Recap/Box Score

“We need multiple guys doing the damage out there.  That’s our formula right now, that’s the way our team is constructed.  We spread the ball around, I say it all the time, they’re unselfish and try and hit the open man and play good team basketball.  When we’re playing well and we’re clicking we are gonna have four or five guys in double figures.”

-         Scott Skiles 2/24/2010

Yes, one night before the Bucks put seven players into double figures, Scott Skiles was singing the praises of his teams unselfishness and insisting that it would take a lot of different scorers for the team to have success.  And he always claims he doesn’t know what’s coming next.

You fooled us all Coach, you fooled us all.

The Bucks got double figure points from seven different players Thursday night.

John Salmons             20

Brandon Jennings      18

Ersan Ilyasova           17

Andrew Bogut            15

Luke Ridnour 12

Jerry Stackhouse       11

Carlos Delfino            10

And they needed every last point to get past the pesky Pacers in the fourth quarter.  After taking control of the game in the second and further exerting their collective wills in the third, the Bucks let things get away from them a little in quarter four.  After grabbing a 14-point lead, two Pacer threes sandwiched around a layup brought Indiana back within six points with four minutes to go.

But the Bucks kept one play ahead of the Pacers.

A Troy Murphy three to close the gap to just three points?  Meet a Jennings jumper.  An Earl Watson tip shot to make it a two point contest?  Meet two free-throws for Salmons.  The Bucks were losing it, without losing it and ultimately stopped before they lost it.  Simple enough? Read more…

Milwaukee Bucks (Scott Skiles) 28-28

at

Indiana Pacers (Jim O’Brien) 19-38

Larry Legend has been Lotto Larry for a few years in Indy now.

Date: 2/25/2010

Time: 6:00 (CST)

TV: FS Wisconsin

Matchups

Point Guard

Brandon Jennings vs. Earl Watson

Jennings numbers continue to look pedestrian, but his impact is evident in the success his teammates are having.  Five Bucks scored in double figures Wednesday night and three more scored nine points.  If a team doesn’t have a good point guard, it’s difficult to get that kind of even distribution, even in a blowout.  Jennings always keeps the offense running smooth and didn’t record a turnover against New Orleans.  Jennings’ usage is at 26, his assist rate is right around 30 while his turnover rate is only 12.6.  Let me take Deron Williams as an example of where Jennings is having success.  Williams’ numbers in those categories are as follows, 23.6, 42.7 and 17.2.  If just a few more times nightly, Jennings were to hit an open shooter leading to a successful three-point shot, Jennings could conceivably close in on the first two numbers while keeping his turnover number down.  He’s not all that far off from Williams and if he used a few less possessions statistically, as a point guard he’d be in the class directly below Williams.  That doesn’t say anything about his offensive struggles with shooting, which would bring his overall game down a little further.  Bottom line, Jennings has been a VERY good point guard.

Advantage: Bucks Read more…

So.

Many.

Rumors.

I know no one can get enough, so I thought I’d try and keep updating this post to do my best to keep everything together for the next day or so.

• That rumor about Kurt Thomas to the Hawks?  Just a rumor according to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution.  I was suspicious of it right away, as Mo Evans didn’t seem an uber-logical fit with the Bucks.  And that was before the AJC alerted me that he has a $2.5 million player option next year.

• Yahoo! Sports notes that the Bucks have had some interest in Al Harrington.  This was reported at 3 AM CST, and that sounds like the kind of thing a GM would think only at 3 AM.

• Chris Broussard reports that the Nuggets contacted Milwaukee about Hakim Warrick and (here’s a shocker … but not really) Kurt Thomas, but talks didn’t go far after the Nuggets revealed that they have nothing to offer for anyone.

• Chad Ford wrote that the Bucks have interest in Chicago’s Tyrus Thomas and may be interested in a shooting guard as well.  John Salmons is on the hook for 5,808,000 next season while Thomas is a restricted free agent with a $6,256,806 qualifying offer.  Those two could be successfully traded for any of the packages the Bucks have looked at with regard to Troy Murphy.

UPDATE

• Drew Gooden? Gooden will reportedly be bought out by the Clippers after his arrival from Washington, freeing him up to pursue other options.  His number one (or one A) option supposedly is the Bucks.  Milwaukee may present an intriguing option for Gooden in the same way it did for Warrick this past off-season: more playing time and more points than others can provide.

• Salmons to the Bucks for Thomas and Francisco Elson?  It’s floating around, though Thomas is playing in Wednesday’s game.  If that deal went through it would open a roster spot for Drew Gooden.

UPDATE

• Mike Dunleavy (Clippers GM not Pacers SG) told the Los Angeles Daily News it is not the Clippers intention to buyout Gooden.  Thus, if the Bucks wanted Gooden they’d have to make a deal with the Clippers, which seems unlikely given the time constraints.

It’s worth noting what teams do NOT have a first round pick in this June’s draft:

L.A. Lakers
Denver Nuggets
Dallas Mavericks
Phoenix Suns
Toronto Raptors (unless it’s in the lottery)
Charlotte Bobcats (unless it’s in the lottery)
New York Knicks

The weeks and days leading up to the trade deadline involve so many rumors that it’s hard to keep track of what’s reality and what’s fiction.

That’s where I come in.

I’ve constructed a handy guide of the Bucks players most likely to be on the move.  I’ll fill you in on where they could be heading, what the Bucks are looking to get back and why it does or doesn’t make sense.

Luke Ridnour

Rumored Destinations: New York, Indiana, playoff teams?

Ridnour was one of the quiet first half surprises, the kind of guy who likely caught the eye of many scouts, but wasn’t necessarily making headlines in the news.  While Ridnour hasn’t been able to maintain the absurd hallowed 50/40/90 shooting percentages he had earlier in the year, he’s not far off at 48/40/92.  Add those numbers up with his “the little tough guy” demeanor and veteran know how and you have exactly the kind of backup point guard playoff teams covet.  On top of that, Ridnour has an expiring contract worth $6.5 million.

Ridnour’s name has been connected with the New York Knicks, who would presumably like to dump the two remaining years of Jared Jeffries on the Bucks as they match up perfectly with Ridnour.  The Bucks would probably want Jordan Hill to be included in any deal with the Knicks, as they don’t have a first round pick to make taking Jeffries otherwise worth the Bucks while.

The Indiana-Milwaukee rumors have been running wild as of late, with Troy Murphy being the reported apple of Milwaukee’s eye.  Ridnour would be one of the expiring contracts included in that deal and would serve as little more than a cap figure, as Indiana won’t be making a playoff run or keeping him past this season.

A number of playoff possible teams could use an upgrade at the backup point guard spot, Atlanta and Memphis come to mind, but they all lack the assets to matchup with Ridnour’s contract, so they’d need to involve a third team to get a deal done.  Atlanta does have a first round pick that would attract the Bucks. Read more…

Milwaukee Bucks (Scott Skiles) 22-26

Inactives: Michael Redd, Francisco Elson and Joe Alexander

Vs.

Indiana Pacers (Jim O’Brien) 18-32

Inactives:Tyler Hansbrough, Jeff Foster and Earl Watson

Date: 2/6/2010

Time: 7:30

TV: Nah

Matchups

Point Guard

Brandon Jennings vs. A.J. Price

The rookie matchup to end all rookie matchups, JENNINGS V. PRICE.  Okay, so not really.  Price’s rise from late second round pick to starting point guard on a bad Eastern Conference team hasn’t been a popular story, but is intriguing nonetheless.  With Earl Watson out after a death in the family, Price got his first start on Friday against the Pistons.  Price can hit an open three, but often won’t burn anyone from deep, he’s a fairly consistent 33 percent shooter from deep.  He probably won’t see more than 25 minutes or so, as T.J. Ford has come back with a vengeance or something like that.  After being banished to the bench for some time, Ford got some minutes on Friday and made the most of his time hitting five of seven shots and dropping five assists.  Either way, Jennings shouldn’t have his hands full with them on either end.

Advantage: Bucks Read more…