(We’re counting down the best 20 Bucks since 1991 over the next few weeks. It’s something to do with the lockout sucking the life out of NBA fans. We continue with number 14. Richard Jefferson. Another in a long line of players with one successful season (though many other had a few crappy ones too), RJ initially had some Bucks hesitation, but turned around and gave Milwaukee all he had during his one year stay. – Jeremy)
Spoiler Alert: Richard Jefferson is the only one-year Buck on this list. That doesn’t really matter. Hisbiggest contribution to the Bucks had nothing to do with his play on the court. This isn’t to say that he didn’t play well. He played damn well. Even if he never would have played a minute for the Bucks, he probably would still have made the list.
He was the guy traded for Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons. That’s the only reason he needs to be on this list. So, thanks to Jefferson, John Hammond, Nets General Manger Kiki Vandeweghe, and the entire New Jersey Nets organization for getting two presumably good human beings, but terrible basketball players out of Milwaukee. For fun, let’s look at some stats:
2008-09 Bobby Simmons and Yi Jianlian: 96 GS/ 1081 PTS/ 603 REB/ 152 AST/ .413 FG%/ .410 FG%/ $13,588,747
I love advanced stats. I love giving the counterargument to common sense. Sometimes you have to look at the ol’ regular stats and common sense (Jianlian is one of the worst Bucks draft picks ever and Simmons’s agent is a con man) and nod your head accordingly.
The NBA Draft Lottery was created to dissuade tanking. Whether or not the lottery has succeeded, is up to your own judgment (Quick answer: no). Milwaukee did their best to tank their way to the top of the Greg Oden/Kevin Durant lottery, but the basketball Gods did not reward the regular efforts of Damir Markota and Jared Reiner. Milwaukee slipped right into the retreating arms of Easy Yi and the rest is history.
The Bucks made the playoffs every year for the first two incarnations of the lottery. In 1985, the order of the non-playoff teams were fully determined by the lottery and they all had an equal chance at the top pick. In 1987, they modified the lottery so only the first three picks were determined by lottery. All non-playoff teams had an equal shot at the top three picks and all other picks were determined by record. In 1990, they weighted the lottery. The worst team had 11 out of 66 chances to get the top pick; the second-worst team had 10 out of 66 chances and so on and so forth. The Bucks first foray into the lottery was in 1991. Since then the Bucks have been in the lottery more often than not and the NBA has changed the lottery system to be weighted out of 1000 combinations instead of 66.
Year
Record
Projection
Prob at No. 1 (%)
Draft Position
Player
1992
31-51
7
7.6
8
Todd Day
1993
28-54
6
9.1
8
Vin Baker
1994
20-62
4
16.3
1
Glenn Robinson
1995
34-48
9
1.5
11
Gary Trent*
1996
25-57
4
20.2
4
Stephon Marbury**
1997
33-49
10
1.5
10
Danny Fortson***
1998
36-46
9
2.1
9
Dirk Nowitzki****
2002
41-41
13
0.5
13
Marcus Haislip
2005
30-52
6
6.3
1
Andrew Bogut
2007
28-54
3
15.6
6
Yi Jianlian
2008
26-56
7
4.3
8
Joe Alexander
2009
34-48
10
1
10
Brandon Jennings
*traded to Portland along with a conditional ‘96 first-round pick for Shawn Respert
**traded to Minnesota for Ray Allen and a future first-round pick
*** traded to Denver along with Johnny Newman and Joe Wolf for Ervin Johnson
****traded to Dallas along with draft rights to Pat Garrity for Robert “Tractor” Traylor
It should also be noted that the Bucks drafted T.J. Ford in 2003 at the eighth spot. The pick came from a trade with the Atlanta Hawks that saw the Bucks trading Glenn Robinson for the lottery pick, Tony Kukoc and Leon Smith. So in all, the Bucks have had 13 lottery picks and have traded four of those picks.
Charles F. Gardner writes about the Bucks desire for a loud and proud home crowd. “Sellout crowds of 18,717 attended Games 3, 4 and 6, and the Milwaukee fans were much louder than the crowds in Atlanta. Now Jennings believes that same spirit can be duplicated during the regular season when it opens in two weeks, with the home opener slated Oct. 30 against Charlotte. ‘That means now we’ve got to go out on the court and do what we’re supposed to do, and that’s play Bucks basketball,’ Jennings said after he scored 18 points Tuesday night in an open scrimmage at the Bradley Center.
Also from Gardner, Andrew Bogut might get back on the court finally this weekend. “And Bogut sounded optimistic after the session, saying he thought he would return Saturday at Memphis and try to play some time in back-to-back games against the Grizzlies and Timberwolves. ‘The trainers are talking about playing 6 to 10 minutes on the first night and up to 12 on the second night,’ Bogut said. ‘Then the week after 20-plus minutes.’”
In “The Works” Bethlehem Shoals and Tom Ziller preview the Bucks. This excerpt is good, but there is much more so be sure to check it out. “Bogut was out-of-this-world much of the past two seasons, carrying an otherwise pond-deep Bucks team to a .500 level. Not until John Salmons came aboard did the talent around Bogut become serious enough to aim for better things; adding Corey Maggette only helps. But the Bucks need Bogut to be special to get there.”
Steve Kyler from Hoopsworld.com has some insight on the Darington Hobson situation. What’s unclear in the story is why the Bucks would give Hobson a contract at all. The story indicates that ownership had given Hobson the contract before realizing he was injured, but he didn’t sign his deal until September 3rd, well after he sat out summer league.
Brandon Jennings hits from way deep at last night’s scrimmage.
Jeremy Schmidt writes the Milwaukee Bucks blog Bucksketball.com. Follow him on Twitter.
(Probable) Inactives: Joe Alexander and Dan Gadzuric
at
New Jersey Nets (Kiki Vanderwegh) 3-30
(Probable) Inactives: Eduardo Najera, Tony Battie and Sean Williams
Date: 1/5/2010
Time: 6:00 (CST)
TV: Nah, not today
Match-Ups
Point Guard
Brandon Jennings vs. Devin Harris
Like most of these match-ups, this one won’t be quite as easy as the last time these teams met. In the first game it was Rafer Alston manning the point for the 0-12 Nets. Jennings burned Alston for 19 points, eight assists and his lone dunk of the season. That was a different Nets team led by a different man though. While Devin Harris hasn’t exactly righted the ship since his return from an early season ankle injury, he (along with the many other Nets who have returned from injuries since they last met the Bucks) at least helps make the Nets a competitive team. Harris has not matched the lofty standard he set for himself last year though. Shooting under 40 percent and averaging less than 20 points and dishing out fewer assists was probably not what Harris had in mind as a follow up to his all-star season last year. If Harris can begin to get himself on track, the Nets become more than a team desperate for all the wins they can get. Physically, Harris is still quick and strong and will be a load for Jennings on both sides of the court.
