[Bmore_DCParticipant]

So now they traded Ish Smith and Kravstov for Caron Butler…

I cant tell if they are rebuilding or honestly think they can contend. Looks like they will end up MAYBE being the 8 seed and miss out on the best lottery in years. I dont really understand what they are doing.

Granted they probably got the better end of the deal. Smith is young but he has journey-man written all over him. And who knows if Kravstov will pan out to be anything. It def makes them better but their roster is a confused mix-match of decent young players and glorified role players.

[JordoParticipant]

They are stuck in the middle to me. Too good to be really bad but not good enough to make it out of the first round if they did make the playoffs.

[JordoParticipant]

They are stuck in the middle to me. Too good to be really bad but not good enough to make it out of the first round if they did make the playoffs.

[GottaBeTheShoesParticipant]

In a way, I like their team and the players on it. Sanders, Henson, Ilyasova, Knight, Mayo, Neal, and some nice backups give them a real shot at the 8th seed. But the problem is, this team doesn’t have the potential to be much more than that even if their talent fully reached their potential. They need a superstar and this was the best year to tank for one. They’ll be slightly entertaining at least.

It’s teams like Atlana, Milwaukee, and Dallas that just make no sense to me. They stack meaningless talent that isn’t going to help them win more than being a mediocre 8-12 seed. I just found it hilarious all these teams wanted Monta Ellis but yet Monta Ellis is yet to actually show that he can help a team win rather than lighting up a scoreboard every so often. There style of “rebuilding”(or whatever it is they’re doing) is like they’re playing 2k and grabbing random free agents and throwing together talent and thinking it will work.

[GottaBeTheShoesParticipant]

In a way, I like their team and the players on it. Sanders, Henson, Ilyasova, Knight, Mayo, Neal, and some nice backups give them a real shot at the 8th seed. But the problem is, this team doesn’t have the potential to be much more than that even if their talent fully reached their potential. They need a superstar and this was the best year to tank for one. They’ll be slightly entertaining at least.

It’s teams like Atlana, Milwaukee, and Dallas that just make no sense to me. They stack meaningless talent that isn’t going to help them win more than being a mediocre 8-12 seed. I just found it hilarious all these teams wanted Monta Ellis but yet Monta Ellis is yet to actually show that he can help a team win rather than lighting up a scoreboard every so often. There style of “rebuilding”(or whatever it is they’re doing) is like they’re playing 2k and grabbing random free agents and throwing together talent and thinking it will work.

[Sharp ShooterParticipant]

Even though Brandon Knight isn’t a pistons I hope he has a breakout season..and just put up spectacular numbers….It seem like the world is against him…

[Sharp ShooterParticipant]

Even though Brandon Knight isn’t a pistons I hope he has a breakout season..and just put up spectacular numbers….It seem like the world is against him…

[ksmith9Participant]

I can’t Believe you posters and your negative and positive remarks. Bmore rights a good article stating the talent of the Bucks and he gets negged, yet Sharp Shooter(no offense) writes a silly remark about Brandon Knight and he gets +4. I swear you are all idiots for negative half the crap you do, and even bigger idiots for liking all the crap you like.

[jjbutler73Participant]

the difference between “writes” and “rights”. LMAO. Why the fuck do you care who gets negatives or positives anyways? Are they handing out free cookies for a good score?

[jjbutler73Participant]

the difference between “writes” and “rights”. LMAO. Why the fuck do you care who gets negatives or positives anyways? Are they handing out free cookies for a good score?

[ksmith9Participant]

I can’t Believe you posters and your negative and positive remarks. Bmore rights a good article stating the talent of the Bucks and he gets negged, yet Sharp Shooter(no offense) writes a silly remark about Brandon Knight and he gets +4. I swear you are all idiots for negative half the crap you do, and even bigger idiots for liking all the crap you like.

[HitsterParticipant]

Dallas were all out for the title and when they won it, they almost seemed to take their foot off the pedal, maybe they were not prepared to give Chandler the sort of contract he was after to stay or maybe he wanted a 5 year deal etc. But to my perspective, it almost seems they got a title in the Dirk era and so decided to do it year by year from there to try and stay relevant but not go overboard to spend to contend.

They went short term for a couple of years but this year have splashed out $25 million for 3 years on Monta Ellis and $29 million over 4 years for Jose Calderon and you have to wonder will Dirk still be there when Calderon’s contract in particular expires.

The team does make money but with new tax rules Mark Cuba may not be prepared to pay the sort of luxury tax they used to and with Dirk now in his mid 30’s, younger FA’s look for more long term running mates so Dallas may not be the hot destination it once was.

Dallas will have cap space next summer so I guess they will try to land a top FA and hope Dirk, Calderon and Ellis can provide the support required. We know Calderon will do what is expected of him, if Ellis can take better quality shots he can be more effective and whilst Dirk isn’t the player he was at his peak, he remains a top big man whose skill set can keep him in the game a lot longer than other bigs of his age.

[HitsterParticipant]

Dallas were all out for the title and when they won it, they almost seemed to take their foot off the pedal, maybe they were not prepared to give Chandler the sort of contract he was after to stay or maybe he wanted a 5 year deal etc. But to my perspective, it almost seems they got a title in the Dirk era and so decided to do it year by year from there to try and stay relevant but not go overboard to spend to contend.

They went short term for a couple of years but this year have splashed out $25 million for 3 years on Monta Ellis and $29 million over 4 years for Jose Calderon and you have to wonder will Dirk still be there when Calderon’s contract in particular expires.

The team does make money but with new tax rules Mark Cuba may not be prepared to pay the sort of luxury tax they used to and with Dirk now in his mid 30’s, younger FA’s look for more long term running mates so Dallas may not be the hot destination it once was.

Dallas will have cap space next summer so I guess they will try to land a top FA and hope Dirk, Calderon and Ellis can provide the support required. We know Calderon will do what is expected of him, if Ellis can take better quality shots he can be more effective and whilst Dirk isn’t the player he was at his peak, he remains a top big man whose skill set can keep him in the game a lot longer than other bigs of his age.

[Greek Baller]

maybe people are rooting for B Knight u Fu ck face

[Greek Baller]

maybe people are rooting for B Knight u Fu ck face

[machu46Participant]

As a Bucks fan, I actually like what they’re doing for once. Sanders, Ilyasova, and Henson have the potential to be one of the better front court trios in the NBA.

And Adetokunbo has as much potential as any player in this past year’s draft.

[machu46Participant]

As a Bucks fan, I actually like what they’re doing for once. Sanders, Ilyasova, and Henson have the potential to be one of the better front court trios in the NBA.

And Adetokunbo has as much potential as any player in this past year’s draft.

[WITNESS2014Participant]

I think that they will miss the playoffs this year, but their players will get a lot better with experience. If they get a good pick in this upcoming draft then they could be ready to be in the playoffs again. They locked up Sanders and have solid big men for the future. They have potential to be a really good team in 2 or 3 years.

[WITNESS2014Participant]

I think that they will miss the playoffs this year, but their players will get a lot better with experience. If they get a good pick in this upcoming draft then they could be ready to be in the playoffs again. They locked up Sanders and have solid big men for the future. They have potential to be a really good team in 2 or 3 years.

[McDunkin]

[McDunkin]

[LipstickParticipant]

Results-oriented, but why didn’t they just trade Redick for Caron Butler and a 2nd round pick?

It’s not a bad trade though. The signing of Pachulia when the Bucks already have a packed frontline will befuddle me all season long.

[LipstickParticipant]

Results-oriented, but why didn’t they just trade Redick for Caron Butler and a 2nd round pick?

It’s not a bad trade though. The signing of Pachulia when the Bucks already have a packed frontline will befuddle me all season long.

[r377Participant]

I like what the Bucks are doing – I am sick to death of teams tanking hoping to get a good lotto pick that will save their franchise. Bobcats and Kings have been rubbish for years now. At least the Bucks are trying to build the best team they can.

I really hope they change the lotto % to stop teams from tanking so much.

Milwaukee will be borderline if they make a playoff spot but they have a good young team:
Sanders, Henson, Ilyasova, Knight, Mayo, Neal, Butler, Delfino, Adetokunbo

I like they way they didn’t overpay for Jennings and Monta Ellis. Realistically they may not win a championship in the near future but there are prob another 20 teams in the league that won’t win either. Unfortunately they may never be able to sign a big star free agent which is a shame for bball in Milwaukee. Players would much rather the attention of a big city – NY, LA etc.

Their ceiling might be the Atlanta Hawks of the past few years. Good enough for a first or second round appearance but never really being a championship contending team. As a fan you could be happy with this. There is nothing worse than watching your team lose time and time again. I would much rather make the playoffs for a few years, rather than losing year after year, crossing your fingers you would land a franchise player in the draft that never happens….

Even if they did tank and land Wiggins who turns into a superstar what are the chances he would stick around in Milwaukee after his rookie contract expires anyway.

I am not a Bucks fan but I would really like them to do well this season

[LipstickParticipant]

Well, Milwaukee was going to overpay ($36M/3 years) to keep Monta Ellis but Ellis turned it down. His agent has since been fired 😛

[LipstickParticipant]

Well, Milwaukee was going to overpay ($36M/3 years) to keep Monta Ellis but Ellis turned it down. His agent has since been fired 😛

[r377Participant]

I like what the Bucks are doing – I am sick to death of teams tanking hoping to get a good lotto pick that will save their franchise. Bobcats and Kings have been rubbish for years now. At least the Bucks are trying to build the best team they can.

I really hope they change the lotto % to stop teams from tanking so much.

Milwaukee will be borderline if they make a playoff spot but they have a good young team:
Sanders, Henson, Ilyasova, Knight, Mayo, Neal, Butler, Delfino, Adetokunbo

I like they way they didn’t overpay for Jennings and Monta Ellis. Realistically they may not win a championship in the near future but there are prob another 20 teams in the league that won’t win either. Unfortunately they may never be able to sign a big star free agent which is a shame for bball in Milwaukee. Players would much rather the attention of a big city – NY, LA etc.

Their ceiling might be the Atlanta Hawks of the past few years. Good enough for a first or second round appearance but never really being a championship contending team. As a fan you could be happy with this. There is nothing worse than watching your team lose time and time again. I would much rather make the playoffs for a few years, rather than losing year after year, crossing your fingers you would land a franchise player in the draft that never happens….

Even if they did tank and land Wiggins who turns into a superstar what are the chances he would stick around in Milwaukee after his rookie contract expires anyway.

I am not a Bucks fan but I would really like them to do well this season

[HitsterParticipant]

Ellis and Jennings both got a load less than they were hoping for and may have gone to bigger teams but the Bucks got a top 10 pick back in Knight in the Jennings deal and O.J Mayo and Monta Ellis both effectively swapped teams so the Bucks replaced those two guys quite well.

The one time the Bucks got lucky in the draft lottery they took Andrew Bogut who when he is sound is a quality NBA big man but in hindsight they passed on both D-Will and CP3 who alongside a then peak Michael Redd could have made the Bucks a legit play off team for several years.

[machu46Participant]

To be fair, before Bogut’s freakish elbow injury, he was rounding into being one of the top 5 centers in the NBA, and pretty much single-handedly made the Bucks a fringe playoff team in the East. If he had stayed healthy, I think you still could have justified picking him even if he never became an MVP candidate like CP3.

The Bucks also had TJ Ford at the time of that draft, who had shown a lot of potential himself (and also became a victim to some horrific injuries).

[machu46Participant]

To be fair, before Bogut’s freakish elbow injury, he was rounding into being one of the top 5 centers in the NBA, and pretty much single-handedly made the Bucks a fringe playoff team in the East. If he had stayed healthy, I think you still could have justified picking him even if he never became an MVP candidate like CP3.

The Bucks also had TJ Ford at the time of that draft, who had shown a lot of potential himself (and also became a victim to some horrific injuries).

[HitsterParticipant]

Ellis and Jennings both got a load less than they were hoping for and may have gone to bigger teams but the Bucks got a top 10 pick back in Knight in the Jennings deal and O.J Mayo and Monta Ellis both effectively swapped teams so the Bucks replaced those two guys quite well.

The one time the Bucks got lucky in the draft lottery they took Andrew Bogut who when he is sound is a quality NBA big man but in hindsight they passed on both D-Will and CP3 who alongside a then peak Michael Redd could have made the Bucks a legit play off team for several years.

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

The Bucks are going to be bad (down at the bottom of the East), but adding Butler was still important. Going about things like the Bobcats have the past two years is destructive for both the team and the young players. Milwaukee could not go into the season with their small forwards being Delfino, Khris Middleton, and Giannis. It is an invitation to be lit up by opposing wings every single night. Some level of professionalism is needed, and Caron Butler certainly fits that bill. They are still going to be a bad defensive team, but losing by 10 to 20+ on a nightly basis is completely unacceptable for a professional team. It doesn’t help the development of young players to play losing basketball in blowouts for seasons on end. It bears no resemblance to what a winning team does. If a team is bad, but is being coached and in the process of learning, then there can be hope but some base level of competency needs to be there.

[ZBowl420Participant]

They were going to be a lottery team, but nowhere near an embarrassment like the 2012 or 2013 Bobcats. Milwaukee always seems to find a way to hover around the playoffs. With or without Caron Butler it would’ve been the same thing.

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

The Bucks were one of the worst teams around in the second half of the season. Swapping in Knight, Ridnour, Mayo, and Neal for Jennings, Ellis, and Dunleavy is not going to help that. Giving away Mbah a Moute is not going to make them a better defensive team. Handing $44 million to Larry Sanders isn’t going to help with the reality that they gave up the second most points in the paint. I respect Larry Drew, but he has his work cut out.

I do not see how they possibly hover around the playoffs. They clearly aren’t in the class of Miami, Chicago, Brooklyn, Indiana, New York, or Washington. They don’t have the talent of Detroit or Atlanta. I don’t think Cleveland can shoot, stay in one piece, or defend (a bad combination), but they have a much better roster on paper (because the name Kyrie Irving and Andrew Bynum look really good on paper and theoretically could look good on the court). I am going to hold off assessing Boston until I get a better sense of how they will deal with Rondo’s return to action, but clearly with Rondo they are a better team. Toronto still has Rudy Gay on their roster, so they are going to be a touch over awful for a bit of time. Charlotte adding Al Jefferson should actually allow for people to gauge whether Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kemba Walker, Jeff Taylor, and Cody Zeller are NBA players. His presence should force other teams to try, a concern that would arise for me with Milwaukee if something happens to Butler, Mayo, or Ilyasova (and I think Ilyasova is going to be a hot name come the trade deadline). Plus, Orlando has some pros and functional big men. When Nelson, Afflalo, Redick, Davis, and Vucevic were on the floor, they at least looked like an NBA team. If they can keep Nelson, Afflalo, and Davis healthy, they might not be as brutal as last year’s record would have one believe. That leaves Philadelphia and their roster of 12 guys where they hope to find 4 or 5 players by the end of the season that they would want to bring back.

[ZBowl420Participant]

How is Washington in the same class as New York, Indiana, Brooklyn, Chicago, and Miami?

[ZBowl420Participant]

How is Washington in the same class as New York, Indiana, Brooklyn, Chicago, and Miami?

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

The Bucks were one of the worst teams around in the second half of the season. Swapping in Knight, Ridnour, Mayo, and Neal for Jennings, Ellis, and Dunleavy is not going to help that. Giving away Mbah a Moute is not going to make them a better defensive team. Handing $44 million to Larry Sanders isn’t going to help with the reality that they gave up the second most points in the paint. I respect Larry Drew, but he has his work cut out.

I do not see how they possibly hover around the playoffs. They clearly aren’t in the class of Miami, Chicago, Brooklyn, Indiana, New York, or Washington. They don’t have the talent of Detroit or Atlanta. I don’t think Cleveland can shoot, stay in one piece, or defend (a bad combination), but they have a much better roster on paper (because the name Kyrie Irving and Andrew Bynum look really good on paper and theoretically could look good on the court). I am going to hold off assessing Boston until I get a better sense of how they will deal with Rondo’s return to action, but clearly with Rondo they are a better team. Toronto still has Rudy Gay on their roster, so they are going to be a touch over awful for a bit of time. Charlotte adding Al Jefferson should actually allow for people to gauge whether Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kemba Walker, Jeff Taylor, and Cody Zeller are NBA players. His presence should force other teams to try, a concern that would arise for me with Milwaukee if something happens to Butler, Mayo, or Ilyasova (and I think Ilyasova is going to be a hot name come the trade deadline). Plus, Orlando has some pros and functional big men. When Nelson, Afflalo, Redick, Davis, and Vucevic were on the floor, they at least looked like an NBA team. If they can keep Nelson, Afflalo, and Davis healthy, they might not be as brutal as last year’s record would have one believe. That leaves Philadelphia and their roster of 12 guys where they hope to find 4 or 5 players by the end of the season that they would want to bring back.

[ZBowl420Participant]

They were going to be a lottery team, but nowhere near an embarrassment like the 2012 or 2013 Bobcats. Milwaukee always seems to find a way to hover around the playoffs. With or without Caron Butler it would’ve been the same thing.

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

The Bucks are going to be bad (down at the bottom of the East), but adding Butler was still important. Going about things like the Bobcats have the past two years is destructive for both the team and the young players. Milwaukee could not go into the season with their small forwards being Delfino, Khris Middleton, and Giannis. It is an invitation to be lit up by opposing wings every single night. Some level of professionalism is needed, and Caron Butler certainly fits that bill. They are still going to be a bad defensive team, but losing by 10 to 20+ on a nightly basis is completely unacceptable for a professional team. It doesn’t help the development of young players to play losing basketball in blowouts for seasons on end. It bears no resemblance to what a winning team does. If a team is bad, but is being coached and in the process of learning, then there can be hope but some base level of competency needs to be there.

[Bmore_DCParticipant]

Yea sure they didnt over pay for Jennings or Ellis, so they over-paid for Pachulia and OJ Mayo…

And the chances of the Bucks keeping their star is actually a lot higher than you think. Say they did actually get Wiggins, they would have him for 4 years for basically nothing and then have the opportunity to pay him 20-30 million more than any other team in free agency. Lets not forget that the Cavs, Nuggets, and Raptors all signed LeBron. Melo, and Bosh to long term deals before they finally opted out to New York and Miami.

Im not a huge fan of tanking either, but sometimes its the right way to do things. (i.e. OKC) Especially when your locked into basketball purgatory, good enough to make the playoffs but not good enough to make a deep run.

[Bmore_DCParticipant]

Yea sure they didnt over pay for Jennings or Ellis, so they over-paid for Pachulia and OJ Mayo…

And the chances of the Bucks keeping their star is actually a lot higher than you think. Say they did actually get Wiggins, they would have him for 4 years for basically nothing and then have the opportunity to pay him 20-30 million more than any other team in free agency. Lets not forget that the Cavs, Nuggets, and Raptors all signed LeBron. Melo, and Bosh to long term deals before they finally opted out to New York and Miami.

Im not a huge fan of tanking either, but sometimes its the right way to do things. (i.e. OKC) Especially when your locked into basketball purgatory, good enough to make the playoffs but not good enough to make a deep run.

[Author]

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