|
|
February 2009 - Posts
-
 Bucks (28-32) @ New Orleans Hornets (34-22), 7pm, NBA (Raptors) TV
Bucks vs. Washington Wizards (13-44), 7:30pm @ Bradley Center, FSN
That's when it happened. Something happened. It was as if the basketball gods lifted the lid off the Bucks basket and stuck it on the Hornets hoop. Maybe it was the advent of Damon Jones into the game, because Chandler missed both Hornets free throws and Jones promptly drained one from downtown. Gadzuric blocked a David West jumper, then Bogans hit a three. Suddenly it was an 8-point game. A West jump shot made it ten with 2:20 left. There didn't seem to be enough time. ...
As you can see in this photo, Chris Paul is a bit miffed that ESPN snubbed tonight's Bucks-Hornets game to again broadcast to NBA fans just how much better the Orlando Magic are than the free-fallin' Detroit Pistons.
The Bucks-Hornets game had been pegged as tonight's featured game and was the only national game scheduled for the Bucks this season. But earlier this week, ESPN changed its mind.
Obviously, ratings are a factor and Milwaukee and New Orleans are two of the league's smaller markets. However, given the network's modus operandii when it comes to stirring up controversy, peddling rumors and pandering like a supermarket tabloid, this decision can't possibly be about ratings.
Nor is it about the rise of the Orlando Magic in the East. As fun as it is to watch Paul and the Hornets, CP3 is last season's story. Dwight Howard and the Magic are this season's story. Snubbing CP3 and the Bucks, however, is not about the Magic. If it were, then it could be said that this decision was made for basketball reasons, and that's just not ESPN's style.
No, the decision to broadcast the Pistons and Magic is all about Detroit's 8-game losing streak and the endless supply of controversy brewing in Motor City. What's wrong with the Pistons? Has Allen Iverson destroyed the Pistons precious team chemistry? Will coach Michael Curry be fired? Is Rasheed Wallace in decline and should he even be playing tonight? The NBA rescinded two early season Sheed technicals after he reached the suspension limit Wednesday in a loss to the Hornets. How does that work? Ask Commissioner David Stern.
As the NBA turns. For Bucks fans, the important thing is that if our scrappy team can keep up with CP3 and steal a game in the Big Easy while the Magic are making the Pistons disappear, the Bucks will move ahead of Detroit into 7th place in the East standings.
***************************
Sorry about the blackout today. From what I gather, some renovations are occuring over at sportsbubbler HQ and the word is "all systems go" for another Bucks back-to-back and NBA weekend.
****************************
 Is the Pistons nosedive from the top tier of the East into the battle for the 8th spot a bigger story than the injury-challenged Bucks' ability to hold their own in the battle for the 8th spot? That's a tough question. The Bucks can't compete with the Pistons fan recognition, obviously, plenty of reason to give Detroit the nod in the media.
But the flip side of this is that the Pistons are bad news. The NBA thrives on good news and success stories, not failures. Eventually -- if the Bucks can stay in the playoff hunt -- this will raise their profile. The Bucks are not a boring team by any definition of yawning.
The Pistons tumble? It was inevitable, whether they had made the Billups for Iverson trade or not -- and what did Detroit GM Joe Dumars expect of his rookie coach, Michael Curry? It's old news, bad news on repeat, which brings us full circle back to questioning ESPN's values as a sports news organization.
*************************
A tale of two coaches: One a first year coach, Michael Curry in Detroit, who hasn't been up to the task of managing his team and may lose his job; the other, Scott Skiles, a determined veteran proving again that he can unify a team and win games despite unusually bad luck with injuries and no stars. Skiles' uptempo offense and in-your-face defensive basketball is a great equalizer, and Skiles is a bonafide Coach of the Year candidate.
That said, the Pistons played a great game in Orlando and are about to win it, while the Bucks are conducting a "How Not To" shooting clinic in New Orleans and trail by 21 in the 3rd quarter. The score is 66-45; the Bucks are 19-58 from the floor. That's 32.7%. I didn't think that was possible for an NBA team.
Thankfully, this is the last Western Conference road game for the Bucks this season. The Bucks would be 11-13 against the West with a loss tonight, with home games against Golden State, New Orleans, Portland, the Lakers, Memphis and Oklahoma City ahead. They'll have to beat at least one West playoff team to do it, but it's easily conceivable that the Bucks could split (15-15) against the West this season. Quite an improvement over last season's 8-22 mark vs. the West.
In the East, on the other hand, where the Bucks are 17-20 ... whoa - hold that thought.
 The thrill of agonizing defeat If there is such a thing, the Bucks pulled it off in New Orleans. I had written this game off twice, and then a third time when Skiles cleared the bench with 3:30 to play. But each time the Bucks refused to quit. Down 21 in the 3rd, Luke Ridnour and a suddenly tough defense led by Charlie Bell, Keith Bogans and Richard Jefferson, began cutting into the Hornets lead. This went on for about 12 minutes, until Ridnour's third 3-pointer in the push pulled the Bucks to within 10 with six minutes to play.
Unfortunately, the Bucks let the Hornets slip away --or so it seemed. Peja Stojakovic hit a three, Skiles benched Charlie Villanueva after a turnover, the other Charlie misfired, and the Bucks found themselves down 89-72 with about four minutes left. Then Ridnour hit his fourth 3-ball since mid-3rd quarter and the Bucks sent Hornets center Tyson Chandler to the line. Skiles had seen enough and cleared his bench. Enter Damon Jones, Dan Gadzuric and Malik Allen to finish the game with Bell and Bogans.
That's when it happened. Something happened. It was as if the basketball gods lifted the lid off the Bucks basket and stuck it on the Hornets hoop. Maybe it was the advent of Damon Jones into the game, because Chandler missed both Hornets free throws and Jones promptly drained one from downtown. Gadzuric blocked a David West jumper, then Bogans hit a three. Suddenly it was an 8-point game. A West jump shot made it ten with 2:20 left. There didn't seem to be enough time.
Then Charlie Bell went nuts. Bell was 3-13 in the game until this point and a big part of the reason the cold-shooting Bucks had dug a double-digit hole to climb out of. But in the next two minutes, Charlie bombed the Bucks out of the hole and into the lead, scoring 11 points on three jumpers from the land of Reggie and a putback. The Bucks took the lead 94-93 with 10 secs to go on Charlie's third 3-pointer.
Then Skiles lost his senses. Since Gadzuric had entered the game with 3:30 left, Gadz had blocked a shot, grabbed a defensive rebound and scored on a tip-in, and the Bucks had not allowed the Hornets a single 2nd-chance shot. But Skiles had subbed Gadz out for RJ for the offensive possession that gave the Bucks the lead. Now that it was New Orleans ball and timeout to draw up their final shot, Skiles subbed Ridnour for Malik Allen and Luc Mbah a Moute for Damon Jones, leaving Gadz on the bench.
When the Bucks forced a miss by West, there was no one to keep the 7-footer, Chandler -- who spent the better part of three years with the Bulls in Skiles' doghouse -- away from the rebound-tap.
Hornets 95, Bucks 94. What Skiles had done was put his four best defenders on the floor -- Mbah a Moute, Bell, RJ and Bogans -- and assigned Ridnour to pester Chris Paul. But he had ignored a key basketball truism -- you can't defend height. For perhaps the first time this season, Scott Skiles beat the Milwaukee Bucks.
RJ led the Bucks with 22; Charlie B scored 21. Chris Paul was credited with 20 assists and West, a first-time All-Star this season, led everybody with 28 pts and 12 boards. Here's the box score if you don't believe me. ...
Shame on ESPN for taking their cameras to Orlando.
***************************
Shaq scores 45: The Suns, fighting for their playoff lives without Steve Nash (sprained ankle) got a monster game from the Diesel at home to crush the new look Chris Bosh-Shawn Marion Raptors, 133-113.
"I think I'm the only player," Shaq said postgame, "who looks at each and every center in the league and says, 'That's barbecue chicken down there.'"
Shaq, what does that mean? Maybe that's a question for Andrew Bogut.
Marbury is a Celtic: Stephon Marbury signed on with the Celtics for 1/4 the veteran minimum ($1.3 million) yesterday, suited up and played 13 mins in the Celtics 104-99 win against the Pacers. Everybody's happy in Boston, except Kevin Garnett and Brian Scalabrine who are out with injuries. They're a bit too happy for the rest of the NBA's well-being, I'd say. Marbury says he feels "rejuvinated", "wanted" and excited to be playing.
So what's it like to be a Celtic? "Defense," Marbury said. "They play defense. That's all they talk about. Defense. Offense takes care of itself."
Ray Allen, who led the way against the Pacers with 30 pts, doesn't look so sure about that last point. After the game, reporters directed questions to the glare offa Ray's head:
NBA SUNDAY
Pistons snap out of it: After losing 8-straight, Detroit beat the Magic and the Celtics on the road this weekend, playing a near perfect game to win in Boston Sunday. Does that even make sense? Well it does to some who think Allen Iverson has thrown the Pistons chemistry out of whack and that inserting Rip Hamilton into the starting lineup made the difference. I don't buy it.
More on that here.
The Celtics and Magic could have helped the Bucks this weekend by sending the Pistons into meltdown mode but in reality, Detroit may be too good to sink too far -- and they matchup well against the Magic. In Boston today, the KG-less Celtics couldn't put a winning run together, and with Ray Allen a hair off -- missing 8 of 10 good looks -- and the Pistons playing a near perfect game to get back to .500. New Celtics Stephon Marbury and Mikki Moore are off to a slow start. Marbury turning the ball over as much as he scored and Moore's defense looking like the kind of D played in Sacramento, not Boston.
The Bucks (29-33) took care of business against the Wiz Saturday night at the BC, 109-93, and tallied 30 assists in doing so -- just the 5th time this season they've reached the 30-assist mark. They're 5-0 in those games, wins against Houston, the Pacers, the Clippers and two vs. the Wiz. The Bucks found their stroke after a rough shooting night in New Orleans, hitting 53% for the game. Charlie V (25 pts) and RJ (22) led the scoring.
The Bucks were still in 8th at the close of the weekend, with Chicago (27-33) just a game behind. New Orleans stole one from the Nets in New Jersey, 99-96 to drop the Nets 1-and-1/2 games behind the Bucks in 10th. The Pistons (29-29) moved up into a tie with Philadelphia (29-29) for 6th. Three-and-a-half games separate the #6 Sixers and Pistons and the #10 Nets in the standings. This is only going to get more interesting in the weeks to come.
New Jersey (26-33) is next up for the Bucks at the BC Tuesday, 7pm.
-
 Continuing from yesterday's blog about Bucks GM John Hammond's first big post-trading deadline interview, heard Monday on WSSP Sportsradio AM-1250's "The Big Show"...
Hammond's comments about Charlie Villanueva were the most surprising of all, given that Hammond keeps his cards so close to the vest. The indication from Hammond seems to be that the Bucks may be preparing to let Charlie V go in free agency this summer. He also relayed that there is an understanding in the Bucks organization that Charlie's effectiveness wouldn't be what it currently is if Michael Redd was on the floor -- a fairly obvious observation that could be applied to most Milwaukee Bucks not named Michael Redd.
Hammond said in the WSSP interview that he expects Redd back 100% in November, which, in light of his later comments about Charlie V can be interpreted as: This town ain't big enough for the two of them. Maybe.
Charlie's been playing like an All-Star, "Big Show" co-host Gary noted, and the stats back that up. Charlie's averaging 22.4 pts and 7.9 rebs per game in his last 18 games, all games in which he started. (Thanks go to JSOnline and Charles Gardner for compiling those stats.)
Here's Hammond's take on Charlie's recent play:
"It's pretty amazing to see the transformation of him. And, I don't know, I was just talking to one of the guys in the organization and he made a great point: You gotta wonder, how Charlie fits in if Bogut's on the floor right now, if Redd is on the floor right. I don't want to say that if those guys were on the floor he'd be the 3rd option or the 4th option or the 5th option. But look at the game last night -- there was no question who our first option was in that game; it was Charlie Villanueva.
"Maybe he's the kind of guy, on a team, he needs to be a first option on the floor or a second option on the floor. Maybe with everybody else on the floor he wouldn't be playing quite as well; maybe he'd be playing as well or better. Who knows? But it's a very interesting situation to watch him, and, you know, once again, you talk about being proud of our guys. You can't be any more proud of Charlie Villanueva and the effort he's put forth and what he's doing for us. He's done everything we've asked and more and we really appreciate him for that."
That's quite a statement, especially when viewed in the context of Hammond's comments about wanting to see the Redd-Richard Jefferson-Andrew Bogut trio that the GM had envisioned last summer. And nevermind the inclusion of Bogut in Hammond's "What if?" scenario in regards to Charlie's effectiveness. Bogut's like RJ: he doesn't need the ball to be happy (Bogut is 6th on the Bucks in shot attempts per game), and eagerly seeks other things to do on the floor when other players are scoring.
I'll suggest that Hammond and coach Scott Skiles would probably prefer a power forward more bruising than Charlie V to help Bogut inside and toughen up the Bucks interior D. Hammond did come to Milwaukee from Detroit, after all. And when Skiles was coaching the Bulls, the big move they made in 2006 to get better was acquiring Pistons center Big Ben Wallace in free agency. A younger, somewhat more offensive version of Wallace would likely be their preference, if such a player exists. Josh Smith of Atlanta or Paul Millsap of Utah are two who come to mind.
However, before deciding that Hammond's priorities are misplaced even as Charlie's been strutting his stuff, consider this: Any talk of finding a way to dump Redd and moving to a new Bucks era doesn't help the cause of trading Redd, which is diffficult enough as it is with his $17.1 million salary next season. Hammond can only devalue Redd by tipping his hand in the media.
It's also important to note that one name that has not surfaced in any trade rumors this season is that of Charlie Bell, Redd's backup. If the Bucks were committed to Redd as a key "piece" -- as Hammond likes to refer to his players -- you'd think that some effort might have been made to move Bell to clear up some payroll space for next year.
Instead, the opposite occurred: Skiles overplayed Redd trying to get Charlie healthy, and as soon as Redd went down, Bell was back in the lineup and the Bucks began playing Scott Skiles basketball. The coach likes Bell a lot. Charlie's a tough defender, good shooter, willing passer, and went to Skiles' alma mater, Michigan State.
But it's all sort of indefinite.
Hammond also said he'd like to retain both Charlie V and Ramon Sessions this summer, and figures the Bucks draft pick to be a resource that'll help clear some room under the luxury tax to help the cause. But he also knows it'll be difficult, and he's hedging his bets.
One thing he can do now, however, is to stop identifying his players with the cold, cyborgish noun "piece" -- it's rather dehumanizing, and I wonder if anybody in the Bucks PR office has mentioned this to him (doubt it). The Milwaukee Bucks are highly paid NBA professionals, sure, but that status hasn't yet removed them from the human race.
Knicks Cut Marbury: I would give two sh*ts about Stephon Marbury if I cared less about my bowel movements. I can't imagine the Celtics improving with Starbury on the team, and Cleveland won't touch him. But if you care about Stephon, Ball Don't Lie has a nice roundup of what NBA bloggers are saying about his Escape From New York.
Does he get a Snake Pliskin eyepatch award?
Bucks do Dallas The Mavs, humbled losers to the Bucks by 34 at the BC Jan. 21 (when Redd was healthy and he and Charlie V caught fire in the 2nd quarter) won't be taking the Bucks lightly tonight. Mavs coach Rick Carlisle is expecting a dogfight:
"They're better now [than the Bucks were in January]. They play better and they're a harder team to play against. And they were plenty hard to play against last time.''
So this is what Scott Skiles teams do to opponents, especially teams that lost the previous night to the Tim Duncan-less Spurs? "The Mavs have no room for error," the blogger at the Dallas Morning News added.
Bucks are off to a slow start, down 10 after one quarter. Charlie V has 19 already -- but nobody else scored a hoop until Francisco Elson made a couple of shots early in the 2nd.
Then it got uglier. Bucks are down 24 at half and Dirk hasn't woken up yet (only 5 points). I wouldn't want to be in that locker room with Skiles.
The Mavs came to play.
-
 [Insert "Not Satire" label here.]
Bucks GM John Hammond talked with Sparky and Gary on WSSP Sports Radio 1250's The Big Show yesterday. While Bucks fans shouldn't read too much into Hammond's responses, he does talk about why he didn't make a trade last week and mentions some possibilities for the Bucks to clear up some salary cap room this summer. Hammond also indicated that:
1) Richard Jefferson is in the Bucks long term plans moving forward;
2) Next season the Bucks are looking forward to Jefferson, Andrew Bogut and Michael Redd being on the floor together;
3) The Bucks are far more concerned about Bogut's health longterm than they are about whether he can play this season;
4) He believes Redd will be ready to go 100% when the season opens next November.
Here's some of the facts, just the facts, along with a complaint or two:
Is Richard Jefferson part of the Bucks long term plans [direct question from Gary]:
"Yeah he is. That's the reason we didn't make a move. [RJ] was our key piece most teams had interest in."
Hammond went on to say that he acquired RJ to play with Redd and Bogut, only to see it filed under best laid plans and NBA expectations....
"Next thing you know Richad Jefferson looks up and he's only played 22 games this season with Michael Redd on the floor and Andrew Bogut. We did well with them on the floor together... But for the most part he's been out there and he's been our mainstay, and been the one consistent piece we've had all year. We really appreciate and respect him for that."
Will the Bucks be able to keep Charlie Villanueva, Ramon Sessions and Richard Jefferson [not a good question, Sparky --why is RJ mentioned there and not Redd? I'll never understand Milwaukee media's perpetual tip-toeing around the Redd question, though in this case it might have been by prior agreement with Hammond due to Redd being hurt]?
"Easier said than done, that's for darn sure. Not impossible. We'll be creative and do everything we possible can to keep them."
How?
"...You talk about draft picks... You could save some money by moving draft picks. ...Another option would be there are going to be a few teams with room, that means teams that are under the salary cap. Teams under the cap can take players and contracts into that room they have and you don't have to take anything back in return. ...But usually when teams take players and contracts into their room, they're asking for something more -- a lot of times more than just a player. They want a pick or something to go along with that. Not impossible, but it's very difficult to do."
Bogut is viewed as a longterm investment, and Hammond is looking beyond a possible playoff push in April and to the next five years with Bogut.
"I think if we're going to err [in regards to Bogut's availability], we're going to err on the side of caution, way on the side of caution, before we put him on the floor."
Michael Redd? He's having surgery next week, will then rehab for four months and take two months to get into playing shape.
"He should be ready to go 100% by the time we open up the season in November," Hammond said.
And that's the way it was, Monday, Feb. 23. I'll be back later to provide pit bull style analysis, particularly on the question of Charlie Villanueva and Michael Redd's compatibility. Bet you can't wait.
************************
 Needless to say, after predicting in my Sunday post a Bucks win against the Nuggets, griping about the Ray Allen trade and giving George Karl a new nickname (Coach Nero), I got a kick out of waking up to see the Boston-Denver score from Monday night: Celtics 114, Nuggets 76 -- that's right 76 points for Karl's Nuggets. Ray poured in 26 against his old coach's team, and the Celtics kept bombing away in the 2nd half after being up by 30 at the half. Take that Coach Nero.
Sure, the Nuggets were coming home to play a back-to-back after a long 8-game road trip that ended with the loss to the Bucks on Sunday and a bruised knee for center Nene Hilario -- but the Celtics played Sunday too and were without injured All-Pro Kevin Garnett. Also, the Celtics have played more games (58) than any team in the NBA but our Bucks (59 games).
Want a taste of Coach Nero's style, in case you've forgotten? When Karl was in Milwaukee, the subject of the 44 points Ramon Sessions scored in the Bucks overtime loss to the Pistons Feb. 7 came up, to which Karl replied:
"Did he mention why he got 44?" Michael Hunt took that as a swipe at Allen Iverson, whom Karl traded for Chauncey "I left a step in Detroit circa 2007" Billups, which it was. Somebody should let Karl know that Stooks was guarding Sessions for much of the Pistons game. On Sunday against the Bucks, Chauncey couldn't keep Sessions out of the paint, either, as Ramon shredded the Nuggets porous D for 27 points and 8 assists. 'Spose that was Allen Iverson's fault, coach?
Monday, the blame once again for the failure of Coach Nero's team fell squarely upon the shoulders of Ray Allen.
-
After giving the Cavs all they could handle at the BC Friday before fading in a flagrantly physical 4th quarter Friday, the Bucks are due for a win -- and George Karl's Nuggets should cooperate nicely. The game today at the BC is the Nuggets 8th of an 8-game road trip. They were flat losing 116-99 in Chicago Friday and Nuggets starting forwards, Kenyon Martin and Carmelo Anthony are hurting.
Check this pregame quote from mellow Carmelo yellow ....
“I’m going to see how I feel (Saturday), how I feel Sunday. It’s going to be hard for me to sit out, but if I have to, I think (Milwaukee) would be a game I could probably sit out.”
Yeah, take it easy 'Melo. Kick back, smoke some bud, get ready for the Celtics, Hawks and Lakers this week, be all about that easy feeling on Carmelo's Island (image via the Pistons blog Need4Sheed).
The Bucks have lost two straight at home (Bulls and Cavs) since beating the Pistons in Detroit coming out of the break; taking a game from George Karl -- perpetrator of the infamous Ray Allen trade that kicked the Bucks into the Michael Redd era -- is always sweet.
Streetball at the BC: Carmelo is playing tonight, lo and behold. Guess the skipper set his lil' buddy straight. It's 72-69 at half and the Bucks were whistled for almost a foul a minute in the first half, 19 in all. Charlie Villanueva was filling it up until his 2nd foul forced him and the rest of the Bucks starters (Ramon Sessions, RJ, Luc Mbah a Moute and Francisco Elson) to the bench, two fouls apiece.
First impression is the nonexistent defense that Karl's Nuggets play, despite all that's been said and written about how much better they are since the Allen Iverson-Chauncey Billups trade. I suppose the Western Conference definition of defense is a little different than the Eastern Conference definition of DEFENSE. The Bucks starting five, when not in foul trouble, is scoring at will and the Bucks are forcing turnovers all over the court.
Once upon a time in Seattle, Karl was considered a good defensive coach. Watching his Nuggets this season and last season has clarified that Karl was riding on Gary Payton, Nate McMillan and Shawn Kemp's good defense on those Sonics teams. He never really had license to relentlessly harp on the Big Three Bucks when he was here, and it now seems like self-important puffery more than anything else. Shipping Ray Allen out of town in 2003 under a cloud of negativity... a spectacular temper tantrum, the stuff of insane Roman emperors.
Coach Nero.
I'm still bitter about the Ray Allen trade, obviously, and watching Ray pour in 31 pts at will against the Suns this afternoon is bringing out the bile for George Karl. That trade opened the door for what has become perhaps the worst investment in Wisconsin sports history, the ridiculous 6-year, $91 million deal handed to Michael Redd in 2005. Funny, that very same summer of 2005, the Supersonics signed Ray to a 5-year, $85 million contract.
The one-upsmanship of those two contracts was no coincidence -- the Bucks couldn't justify paying Redd, a one-time All-Star, the $17 million per year that Ray got, but made up for it by topping the contract total in Redd's 6th year. Who's idea was it that Redd could fill Ray's shoes? Why, George Karl's, of course. The true shame is that a lot of Bucks fans bought it, thanks in part to Karl's incessant badmouthing of Ray. Coach Nero set quite a fire on his way out.
The Big Three Bucks would have loved to play the Streetball going on at the BC as I write this. Charlie V is on fire -- 26 pts with 14 minutes left in the game. Ramon Sessions has 23 pts, 8 assists. Bucks lead 93-92 in the 3rd.
Charlie V delivers: 36 pts, 5 boards, 4 assists, a career-high seven 3-pointers and a big shot with 30 seconds left to put the Bucks up by three and send the misfiring Nuggets scrambling. Denver simply ran out of gas in the 4th and the Bucks gutted out a 120-117 win. Sessions blew past Chauncey (I left a step in Detroit) Billups all night, finishing with 27 pts and 8 assists.
See ya next season, Coach Nero. Thanks for the nonsense, the lousy memories and the still-smoldering franchise.
The Bucks are now 28-31 and 1-1/2 games ahead of the Bulls in the East standings after the Bulls loss today in Indiana in a game that both Danny Granger and Mike Dunleavy sat out. This win looms big because the Bucks are back on the road this week, with tough games in Dallas Wednesday and in New Orleans Friday against Chris Paul's Hornets before returning home to play the hapless Wizards. Oh, to have that Bulls game last Wednesday back.
Standing pat: This is the type of win that John Hammond and Scott Skiles made possible for Bucks fans by standing pat at last week's trade deadline. Ultimately, the commitment made last summer to building trust with the fans by putting a competetive, hardworking, team-first ball club on the BC court won out over the urge to tank the season and save money. Skiles and Hammond made the right choice.
 Raise a toast to Don Nelson, who won his 1,300th game as an NBA head coach Friday night, as his Warriors beat the Thunder 133-120. It's a milestone reached by only one other coach, Lenny Wilkens (1,332).
The first 540 of Nellie's wins (vs. just 344 losses) were, of course, with the Bucks, 1976-87. Nellie's Marques-Sidney-Lanier-Winters-Bridgeman Bucks (1980-84) are to this day Nellie's strongest claim to greatness, with 1981 the Bucks best shot at the title post-Kareem. Bird's '81 Celtics weren't yet the formidable Celtics of the mid-1980's, Magic's Lakers underachieved and Moses Malone was still a Houston Rocket, more than a year away from joining Dr. J in Philly.
Although the Celtics did win the '81 title, I've always felt that the true championship series that year was played in the knockdown-drag-out 7-game East Semifinals series between the Bucks-Sixers. Some of the best basketball I've ever seen was played in that series... to watch the referees lose track of the shot clock in the final minute of game seven to kill the Bucks chances has been surpassed in heartbreaking disbelief only once that I'm absolutely sure of: Florida 2000 and George Bush's hanging chad "victory."
A championship yet eludes the winningest (and best) coach in Bucks history ... It should be mentioned that Nellie's next best shot at the title post-Marques, Lanier and the Bucks was a good one: in 2003 with the Nowitzki-Nash-Finley Dallas Mavericks.
Nellie has signed on to coach Golden State through 2011, when -- if Nellie's career trend holds -- the Warriors will likely be a 50-game winner and a team to reckon with in the West, with Nellie looking toward retirement with more wins than any coach in league history.
Lebron's 55 Friday a BC record? Almost but not quite. The high remains the 57 pts Michael Redd tallied in a 113-111 loss to the Utah Jazz Nov. 11, 2006 (I had it in my head that this occurred on the road for some reason). Until Redd set the mark, the previous high was 54, scored by Allen Iverson Dec. 18, 2004 in a Sixers win over the then-defenseless Bucks.
***********************
Needless to say, after predicting a Bucks win against the Nuggets Sunday, griping about the Ray Allen trade and giving George Karl a new nickname, I got a kick out of waking up to see the Boston-Denver score from Monday night: Celtics 114, Nuggets 76 -- that's right 76 points for Karl's Nuggets. Ray poured in 26 against his old coach's team, and the Celtics kept bombing away in the 2nd half after being up by 30 at the half.
Sure, the Nuggets were coming home to play a back-to-back after a long 8-game road trip that ended with the loss to the Bucks on Sunday and a bruised knee for center Nene Hilario -- but the Celtics played Sunday too and were without injured All-Pro Kevin Garnett. Also, the Celtics have played more games (58) than any team in the NBA but our Bucks (59 games).
Want a taste of Coach Nero's style, in case you've forgotten? When Karl was in Milwaukee, the subject of the 44 points Ramon Sessions scored in the Bucks overtime loss to the Pistons Feb. 7 came up, to which Karl replied:
"Did he mention why he got 44?" Michael Hunt took that as a swipe at Allen Iverson, whom Karl traded for Chauncey "I left a step in Detroit circa 2007" Billups, which it was. Somebody should let Karl know that Stooks was guarding Sessions for much of the Pistons game. On Sunday against the Bucks, Chauncey couldn't keep Sessions out of the paint, either, as Ramon shredded the Nuggets porous D for 27 points and 8 assists. 'Spose that was Allen Iverson's fault, coach?
Monday, the blame once again for the failure of Coach Nero's team fell squarely upon the shoulders of Ray Allen.
-
 The Bucks cocked a hunting rifle and fired on a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers late Wednesday, sending forward Richard Jefferson to the Cavs for guard-forward Wally Szczerbiak.
The trade, made just hours before today's NBA trading deadline, will free up $14.2 million from the Bucks 2009-10 committed payroll and allow the team to sign restricted free agents Charlie Villanueva and Ramon Sessions this summer while continuing its unwavering commitment to injured Michael Redd. It even leaves room to pay draft picks and still avoid the league's luxury tax.
Szczerbiak's $13.775 million contract expires at the end of this season, when he'll become a free agent.
All parties involved acknowledged that the clincher was Wally's hunting parka, which impressively features what can only be a wolftail collar. The Bucks had also been in much rumored talks with Portland regarding a trade that would have shipped RJ to the Blazers for shelved forward Raef Lafrentz -- but all Lafrentz brought to the table was a cartoonishly large yellow hat.
In an interview with NBA-TV late last night, Szczerbiak explained how and why his parka was the lynchpin for the trade, and talked about the often cruel misperceptions the coat engendered in Ohio.
"I bought it in 2002 when I was playing for the T-Wolves," the 10-year veteran said. "The coat was a big hit up there, where there's a great northwoods and a lot of cold, and wolves, too. The coat'll keep you warm in that tundra. Minnesota's still the ideal place for it but if it can't be there, Wisconsin's a great fit. The Bucks and GM John Hammond, and especially Sen. Herb Kohl, understood all this better than many other NBA executives seem to." (And Kohl knows well exactly how many voters there are in Northern Wisconsin.--J.D.Mo)
"The lack of any northwoods or timber environment in Ohio (where Szczerbiak was traded last season from Seattle) really made the coat kinda lost on people," Wally went on. "A lot of people thought it was a weird pimp's coat or something. Can you believe that? What pimp would wear a hunting parka? I'm glad I'm headed for Wisconsin, where people will understand and I can wear the coat in public."
Cleveland GM Danny Ferry had nearly settled on keeping Wally, a key member of the Cavs rotation. However, sensitivity to the needs of Wally's parka may have tipped his decision to go ahead with the trade.
"Sure, I thought about the coat, but I also started thinking about how well Mo Williams has worked out for us, and my gut instinct told me: well, why wouldn't R.J. work out just as well? I think we could have won it all standing pat but, then, we have to get by Orlando or Boston or both before even thinking about the title; it won't be easy by any means.
"Now's the time, and we had to try to get better. I'm happy to provide a home for any high quality pro who is obviously not as big a priority for the Bucks organization as Michael Redd is," said Ferry, who tried last summer to trade for Redd but couldn't work out a deal. "Now the Bucks can keep Redd and pay a full roster next season -- plus, I owed John Hammond a favor for making the Mo trade happen for us last summer. I'm glad I was able to return the favor so quickly.
 "Look, they're getting a great Wisconsin coat in the deal that people can connect with," added Ferry, getting a bit defensive. "As far as I know, we don't have wolves here in Northern Ohio, and the fans just never got used to it."
Bucks GM Hammond was feeling downright upbeat about the trade and likes the new options presented by the parka.
"We kept our options open as long as we could, but at the end of the day we just couldn't say no to such a great coat. I believe that's a wolfskin collar, but that's the beauty of it. It could be coontail or bobcat. We're keeping our options open about which animal skin it might be, because, well, you never know."
Portland's Lafrentz was disappointed that the Bucks opted for Wally's parka over his big yellow hat, which he wears when visiting elementary schools to read H.A. Rey's "Curious George" books to kids. "I understand the coat is a good fit for Wisconsin, but you should see the kids light up when I walk into school wearing my yellow hat. They think I AM George's friend, the Man in the Yellow Hat, come to life."
(Lafrentz really does look the Man in the Yellow Hat, doesn't he?)
"My playing days may be all but finished, but my hope was to bring the Man in the Yellow Hat to a new city. The kids love it everywhere I've been: Denver, Dallas, Boston and Portland. It's a dam shame that Milwaukee kids will be missing something special because of a coat with a crazy collar.
"What is that, some sort of Northwoods pimp's coat?"
*****************************
Does Skiles miss Kirk Hinrich? It sounded so last night after Hinrich lit up the Bucks for 18 in the 4th in the Bulls 113-104 victory at the BC. Here's what Skiles said postgame in comments that didn't make the Milwaukee paper:
“Kirk had a great game, obviously shooting the ball and scoring. He just took our guards and made us look pretty silly on several occasions because he was playing so hard.”
Hinrich has been on the trading block, and a rumored deal between the Bulls and T-Wolves was in the works. That appears to be off. Could the Bucks possibly step in and bring one of Skiles' Baby Bulls to Milwaukee? Hinrich and Skiles might say aye but sending R.J. to Chicago is pretty unrealistic, especially considering the Bulls just acquired John Salmons.
Luke Ridnour and Dan Gadzuric for Hinrich would help the Bucks out salary-wise next season (cuttng $3.75m in payroll) and send a good backup point guard and a bench big man Chicago's way. Too bad, though, that the Bulls are fighting for a playoff spot and the last thing they would do is send Hinrich back to the Skiles team ahead of them in the standings.
More Posts Next page »
|
|