Bucks down 20 at the half. Basically everyone but Giannis has been terrible.
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Lopez is getting outplayed by fossilized Jeff Green. Lopez can't get out and guard at the 3 point line.
Also, Griffin made an adjustment to start the second half by having Jackson start with Dame instead of Beasley.
Bucks did cut the lead to 10 very quickly, but now back up to 15.
That's fine....don't need to worry about playing until March anyway 🙄
Dame continues to absolutely terrible. He just missed both FTs on a trip to the line. 3 for 12 from the floor tonight.
Down 16 going to the 4th. Giannis went to the bench when it was 10. Dame did NOTHING in the last 3 minutes.
Dame is 12 for his last 57 from three.
He better pull his head out of his ass, and quick. He is utterly worthless on the defensive side of the ball, and if he’s going to shoot 25% from the floor, we’re better off picking somebody out of the crowd to play.
Dame comes back and shits the bed. Fails to play defense and then doesn't even attempt to block out in zone and gives up a put back dunk (as he stands still, doesn't even bother to move after the ball is shot).
They are better off right now sitting him, but that's not going to happen.
Wow. Something may be up.
Marques Johnson is calling out Dame's pathetic effort on the telecast. About as critical of anyone on the Bucks that I've heard Marques be.
The Rockets are just attacking Dame and Lopez in pick and roll every time down the court. Dame puts in no effort to get through the screen and Lopez drops - wide open shot every time.
Jabari Smith just basically punched Giannis in the shoulder but they don't call a flagrant.
Bucks down 7 with 1 minute left. Dame airballs a 3. Wide open.
This team seems to have quit on Griffin. Just a pathetic effort all around except for the Freak.
If I’m Giannis, I’m letting slip the dogs of war in the locker room after the game. I’m unleashing a half-English, half-Greek tirade, because the rest of this team is playing like a bunch of bums.
And Lillard’s Candy ass can sit. I don’t care how fucking much they’re paying him. Unless someone in his family is on death’s doorstep, his lack of effort is inexcusable.
Honestly, I want to take that last part back, but I’m not going to be a puss and just delete it.
A part of me is worried about the guy. Having off games will happen, even stretches of games. But it sounds like he isn’t even trying. What’s wrong with him?
Giannis goes for 48-17-2 on 16 for 25 from the floor, 1 for 2 from three, and 15 for 21 from the line.
Bucks lose by 4.
Dame Lillard is playing like a guy that wants to be traded. When Marques Johnson is calling out your complete lack of effort, there's a problem.
@lambeausouth posted:Honestly, I want to take that last part back, but I’m not going to be a puss and just delete it.
A part of me is worried about the guy. Having off games will happen, even stretches of games. But it sounds like he isn’t even trying. What’s wrong with him?
This is not Griffin. His ATOs are good. He's made adjustments.
This is mostly Dame Lillard. I think he's a guy who got what he asked for (traded to a contender) and found out it isn't for him. He's like a Zombie on defense. He's out there airballing threes.
Don't get me wrong, Lopez and Middleton were bad tonight, too. But there's at least effort on the defensive end.
Lopez, Middleton, and Dame were 2 for 19 from three
What could he be so unhappy about? He’s playing with one of the 25 best players in history, and in a city that loves their sports teams no matter how they’re playing. And being paid millions to do it
At some point you have to be a professional, and stop pouting.
At this point, Marques would represent an improvement over much of what’s wearing a deer uni.
How many minutes can he give us every night? And how about Sidney Moncrief? Both of them are pushing 70, but what the hell.
@MichiganPacker posted:Dame continues to absolutely terrible. He just missed both FTs on a trip to the line. 3 for 12 from the floor tonight.
I'm telling ya.....it's his divorce and wife trying to gain full custody. It's mental.....he isn't focused.
Dude is only human. If he needs time away I hope he gets it.
If that’s indeed what’s going on, then basketball can wait. Real life is more important, and if he needs some time, we need to give it to him. The Bucks can soldier on without him for a while.
@Boris posted:I'm telling ya.....it's his divorce and wife trying to gain full custody. It's mental.....he isn't focused.
I bet you’re right. That’s got to be incredibly hard. Divorce is bad enough, but custody battles can get ugly. And even under the best of circumstances, not having your children around all the time can just gut a parent.
Something is clearly off with Lillard. Not sure if it’s the divorce situation or if he just doesn’t want to be in Milwaukee but something needs to change.
He’s had far too many 5-16 type nights this season. Dude can shoot 45-50% from the floor in his sleep. They will not come close to winning another title with him playing 60% of his capability.
Humans ...not robots.
I know they are humans and not robots, but this type of effort is bench able. The post is in Spanish but you don't need the text to see what happened here. This is when the Bucks had cut it to single digits in the 4th and needed a stop. They got one, but Lillard did nothing on this defensive sequence. He didn't even bother to turn his body toward the rim, let alone box out or even make the defender go around him. Pathetic.
https://twitter.com/S_Rabinal/.../1743922266725871655
I get struggling with your shot, but he's not trying. This is not an isolated incident either.
He looks like a guy that was happy in Portland but got sick of being criticized for not demanding a trade out to win a ring. He got what he demanded and now misses Portland (and obviously his kids).
But you at least have to put a minimal effort in.
He’s shooting 16% from 3 so far in the month of January. And it’s not like they’ve been playing dominant defensive teams.
Even if he decided not to play defense - hypothetically- he cannot have shooting performances like that.
I do wonder if there’s a scenario where Milwaukee would consider trading him? It sounds crazy, but if he were to admit he didn’t want to be in Milwaukee I don’t think it’s completely off the table.
@Tschmack posted:He’s shooting 16% from 3 so far in the month of January. And it’s not like they’ve been playing dominant defensive teams.
Even if he decided not to play defense - hypothetically- he cannot have shooting performances like that.
I do wonder if there’s a scenario where Milwaukee would consider trading him? It sounds crazy, but if he were to admit he didn’t want to be in Milwaukee I don’t think it’s completely off the table.
A trade out would likely mean punting on any chance to win this year, but it would definitely extend a window to put semi-competitive pieces around Giannis.
If it's really about his kids (and not that he wanted to win in Miami while partying in South Beach), he'd want to go back to the West Coast. He doesn't have a no trade clause, but if it's that he doesn't want to live too far away from his kids then You have to get a serviceable point guard back in any potential trade. You can't pair him with Curry and you can't pair him with Harden, so the Warriors and Clippers are off the table. The Lakers have nothing you'd want back except AD or LeBron and they aren't getting sent out.
The Blazers have nothing that will help you in the short term, unless you are taking Brogdon and Anfernee Simons. The Kings have DeAaron Fox and you can't pair Dame with him either.
I think you have to pair Dame with an elite back court defending guard. The problem the Bucks have is you can't play any guard that can't shoot with Giannis in the playoffs. So, you need a guard that is a great defender and is just enough of a threat on offense that you can't leave him alone on the perimeter. That perfectly describes Jrue Holiday but also players like Alex Caruso, Marcus Smart, or Dillon Brooks.
The problem with Holiday is that he isn't a good enough offensive player to win a title with as your third option alongside Giannis unless your #2 player morphs into Kevin Durant (which Middleton did in 2021). Holiday is way overpaid as a max player, and
The problem with Dame is that he's basically Trae Young, so it's hard to win a title playing 4 on 5 on the defensive end unless your other 4 defenders are all elite.
But the Bucks likely don't have the assets to get someone like Alex Caruso, Marcus Smart, or Dillon Brooks.
That’s the issue - not many good options to trade him.
What’s interesting is you could trade him and Beauchamp to Chicago for LaVine and Caruso and the dollars work.
Something is cooking.
Eric Nehm
@eric_nehm
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The Bucks have waived two-way players Marques Bolden and Lindell Wigginton, per a league source.
And now this.....
Damn, I miss 1 game and everything falls apart?
I do wonder about Sacramento as a possible suitor. Yes, they have Fox but he could be used as ammo to acquire someone else.
Lillard for Harrison Barnes, Kevin Huerter, Davion Mitchell and a 1st round pick could work. Then Milwaukee could flip the 1 for Alex Caruso.
Mitchell and Caruso now become your defensive stoppers. Barnes and Huerter are versatile wings that can shoot the 3.
Sacramento then deals Fox for Pascal Siakam. Sabonis moves to center. You team those two up with a very good young guy in Keegan Murray and Lillard? That’s a really good Kings team.
They're not trading Dame
You certainly wouldn’t think they would trade Lillard, but stranger things have happened.
The good news is he’s still an elite player so they should be able to get a decent return back, but this bears watching for sure. He can’t be taking nights off nor can he be mailing it in. If he really doesn’t want to be there (either due to his kids or the fact it’s Milwaukee) then it makes no sense to keep trying to make this work.
There’s still enough time in the season to turn things around but I don’t like the prospect of pissing away another year of Giannis and it’s not like Brook and Middleton are getting any younger.
The timing of waiving Wigginton is the most interesting. When they waived him, they knew Dame was going to be out tonight and that Payne was also out for the concussion protocol.
Wigginton has been with the Bucks for a couple of seasons and training camps, knows the other players, and is someone that could give you 6-8 minutes at the point guard spot in a game if you were just trying to get by. With out Dame or Payne, they have literally no guard or wing who can bring the ball up the floor (Barry, Beasley, Beauchamp, etc.) are all turnover machines in that case.
Why waive Wigginton yesterday? Why not wait until you get Dame and/or Payne back?
I guess we'll see point Giannis tonight?
It seems a little fishy for sure. Wigginton has been in camp with them and actually at times looked like a semi competent guard albeit on the smaller side. He’s also a true point guard used to handling the ball. Not sure why you waive him unless they have someone else they are looking to bring in.