I’m in the process of finishing John Devaney’s book on a season with the 1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks, Alcindor And The Big O: A Season’s Diary.  It’s a diary about the whole team, but much of it centers on the two most important pieces of that season’s NBA Champion Bucks squad.  He discusses how Lew Alcindor (more famously known as Kareem Abdul-Jabar) and Oscar Robertson were able to feed off each other and help lead the Bucks to their title.

At one point, Devaney remarks that he’d once heard someone mention that the two stars formed a symbiosis.  A symbiosis is the intimate living together of two dissimilar organisms in a mutually beneficial relationship.

Kind of like Brandon Jennings and Andrew Bogut?

Now before you put your fist through your keyboard typing out an angry e-mail or comment, I assure your, I’m not comparing either Jennings or Bogut to Robertson or Kareem.  Again I’M NOT COMPARING JENNINGS TO ROBERTSON AND BOGUT TO KAREEM.  But that doesn’t mean they cannot operate in a similar fashion.  The Bucks strategy with Kareem and Oscar was simple: get it to Kareem and if he’s getting doubled let Oscar create until he’s doubled and can kick it out to the shooters.  They played off each other and were able to blow away the competition and take each other to the next level.

In a similar fashion, the Bucks try to run everything they do through Bogut first.  He’s option 1 and 1A if you will.  Teams have gotten wise to this and have been quick to double team him lately.  When he’s getting doubled, Jennings frequently is in charge of probing the defense and getting the Bucks another shot, even if it’s frequently his own (errant) shot.  Often Jennings will resort to an unsuccessful drive just to open things up for Bogut by drawing his man.  Make no mistake, this offense runs through Bogut and Jennings.

And they work well together while running it.  The Bogut-Jennings pick and roll has been a season long staple of the Bucks offense and when Jennings is finding Bogut he’s often left with some of his easiest shots.  Bogut’s career year has certainly been the result of his own hard work, but don’t downplay Jennings role in it. Read more…

Milwaukee Bucks (Scott Skiles) 27-28

vs.

New Orleans Hornets (Jeff Bower) 30-27

Date: 2/24/2010

Time: 7:00 (CST)

TV: FSN WI (No Magic Bullet tonight)

Matchups

Point Guard

Brandon Jennings vs. Darren Collison

Another rookie from the West who has closed the gap between Jennings and the rest of this rookie class is the Hornets fill-in starting point guard Collison.  Collison got lost in the shuffle a little at UCLA with big time prospects like Jrue Holiday and Rusell Westbrook around him, but he’s found his way in the league quite nicely.  Chris Paul has gone down with injuries for two extended stretches this year, but give Collison his fair share of the credit for keeping the Hornets on track in Paul’s absence.  Collison has scored in double figures just twice off the bench this year, but in the 19 games he’s started for Paul, Collison has hit double digits every time but once while leading the Hornets to a 9-10 record.  When you look at what’s been around him in those games that record looks much better.  Collison had his first career triple double two games ago against Indiana and earlier this month recorded 18 assists in a game.  He turns it over a bit and isn’t much of a three-point shooter, but he’s going to be a handful.

Advantage: Hornets Read more…

Two games, two disappointing losses, two completely different ways.  A blowout in San Antonio and a nail biter that slipped away like it was covered in butter.

There is no easy way to digest this one.  The Bucks were up five with 50 seconds to go in regulation.  A few jumpers, some free throw retaliations by Brandon Jennings and a Darren Collison three-point shot later, the game was tied with seven seconds to play.  But the Bucks had the ball and it was Brandon Jennings’ game to be had, Bucks fans had to feel good, right?  I certainly did.  I mean, Jennings had been struggling all game, but he’s still Brandon Jennings.  But regulation was not meant to be.  Jennings turned it over on a pick and roll initiated deep behind the three-point line on some good defense by David West.

No matter, overtime was a chance for redemption.  For a lot of guys.  Michael Redd had been struggling all game, so had Jennings and the song was the same for Ersan Ilyasova. Surely one of them would be able to get it going in the fifth stanza.  But it never came.  Redd hit a shot and then missed a couple more, including the game tying attempt at the horn.  Jennings had a crucial turnover in the back court and Ilyasova barely sniffed the court.

It’s hard to feel good about any of this game.  But … it’s Thanksgiving.  And in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I’ll give thanks about some things, rather than harp on another disappointing Bucks loss. Read more…

Milwaukee Bucks (Scott Skiles) 8-4

(Likely) Inactives: Joe Alexander, Andrew Bogut, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute

at

New Orleans Hornets ( Jeff Bower) 6-9

(Likely) Inactives: Chris Paul, Ike Diogu, Hilton Armstrong

Date: 11/25/2009

Game time: 7:00 (CST)

TV: FS Wisconsin

Point Guard

Brandon Jennings vs. Darren Collison

I don’t want to be in Darren Collison’s shoes Wednesday night.  Jennings is coming off a 6-21 effort against one of the best defensive teams of the past decade.  He’s shown in the past that he’ll use negatives as motivation.  The Hornets have the second wort defensive rating in the league, so don’t expect Collison to have the best help in dealing with an angry, motivated Jennings.  On the plus side, Collison is probably the Hornets best perimeter defender, if not already their best overall defender.  Whether he is or isn’t, he probably has seen plenty of point guards in his four years at UCLA and through his 11 games in the NBA, so while Jennings may not surprise him, he should still prove quite a handful for the rookie.

Advantage: Bucks Read more…