Damn you Jodie Meeks.

You caught my eye again Tuesday night.  Just 13 points, nothing like some of your games this season, but you were steady again.  Three of five from deep, your third straight game in double figures.  We’ll be seeing you again soon, Milwaukee heads to Philadelphia on Friday, but it didn’t have to be like this.

It was one year and two days ago.  Michael Redd had re-torn his ACL in the first game of a six game road trip out West.  You subbed in and played well.  12 points, five rebounds and a three.  The court at the Staples Center that had claimed Redd’s knee was going to be your launching pad.

Two games later in Portland, Milwaukee was blown out, but you showed up again.  You scored 21 points, hit three of seven threes and for the first time all season had scored in double figures in two of three games.  With Redd gone and Milwaukee floundering, the sky was the limit it seemed.  If you could just keep it together on defense and knock down threes for a week’s worth of games or so, you’d be the next Bucks second-round steal.

But by the end of the week you were out of the rotation.  A month later, you were out of the city. Read more…

After a few days off to recharge my battery, I’m back with the final segment of the Haiku Reviews. Coming in the next week will be more on potential free agent targets and a draft page. Stay tuned this week.

Jodie Meeks

Shots caromed off rim
Motor never stopped running
It paid off later.

Meeks struggled mightily when given opportunities in Milwaukee, but flashed the shooting touch so many saw at Kentucky when given a more significant opportunity in Philadelphia. In baseball, people often discuss how difficult for young players to fill a utility role where they’re asked to pinch hit frequently. They simply don’t get enough reps to be successful. Well, that may have been the case for Meeks. He shot under 30% on threes for the Bucks this season, but hit nearly 40% for Philadelphia and was at 50% in his final month when his playing time ticked up. Meeks may have benefitted the Bucks more by not playing this season or getting time in the D-League. Perhaps they wouldn’t have given up on him so soon if they saw him progressing with more regular time. Milwaukee received a second round pick for Meeks, so they essential have an opportunity to start over next season and hope they’ll get a better fit. Read more…

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…

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:

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).

Milwaukee headed towards New Jersey last night for their last game before the all-star break.  New Jersey, as you already know, is the worst team in the NBA and could possibly go down as the worst team of all time, their record currently sitting at 4-47.  Former Badger Devin Harris didn’t play in Tuesday’s game against Cleveland and may return against the Bucks, but sitting him through the all-star break seems logical.

The thought of the Nets once again sans D-Ha sounds good to me.  Good enough that I’d expect it to be just the medicine the Bucks need after a very disappointing home loss against Detroit on Tuesday night.

• Chris Douglas-Roberts, he of the 31 and 10 line in Milwaukee earlier this year, after last night’s game from ESPN.com:

“You get surprised a lot in the league. It is what it is,” Douglas-Roberts said. “Things don’t work out all the time. I guess I’m out of the rotation.”

Douglas-Roberts doesn’t plan on discussing the situation with Vandeweghe.

“Absolutely not. I don’t think talks really do anything,” he said. “I’ve probably had the most talks with him on the team. But they don’t do nothing.”

So, no D-Ha, probably no CD-R and an organization recently thrust even further into turmoil?  I like the Bucks odds a lot.  I’m saying 104-95 Milwaukee.  Check out previews at BrewHoop and Nets Are Scorching

Other Notes

• Hakim Warrick in three words: shy, dunk, Playstation.  Jodie Meeks in three words: rookie, cliche, Kentucky.  Aron Phillips at Dime has the goods on them both.
  

• The Cavs don’t want to part with J.J. Hickson and that may leave the Pacers to pursue other options with Troy Murphy. Could the Bucks be an option?  Word is they are in talks.  I’m not sure how serious it is right now, but things could heat up before next Thursday’s trade deadline.  From Brian Winhorst at the Cleveland Plain-Dealer:

The Pacers, a source said, are also in talks with the Milwaukee Bucks and Sacramento Kings involving Murphy and both teams can offer expiring contracts.

• Andrew Bogut is approaching some milestones as an Australian.  More on this in the coming weeks.

• Tom Enlund has an update on Joe Alexander’s D-League progress.

• Paul Swaney of StadiumJourney.com recently visited the Bradley Center and made a poor food decision.