Milwaukee Bucks Blog - The Bob Boozer Jinx : Damon Jones

Celtics get 'Sheed... More NBA free agents

J.D. Mo — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 02:42:00 GMT

The Detroit Pistons had room under the salary cap to sign Rasheed Wallace after reaching agreements with Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon last week -- but the Celtics had something the Pistons could no longer offer: A shot at the NBA championship.

And another of the NBA's best teams will get better. The Boston press reported last night that the Celtics had reached an agreement with the Pistons forward-center. The Celtics would not be denied. This from Peter May's report:

Ainge brought out the full arsenal in an all-out assault on Wallace, enlisting Kevin Garnett (a Wallace chum), Paul Pierce and Ray Allen to make the recruiting pitch. The money was pretty much the same, but, once again, the Celtics’ owners stepped up, mindful the team already is over the luxury-tax threshold. That means Wallace will cost $2 on the dollar. Not every owner would do that; most, in fact, would probably reject it out of hand. Having won once, however, has given the Celtics’ owners the appetite for more.

Somehow I doubt the money was the same. Boston will pay Sheed the mid-level exemption next season ($5.8 mill) whereas Detroit had much more to offer: The Pistons are still about $17m away from tax territory -- after the Gordan and Villanueva deals. And with the signing of Charlie and Gordon, gunners more than defenders, and the loss of Amir Johnson to the Bucks, the Pistons needed Sheed's inside presence more than ever. However, it appears that Detroit never had much of a chance.

Orlando, San Antonio and Dallas were other teams with meetings scheduled with Wallace's agent -- Sheed was going to a title contender while the Pistons slid toward mediocrity.

A talent-rich get richer trend has hit the NBA, with the elite teams getting better. Teams such as the Bucks and now, even the Pistons, having little or no hope of competing for the league's best veterans when the contenders are in the mix. The league is as loaded at the top as it's ever been, with Shaq in Cleveland; the Lakers adding Ron Artest; the Spurs improving with Richard Jefferson; and the Magic getting Vince Carter (but apparently losing Hedo Turkoglu).

But for now let's go to the Need4Sheed blog for the Detroit reaction:

"Some will even give you the obligatory 'You can launch your three’s and not play in the paint for another team, thanks for mailing in the last season Sheed.'

But to most Pistons fans we are thankful to him for putting our team over the top in 2004, allowing us a Championship we won't soon forget."

They're going to miss him. And if Pistons fans are under any illusions that Charlie Villanueva's going to fill Sheed's sneakers, they are going to be very disappointed.

I just realized I've been spelling Hedo Turkoglu's name wrong all year. Sorry dude.

Look who opted out of their contracts:

- Cleveland: Anderson Varejao
- L.A. Clippers: Brian Skinner
- Orlando: Hedo Turkoglu

- Philadelphia: Royal Ivey

Royal Ivey? Brian Skinner? There's no keeping a former Buck happy, apparently. I wouldn't mind having either of those guys back in Bucks uniforms, especially after John Hammond blew some $2.5 million and counting replacing Ivey with first Tyronn Lue and then Keith Bogans.

Skinner's a rugged big forward who had perhaps his best season as a pro with the Bucks in 2003-04 and was back for the 2006-07 season. He's 32 now and no longer commanding a mid-level exception-sized contract. Or maybe he thinks he does.

Ivey made less than $1 million in Philly last season and is obviously looking for a raise. He was a key part of the Sixers crunchtime rotation, burning the Bucks last season with some late 3-balls to steal a game the Bucks had in their grasp. Good D and point guard court sense make Ivey a very useful guy to have around, especially when developing younger point guards (Sessions and Jennings). I still have no clue why Hammond didn't resign him to the Bucks last summer. He could have saved some of Herb's money AND retained a guy who contributed more last season to the playoff Sixers than Lue or Bogans did on the Bucks.

Even more free agents still unsigned

What an abundance of players -- too many to list here - but Sham's got 'em here. Some of the players on Sham's list, such as Sheed and Charlie Villanueva have reached agreements but most of the guys on the list haven't. Everybody on sham's list is unrestricted. (Notice how Ramon Sessions or Ersan Ilyasova are NOT on the list. That's because they're not free agents. The Bucks filed qualifying offers to both players, which means they are Bucks unless the Bucks decide not to match whatever offers they receive from other teams).

Here are a few notables from the NBA free agent wire, and some oddities, too:

Point guards Andre Miller (Sixers) and Mike Bibby (Hawks) are still out there.

Hey, former Buck Joe Smith's a free agent after joining the Cavs for the 2009 playoffs.

Of course, there's Trevor Ariza, the Lakers versatile guard who's apparently been replaced by Ron Artest.

Brandon Bass, a good, young big forward who played in Dallas is an unrestricted free agent.

Keith Bogans and Damon Jones, two 2009 Bucks are free agents. Antoine Walker's free, and gladly accepting any and all calls (don't do it GM Hammond).

Wes Matthews, Jerel McNeal and Dominic James from Marquette are all free after going undrafted. McNeal might be a nice pick-up at shooting guard.

Everybody from Matt Barnes (Phoenix forward) to Bonzi Wells (former Trailblazer guard) and Chris Wilcox (OK City PF) are looking for new contracts.

And yes, Bucks fans: Ruben Patterson is once again a free agent.

Grading our Milwaukee Bucks: Skiles and the players

J.D. Mo — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 09:54:00 GMT

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.

NBA Playoffs: Game 82 drama-rama... Charlie V's last game as a Buck?

J.D. Mo — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 04:25:00 GMT

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.

Bucks Weekend: Jinxed 2008 ... plus Bogut vs. Duncan and other notes

J.D. Mo — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 17:00:00 GMT

HAPPY NEW YEAR, Bucks fans and welcome back for more myopic and often annoying attempts to trade a certain shooting guard, though I maintain we were headed down that road this summer until Kiki Vandeweghe called offering Richard Jefferson for Yi ... What would Wyle E. Coyote do?

ON TAP this weekend: Bucks play a back-to-back with the Charlotte Bobcats (11-21), whom the Bucks beat twice before the Cats traded J-Rich to the Suns for Boris Diaw and Raja Bell. I don't have much to say about it, other than the Bucks should win them both. (Bucks won the first Friday 103-75, with Michael Redd shooting well in the blowout). ... It can be tough to beat a team twice in two nights, and Charlotte does have some talent (Okafor, Gerald Wallace, D.J. Augustin) but this is a good weekend for the Bucks to show more of that mental toughness they played with in San Antonio.

Bad news: Despite a little help from those magic pain pills, Andrew Bogut's back is still bothering him. After the Bobcats game Friday Bogut said he didn't know whether he'll be able to play the Saturday game in Charlotte.

Bad taste in Skiles' mouth: Bogut didn't play Saturday and the 'Cats returned the favor, blowing out the Bucks (it was 98-77 late in the 4th; the Bucks closed the gap to 102-92 in garbage time). Needless to say, coach Scott Skiles was more than a little unhappy about the Bucks (16-19) mental tenacity, among other things, and for the second time this season said: "I've got a bad taste in my mouth right now." (The first time was after the Philly game Dec. 17). "... this kind of game is not how we wanted to represent ourselves. We clearly still have some things that we need to address." Yes, you do coach.

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And with that, let's take a quick look back at a few things in 2008, because the editorial board says the big Damon Jones retrospective I was working on can wait until Damon's actually in playing shape and in a Bucks uniform.

The most popular Jinx blog of the year, if the Sportsbubbler hit counter is to be believed ... "Injections for all" - an August 21 inquiry into how Basketball Australia apparently treated Andrew Bogut's ankle injuries during the Olympics. I write "apparently" because the Aussie coach was never quite able to explain what had happened with the first ankle sprain. The post also included a few "artistically nude" pix of Aussie womens team star Lauren Jackson (quite on topic: Jackson had received a couple of cortisone shots to a creaky ankle so she could play in the Olympics.) The Naked Truth revealed.

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"It takes two NBA teams to make a player trade, and the odds of Utah being willing partners in this deal are about the same as the odds that the Jazz's Mormon owner will convert to Judaism." -- August 5, 2008

That spewed out after I had watched Andrei Kirilenko block Kobe Bryant's shot in game 4 of the Jazz-Lakers playoff series. Like a lot of Bucks fans, I like Utah's roster, and Kirilenko seemed a likely candidate for a Michael Redd swap. Kirilenko had cited some concerns in 2007 about living the rest of his basketball life as "a robot" in Jazz coach Jerry Sloan's system, and his contract is about the same dollars as Redd's. But Kirilenko is a longarmed, 6' 9" defensive machine who can block Kobe's shot. I just couldn't (and still can't) imagine Redd blocking Kobe's shot, and can't imagine why a team would trade anybody who could, even after admitting (more or less) to being a cyborg.

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A brand new 2008 highlight: Bogut 5, Duncan 3

Much ado is made of the Bucks 12-10 record against the Spurs in The Tim Duncan Era. Jonny Mac & Jim Paschke talk about this phenomenon every time the Bucks play the Spurs, and it's a neato-cool thing to be able to say -- no other team can say it's beaten Duncan more than it's lost to him, unless you account the aggregation of Shaq-dom with the Lakers, Heat and Suns.

Leave it to me, however, to point out that this bit of NBA trivia is somewhat misleading when you consider that what's driving this phenomenon is the inability of Duncan and the Spurs to beat The Big Three Bucks. Ray Allen and Glenn "Big Dog" Robinson lost twice to Duncan and Hall of Fame center David Robinson in Duncan's rookie year (1997-98). But after Sam "I am" Cassell joined Ray and Dog in 1999 the Bucks trio never lost to the Spurs again, going 6-0 (they didn't play the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season).

The Bucks simply had the Spurs completely outgunned at the Big Three positions. This was before the advent of Manu Ginobili; and Tony Parker and Bruce Bowen were Spurs for only the last two defeats. Shooting guard Antonio Daniels, however, was around for all six of them, often found guarding Ray ... sorta. The Big Three was a nightmarish matchup for the Spurs

To be fair, a few Spurs careers were in their twilight years and the team was in transition to the one that would win the 2003 title and become the Spurs we know today. Forward Sean Elliott retired in 2001. Avery Johnson was 36 in 2001; so was David Robinson, who retired in 2003 having lost 6 of his last 10 games vs. the Bucks.

Nothing Spurs coach Gregg Popovich did could net a win against The Big Three, and it wasn't for lack of trying. It started Nov. 18, 1999 in Milwaukee when George Karl went small in the 4th quarter of a close game and the Bucks bombed the defending champion Spurs off the court, 99-88. Here's a treat: the Michael Hunt game story.

By March 31, 2001, Pop had realized that Sam had special Sam-I-Am powers over Avery; and that Big Dog'd start happily slobbering and barking and wagging his dogness whenever Elliot limped out onto the court to defend him. So that night Pop started defensive-minded Terry Porter and Derek Anderson on Sam and Ray, and checked Big Dog with Duncan, going big by starting Danny Ferry at the other forward. It was a nice idea and it forced the Bucks into a bad shooting night -- but Bucks big forward Jason Caffey killed the Spurs underneath while Duncan was out harassing the Big Dog, and Pop's defensive stalwarts (Duncan included) couldn't put the ball in the basket. Bucks won 86-77. The Spurs won 58 games that season, the Bucks 52.

Here's another one from the basketball-reference archives, less than a year later, Dec. 23, 2001: Ray didn't play in this game but Sam-I-Am and Big Dog went off, shooting a combined 28-45 for 63 points. Michael Redd filled in for Ray, scoring 16 points on 6-11 shooting (Redd was very efficient, once upon a time). The Spurs just couldn't keep up with the scoring pace, and the Bucks won 101-91 in San Antonio.

Six days later in Milwaukee, again with Ray out, the Spurs would take the Bucks to OT only to lose. As in previous meetings, Big Dog romped with 24 on a good shooting night, but this time it was Anthony Mason inside for 18 and Tim Thomas with four 3-pointers off the bench that killed the Spurs. The Spurs finished with 58 wins; the Bucks, 18-9 after their two wins vs. the Spurs, would flop and finish 41-41, missing the playoffs.

The Spurs took five of the next six from the Bucks as George and Ernie dismantled the Big Three and were dismissed; and new GM Larry Harris set course for the Michael Redd era. The Spurs picked up Manu, David Robinson retired and Pop even hired Big Dog to help out in the 2005 championship run.

The dynamic changed again in the 2005 offseason. The Bucks drafted Andrew Bogut. Since then, the Bucks are 5-3 vs. Duncan. There's some luck involved (the Kukoc-to-Bogut tap-in play at the buzzer in Bogut's rookie year is unforgettable) but some skill too, which was on display Tuesday: Bogut had 20 pts, 14 rebs, 4 assists and harassed Duncan into a 7-20 shooting night.

I hereby propose a simplification of this factoid to avoid any Bucks-have-a-whammy-on-the-Spurs confusion with The Big Three Bucks, who really did have the whammy on the Spurs. Fox Sports North graphics people and Bucks broadcasters Jonny Mac and Jim Paschke should focus the message as follows: Andrew Bogut 5, Tim Duncan 3. It's simple, effective, and gets to the crux of the current situation, which is that Bogut plays very well against Hall of Famer-to-be Tim Duncan.

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"Mo Williams trade: Cavaliers get their Shooter - but how did the Bucks do?" The Apocolypse Now of all Mo Williams trade analyses, and the most-widely read Jinx other than Bogut's ankles and Lauren Jackson's naked truths. The Sportsbubbler eds liked this one a lot, and it still holds up, I think ... "Mo Williams had to be one happy-go-shooting point guard Wednesday after the Bucks, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City finalized a trade that sent Mo to the Cavs and brought point guard Luke Ridnour from OK City to the Bucks. ..."

Also featured is MiniShaq's ultimate Lucky Luke Ridnour mix. Hit it or quit it.

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If you were allotted one, and only one, Bob Boozer Jinx blog to read from 2008, I would point you to May 16th's "In the spirit of Al McGuire". It's about Jim Boylan, Scott Skiles lead assistant, who was also with him in Chicago. Boylan took the reins in Chicago after Skiles left (or was asked to leave - or a little of both, as the story goes, Christmas Eve 2007). Boylan was Al McGuire's point guard on the Marquette 1977 NCAA Championship team. Those are the thumbnail facts.

The story isn't even about the Bucks or basketball really, though it does speak to the kind of person that Scott Skiles surrounds himself with and the wisdom found on this Bucks coaching staff. It's about something greater, I think, simply because Al McGuire's in it. Here's a clip:

"'I told the guys that we shouldn’t concentrate so much on winning. Let’s concentrate on letting go of the things we can’t control and free ourselves to be the kind of players we know we are. Live in the moment.'

That quote from Boylan, Bucks fans, is the Al McGuire basketball philosophy to the letter. It was infused throughout the basketball world in the late 1970's and early 1980's when McGuire was on top of that world and players, especially those on Al's home turf in state, were told to play "in the moment" and forget the scoreboard. The coaches would let you know when to look at the scoreboard and the clock. It was all very mystical and Zen, long before Phil Jackson won championships and wrote Sacred Hoops. It was very McGuire."

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It was only a matter of days after the Celtics had eliminated the Cavs from the 2008 playoffs that Cavs fans decided to get proactive about finding a # 2 scoring option for Lebron James. Paint Cleveland Redd '08 was born. The campaign was the brainchild of Cavaliers Corner blogger Dan Labbe, who blogs at the Cleveland Plain Dealer's online site, Cleveland.com. (Yes, blogs "at" the the daily newspaper's site, as part of its regular sports coverage, unlike the separate reality JSOnline has created for its fan hub here. That's supposedly changing soon I'm told, so look for the Bob Boozer Jinx sometime soon, maybe, on the JSOnline Bucks pages.)

Cleveland fans are fun, and they love their Lebrons. Sweet Caroline's AndOne blog is a good slice of Cavs fan life. Others are the ode to Cleveland sports futility, Waiting For Next Year, and Cavalier Attitude. Fun as they are, Cavs fans are fairly stingy about giving up their players in trades, especially their two young guards, Delonte West and Daniel Gibson (Lebron's buddy) who were both in the middle of contract negotiations. The Wild Man, Anderson Varejao? Sure, the Bucks could have "Andy" because they don't think the Cavs will be able to keep him after this season. But ANDY had trade rejection rights until December and apparently didn't want to come here. (Charlie Villanueva's name likely came up in this summer's ongoing Cavs-Bucks talks).

During this process, I learned to properly spell Wally Szczerbiak (he and his $13 million contract were central to the trade) and the Cavs ended up with Mo Williams. The Cavs were kind enough to send us Damon Jones.

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Bucks face Lebron, Mo Williams - Cavs look like title contenders; Antonio McDyess; Damon Jones

J.D. Mo — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 20:45:00 GMT

Image by Jeremy Jannene

One could argue that the Phoenix Suns, who defeated the Bucks Saturday, may not be title contenders. I wouldn't but it could be argued, Shaquille O'Neal's age being one talking point. However, if you come across arguments that the Cleveland Cavaliers are not contenders, then you know that the source didn't watch the 2008 playoffs.

While NBA wags all over the country were ready to hand the 2008 NBA title to Kobe, Pau Gasol and the Lakers, the real battle was taking place in the East as the Celtics wrested a grueling semifinals series from the Cavs in the final minute of game seven. Once Lebron and his Cavs were dispatched, the Pistons and Lakers were a matter of course for the champion Celtics.

This season, the Cavs are healthy, there are no holdouts to deal with, and they've improved with the addition of Mo Williams' instant offense in the August trade with the Bucks and Oklahoma City Thunder. Even without the addition of Mo, this Cleveland team couldn't help but improve: Coach Mike Brown has had more time to integrate the new players acquired last February at the trading deadline -- Big Ben Wallace, Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak.

With the addition of Mo and rookie power forward J.J. Hickson, most of Cleveland's 9-man rotation is new since they played the Spurs for the NBA Title in 2007. In other words, the Lebron team that Detroit couldn't beat in a playoff series has been remade. They are younger and quicker at the guard positions; they are stronger inside with Ben Wallace; and with the addition of Mo and a healthy, more experienced Boobie Gibson, they shoot better than ever. The only real question is whether the Cavs' aging big men, Wallace and Zydrunas Ilgauskas can stay healthy into the playoffs. Currently, backup big man Anderson Varejao -- who's name surfaced often over the summer as a guy the Bucks may be interested in -- is playing more than Wallace.

I'm not expecting the Bucks to escape from the Q in Cleveland with a win. In fact, coach Skiles should let Michael Redd shoot all night in his home state** and play the deep bench players like Joe Alexander, Dan Gadzuric, Tyrone Lue, Malik Allen and Francisco Elson -- save some energy for the home crowd tomorrow night against an injury riddled San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs without Manu Ginobili or Tony Parker? It's a gift and the Bucks should focus on getting a win against the Spurs. The early schedule is so tough, the more wins they can cherry pick here and there, the better off they'll be in January when the schedule eases up, obviously.

**Anybody else wondering why coach Skiles seems in no hurry to get Redd back on the court?

How is Mo doing? So far so good with room to improve. Through seven games the Cavs are 5-2 and Mo is playing 34 minutes a game, averaging 14 pts and 5 assists. He and Lebron are doing most of the ballhandling which is heat off of Delonte West - the Cavs best defensive guard - and Boobie Gibson, the 3-point gun. Mo has yet his shot going but I'm sure he'd love to turn it on against his old teammates.

Are the Bucks in the Antonio McDyess sweepstakes? No. But before I get to that, McDyess would be a perfect fit on the Bucks roster -- a power forward who plays within the game and can stick a fifteen footer a la Scott Williams back in the days of The Big Three. McDyess would very likely be the factor that would launch the Bucks into the playoffs.

According to McDyess' agent, 19 teams have called about acquiring Antonio, who refused to report to the Denver Nuggets, negotiated a buyout of his contract and was waived yesterday. Once he clears waivers Wednesday, McDyess is a free agent and can sign with anyone but Detroit. The rules say he must wait 30 days before he can resign with the Pistons.

I am assuming that one of the calls to McDyess' agent was from Bucks GM John Hammond, simply because Hammond is too thorough to NOT make the call. But if McDyess wouldn't report to the Nuggets (reportedly because the Nuggets are not a title contender), what chance would the Bucks have? They wouldn't be able to compete with the Celtics, Cavs, Lakers and Pistons, all of whom are very interested in signing McDyess.

It's difficult to imagine McDyess abandoning his Pistons teammates of the last four years and jumping to Cleveland or Boston, but stranger things have happened in these self-interested times. I wouldn't bet on McDyess going anywhere but back to Detroit. NBA fans should keep this in mind when reading the wishful thinking in the Cleveland and Boston media, or watching the any-rumor-for-a story channel, ESPN. In this Boston.com story, Sam Cassell, a friend of McDyess', figures his pal will wait 30 days and return to Detroit, where they've missed him in the paint already.

What's Damon Jones up to? At the tail end of the Cleveland Morning Journal McDyess story linked above (here 'tis again), the MJ tracks down former Cav Damon Jones:

Former Cavs guard Damon Jones, who was traded to Milwaukee in August but never reported, is working out in California under trainer Joe Abunassar. He’s waiting for another shot at the NBA. The Bucks don’t appear overanxious to give up on his expiring contract, which is why he’s still on their roster. Jones isn’t interested in a buyout.

So what does "Bucks don't appear overanxious to give up on his expiring contract" mean? It means that John Hammond likely views Jones and his $4.5 million contract, which expires at the end of this season, as good to have around when you've got to work out a trade. The bigger question is who else on the Bucks roster would Hammond be willing to trade? My speculation is that Bogut and R.J. are safe - and probably Ramon Sessions and the rookies. The rest will likely wait until after some more games are played.