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.

Royal Ivey

Accepting limits
Can prolong players’ careers.
Meet Royal Ivey

Ivey is a prototypical third point guard. When he enters the game, he defends hard and doesn’t force anything. I challenge anyone to provide proof that Ivey has ever complained about his role on a team. He understands why he’s around and how he’ll be used. That’s what teams are looking for at the end of their bench. That’s why Ivey has stuck around as long as he has. Soon he’ll be that good veteran that provides good influence on younger players and that will add a few more years onto his career.

Charlie Bell

Opportunity.
Knocked early and often. He
never answered door.

Bell didn’t have a very productive year before earning his way off the active list for the Bucks final game this season. Bell averaged over 30 minutes per game in November and turned in one manageable performance after the next. His strengths were clear: spot-up shooting and hustle. His weaknesses were too: attacking the basket and guarding larger guards. Unfortunately for Bell, his weaknesses were on display more frequently than his strengths. Milwaukee badly needed a larger two guard and anyone who could attack the basket. After John Salmons and Jerry Stackhouse arrived to answer those needs, Bell’s minutes were no longer available. Bell has always come off as a good guy, but that armor was dented when he commented about his last game suspension, “I wasn’t going to play anyway.” That’s not the sort of attitude that typically meshes well with hard head coach Scott Skiles. Bell has two years left on his contract and may be difficult to move this off-season. His situation bears watching.

Luke Ridnour

Surprise everyone!
Suddenly a shooting star
With scrap to spare too.

Ridnour had never shot better than 43% from the field before this season and never better than 35% of his threes. So naturally he spent a majority of the season flirting with the hallowed 50/40/90 mark, finally finishing at 47.8 and 38.1 respectively. What happened for Ridnour at age 28? It’s tough to say. Playing off the ball may have helped and fewer minutes could have been beneficial too. Whatever the case may be, Ridnour has himself positioned nicely as a top back up point guard heading into free agency this off-season. He’ll surely need to take a pay cut from the $6 million he made this past season, but probably not as substantial a cut as he was looking at two years ago. Milwaukee will likely look to find a way to bring him back at a discounted rate next season as a nice compliment to Brandon Jennings.

Jerry Stackhouse

Like his teammates did,
Turnovers followed him around.
He’s still a leader.

Stackhouse’s contributions were probably felt a little more in the huddle and the locker room than they were on the court. He was a moderately productive player, struggling with his shooting often and often turning the ball over. He was a steadying influence though and Coach Skiles often talked about how Stackhouse was not afraid to get on teammates who were trying to do too much or not moving the ball enough. Stackhouse could have got to the line a little more and shot a better percentage, but he did his job for the most part. He’d probably be better off in an even more limited role next season, especially if he’s looking to play the whole season.

Michael Redd

Another tough fall
More long rehab lies ahead
Career lies behind.

Let’s be honest: Michael Redd wasn’t good this past season. You’ll hear lots of people defending his efforts, saying he didn’t have a chance to fit in and he was rounding into form and all of that, but the numbers don’t lie.  Redd shot a miserable 35% from the field, 30% from three and 71% from the line. He rarely appeared to fit in and the games in which he did play well, the Bucks typically lost. His athleticism was clearly sapped and he was never able to get in shape. The knee injury of two years ago was taking its toll on Redd all season and this next one will likely take even longer to rebound from. Realistically, Redd won’t be able to produce with any consistency next season. If Milwaukee does trot him out there, they’re probably doing him and the team a disservice.

And that sucks, because Redd has been the model employee for the Bucks. He works hard, he never gets in to trouble and he’s been a positive member of the community. Off the court, Redd is everything a franchise wants. On the court? Milwaukee is much better off without him. If Redd doesn’t play next season, insurance covers the majority of his contract and he becomes a much more attractive trade commodity. If the Bucks are willing to take on a player with two or three years left on his deal, Redd could become an attractive salary dump for a team looking to start over, insured deal or not.

John Salmons

Trade deadline godsend.
Played his way to a bigger deal,
Could be overpaid.

Salmons was everything the Bucks had lacked earlier in the season and more. He attacked the hoop. He defended bigger guards with vigor. He kicked out on his drives. He hit three point shots and he was consistent. The consistency Salmons brought to the table was key. The Bucks went through so many offensive slumps this season, having one player who could get to the free throw line and break slumps did wonders for their offense. Sure, suddenly Salmons lost his will to attack the hoop in the last few games of the playoffs and his three point shot abandoned him, but he still gave Milwaukee 34 solid games.

Does that make him worth an addition four years of salary though? The Journal-Sentinel has reported that Milwaukee has been in discussions about locking Salmons up for a total of four more seasons worth $27 million, which will mean Salmons will be a Bucks player earning around $7 million when he’s 34 years old. Michael Redd has had injuries that have aged him some, but remember, he’s only 30. Is it wise for the Bucks to lock up a guy like Salmons, who likely won’t be getting much better, for that much money through that age? It’s a tough call.

Brandon Jennings

First scoring always,
Prolonged slumps soon followed. His
Flash breathed life.

From the moment Jennings hopped out from backstage on draft night, he’s been a little different. Milwaukee has not had such a character in many many years and he did his part to perform CPR on a franchise that’s been struggling when he dropped in 55 points in the Bradley Center in just his 7th game. Defensively, Jennings got better all year long and offensively he was dynamic in the playoffs. Jennings has to improve his mid-range game in the off-season, but he left Milwaukee feeling like all he wants to do every day is get a little better. I’ve never been so excited about seeing a player come back after his rookie season so I can see how much he’s improved. But that’s how Jennings has most of Milwaukee feeling. His confidence and will to win is something Milwaukee appears ready to hang their hat on for the next five years and hopefully much longer.

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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.

“He told me he was a sixth man and it was a real important position to him.   He felt that having somebody coming off the bench was almost like a sixth starter.  And I was like (smiling) hmmm…okay.  Sometimes it’s just having a little tact.  It was able to work for us, we had a great team and a great unit coming off the bench.”

The biggest hurdle in the transition from a starter getting big time minutes from the tip to the final horn was the mental one.

“It was a little both (mental and physical) at first, because you know, I always started.  You get to warm up and then you right there and now it’s like you gotta sit down and cool off again.  It was mostly a mental challenge and once you’re able to get over that hurdle then it is what it is.  It was anxious and still, nothing’s changed about that I’m anxious sitting over there waiting for my time.  You just sitting on the edge of your seat, waiting for Scott (Skiles) to yell “STACK!”

Ah, the unit coming off the bench, they’re comrades in sitting.  Bench units often are close units, bonded by the roles they fill.  Stackhouse says, “You have your starters and you have kind of like your bench mob, you know?  They kind of have their own identity and that carries on a life of its own.”

The Jerry Stackhouse I remembered from Washington and Detroit was no more.  Now, Stackhouse has established himself as an important part of the Bucks rotation, constantly moving the ball or making the quick decision to shoot.  His three-point shooting numbers have been better than at any point in his career (40% this season 31% lifetime) and he’s been an important part of the locker room.

“We added Jerry, he’s a very vocal player,” said Coach Skiles. “He’s vocal on the bench and he’s not afraid to get on somebody.”

When the Bucks picked Stackhouse up in January, I couldn’t understand it.  His career seemed to have run its course and his skills didn’t seem to mesh with what the Bucks needed, plus I was of the thought that Jodie Meeks needed more minutes.  And I was wrong on each account.  I think Stack himself put it best.

“You gotta evolve in this game to stick around.”

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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).

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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.

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1.  The Integration of Stackhouse

How much does the veteran have left?  He looked terrific as a role player type on Wednesday, but that was in his first game in nearly a year, surely it isn’t a true indication of his actual current talent level.  After a few practices and games, it’ll be interesting to see what Stackhouse can bring to the table offensively.  At the very least, I like the idea of having Stack out there at the two spot simply for the extra size he gives the Bucks.  While Charlie Bell can look good at times, there aren’t many twos he can physically match-up with very well.

While I’m not sure the actual relevance of this as I haven’t been in enough NBA locker rooms to really know, it’s supposedly going to benefit many of the Bucks younger players to have another old guy around.  It does make sense to me in theory, he’s someone who’s been through playoff races before, he knows when to feel good and when to feel bad.  He ideally can help calm overreactions to losses and prevent overconfidence after wins.  It’s after the real emotional games that I imagine having Stackhouse should help the Bucks, especially someone as young an emotionally involved as Brandon Jennings.

2.  Developing Jennings

The second half of Wednesday night’s game against the Raptors was a very encouraging sign in the ever evolving process of Brandon Jennings getting better as an NBA player.  After a rough 2-11 first half, Jennings took three layups in the third, two going down for him and one ending up in the hands of Andrew Bogut for a tip shot.  The more Jennings is getting to the rim, the better off the Bucks will be.

As a shooter, Jennings has been better on the catch-and-shoot rather than on the pull-up and has had no mid-range game to speak of, so when Jennings is running the pick and roll up top with Bogut, when he attacks that’s when defenses have to respect him the most.  The more defenses are forced to collapse on Jennings in the paint, the more things will open up for everyone else.  Low shooting percentages in the last few months or not, Jennings is still the pulse of this team.

3.  Bench Brigade

At the halfway mark of the season, it’s safe to say that things that have been happening all year can no longer be considered flukey or short-lived, they’re certified trends.  One of the most positive trends for the Bucks this year has been stellar bench play.  Led largely by Luke Ridnour and Hakim Warrick’s combined 21.8 points per game, Milwaukee’s depth has been advertised since training camp began.  At this point it’s becoming hard to differentiate between the second and third string players and I mean that in a good way.  Warrick has been playing well for the last ten games and couldn’t work his way into the lineup Wednesday, not because he played poorly when he got in, but rather because everyone else was getting it done.  For the Bucks to win games they’ll need their reserves to take control when other teams go to the bench.

4.  The Bogut Barometer

After Wednesday night’s victory over the Raptors, the Bucks are now something like 283-1 (actually, 12-2) when Bogut scores over 17 points this season, which means two things.  First, the Bucks aren’t getting Bogut over 17 points enough, just fourteen times in 40 games?  And second, even if Jennings should be dictating what the Bucks do on offense, the offense should still run through Bogut.  Ideally, I’d love to see Jennings getting into the lane off the pick and roll and leaving it for Bogut.

Bogut’s baby hook around the paint has been very effective for him this year, but the problem with that shot is it often leaves the Bucks out of position for rebounds if he doesn’t make it. He’s probably been shooting 60 percent on it when he’s around the basket, so rebounding it hasn’t been a big issue, but I prefer to see both Jennings and Bogut getting involved together.  Either way, the Bucks need to be getting Bogut touches as often as possible on a nightly basis.  Against the Raptors Bogut had five shots instantly, but in the second that number fell to two, somehow it needs to stay a little more consistent.

5.  A Playoff Push

I’ll probably waver back and forth on this the rest of the year, and probably for the rest of my life when I encounter seasons like this one, but I’m buying into the idea of gearing up in a minor way for a run at the playoffs.  I don’t want to see any crazy short-sighted trades or anything like that, but the low-risk acquisition of Stackhouse with an eye towards the playoffs makes a little more sense to me now than it did upon signing him.  The Bucks aren’t interested in just making the playoffs for the sake of making the playoffs.  The idea behind making the playoffs is to further develop all the young guys on the Bucks roster.  Here’s what Scott Skiles had to say about it:

“It’s very important that some of our young players get in the playoffs and experience that.  We’re trying to do that, it’s how guys develop.  I’ve coached a lot of young players already in ten years or whatever it is; the important thing is they learn how to play winning basketball.  Just to go out there play and get minutes and get your ass beat … okay you’re getting minutes, but it’s different.

I specifically asked him about a guy like Jodie Meeks.

“He’s a good guy to point to.  You get him minutes here and there, but at the same time, we’re down 30 to start the fourth quarter at Portland what are those minutes?  Yippee you got minutes that night, you broke a sweat.  It’s not where we want to be and how we want to play.”

I’ve always been of the mindset that it makes sense to trot young players out there when things aren’t looking great for a team for the sake of their development, but I think Skiles has a point.  Is it really development to play in a blowout?  Meeks has shined in a few games that have meant nothing and where has that gotten him thus far?  He still hasn’t contributed in a meaningful way in a close game.

The minutes have been up for grabs all year in Milwaukee and if they haven’t been grabbed by Meeks yet, it seems like they won’t be this year.  That doesn’t’ write him off as a contributor in the future, but at this point in time, the Bucks wouldn’t really be developing him much by continuing to play he and their other youngsters and get blown out.

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If you didn’t, you’re much more plugged in than I, because I certainly did.

But no, Jerry Stackhouse is back … as a Buck (or is on the way shortly).  I guess since the Bucks recent play has fans recalling all of the horror stories about the Bucks since 2002 they felt it necessary to take it one step further and sign a player who was last relevant in the early part of the 2000’s.

We've seen Stack with AI and now we'll get Stack with BJ

I called my dad upon hearing the Bucks had signed the 15-year veteran, his response?

“Nooo.  Isn’t he coaching?”

I think that’s the consensus opinion of Stackhouse.  Personally, I thought he was still on the Grizzlies payroll, waiting to be traded again to make some numbers work.  After a little research, it appears Stack was bought out in July shortly after the Shawn Marion to Dallas trade that involved Memphis.  Stackhouse has been working out and auditioning for teams since August.  He recently spoke with Terry Foster of DetroitNews.com:

“I have the mind-set that I am going to be ready to try to help somebody,” Stackhouse said. “I have been off a year and got my body right. It would be perfect for me to come in and try to win a championship.”

So where exactly did the Bucks come from on this one?  They aren’t exactly title contenders and seem to be falling out of the playoff picture faster with each passing day.  Why the Bucks would want a well past his prime veteran like Stackhouse is something of a mystery.

Unless he’s further trade bait.

The Bucks have been in the asset acquiring business for some time and always make it sound like they’ve been trading larger contracts for multiple smaller ones in the interest of flexibility.  Thus far, that hasn’t led to much.  The Bucks have the same cast of characters they had at the start of the year and we’re approaching the half-way mark.  If the organization is starting to believe they won’t be heading to the playoffs this year, perhaps the wheeling and dealing could soon begin.

And that’s where Stackhouse may fit in (I’m not 100 percent on this yet, the Bucks may have to wait 30 days to trade Stackhouse, I’m looking into the rules on this sort of thing).  If he really was impressing teams in his recent auditions, could it be that the Bucks wanted to act first so they’d hold his rights in the interest of trading him to a playoff contender before the trade deadline?  A team like Chicago may be interested in adding Stack for a second round pick as scoring off the bench, given how offensively challenged they’ve been this year.

The other possibility, and this seems a long shot, is that the Bucks think Stackhouse can help with Milwaukee’s own scoring issues.  In Stackhouse’s prime, he could get to the free-throw line with the best of the league, twice leading the league in free-throw’s made.  That was the start of the previous decade, this is the start of a totally new one.  Stackhouse no longer has the athleticism that once made him great, even if he still has the will of a shooting guard intent on getting to the basket.  The issue not related to Stack’s faded athleticism, is that he’s simply never been a very efficient scorer.

Stack once shot 45 percent for a year (in 1997-98, or 12 years ago), but that proved to be an anomaly as his career  percentage of 41 is a much more accurate representation of his typical output.  If the Bucks think they’re signing a player who can still be a productive scorer, it certainly appears they have another thing coming.  But that can’t be the reasoning, there must be more to this.  There’s no way a team that is clearly rebuilding can willingly take minutes away from a developing player like Jodie Meeks to thrust them upon a beat up veteran who has no value to the future Bucks.

Meeks is the one who has the most to lose here.  His inconsistencies have been obvious, mainly he’s been unable to produce in most games and has only shined in games that have more or less been decided.  The thing is, he is young and shows flashes of being a productive player, maybe not a future star or even a starter, but he could one day be a nice offensive option off the bench at least.  Why bury him further down the bench on a team that realistically isn’t going to have any of the players he’s competing with for minutes in two years?

So, what if my trade theory is not the case and there is nothing to this beyond the Bucks looking for a scoring punch?  Then I’m starting to really worry.

I guess I’ll just leave you with this (Hat Tip Tom Haberstroh’s Twitter account):

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But it isn’t hard to be concerned about another knee injury to Michael Redd.

Either on his jump or on his landing on what looked to be a shot attempted but ended up as a pass in the second quarter, Redd went down and didn’t come back up.  The left knee is the same knee he tore his ACL and MCL in last January and gave him soreness earlier this year that required some time off.  Whether this is as serious as the latter or another patella strain remains to be seen, but it’s generally not a good sign when a player needs to be helped back to the locker room as Redd did.

So, What Does This Mean?

A few things.  For starters, I’d expect to see Charlie Bell back in the starting line-up Monday night against Phoenix.  Bell’s minutes have been on a roller coaster ride since Redd returned, some DNP-CD’s, a few single digit minute games and then games in which he’s play nearly the entire second half after not playing in the first.  Fortunately, Bell is the type of player to always keep himself ready, so he’s handled the rocky minutes fairly well.

Whether he can be a reliable starting shooting guard is another story.  While Bell does excel at catch and shoot three’s, he generally does everything else poorly on offense.  He cannot attack with success, he often gets caught up in pump fakes that do not open up space for him and if he puts the ball on the ground at all before shooting it’s safe to assume it won’t be going in.  His defense is largely what has got him in games before, but it’s difficult for him to make a major impact guarding player three and four inches taller and 20 pounds heavier.  In short, he’s not an ideal starting shooting guard.

What About Jodie Meeks?

Jodie Meeks is getting more lives than a cat this season.  Meeks has shown quick flashes of shooting touch and athleticism in a few games, but then typically responded with three or four bad games in a row if he was given any real opportunity with regard to minutes.  Even worse, his better games have all come in blowouts, rendering them nearly meaningless.  If Redd didn’t go down, it’s hard to envision a situation where Meeks would ever get serious minutes again this year.

Alas, Redd’s down and Meeks performed well in Sunday’s blowout loss to the Lakers.  The one thing that Meeks has struggled with more than anything else has been his three-point shooting.  As Frank from BrewHoop pointed out in his recap of the Laker game, Meeks is 2-23 on the road from behind the arc.  His athleticism and defense have looked to be on an NBA level, something that cannot be said about all Bucks players, but a team like Milwaukee simply cannot give large helpings of minutes to a shooting guard that can’t hit a three-point shot, especially next to someone like Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. If Meeks wants to take advantage of this opportunity he’ll likely be given, the three’s must start falling.

Will This Mean More Delfino?

Well, I sure hope not.  I don’t even understand what’s going on with Carlos Delfino on the court at this point.  He’s just not very good at much.  Delfino seems to have the idea that he can create and can play point guard for stretches, but he can’t.  When he takes the rebound and decides to bring it up himself rather than just hand it off to whichever point guard is on the court, I want to stop watching basketball.  He’s that guy on your team who’s obsessed with bringing the ball up the court and seeing whether or not he likes anything HE sees before he gives it up like he’s supposed to.  I’ve always hated playing with guys like that and I’m not even good at basketball.  I can only imagine how frustrating it is for Bucks guards to play with this guy.

Ideally Delfino would just sprint down the court and stand in the corner waiting for a kickout to shoot a three.  You know, because he’s a shooter.  What’s that you say?  He’s shooting less than 32 percent on three’s?  Who ever could have seen this coming?  What’s that?  Everyone?

Oh yeah, that’s right.

In short, let’s just hope this whole thing doesn’t result in a whole lot more Delfino.

Who Could Get Minutes If Not Delfino?

I don’t even remember what music played when Joe Alexander scored at the BC last year, but whatever it was, cue it up.  This could be just the opportunity Alexander needed to jump-start his career.  I hesitate to write this because I know there were opportunities available for Joe last year and either he still wasn’t given chances or he just didn’t make the most of them.  With another year of maturation, it’s possible he’s more ready to take advantage of this opportunity, but who really knows.  It’s a positive sign that Alexander traveled out West with the team, so he could be ready to go any time this week for all we know and this could spur his return.  After all, he can attack the rim and get to the free throw line and does posses athleticism that seems to make him a logical on-court partner for Brandon Jennings.

Whether or not the Bucks really want to “See Joe Dunk” is another story.  He doesn’t have a contract for next year, there have been trade talks since virtually last January about him and there have been so many rumblings about why he hasn’t gotten a shot a minor earthquake could be recorded.  It probably would benefit Milwaukee to let Alexander get some run and see if he can at least be tagged a semi-attractive prospect for trade talks the rest of the way though.  They’d be well served to get something, something maybe meaning the opportunity to dump Dan Gadzuric’s contract, rather than nothing for Alexander if he proves capable.

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The most bizarre thing about the second half for the Bucks was that it took so long to happen.  I mean, we all know Michael Redd has been playing for appearances sake and with the hope that he’ll magically find his game and improve his trade value.  He certainly hasn’t been playing because he’s been doing so well, but everyone assumed the Bucks were stuck playing him, through thick and thin.   Then the Bucks-Bobcats first half happened.

It’s not often you’ll see a coach more at a loss for words and explanations than Kelvin Sampson was when he tried to explain what happened in the first half for the Milwaukee Bucks.  After looking off in the distance (possibly for someone who could figure out why the Bucks are playing so poorly) Sampson said something to the effect of, “Basketball is a simple game.  You just need to make your shots when you’re open.  We’re getting good looks, wide-open looks, and not hitting them.”

Sampson looked fed up and it’s logical to assume Scott Skiles was fed up too judging from his second half strategy.  The Bucks started the third with Brandon Jennings, Jodie Meeks, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Ersan Ilyasova and Kurt Thomas.  The first man off the bench?  Francisco Elson.  I’d say Skiles wasn’t so thrilled with his starters, as Michael Redd, Andrew Bogut and Carlos Delfino didn’t see one second of action in the second half.

And when his team is down 22 at half to a mediocre team, how can you disagree with his moves?

While he may have gone overboard benching Bogut for the entire second half, the Bucks at least showed a little energy with the majority of their starting lineup sitting.  Cutting the deficit to ten at one point in the fourth quarter, the Bucks just didn’t have enough to get over the hump with a lineup full of backups on the court.  It was easy to get the sense that this half was about more than just today.  It seemed like Skiles had finally had enough of the talking the talk but not walking the walk.  Andrew Bogut had called out the Bucks a number of times lately, and each time he and the team offered little response.  Skiles seems to have a strong dislike for a lot of talk.  He’s a man who prefers to see action, here’s what he had to say Saturday before the Spurs game (that is, BEFORE the recent team meeting):

“The hard thing is then the next night or the next game whatever it is to come out there and back up your words with actions and lead the team.”

I don’t know what was said during the team meeting held on Sunday, but I’m certain this was not the plan for Monday.

Offense

I often find myself wondering what could possibly be going on in the heads of the Bucks players on offense.  The problem with that is that there shouldn’t really be anything going on; it should predominantly be quick read and react situations.  That’s how basketball should be played.  Instead, the Bucks players are often left holding on to the ball for long periods of time or dribbling aimlessly on the perimeter.  There is very few “attack mode” moments where a player is decisively going to the basket with a plan and I’m not sure anyone is really capable of it anyway.

• I’m sometimes amazed at the number of isolation plays the Bucks seem to run.  Do the Bucks have many players that seem capable of thriving in isolation?  Who on the Bucks is more talented offensively than their counterpart on the Bobcats would be defensively?  Maybe Jennings and occasionally Bogut, but Michael Redd and Hakim Warrick don’t have the necessary skill to beat their respective men one on one when their guarded by the capable defenders the Bobcats have.

• If anyone questions why Skiles came back out with a completely different starting five, let me point you to the numbers for the Bucks recent starting five of Jennings-Redd-Delfino-Ilyasova-Bogut:

Those numbers indicate that the Bucks score 45 less points than they allow per 100 possessions with this lineup.  The STARTING LINEUP SCORES 45 POINTS LESS THAN IT ALLOWS PER 100 POSSESSIONS!  This is more or less the worst five-man unit the Bucks could put on the court and they’ve started the last five games.  Mysteriously, Milwaukee is 1-4 in those games.  For the record, if Redd is swapped out and Mbah a Moute is swapped in, the Bucks improve to a +9.78 rating.  That’s a 54.13 difference.  Just saying.

• So in a game in which Michael Redd played 20 of the most ineffective minutes you’ll see on a basketball court, Brandon Jennings shot 9-18, had seven assists and scored 24 points.  I know this is going to sound crazy, but he played as well in the second half as he has played in over a month.  Jennings had 18 in the second half.

• Jodie Meeks earned some more clock with a strong game Saturday, but may have lost it just as quick.  Skiles has commented on Meeks speed and athleticism as being better than the rest of the Bucks guards and Meeks showed that multiple times, but if he can’t hit wide open three-point shots, he isn’t going to play.  It’s that simple.  Once in the half court he decisively attacked his man and kicked it out to Bell for an open three (Bell missed) and later he ran the break and got Mbah a Moute a layup that resulted in two free throws.  The Bucks don’t get much out of the drive and kick or transition game, so when Meeks flashes these kinds of plays, it’s a little bit of a big deal.  Those plays are all well and good, but still, he’s got to hit his three’s.

Defense

• It’s not even funny how much better Mbah a Moute is at defense than every other Bucks wing player.  He’s always tipping passes, getting in good position and grabbing rebounds (his ten led the Bucks).  I missed some of the first quarter, but as soon as I tuned in, Mbah a Moute corralled a loose ball with a dive and then tipped a pass right after.  Sure, he can’t hit a 15 foot jump-shot with consistency, but he does so many other positive things and is a great court-chemistry guy.

• Francisco Elson played as well as I’ve seen him play all year.  He absolutely looked the part of a player who had been resting and working all year long.  He was running around, being active and generally good Gadzuricish. Remember when Gadz used to be able to trap, grab rebounds and contest shots?  That was Elson Monday.  His plus eight was an accurate reflection of his contributions.

Final Thoughts

Skiles has had enough of the talking.  He wants to see results and will obviously sit anyone he doesn’t think is contributing.  All bets seem to be off right now and if the Bucks came back Wednesday with the same starters they had Monday I’d be astonished.  How Bogut and Redd take their benchings will make for an interesting two days for the Bucks on this road trip.  If they own up to their mistakes and do what’s necessary to get back on the court and get the team back on track, we could be talking about this game as a turning point in the Bucks season.  If Skiles unusual tactic of benching two of his team’s stars is met with trouble?  It could be a long couple months.

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(Note: Sorry about the lack of a game preview and slow to arrive recap of the Kings game.  It’s the holidays, friends are in town, things are going on, I’ll try to see to it that this doesn’t happen again.  The Kings game was the first game I was unable to make it to, and naturally it wasn’t on TV either, so it’s hard for me to be exceptionally thorough about this one.)

• Another night, another last second loss.  This type of thing is becoming as common as flying and dribbling for the Milwaukee Bucks of 2009-10.  After a particularly gut-wrenching home loss to the Sacramento Kings Saturday night, I’m left with a number of questions.

• Why can’t the Bucks win close games?

• Why do other teams get good looks in important spots and the Bucks are left to flail contested impossible heaves?

• How could Andrew Bogut ever go 6-20?

• Has anyone ever before seen such violent swings in minutes as in the case of Charlie Bell?  His four minutes Saturday come after 32 and 27 in the previous two, which followed two DNP-CD’s.

• And speaking of Bell, it comes to my attention that he was on the court for the very final play of the game.  On offense.  Which may be a little more difficult to succeed at after not having played for a while.  He came back in, after having played four minutes all night.  Didn’t Luc Richard Mbah a Moute not come in against the Lakers because he hadn’t been playing?  Didn’t that happen!?  DIDN’T IT!?  Sigh.

• Will Michael Redd ever again hit two free throws in a row?

• Why can’t Redd hit free throws?

• Did Brandon Jennings and  Bogut combine to miss their last 13 shots?  Is this an accurate figure?  I counted twice.  What are the odds of that?  50-1? 100-1?  5-1?

• After a rough two games at the office, has Luke Ridnour finally come back down to Earth?

• In games LRMAM plays at least 30 minutes, the Bucks are now 4-2.  In games he plays less the Bucks are 3-7.  Has he proven he needs over 30 minutes a night yet?

• Now that the Bucks are healthy, is there any hope for a semblance of a rotation emerging?  Kurt Thomas has appeared to grab hold of backup center minutes, Hakim Warrick is entrenched as the backup power forward and Ridnour at point, but when will a rotation work itself out amongst the swingmen?

• And if a rotation is established, will Jodie Meeks be facing the D-League?  He had a nice line against the Kings, five points two assists and two steals in nine minutes, but doesn’t Redd squeeze him out?

• When the Bucks staff watched Jason Thompson, were they thinking, “This is exactly the guy we need here,”?  Because they should have been.

• Isn’t Tyreke Evans the other piece the Bucks need?  But I’d love him to be playing NEXT to Brandon Jennings, not instead of him.  Evans is a helluva wing player, but this point guard thing will never makes sense to me.  In the last few minutes, sure.  Then just give him the ball and let him make a play, but I’d rather have Jennings running my team for the first 45 minutes.

Lots more questions than answers at this point for the Milwaukee Bucks.  But when a team is trying to reincorporate it’s ex-star with it’s new stars, it’s not easy.  Yes, Redd’s been struggling the last two games after one  nice game, but it’s all just a work in progress.  Give Milwaukee at least ten games with Redd before panic is allowed to set it.  As long as the Bucks keep games close, they’re bound to win a few more of these last second games.  I refuse to panic until after ten games of Redd’s return or a dip down to five games below .500.

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And then the Bucks went on a 22-2 run.  22-2!

Carlos Delfino hit some threes, Andrew Bogut asserted his will all over the much smaller David Lee and Ersan Ilyasova was running all over the court for rebounds, grabbing every loose ball and setting screens like his life depended on it.  The next thing you knew, the Knicks were wilting like a flower and the Bucks had the game in the palm of their hand.  The Bucks won the first quarter 40-22 thanks to incredible defense and an unrelenting effort based attack. Remember my cries for help for Brandon Jennings two games ago?  The cavalry has arrived.  Bogut: 22 points and eight rebounds.  Ilyasova: 13 rebounds (six offensive!) to go with six points and loads of tipped balls, charges taken and opposing players annoyed.  And in the spirit of saving the best for last, I give you Jodie Meeks: 19 points on 7-11 shooting, including 5-7 from behind the arc.  This is where “what we’ve been waiting for” meets “Jodie Meeks arrival as a shooter.”  Meeks was 3-3 in the first quarter and at no point showed any signs of the nerves that appeared to bother him previously.  Even better, Scott Skiles said before the game that he would keep sticking with Jodie as long as he continued to defend like he had been.  A shooter and Skiles-pleasing defender?  Thank you second round, you’ve struck again (hopefully).

Offense

So.  Much.  To.  Like.

• The Bucks crushed the Knickerbockers on the offensive boards, 15-6.  On one fourth quarter possession alone, the Bucks grabbed four offensive rebounds … while they were up 24!  That kind of effort in that kind of situation is a sight to behold for Bucks fans.

• The Bucks shot 46.6% overall and 33% from behind the arc.  Meeks led the charge, but after him the Bucks did struggle a bit again from three point territory.  Delfino hit two early, but missed on his next four.  Jennings missed the two threes he attempted, but it’s hard to complain when Meeks goes 5-7 in his second game with extended minutes.  As long as he’s hitting, or anyone for that matter, lanes will be opened up for Brandon Jennings and that big Australian guy who operates underneath.

• About that guy, he hit 8-14 shots and even went a perfect 6-6 from the stripe.  Eight rebounds and four assists to go with 22 points makes everyone forget about Bogut’s struggles in his firs two games this year.  Bogut has declared himself 100% back physically and it’s certainly looking like it on the court.  He’s taken at least four charges in the last two games alone and bounced up every time with glee.

• Jennings had another nice scoring game (17 points) but even more important got the crowd into it early with a nifty moves and thrilling passes that led to easy buckets.  Some people had no idea the Bradley Center could get as loud as it did at times in the first quarter.  And at the end the of the first the fans gave the home team a standing ovation in respect of their first quarter man-handling of the Knicks.  An impressive job by the 15,486 (though I’d guess it was less than that) on hand.

Defense

• 27 points off 17 Knick turnovers is a great place to start.  The Bucks were harassing the Knicks early and capitalizing on each opportunity.  At times the Bucks didn’t even have to do much.  Once the Knicks got down they started to get lazy and were throwing passes to guys who weren’t looking.  Twice a Knick passed to a teammate not paying attention and each time the ball bounced off the player and into the hands of a waiting Buck.  That’s capitalizing on a team that’s mentally not prepared (or not interested) in playing basketball.  As soon as the Bucks made it clear that their defense wasn’t going to allow anything easy for the Knicks, New York pretty much rolled over.

• The Bucks DOMINATED the boards 54-34 while limiting the Knicks to just 17 free throw attempts.  Seriously, the Bucks were grabbing defensive rebounds with such ferocity and certainty that I worried for the safety of the basketball.  Any time the Bucks are able to clean the glass and avoid racking up too many fouls, they are going to be awfully tough to beat (well, as long as their offense shoots over 40%).  Second chance points have been a problem for the Bucks in the past, but by no means was it an issue tonight.  But not every team is going to start Danilo Gallinari at the power forward spot.

• The Bucks have yet to allow 100 points this season and are the only team in the league that can make that claim.  The Bucks ranked first in the league in defensive rating coming into this one and only improved on their efforts.  To be fair this was almost like shooting fish in a barrel.  Chris Duhon has not successfully converted on a field goal in his last nearly 70 minutes (67 minutes and 25 seconds … roughly) on the court.  “The Streak” spans three games!  This is the Knicks starting point guard!

• This was a battle of one of the finest offensive minds in the league in Mike D’Antoni vs. the gritty defensive mind of Scott Skiles.  Skiles clearly got the upper hand, but in defense of D’Antoni, he has a lot less to work with offensively than Skiles does defensively.  Offense is more than just a matter of effort, but I will say the Knicks offered very little of that in this one.

The Four Factors

The Bucks were able to make up for their slight disadvantage in turnovers (20-17 in favor of the Knicks) by limiting Knick points off turnovers (15 compared to 27 for Milwaukee) and dominating the offensive glass.  Combine that with their stellar effective shooting percentage and it’s easy to see why this one was all Bucks.

Not every game is going to be against the Knicks, but the ones that are have to be wins for the Bucks.  Saturday night was simply a matter of taking care of business against a team that shouldn’t have been able to handle the Bucks defensive intensity and that’s exactly what the Bucks did.  Took care of business.  While it may seem like it’s been forever since the Bucks last had a winning record, I warn you that last season the Bucks started out 3-2.  Eerily familiar, no?  The difference was that the Bucks followed that with three games against Boston, Phoenix and Cleveland.

This year?  Denver, Golden State and Dallas.  All at home and followed by New Jersey and Charlotte.  Opportunity is knocking fervently at the Bucks door and if this performance is any indication, they’ll be answering.

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