Jerry Stackhouse Adapts, Reacts, Readapts and Re-reacts

March 15, 2010
Jerry Stackhouse has cooked up some good bench play since arriving in January

Jerry Stackhouse has cooked up some good bench play since arriving in January

Let’s get one thing clear: NBA players have egos.  If they didn’t, they wouldn’t have made it as far as they have.  From pee-wee league to high school to college, these guys are typically the best players on their teams.  And if they aren’t they best, they usually think they are, because that sort of confidence is what breeds success at higher levels.  Often, what’s driving them to work so hard is their belief that they are the best.  Once they get that taste, they don’t want to lose it.  So the first time a coach comes to them and says, “how about coming off the bench?” you can understand that it often rubs them the wrong way.  Unless it’s done right.

Lucky for the Bucks, Don Nelson did the heavy lifting for them a few years ago with Jerry Stackhouse.

“When I first did it in Dallas, I knew I could still start,” said Stackhouse.  “I had a coach (Nelson) that approached me in the right way.  I think it’s all about, kind of massaging.  You know, everybody’s got an ego in this league and he massaged mine a little bit.”

Accepting the sixth man role may sound like a small thing to do when the other option is earning a reputation as a problem, but it isn’t always as easy as it sounds.  Look no further than Stackhouse’s one time teammate Allen Iverson. Iverson had an opportunity to be the key to the Grizzlies bench this season.  He could have come off the bench as the featured option, got his shots and been a focal point, albeit for fewer minutes than he was accustomed to.  But Iverson balked at being a bench player.  Perhaps he felt it was beneath a man of his many accomplishments or maybe Memphis just didn’t handle him properly, whatever the reason, Allen Iverson in Memphis lasted just three games.

When he and coach Nelson first talked about it, Stackhouse liked the way it sounded. Read More »

By Jeremy | Posted in Bucks Player Features | Tagged , , | Comments (2)

The Gift of Giving

March 8, 2010

“Today was just a great day.  My teammates were looking for me.”

-          Thaddeus Young 3-7-2010

“We’re loaded with guys who know how to put the ball in the basket. We all enjoy sharing the ball.”

-          Jason Kidd 3-6-2010

“We’re not good enough to play 1-on-1.”

-          Mike Miller 3-5-2010

“We found spots and moved the ball and had open shots.”

-          Luol Deng 2-26-2010

It’s not easy to quantify unselfishness.  Yes, we know it’s important, and those quotes I’ve selected from players in postgame interviews all have to do with the idea of unselfishness.  Ad nausea, coaches and players will talk about how unselfish they were in wins and how selfish they were in losses.  But, aside from assists, the NBA doesn’t really have any other statistics that express how one player is creating points for his teammates or how a team is working together.  There are certain units on teams that play well together, do a better job rebounding or defending or shooting, but unselfishness itself is one of those difficult to calibrate traits.  One that’s nearly immeasurable.

So naturally I’m going to try and show you how unselfish the Bucks have been in the last ten games.

It’s actually quite amazing, because, to be honest, unselfishness hasn’t exactly been a hallmark of the Milwaukee Bucks over the years.  In what one could refer to as “The Dead Era” of Bucks basketball 2003-2008, the Bucks were a typically competent offensive team that couldn’t defend and as a result, didn’t win much.  As someone who spent many a day watching and cursing the selfish nature of these teams, I can assure you these teams were only competent offensively because of their relative talent on that side of the ball.  What I’m trying to say, is that Mike Redd could fill it up.  Rarely was there a cohesive team effort at either end though.  When looking back at the numbers of these teams, the assist to turnover ratio reflects on the selfish nature.

YearAssist to Turnover RatioOffensive Rating Rank
2003-041.68-14
2004-051.52-113
2005-061.48-114
2006-071.43-112
2007-081.45-121

In 2003-04, the Bucks ranked 4th in the league in offensive rating.  The Bucks had a team assist to turnover ratio of 1.68-1 and had a shot at knocking off the Nets in the first round, but Tim Thomas didn’t box out Rodney Rodgers on a free throw and Terry Porter mysteriously refused to play Dan Gadzuric (when he was still good, 17 PER) in the playoffs.  But that’s all a story for another day, what’s important is that these Bucks, spearheaded by a pre-injury T.J. Ford, weren’t selfish.

In the following season, Ford got hurt, Mo Williams became entrenched as the Bucks point guard, Redd began his all angles assault on the basket and eventually the Bucks imploded after many years of selfish, losing basketball.  Each year the Bucks assist to turnover ratio dropped, further and further before cresting around 1.45-1.

There was an uptick in the ratio in Scott Skiles first season at the helm, but things really took off halfway through this current season. Read More »

By Jeremy | Posted in Bucks Player Features | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (2)

Hammond Focused On Foundation

February 26, 2010

(A special guest post from Ross Geiger today on the work John Hammond has done in his two years with the Bucks.  Ross has covered the Bucks for Marquette University.)

From day one, Bucks general manager John Hammond has had goals.

His goals seemed very unrealistic to many around the league, and rightfully so when taking a glance of the Bucks roster at the time Hammond took over the team. The Bucks signed a slew of horrid contracts in the years before he arrived and had little direction, leaving Hammond with a giant mess of puzzle pieces in front of him.

Puzzle pieces that were impossible to solve immediately, yet pieces that are beginning to come together as Hammond’s closes in on the end of his second year in Milwaukee. Undoubtedly Hammond’s tasks have had their highs and lows especially when examining his last two first round draft selections: 2008’s 8th overall pick Joe Alexander and 2009’s 10th overall pick Brandon Jennings.

Risks were taken, big trades were made, injuries occurred, and despite all the criticism Hammond remained determined to follow his game plan: to put the best possible team out on the floor each and every night. That game plan has been Hammond’s number one goal as the team progresses each year. Hammond has stressed time and time again, that fans be patient, and to trust the direction he is leading the franchise. A trust that’s beginning to flourish at the Bradley Center each night and it all started with laying a foundation. Read More »

By Jeremy | Posted in Bucks Player Features | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (7)

Report: Bucks Deal Meeks, More On Salmons Deal

February 18, 2010

Another trade has been made.

From TrueHoop:

The Milwaukee Bucks have agreed to a trade that will send Jodie Meeks and Francisco Elson to the Philadelphia 76ers for Primoz Brezec, Royal Ivey and a second-round draft pick, two league sources told ESPN.com NBA Insider Chad Ford.

Also, from the Milwaukee Bucks:

The Milwaukee Bucks have acquired guard/forward John Salmons (6-6, 207) from the Chicago Bulls in exchange for forward Hakim Warrick and forward Joe Alexander, General Manager John Hammond announced today. Additionally, the Bucks obtained Chicago’s second round draft pick in 2011 and 2012, as well as the option of switching first round draft picks in the 2010 NBA Draft, so long as Chicago’s first round pick is from number 11 through number 30.

So, for those of you keeping track at home the Bucks draft pick situation looks a lil’ something like this:

YearFirst RoundSecond Round
20101 (can swap with Bulls, top ten protected)2 (Sixers)
201112 (Bulls)
201212 (Bulls)

Nine picks in the next three drafts … for the Bucks!  Unheard of.

Essentially, the Bucks traded Jodie Meeks for a second round pick.  Yes, we all had high hopes for Jodie Meeks when he first arrived on the scene, hitting threes in summer league and looking okay during the pre-season.  But it hasn’t happened for him during the year and he’s currently hitting just 28 percent of his three-point attempts.  In other words, Meeks is a shooter who hasn’t proved he can shoot yet.  Maybe he will, he’s young and has plenty of time, but in the mean time, the Bucks get another second round pick that could have an impact or may get packaged in another move down the road.

Flexibility was the buzz word surrounding Hammond’s moves last summer and the word rings true again today.

UPDATE:  John Hammond will be having a press conference at 4 PM (CST).  I’ll have more information later in the evening (I’m going to the Marquette game after).

By Jeremy | Posted in Bucks Player Features, Draft Talk | Tagged , , , , | Comments off

Turning Superhuman into Super Human: Defending Dwyane Wade

January 31, 2010

6-20 for 21 points.  That was Dwyane Wade’s final shooting line Saturday night and that was probably everything the Bucks could have asked for.  That sort of night out of a player like Wade is part good defense and part good luck, but probably more good defense than we realize.  I took the time to break down every one of Wade’s shots and so I could see how the Bucks had such success against one of the better players in the NBA today.  Enjoy.

(There’s a synopsis of the whole thing at the end if you don’t want to wade through it all.  Get it, wade through? Ah, I do what I can.)

(Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images) Wade did not have a happy (second) homecoming this year.

(Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images) Wade did not have a happy (second) homecoming this year.

1-1: Wade catches it coming off a Jermaine O’Neal screen and then gets another screen from O’Neal off the dribble.  He’s able to take it right a back pedaling Andrew Bogut and hit a floater without a hand in his face.  When Wade’s isolated against Bogut like that it’s obviously not going to favor the Bucks very often.  Bogut isn’t quick enough with his hands to be able to contest a Wade shot without being susceptible to a fake and dunk combo. Read More »

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