Spoiler Alert: Richard Jefferson is the only one-year Buck on this list. That doesn’t really matter. His biggest 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 Richard Jefferson: 82 GS/ 1607 PTS/ 374 REB/199 AST/.439 FG%/ .397 3P%/ $13,200,000

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 acquisition of Jefferson was an example of some Bucks traditions. It was John Hammond’s first trade for a second-tier swingman. Something he’s done every year since he became Bucks GM. After the trade, rumors swirled about Jefferson being disgruntled; another proud Milwaukee tradition. He immediately went to the media and denied those rumors by stating he was very excited to play with Andrew Bogut and Michael Redd. That triggered the final tradition where Bogut and Redd blow some ligament whenever someone thinks optimistically of them.

The tragedy of Jefferson’s short tenure as a Buck is that the 2008-09 campaign could have been successful. Redd had spent all summer with the US men’s team and Bogut was with the Australian team. An in-shape Bogut and Redd with Jefferson as the third wheel could have definitely made the playoffs in a year when a .500 record was good enough for the sixth seed. Dealing in hypotheticals is a dangerous game, but there’s no reason a full year from Bogut and Redd couldn’t have yielded a .500 record

In reality, Jefferson had to carry the scoring load with a motivated Charlie Villanueva. Being the lead scorer was never a good fit for Jefferson. He too predictably drives to the right and is an average shooter at best. Plus, he had to crash the boards and could never rest on defense because Scott Skiles was his coach. Bogut could have kept him off the boards, but instead there was Francisco Elson. Redd was supposed to be the offensive focal point, however there was Charlie Bell. Lesser men would have complained to the media, but Jefferson is a good soldier. He never complained once and always got his shot off. He led an over-achieving bunch to 34 wins.

There’s not much more to say about Jefferson, partly because he was a Buck for such a short time, but also because he’s so damn boring. He’s consistent, disciplined, a good teammate and someone your parents would like. That’s all well, fine and good, but if I had his athleticism, I’d scream, “You can’t stop me!” and try to dunk on everything (basically, JR Smith). That’s a terrible knock on a guy who did everything asked of him, but whenever I hopped over to the Bradley Center that season, I was more excited to see if Ramon Sessions would drop 15 dimes that night.

Jefferson’s one season as a Buck was so statistically good that he needs to be on this list. However his legacy as a Buck will forever be as a trade asset, not a player. He got rid of Yi and Simmons and his value brought in Carlos Delfino and Kurt Thomas. And even though Jefferson scored way more points and snagged a lot more boards, Thomas gave me one charge I’ll never forget.

Ian Segovia is a contributor to Bucksketball.com. Follow him on Twitter, fan us up on Facebook.

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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.

*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.

The lottery adds an extra measure of crazy to the draft which is already a crap shoot. It can do two things that have very critical consequences for teams. The lottery can put teams on the fast track for success (early 90s Orlando Magic, late 90s San Antonio Spurs and current edition of the Oklahoma City Thunder). Or it can leave a team flailing in mediocrity for eternity (current edition of the Bucks and current Minnesota Timberwolves).

It takes a lot of luck and near flawless execution just to build a good team. If you look at the 90s part of the chart, you realize the Bucks made so many mistakes and had so much bad luck that it’s a wonder that they even made it to the Eastern Conference Finals once. They drafted the hulking Gary Trent and traded him for Shawn Respert — who promptly was diagnosed with stomach cancer.  What those Bucks did have going for them was the opportunity to draft for elite talent twice. And the talent they cultivated from those picks was invaluable at the turn of the century.

The team hasn’t had such fortunate opportunities in recent times. The inability to choose peak talent has really hurt the Bucks and stuck them in a decade of mediocrity. Only four of the last ten years have resulted in a playoff trip for the Bucks. They’ve never won a round, nor held home-court advantage. In the six years without playoff trips, the Bucks have most often been left with middling positions in the lottery. Beating the odds doesn’t guarantee nabbing a franchise guy (Portland only had a 5.3 percent chance at Oden), but moving back in the lottery can downright cripple a team. The Bucks slipped from their projected spots in 2007 and 2008. Those picks ended up being Al Horford and Eric Gordon, not Yi Jianlian or Joe Alexander.

I’m not trying to play the “what-if” game, just lamenting the lost opportunities for the Bucks to select elite talent. Teams can get elite players through free agency or trades, but it’s the guys teams get through the draft who are the face of the franchise. Pau Gasol is a great player, but Kobe Bryant is Laker incarnate

Plus, their are innate advantages built into drafting players. A good player on his rookie contract may just be the most valuable commodity in the NBA. Derrick Rose is only making 6.9 million this year. That’s a hell of a deal for the Bulls and he is definitely the MVP in terms of monetary value. Teams will always strive to get Larry Bird rights for their top draft picks, so bad contracts a team acquires through free agency or trades have no bearing on a team’s ability to offer a guy a boatload of money. And as the new CBA is restructured, there are sure to be newer tools teams can use to keep their top picks.

Every team needs a lot of luck in the lottery to have sustained success in the future. The Bucks have only had the opportunity draft an elite player once (Andrew Bogut with the first pick in 2005). Getting a player as talented as Brandon Jennings in 2009 was improbable, but the vast number of talented point guards in the game right now might never allow Jennings to ever be considered elite at his position. Acquiring two great players was through the draft was good enough for the Allen/Robinson edition of the Bucks. It won’t be good enough for these Bucks.

Ian Segovia is a contributor to the Milwaukee Bucks blog Bucksketball.com. Follow him on Twitter. Become a fan on Facebook (right sidebar).

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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.”

Yet again, there’s talk that Yi Jianlian could do some things in this piece from Mike Prada of SBNation. Positive things he’s talking about. When will people learn.

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.

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(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.

Advantage: Nets

Shooting Guard

Michael Redd vs. Courtney Lee

Can Michael Redd string together two stellar performances in a row?  Consistency has not been common this season for the Bucks, whether it’s been the ups and downs for the rookie point guard Jennings or the life of a finesse big man in Andrew Bogut, the Bucks key players have had problems performing night in and night out.  We’ve seen Redd be able to bring consistent scoring before, but whether or not that can still be apart of his game remains to be seen.  Courtney Lee is a solid defender, but not a  player for Redd to lose sleep over.  Redd should be able to use his crafty moves to get a few good looks at the rim and hopefully some free-throws.  However he’s going to do it, now is a great opportunity for Redd to get going.  After a strong game against Oklahoma City, Redd has games against New Jersey and Chicago, two weaker teams,  as opportunities to boost his confidence and find his rhythm before a long road trip out west.

Advantage: Bucks

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute vs. Chris Douglas-Roberts

CDR got loose for 31 points in the last Bucks-Nets game, doing most of his damage at the free-throw line (12-14).  Don’t hold your breath on him having that kind of impact again, as LRMAM was absent that game.  Do expect CDR to make some trips to the free throw line and do his best to keep getting to the rim.  CDR attacked the rim repeatedly in that game and has been doing that all year long, averaging roughly seven attempts at the rim per game … or more than anyone on the Bucks.  LRMAM is still figuring out this whole offense thing and might get a few post looks against the smaller CDR.

Advantage: Bucks (LRMAM fits so well!)

Power Forward

Ersan Ilyasova vs. Yi Jianlian

One of the great fears many Bucks fans have is that Easy Yi will one day go on to live up to the vast potential he has, scarring us for life and making us forever rue the day he was given up for what practically amounted to one season of Richard Jefferson. In his last five games, Yi has averaged 20 points and seven rebounds while shooting just a shade under 50 percent.  When he was drafted it was expected those types of performances would be common place for Yi, but he did so little in his one year with Milwaukee that he hardly seemed a better prospect than Charlie Villanueva.  Regardless, he’s looked good lately and that has everyone on watch in Milwaukee, even if it probably wouldn’t have happened here.

Advantage: Nets

Center

Andrew Bogut vs. Brook Lopez

Bogut had the upper hand earlier this year, with 21/11 to Lopez’s 11/4, but that could change with ease in this one.  Lopez has a much better supporting cast around him now and Bogut has yet to show much real consistency this year.  Bogut is coming off a very strong game against the Thunder after a string of four straight mediocre to bad games.  Lopez is one of the league’s best shot-blockers and could give Bogut some problems.  It’ll be important for Milwaukee to stick with the Aussie all night and try and ride him in this one.  Redd and Jennings haven’t been very good on the road and the path to road victories is typically lined with Andrew Bogut touches down low.

Advantage: Milwaukee

Bench

Charlie Bell, Kurt Thomas, Hakim Warrick and Luke Ridnour

vs.

Keyon Dooling, Trenton Hassell, Josh Boone and Terrance Williams

Not a stellar group for the Nets.  Dooling has been known to get hot, Hassell and Boone provide defense in theory if not in practice and since Vanderwegh has taken over, Williams minutes have been as erratic as his personality.  Not the way to get success out of rookies.  Ridnour was crucial for the Bucks against the Thunder and Hakim Warrick actually earned himself some crunch time minutes with his activity around the hoop.  Now if only he was a little better about scoring when he’s by the rim: 57 percent shooting at the rim on the year is a career low.

Advantage: Milwaukee

Prediction: Bucks 98 – Nets 88

I was all set to predict the Bucks would lose this game.  Even had the score: 94-91 Nets.  But the more I thought about it, the more confidence I had in Scott Skiles and the Bucks.  They haven’t really lost many games to teams they’ve been better than.  The Bucks have typically played at or above their talent level all season long and I don’t see why that would change now.  The rough December was largely the product of a more difficult schedule.  To this point, the Bucks have beat all the teams you’d expect them to beat (save for Sacramento) and I don’t see why that would change now.

Milwaukee looked much better defensively for parts of the Charlotte and Orlando game and for all of the Oklahoma City game.  If they were able to put it together for pieces of two of those and a full game in one of those, I don’t see why they shouldn’t be able to against an inferior New Jersey team.  Sure, the Nets are much better than they were in November and have some more talent now, but the Bucks remain the more talented squad and that has generally led to wins for Milwaukee this year.

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