The Season We’ve All Been Waiting For

Giannis has to become a scoring threat away from the basket and ideally when opposing defenses do not know whether or not he will try to take it inside.

Great post, Music. I'd change one thing though.

Nice write up Music. 

As to the big question....I think the answer is yes. Not sure how much of a jump we will see, but one thing is absolutely certain...Giannis has an undeniable work ethic and desire to be a champion.  He will be even better this year but we will have to wait to see how much better. 

BTW, heard he has been working with Korver on his 3 point form. Oooooooh yeah

Shooting from 17 feet is part form, part confidence, part repetition. He has #1, was working on #2, and just needed time on #3. The guy who confidently buried the game winner against the Knicks 2 years ago needs to resurface. That step-back would be impossible to defend with his length. Kawhi wouldn’t have a chance. No one would. 

There was a time early in every player’s career that he has to evolve his game. MJ wasn’t a “shooter” as much as he was a scorer. Same with Lebron. Giannis is there now, too. 

But there’s another thing we need to see, and this may be more for playoffs than regular season- Giannis guarding the other team’s best frontline player. That’s the true mark of the great ones. Giannis as a help defender is devastating- but if he could have shut down Kawhi last ECF the Bucks would be the Champs right now. 

MichiganPacker2 posted:

Great post, Music. I'd change one thing though.

The Bucks are poised to have the greatest season in their history SINCE KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR WAS ON THE ROSTER. We are 3 weeks away...

Also, as you said, don't sleep on how good DiVencenzo might be this year.  

I didn’t misspeak... 66-16 in 70-71 with a Title... the ‘19-20 Bucks could be better. If Giannis elevates another level and the team rises to the occasion, it’s all right there. 

Appreciate the correction.

Some of us were avid 10-year-old fans that lived and died with 'em in 70-71.

I was alive for '71-'74 but was too young to care or remember anything from that era.  I began to follow the Bucks when Marques Johnson was a young star and Sidney Moncrief joined him in '79.  Overall though, the '70s and '80s was a good time to be a Bucks fan, but they were just short of elite during that time.  They might have been like the 4th or 5th best team in the NBA in many of those years, but unfortunately Boston and/or Philly was usually better so they always fell just short of any sort of finals.

Last year for me personally was the best season I have ever seen and I had full season tickets which made it even cooler.  I know the '80-81 team was as good or better, but I'd be lying if I said I remember it very well.

Here's to hoping this year's team can take another step.  It will be tough just to match last year though.  This team improved so dramatically in 1 year thanks to coaching and personnel decisions, it was pretty amazing to watch.  I mean watching the Kidd/Prunty era to what they had last year was night and day.  Budenholzer did a fantastic job last year, and frankly well exceeded any expectations I had for how they would do.

I am looking forward to some of the new additions.  Brogdon will be missed but the Bucks did look pretty danged good even when he was out.  Let's just hope the Bucks have some luck with health and that the new additions can make up for Brogdon.  It should be another great year.  

BK, I was as well. Remember, back then, the fignals were not broadcast live, but were shown on tape delay after the 10:00 news?

I listened to the games on the radio with Eddie Doucette calling the action. There was none better.

As far as this year goes, one thing to consider is each of the top teams in the east suffered a significant loss during the offseason. Leonard bailed on Toronto, they're done. Irving bailed on Boston, that might be a plus for them. He went to Brooklyn with Durant, who will not play this season, so they are a non-factor. Philly lost Butler, so that takes them down a small notch. Indy lost George, so they're starting over. The Bucks lost Brogdon, which is significant, but they can survive it. The table is set. If they are going to make a run, this is the year.

Then I look around the EC, and I don’t see a team that is on the Bucks level. Philly seems like the toughest challenge, but I don’t like that team’s balance. They don’t have Butler or Reddick, and those are the guys the Bucks had trouble with. They’re not a cakewalk, but I thought they were better last year. 

Indiana looks like a good team, but a threat? I don’t think so. 

Not sure what Boston will be. If Heyward is healthy, they look like they could be better this year, because Irving ruined them. And I may be in the minority, but I think Jaylen Brown is still going to be a pretty good player. 

Toronto? Detroit? Brooklyn? None of them are ready. The EC is weaker this year than last. Who knows- the Bucks could make a run at 70...

Born in 1972 in Milwaukee 

My dad was big Bucks fan so grew up watching the 80s team but they always seemed to fall a little short.  Damn Celtics and Sixers. 

Thought with the Big 3 they would have a longer run but George Karl basically ruined  everything including trading Ray Allen. 

Thought they had something rolling with Bogut and Jennings and Sanders only for things to fizzle out. 

Fast forward to today and with this current team (and Golden State issues) there is no reason they can’t be strongly considered to win a title in 2020.  If they don’t at least make the NBA Finals it will be a disappointment. 

Just the first week of camp, and there certainly a different vibe. The comments are about getting to the next level. Middleton is more muscular now than in seasons past, more cut. Bledsoe talked about confidence, mental prep. And of course you can see Giannis is focused on winning, and everyone around him is upping their game to match. All the right signs so far... 

Born in 68, I remember the Nelson years and never getting by the Celts.

Giannis may have another gear.  He needs to work on his shot and maybe a couple decent post moves.  He's on a mission.

I wish we could still have Brogdon as that guy just improved every year and looks great for Indy already.  That being said, I think our GM made the most of him leaving I am very excited about the additions of Korver and Matthews.  Along with Hill, these guys add that savvy veteran presence that you can't put a price on.  I believe our younger guys can continue to improve.  I think DiVincenzo could really be a difference maker.   If Bledsoe chokes again we will have more options to turn to.

LET'S GO BUCKS!!

Born in 68, I remember the Nelson years and never getting by the Celts.

The Bucks did get past them once, but then they ran into the sixers and the newly acquired Moses Malone during the "Fo, fo, fo" season. The Bucks did spoil that, however. They were the only team to win a game against those sixers that playoff season.

Bucks scrimmage draws 12,000+ to watch something that should terrify the NBA- Giannis is shooting. A back-down baseline turnaround- swish. 2 pull up 3s... swish. Every position is shooting the 3 and well. Here’s the stat sheet...

I really hope Middleton is ready to take the next step.   He’s fully capable of doing so but was way to inconsistent last year. 

Getting more depth around him should help 

Love the new black Fear the deer jersey.....sorry can’t copy it.  It’s on the B/R site.   

The Bucks are giving the NBA a pretty loud message this preseason. 

I know it’s preseason but think about this for a minute 

Giannis, Middleton, and Hill shot 0-9 from 3pt range and the Bucks almost won by 40.    This team has ridiculous talent and depth and honestly it’s going to be a challenge to see who gets the minutes. 

Korver and Matthews doing what they do - hit 3s.   

Then there’s the group of Divencenzo and Thanasis and Bender.  Or Sterling Brown and DJ Wilson.   Those guys may not even get playing time.   

It sounds ridiculous but take a look at this team.  You could literally march out two starting rosters capable of beating a number of teams.  DJ Wilson and DD and Bender are probably 3rd string at this point.  

DiVincenzo is quickly reminding us why he was the first G off the bench last year. He makes them better on both ends when he’s in there. With all the angst over letting Brogdon go the Bucks and Horst were pretty calm about it. Divincenzo now has a season as an understudy to Wes Matthews, who has less talent but was still a damn good player who’s had a damn good career. If the kid can put the injuries behind him, they may have scored a perfect compliment to their Superstar. 

This one Goldie?

Couple more things from the game last night- Middleton has been working on his ball handling. He’s been working on getting the ball fake side to side to get the defender off balance, and that makes his quick release easier to get to. It’ll make him a lot better in iso. 

The Bucks actually didn’t shoot great from 3, but they hit them in bunches. At one point they went back-to-back-to-back with Matthews-Korver-I think DiVincenzo. That’s a 9-2 run in 3 possessions.  

dangerous... 

Here's the official black FTD jersey.....Meh

I'm sure the players like the multitude of jerseys they get to wear during the season, and it works from a marketing and sales perspective....but give me the classic old style bucks jersey with no deer on it .. just "BUCKS" or "Milwaukee".

Can we all agree how horrible those purple jerseys were?  

Giannis needed 23 minutes to go 34-11-4 last night. We should get used to lines like that... 

I was thinking about this the other day- what impact would the Bucks being a great 3 point shooting team have on their performance?

A year ago- the Bucks were still trying to get the stink of Jason Kidd off them. They added Lopez, dumped the Dellevadova and Henson deals, picked up Hill, and adopted a real motto “LET IT FLY”.

By season’s end they wound up shooting 35.3% from 3 while shooting the second most 3s in the league with 3134 attempts (Houston shot an NBA record 3721 and hit 35.6%). That % ranked 14th in the NBA. The Spurs were #1 with 39.2%, with the Clippers 2 at 38.8%, and the Warriors 3 at 38.5%. 

So if the Bucks were better shooting 3s... say 38.0%, which would have put them right behind the Warriors and just ahead of the Kings at 37.8%... what impact would that have had? The Bucks, already #1 in offensive ppg at 118.1- the 49th highest total in NBA history and first team since the 1992 Run TMC Warriors to make the top 50 all time- would have increased their total ppg by about 3 ppg. That would have about tied them for 15th with the 1962 Celtics for all time ppg in a season. 

Now, every regular player from last year’s team that hit 38% or better from 3 is gone (Brogdon, Snell). Middleton was close (37.8%), and Lopez was above average (36.5%). But remember, Hill is a career 37.8% 3 point shooter, and before last year had 3 consecutive seasons of above 40%. Giannis ended at 25.6%, but after the AS break was 31.5%. Middleton is a 38.8% career 3 point shooter. Now you add Korver, a career 44.3% shooter who had his worst season shooting 41.1%) since his rookie season. You add Wes Matthews, a career 38.2% shooter coming off the worst 3 pt shooting stretch of his career in his 3 years in Dallas. 

Is it reasonable to think the Bucks can add 2.5 % points to their 3 point shooting with the new talent and another year of comfort in this new philosophy? Yes it is. And if Giannis continues to improve, and Brown, Connaughton, Lopez, and Wilson continue to improve, is 38% conservative considering who they’ve added? 

The Bucks only need to add 4 more ppg to climb into the top 10 of scoring teams all time. If they improve on the 8.8 ppg differential from last year, they could make a run at the all time mark. With a weak EC, they could pull it off. 

When Giannis shoots a 3, isn't the defense entirely different than when he drives to the hoop?  I think it makes sense that he develops a shot that includes penetration, be it a pull up jumper or a floater. 

I would say yes- but if he starts hitting 35%, they cannot just leave him open. Giannis is 3/7. Lebron James is a career 34.3%, and at the same age as Giannis (24) was only 32.8%. 

As a team the Bucks have hit 52/149 from 3 in preseason (34.9%). That goes up with the rotation rounded out. 

Listening around the various podcasts, lots of folks high on Philly. That’ll be funny...

ONE WEEK LEFT!!!!!

Ersan playing at a high level this entire preseason. The stroke is really true, and he’s in great shape. The extra work with the Turkish National team seems to have him in midseason form. 

Music City posted:

Listening around the various podcasts, lots of folks high on Philly. That’ll be funny...

The combination of Embiid and Simmons could not stop Giannis last season and it took 1 game of the Boston series before Al Horford started to get overwhelmed. It remains to be seen if the combination of all 3 can have an effect. Kawhi Leonard is the only guy that slowed him down all year and that was because Kawhi is probably the best defender in the league AND he was forcing him to drive into another former DPOY (M. Gasol) and Siakim. 

I think the loss of JJ Redick may have a bigger effect than people think. 

Music City posted:

Ersan playing at a high level this entire preseason. The stroke is really true, and he’s in great shape. The extra work with the Turkish National team seems to have him in midseason form. 

This year the Bucks are in the position of it not mattering that much until they get to the post-season. And that will be when Eric Bledsoe needs to get a giant albatross of his back. It would nice to be the 1 seed again, but 50 wins vs. 60 wins isn't as important as how their shooters play in the playoffs. No more Mirotic-type ring clanging or Bledsoe losing all his confidence. 

Other than Giannis hitting some 3s more regularly, there is nothing more important than for Bledsoe to start hitting 3s at a higher pace so he can do it in the playoffs as well. In fact, it might be more important to Bledsoe to hit 3s than Giannis. 

MichiganPacker2 posted:

Music City posted:

Listening around the various podcasts, lots of folks high on Philly. That’ll be funny...

The combination of Embiid and Simmons could not stop Giannis last season and it took 1 game of the Boston series before Al Horford started to get overwhelmed. It remains to be seen if the combination of all 3 can have an effect. Kawhi Leonard is the only guy that slowed him down all year and that was because Kawhi is probably the best defender in the league AND he was forcing him to drive into another former DPOY (M. Gasol) and Siakim. 

I think the loss of JJ Redick may have a bigger effect than people think. 

That’s the thing no one is seemingly cares about with Philly. Where is their shooting going to come from? It all left! They should be a pretty good defensive team, but they’re going to struggle to score without shooters. 

Music City posted:

For the first time in my lifetime (I was not yet brought into this world in ‘74 when the Bucks lost in their last Finals appearance), the Milwaukee Bucks enter the season a favorite to play for it all. They have the reigning MVP, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the Year. They retained all but one of their key pieces from last season, and replaced that lost piece with several pieces that fit as well or better. We have every reason to believe that they’re better today than they were a year ago. 

But what has changed? Not much on the front line, but plenty of the second unit. Brogdon out, Wes Matthews and Kyle Korver in. Mirotic out, the other Lopez twin in. Middleton now being paid like an All Star, Brook Lopez back to anchor the D- they’ve added veterans with plenty to offer who are making their last pitch for a Championship season. 

Even a potential reclamation project in Dragan Bender seems to have promise. Put up or shut up years for Sterling Brown and DJ Wilson, both coming off seasons where they flashed potential. A promising young G coming off a shortened rookie season. This bench is better and more experienced, with loads of talent that could pop. 

There are fewer question marks about this team than ever- but there is one more important than any other... does Giannis have one more level he can get to? We saw him get stymied by a wall of defenders. I’m certain the vision haunted him all off season. Are the off-season adds the answer? Two of the most dangerous catch and shoot 3 players in the NBA could be the Bucks answer to Van Vleet (the unsung hero of the 2019 playoffs). Will Lopez add that needed muscle to the second group? Can Connaughton provide an encore? Will Bledsoe take another step? 

But still, the most important question remains... does Giannis have one more level he can get to? 

The Bucks are poised to have the greatest season in their history. We are 3 weeks away...

Could win the east and the whole shebang  this year.

Celtics just extended Jaylen Brown for 4 years and 115 million. I'd rather have Middleton even with his contract. 

I like Brown but man that is a lot of money for a guy that’s not proven himself to be a next level guy. 

That’s about the same as what the Bucks gave Giannis adjusted for today’s cap. Giannis got $20M per in 2016. Same kind of deal is $29M per year now...

Ainge probably felt he had to go that high to keep Brown since they've had trouble attracting free agents there recently. Hayward signed a couple of years ago, but Horford left and A. Davis wanted no part of playing in Boston. 

Just think of how catastrophic that injury was. Boston has Irving, Heyward, Morris, Smart, Horford... plus Brown and Tatum, plus more draft assets.l that made them the front runner for AD. They lose Morris and Irving, strike out on AD, Heyward loses essentially 2 seasons with the broken leg, and now they had to overpay Kemba Walker just to stay relevant. Couldn’t happen to a nicer franchise or fan base...