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April 2009 - Posts
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 Tom Enlund delivered his season-ending grades this past Sunday, as he does every year. I tend to think Tom's an overly tough grader, and a bit inconsistent. But I also happen to look at the Bucks through a lens that is similar to Tom's -- Scott Skiles, the face of the franchise.
Were the Bucks on any given night playing Scott Skiles basketball? Is the coach happy postgame? Did the players hold themselves and each other accountable in the areas of constant defensive pressure, uptempo transition and ball movement, the three principles of Skiles' system? How did the holdovers from previous seasons respond to the new Skiles system? Were the Bucks mentally ready to play 48 minutes night in, night out?
Enlund gives no higher grade than a B, which went to Richard Jefferson and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. My curve starts a little higher, with RJ and Luc getting the same grade that Skiles and his coaching staff get -- an A-/B+ or a 90. Let's face it: If Andrew Bogut had been healthy all season long, this Bucks team would have made the playoffs -- regardless of whether Michael Redd ever suited up and played.
 Coach Scott Skiles: A-/B+ ... Did Skiles cost the Bucks a few games pulling Ramon Sessions, playing Redd too many minutes (never any reason to play Redd 40), or failing to keep his own favorite defenders in the game in the 4th quarter (Nets loss at home)? Absolutely. But the in-game decisions for the most part were extensions of Skiles' long term plan of instituting both the Skiles system and new accountability standards in Milwaukee. He was fairly consistent, even in his preference to play 5th-year Luke Ridnour over Ramon Sessions, playing in his first full NBA season, at point. Whatever the outcome, Skiles made sure the new values stuck this season.
To the very end, Skiles and his go-to player, Jefferson, talked in mantra, keeping the focus on defense, ball movement and shot selection. This was a refreshing change in Milwaukee, where previous coaches didn't have the players reading from their pages. This resulted in the Bucks finishing 7th in the NBA in assists (22 per game) and 1st in turnovers forced (16.5). The Bucks stayed in the playoff hunt for nearly two months after Redd and Bogut went down, yet Skiles was not content. That's culture change in the Bucks locker room.
Damon Jones: A ... The clear-cut Bob Boozer Jinx award winner. Damon was not invited to be a part of this team until around X-Mas, when he and Bucks GM John Hammond agreed that, since Hammond couldn't trade him, that Jones should come to Milwaukee, practice, suit up and be a Buck. Damon did a great job, cheering from the bench and supporting his teammates. When Skiles did put him in the game, Bucks fans were treated to great shooting from the man who once crowned himself the greatest shooter on the planet. Every single shot Damon made for the Bucks this season was a 3-pointer. He made 11 of those (.393%, 2nd only to RJ) and every single one of those was a pleasure to watch. Cudos to Damon Jones in 2009, though he won't be resigned. I'm sad to see him go. He's been great in both of his Bucks seasons: this one and 2003-04 when he was the highest-rated point guard in the playoffs.
 Richard Jefferson: A-/B+ ... Played every game, was among the league leaders in minutes played most of the season, free throws made and attempted and a number of unkept leadership stats. Without RJ, this season becomes a nightmare quickly, given the brutal schedule and the injuries to, not just Bogut and Redd, but Charlie Bell and Luke Ridnour. Basically the Bucks played most of the season with RJ, Charlie Villanueva and three rookies healthy (Sessions, Mbah a Moute, Joe Alexander). While Sessions is a Skiles project, the young forwards looked to RJ for everything from defense to demeanor. It was very important that the veteran forward never stopped playing good D and never gave up on a play, leading by example. The Bucks topping the NBA in turnovers forced had everything to do with RJ, as he was on the court 3/4 of the time.
The Bucks have plenty of room to improve playing the Skiles defense, but the foundation has been established. RJ deserves a lot of credit for this. Led the team in scoring with a 19.7 ppg avg, and with a career-best, team-leading 39.7% from downtown, better than what Mo shot to lead the team last last season.
 Luc Mbah a Moute: A-/B+
... Drew comparisons to Sidney Moncrief, Paul Pressey and Detroit's Tayshaun Prince in their rookie years. That's great company. Luc should be first team All-Rookie. It won't happen because defense isn't something considered as highly as "the stats" in those awards (it should be). Hopefully, he'll make 2nd team. In a single game, Luc guarded Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. I don't think any another player in the NBA was assigned those tasks. I watched him shut down Ben Gordon in the 3rd/4th quarter when Gordon was going off on Redd. Skiles started Luc on Chris Paul.
The beauty in all of this is that Luc will get better, much better, particularly on the offensive end. With RJ, Luc and a healthy Andrew Bogut, the Bucks should remain competitive, regardless of what happens around them. Along with RJ, the only Bucks to play every game. 10th in the NBA in offensive rebounding %; shot a better % (46.2) than all of his teammates except the three centers (Bogut, Elson, Gadzuric). Plus, Luc was named 6th man on the East's All-Rambis team.
 Charlie Bell: B ... The Charlie Bell factor. How does Enlund give Luke Ridnour credit for playing hurt (because Skiles said so?) but not Charlie, whose creaky ankles bothered him all season. Enlund (or was it Garry Howard?) gave Bell a C- and Ridnour a C. Charlie played hurt the 14 games Redd missed with a sprained ankle. He was out with lingering ankle problems in January, and rushed back again when Redd went down with torn knee ligaments. Bell played 70 games, hobbled for much of it, and played well. Charlie loves playing for Skiles (they're both Michigan State grads). Enlund went to him repeatedly as a team spokesman, especially when things were not going well in March/April (very surprised by the C-).
The evidence shows that when Charlie played 20 minutes or more, the Bucks chances for success improved. I also saw, repeatedly, that the Bucks have no other player with Charlie's referee-approved license to commit defense, in a league where it takes years to build that kind of rep. An above-average 3-point shooter who really should make more than 36.3% and score (8.4 ppg) in double digits. Smart. Can play the point and guard forwards, start (23 this season) or come off the bench. Practically off-limits in any trade discussions. A healthy Charlie Bell next season will make a big difference.
Francisco Elson B- ... Had to go to the stats for this: 3.9 rebounds in 16.7 mpg isn't that great, but the blocked shots (0.6) and steals (0.6) were pretty good. My eyes don't lie. More often than not, Elson did a decent job backing up Bogut but didn't really step up when Bogut went down. Nevertheless, I saw a guy who continually made plays when he was on the court, and a more consistent backup option than Dan Gadzuric. Can the Bucks afford to keep them both? At $1.7m, maybe not a bad guy to have around.
 Ramon Sessions: C+ ... Posted big numbers (19.9 ppg, 9 apg) when he had the point all to himself, but his lapses cost the Bucks a few games off the bench. Those are forgiven, because he was essentially a rookie, and usually Skiles yanked him when things weren't going well. A game in Minnesota comes to mind. Sessions was absent-minded on offense and terrible defending the perimeter, as Carney and Foye blistered the Bucks from three-point-land. This happened a few times, often when Skiles was unable to play Charlie Bell or simply didn't (Nets at home in March).
But communication between Skiles and Sessions was a constant, as they continued to work regardless of whether they were up 30 against the Knicks, or down 10 to the Knicks at home 2-1/2 months later. Ramon's explosive and can beat anybody to the hole, but that doesn't mean he should resort to his version of the Calipari dribble-drive offense instead of the Skiles ball-movement offense. RJ had to remind him of this prior to the Nets game in late March, after two losses in Florida. The kid listens -- the Bucks blew the Nets out in New Jersey. Resigning Sessions is top priority for Bucks GM Hammond this summer.
Charlie Villanueva: C+ ... Charlie V was thought to be a guy who wouldn't be able to play for Scott Skiles. However, he proved that he could, inconsistently, yet had the best season of his 4-year career: 16.2 ppg, 6.7 rpg, and a very good defensive rebounding rate (17th in the NBA). Enlund is harsh on Charlie in his grading, but the New York incident he writes about was all too real. Charlie was on fire in the pregame warmups, and when the game started, all Charlie wanted to do was shoot (14-26). But it was as though he was in the throes of an offensive trance: he didn't want to play the other end -- at all. Skiles yanked him. It was weird to see in a crucial late season game.
 Charlie was a suprising 8th in the league in what's called USAGE %. This is an "advanced" stat that measures what % of plays a player is involved in. Charlie was almost Kobe-like in the amount of ball-time he got in his 27 mins per game. Yes, he was trying to pick up the Bogut-Redd slack, and his teammates supported this, but ... it led to some losses. Charlie doesn't stick the shots as much he should, and still doesn't always take the right shots. In the last 20 games in the season, when the Bucks saw their playoff chances die, Charlie shot 20-80 from downtown, a woeful 25%. You're not going to win games shooting like that, and the Bucks didn't. Maybe a C+ is generous here but he rebounded very well and made the Skiles transition work for him most of the season. Charlie's a good guy, and a good player. He's just not good enough. It'll be sad to see him go, and he'll be difficult to replace at PF.
Keith Bogans: C ... Acquired from the Orlando Magic for Tyronn Lue in early February after Redd went down for the season. He got off to a good start and seemed to fit in, playing well with Charlie Bell off the bench and providing the kind of tough defense Skiles likes, tougher even than the Baby Bulls defense because Skiles' Bulls had only one a guy as physical as Bogans -- Nocioni. Let's hope the defense rests because offensively, he struggled (37.6% shooting) after a decent start (no, I'm not going to go off on another Royal Ivey tirade here). Bogans is a free agent this summer, and the Bucks have to decide whether he's worth a couple-a-three mill. If the Bucks had the cap space, Bogans is a no-brainer signup, but they don't. To keep him, Hammond will need to clear salary space somehow. I hope he does, because I think Bogans is a Skiles-type player and the Bucks don't yet know how Redd will respond after knee surgery.
 Luke Ridnour: C- ... I was tempted to give Lucky Luke the same grade as Ramon. However, as the season wore on, Crazy Luke ceased to be amusing. Enlund wrote in his grades that Ridnour was a good shooter when he had five fingers. That's simply not true. Ridnour has never been a good shooter, and, before he broke his hand, his three-point shooting had dipped down to the 30% range -- not good enough. Coupled with Charlie V's woeful 3-point bombing, a recipe for defeat.
After the Mo Williams trade, I had the opportunity to chat with some Supersonics fans. Their take on Ridnour was this: "Frodo" will win a few games a year with some highlight reel heroics (which he did); but for every five he wins, he'll lose ten when the shots don't fall. The Bucks are not the 2005 Sonics, starring Ray Allen, hall-of-famer-to-be in his prime. They can't afford to rely on a 30% 3-point-shooting point guard to win games (neither could the Sonics in the end). I'm no fan of how Skiles makes apologies for Luke based on injuries, yet refuses to do the same for other players (Charlie Bell). I think the coach sees a bit of himself in Ridnour, despite the fact that Ridnour is no rugged Scott Skiles. I'm wondering whether Frodo's durable enough to play a full NBA season.
Point of order: Neither Luke nor Ramon have shown they can really guard anybody, which is a problem ... So I dropped them both a half grade from where I initially had them and placed Charlie V up with Ramon at C+ ... then dropped Luke another grade slot. While doing all this, it dawned on me that had Luke and Ramon and Charlie V performed better this season, the Bucks would be in the playoffs.
Dan Gadzuric: D ... It made my stomach wretch to watch Gadz have good games in April when the games didn't count. It's not as though he didn't have the opportunity prior. This guy makes the mistake of repeatedly showing Bucks fans how good he can be at center, then reverts to back-of-the-class mode, hiding because his homework never got out of his gym bag. Gadz finished the season better statistically than Elson but who cares? Gadz is classic Redd-era Bucks inconsistent and overpaid, which leads to 26 or 28-win seasons. Definitely part of the problem, not the solution but is next to untradeable. At least Elson's willing to play Nov-Jan. Tell Gadz this the next time you see him with his entourage at Cush. Yeah, apparently Gadz has an entourage.
Joe Alexander: D ... Am I being too harsh on the rookie? Probably. When given more playing time in late March/April, Joe delivered, blocking shots, knocking shots down, stealing the ball, turning over the ball, and playing active D. But this grade reflects where GM John Hammond drafted him (# 8), not how he finished the season. He's not an NBA player yet, though he's been playing ball constantly since the summer -- it shouldn't have taken him until March/April to show that he had some game. Had 23 DNP's due to coach's decision, and that's too many. Joe may have enough athleticism and work effort to someday justify the # 8 pick in the 2008 draft. But not today.
Malik Allen: D ... I suppose I'm opposed to giving out D- grades, because Malik sure deserves one. He was a favorite bench player of Skiles' from the Baby Bulls days, picked up on a $1.3m contract. What little he did play, it wasn't very impressive, though he did start ahead of Charlie V back in December. That lasted a game or two. Another low shooting % off the bench (42.9%), contributed to the Bucks season-long shooting woes.
 Andrew Bogut: Incomplete ... Midway through the season, Bogut had been fighting back problems for a month (and missed 10 games) but was still 10th in the league in total offensive rebounds. He's becoming a more reliable stopgap defender, and that left-handed baby hook is looking like a go-to shot in the post. Made more strides this season toward becoming Dwight Howard's backup in All-Star games.
Michael Redd: Incomplete ... A high ankle sprain sidelined Redd 14 games in November, and torn knee ligaments in late January ended his season. Was he making the transition to Skiles' style of play? Not at first, as the Bucks opened the season in Chicago looking like last season's Bucks. The Bucks were 12-10 with Redd, RJ and Bogut in the lineup, but there were problems (starters benched against Detroit; a very upset Skiles in Philly and Los Angeles). Redd's 4th quarter shooting woes plagued the team all season (he was near the league bottom). Until January, was mired in an overall shooting slump but came out of it as Bogut missed time. Skiles remarked that his defense had improved. How will he respond to knee surgery? ... I'm not looking forward to all the attention this question will receive in the Bucks-o-sphere. ... I'm really not.
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 Was the West better than the East this season? The records say so, but don't believe all the hype about how tough the West is.
There are six patsies at the bottom of the Western conference who padded those 50-win records nicely all season long -- and let's not forget that the Bucks had more trouble with the T-Wolves than they did with the Mavs, Rockets, Spurs, Nuggets and Jazz. ...
It's the matchups, you say? Chicago and Philly both had losing records against the East but won vs. the West -- that's how they got to .500. The Cavs, Magic, Bobcats, Wizards and our very own Bucks fared better against the West than they did in their own conference. The Celtics beat everybody but the Lakers this season, but did win at a higher percentage in the East. The Hawks won against both conferences, too.
How to cut through the schedule disparity? The road test. There are five teams in the NBA with great road records. The Lakers (29-12); the Cavs, Celtics and Magic (27-14); and the Spurs (26-15). The only other team in the NBA with a winning road record is Chris Paul's Hornets (21-20), who can beat almost anybody, anytime, anywhere as long as CP3 is on the court.
In the West, this means that only one team has a decent shot at beating the Lakers and their home court advantage: Tim Duncan's Spurs, who will be playing without Manu Ginobili in this year's playoffs. The rest? I'd take the Hawks in a 7-game series against them, more often than not. Don't let ESPN make me out to be a liar. How many Pistons games did that network foist upon us this season? 'Nuff said.
Important note: In case you missed it in Dan's morning coffee, COED Magazine yesterday posted its "Dancers of the 2009 NBA Playoffs Showdown". Did you realize that some teams allow women with *** implants on their dance squads? I just assumed there was a rule against that. Apparently not in Atlanta.
 Round 1 Previews - The West
Rockets vs. Trailblazers: I feel bad for Yao Ming. He's never been out of Round 1 of the playoffs, losing four times. In fact, the Rockets haven't been out of Round 1 since Stockton and Malone beat them in 1997 for the right to play Jordan's Bulls in the "one for the thumb" NBA Finals. Tracy McGrady is done for the season, but in these 2009 playoffs, Yao's got Ron Artest to help Shane Battier in the dirty tricks defense department -- and this Rockets team is rock solid in the frontcourt. The backcourt is shaky by NBA standards, but this series won't be won on the perimeter by the young, inexperienced Blazers, as good as shooting guard Brandon Roy & Co. can be.
An experience-building series for rookie center Greg Oden and the Blazers. Rockets in 6.
Mavericks vs. Spurs: As I mentioned in the pre-mumble, the Spurs are a 26-15 road team. They also played the first quarter of the season without Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker and still managed to start 12-9. The Bucks beat the Spurs in that stretch without Michael Redd, a feat a dozen NBA teams couldn't match, healthy or not. Tim Duncan really does make that much of a difference against most of the league. The Spurs will miss Ginobili, but without him they're still better than the rest of the sub-Laker west. Tony Parker is playing as well as ever, shouldering some of Ginobili's scoring, and he has good help in Roger Mason and Michael Finley. On the Dallas side, Jason Kidd still hasn't proven why it was a good idea to trade Devin Harris for him last season.
Dirk Nowitzki should be able to twist and turn this series back to Dallas for a game 6. The Spurs will end it there. Spurs in 6. Unless, or course, I'm completely wrong here, and Kidd finally shows why trading Devin was a good idea. If that's the case, Mark Cuban, Spurs in 7.
 Hornets vs. Nuggets: Here's the upset of Round 1 in the making. Even Lakers fans have realized that Chris Paul finds ways to win NBA games. The referees are so in awe of him, that they're often too dazzled in transition to whistle while he walks. Can you blame them? CP3 is the nightmare Round 1 matchup for George Karl's savior, Chauncey Billups. But then, CP3 is a nightmare for every team.
Did you know that Peja Stojakovic is only 31? It's true, though he plays like he's 35 or 36. Denver's Carmelo Anthony has gotta like this matchup at small forward. James Posey should get a lot of minutes off the bench in relief of Stojakovic in this series. All-Star David West should continue to score at will for the Hornets. And George Karl will find a way to screw this up, right skipper? (Thanks again need4sheed).
Is Chris Paul over George and Carmelo really an upset? It could be a sweep.(Bias warning). Hornets in 6.
 Jazz vs. Lakers: Somebody had to be 8th. I thought it was the Mavs' destiny, but the Jazz lost 7 of their last 10 to fall to the Lakers in Round 1. I don't like the Lakers any more than most non-Laker fans. ("LAKERS RULE!!!") But the team has earned its share of respect. Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol are the best 1-2 punch in the NBA. After the Celtics bullied them in the 2008 NBA Finals, the Lakers got tougher. Backup guard Trevor Ariza is killing teams off the bench. Andrew Bynum is back in the paint -- but the Lakers never needed Bynum to win the West. They need Bynum to beat the Cavs, Celtics or Magic in the Finals.
The Jazz are the same Jazz that dragged the Lakers back to Salt Lake City for a game 6 in the 2008 West semifinals - and lost handily. Deron Williams is still an All-Pro; Carlos Boozer is back from his quadriceps injury; AK47, Paul Millsap and Kyle Korver make for a strong bench; Mehmet Okur is still at center ... On paper the Jazz appear to be a good mix of power, great shooting and savvy point guard play, coached by one of the best there is, Jerry Sloan.
But they're not the same Jazz. Things have gone stale in Utah. Lakers won't sweep this, only because Derrick Fisher can't guard Deron. Lakers in 5.
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 The cold north wind shifts south at last in Milwaukee ... the sewers sing spring to their gratings ... taxes have been (almost) filed as those WE Energies trucks and vans start rolling up and down the block ... the Bucks count their lottery balls. ...
The neighborhood kids don't care; they're warm enough to take the pill outta hibernation and dribble down to the schoolyard, where they can be Kobe one day, Lebron the next ... Superman when feeling tall, D-Wade taking it to 'em all,
Ray Allen when shooting the three, saying where's my main man, KG?
Chris Paul just stole the ball.
Winter seems finally ready to leave, and the NBA playoffs have arrived, not a day too late. This is the best time of year for basketball in the world: the best players on the planet, going at it for nearly two months;
the best coaches (not counting Vinnie Del Coacho in Chicago, Michael Curry in Detroit and "that guy" the Sixers replaced Mo Cheeks' with);
the best refs (well, they really are better than the college refs, knowing the difference between a charge and a block, and the vast majority of what they call makes sense -- and when they screw up, NBA refs make college refs look like mere misdemeanor criminals);
 and a Dark Lord Commissioner, David Stern, who'd like nothing more than the smaller market teams to lose to the bigger market teams, in 7 games, please. Tiny Portland, you're in for an uphill battle against the Houston Rockets. Chicago, this will not help you against the ever-popular Celtics. In the end, everybody knows that in these tough economic times, the best possible marketing scenario for the NBA is a Kobe vs. Lebron Finals showdown. It would also be the best NBA Finals since ... the 2008 Celtics-Lakers final.
The NBA is back, and the league is better than it's been since Jordan left Chicago for the last time. Getting to the 2009 Finals is going to be an intense drama-rama, especially in the East ... which brings this preview first to Boston -- where the playoffs tip-off Saturday, 11:30 am central -- and the Kevin Garnett injury saga.
 Round 1 Previews - The East
Bulls vs. Celtics: Do you believe Doc Rivers when he says KG might not play at all in these playoffs? I don't. But we can, with most assurances, believe that KG won't play against the Bulls. In Boston, they're calling it a long shot that he'll play at all. This is good news in Chicago, of course, where Blog-A-Bull thinks Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah can find a way to not be intimidated by the other Celtics bigs, Kendrick Perkins and Leon Powe. Sorry Blog-A-Bull, but the Bulls frontcourt is weak, even with the addition of Brad Miller -- and don't underestimate the Celtics bench. Celtics in 5 ... 4 if Ray gets hot.
Pistons vs. Cavs: Just checked in on all my favorite Cleveland blogs, and guess what? Not a scratch about the Pistons series. Lebron, if you're still reading, just get Rip Hamilton and Rasheed Wallace out of the playoffs ASAP. They've been the epitome of whiny, basketball selfishness all year and made the most of blaming their woes on Allen Iverson, who's done for 2009. The Pistons era in the East is over. Cavs sweep.
How about this quote on the Cavs chances from Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck:
"They earned home court, they earned the best record, they are clearly a championship-quality team, and in my opinion they have the best basketball player on the planet right now . . . Mo Williams."
 Heat vs. Hawks: The battle of NBA Sodom vs. NBA Gomorrah for visiting teams. South Beach, Miami, vs. Atlanta nightlife. D-Wade vs. Joe Johnson.... Udonis Haslem vs. Josh Smith. ... Mike Bibby vs. who? ... Bucks killers Daequan Cook and Jamario Moon? The Hawks are banking on experience they gained in the 2008 playoffs in 7 games against the Celtics. The Heat and Hawks played four tight, low-scoring games this season. The avg.score was 84.5 to 82.5, three of the games won by the Hawks. But I don't think they can beat D-Wade in a 7-game series. And let's not forget South Beach and the Heat dancers, who deserve a nice, high profile in Round 2 against the Cavs. Heat in 7. Winner to play the Lebrons.
Sixers vs. Magic: Dwight Howard & the Magic may stumble a bit in this series, but the Sixers aren't playing very well. They earned the 6th seed by beating the Cavs in Cleveland Wednesday, on a night when Lebron James, Mo Williams and Zydrunas Ilgauskas all sat on the sidelines. Still, the Delonte West-Boobie Gibson-led Cavs came closer to beating the Sixers than our Bucks ever did this season. The Sixers needed OT to take the game.
One, that tells you how good the Cavs are these days -- all of them. Two, the Sixers are struggling, and admitting it. Andre Iguodala isn't happy. Hey John Hammond: Royal Ivey's in the playoffs for the first time. Magic in 5 ... make that 6. Call it a feeling. I think Iggy and Sixers get a little happy before the Magic finish them off.
West Previews still to come ...
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 Playoff seedings were at stake for the Rockets, Spurs, Trailblazers, Spurs, Hornets, Mavs, Sixers and Bulls in game 82's around the NBA tonight. But first let's go to Indiana, where our Bucks played their game 82.
Halfway through, both lottery-bound teams had played some game, even as the sore spots that have plagued the Bucks in coach Scott Skiles inaugural season rose to the surface yet again. The Bucks trailed 56-49 at half, despite a decisive 9-4 edge in turnovers. They're getting more possessions than their opponent, as usual, but are simply not converting on the offensive end.
Some cold, cold shooting by the Bucks bench, led by a 2-8 from Charlie Villanueva. I believe I'm watching Charlie V's last game as a Milwaukee Buck, which gave this game a melancholy vibe (aka the browns, you know, like the blues but just kinda blah).
I know, free agent Charlie's up and down offensively, doesn't play enough D to keep himself in Skiles' starting lineup, forgets sometimes that winning in the NBA is more important than what UConn does in March, and he hasn't become the sort of keeper that the Bucks will juggle the roster to retain... But we had high hopes for Charlie when he arrived from Toronto in summer of 2006.
The trade proved to be a decent one for the Bucks over the three years. The guy we traded to Toronto, T.J. "I lost my job to Jose Calderon" Ford, has lost another starting point guard gig, this one as a Pacer to Jarrett Jack. Charlie's 16 pts and 7 boards per game this season look pretty good next to somebody's back-up point guard.
It occurs to me that the Bucks drafted Ford with the pick obtained from the Atlanta Hawks, along with Toni Kukoc, in the Glenn Robinson trade. That makes Charlie V the last vestige of the 2002-03 Big Three trades. Maybe that's where these browns are coming from as I watch this game.
I know I'm watching Damon Jones' last game as a Buck. The man who once crowned himself "the world's greatest shooter" didn't waste any time when Skiles put him into the game, end of the 2nd quarter. Jones buried from downtown the only shot he took. Jones and his 2009 expiring contract were add-ins to last summer's Luke Ridnour-Mo Williams trade.
 I'm not so sure about free agent Keith Bogans, who was brought in from Orlando in a trade for Tyronn Lue to help out after Michael Redd went down in January. At 6' 5", Bogans is able to guard big guards and small forwards, but if he's expecting to find a raise above his $2.57 mill salary in free agency, happy hunting Keith. The Bucks may not be able to afford half that.
The Bucks and Pacers seemed unable to decide who really wanted this game. Had the Bucks won, they would have vaulted over the Nets, Bobcats and Pacers into 9th place in the East. After a 39-point 3rd quarter in which Richard Jefferson was on fire, the Bucks seemed to be on their way.
But Charlie V, Lucky Luke Ridnour and the bench decided to let the Pacers keep 9th place. The Pacers outscored the Bucks 43-20 in the 4th to win 115-108.
Tank you very much: The Bucks led 88-72 after 3 quarters. They ended this injury-riddle season in 12th place at 34-48, having lost the conference record tie-breaker to the 34-48 Nets. Here's to RJ for not wanting to finish behind the Nets.
Who's responsible for the tank? Blame rookie Brandon Rush and Pacers All-Star Danny Granger -- they scored 24 and 35 pts respectively, hitting a combined 9-13 from three-point land. The Pacers landed in 9th with a 36-46 record. ...
Scoreboard watching? The Bobcats and Nets were well on their way to losing by the time the Bucks finished up their 3rd quarter explosion. For the Pacers there was less at stake in winning this game. Had they lost to the Bucks, the Pacers would have finished 10th in the East, losing the head-to-head tie-breaker to the Bucks 3 games to 1. This would have moved them up from 13th to 12th going into the lottery. The Bucks had more to lose by winning -- they would have dropped from 10th to 13th in the lottery ball sweepstakes, with better odds than only the Phoenix Suns.
If this was Charlie V's last game, he's leaving Milwaukee with whimper: Skiles played him just 17:39, his lowest MP total since his 12:27 Jan. 14 in Milwaukee vs. the Heat. He scored 10 pts on 3-10 shooting, grabbed 4 boards, and turned the ball over in the final minutes when the lottery slot, er, the game, was on the line.
The Bucks passed on Brandon Rush in last summer's draft whilst picking Joe Alexander. Rush, the 13th pick, came on strong in a starting role toward the end of the season, including a 27-point effort Monday against the Cavs. ...There're those browns again.
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 My pal Johnny "remember Royal Ivey" Price and I noticed something strange at the Bradley Center Saturday. It happened about 40 seconds before halftime as Joe Alexander stepped to the free throw line for the 5th time in the 2nd quarter, the Bucks leading the Oklahoma City Thunder 54-49.
Joe has struggled this season but he's been playing pretty well of late, and was once again all over the court Saturday, blocking shots, rebounding, making plays and causing general havoc. And the Thunder couldn't stop fouling him in the paint.
Trouble was, Joe couldn't make a free throw. Not one, not two or three, but four straight Alexander charity tosses bricked out. "C'mon Joe, what are you, in middle school?" somebody heckled. Mighta been me.
Joe then got free for a dunk to reacquaint himself with the rim. A couple of minutes later, Joe stepped to the line for yet another pair of free throws. ... a hush fell upon the Bradley Center as Joe set his feet, took a couple of dribbles, a deep breath and launched number 5 ... And the crowd went ...
Numb. Simply numb, as Joe's shot rattled around and dropped through. Something very strange was afoot. We gave him a mock standing O from where we sat, and our section cheered even louder as he made the 2nd, but for the most part, you could hear a pin drop in the lower bowl.
Johnny "Ivey": "Uh-oh".
J.D.Mo: "Uh-oh is right. This can only mean one thing."
We were lucky to get out of there alive, and so was Alexander. Seems half the fans are a zombie army ready to run Joe out of town, if you put any stock in the results of this brand new JS Online "what do think of Joe" poll.
The Bucks blew the game open in the 3rd quarter on their way to a 115-98 victory. Long time coming on that ... as the Bucks broke a 4-game losing streak. ... Richard Jefferson led the way with a season-high 35 pts.
Nice win last night (Monday), too, on fan appreciation night. The Bucks closed out the home schedule by beating the Orlando Magic for the first time this season. No, Dwight Howard wasn't playing for the Magic and neither did All-Star forward Rashard Lewis or Hedo Turkoglu -- but it was a relief to hear that the zombies had left the building. The Bucks got a standing O as the final seconds ticked off in their final game this season at the BC, where they won 22 of 41.
 From deep in the land of Reggie
Roto Evil's tribute to the Miami Heat dancers is a MUST see. The Heat dancers jiggled their way to their 4th straight NBA dance bracket championship earlier this month, and they're the only team to win the title in the history of the bracket. The secret to their success?
Hit the link. ... Obviously far too much great as* on the Miami dance squad for the rest of the NBA dancers to contend with. ... There's just ... so ... much of it. ...
The Royal Ivey question: Of course, Bucks fans remember Ivey from the lackluster 2007-08 Bucks, and so does Johnny "remember Royal Ivey" Price. One of the games we went to last season was an 87-80 Bucks win over the Atlanta Hawks, pre-Mike Bibby trade.
The mid-January game was a high point in the Bucks dismal season, one of their more cohesive efforts in which the Larry Krystowiak system seemed to work. Ivey, who started at point guard in place of Mo Williams, had everything to do with it -- spearheading a solid defensive effort that forced Joe Johnson into a bad shooting night and directing the offense inside to Andrew Bogut, who led the Bucks with 21 pts and 10 rebs. Ivey grabbed 8 boards of his own and dished out 6 assists.
What was important, however, was how they played. On a bad shooting night for everybody but Bogut, the Bucks shared the ball. Yi Jianlian shot more than Michael Redd, surprisingly enough. The team made Bogut a centerpiece, and, for once, they seemed to be on the same page. Note that neither Mo or Desmond Mason played in this game and Redd was willing to let his teammates play a little offense.
Granted, it was one good game from a forgettable season, but Ivey impressed Johnny (and me) as a good athlete who could run a competent floor game, D it up and run the floor in transition.
 Fast forward to this season, and the 27-year-old Ivey, now in his 5th season, is a contributing member of the playoff-bound Sixers' bench brigade. The Sixers of course, are known for their ball-hawking defense and ability to transition at breakneck speed after forced turnovers and long rebounds -- two areas in which the Bucks needed major improvements last summer. Transition remains a problem for the Bucks, as they've had a tough time converting their league-leading forced turnovers into points.
So how is it that Ivey, a free agent last summer, was considered a good fit in Philly but not in Milwaukee? He came pretty cheap to the Sixers, who signed Ivey to the league minimum for a 5th year pro -- $854,000 against their cap -- and gave him a $960,000 player option for next season. The Bucks, meanwhile, outbid the Celtics and others for the services of Tyronn Lue, who signed a one-year, $2.25 million contract to sit on Scott Skiles' bench.
The Bucks traded Lue to Orlando in February for guard-forward Keith Bogans, who's even more expensive at $2.57 million this season, and, like Lue, will be a free agent this summer. Basically, the Bucks could have had Ivey for two seasons for about $600,000 less than they paid Lue and Bogans this season.
It's not as though the Bucks will save luxury tax room by not having Ivey around next season. In early April the Bucks signed Salim Stoudamire for the rest of this season and next, so (I'm estimating here), the $960,000 that Ivey will be paid is more or less accounted for in Stoudamire.
Add it up: Bogans, Lue and Stoudamire have/will cost the Bucks about $3.3 million this season and next filling Ivey's roster spot. And let's not forget the $100,000 paid to Eddie Gill this season. The Sixers are set to pay Ivey $1.8 million in those two years. That's a $1.5 million difference and counting -- a lot of scratch in this or any economy.
Interestingly enough, Ivey, Stoudamire and Lue were teammates in Atlanta in the 2006 and 2007 seasons, and Ivey started more games (83) than Lue and Stoudamire combined. While Ivey can't shoot like Lue, this season in Philly he's posted a 35% mark from downtown, competitive with Stoudamire's career mark of 36%.
No matter, Ivey at 6'4" is the tallest of the three players, the better, more versatile athlete, and can guard the 2 and play point. In short (or tall) -- he would seem to be "the Scott Skiles type" of the three players, and was good enough for the athletic, uptempo, ballhawking Sixers last summer, but not the Bucks.
It's still a mystery as to why Hammond and Skiles let him go, and very curious that Hammond blew an extra $1.5 million or so of Herb Kohl's money basically filling Royal Ivey's shoes. As Johnny says:
"You know, the whole thing with Royal Ivey just really makes me wonder what the Bucks are doing."
Ivey's revenge: The Bucks failed to beat the Sixers this season and have lost five straight to them. Ivey in fact, is directly responsible for a Bucks defeat at home in early January, as he drained three from the land of Reggie in the 4th quarter to help the Sixers to a 110-105 victory.
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The Sixers, with two games to play, are battling with the Bulls for 6th seed and the rights to play the Magic in round one of the playoffs instead of the #2-seeded Celtics. It'll be tough for Philly to grab sixth -- their final two opponents are the Celtics and Cavs. The 41-40 Bulls finish up in Chicago against the Raptors, who've been playing well of late.
Bulls lock Pistons into 8th: The sixth seed is still up for grabs, but the Cleveland Cavs know who they'll play when the playoffs open this weekend -- the drama-a-day Detroit Pistons have floundered to the 8th seed. Rookie of the Year shoo-in Derrick Rose and shooting guard Ben Gordon led a 4th quarter comeback in Detroit as the Bulls dumped the Pistons to 8th with a 91-88 win.
Blog-a-Bull is almost impressed.
The Cavs clinched home court throughout the playoffs Monday night in Indianapolis, overcoming 38 points from Danny Granger and 27 from rookie Brandon Rush to win 117-109. Rush is another guy the Bucks passed on last summer to pick Alexander, and the Pacers are another East lottery team playing some good ball right now. Lebron led the Cavs with 37. The Cavs are 66-15 with one home game left to play. The Lakers, with just 17 losses, will have home court advantage against every team but Cleveland.
Bad news for Cleveland: Big Ben Wallace is out "indefinitely" with a strained left knee tendon, the Columbus dispatch is reporting. Chances are the defensive menace won't play this weekend against his former team, the Pistons.
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