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…)
“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…)
2010 Haiku Review: Forwards
Wednesday, May 5th, 2010I reviewed the 2009-10 Milwaukee Bucks centers on Monday, today we knock out the forwards.
Games Starts Minutes Points Field Goal % Rebounds Rebound % 3PT % PER
Darnell Jackson 1 0 8 2.0 0.200 2.0 14.2 0 -7.0
Hakim Warrick 48 6 21.3 10.2 0.481 4.4 11.8 0.167 15.6
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute 73 62 25.6 6.2 0.480 5.5 12.2 0.353 11.8
Carlos Delfino 75 66 30.4 11.0 0.408 5.3 9.8 0.367 12.9
Ersan Ilyasova 81 31 23.4 10.4 0.443 6.4 15.5 0.336 15.7
Darnell Jackson
A D-League terror,
Minutes in a useless game.
May have a future
A late season waiver wire acquisition, the Bucks thought enough of Jackson to claim him even though he could not be on the playoff roster. This was before Andrew Bogut’s injury, but they could have used another end of the rotation big for the playoffs even then. This indicated at the time that the Bucks would likely be interested in seeing if he could contribute going forward and reports that he’ll be in Vegas with the Bucks summer league team would confirm that suspicion. In two D-League games this season, he averaged 33 points and 11.5 rebounds, so there must be at least SOMETHING to Jackson’s game. Brandon Jennings also Tweeted about his dance moves, which is fun to hear about. (more…)
The End of the Beginning Is Still an End
Sunday, May 2nd, 2010
Jennings brought back memories from the home opener when he busted this one out.
When it was all said and done too many factors were working against the Bucks. Atlanta’s superiority was evident: length, size, athleticism, shooting, you name it Atlanta has it over Milwaukee. The Bucks pulled off a few victories that not many saw coming, but when focused, Atlanta was just too much for the Bucks to handle.
To have gotten as far as they have, for the Milwaukee Bucks right now it would be easy to be satisfied with what they’ve accomplished. Without their best player, Milwaukee pushed the third best team in the Eastern Conference to a Game 7. But there seemed very little satisfaction in just getting there throughout Milwaukee’s last stance in their first round series with the Atlanta Hawks. Not from Brandon Jennings at least, who forced ABC to make use of their five second delay as he cursed at himself in disgust heading off the court at halftime after missing the second of two free throws.
Maybe they still shot too many jumpers, but when it came down to it, Milwaukee just didn’t have the players to exploit the Hawks constant switching off screens. Not enough Bucks are good enough off the dribble to take advantage of mismatches on the perimeter. That’s how the Bucks came to rely on a 20-year-old rookie in Game 7 of an NBA Playoffs series. And make no mistake, the Bucks rode Jennings in this one.
After being one of the aforementioned Bucks that settled too often for jump shots in Game Six, Jennings was in attack mode against the Hawks Sunday afternoon. Of his 18 shots, Jennings took 10 of them inside the paint and at the rim. Someone had to expose the Hawks on their pick and roll defense and Jennings wanted to step up to be the guy that did that Sunday. That’s what leaders do.
But Jennings can’t guard Al Horford. And apparently neither can Primoz Brezec. Or Dan Gadzuric. Or Ersan Ilyasova. Or even Kurt Thomas, at least not when Horford really has it going and is attacking the glass. Horford was too much inside all game and all series, save for a game or two. Horford led the charge with 15 rebounds as the Hawks dominated on the glass 55-34.
It won’t always be like this though. The Bucks will have Andrew Bogut back next season. It’s possible he could be joined by a brand new burly power forward with some tools. A slasher could show up ready to get to the bucket with John Salmons if he hangs around and the Bucks could be better than ever.
And look at that, I’m talking about next season for the first time. On May 2nd. That sure feels a lot better than doing it in March or April as I’ve done the majority of this last decade. So I’m as disappointed as the next person today, but it feels good to have something to build on. (more…)
