Milwaukee Bucks Blog - The Bob Boozer Jinx : Kiki Vandeweghe

Bucks Weekend: Free to be Yi and Bobby... Joe vs. Brook Lopez... Bogut returns... Kevin McHale's T-Wolves

J.D. Mo — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 13:23:00 GMT

Bucks (18-20) @ Minnesota Timberwolves (10-25), 7pm, FSN Saturday

The T-Wolves are the Bucks third opponent this week that started off the season firing its coach. T-Wolves GM Kevin McHale took over for Randy Wittman after a 4-15 start and proceeded to lose eight straight games. Since then, however, McHale's Wolves are 6-2 and beginning to gain some confidence. They aren't beating good teams just yet, though they did win in Chicago last weekend before wins vs. Memphis and Oklahoma City this week.

T-Wolves big forward/center Al Jefferson (22.6 ppg, 10.5 rpg) will be a tough matchup for the Bucks, who could be without Andrew Bogut for the fifth straight game (back spasms). Bucks coach Scott Skiles has often played forward Charlie Villianueva's at center in Bogut's absence, but Jefferson's a handful. Guard Randy Foye is averaging 20.7 pts per game in the T-Wolves last ten.

The Wolves haven't played since Wednesday, which could make this one tough for the Bucks coming off an emotional, last-second 104-102 win against the Nets Friday. (What am I saying? Every game is tough for these Bucks, unless they're playing the Knicks.)

Luke Ridnour was the Net killer last night, saving the Bucks in the final minutes for the 4th time since Dec. 23 (the Jazz game), hitting a driving drop shot in the lane with .5 seconds left that began with a behind-the-back dribble move that floored Net Bobby Simmons. The Bucks had led by 7 after a Redd three with 3:11 to play, then sputtered ...

Bombs Away!!! Former Bucks Yi Jianlian and Simmons shot a combined 8-13 from 3-point-land for the Nets, something neither of them had the opportunity to do last season. New Jersey shot 26 three's in all. The Bucks responded by shooting 23 of their own, making ten. Yi had 16 in the 3rd quarter but then broke a pinkie. No, it wasn't from having the ball in his hands shooting so much more than he did last season.

The latest on Bogut is that Skiles is bringing him off the bench tonight. With the T-Wolves rested and the Bucks on a back-to-back, they could use his help on Jefferson. On the other hand, if he's not starting and Skiles is "keeping an eye on him" and being careful "to not overplay him," then why not leave Bogut in Milwaukee to get a couple more days of rehab for his back? The Bucks play the Wizards in Washington, D.C. Monday. ...

Bucks (17-20) vs. New Jersey Nets (18-18), 7:30pm @ Bradley Center

Yi Jianlian, Bobby Simmons, Wauwatosa East High's Devin Harris and the New Jersey Nets are in Brewtown for the first Bucks-Nets matchup since the summer trade of Yi and Bobby for Richard Jefferson. Post-trade interest aside, the Bucks are due for a win: they haven't beaten the Nets in over two years (they won Dec. 23, 2006) and have lost nine of 10 spanning three years.

Yi experienced four of those Bucks defeats in his rookie season, that miasma of sub-mediocrity that led to the firing of the GM who in 2007 drafted him against his will. And Simmons? Well, Bobby is Bobby and the Bucks lost 151 games the three years he was here. He watched many of them from the bench and the injured list, collecting about $8.6 million/yr thanks to the contract the same fired GM signed him to in 2005.

Meanwhile, the Nets are in 7th place in the Eastern Conference standings, 1.5 games ahead of the 8th place Bucks after the Bucks loss to Philly Wednesday. Given the standings, the big trade and other points of interest, such as the Bucks drafting of Joe Alexander over Brook Lopez last summer, there's plenty of rub between the Bucks and Nets to call this a budding rivalry.

That former Bucks GM shall remain nameless for the present because the Harris to be concerned about, hometown guy and Wisconsin Badger Devin, may not play tonight due to a hamstring injury. Harris, who's dribble-driving his way to an All-star season as Nets point guard, is listed as questionable. ... The bigger injury news, however, is that Bucks center Andrew Bogut will almost certainly miss his fourth game in a row due to recurring lower back problems. The Bucks are 1-5 this season without Bogut.

Bogut on Thursday told Journal Sentinel's Tom Enlund that he does not expect to play against the Nets. And he's now wondering whether the severe back problems he's suffered this season may be connected to playing for Basketball Australia in the Olympics last summer. Here's Bogut:

"... it's probably from playing all summer. I’ve got some injuries that I’ve never had before and that might be part of it. Playing all year around is tough to do."

Bogut sprained each of his ankles playing in China this summer, and also rolled an ankle during Bucks preseason. Leg injuries can lead to lower back problems, certainly, because if the wheels aren't right, the body compensates by distributing weight and pressure differently than normal. A person can throw their entire rack out of whack if they're not careful. (My yoga guru, may she rest in peace, would be proud of me right about now.)

There's a little more to it than that with Bogut and Basketball Australia, which I detailed last August when I realized that the Aussie coaches' repeated references to ankle sprains as "3-4 day things" -- even the ligament damage suffered by a women's team star -- was a signal that Aussie toughness probably involved something more than grit.

In Bogut's case the issue isn't so much that he got hurt in international play (rolled ankles being the most common basketball injuries) as it is how the injury was treated. The Bucks should seriously consider sending a team trainer along the next time their $60 million center heads Down Under to play for his country.

Bogut continues to give fairly regular updates about his injury situation on his blog. He also told JS's Enlund that he might play Saturday in Minneapolis, but don't believe him. I wouldn't expect the Bucks to put Bogut on an airplane until next week when they fly to Sacramento, which means he would miss the the T-Wolves game Saturday and the Wiz game Monday in Washington. Hopefully, Bogues will be fully recovered next Wednesday at the BC for Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat. The Bucks need him.

Now, about those New Jersey Nets ...

Kiki and Yi: One factor in the R.J. trade many Bucks fans underestimate is Nets GM Kiki Vandeweghe's pursuit of Yi in the deal. The X factor that made the Bucks and Nets trading partners last summer was Vandeweghe's belief in Yi as a player -- notsomuch Yi as the road to marketing riches from China (not that the Nets can't use the dough with hopes to build a new arena in Brooklyn) or the need for 2010 salary cap space. Yes, the Nets also made the trade for future salary cap room but they could have found it with a number of teams not the Milwaukee Bucks.

Vandeweghe worked out with Yi in the summer of 2007 while an unemployed GM, ousted from Denver. Vandeweghe was so impressed with Yi's athleticism and shooting ability that he told Yi he would "try to get him" if he got another chance at a GM post.

True to his word, acquiring Yi was one of Vandeweghe's first moves as Nets GM; and Yi's development is very much a Vandeweghe project. When Yi missed the first six days of training camp due to an ankle sprain and fell behind the team, the GM became Yi's personal coach, working with him after practice on some of the finer points of scoring in the NBA. (Vandeweghe, a 6' 8" scoring machine in his playing days, averaged 29.4 ppg in 1983-84 and ended his 14-year career with just under 16,000 points).

Needless to say, the environment in New Jersey is a bit more fertile for the young Yi than the turmoil he experienced here. It's almost as if the Nets GM believes all that hype about Yi being the second coming of Dirk Nowitzki.

So how's Yi doing? He's started all 36 Nets games and is having a good week, with games of 20 and 22 points against soft competition in Memphis and Sacremento. After the Memphis game Wednesday, netsphobia gave this assessment of Yi at HOOPLAH.. NATION:

"Yi, for the first time this season showing some consistency that had been missing all the long, again in this game, no over-reliance on his jump shot but rather going in and out, playing in the post, and then coming back out for some pick and pops ..."

Sounds like the concerns Bucks fans had last season about Yi not mixing it up in the paint as well or as much as a 7-footer should. Don't expect a brand new Yi tonight. Still, in about the same amount of playing time, Yi's scoring and defensive rebounding are up compared to last season: 10.6 ppg, 6.7 overall rpg as a Net; his offensive rebounding is down a bit, probably a function of Yi playing farther away from the basket in New Jersey than he did here.

Further away from the basket? In New Jersey, Yi shoots the three. In Milwaukee, he shot from downtown about once every three games but now shoots the threeball nine times as often, 2.6 threes per game --and they're going in at a rate of 38%. That's the same percentage R.J. is shooting and higher than Michael Redd's 34%. It seems the Nets have a good handle on how to bring Yi along.

Yi's defense, btw, still needs a lot of work.

Since he's here, might as well mention the All-star flap over the possibility of Chinese voters vaulting Yi into a starting spot on the East squad over Kevin Garnett. C'mon folks, just because you can doesn't mean it's right. Who am I kidding? Why would Americans expect geo-political basketball to be any different from geo-political politics?

Oh, and let's not forget Bobby Simmons: He's starting at small forward for the Nets, playing about 26 mins per game and shooting more than half of his shots from three-point land. He's hitting 42% of them to lead the Nets, and has climbed up to 16th on the active career 3-point shooters list that I like so much. Bobby Simmons can shoot a basketball and is paid $10.6 million this year to score 8 points per game. 'Nuff said.

With no Bogut in the paint for the Bucks, look for Nets rookie center Brook Lopez to be a factor tonight. Lopez is averaging 10 pts, 8 rebs and 2 blks since taking over the starting job from Josh Boone (who gives Bogut trouble) when Boone was injured in November. Boone's back but the starting job is Brook's. This surfer dude Cali kid was drafted 10th last summer behind Joe Alexander and three other guys who are playing less, nine (including Joe) who are winning less while only Derrick Rose in Chicago and O.J. Mayo in Memphis are being asked to do as much.

Did I mention Lopez is 7-feet tall? Ball Don't Lie called it before the draft. Brook Lopez seems now like he should have been a no-brainer pick for the Bucks.

The Bob Boozer Jinx has responded to this fit of hindsight by dispatching Bob Boozer Jinx Girl Meghan to get to the bottom of the Bucks draft day puzzle, wrapped as it is in an enigma, cocooned in questions and twisted like a Steely Dan lyric. I'm pleased to report that progress has been made, especially since Meghan has more time on her hands now that she's no longer dancing with Energee!. But for now, draftday regrets give Bucks fans another reason to pay attention to the Nets.

The Nets are the youngest team in the league, well-position for the 2010 free agent bonanza that includes Lebron.

Nets players think seeing Richard Jefferson in a Bucks uniform will be weird. R.J. happens to be the 2nd-leading scorer in Nets history, which I didn't realize until I read it on Yahoo. I'll bet you a New Jersey Nets trash can that you can't name the leading scorer in Nets history -- and no basketball-reference cheating. I guessed right the first time, and so can you.

Skiles vs. the Redd-ites: A strange phenomenon has been occurring. I write something after the Raptors game such as: "While it was great to get the win, wasn't this one eerily similar to the way the Bucks have played in the past few years? A lot of jumpshooting and not a heckuva lot of defense ..."

After the Philly loss, coach Scott Skiles said much the same thing:

"It's basically our fifth game in a row where we're lacking any sort of will to defend. We got away with it a couple games. This is reminiscent of the past couple years - Bucks basketball - go out and play no defense, don't give much of an effort and try to outscore people. We were fortunate the other night (against Toronto) we got away with it. Tonight we didn't."

Just thought I'd mention it. The Scott Skiles Bucks need to show up soon with some defense and ball movement. The Redd-ite approach doesn't produce wins, how quickly some forget, and it seems like it's starting to settle in like it did in seasons past. This, and not Bogut's injury, is the issue of the weekend for the Bucks.

Skiles went on to say that he thought the Bucks played a total of 37 minutes of solid defense in the last five games (most of it against Houston) and is hoping things will tighten up after a day of practice Thursday.

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Note: That's a real trash can, dear readers, available on the China trade network. Don't be so sure, however, about this alleged contest.

Bucks trade: Why Williams was a Mo' better fit for Cavs than Michael Redd; plus more Luke video

J.D. Mo — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 09:39:00 GMT

Who is this guy to the left and what does he have to do with the Mo Williams trade to Cleveland?

That's New Jersey Nets GM Kiki Vandeweghe, who instigated the trade that sent the Nets Richard Jefferson to the Bucks for Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons.

The two events that dictated the Bucks direction this summer and left Mo Williams the odd man out in the backcourt were the hiring of coach Scott Skiles and the Jefferson trade with the Nets. Those events may also have been two of the luckiest breaks the Cleveland Cavaliers have received in the Lebron James era.

In Skiles, the Bucks hired a coach who preaches defense and ball movement like religion and demands pass-oriented point guard play, that elusive "true point guard" stuff you hear so much about in the NBA. Mo, despite his growth as an offensive player over the last three years, had developed a prolific scoring game not only for himself but for opposing point guards who ripped through the Bucks league-worst defense.

If the writing was on the wall for Mo when Skiles was hired, notice was duly served when Vandeweghe and the New Jersey Nets set out to acquire Yi Jianlian. Just as quickly as Bucks GM John Hammond could say "done deal," the Bucks course was locked on a double-barreled offense featuring Jefferson and Michael Redd, rendering Mo and his offensive talents expendable. Nobody in Milwaukee was eager to give the troubled Redd-Williams backcourt another go-around anyway.

Many Bucks fans are aware of all the above, but it seems some in national media just can't get a grasp on why the Bucks made this trade. ESPN's John Hollinger spent a good chunk of his column Thursday not comprehending it, wondering if "Herb Kohl's shadow government" forced Bucks GM John Hammond to make the trade. (Wish I'd made that up but I didn't; Hollinger truly does sound confused).

The Cavaliers had been desperate to find a 2nd scoring option to Lebron James since their season ended in Boston in May, and had been pursuing a trade for Michael Redd. (Who can forget the Paint Cleveland Redd campaign?) With the Jefferson trade June 26th, suddenly the Cavs found their targeted 2nd option off-limits. This development could be called a blessing in disguise were it not so poorly disguised. The smart, simple answer had always been Mo. And Mo was very available without the many high risks and costs involved with acquiring Redd. The Cavs were not a team that should ever have been interested in taking those risks. Despite the disappointing game seven loss to the Celtics, Cleveland had impressed in the playoffs that they were much closer to championship level than many observers had thought. Of course, they needed to to improve. Next season is the first of two more title shots before Lebron becomes an unrestricted free agent, and big men Ben Wallace and Zydrunas Ilgauskas aren't getting any younger. But no drastic roster change was necessary for the Cavs to contend next season.

For all the talk from Cavs fans that a Redd acquisition would put the Lebrons over the top, there were just as many Bucks fans saying "please, take him." The Bucks guard would have come with a heavy price, the obvious being his gaudily expensive contract ($51 million over three years). Without Redd's salary, the Cavs boast the NBA's second-highest payroll and pay over $10M to the league in luxury tax. Add to those costs the prospect of the Cavs giving up valuable pieces of their contending roster to get Redd -- forward-center Anderson Varejao the most rumored player. But perhaps most importantly, Redd's offensive makeup could have posed some serious challenges to the Cavs on-court chemistry. True, the Cavs have long sought a dangerous 2nd option -- and even wooed Redd in 2005 free agency -- but Michael Redd hasn't been a 2nd option since 2003 when he was the 3rd or 4th option for the Bucks, gunning three-pointers in the sixth man's role. Too much change might have been disastrous for the Cavs; with Redd, big changes would have been required of both player and team.

Contrary to popular belief, Redd in Milwaukee has not primarily been the off-the-ball spot-up shooter type who stretches defenses that the Cavs were looking for. Redd got his points last season lowering his shoulder and driving to the hoop out of isolation, shooting long range jumpers (out of isolation), posting up smaller defenders and converting from the foul line, where he was 13th in the NBA in free throws made and attempted. He's accustomed to controlling the ball. Let's look at how Redd scored and compare it to Mo within the context of Lebron James and the Cavs.

Breaking down the shooting stats at 82games.com, no less than 49.34% of Redd's 22.7 ppg scoring came on "inside shots" and free throws. As a two-point jumpshooter (42% made) and three-point shooter (36.3%) Redd had the kind of 2007-08 season that shatters myths about "great" shooters. He hasn't been a great shooter for a couple of years. Although the shooting stats bear out the truth of this statement, they won't stop arguments about it.

Contrast this with Mo, who scored 66.9% of his 17.2 ppg on 3-pointers and 2-point jumpshots. Mo led the Bucks in 3-point shooting and was second in the NBA to Kyle Korver in 2-point jumpshooting, and was easily the teams best shooter last season. Mo added 5.7 ppg on inside shots and free throws. He also led in free throw shooting (85.6%).

Now let's look at Lebron, who was remarkably not so good shooting from the outside and tallied 64% of his 30 ppg on inside shots and free throws -- 19.2 ppg.

On paper, it certainly looks like Mo will be the better compliment to Lebron's penetration and open court game than Redd would have been. A good half of Redd's typical offense is similar to much of what Lebron does. The overlapping of like-styles isn't always so complementary, a good example being the Vince Carter-Richard Jefferson pairing that didn't work out as planned in New Jersey. Whereas Mo is a shot in the arm, a natural and fiscally sane fit, Redd could have been very expensive weird science.

Mo vs. Redd when they're not shooting:

One advantage to Redd is that he is a superior post up player, something for Skiles to exploit next season. Redd, listed at 6' 6", is the better rebounder than Mo, too, but the Cavs, the top rebounding team in the league, were not looking for rebounding in the Bucks backcourt.
The rest of the comparison goes Mo's way. He shot much better than Redd last season - a result of better shot selection in addition to shotmaking. Mo runs the floor better than Redd, hustles more, is the better passer, handles the ball extremely well and can break a defending point guard down to free himself for a 15-20 foot jumper seemingly at will, much like Sam Cassell used to. Both Redd and Mo can break a defense down, but Mo is more likely to make a pass out of penetration.
Mo and Redd are equally terrible defenders.

Cavs GM Danny Ferry on Mo Williams to Journal Sentinel yesterday:

"I think playing with LeBron, he's someone who can help push the tempo a little bit and help LeBron and other guys get easier baskets. I like him. I think he's a competitive player who can make big shots and one of those guys capable of rising to important times."

Mo' money for Cleveland

In addition to the obvious savings with Mo -- $8.6 million avg annual salary to Redd's $17M -- the Cavs now have $2 million that they didn't have before the trade. In dumping the combined salaries of Damon Jones ($4.45M) and Joe Smith ($4.8M) in exchange for Mo's $8.3M 2008-09 salary, the Cavs shaved their payroll by about $1 million, which in turn reduces the team's luxury tax payment to the league by about $1M.

The Cavs will save even more if - as the Akron Beacon Journal's Brian Windhorst expects - acquiring Mo Williams removed any leverage point guard Delonte West may have had in his contract negotiations. The Cavs offered West the minimum $2.8M to play this season, after which he'd become an unrestricted free agent. West, a much better defender than Mo but not as dynamic offensively -- would either back Mo up at point or start alongside him. Assuming he takes the offer, which he is expected to do, the Cavs save the bigger raise he might have received and the luxury tax that would have come with it. Cavs Gm Ferry when delivering the corporate report on the immediate fiscal impact of the Mo trade, can say the team saved anywhere from $3-5 million on its 2008-09 books.

The Cleveland end of this deal is so filled with positives, I can't help but wonder if there are future considerations due the Bucks. Cavs' forward-center Anderson Varejao would still be a great fit alongside Andrew Bogut in the Bucks frontcourt. Oklahoma City also has a power forward of interest, Chris Wilcox. One would hope that it's understood at least tacitly that Bucks GM Hammond, when he took on Damon Jones' contract to close this deal, earned a few chips that he can someday call in. Ferry owes him one.

The Cavs should also be sure to thank Nets GM Vandeweghe for following through on his promise to Yi that he would "come get him" if he ever got another GM job after Denver.

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The hits just keep coming for the Cavs. Now Mo is promising to play defense. He said this yesterday in a conference call interview with Journal Sentinel:

"Defense comes with a lot of different things. You've got to want to do it; you've got to have the mentality to do it. I've got away from that the last few years, for whatever reason. We can go on and on for the reasons. I'm excited about the opportunity, and I reiterate I know what it takes to win. There's no secret it takes defense."

Cavs fans can't believe their GM pulled it off. This from Paint Cleveland Redd organizer Dan Labbe at Cavaliers Corner:

"If I told you yesterday that Ferry could get a 17 and 6 point guard without giving up [Wally] Szczerbiak or Anderson Varejao, you'd have called me crazy."

Szczerbiak and Varejao, of course, were speculated to be the central pieces to the Michael Redd trade buzzing before Vandeweghe and the Nets stepped in with the offer for Yi.

It seems that if it wasn't for bad luck, Cavs fans feel they wouldn't have any luck at all. Until now. Cavalier Attitude breaks down the trade. The web editors are downright slaphappy at Cavs central: "Mo Bang from the Cavs" announces the headline of the feature on the team website. I think you get the idea.

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Looking for a good elegy to Mo Williams' last season as a Buck? The Bratwurst wrote an in depth, balanced review of the entire team back in April, and his analysis of Mo was perhaps his the masterwork of the series.

If you don't have 90-95% faith in my numbers crunching, Brewhoop is the place to go. Frank's got the fiscal impacts nailed on this trade.

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At ESPN.com, John Hollinger concludes that Oklahoma City "won" the trade because the Rawhides (I'm just going to give them a name for now) received two forwards for their rotation, Desmond Mason and Joe Smith, in exchange for two players at the end of the bench, point guard Luke Ridnour and forward Adrian Griffin. I don't agree. While the Rawhides definitely improved, I think the stakes were much, much higher for the contending Cavaliers who also instigated the trade and had to overcome a potential dealbreaker in Damon Jones' contract. It was suggested on Sportsbubbler Bucks forum earlier today that the writers at ESPN may be high. It was a just a joke at the time.

And now, it's Luke Ridnour video time:

Luke ventures into the land of the giants ...