Detroit Pistons

82

Final Recap | Box Score

103

Milwaukee Bucks

	Carlos Delfino, SF 23 MIN | 4-7 FG | 0-0 FT | 5 REB | 3 AST | 10 PTS | +5 Carlos Delfino has quietly been the best perimeter defender the Bucks have. Good thing too since Moute needs to play heavy power forward minutes with Bogut out. He bodies up hard on his man. And against everyone except Kobe Bryant, he plays the passing lanes aggressively.
	Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, SF 28 MIN | 0-5 FG | 2-2 FT | 4 REB | 2 AST | 2 PTS | +4 Seriously, how versatile is Moute. Guards Kobe one game, the next he has to guard Greg Monroe. He used his long arms to deny Monroe the ball. And when Monroe was backing up, those same arms pestered Monroe’s dribble resulting in a few turnovers.
	Drew Gooden, PF 25 MIN | 7-9 FG | 2-3 FT | 5 REB | 1 AST | 16 PTS | +13 Didn’t think it was possible, but Drew Gooden pump fakes on defense. Will Bynum’s just scorching to the basket and Gooden’s all like, “I’m going to get in your way. . . no I’m not.” It’s a lot of fun to watch.
	Brandon Jennings, PG 38 MIN | 8-15 FG | 1-2 FT | 4 REB | 5 AST | 21 PTS | +21 The Pistons’ point guards had the audacity to step onto the same floor as Jennings. This infuriated him greatly. He scorched Bynum and Walker Russell Jr. around the corner, but was often met with a horde of Pistons big men. No matter. Jennings just torched the Pistons from three. And after each one, he defiantly strutted back on defense.
	Mike Dunleavy, SF 26 MIN | 8-10 FG | 2-2 FT | 3 REB | 3 AST | 20 PTS | +16 The Bucks ran a sweet pindown for Dunleavy in the fourth. It was a swish. And it put the Pistons away for good. But Dunleavy had no mercy and kept burying them. If they pindown that play a lot more often, some good things are in store for the future. It’s not a coincidence that since Dunleavy started replacing Jackson’s minutes that the ball movement and offense has been off the charts.
	Larry Sanders, C 12 MIN | 2-3 FG | 2-4 FT | 3 REB | 0 AST | 6 PTS | +14 Sanders did a very simple power move to the basket and converted a lay-up. No foul. No travel. No double dribble. I don’t know how to say this in any way that won’t sound condescending, but I was so proud of him. I wasn’t the only one in the Bradley Center that felt this way, he got a few cheers when he checked out in the middle of the fourth.

Two Things We Saw

1. Bucks won a battle they normally lose. Bucks took 26 free throws to the Pistons 20.
2. Big storyline from this game that supports some rumors: 12 players were used in this game. None of them were Stephen Jackson. And there’s no reason to actually play him. Delfino is a better defender. There are a lot of better shooters and distributors on the team. The offense just looks great when he doesn’t stop possessions with ill-advised threes and haphazard drives to the basket. And this is coming from the guy who was so excited Jax was joining the team that he compared him to a samurai.

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Milwaukee Bucks

100

Final Recap | Box Score

86

New York Knicks

	Shaun Livingston, PG 34 MIN | 7-10 FG | 4-4 FT | 5 REB | 3 AST | 18 PTS | +22 Livingston has a very specific game and he executed it tonight. In his first start of the season for the suspended Stephen Jackson, Livingston made six of seven shots in the paint. He uses his size so well and is quick to move the ball too. It helps when he’s on the court with guys who can shoot the three, as it mitigates his inability from deep.
	Carlos Delfino, SF 29 MIN | 4-7 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 2 AST | 9 PTS | +8 Delfino and Luc Mbah a Moute did a stellar defensive job on Carmelo Anthony. They stayed with him, played physical and frustrated him into two technical fouls and a fairly inefficient line that saw him score 35 points on 26 shots. They made him stick with the long jumper, a shot he can make, but a short worth ceding.
	Brandon Jennings, PG 36 MIN | 15-26 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 5 AST | 36 PTS | +17 Four shots. Jennings took just four shots against the Knicks that weren’t in the paint or from three-point range. With 26 attempts, that’s a pretty terrific ratio. He’s always seemed to like playing the Garden and Friday was certainly no exception. When he’s hitting threes, he’s a very difficult cover. New York’s patchwork point guards certainly were no match.
	Drew Gooden, PF 22 MIN | 2-9 FG | 6-8 FT | 11 REB | 0 AST | 10 PTS | +2 In a backup role, with plenty of other talented players on the court, that allows him to focus on rebounding and put-backs, Gooden works well. He’s generally ridiculous to watch when he’s taking on a real active role, but he’s always been a useful rebounder. Rebounds, put-backs and the free throws that result from them can be his thing.
	Ersan Ilyasova, PF 23 MIN | 1-5 FG | 0-0 FT | 9 REB | 3 AST | 3 PTS | +15 It seemed we never went more than a few seconds without hearing Ilyasova’s name when he was in the game tonight. He battled for rebounds all night and pestered the Knicks pricey frontline. He earned every one of his nine rebounds.

Three Things We Saw

1. Jennings was on the court for 36 minutes, but certainly spent a good amount of time inside the mind of Carmelo Anthony late in the game. Jennings will encourage some chippy play here and there, especially when he’s feeling it from three and the Bucks are winning. I’m sure he reveled in Anthony’s second technical.
2. I’m sure many will point to Jackson’s absence, the Bucks win and the solid play from Livingston as a clear pattern for success, but let’s avoid jumping that gun just yet. There’s a lot of season left and Jackson isn’t going anywhere any time soon. The Bucks need to find a way to get him playing well regularly.
3. 1-8 on the road. A lot better than 0-9.

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San Antonio Spurs

103

Final Recap | Box Score

106

Milwaukee Bucks

	Stephen Jackson, SG 42 MIN | 12-17 FG | 7-7 FT | 1 REB | 8 AST | 34 PTS | -1 This is as good as it gets for Stephen Jackson. Don’t take that as me saying it can’t happen again. Just take it as me saying this is what Milwaukee envisioned from him when the team acquired him. He was willing to share, making the extra pass and making a high percentage of his shots. When Jackson is moving the ball as well as he was Tuesday, you live with the bad shots he’ll inevitably take.
	Andrew Bogut, C 35 MIN | 7-15 FG | 0-0 FT | 11 REB | 3 AST | 14 PTS | -6 Bogut was back, in a big enough way. For the first time all season, Bogut was making some of his baby hooks. He was getting more looks at the rim and he even showed some of that explosion he occasionally finds on a dunk over DeJuan Blair. Tim Duncan’s mid-range jumper gave him trouble, but it was an acceptable first game back against a tough opponent for Bogut. And in true Bogut fashion, he took a crucial charge on Duncan to help put things away for the Bucks.
	Carlos Delfino, SF 36 MIN | 7-13 FG | 0-1 FT | 4 REB | 1 AST | 18 PTS | -3 Someone had to start making threes. Milwaukee couldn’t keep shooting under 30% forever. So it figures it would be Carlos Delfino that would step up. The Argentinian connected on four of six from deep and took the burden off Milwaukee’s mid-range game. It’s amazing how much more relaxed the whole team looks when one member starts hitting some threes.
	Brandon Jennings, PG 36 MIN | 7-13 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 11 AST | 15 PTS | -2 I don’t know that Jennings was really doing anything all that different tonight than he usually does. Sure, his results were different, but his execution was nearly the same. The biggest difference? His teammates played well. That’s why Jennings had eight first half assists and five first half shots. More teammate makes are always a good thing for Jennings. It could be a chicken or the egg thing with Jennings’ assists and his teammates shooting a high percentage, but I suspect his numbers simply benefitted from his teammates making shots rather than his teammates benefitting from him creating something different for them on Tuesday.
	Jon Leuer, F 30 MIN | 4-9 FG | 2-2 FT | 5 REB | 1 AST | 10 PTS | +7 Leuer parlayed a smart first half into a starting spot when the second half began. Quick rotations, rolls after picks, moving into open spaces, Leuer does these things well. If he’s making open shots and finishing around the rim (which he was doing often Tuesday), the ability to know what’s going on and limit mistakes is what separates him from other Bucks power forward candidates.

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Losing to the suddenly mighty Clippers itself isn’t real cause for concern. That 36.3% number from the field that’s becoming commonplace once again? That’s an eye-catcher in the same way a black spot on a broken television is. But it’s not striking me as the root of the problem with the Bucks currently. It’s more the result of what may be a broken mindset.

I present this quote from Stephen Jackson after Milwaukee’s 92-86 loss to the Clippers Saturday night.:

“We need somebody to step up and knock down shots for us. It has been difficult on this trip, for sure. We haven’t gotten anybody with any consistency knocking down shots.”

This is the same sort of thing we frequently heard from Scott Skiles last season. Here’s a Skiles quote from a loss in late January in which the Bucks shot under 40%.

“We had so many good looks again. We had our chances to create some momentum for ourselves, and we unfortunately just couldn’t knock them down.”

“Knocking down shots” was a problem for the Bucks last season and it’s been a problem early on this season. At some point, you can’t help but wonder if maybe the Bucks just aren’t getting the good shots they think their getting.

Through seven games, Milwaukee is taking the second most shots in the league from 3-9 feet. The average shooting percentage on these shots across the league is 36.4%. Milwaukee shoots right about average and attempts 15.7 of these shots per game. Literally speaking, these are not high percentage shots and Milwaukee takes a lot of them.

The highest percentage shots on the court are, obviously, at the rim. Across the league, the average shooting percentage of shots at the rim is 63.4%. Milwaukee takes the fifth fewest shots at the rim per game and connects on 67.2% of them. The second most efficient shots possible, are three-point shots. The extra point is seductive. Unfortunately, Milwaukee has failed to acquire competent three-point shooters.

Milwaukee’s best three-point shooters, Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Carlos Delfino, have been limited to eight games and 32 three-point attempts between them. Brandon Jennings and Jackson, both shooting under 30% on three-pointers this year and both coming off a season in which they each shot roughly five threes per game while failing to surpass 34% in accuracy, are shooting a combined 12 three-pointers per game.

Coach Skiles said after the Clippers game that Milwaukee’s problem wasn’t one of effort. He’s right. Milwaukee’s problems go far beyond effort. All the effort in the world can’t get the right players taking the right shots from the right spots. Andrew Bogut’s expected Tuesday return will help the team for certain, but he wasn’t the cure all to this team’s woes last season.

It’s tough to know what needs to change for the Bucks to start getting easier or higher percentage shots, and even tougher to expect these poor shooting results to improve any time soon.

Watch This Guy Not Other Guys

• Steve Nash

He’s still the real deal in Phoenix, even if his teammates are not. Aside from Nash, the cupboard is pretty bare. The Suns current scoring leader is Hakim Warrick. He averages 12.7 points per game.

The Rest

Sunday’s game, in Phoenix at 7 PM Central time, will not be one of the most enjoyable in the NBA this season, but it’s an opportunity for the Bucks to turn a road trip from horrible, complete failure, to just failure.

The Suns are in disarray, caught between being a rebuilding team and being competitive. They won’t be either this season. Think the 2006 Bucks with Steve Nash in Michael Redd’s role as star. Speaking of Redd, he’ll be with the Suns this evening, but he’s still not ready to play.

Outside of Nash and Warrick, the Suns are always wise when they involve Marcin Gortat as much as they can.

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

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Milwaukee Bucks

73

Final Recap | Box Score

85

Utah Jazz

	Stephen Jackson, SG 5-17 FG | 5-6 FT | 6 REB | 4 AST | 16 PTS | -12 Things did not go well for Jackson. He’s holding the ball a ton over the past two games after making quick decisions over and over when the Bucks were thriving in transition against the Wizards. He’s forcing drives into traffic, he’s missing shots. Over the past two games, he’s been John Salmons.
	Ersan Ilyasova, PF 2-9 FG | 2-2 FT | 8 REB | 1 AST | 7 PTS | -2 Overmatched. That’s the easiest way to define Ilyasova’s night. He had trouble banging with Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson all night. The eight rebounds are nice, but they mean little when you look at how many rebounds were available Tuesday night.
	Drew Gooden, PF 12-20 FG | 0-0 FT | 12 REB | 1 AST | 24 PTS | -6 Gooden had a terrific statistical game full of bonehead lapses. For every tip shot he fought to put in, for every long jumper he hit, there was an airballed shot he tried to draw a foul on or a silly foul of a Jazz big man that had blown by him. He was the Bucks offense though, so there’s that.
	Carlos Delfino, SF 0-7 FG | 2-2 FT | 4 REB | 3 AST | 2 PTS | +3 An oh-for for Delfino. His drives resulted in wild shots in the paint. His threes weren’t falling and he was often standing around off the ball. For whatever reason, Milwaukee hasn’t been able to run with Delfino in the lineup like they did with Dunleavy. Small sample size and defensive stops figure into this, but he certainly lacks the movement and passing skills Dunleavy has.
	Brandon Jennings, PG 4-19 FG | 0-1 FT | 6 REB | 6 AST | 8 PTS | -14 With Bogut out, a nation of Bucks fans turned their lonely eyes to Brandon Jennings. They’ll need sunglasses. Jennings’ layup that failed to so much as hit the rim in the fourth quarter summed his night up. It’s nice that Jennings competes hard all game, but if that’s all he has going for him in a game, that’s a problem. The past two games have been a rough regression for Jennings.

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But it’s easy to see how the performance of Ilyasova impacts the Bucks. Last season in wins, Ilyasova shot 49.5% and averaged 10.7 points per game. In Bucks losses last season, Ilyasova shot 39.8% and averaged 8.7 points per game. In our limited sample size of data this season, we’ve once again seen his performance mean a great deal. In Milwaukee’s loss to the Bobcats, Ilyasova scored just two points (though he did grab nine rebounds). When the Bucks rolled over the Wizards, Ilyasova played a key role, dropping 16 points on just eight shots.

Obviously, this isn’t rocket science. He’s a starter for the Bucks. He regularly plays lots of minutes. If he’s playing well, it’s going to make a big difference. But what’s unusual about Ilyasova is how much of a variable he can be. We know that even when Andrew Bogut shoots under 40%, he’ll be playing all-NBA type defense. We know Brandon Jennings might shoot a low percentage, but he applies pressure on the opposing point guards and usually is able to give the other team some problems with his driving.

But Ilyasova’s play, especially his play early, gives hints about his state each game.

Sometimes he misses his first open shot and he plays lost for an entire game. His effort’s alwyas there, but he quickly loses his typical effectiveness. Sometimes he catches on the perimeter and all game it becomes a pump fake and pass machine. I’m not opposed to the pump fake, it can be effective. But some games it become a crutch for Ilyasova rather than a tool. He’s indecisive and it’s something he uses to buy time rather than to make a move.

Friday’s game wasn’t completely out of the ordinary for Ilyasova. He’s thrilled a number of times over the past two seasons, displaying shooting touch, rebounding skills and even a bit of passing ability that doesn’t typically stand out as apart of his game. He put all of that together Friday. He scored on putbacks, off cuts and jumpers. Surely, this was the Ilyasova Scott Skiles envisioned when he plugged him into the starting lineup before Milwaukee’s first game this season.

The power forward spot has been a troubling one for the Bucks since, well, almost forever. Vin Baker held it down and nearly every other Bucks forward has played themselves out of the spot. Milwaukee’s been acquiring pieces at the four for the last few seasons, seemingly hoping one of their many rotating parts would prove to be the piece that fit best. Sometimes that’s Ilyasova.

If that’s is the Ilyasova that shows up often this season, the Bucks can feel a little better about their odds. If the roller coaster ride Ilyasova was on last seaosn carries over into this one, Milwaukee’s chances get that much rockier.

Tonight’s Game

Milwaukee is in Denver this evening, taking on the Nuggets at 8 PM Central. Carlos Delfino will slide into the starting lineup for the ill (ill physically, not ill like really good, but I think that he’s been pretty ill as a player this year) Mike Dunleavy Jr.

Watch These Guys, Not Other Guys

• Nene

Big contract, big player, not such big results this season. Nene will be okay. He’s a terrific finisher, can step out and hit some shots, has exceptional athleticism and plays on a team that fits his needs well. He had a big second game of the season against the Jazz and has been average in the three since. He’s capable of breaking out and is one of those rare centers that can give Bogut problems, thanks to his quickness. He shot 80% and averaged 17 points per game against the Bucks last season.

The Rest

Denver is deep. They are full of talented player, but lack that one big, Carmelo Anthony like star. I’m a jerk. But they rotate in and out, kind of like the Marquette Golden Eagles if you’re into Milwaukee’s college basketball scene. As always, they are up-temp0 (2nd in the NBA in pace this season) and can put up points. Milwaukee’s not shy about pushing the pace a bit themselves, so we could see quite a few points, despite the defensive talents of both of these teams. I

t might hurt the Bucks a bit more than they realize that Dunleavy is out, as his quick ball movement and off the ball motion helps them in transition and when things dull down in the half court quite a bit.

This is Milwaukee’s first test on a five game road trip, so don’t think they don’t realize how important getting a game on the front end of this trip will be.

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

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In his second year as a Buck, the small forward averaged a career high 11.5 points on 39% shooting from the field and 37% shooting from three.  Delfino led the Bucks in three-point field goals with 105 despite missing 33 games due to a concussion and symptoms he couldn’t seem to shake.

Seen as a reliable defender and a good fit in an offense that struggled throughout last season, Coach Scott Skiles confidence in Delfino was obvious throughout the second half of last season.  As Milwaukee made their final playoff push in late March, Delfino was regularly seeing better than 40 minutes a night while high priced off-season acquisition Corey Maggette logged DNP-CDs.  To his credit, Delfino responded to the minutes, twice scoring 30 points while averaging better than 19 points during a seven game stretch that ended the month of March.

As it stands, Delfino would seem to have the inside track on the starting small forward position once again, given his shooting touch, apparent grasp on where to be in Milwaukee’s offense and competitiveness defensively.  While not the quickest player on the roster, Delfino positions himself well defensively and has the size and strength to match up with most wings in the league.  His athleticism doesn’t leap out if you casually watch him, but at times he’s shown he’s capable of some impressive blocks and dunks.

Given the disaster that was last season, a possible off-season roster shake up that could result of it and Maggette’s uncertain fit in the Bucks future, Delfino’s familiarity with Coach Skiles and General Manager Hammond could remain one of his biggest assets this coming season.

Jeremy Schmidt writes the Milwaukee Bucks blog Bucksketball.com. Follow him on Twitter. Become a fan on Facebook (right sidebar).

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Now that I am done squinting my eyes trying to find something positive about the Bucks forward play this season, I can relax a little bit and let the players do most of the work for me. This is possible because to be frank, the forward play from the team in the 10-11 season was despicable.

John Hammond looked at the 09-10 team, saw they needed to get to the line more and could use a true power forward, and went out and got Corey Maggette and Drew Gooden. On paper, those were perfect moves. But, as the cliché goes, NBA games aren’t played on paper. Let’s take a look at everything the forwards did wrong last year.

• The chemistry killer

One of the main reasons the Bucks made it to the playoffs in 2010 was the team’s chemistry. Everybody seemed to like each other, or at least could play well together. Veterans like Kurt Thomas and Jerry Stackhouse brought wisdom from many years in the League. Players bought into what Scott Skiles was trying to do and played with fire.

So what happened this year?

Thomas and Stackhouse were gone, that certainly played a role. But an even bigger chemistry killer arrived from the west coast. The man with the guns for arms and face like Xzibit arrived in a summer trade and was able to whittle away at any good feelings the Bucks may have had by January.

Maggette was brought to the Bucks for his scoring prowess and ability to get to the free throw line. Even if you just look at the numbers and don’t consider chemistry, Maggette’s addition was a failure. A team that finished last in free throws made in the 09-10 season made a measly move to 27th. Maggette failed to do what he usually did best. He made 460 of 551 free throws his last season in Golden State. While his percentage remained almost the same in Milwaukee, his attempts and makes plummeted. He converted only 271 of 325 attempts form the charity stripe.

Look closer and you will see the culprit. Maggette played 10 less minutes per game this season compared to last. And why did he not get on the court as much? He never truly grasped what Skiles was trying to do and could not gel with the rest of his Bucks teammates. While stories leaked out throughout the season about the toxic atmosphere found in the locker room, you only had to look at Maggette’s on court demeanor to understand what was going on. Whether it was lowering his shoulder to barrel through a defender instead of passing to a wide-open teammate or appearing aloof during crunch time, it seems clear that Maggette’s heart never arrived in Milwaukee with the rest of his body.

• Fragile as they come

While I am hesitant to call the Bucks the most injury riddled team in the NBA (the Portland Trail Blazers might have something to say about that), without a doubt the number of injuries incurred by the team over the course of the season played a role in the team’s win total.

Out of any position, it seemed like it was hardest to keep the forwards healthy this season. Let’s do a quick rundown of the injuries:

1. Delfino missed 33 total games. Thirty-two after his neck strain and the concussion like symptoms that accompanied it and one with a rib contusion.
2. Gooden missed 43 games with left foot plantar fasciitis.
3. Ilyasova missed 22 total games. Twenty-one during his mysterious disappearance at the end of the season after suffering a concussion and one from a right eye contusion.
4. Maggette was out seven games due to left ankle soreness, concussion-like symptoms, lower back pain and a sore right knee.
5. Mbah a Moute stayed relatively healthy, missing three games due to a right ankle injury and the flu.

As any math whiz reading this already figured out, that is 108 combined games missed due to injury at the forward position. It is hard for any team to be successful when players you expect to make major contributions miss that much time. To make matters worse, both Ilyasova and Gooden were out with injury at the same time for a significant portion of the second half of the season. Two players the Bucks counted on for minutes at the power forward position were down with injury from February 26 until March 20.

This undoubtedly gave Skiles quite the headache and made it hard for him to effectively play the match ups he desired.

• They are being paid how much?

And now that brings us to what I think is the biggest problem at forward, the money Milwaukee is paying these guys. To be accurate, only two forwards are actually signed to bad contracts, but my oh my, are they awful deals. Of course, I am talking about the money owed to Gooden and Maggette.

Let’s start with our man Maggette. His selfishness on the court and apparent divisiveness off of it gets worse when you realize the Bucks might have to put up with it for two more years. Maggette is owed $21 million over those final two seasons. Ouch. While it is hard to believe he will be back next year, Hammond is going to have a heck of a time unloading him with a contract like that.

Depending on who you ask, the four years and $26 million remaining on Gooden’s deal might be even worse. He may put up decent numbers and show flashes of superb talent, but is he really worth that much money? In the last year of his contract, Gooden will be 33 years old and you have to believe his production will decline as the time goes by. Even if his play doesn’t drop off, there is a reason he has been on nine teams over the course of his career.

To muddle the contract situation further, Moute’s cap-friendly deal expires after the 11-12 season. He will surely demand more than the $1.2 million he will be paid next year if his contract is extended.

Good luck Hammond!

Josh Hilgendorf writes for the Milwaukee Bucks blog Bucksketball.com. Follow him on Twitter. Become a fan on Facebook (right sidebar).

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- Jeremy Schmidt

It is hard to find many positives on a team that failed to meet almost a single person’s expectations in the 2010-11 season. It is even harder to find positives among a group of forwards that were constantly missing games due to injury. Even if healthy, there was not a lot of consistency to be found here.

For every great Luc Mbah a Moute stop, we had to watch Drew Gooden’s clueless attempt to rotate on defense. For every Carlos Delfino 3-pointer, we were forced to witness Corey Maggette’s head down, “I’m not going to pass the ball even if my life depended on it,” one-man wrecking crew attempt at getting to the rim.

However, no matter how bad a team is, if you look hard enough, you are bound to find something to get excited about.

• Luc Mbah a Moute’s defense

Bucks fans have known since Moute’s rookie season that he could man up on the League’s premier offensive players. From the beginning he was guarding players of all shapes and sizes. Whether it was Chris Bosh, Paul Pierce or LeBron James, Moute secured playing time that first season because of his effort, and often success, on defense.

After bursting on the scene as a second round surprise, it seems like Moute got lost in the shuffle this season. However, those paying the closest attention saw him still guarding the team’s best player, whether that be a small forward, power forward or even center on occasion.

While his stats will probably never blow you away, Moute finished the season above the league average in almost all major defensive categories. He did have a few eye-opening games numbers wise, contributing five steals to the Bucks season high 16 against the Sixers in April and pulling down 19 rebounds against the Warriors in February. All told, according to 82games.com, the Bucks gave up two more points per 100 possessions when Moute was on the bench compared to when he was on the court. While this is down from the almost five more points the Bucks gave up without him during his rookie season, it still illustrates the importance Moute plays in the Bucks defensive game plan.

It is also worth mentioning that Moute played in the most games among the forwards this season. He saw action in 79 contests, with the next closest being Maggette with 67 games played.

• Delfino’s 3-point shooting

The Bucks were only slightly better at shooting 3-pointers than they were shooting in general, ranking 24th in 3-point shooting percentage (34 percent) and dead last in overall field goal percentage (43 percent). Nearly everyone on the Bucks shot below the league average for 3-point percentage except Earl Boykins, John Salmons and Delfino. Out of those three, Boykins only attempted 71 threes, while Salmons hoisted up 219. Delfino on the other hand shot 284 while playing in only 49 games due to injury. As you can see, on a team devoid of reliable outside shooters, Delfino was one of the few that could be counted on.

While shooting 37 percent from behind the arc isn’t going to win you an award anytime soon, Delfino was one of the only Bucks that defenses had to pay attention to from long range.

When looking at Delfino’s shooting numbers, you also have to keep in mind that the man missed 32 straight games due to a concussion suffered on November 6. Once back from injury, it understandably took several weeks for Delfino to find his legs again. You began to see how deadly the Argentinean lady killer could be toward the end of March. Against the Nets on March 18, Delfino went eight for 11 from three. From that game until the end of the season, he was hitting shots from behind the arc at a 45 percent clip. While Delfino’s contract is unguaranteed for next season, those are the kind of numbers you have to hope for if he is brought back.

• Flashes of Gooden

Don’t shoot me just yet. Yes, I know Gooden was a bonehead. Yes, I know (despite his best efforts) he was pretty lackluster on defense. But you know, sometimes the guy just played really well. He displayed a decent array of post moves, showed a surprising touch from midrange and made enough deft passes to be adequate. It would be easy to point to Gooden’s April 9 triple double against Cleveland as evidence of his ability, but he was more than a one game wonder.

In fact, other than Boykins and Andrew Bogut, Gooden’s PER of 15.91 was tops on the team. His 22.9 defensive rebound rate was second to Bogut and his 9.6 offensive rebound rate was behind only Jon Brockman and the Aussie. While saying Gooden had some of the best ratings on the Bucks might be like saying Vinny had the most intelligence on Jersey Shore, you can’t deny the guy has talent.

As long as he doesn’t bring back that tuft of hair on the back of his neck, Gooden at least deserves a chance next season.

Josh Hilgendorf writes for the Milwaukee Bucks blog Bucksketball.com. Follow him on Twitter. Become a fan on Facebook (right sidebar).

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Earl Barron

Once finished a play
Coming out of timeout. Sad.
Clear role, in swamp O.

He was only in Milwaukee briefly, playing in seven March games, but he did well what he does.  He crashed the offensive glass and made mid-range jumpers.  He made seven of 16 shots from 16-23 feet and half of his 14 attempts at the rim.  On the Bucks, those qualified as stunning offensive numbers.  And it was a small sample size, but his 16% offensive rebound rate led the team.

Andrew Bogut

Kept on keeping on,
Through sickness and injury.
Offensive struggles.

So that was the season after the injury.  He struggled through the first few months, wore a bulky elbow pad and had us looking away as he missed free throw after free throw.  But he kept trotting out there every night, anchoring a terrific defense and occasionally contributing something offensively.  Next season will be an important one for Bogut.  It’s probably going to be the season where we all find out if he’s ever going to be an All-Star or not.  He’s had another surgery, it’s supposedly gone well and he should have most of the summer to work on his game.  Hopefully we’ll be able to tell in November.

Earl Boykins

Scores like a rabbit
Couldn’t be reliable.
Could be electric.

He won the Laker game.  And he did the same against the Kings.  And he did it a few more times, because that’s kind of what Earl Boykins does.  That’s why Boykins is such a quality third point guard.  He doesn’t need to play every night and won’t make much of a stink if he doesn’t.  But when he’s called on, Earl is ready.  That’s commendable.  On more than one occasion, Scott Skiles referred to Boykins as the best shooter on the team.  Unfortunately, it’s nearly impossible for him to get his shot off without a little bit of trickery or ball-handling involved.  And therein lies the reason Boykins is what he is: fun.

Jon Brockman

Monster from the West
Taking charges on the court.
Takes charge off the court.

Brockman’s most memorable moments came before the season and towards the end of it.  His burger and his video are what everyone will most remember about the undersized, powerful backup center/power forward.  

There was some concern heading into the 10-11 season that Brockman was neither big enough nor talented enough to handle the backup center position, especially with Bogut coming off such a gruesome injury.  Those concerns ended up being valid.  But don’t blame Brockman.  He competed all season and gave us some moments to enjoy.  That can’t be said about everyone on this team.

Carlos Delfino

Health concerns were real.
Returned, brought hope to masses.
Too much asked of him.

While Delfino sat out 33 games early in the season, he represented hope as the team sputtered to unfathomable lows offensively.  Soon he’d return, we all said, and when he does, he’ll bring the offense back to life with his shooting.  That was a lot to ask out of a pretty good three-point shooter who doesn’t do a ton else.  It was too much to ask.  Delfino isn’t Kobe or LeBron, he looked primarily like a spot-up shooter who could thrive as just that.  While that helped the Bucks, it wasn’t all the team needed.  So much more was needed.

Keyon Dooling

A spirited soul
On team devoid of leaders.
Half what was needed.

Skiles recently bemoaned the lack of leadership in the Bucks locker room this season.  The addition of youth and the quiet Boykins on the end of the bench was paired with the Dooling pickup last summer.  Dooling has some serious leadership chops, but no one can do it all by themselves.  Every young player on the team noted Dooling as a positive influence at one point or another.  Unfortunately, Dooling struggled with his shot throughout the year and was largely ineffective on offense.  It’s great that he is a positive influence, but it would have been even better if he was a positive on the court.

Chris Douglas-Roberts

In like a lion.
Soon we heard nothing from him.
Out like a burglar.

On goes the CD-R roller coaster.  It was cool to see what many of us saw as a promising young prospect expressing his joy about a trade to Milwaukee.  It was fun to see his unorthodox style occasionally pile up the points.  But not often did he separate himself from a fairly woeful pack this season.  CD-R will move on this summer and may land in a spot more suitable for him.  Hopefully he finds a home eventually.

Drew Gooden

The face of failure.
Next season, much rests on him.
The face of success.

Gooden’s bloated contract looks like a potential albatross.  It’s a symbol those calling for the ousting of John Hammond point to.  But Gooden can still make right.  In theory, he seems like a great dance partner for Bogut.  His passing is probably underrated and, while his shot-selection is questionable, he has undeniable talents.  If he stays healthy next season, he could make a big difference for the Bucks.  Or he could prove that his contract was a mistake.

Jeremy Schmidt writes the Milwaukee Bucks blog Bucksketball.com. Follow him on Twitter. Become a fan on Facebook (right sidebar).

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