Improvement at the rim could be big for the Bucks
Wednesday, August 25th, 2010| New Bucks | Shooting % at the rim | Ex-Bucks | Shooting % at the rim |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corey Maggette | 66.2 | Dan Gadzuric | 56 |
| Chris Douglas-Roberts | 54.7 | Charlie Bell | 46.3 |
| Keyon Dooling | 56.3 | Luke Ridnour | 49.2 |
| Drew Gooden | 55.2 | Kurt Thomas | 54.5 |
| Jon Brockman | 61.6 | Hakim Warrick | 61.6 |
(Percentages from the 2009-10 season)
Scoring was rarely easy for the Milwaukee Bucks last season. Long droughts were the norm, zones were horror movie scary and the rim was a foreign place they rarely explored. The long ball was often the weapon of choice though it wasn’t always reliable. In the end, it worked often enough to keep the Bucks in games and let their defense do the rest. But Milwaukee did little to boost their outside game this off season, focusing mainly on fours while adding Chris Douglas-Roberts and Corey Maggette, two players not proficient from outside.
So are they in danger of losing their touch from outside and watching their scoring woes grow worse?
Not if they can figure out layups and dunks. The easiest shots in basketball. Penetration, offensive rebounds and dishing point guards can create these shots for big men in the NBA. Unfortunately for last season’s Bucks, finishing at the rim was easier said than done. Milwaukee was dead last in shooting percentage at the rim, finishing on just 56.3% of their attempts. So when the Bucks front office spoke at length these past few months about adding length and athleticism (see the Earl Boykins signing), they may as well had been saying they need some guys who can finish. (more…)
The attention Brandon Jennings attracts
Friday, August 13th, 2010
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
“Options” the key word at power forward for the Bucks
Tuesday, July 20th, 2010In a seemingly impossible turn of events, it has become even more crowded inside for the Milwaukee Bucks. When Milwaukee left for Vegas Summer League last Sunday, they did so with Darnell Jackson seemingly in line to split the majority of minutes at the power forward position for the week in Vegas. Of course, Jackson was fighting an uphill battle to stay on the roster come October, much less earn any minutes. But it seemed he’d be in line to prove himself in Vegas.
And after his first game, Jackson seemed like he was heading for a bright week. He scored 17 points, grabbed seven rebounds and looked like Milwaukee’s most polished player. Yet still, as good as Jackson looked, he was still low man on the totem pole that’s become the Bucks power forward situation. He was the most likely to move, and moved he will be in the coming days … for another power forward?
What’s interesting about the Bucks upcoming acquisition of Jon Brockman is that they are getting a player more talented than Jackson and with more of a rotation player ceiling. Brockman could step in and give the Bucks a solid rebounding, hustling power forward for 15 minutes-per-game starting tomorrow if need be. He’s without question better than Darnell Jackson.
And that only leaves things more complicated today than they were yesterday when it comes to the Bucks big man rotation. But not necessarily in a bad way. The depth the Bucks have merely gives them a variety of options for the time being. I’ll go through each of the Bucks options at power forward and attempt to make their probable role a bit more clear. (more…)
Ersan and Luc: The Known Commodities
Wednesday, July 7th, 2010Muddied may be a good description for the Milwaukee Bucks current power forward situation. It’s not like there isn’t some talent there. The Bucks have everything they could ever ask for in their power forward position. Athleticism, rebounding, length, 3-point shooting, speed, power and defense. Except those skills are spread amongst five players. And for a team that had trouble splitting minutes between three power forwards for the first half of last season, splitting time between five power forwards should prove impossible, not to mention impractical.
It’s probably safe to assume that the glut of forwards could be relieved to a degree by making the most of the flexibility of some. Drew Gooden for example, can moonlight as a backup center. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute has played small forward on occasion in his two years in Milwaukee, though with less success that he’s had at the four. Still, it’s not like the Bucks are stuck with five plodders who can’t move anywhere else.
Yet still, it seems a possibility that the Bucks may move one of their forwards in order to obtain more flexibility at the guard position. Gery Woelful has recently reported that A. the Bucks have gotten feelers on Mbah a Moute and Ersan Ilyasova and B. that the Bucks likely will bid farewell to Luke Ridnour.
Could the Bucks be looking to lighten their load at the four and bring in someone who could take some minutes backing up Brandon Jennings at the same time? It’s possible. But moving Ilyasova or Mbah a Moute may be a big mistake. (more…)
In Defense of Corey Maggette
Monday, June 28th, 2010There’s rarely a question about whether or not Corey Maggette is a competent offensive player. Debate will likely always rage on about how selfish of a player he is and if Maggette “getting his” necessarily amounts to positive team production, but it’s hard to say that Maggette isn’t skilled at scoring points. He does that in bunches and very efficiently year after year. The big knock on Maggette though, is that he lacks awareness of what’s going on around him. Maggette may bull his way to the hoop and end up scoring or at the free throw line, but more often than not, you won’t be seeing Maggette knifing through the lane and dropping the ball off to an open shooter on the weak side.
Teams and fans alike have more or less learned to accept this as Maggette’s offensive game. The pluses seem to outweigh the minuses, so Maggette continues to collect paychecks and find ample playing time. But that awareness bugaboo rears its ugly head on the defensive end as well and it’s there that the concern that Corey Maggette may destroy everything that was good and fun about the Milwaukee Bucks last year as soon as he steps on the court.
Within seconds of the finalization of the trade that brought him over from Golden State, Maggette was being labeled the Bucks weak link defensively. His poor defensive rating, offensive mindset and the checkered success of the teams he’s played on make him an easy target for those worried about the Bucks messing with the good thing that was last season’s team. Immediately after the trade, I noted that Maggette’s field goal percentage against and defensive rating both were considerably worse than Carlos Delfino, the Bucks primary small forward last season. But it’s possible the change of scenery may do wonders for Maggette the defender and that I underestimated just how damaging playing in Golden State’s system was for him, his lack of awareness be damned. (more…)
