Darington Hobson is signed; Tiny Gallon is not
Friday, September 3rd, 2010One of the great mysteries of the Bucks off season appears to have reached its conclusion.
Darington Hobson has finally been signed. Tiny Gallon? Not so much.
Hobson’s signing pushes the Bucks roster to its regular season 15-man limit, which likely means Gallon will be playing elsewhere this season. Whether that is Europe or in another NBA city remains to be seen. The Bucks certainly can bring more than 15 players to training camp as they did last season, but guaranteed contracts do the talking in the NBA and Hobson’s is the 15th.
If Gallon ends up in Europe or the D-League for the duration of 2010-11, his rights will remain with the Bucks. Gallon has become a bit of an uncertainty since his well received June drafting. The Bucks have loaded up on power forwards this summer and Gallon’s play in summer league was inconsistent. He showed signs as a rebounder and scorer around the rim, but struggled to finish on his post moves and often drifted around the perimeter. Receiving a tongue lashing after just one game with regard to his effort and attitude from Glen Davis could have been perceived as a negative too. If a rookie has problems with attitude and focus while trying to solidify a spot, what will he do when he gets guaranteed money?
So while Gallon still appears to have potential that is eclipsed only by his weight, he does have some things to work on. If he does end up in Europe, that would be an encouraging sign for those who hope the Bucks hold on to him. Free development while not taking up a roster spot has a lot more upside than downside and, in the case of Ersan Ilyasova, has served the Bucks well before. Of course, it’s worked against the Bucks too (see Griffith, Rashard). It’s likely that if Gallon does land in Europe, it won’t be more than a short excursion though. and he’ll look to return next season. But don’t think you’ve heard the last of Gallon.
He is sure to keep us all updated on how misunderstood he is when he does start on his professional journey though, as he’s an exceptionally active Tweeter. And with a tag like “WeHateTiny23“, going unsigned is sure to add more fuel to that fire that Gallon apparently uses to motivate himself. Whether that results in a productive NBA player remains to be seen.
Hobson, who did not play in summer league due to injury, should be one of the answers to the mystery of just who will take up the other two spots next to Michael Redd on the reserved list next season. A versatile small forward, Hobson will have the luxury of sitting back and learning in practice and while watching his teammates do their thing on a veteran laden Bucks squad.
Jeremy Schmidt writes the Milwaukee Bucks blog Bucksketball.com
Patience: None for Redd, More for Gallon
Friday, July 23rd, 2010Typically, patience isn’t a strong suit of sports fans. Instant gratification is the name of the game. Fans are paying money, they’re living and dying with their favorite teams games every night, they don’t want to hear about some rebuilding plan that’s going to force them to wait a few years for success. They want it now. And when their favorite team is closing in on that success they’ve been so impatiently waiting for, they want them to stop at nothing to obtain it. Clear the bench of those not ready to contribute in a meaningful way or those associated too closely with past failures. Toss the talentless, free the city of its past ghosts and move on.
That’s why Milwaukee has wanted to see the back of Michael Redd’s number 22 jersey walking out of the Bradley Center never to return for a number of years. He’s a link to the old regime, he and Dan Gadzuric, deservedly or not, were symbolic of everything that’s been bad in Milwaukee Bucks basketball over the past twenty years. Overpaid, under-productive and defensively deficient. Long ago the city of Milwaukee’s patience with Michael Redd ran out.
And at this point, that seems fair.
But why has patience already begun to wear thin for rookie Tiny Gallon? (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…)
The Kelvin Sampson Influence
Monday, July 19th, 2010At some point this season, Larry Sanders and Tiny Gallon are going to look like they were put on this Earth to play basketball in the NBA. Times will be good. At some point this season, they’ll be glued to the bench, saddled with foul trouble or fighting inconsistency. Times will be bad. Even the very best rookie seasons are a mixed bag.
For assistant coach Kelvin Sampson, it’s keeping them on an even keel that’s most important.
“Rookie years are tough for these guys,” said Coach Sampson. “At some point they’re going to to go through a tough patch. With the kids here, it’s making sure they handle success and failure in the same vein. Don’t get too high, don’t get too low. Understand work is the answer to most of your problems.”
The development of young players is a crucial ingredient in the success of any NBA team and Milwaukee has one of the best in the business on their staff in Sampson. Within the last week, Gallon has Tweeted about the immediate positive influence Sampson has had on him. Gallon’s words should come as no surprise as repeatedly last season Brandon Jennings was quick to note how helpful Coach Sampson was in helping him develop. Keeping Jennings on an even keel during a roller coaster rookie season was a focus for Sampson.
“That was a big thing with Brandon,” he said. “The night he scored 55, I remember he was texting me later that night, and one of the things I said to him was don’t allow a 55-point night on a night in November define who you are. That’s part of being able to handle success.” (more…)
Bucks lose fourth straight summer league game to Heat
Saturday, July 17th, 2010The ugly streak that’s been referred to as Bucks summer league basketball this week continued with another loss Friday evening, this time at the hands of the Miami Heat 78-58. A new point guard in Sun Yue was in the house, but he could do little to make up for the struggles for the rest of the team.
Yue’s debut with Milwaukee came quickly in the first quarter and he did not disappoint. Yue showed off sweet court awareness with a number of nice passes and converted on a difficult spin-move-and-one jumper. After his strong start to the game, Yue had little impact and dealt with some turnover issues. Yue’s 6-foot-7 size seems like it could be a help on defense, but his lack of foot speed made it difficult for him to stay in front of Miami’s guards.
Milwaukee turned the ball over a whopping 29 times in this one, with eight of those coming from Tiny Gallon. We’re a little early in Tiny’s career for him to be a reliable post up option, and he showed that time after time on Friday, barreling into defenders for offensive fouls and getting stripped in double teams numerous times. Gallon has an okay looking midrange jumper and can step out and hit a three here and there, but he’s got a ways to go before Milwaukee will be able to dump it inside to him to get two with much consistency. Gallon did rebound the ball well once again, grabbing nine boards and he does it in a pleasing way. Gallon grabs rebounds with two hands and holds the ball high. With his monsterous paws, it’s rare he loses a rebound in traffic.
Larry Sanders struggled from the field again, shooting 5-14, but he blocked a summer league personal best five shots and grabbed eight rebounds. Sanders motor and athleticism are the kinds of skills that will translate from summer league to the regular season, not true of all skills on display in summer. The form on his jumper suggests that it may become more consistent in time, but I don’t think we’ll see a lot of that from him come October. But the rebounding and defense he’s been providing all week, that should shine through as long as he’s getting consistent minutes upon the start of the regular season.
Micah Downs has shown some sneaky athleticism all week, but it was his shooting touch that was on display Friday. He connected on 5-7 from three, including one that left him sitting in a seat courtside. Downs probably won’t have much of a chance with the Bucks, but I wouldn’t rule out him getting a camp invite somewhere and maybe earning a D-League call up at some point. He’s obviously got some skills.
After earning his first start, Dominic James showed his ability to get by his man with a number of penetrations into the lane. Unfortunately, James often was unable to reel himself in and turned the ball over a couple times trying to force passes inside once he beat his man. James tallied six assists, the highest number of any Buck this summer league, but his lack of confidence in his perimeter shot showed once when he refused to take an open look from the corner. That’s the shot he’ll need if he wants to stick eventually.
