 points .9 assists and .7 rebounds this season. He was recently called back up from his stint with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and is looking to turn his stroke around and play a valuable backup guard position in the second half of the season.

John Henson! He is a 6-foot-11 forward out of North Carolina selected as the 14th overall pick. He is averaging 6.1 points 4.4 rebounds and .6 blocks in only 13 minutes a game for the Bucks. In January, he has started to come into his own, averaging over 18 minutes with almost 10 points, 7 rebounds, 1 block, and 1 assist a game.  Making the most of his opportunity, we expect to see big things from Henson going forward.

And the Winner is…..

JOHN HENSON! Not only has his performance on the court been impressive, but his great attitude towards the game of basketball and the Bucks organization have stood out.

Thank you, Bradley.  You look stunning in that dress, by the way.

Our next category is best play.  To present the award, we have avid Bucks fan Andy Goodman.  The floor is yours, Andy.

The nominees for best play are..

Larry Sanders block and search:

Although this happened in garbage time of an easy victory over the Suns, the hilarity of Sanders cupping his hand over his eyes is something we won’t soon forget.

The Brandon Jennings to Larry Sanders alley-oop all over Kevin Garnett

What made this close back and forth overtime affair in Boston all the more exhilarating was when Jennings and Sanders leaked out for a 2-on-1 fastbreak against defensive force Kevin Garnett.  Good things were to be expected from this break, but those expectations were blown away when Jennings lobbed one up for Sanders, with Larry finishing emphatically, all up in Kevin Garnett’s business.  It was awesome.

The Brandon Jennings buzzer-beater

The home opener was capped off by an electric buzzer-beating three by Jennings, and it sent the whole arena into a frenzy. It also was the finishing touches on Jennings winning Eastern Conference Player of the Week.

And the winner is…

Brandon Jenning’s buzzer beater against Cleveland!  Why is it the best play? Well, it’s pretty self- explanatory. It won them the game and got them off to a 2-0 start. Also, Brandon was struggling that night, hitting only 4 of his 12 shots before the game winner. The play was nicely drawn up, Jennings came off a nice screen from Ekpe Udoh, Mike Dunleavy delivered a perfect chest pass to Brandon who hit the shot as time expired. Pretty exciting way to open up the season at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.

Our next presenter is a frequenter to ESPN.com’s Daily Dime Live chat and Bucks fan, Eric Rosenthal.

The Nominees for Milwaukee Bucks Most Improved Player are… 

Brandon Jennings 

Jennings has really stepped up as the leader of the Bucks this year. His on ball defense has improved greatly, and his scoring has gone up to 22 points per game in January. He might notch his first All-Star game appearance, and if he keeps getting better at this rate, the 23 year old point guard will be a cornerstone of the franchise.  

Larry Sanders 

Sanders has been the most exciting player on the Bucks all season. He has been a one man swat team, averaging a league-high 3.15 blocks per game despite only playing 25 minutes a night. He has improved his FG%, FT%, Points, Rebounds, Assists, Blocks, and Steals from last year and making Bucks fans forget about Andrew Bogut rather quickly.  

Ersan Ilyasova 

Just Kidding. 

(Cut to Eric (host) sobbing heavily) 

And the winner for Most Improved Player is… 

LARRY SANDERS! 

This was a rather easy choice. Sanders has exploded on to the scene this year, becoming a dominant rebounding and shot-blocking big man. His offensive game is also much improved, and he will soon be a double-double machine. At only 24 years old, he has a very bright future ahead of him. 

Thank you, Eric.  Are you growing out that beard for an upcoming role?  No?  Alright then, moving on. 

Our next category is for best Bucks Twitter account.  Presenting the award is Bucks fanatic Mitchell Vomhof.  Take it away, Mitchell! 

As we all know, one of the most important parts of being a professional athlete is maintaining an outstanding social media presence. In the category of “Best Twitter”, your nominees are…

John Henson

For outstanding and consistent use of the #TERRIBLE hashtag… 

Brandon Jennings

For being the first to show off the Bucks’ throwback uniforms… 

And Ekpe Udoh

For this tweet/picture

And the winner is…

BRANDON JENNINGS!  He’s usually got something interesting to say, and honestly, those jerseys are pretty sweet.

Thank you, Mitch.  Always a pleasure seeing you.  Say hi to the wife and kids.

We’d now like to take minute and remember those we’ve lost, whether it be via trades or free agency.

[Quickly rushes through a slideshow of Andrew Bogut, Stephen Jackson, Shaun Livingston, and Jon Leuer].

Our next award is for Coach of the Year.  Sadly, sometimes you have to present an award like this in a season.  Our nominees are:

Scott Skiles

Skiles’ fervor for consistent defense was something to be respected.  He demanded the best out of himself and his players, and always brought the intensity.

Jim Boylan

After taking over for Skiles, Boylan has led the Bucks to a 6-2 record and has somehow brought forth better versions of Brandon Jennings and Ersan Ilyasova.  He has embraced the head coaching role and seems to be having fun with this group of guys.

And the winner is….

JIM BOYLAN!  In a mild upset and only after coaching 8 games, Boylan wins the award for being a part of the Bucks resurgence after it appeared that they were heading into a tailspin.  Boylan may not be the main reason for the Bucks recent run of success, but he surely can’t be ignored for the quick (if even temporary) fix.

We’ll now take minute and thank our sponsors with this brief commercial break.

[Cut to the Marshfield Clinic commercials we all know and "love"].

Welcome back, while you were gone, the following awards were given:

Best nickname: Larry Sanders (Dr. Blocktopus)

Best moment:  Brandon Jennings buzzer-beater

Lifetime Achievement Award:  Jim Paschke & John McGlocklin

Our last award for the evening is for Bucks’ Most Valuable Player. To present the award is Behind the Buck Pass writer Dakota Schmidt.  Dakota!

Your nominees for Bucks MVP are.

Brandon Jennings

Despite not really making improvements since last season, Brandon is still without a doubt the leader of this team. Just the way he’s taken over games this season (i.e Portland victory on January 19th) alone has made him worth of being the Bucks MVP. The skeptics might look at his shooting percentage and laugh but there would be no way Milwaukee would be in the position they currently are today. I’ve changed it

Mike Dunleavy

One of the coolest players in all of the NBA has to be Dunleavy with just how smooth he is every time he touches the ball. Sure he will never be the quickest or most athletic guy on the court but you get the feeling the ball will go through the basket before he even shoots. His .440 3P% is 5th in all of the NBA which has been used to make some extremely clutch shots for the 7th seeded Bucks.

Larry Sanders

Before the season I really don’t think a lot of people were expecting much out of this 6’11 center but his overall production has not only shocked Bucks fans but the rest of the NBA in general. Sure his league leading block totals (3.15 BPG) are fantastic but just the overall energy he brings to the team night in and night out have not only made him a leader on the front-court but also a leader on this team.

And…the winner is…

..heh. Wow, these envelopes are hard to open!

LARRY SANDERS! The big man who has taken the art of the blocked shot to a whole new level, while also making an insane amount of progress and becoming a key part of the Bucks future.

Alright, everyone that wraps up tonight’s ceremonies.  Please, tip your waitstaff.  They’ve worked hard all night.  Drive home safely.

A big thank you to Mitchell, Eric, Dakota, Bradley, and Andy for their contributions. This would have been a lot worse without them.