Neither was pretty, but both made me think about some things.

1. I hate snow.
2. I don’t want to return to 2007

You remember 2007, right?  That was the year Charlie Bell and Michael Redd combined to average 31 shot attempts each and every night.  Mo Williams often paired with these two to form one of the worst defensive backcourts in recent Bucks memory.  Needless to say, the Bucks lost a whole lot more than they won in 2006-07.  But I had been comfortably assuming for most of this year that those days were a distant memory.

Wednesday night served as some kind of horrific flashback though

Defense

It’s rare that you see a team stand out as particularly bad or particularly good defensively.  Most teams give up roughly the same number of good looks and defend similar plays in similar fashions.  Occasionally you’ll have a Boston or Golden State that jump off the screen as being real good or real bad.  The same thing applies to most players.  Unless a guy is a notable shot-blocker, ball-hawk or a virtual sieve, it’s hard to tell who’s especially good or bad defensively (this actually is one of the things that’s most impressive about Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, he isn’t a shot-blocker or anything, but it’s always so clear how proficient he is defensively whenever he’s guarding someone with the ball).  But it was clear that Brandon Jennings was killing the rest of the Bucks defense whenever he was in Wednesday night.  When Jennings was in the game, Washington’s backcourt generally had their way with the Bucks.  Here are the numbers the three players Washington had at point guard put up while Jennings was in the game (Note: He was not always matched up on each player, sometimes they were in together.  But Jennings suspect defense resulted in numerous open shots off help and switches):

Not bad numbers from any of them.  Washington was going right at Jennings all night, whoever he was guarding took over point guard duties if they had in both Foye and Arenas.  And in the fourth quarter, Boykins went to work showing Jennings how a little man can get off shots in the paint.  Jennings shining moment was brief and swift when he blocked one of Boykins shots with ferocity (though he appears to have been incorrectly credited with a steal for the play).

While it wasn’t just Jennings that struggled on a night the Bucks allowed the Wizards to shoot over 50 percent, he certainly did not help matters.  The Wizards “attack Jennings” game plan also left Jennings battling foul trouble all night long and sat him for all but 6:33 in the second half.

Offense

• So the Bucks finally got to the free throw line … and then stopped hitting three’s.  Redd led the free-throw parade with a phenomenal 15-15 effort, as the Bucks went 28-33 as a team at the stripe.  But Milwaukee faltered from behind the arc, finishing 5-25.  If only they could have put them both together on the same night.

• I don’t know if Carlos Delfino and Ersan Ilyasova are bummed about not being home for the holidays or what, but they have struggled mightily lately and tonight was no different.  They combined to go 2-15 and tossed up matching 1-5 efforts from behind the arc.  Add on Ilyasova’s paltry two rebounds and we have ourselves a certifiable disaster of an evening on our hands.  Oh, and Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison combined to go for 48 points and 20 rebounds.

• Back to Redd.  His 32 points were a season high and the free throws were a delight, but he finished 8-21 from the field … and he started 5-5.  Sigh.  If Redd is springing for 32 with that kind of usage, the Bucks are going to be doomed to repeat their previous three years offensively.  Too often it became the, “let’s stand around and hope Michael can do something” offense of past years on Wednesday, especially when Andrew Bogut wasn’t able to get much going.

Final Thoughts

There wasn’t much to like about this one.  Ugly basketball, ugly outcome and an ugly night to boot.  The best thing we can all do, is get outside and shovel away the snow and the memories of Wednesday night’s Bucks game.

Fortunately, night’s like this one have been the exception this year and not the rule for a change.  And that’s something to feel good about after a tough loss.  There was once a time when this kind of effort was common place at the Bradley Center and it’s hard to change that over night.  Night’s like this were less frequent last year and have continued to trend in a positive direction this year and hopefully by 2011 they will be vanquished for good.  But for now?  They’re still going to happen.  So all the Bucks can do is learn from the mistakes and move forward.

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(Likely) Inactives: Joe Alexander, Michael Redd

at

Washington Wizards (Flip Saunders) 6-10

(Likely) Inactives: Jarvis Crittenton, Mike James and Mike Miller

Date: 12/2/2009

Game time: 6:00 (CST)

TV: FS Wisconsin

Match-ups

Point Guard

Brandon Jennings vs. Gilbert Arenas

So is it all done then?  The whole Gilbert Arenas is a fun, up-and-coming star who shoots when he wants, makes up crazy names for himself and makes the Wizards a relevant team, is it done?  It sure looks like it.  When I mosey on over to basketball-reference.com to check out a few things about other teams I usually have an idea of what I’m going to see.  But I didn’t have a clue on what I’d see about Gil when I checked him out.  Why didn’t I have a clue?  Because I haven’t heard anything at all about Gil or the Wiz all year.  They’ve been irrelevant, aside from an injury here or an injury there.  I vaguely remember hearing that Arenas supposedly wants to be fun again.  I thought I heard something about him needing one million followers on Twitter before his first tweet.  But no longer are his on-court exploits worth much.  That’s what knee surgery after knee surgery will do to you.  He’s 28, a touch younger than the Bucks own former star robbed of mobility by injuries Michael Redd. To think either of them will be relevant as stars in the league again seems like a stretch.

Advantage: Bucks

Shooting Guard

Charlie Bell vs. Nick Young

I know Nick Young is athletic and I know he has good size, but I can’t recall ever seeing  player put up the numbers Young puts up.  How is he in the NBA?  His career numbers are nine points, one assist and just a shade under two rebounds per game.  When people say, he’s just a scorer, they usually are embellishing a little.  Usually the player will dish a few assists or grab a rebound here and there.  Young REALLY is just a scorer.  That’s all.  He’s like the anti-Charlie Bell.  Bell isn’t very athletic or big, but this season he’s dropping in a couple of assists and a few rebounds each game in addition to diving around for loose balls and being pesky.

Advantage: Bucks

Small Forward

Carlos Delfino vs. Caron Butler

“Tough Juice” remains the coolest nickname in the NBA, even if Caron Butler’s game has taken a step (or two … or three) back this year.  Something seems to be off about more and more Wizards as you look down the line.  Could it be the influx of a few better players who’ve diluted the numbers a bit, but made the team better off for it?  Nah, they are 6-10.  Could it be the return of Arenas shifting Butler from the comfort zone he’d assumed in the time Arenas was out?  Seems probable.  I’m sure it’s a number of things, but for whatever reason, Butler’s shooting is down to 41 percent his year.  This is not the guy who’s made two of the last three all-star games.

Advantage: Wizards

Power Forward

Ersan Ilyasova vs. Antawn Jamison

Wizards without Jamison: 2-7.  Wizards with Jamison 4-3.  While he may not be the most influential player in the league by any stretch of the imagination, it’s clear that the Wizards should be glad to have Jamison back.  The team is heavily built around their three stars and having any one of them out makes it difficult for them to maintain any momentum.  Jamison has had three games over 30 points since returning and is up over 50 percent from the field.  That’s impressive since he’s shooting five three’s a game at just 31 percent.  He’s been a load to deal with inside of that arc.  Bizarrely, Jamison has hit on just 58 percent of his free throws — he’s usually in the mid 70 percent range.  If he get’s to the line a lot against Milwaukee, which he likely will, and isn’t connecting once again it could swing Wednesday’s game in the Bucks favor.  The battle on the boards between Ilyasova and Jamison will be one to watch.

Advantage: Wizards

Center

Andrew Bogut vs. Brendon Haywood

Haywood reminds me of Sam Dalembert … but good.  He’s long, he’s athletic and he can block shots.  He’s a terrific rebounder to boot.  Why do I reference my recollection of Dalmbert when thinking of Haywood?  The Dalembeast gave Andrew Bogut all kinds of problems opening night.  Athletic, long and strong players typically are more challenging to deal with for a center like Bogut.  Haywood has the strength to hold up to him in the post and the length to challenge his shots.  On Monday against Joakim Noah, Bogut was able to power into him and get the shots he wanted since Noah is largely without much girth.  Haywood has a lot more strength and experience than Noah.  It will not be so easy for Bogut Wednesday night.

Advantage: Bucks

Bench

Kurt Thomas, Luke Ridnour (?), Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (?), Jodie Meeks and Hakim Warrick

vs.

Randy Foye, Andray Blatche, Earl Boykins, Deshawn Stevenson and Javale McGee

The Wiz are still attempting to hammer out a bench rotation,while the Bucks aren’t sure whether LRMAM or Luke Ridnour will play.  I’d guess yes on LRMAM and no on Ridnour based on some things I’ve seen.  Earl Boykins is back from Russia (or wherever he was) and is giving the Wizards some good minutes in relief of Arenas.  He’s tossing around assists, keeping the ball moving and shooting at an abnormally high percentage.  McGee and Blatche are not dissimilar and are not all that great.  I was high on McGee for some time, but I also once called a radio show in 2005 wondering why Dan Gadzuric couldn’t be a starter in the NBA.

Advantage: Bucks

Prediction: Bucks 96 – Wizards 93

The Wizards are much more of that 4-3 team they are with Jamison than the 2-7 team they were without him.  But that still doesn’t mean they are all that great.  They seem to be searching for consistency and energy after every single game.  TruthAboutIt.net has a terrific montage of interview clips after their last game, at home mind you, a loss against the Bobcats.  The recurring theme?  Energy.   The Wizards have the talent to assume it’s an 82 game season and wins can be made up.  They have guys who’ve won together, made playoff runs and seen success.  They assume they can do it again and will do it when push comes to shove.  Their waiting, not acting.

The Bucks might have as much talent, but their leaders (Bogut and Bell) have seen a lot of losses over the past five years.  They want every single win.  Have you heard anyone on the Bucks even mention energy in a loss this year?  That’s one thing Bucks fans have not had to think twice about.  They’ve wanted every single game.  It comes with the territory when a team suddenly appears good after having sucked for years and years.  Each game probably means a little more to them than it does the other team.  So that’s why I think they’ll come out with this one.

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