Go find the pieces of your head and put it back together like one of those fancy 3D jigsaw puzzles of the world.

This sounds like one of those crazy agent scenarios far too broad and wild to ever come true, but it also might be the very first time a semi-plausible deal has involved Bogut leaving Milwaukee. By semi-plausible, of course that means there is a player returning to the Bucks who has at least enough appeal to make one want to think about what it would be like if he stepped into Bogut’s role.

The last time we saw Andrew Bynum, he was a shirtless, lonely man walking off the court and into the locker room at the American Airlines Center. Fans were ravenously jeering him and Mavericks players had to be restrained from attempting to even the score with him after he inserted his burly forearm into the elfish chest of a mid-air J.J. Barea.

So I’m not so certain a trade that brought him to Milwaukee for long time center and almost All-Star Bogut would go over so well with the fans of a franchise always swimming in the shallow end of the public appeal pool. But that’s not a reason to avoid a trade for a guy.

There are better reasons for that.

Bynum miss the first five games of this season due to a suspension for the aforementioned leveling of Barea and after he returns, he’ll likely find the eyes of referees everywhere trained upon him at all times. A close eye and his historically temperamental manner could prove to be a dangerous combination over the course of the next couple of seasons.

Beyond that, Bynum hasn’t exactly been a picture of health, even when compared to the oft-injured Bogut. Bynum has played an average of just 55 games over six NBA seasons, 11 fewer than Bogut has averaged.

Of course, Bynum has without question been a more consistent offensive performer throughout his career. Despite his size and strength, Bogut has been more of a finesse performer around the hoop, often settling for hook shots and quick layups. It’s not that Bogut isn’t very good at these shots, he’s excellent actually, it’s that even the most talented of finisher would struggle to finish those shots at a high percentage all the time.

That’s why Bogut, touch and all, has only once shot better than 56% in his career while Bynum has eclipsed that mark every year except for 18-year-old rookie season. Over the course of their respective careers, Bogut has made 63.7% of his shots at the rim, while Bynum has connected on 70.2% of his.

Authority at the rim on offense though doesn’t always translate to the defensive side of the ball. Bogut, while not nationally recognized as such, is one of the best defensive players in the NBA. In addition to leading the league in blocked shots per game last season, two seasons ago he ranked second in the NBA in total charges taken. He’s a complete defensive force and the centerpiece of one of the finest defensive teams in the league over the past two seasons.

It’s not that Bynum is a terrible defender. Bynum allowed .86 points per possession last season and was a good post-up defender, actually better than Bogut according to MySynergySports, allowing just .74 points per post-up possession (Bogut allowed .81 in the post). But he isn’t the vocal organizer of a defense. Bogut’s awareness is a huge advantage to the Bucks. Watching him on defense is like watching the guard perched on top of a prison wall. He’s watching everything and directing his teammates constantly. If anyone breaks out towards the basket, Bogut will be shooting them down.

And that’s what it comes down to. It’s about the fit, not about the individual talent. Maybe Bynum is a more talented overall basketball player, but he certainly wouldn’t be a better fit for the Bucks as currently constructed, and that’s without even taking into account Bogut’s near unprecedented embrace of the city of Milwaukee.

If Milwaukee wants to maintain the defensive identity they have spent the last few seasons cultivating, getting rid of their centerpiece would sure be a funny way of going about that.

Other News

• Gery Woelfel writes that the Bucks reached out to Caron Butler, but most outlets are not listing the Bucks as a realistic landing spot for him, as neither ESPN nor Yahoo! mention the Bucks as teams to watch with regards to the Mavericks swingman. Woelfel also expects Ersan Ilyasova to show up when the Bucks head to camp, despite rumors of his unhappiness and desire to play in Europe this season.

• Scott Skiles tells Charles F. Gardner that this season is a critical one for the Bucks.

Jeremy Schmidt writes the Milwaukee Bucks blog Bucksketball.com. Follow him on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

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(I know I just put out a piece complaining about the refs, but typically I’m not overly ridiculous or biased.  So this is a more true to form recap.  If you’re a Laker fan and that borderline cry-baby piece I put out before was your first taste, give this a shot.  I’m not typically so homeriffic.  At least I hope not.)

We’ll start with the Kobe shots.  Because really there were two that were the same.  He missed it at the end of regulation and sunk it at the end of overtime.  I’d like the think that shot’s difficult for him, but it probably really isn’t.  Yes, it’s a fade-away and for most of us it would be borderline impossible, but for Kobe?  That’s just all in a day’s work.  And with a 6′3 defender guarding him?  Come on.  So that’s where we’ll start.

Why wasn’t Luc Richard Mbah a Moute on Kobe?  That was the first question on my and most other die hard Bucks fan’s minds as that ball sunk through the net.  Naturally the first thing I asked coach Scott Skiles was whether or not he thought about putting the Bucks best defender back in to guard the best shot maker in the NBA on the last shot of the game:

Not really.  He was out too long.  I thought about it, yeah, but he was out quite a while.  As I said, I put Mbah a Moute back in on Nowitzki and he shot right over him and scored.  Kobe’s going to get his shot off right there, I thought Charlie played good position defense on him, he just made it.

Not bringing him in because he hadn’t played in a while makes some sense.  Bringing in a guy who’s ice cold and stiff to guard Kobe Bryant doesn’t seem conducive to success.  Mbah a Moute last played at the 11:48 mark of the fourth quarter and played a total of 26 minutes, so whether he was stiff or cold is probably up for some debate.  It’s one thing to throw a guy in who hasn’t played all game, it’s another to bring someone in who’s been in the game and defending that specific player whom is going to take the last shot for most of the game.  It’s funny he mentions the Nowitzki shot from earlier this year.  Here’s what Dirk had to say about that shot:

“I used my size advantage and when it left my hand, I thought it was going straight in. The bounce was obviously lucky.”

The size advantage was obviously useful, it gave him a clean look at the hoop because he’s four inches taller than LRMAM.  Anyone want to guess how many inches taller Kobe is than Charlie Bell?  Four inches.  Kobe’s fade-away is tough to defend for guys his size, but for the 6′3 Bell?  Impossible.  He got a clean look because Bell simply couldn’t physically challenge it as well as someone bigger.  Someone like LRMAM maybe?

Here’s Luc Richard’s take:

Charlie was doing a great job on him the whole fourth quarter.  Even the possession before that sent it to overtime he played him real good.  I would have played him the same way.  He’s been making those shots for a while now.  He’s the best, that’s the reason why.

One can’t help but think if Luc Richard played it the same way the results may have been better.  Skiles deserves a break on this, he’s made a lot of the correct moves and pushed a lot of the right buttons, but this one seemed a mistake to me.

Offense

• Michael Redd appeared healthy for the first time since the second game of the season.  This is good and bad.

The good: 25 points for a team occasionally devoid of scoring ability, four assists including a crucial “pass up a tough shot and dish to the wide open Ersan Ilyasova” move and not including a moment in which Redd deferred to Bogut who was immediately fouled for two free throws (he hit on both).  In addition, Redd grabbed seven boards, threw down a dunk and came up with a nifty strip of Bryant in the fourth.  Redd often looked like the exact scorer the Bucks need and scored nine in the fourth quarter.

The bad: the ultra-quick shots off screens, which don’t go in very often and typically come with lots of time left on the shot clock.  Redd took a few tough three’s with under two minutes to go in regulation that drew the ire of Scott Skiles.  Those are the shots the Bucks could live without.  If he cuts down on those and hits the shots he’s getting in the flow, he probably shoots six or so less shots and makes two less.  We’re not talking high percentage shots that he needs to cut out, just the impossible ones that he occasionally hits.  Scott Skiles thoughts on Redd’s shot selection:

I thought he took two or three highly questionable ones.  As we do with all of our guys, we give him the benefit of the doubt on most of that, especially a guy who hasn’t played a whole lot.

Redd’s thoughts when I asked if he needs to start passing up shots he used to take:

Play basketball.  Play basketball.  If a man’s open you hit him, if you got the shot, shoot it, that’s how I play man.  So, that’s how I’ve always played.  Just play basketball.  You’re at your best when you don’t think and just play.

• Over at BrewHoop, Alex referred to Ilyasova as “Turk Nowitzki”.  Boy, do I love that.  The Turk poured in 24 Wednesday and made a number of plays you won’t find in a box score near you.  You’ll notice in the play-by-play that Mike Redd is credited with an offensive rebound at 2:16 left in overtime.  How’d he get that board?  Ilyasova came barreling in and knocked the ball loose from the grips of Kobe Bryant.  Redd would hit a three after a Milwaukee time out, all thanks to Ilyasova.  You see that three Ilyasova hit to put the Bucks up 79-78 in the fourth?  That was an insane step-back in Kobe’s face.  He even bounced off the Lakers star.

• But it wasn’t all good for the Turk.  Two missed free throws in OT, two lane violations and a generally inability to help keep Pau Gasol off the boards (not that anyone’s been able to do that lately) all added up for a crucial few points in the Laker’s favor.

• Before the game I gave the Bucks the advantage at the center position.  I wavered back and forth on it before committing, but ultimately decided Bogut has a minuscule edge on Bynum when defense is factored in.  Well, Bogut had a major edge in this one.  16 points, 12 boards and three blocks for Bouges to eight and three for Bynum.  Major edge for the Bucks.  Except for that missed free throw at the end of regulation that probably would have won the game for the Bucks.  Yeah, that one looms a little large in the win.

Defense

• The problem for Bogut?  Keeping Gasol off the glass.  Gasol used all sorts of slip moves and effort to grab 22 boards.  On top of that he feasted when the Lakers dumped it inside to him, finishing with 26 points.  26-22-4-4.  That’s what you call a monster night.  Gasol and the Lakers did work inside in the second half, winning the points in the paint battle 30-20 in the second half after losing it 18-16 in the first.

• Kobe.  39 points on 13-28 shooting.  Only one three-point shot made and 12-12 from the line.  That’s just ridiculous.  Kobe refused to be stopped and kept attacking the Bucks all game.  He’s unguardable.  Damn him.

• The Lakers finished the evening 29-33 from the line.  Good things happen when a team attacks the basket and has two (and sometimes three) seven footers up front.  The Bucks were their typical 12-17 from the stripe on the night.  The free throw line tells the story with even more accuracy than usual tonight too.  Ersan and Bogut’s misses were gigantic, we may never speak about the block/charge is Bogut sinks the plus one free throw with three seconds to go.  Overall the Lakers had a 17 point positive free throw difference and while it’s offset some by the Bucks 18 point edge on three-pointers, it still looms large.

Final Thoughts

A bummer.  That’s what this one was.  It hurts to be so close and unable to finish it out, that much was clear in the Bucks locker room after the game.  Redd appeared to be in something of a daze, Brandon Jennings was too upset to hang around and even Charlie Bell bolted fairly quickly.  No one uttered the words “moral” and “victory” in the same sentence.  But realistically, this game was something of a positive for the Bucks.  You don’t get extra points for beating the best teams, so it’s not important that the Bucks beat the best team in the league.  Every win would be nice, but it was even better to see Redd have some success and the Bucks look like a pretty good basketball team.

But a win would have been sweet.

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(Likely) Inactives: Luke Walton

at

Milwaukee Bucks (Scott Skiles) 11-11

(Likely) Inactives: Joe Alexander, Francisco Elson and Jodie Meeks

Date: 12/16/2009

Time: 7:00 (CST)

TV: FS Wisconsin

Match-Ups

Point Guard

Brandon Jennings vs. Derek Fisher

Fisher is a stat-head’s nightmare.  His PER is under ten.  He is shooting 30 percent from three and less than 40 percent from the field.  He’s basically been living off “veteran ingenuity” for two or three years.  But he’s also the starting point guard on the best team in the NBA, so how bad could he really be?  I’m torn on Fisher and have been for a few years.  Maybe he’s one of the players that these new fanged stats can’t properly asses, I mean they already appear biased towards power forwards and centers.  Perhaps Fisher’s game is still good, but just in unmeasurable ways.  But then I think … nah, he sucks.  And that usually wins the argument in my head.

Advantage: Bucks

Shooting Guard

Carlos Delfino vs. Kobe Bryant

What is there to be said about Bryant that hasn’t already been said?  He’s incredible and added post moves to his already vast repertoire of shots before this season.  Playing with a broken finger Tuesday night, Bryant poured in 42 against a relatively decent Chicago defense.  I guess it’s just all in a day’s work for Kobe.  What’s absurd is that with all the talent around him now he’s willing to give the ball up and let other people make plays.  How can he even be game planned for at this point?

Advantage: Lakers

Small Forward

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute vs. Ron Artest

If you’ve heard Ron Artest can no longer play defense, don’t believe it.  He’s still a capable defender and can knock guys around.  No, he can’t lock up the quickest players in the league like he once could, but Artest is very good at using his size to muscle up perimeter players and prevent them from getting where they want to get on the court.  In his younger days, Artest wasn’t all that different from LRMAM.  Except Artest was more advanced offensively and that whole drinking before games thing.  I can vouch for LRMAM that Hennessy isn’t apart of his pre-game preparation.

Advantage: Lakers

Power Forward

Ersan Ilyasova vs. Pau Gasol

Have the Lakers lost since Gasol’s return?  Ah, two games ago at Utah the Lakers dropped one .. when Gasol had 16/20.  He’s grabbed 56 rebounds over his last three games.  Gasol and Kobe are dream teammates.  Gasol doesn’t need the ball all the time, is a willing passer and dominating rebounder.  He can do immense damage for most of the game and then let Kobe do his thing when Kobe decides to do it.  Last year the Bucks ran LRMAM at Gasol a few times and Gasol introduced him to some post moves it looked like LRMAM had never seen before.  Ilyasova is more experienced in this department, but still seems unlikely to have much success stopping one of the best post players in the game right now.

Advantage: Lakers

Center

Andrew Bogut vs. Andrew Bynum

A match-up of two of the best young centers in the game right now.  Bynum has been more aggressive than ever this year, and while his shots have tailed off a bit since Gasol’s return, he’s still a very legitimate low post scorer.  He’s averaging more points per game than Bogut on two fewer shots a night.  And he’s doing that as the Lakers third (and sometimes fourth) option.   What makes Bogut a little more relevant in the grand scheme of things is his defense.  A lot of centers are credited with being better shot blockers than Bogut, and I’ve heard Bynum lumped into that group, well Bogut’s averaging more blocks and has drawn more charges.  It seems like Bogut’s ability to draw charges makes everyone think he never blocks a shot.  He’s good at both!  On top of that he controls the defense in a way Bynum doesn’t need to and might never.

Advantage: Bucks

Bench

Luke Ridnour, Hakim Warrick, Michael Redd, and Kurt Thomas

vs.

Lamar Odom, Sasha Vujacic, Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown

The Lakers have pretty much cut it down to a three man bench of late with Odom, Farmar and Brown getting the minutes.  When they bring in Odom at the three they’re unguardable.  The size difference is absurd and the passing skill of Odom and Gasol makes the offense capable of things other coaches can only dream about.   Brown and Farmar are both athletic attackers who can occasionally hit a three, Farmar more so than Brown.  The Lakers are doing their best to get Brown in the dunk contest, kind of like the Bucks did with Joe Alexander last year.  Something tells me L.A. will have more success.  Look for Redd to come off the bench again and look for him to have a little more success after a couple of practices.  We should be seeing what Mike Redd really is in the next couple weeks.  That’ll be interesting.

Advantage: Lakers

Prediction: Lakers 105 – Bucks 94

Let’s call this game what it is: a mis-match.  The Lakers are too good for anyone but possibly the other top five teams in the league.  The quicker this one is over, the quicker the Bucks can get back to their regularly scheduled programing.  Hopefully the Bucks can avoid any 20+ point runs by the opposition in this one.  What I’m most interested in seeing is how Redd looks after a few more days off and some time to work with Jennings and company on a more regular basis.  If Redd’s looking good that changes a lot of things for the Bucks.  But that’s a significant IF at this point.

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