Let’s kick off the new season with the GM SURVEY…
https://www.nba.com/news/2021-22-gmsurvey
The GMs love the Bucks defense…
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If I'm the Nets I'm moving Irving. How about Irving to Philly for Simmons? Solves a problem for both teams.
@PackerHawk posted:If I'm the Nets I'm moving Irving. How about Irving to Philly for Simmons? Solves a problem for both teams.
Irving is a team-killer. He always has been. Outside of Durant, he might be the toughest perimeter guy to guard in an isolation setting in the league, but other than the years with LeBron on the Cavs, his own teams are often better off without him playing. He might work on the Sixers, because he would basically just have a green light to shoot however much he wanted.
The real concern for other teams would be Simmons on the Nets. That's one team where he would not have to worry about shooting at all and he'd be the defensive stopper they need. Irving is kind of redundant on the Nets if Harden is healthy, anyway. Simmons is a top 3 NBA defender and could guard Tatum, Giannis, LeBron, Doncic, etc. as well as anyone in the league (along with Holiday).
If I’m Philly though I want nothing to do with Irving. He’s the most unreliable, unpredictable head cases in the NBA.
How’s the new voice of the Bucks??? Anyone hear him yet??
On the fence with the radio guy. He’s going to need some time, I think.
The new TV pbp lady I haven’t heard yet. Her college work is solid, but it’s just going to take some time there as well. Been listening to Paschke since I was a kid. Wouldn’t have mattered who it was- hearing a female voice is just going to take a little more getting used to. But hey, if she’s good she’ll do fine. It won’t matter if she’s a pro.
Bucks regulars play for the first time in the preseason and they put up 48 points in the first quarter. Thunder go 7-13 in from 3 and still trail by 16.
About the only downside is Giannis misses both of his FT attempts.
Grayson Allen is going to get a lot of wide-open 3s this year. He's 3 for 4 right now from deep and 3 of them have been with no one near him.
Giannis at 8-8-6 in 11 minutes.
Bud did call a timeout to yell at Nwora for screwing up a defensive rotation. Otherwise, he looked like he's going to be a rotation player.
Nwora had a monster game the other night against Brooklyn and played pretty well against OKC. He can be a bit streaky as we saw in summer league, but until DDV gets back healthy I expect he will get some playing time.
Allen is battling some knee soreness, but you can see what he brings to the table. Dude can flat out shoot and much like George Hill (and maybe Nwora) he will get probably get a lot of easy looks.
This team is absolutely loaded. I didn’t even bring up Rodney Hood or Semi Ojeleye who are pretty good in their own right hitting outside shots.
@MichiganPacker2 posted:Grayson Allen is going to get a lot of wide-open 3s this year. He's 3 for 4 right now from deep and 3 of them have been with no one near him.
Giannis at 8-8-6 in 11 minutes.
This is exactly why he’s a very shrewd acquisition… Horst got a guy that will at minimum take Bryn Forbes’ minutes and not be a complete liability on the defensive end. With a little swagger, too. As long as he’s not kicking dudes in the crotch or tripping them…
Allen is listed at 6’4” 200 but he looks a lot bigger and stronger than that.
Forbes was maybe 6’ 190 and could easily be screened or pushed around. Allen looks like a slightly smaller version of Pat C and while neither guy is an elite athlete you can’t just ignore them like you could with Forbes.
All you have to do is watch the pick and roll from the last preseason game that ended in this dunk. Allen is a guy who is a lot better than a lot of us wanted to admit because we saw him as the dirty player from Duke.
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Bucks and Jazz tonight- Giannis matched up with Goebert… dribble drive left, spin right- Lopez corner three, bucket. Next possession, step back 15 footer- bucket. Reset dribble, right hand drive- and 1, makes the FT.
Against the “best defender in the NBA”…
Giannis- left hand dribble, side-step into the lane- 13 footer- bucket.
He’s more comfortable. So much more dangerous.
Nwora might start for half the teams in the league. He's shown some playmaking ability this preseason as well.
This team is deep. Really deep. Good players may not get a lot of playing time.
Check this out.
I think folks who know basketball know that the Bucks won a title last year as less than the best version of themselves. And with a banner hanging next week, they now KNOW that they’re good enough. That psychological edge could make players like Middleton, Holiday, and Lopez rise another level. And of course Giannis, whose drive is the fuel that this machine runs on… he’s not as good as he’s going to be even another year from now.
I think this team is better than the championship version. Sure, they lose Tucker, but Allen and Hill are significantly better on both ends of the court than Forbes and Teague.
I also think that Holiday will be better and more effective offensively so in terms of pure firepower this team will be loaded.
The one area of concern is they aren’t necessarily deep in the front court so they need to stay healthy although as we saw last year they weathered the DDV injury storm as well as Holiday quarantine so I think Bud can mix and match plenty of options. I also think if a younger guy like Nwora can give them some decent minutes that helps as well to keep guys like Middleton fresh.
It’s always tough for teams to run it back or go back to back but unlike MLB and the NFL the NBA is set up much more in the favor of decent teams staying relevant due to smaller roster sizes. Plus, the Bucks have their core group under contract the next 3 years. That stability should at least put them in a good position to repeat or compete for a title.
I also think the Bucks understand that as good as they were last season, they can and should be improved this year. They left some games on the table due to sloppiness or injuries or just inexperience. They are past the Coach Bud issue. That’s the scary thing for the rest of the NBA. Unlike some other contenders like Philly and Brooklyn there aren’t distractions. Same goes for a team like the Lakers that has added so many new faces and there’s uncertainty with chemistry and fit.
It’s never easy for a team to win back to back but this team is set up pretty well and you know that Giannis will not allow them to get complacent.
I agree as well that I think this Bucks team could be better than last year.
First off is is the confidence you can see them carry as NBA champs. No distractions, Giannis contract done, Bud questions done, can't get over the hump done, etc. With the swagger you see a more relaxed Giannis and team and Giannis continues to improve his half court options (mid range, post, etc.) it's going to put more pressure on opposing D's...game over. Allen is a huge pick up and Hill offers us the steadiness that Teague didn't have. Biggest coup was bringing back Portis. Very hopeful about Nwora and I think Mamukelashvili could contribute to this team.
The Bucks two biggest threats in the East have major question marks and distractions with Simmons and Kyrie. I can’t help but think there will be team chemistry issues and as we all know in sports if you can’t play together and be unified as a group it’s going to be difficult to get over the hump.
The Bucks seem to be a cohesive group that generally likes each other and play unselfish. They should be hungry to want to repeat.
Assume good health for all the contenders, if it weren't for coastal media bias the Bucks should be favored to win it all again. However, sports media, especially in the NBA, sells superstars and superteams and wants the drama. The media and most fans don't consider defensive ability in the equation at all. For them, it's all Nets and Lakers all the time.
The Lakers have two players that really scare other teams, and one of them is going to be 37 and missed large parts of 2 of the last 3 years. If AD stays healthy, they are a threat. If he doesn't, they will struggle to make the playoffs. Westbrook is a terrible fit for them.
The Nets are loaded with offensive talent, but who is going to guard Giannis on that team? Blake Griffin? Good luck.
The NBA Finals showed up what happens when you play the Bucks and you don't have a guy to guard Giannis. Ayton isn't chopped liver, and he was literally muttering to himself on the bench several times late in the series with their coaches trying to build him up. Giannis broke him.
You need a superstar-level wing defender with decent size to be the primary defender on him and then have that guy run him into a wall of big guys in the paint. The 2019 Raptors had Kawhi funneling Giannis towards Gasol, Ibaka, and Siakam. That's 3 guys that were Defensive Player of the year level (Kawhi, Gasol, and Ibaka). The 2020 Heat, and the current Heat roster, still have Adebayo. That gives them a puncher's chance, but it's not Eric Bledsoe getting open shots any more now either on the inside-out stuff.
The list of guys who can slow down Giannis is probably three people. A healthy Kawhi, Adebayo, and AD on the Lakers. That's it. If Giannis is going to hang 40+ on you in playoff games pretty consistently if you don't have one of those guys, even an offense like the Nets is going to have to work to beat you.
The problem I see with any of those teams you mentioned is past comparisons of Raptors and Heat v Milwaukee didn’t have to account for Holiday on both ends of the court. He completely flipped the matchups in Milwaukee’s favor. Especially on defense. Do you think Lowry and Van Vleet go crazy if Holiday was defending them? Or Herro and Robinson with the Heat? Having Holiday D up on the perimeter allows the Bucks to have Middleton focus more on his offense and we saw what impact that can have on the Bucks.
They absolutely took apart Miami and wore down Butler. Adebayo was a non factor. Granted, I think Lowry will help them but there’s still no way they beat Milwaukee in a best of 7.
The one guy (when healthy and motivated) that is a problem for the Bucks is Kahwi. He’s just such a beast to defend and he’s the rare player that can make life difficult on Giannis defensively. AD is sort of in the same category as is Embiid but they cannot be trusted given their inability to stay healthy.
The Nets are a threat with or without Kyrie because Harden and Durant can just take over and go for 50 any night. Yes, the Bucks can slow them down but all they need is for another player to show up to balance things out. Still, in a best of 7 I’d give the edge to Milwaukee.
The Lakers should be a threat but I think the Westbrook addition was a really bad move. He will require the ball too much and in key moments he has some Eric Bledsoe in him. If you knew LeBron and AD were 100% for an entire playoff series then I think it’s a toss up v Milwaukee.
To me, Denver is an intriguing team especially if they get Jamal Murray back relatively healthy. With Porter Jr and Gordon they are one team that is big and athletic and Murray is physical and his size doesn’t bode well for Holiday. Jokic would also force Giannis to come out of the paint to defend him.
@Tschmack posted:The problem I see with any of those teams you mentioned is past comparisons of Raptors and Heat v Milwaukee didn’t have to account for Holiday on both ends of the court. He completely flipped the matchups in Milwaukee’s favor. Especially on defense. Do you think Lowry and Van Vleet go crazy if Holiday was defending them? Or Herro and Robinson with the Heat? Having Holiday D up on the perimeter allows the Bucks to have Middleton focus more on his offense and we saw what impact that can have on the Bucks.
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As rough a Finals as Holiday had, he still played at a high level.
And the wall doesn’t work anymore. Giannis knows how to attack the edges, get into scoring position anyway. And as soon as you make a little adjustment, the wall crumbles and he’s back at the rim again.
The resolution of the Simmons situation is one thing that could shift the East.
The one guy out there that could change the equation is Lillard. If it gets to February and he decides he wants out of Portland, he could change the dynamic for several teams. If Simmons goes to the Blazers for him (along with a bunch of future picks), the Sixers vault up the level of the Bucks and Nets in the East. That's probably why the Sixers have held out with Simmons as long as they have. It's basically Lillard or bust for them as of now. They aren't getting anything else close to that good. There is nobody else out there potentially available at that level. A lot of people are big on Beal, but he might be the worst defensive guard in the league (one metric had him 111th out of 114 guards last year). Lillard is at least a decent on-ball defender.
https://www.bulletsforever.com...formance-this-season
I think the Sixers will eventually move Simmons for something soon. Embiid's feet are a ticking time bomb and their title window with him isn't that wide. DAngelo Russell and some other stuff from the Wolves makes the most sense.
I agree on the Westbrook to Bledsoe comparison. However, in some ways Bledsoe is a better 5th option on offense than Westbrook for a title team. Bledsoe's problem is that he withers under pressure and doesn't really want to shoot. When he was the Bucks third option in the playoffs that was a problem. If he's your last option on a team like the Lakers this year, it's less of an issue. On the other hand, Westbrook has irrational confidence in his outside shot and takes way too many shots. He's under 30% in the playoffs for his career on high volume.
Bucks head into the season as the underdog in the East.
They have a nice mix of veterans and youth, they have a superstar just entering his prime, and a coach that has the respect and commitment of his players.
The front office added a coutlet veterans in the off season (Hood, Hill) and a couple young guys starting to understand the game (Ogele and Allen). They kept fan favorite Bobby Portis, as well.
They have 3 players who have landed on All Defensive teams in their careers, and two are considered the very best at their respective positions.
They begin the defense of their Title on Tuesday against the favorite in the East. I’ll be there all season long, section 208.
@wojespn: Milwaukee Bucks guard Grayson Allen has agreed on a two-year, $20 million rookie extension, his agent Mitch Nathan of @CAA_Basketball tells ESPN. Allen arrived with the defending champions in a trade this summer. He was the 21st pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.
The Allen extension is a good risk. It's a bigger salary that they can trade after this season if it becomes necessary to make some moves. Three points.
1. It indicates they must like what they see in practice from Allen.
2. It also may indicate that DDV is either not recovering as quickly from the foot surgery as they'd like to see or they see him as expendable, or both.
3. They were willing to pay more in luxury tax penalties for Allen than they were for PJ Tucker.
@ilcuqui posted:@wojespn: Milwaukee Bucks guard Grayson Allen has agreed on a two-year, $20 million rookie extension, his agent Mitch Nathan of @CAA_Basketball tells ESPN. Allen arrived with the defending champions in a trade this summer. He was the 21st pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.
Well, the Bucks clearly liked what they saw, and he sees his opportunity to win. The kid can play, and he’ll never get more open looks in his career than what he’ll get in Milwaukee.
But I’m guessing they’re not making any statements about DiVincenzo with this. He’s going to get his chances on the second unit, and he’ll solidify the defense there. He hasn’t been good enough offensively to be a starter- and if the preseason is any indication, the Bucks offense is about to go nuclear.
The depth on this team is crazy relative to 3 years ago.
For perspective, when the Bucks were eliminated in the 2018 playoffs, they played these 10 guys against the Celtics.
Giannis and Middleton are the only holdovers. The other 3 starters were Bledsoe, Brogdon, and Maker. The bench was Jabari Parker, Dellavadova, Snell, Zeller, and 40-year-old Jason Terry.
Now the other 3 starters are Holiday, Lopez, and Grayson Allen. The bench has Portis, George Hill, Connaughton, Ojeleye, Nwora, Rodney Hood, Thanasis, and DDV.
If you took Giannis and Middleton off the two rosters and had the other players play each other, the 2021 version would probably go about 60-22 against the 2018 version.
They upgraded to this extent without drafting in the lottery or signing a big-money free agent (Lopez was the most expensive). Of the 2018 group, the only guys you'd still want would be Brogdon and Bledsoe (as a bench guy).
From what I'm reading does it pay to even watch the NBA this year? Sounds like a Nets-Lakers final is inevitable. I can't wait for them to both fail.
Allen is a good insurance policy for DDV. I also think it could the Bucks sending him a subtle message that he has to continue to get better and improve. Defensively, he’s a solid player. He’s also a good rebounder. But Allen is a better finisher and is obviously a better 3pt threat.
These are good problems to have.
@Cheezers posted:From what I'm reading does it pay to even watch the NBA this year? Sounds like a Nets-Lakers final is inevitable. I can't wait for them to both fail.
It would be a tremendous Finals series, maybe the best ever, if those rosters faced each other from between 2010-2014. There are 14 guys on the rosters that made either an All-Star game or were on one of the All-NBA defensive teams in that period.
James, Durant, AD, Harden, Irving, Millsap, Bradley, Rondo, D. Jordan, Wesbrook, Carmelo, Griffin, D. Howard, Aldridge.
Wow, Allen has looked good and they obviously like him in the locker room. I think the biggest plus from Allen is his shoooting. He shot 39% from 3 in Memphis but he will get cleaner looks on the Bucks. He also just looks more confident with his shot. Milwaukee is a jackpot for players like Allen and Portis who are good shooters but only improve their numbers in the Giannis/Bucks system. What a massive upgrade to Bryn Forbes as Allen plays defense and rebounds.
It’s not just Allen. George Hill is an enormous improvement over Teague at the backup PG position.
No one is talking about Rodney Hood or Semi Ojeleye and both guys (in the right situations) can be pretty effective.
The wild card could be someone like Nwora. At times, he was instant offense in summer league and preseason and he has good size and a pure stroke.
@The Crusher posted:Wow, Allen has looked good and they obviously like him in the locker room. I think the biggest plus from Allen is his shoooting. He shot 39% from 3 in Memphis but he will get cleaner looks on the Bucks. He also just looks more confident with his shot. Milwaukee is a jackpot for players like Allen and Portis who are good shooters but only improve their numbers in the Giannis/Bucks system. What a massive upgrade to Bryn Forbes as Allen plays defense and rebounds.
Milwaukee (basically playing with Giannis) isn't just a jackpot for guys like Portis, it's a path to basketball immortality for the other starters.
Khris Middleton still remains an incredibly underrated player. But if he was playing without Giannis on a low- or mid-level team he might average 25 a game and nobody would really remember him 20 years from now. He had one of the best playoff runs of any non "superstar" you'll ever see. In the last 17 playoff games (after the Bucks fell behind 0-2 to the Nets) his scoring included games of 40, 38, 38, 35, 32, 32, 29, 29, 26, and 25. He went from a poor-man's Joe Johnson to a guy that with another Finals appearance and an all-star selection is a borderline HOFer.
Jrue Holiday, despite being the best defensive guards in NBA history, toiled in basically obscurity for the Pelicans for years. Despite completely dominating D. Lillard in a playoff series a few years ago, he was considered a guy that wasn't a good enough player to help AD to a title or Zion become a winner. He goes the Bucks and, even if he isn't a HOFer in the future, makes one of the greatest plays in NBA Finals history and will be remembered forever for it. That strip and alley-oop to Giannis will be played as long as they show Finals highlight montages. If it would have happened for a NY or LA team, it might have become one of the defining NBA images of all-time.
Lopez went from a fairly anonymous plodding post scorer to a lovable goofball who is considered an elite defensive center.
The hope is they can get a few more guys like this to come to Milwaukee over the next 4-5 years of a clear title window.
Why the Lakers are not impressive.