Milwaukee Bucks Blog - The Bob Boozer Jinx : Philadelphia 76ers

Eastern Conference Preview

J.D. Mo — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:30:00 GMT

The NBA Eastern Conference got better in the offseason, and is probably stronger top to bottom than the West. Our Bucks, unfortunately did not improve for the short term. This is the inescapable Bucks reality as the 2009-10 season gets underway. Playoffs...(read more)

20 games to play: Good signs and bad as the Bucks push for the playoffs

J.D. Mo — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 12:44:00 GMT

20 games to go for the Bucks and each and every one of them is big as they fight a growing Eastern Conference rabble for a spot in the playoffs.

This week may be the topper as the Bucks take on THE two teams stalking them for the 8th place: Devin Harris' Nets (Tuesday @ the BC) and the new Bulls (Friday in Chicago). Between those critical games, the Bucks face the Lebrons in Cleveland (Wednesday).

Yes, the NBA matters in Milwaukee in March and no amount of March Madness can deny it. The Bucks ability to cling to a playoff position is becoming a bigger story with each game they play without Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut. Coach Scott Skiles is a bonafide Coach of the Year candidate.

But what's that you say? A 7th or 8th seed in the East isn't worth much? You don't have to be good to get one? And it doesn't matter anyway -- the Bucks will be busked out of the playoffs in the 1st round by Cleveland or Boston?

I say this is no time to be cynical or to worry about the Cavs and Celtics (who only seem to worry about each other) unless the Bucks happen to be playing them. In the meantime, the Orlando Magic are the only other team East team that has separated from the pack -- and the Bucks are just two games out of 6th place in the thick of a playoff race.

There will be playoff intensity at the BC tonight.

The competition for the final four or five playoff spots in the East is fierce this year. The East may not be as pretty as the teams in the West playoff hunt, but the imbalance of last year is in the past. Every team in the East playoff hunt from current #4 Atlanta to #10 New Jersey is working on a split with the West, the Bucks (11-13) included.

The problem for the East rivals, by and large, has been beating each other (and, since last Friday, beating New Orleans and Player of the Week David West if you're the Bucks, Nets or Sixers). The East teams that grab the lower rung playoff spots will need to be good in March and April. Nobody's sneaking into the 8th-spot with 34 wins like Atlanta did last season.

There are plenty of signs for the Bucks ahead (and behind) on the playoff road to encourage and discourage their chances. Here are some of the ones that I was able to read when I wasn't twiddling with the radio or trying to get the cigarette lighter to work.

Encouraging sign: The Bucks are coached by Scott Skiles, career record 310-284. Skiles most recently got the Baby Bulls to the playoffs three years in a row (2004-06), playing the same uptempo offense and constant-pressure, in-your-face defense he's implemented in Milwaukee. Skiles basketball gets teams to the playoffs.

Discouraging sign: When the Bucks play Scott Skiles basketball they are highly competitive. But they don't always play Scott Skiles basketball, particularly on defense. And in Bogut's absence, they're getting killed on the boards.

Encouraging: While the Bucks are coached by Skiles, first year coach Michael Curry in Detroit has created a Rip Hamilton-Allen Iverson mess. Chicago's rookie head coach, Vinnie Del Negro, needs a scorecard to keep track of his roster after two big trades last month. And the 76ers? Google "Philadelphia 76ers head coach" for sh*ts and giggles. (Or just hit the link).

Discouraging: The coaches don't play the games, and Chicago is now bringing John Salmons and Brad Miller off its bench, along with Kirk Hinrich. Hopefully, the Bulls have too much talent for Del Negro to manage, but ... what a nice problem to have.

Dwyane Wade in Miami and Devin Harris and Vince Carter in New Jersey will have a lot to say about how things shake out. The Bucks don't have that kind of star power. The Sixers don't either, but earned an experience edge during their playoff run last season. Detroit should just be penalized for all of its recent player drama.

Encouraging: The Bucks have played the NBA's most games (62) and road games (33). They'll finally begin reaping in March some well-earned scheduling rewards. Twelve of the Bucks final 20 are at home -- and they have 18 days off this month. That's the luxury of rest, practice, film school and prep time that many of their opponents won't have playing back-to-backs or traveling on the road.

Discouraging: There really isn't a discouraging side to the schedule. The competition isn't light in the Bucks remaining 20, but it's not backloaded with beasts either. The Heat play the Celtics and Cavs twice each in the next nine games. The Nets play the Celtics, Cavs and Magic twice more, plus the Lakers and go West for a five-game road trip.

If there is a downside, it's that the Bucks play the Magic three times (2x at home) -- but there's no reason to assume a season's sweep for the Magic. This is a good opportunity for Skiles to figure out a way to beat Dwight Howard. The Bucks play once against the Cavs, Celtics and Lakers.

Encouraging: The Bucks have the 6th best home record in the East (18-11) and a cushy six-game homestand March 7-21. The first game of the stand is this Saturday, the 2nd night of a Chicago-Golden State back-to-back. After that, the Bucks are schedule for only 6 games in 18 days, the first five at home. That's almost unheard, and then it gets better. Following the homestand, the Bucks get three down days before playing the Bosh-Marion Raptors in Toronto.

More encouraging: While the Bucks are relaxing and game-planning at home, the Bulls play three back-to-backs and go on a three-game road trip between now and March 21, when they play the Lakers. The Bucks get a crack at evening up the season series with the Bulls Friday in Chicago. Highlight the Bulls game and the Nets game Tuesday. The schedules make it difficult enough for Chicago and New Jersey to make up ground on the Bucks until late March-early April, and the Bucks can gain some control of their destiny this week.

Discouraging: The Bulls have a 2-1 record vs. the Bucks and 10 games remaining against teams in the bottom third of the league, a place the Bucks could still find themselves in before season's end. The Bucks have no excuses for not taking the Bulls seriously at this point, a problem that contributed to both losses and may yet cost the Bucks a playoff spot. The season opener Oct. 28 was one of the Bucks worst outings of the season; the loss to the Chicago at the BC March 19, the day the Bulls traded half their roster, was a big letdown. It may come back to haunt the Bucks.

Encouraging: The Bucks have no more road games scheduled against Western Conference opponents, who'll visit the BC six times the rest of the way.

Discouraging: The Bucks may be better off playing Western Conference opponents. The Bucks are 11-13 against the West and 6-9 against the nine West playoff contenders. Against the other top nine in the East, the Bucks are 5-17. Ouch. They have yet to beat Boston, Cleveland or Orlando (0-6), which doesn't excuse their patsy 5-11 record against their peers in this playoff race. The Bucks this season have feasted on the bottom 1/3 in the East this season, part of the reason NY and Charlotte are on the outskirts of the playoff race. Better them than us.

Encouraging: I'm an optimist. There is time for the Bucks to improve against their East peers. They have 6 remaining games against the Nets (2), Bulls (1), Heat (1), Sixers (1) and Hawks (1). The Bucks are finished with Detroit this season.

Encouraging: The Bucks will likely need a strong final push in April to get this done, and Andrew Bogut may return to help. A Bogut return April 8 to beat Atlanta at the BC would be the way I would write the script -- especially if I was charged with selling 2009-10 tickets to Bucks fans during Brewers season. ... Come April 13, I expect Bogut to be on the BC court, guarding Dwight Howard. I'm betting on a Bogut return for the final four or five games.

Discouraging: I may lose that bet. Bucks GM John Hammond is on record saying he won't bring Bogut back unless he's 100%. I'd settle for 90%.

Bucks Weekend Notes: Devin Harris' girlfriend vs. Richard Jefferson's wife

J.D. Mo — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 08:56:00 GMT

There's something to be said for being a New Jersey Net, whose players and former players seem to have their priorities more in order than do their Tri-state baller brethren toiling away on the New York Knicks roster.

And now, to quote Thurston Moore in SY's "Teenage Riot", it's really down, down to this: Devin Harris' girlfriend, former Dallas bartender and wannabe model Meghan (with an h, same as former Ms. Wisconsin and Bob Boozer Jinx Girl Meghan) Allen ...

vs. Richard Jefferson's wife, international supermodel Teresa Lourenco.

Who also owns bikini swimwear ...

It's like choosing between Debbie Does Dallas and Nastasia Kinski in Cat People, right?.. because those two films are so close to one another on the videostore shelves... In my mind is a cage match between Erin Andrews tush-hounding Sports by Brooks and the gay hairdresser on BET's Real Stories of Rich Atlanta Housewives.

While you're mulling that over, please enjoy these notes from the kick in the gut that was the Bucks fine weekend on the West Coast, complete with Eastern C-Notes and other fresh garbage from around the NBA ...

Hundreds of thousands of pathetic things occur in Los Angeles on a daily basis (Bret Michaels' "Rock of Love" is it?) and one of them Saturday night was the Bucks at the Staples Center, allowing the injury-depleted Clippers to walk away with a game in the 4th quarter. AND, believe it or not, Michael Redd dunked the ball in the 4th and didn't hurt himself... but keep an eye on the injury report, just in case.

I began writing this with the Bucks down 9 and 2 1/2 minutes to go. It looked like the game was over. But then Luke Ridnour stole the ball, got it to Richard Jefferson and the Clippers were gracious enough to foul R.J. in the act of shooting a three. He sank all three free throws to make it 95-89 with 2:24 to play, and there was a sliver of hope that the Bucks could rally when they got the ball back a few seconds later. But 95-90 was as close as it got. 101-92 final, a loss that coach Skiles saw coming, Tom Enlund reports.

The score was 77-76 Clippers to start the 4th. The Bucks began the quarter watching Ricky Davis bank a long jumper. On the next two Bucks possessions, Joe Alexander had his shot blocked and the ball stolen. In between Joe's troubles, Steve Novak hit a three for the Clips and the Bucks were suddenly down six. Skiles quickly subbed Redd, R.J. and Ridnour back into the game to no avail. The only scoring the Bucks could muster the first eight minutes of the quarter was a 3-pointer and a jumper by Ridnour, and two free throws by R.J -- Redd was 1-5 in the 4th (the dunk his lone make) after going 8-13 in quarters 1, 2 and 3 for 19 pts. That's no surprise at this point.

Ricky Davis (8 pts) and Novak (5 pts) took the final quarter and the game for the Clippers, despite losing F/C Marcus Camby to a sprained ankle early in the quarter. And, still, Davis and Novak cooperated with the Bucks hopes by missing five jumpers between them, and point guard Mardy Collins added a couple of more bricks to help the Bucks cause. Meanwhile, the Clippers killed the Bogut-less Bucks on the boards (48-30) and in the paint, with 2-time former Buck Brian Skinner and forward Al Thornton blocking shots and making life miserable for the Bucks in Camby's absence.

It was ugly, and both teams played lousy ball with the game on the line tonight. The Bucks were lousier.

Game ball to Novak. The 3rd year pro out of Marquette delivered the lead for the Clippers with two Bucks-deflating jumpers (one from downtown) in that 7-8 minute stretch of bad 4th quarter basketball in which neither team could seize the momentum. Sometimes that's all it takes.

********************************

The Bucks on Friday held off a 4th quarter rally by the Kings in Sacramento to win 129-122. It was the kind of run-and-gun shootout they should have avoided by forcing their own brand of half court uptempo (the Scott Skiles way) but Michael Redd obliged the Kings and shot his way to a season high 44 points -- all of it before the 4th quarter, which opened with the Bucks leading by 15. Before long in the final period that lead was down to 2 points and the Bucks were fighting to avoid a blown game. Charlie Villanueva, who finished with 25 pts, 12 rebs, picked up the scoring load and point guard Luke Ridnour (17 pts, 10 assists) was able to restore order in the final minutes. It was the Bucks 20th win against 22 losses and coach Scott Skiles didn't want to hear any talk about the playoffs.

In Philly earlier Friday, the 76ers raced off of some nasty D like the Sixers of last season's run and hit a few desperation bombs to win their sixth in a row, 109-87 over Tim Duncan and the Spurs. The Sixers went to 19-20, a half game ahead of the Bucks. Big forward Elton Brand was a possible maybe Saturday to play his first game since dislocating his shoulder fouling Luc Mbah a Moute vs. the Bucks Dec. 17.

Ray Allen was cold-bloodedly efficient Saturday afternoon in New Jersey, scoring 19 pts on 12 shots, plus 6-6 free throws for 25 as the Celtics blew out the Nets 105-85. 'Tosa homie Devin Harris' girlfriend may be hot, but the loss dropped his Nets to 9th in the East standings, a half game behind the Bucks.

Going into the Bucks-Clippers game, a game-and-a-half separated Philly, the Bucks, the Nets and the Bulls in the East's 7-8-9-10 spots. Milwaukee Bucks, say hello to your rivals.

Too much of a good thing in Detroit? The Pistons (22-17) lost their 4th straight Saturday, falling 91-85 to Chris Paul and the Hornets in Detroit. They were in control of the game until the 4th quarter when 'Sheed had one of those "free to be Sheed bricking three" finishes. Prior to the game, Allen Iverson wondered if there were chemistry issues with his new team. What he really meant was that the Pistons were better without fellow All-Star Rip Hamilton, winning 7 straight in his absence, but that's not the kind of thing a player says.

Since Rip came back, the Pistons have been starting small with guards Rodney Stuckey, Iverson and Hamilton, along with forwards Tayshaun Prince and Sheed. Coach Michael Curry really is a rookie coach. Bringing the Answer (remember what he did to the Bucks in November?) or Rip off the bench and going big with Amir Johnson starting alongside Sheed would help, coach. But that's not Curry's only problem: The Pistons just don't take half the NBA seriously, and neither does Curry, apparently. The power forward-rich Oklahoma City Thunder stomped past the Pistons Friday.

In Toronto Sunday, the Suns scored 71 points in the first half on their way to a 117-113 win over the Raptors. In all that first half scoring, Steve Nash took only one shot - a missed three - and did not score, being otherwise occupied orchestrating a beautifully unselfish masterpiece. Nash had 11 dimes at the half and a season high 18 for the game.

********************************

End note: The Bucks need a real shooter. A Dell Curry, Dale Ellis type (Anthony Parker?). This was an early season theme on this blog and now seems like a good time to dwell on it. Back then, I harped that the advantage was in the front court and I still think that's true when Bogut is healthy -- and especially true with the emergence of Luc Mbah a Moute. Our backcourt isn't good enough or consistent enough to win more than they lose, as creative as Ridnour is and as prolific a scorer as Redd is at times not the 4th quarter. The opposition usually comes to play with guards who are better shooters and better defenders. The Bucks do have two shooters -- Tyronn Lue and Damon Jones -- but Skiles has left his little guards on the bench; in Jones' case, in street clothes.

End note II: This from the AP Bucks-Clippers recap. "The inconsistent Bucks, coming off a 129-122 win at Sacramento, haven’t had consecutive wins or losses in their last 14 games, the longest streak in club history and the longest in the NBA since New York’s 14-game stretch in 1997-98." Meanwhile, Philly won in NY. That's 7 in a row for the Sixers without Elton Brand, who sat out again for likely the last time. The Sixers are 20-20 to the Bucks 20-23. The Bucks ended the weekend in a virtual tie with the Nets (19-22) for 8th in the East standings, with Chicago (18-23) a game behind them.

End note III: This from Ball Don't Lie's Kelly Dwyer and his Behind the Box Score look at the Bull-Cavs game the other night.

[The Bulls] got back to playing defense, running, and generally making life one big aberration for their opponents. A throwback to the Scott Skiles days, the early days, of forcing teams into giving up when things aren't going their way.

The Bucks in Skiles' first season as coach have not been there consistently like the Baby Bulls were, but they have been there. Can they find their way back with the current roster?

End note IV:

Bucks Weekend: Halfway mark stats... Bucks on the West Coast... Eastern C-notes

J.D. Mo — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:17:00 GMT

Bucks (19-22) @ Sacramento Kings (10-30), 9pm Friday, FSN

Bucks @ LA Clippers (8-30), 9:30pm Saturday, FSN

The Kings and Clippers are struggling but the Bucks would do well to stay focused in California this weekend without center Andrew Bogut, who is staying home to rehab his ailing lower back; it's never fully recuperated since he first injured it on the road in mid-December, and flared up again Monday during the Wizards game.

Avoiding a shootout with the Kings would be wise, as would remembering to play defense. (The Bucks didn't do either and nearly blew a 15-point 4th quarter lead but held on to win 129-122 - scroll down for more).

And the Clippers? Marcus Camby's playing with half a team: Zach Randolph, Baron Davis, Chris Kaman and Milwaukee rookie Mike Taylor will miss the Bucks Saturday. Expect to see former Buck x 2 Brian Skinner logging forward PT in that one.

Michael Hunt weighs in on the trade scuttlebut that's dogged the Bucks all week and says DON'T. I agree. The luxury tax issues can be worked out over the summer, and if the Bucks are not willing to move the larger contracts (Michael Redd, Richard Jefferson) and are stuck with Dan Gadzuric, don't pretend that moving bench players by the Feb. 19 trade deadline is some sort of fix. The fans deserve a team and a real direction, not a bunch of half-truth salary cap whining. 'Nuff said for now because it's time for ...

BUCKS MIDWAY REPORT

The Bucks were one of first NBA teams to reach the halfway mark in the 2008-09 schedules; the others are Boston and ... Boston. The stumble the Celtics have been on since X-mas likely has something to do with this, as Paul Pierce in particular has looked weary and Ray Allen has cooled off, somewhat, after a red hot start.

What does this have to do with the Bucks? Well, the only two Bucks who've played in all 41 games are the defensive stalwarts: forwards Richard Jefferson and rookie Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. Jefferson has looked as tired as Pierce since X-Mas, and 22-year-old Mbah a Moute, who's never played such a compressed basketball schedule in his life, has aged before Bucks fans eyes. The strain of the schedule seems written on Luc's face.

The Bucks are 5-6 since X-mas and, after the loss to D-Wade, Daequan Cook (who?) and the Heat Wednesday, fell behind the 76ers in the Eastern Conference standings. While the Bucks are still on the fall-down, bounce-back pogo, the Sixers have picked up the pace, are running again and have won 5 straight -- remember last season? Look out for Philly, a team that's already handed the Bucks two of their 22 losses. The Bucks now head West for three games in four nights, beginning Friday in Sacramento.

Let's look now beyond the standings at where the Bucks stand after 41 games. (Sources: Basketball-reference.com and NBA.com)

Games played: R.J. and the Prince lead the league with 41, of course, tied for first with four Celtics: Pierce, Allen, Rondo and Powe. R.J. is 10th in minutes played, with the aforementioned Ray Allen and Paul Pierce just ahead of him in the top 5. (Seems Doc Rivers rides his stars even more than Skiles has ridden R.J.).

Top Ten in defense: The Bucks rank 8th in team defense (defensive effeciency it's called, or points allowed per 100 possessions). They've slipped somewhat of late, as they've fallen into the old, bad habit of trying to simply outscore the opposition, which, as we know, leads to sub-30 win seasons.

Opponent FG% - Bucks are 13th, allowing 45.2% opponent shooting.

Opponent 3-point shooting: Bucks are 15th, allowing 36.2%. This has been a problem of late, as the Sixers, Nets, T-Wolves, Wizards and Heat (Daequan Cook) have scorched the nets from the land of Reggie in the last week.

Opponent 3-point shooting in 27 games Redd has played: 39.8% (182-457). I isolated this stat after the T-Wolves game on Saturday, and it's gotten worse since. The Wiz and the Heat this week shot 50% (14-28) on 3's vs. the Bucks, who were lucky, perhaps, that the Wiz didn't shoot more of them. The games-Redd-played-% would be bad for 28th in the NBA in defending the 3-pointer, one percentage point away from dead last. I suppose Bucks fans could blame Charlie Bell -- he's missed 9 games since Redd came back Nov. 29.

Steals per game: Bucks rank 21st.

The Bucks are not stocked with great athletes and natural defenders, so one might wonder how they're a top 10 defensive team while falling to the bottom half of the league in these other areas. I'd say the answer is that Redd missed 14 games and the Bucks D earned a solid, active defensive presence in those games. I'd also defer the question to coach Scott Skiles, whose constant pressure D scheme has a way of evening things out, as they're among the league leaders in turnovers forced. I'd also point to the fact that the Bucks rebound the ball better than the vast majority of teams in the NBA ....

Rebounding: The Bucks are one of the top rebounding teams in the league and Andrew Bogut has everything to do with it. As a team, they rank 11th in rebounds per game, but the Bucks are 5th-best at outrebounding their opponents (nearly +3 per game), and that's the stat that matters. Guess who's ahead of them? The best teams in the NBA -- Cleveland, Boston and the Lakers -- along with Portland and its two-headed Oden-zilla center. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and Charlie Villanueva contribute heavily on the glass, and their work has won some games for the Bucks this season.

Despite missing 3 games with a mashed knee and 4 with a bad back, Bogut ranks 12th in NBA total rebounds.

Bogut is 10th in total offensive rebounds, injuries and all.

The Bucks center is 7th in the NBA with 10.4 rpg.
Bogut is 5th in the league in the % of available rebounds he grabs (19.3) and 5th in defensive rebounding % at 27%.

Among centers, Bogut the rebounder this season is looking up only at the best center on the planet, Dwight Howard of Orlando. Yes, Andris Biedrins is rebounding a bunch, but Biedrins plays on Nellie's Warriors, who shoot 1,000 shots a game. And don't get me started on Emeka Okafor -- the Bucks have played the Bobcats four times this season (won 3) and in one game, 'Cats coach Larry Brown started rookie behemoth Ajinca to keep Bogues offa Emeka. Marcus Camby in Los Angeles is an ageless wonder but in the Clips-Bucks games at the BC, big PF Zach Randolph was guarding Bogut, leaving Camby to roam free.

Bogut is making good strides in the Bob Boozer Jinx Center rankings so far and is clearly now a top ten NBA center (the rankings will be updated at the All-Star break). Let's hope he can overcome those back problems that have held him down since Dec. 17 in Philly.

Offensively, the Bucks rank 20th: This is the points-scored-per-100 possessions rating. The Bucks are not a good shooting team, and they don't get out and run as much as they should. They're moving the ball more than in years past, including Redd, which probably keeps them from ranking even lower in the offensive categories. But the main problem here is shooting, particularly from 3-point-land. Inside the arc, the Bucks aren't half bad, and Bogut is 5th in the league in FG% at 57.5%. How 'bout these Bucks get the ball to their center a little more?

3-point shooting: The Bucks are a woeful 23rd in the NBA at 34.1%. That means it's still worthwhile for the Bucks to shoot 3's but just barely.

Michael Redd: Fans will be surprised that this bad 3-ball shooting year Redd is having (with recent exceptions) is not much worse than what he shot 2003-05 and last year. Redd's shooting 34.6% from the land of Reggie, and, though it's close to what he shot 4 of the 6 seasons he's been a starter, it is the worst he's shot it in the NBA.

Richard Jefferson has been a more reliable 3-point shooter than Redd at 38.1% and Luke Ridnour really shouldn't be heaving it up there as often as he does (30.3%) -- although it's difficult to argue with the 4 or 5 games Crazy Luke and Lucky Luke have won for the Bucks draining from downtown in crunchtime.

Tyronn Lue is shooting 50% (16-32) from behind the arc, but doesn't play much.

Charlie Villanueva is coming alive in his contract year, having his best season since his rookie year in Toronto, with 13.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg in just 22 mpg. Play Charlie more? Or is Scott Skiles using him just right? Extrapolated to 36 minutes per game, Charlie would be scoring 20 pts per game, realizing of course that it doesn't always work out that way in the NBA.

My sore lower back says this was more of a midway rundown than I had planned, and I still haven't worked my way into the Ramon Sessions and Joe Alexander for Memphis point guard Mike Conley trade that never happened. Maybe that's because it still hasn't happened and I'm feeling pretty good right about now not wasting anybody's time with it. There is definitely a problem within the Bucks organization in regards to trade rumor leaks -- if you can even call them that -- and Bucks fans tend to get rolling on them whether the trade talk is real or not ... If GM John Hammond is working on silencing some of the ~~yickety yack~~ wickity wack from Bucks central, I'm all for it, though in this case some of it came out of Memphis (the reverse of the Carl Landry rumors, which resided here and were largely ignored in Houston). Here in Sconnie, a Bucks reporter from the lame-o Racine Journal Times peddles this stuff while the Bucks beat writers at the Journal Sentinel stay mum (red flag there) & their editor reminds to gloss up Michael Redd's star ...

At least Bucks fans can rest assured that they can always count on The Bob Boozer Jinx for semi-reliable & responsible bullshit.

Meanwhile, in Chicago last night ....

Mo loses his running mate: As it was, the East-leading Lebrons went into Chicago playing without their starting big men, Zydrunas Ilgauskas (ankle) and Big Ben Wallace (flu). By the end of the OT loss to the newly healthy Bulls (Hinricn and Deng are back), they had also lost Delonte West. The Cavs starting guard fractured his shooting wrist and a gashed an eye after a nasty collision with Bulls rookie Derrick Rose. Looks like the Lebrons will be without two starters for some time (Big Z and West), which will put the onus on point guard Mo Williams and the Cavs bench to make up West's scoring (12.3 ppg). Where they'll really miss him is on D: West is Cleveland's top backcourt defender, and, well, Bucks fans are well aware of Mo's liabilities on D. West was 2nd on the Cavs in minutes played behind Lebron.

The Bucks don't play the Cavs again until Feb. 20, when Z is almost certainly to be back. West will be out for an indeterminate while.

Not to be missed in Chicago: The Bulls are healthy again. Kirk Hinrich is back, mangled hand recovered, and Luol Deng also returned last week after missing 8 games with an ankle sprain. The 17-22 Bulls beat the Cavs 102-93 Thursday in Chicago to finish 1-3 against the Lebrons for the season. They're a game behind the Bucks in the East standings but a game ahead in the loss column, which means they're basically tied with the Bucks for 9th in the East behind Philly and New Jersey, if that makes any sense.

KD Dwyer's Behind the Box Score featured this story, and made this reference to Scott Skiles' Baby Bulls:

[The Bulls] got back to playing defense, running, and generally making life one big aberration for their opponents. A throwback to the Scott Skiles days, the early days, of forcing teams into giving up when things aren't going their way.

Point being: The Bucks road to the playoffs is not an easy road. Shame on Bucks fans over the last couple of weeks who started talking playoffs d*** near every time the Bucks won a game. Enough of that Redd-ite thinking. The East is tougher this year than it's been since the 2002-03 season. And it's time for the Bucks to start playing like the Scott Skiles Bucks.

It's BUCKS WEEKEND ... more to come.

As awe-inspiring as that photo is, Chris Kaman is not ... but he's funny. Unfortunately, Bucks fans will robbed this season of the classic Kaman-Bogut showdown, as Kaman will miss Saturday's Bucks game in LA, still nursing a stressed arch in his right foot. Or maybe it's the left one.

Keeping pace: Bucks vs. 76ers notes... Bogut injury watch

J.D. Mo — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 19:47:00 GMT

Bucks (17-19) vs. Sixers (14-20), 7pm @ Bradley Center

... The latest on Bogut's back is that it's day-to-day, and the Bucks don't know whether he'll be able to play tonight against Philly and his nemesis, Sam Dalembert. It doesn't sound good. Bogut now says that in addition to his back spasms, his hip is bothering him too.

The Yao factor: Dalembert and the Sixers faced Yao Ming and the Rockets Tuesday in Philly and won. Bogut was exhausted by the 4th quarter in Houston last week, having played Tim Duncan and Yao on consecutive nights. In fact, AB hasn't been the same since. The Sixers played Duncan and the Spurs Sunday, so Dalembert and the Sixers' other tower, Theo Ratcliff, should be well worn down by the time they get to Milwaukee. .... In addition to the Bucks game being the second of a back-to-back for the Sixers, it is the 8th in a stretch where the Sixers have played in 8 different cities, seven since X-mas.

Road weary, Yao'd out -- the Bucks should grab any edge they can against the Sixers, an overtly athletic gang that can't shoot straight but has been tough on the Redd-ites. Last season the Sixers exploited the Bucks lack of athleticism better than any other team in the league -- and they did it again in Philly Dec. 17.

It was coach Scott Skiles' first "really bad taste in the mouth" game (the other was Saturday in Charlotte). Philly, like Toronto and the Nets (the Bucks opponent Friday) is the Bucks competition for the lower tier Eastern Conference playoff spots. Like Toronto, the Sixers are looking to turn their season around after a rough start in which their coach (Mo Cheeks) was fired.

Pace is the key: The Sixers attack defensively and race the full court with Andre Iguodala, Lou Williams and rookie Marreese Speights blowing past slower, plodding teams, which the Bucks can still be when the jumpshots aren't falling and the offense stagnates around Redd. The Sixers kicked it into overdrive vs. the Bucks Dec. 17th after power forward Elton Brand separated his shoulder fouling Luc Richard Mbah a Moute on a drive. Integrating Brand's postup game into the offense had slowed the Sixers down, and they've picked up the pace while he's been recovering from the injury. These Sixers get first to a lot of loose balls and turn on the speed after long rebounds.

Scott Skiles after the Sixers loss: "We had a bunch of guys who looked like they didn't feel like playing from the opening tip. We were just heavy-legged, slow-footed. We couldn't get up and down the floor and had tremendous trouble guarding them. We got exactly what we deserved."

Bogut, at least, had an excuse: He woke up the day of the Philly game with severe back pains and learned later that two of his vertabrae were "stuck," as he described it on his blog. Though Bogut has only missed these last two games, he has struggled to get game-ready for the last three weeks. No word yet whether he'll play tonight. It would be too bad if he didn't -- Bogut's due for a good game against Dalembert.

Bogut's avg. line vs. Dalembert, last three meetings: 4 pts, 4.7 rebs, 4.7 assists, 1 block, 2 steals and 3.7 turnovers per game. Here's a good Philly fan take on the ups and downs of Dalembert from The Recliner GM, where I found the above photo of Dalembert blocking Devin Harris' shot last April.

Charlie Bell has played very well lately and seems to have finally recovered from ankle and knee problems that have dogged him since the start of the season. Bell hit big 4th quarter shots in the wins over the Spurs and Raptors, and, generally, has been the Bucks most consistent player the last five games. Bell's 9-16 from 3-point-land in those games. He played well in Philly Dec. 17 with 14 points; the player to watch off the Bucks bench in tonight's game.

TRADE RUMORS

Bucks request waivers on Austin Croshere: Oh, let the trade speculation fly ... Damon Jones suited up Monday for the first time but did not play. Croshere's salary ($797,000) was not guaranteed, so releasing him is, at first glance, a money-saving move. The Bucks now have 14 players on the roster. With Bogut and reserve forward Malik Allen out Monday with injuries (Malik has missed 13 of 14 games with fractured ribs), Jones took the 12th active spot on the Bucks bench.

Tom Enlund interviews John Hammond, and does his best to get to the bottom of what releasing Croshere might mean for the immediate future. No luck, beyond "we're keeping our options open." Enlund points out that Croshere's salary would have become guaranteed in a few days, by NBA rule, so the Bucks saved a good half million or so by waiving him. It also frees a roster spot should the Bucks trade one player for two ... or three.

Steady rollin' Joe: Big forward Joe Smith is the kind of player that many Bucks fans would like to see return to Milwaukee, even for a few months. Joe is playing out the final year of his contract in Oklahoma City, where he went last August from Cleveland as part of the Mo Williams-Luke Ridnour trade. Two weeks ago, it was speculated that OK City could be a destination for Charlie V, who doesn't appear to be in the Bucks future plans, and guard Tyronn Lue, in exchange for one of the Thunder's power forwards: Smith, Nick Collison or Chris Wilcox. ... But the Bucks aren't the only team interested. Apparently the Celtics had hoped the Thunder would buy out Smith's $4.5m contract so they could add his good shooting and veteran defense for their playoff run. No go for Joe -- the Thunder prefer things the way they are. The Boston Globe also reports that Collison, Wilcox, forward Damien Wilkins and guard Earl Watson are Thunder players other teams are likely to pursue this month and next.

45 days until the Feb. 19 trading deadline, and the tradewinds are blowing all over the league. The latest out of Cleveland, from News-Herald columnist Bob Finnan, is that the Cavs, the team that seems to have everything except a healthy center (Big Z Ilgauskas will miss most of this month with an ankle injury), may be looking for a shooting guard after all. Could the Cavs be losing faith in shooter Daniel Gibson off the bench? The Cavs are still interested in Michael Redd, of course, should the Bucks be in the market for teams with an interest in Redd.

Jermaine O'Neal: Finnan also reports that the Raptors have contacted "at least a half dozen teams" looking for takers for O'Neal, acquired last summer in a trade with the Indiana Pacers for T.J. Ford. The Raptors had hoped O'Neal would make them an East playoff contender but he can't stay healthy -- which the Raptors knew before they traded for him. Bucks should stay very far away from any O'Neal offers, unless the Raptors are willing to take Dan Gadzuric for the next two-and-a-half years. Even so, if Bucks GM Hammond was considering a deal like this, one in which the Bucks would have to give up multiple players for one remarkably expensive ($21 million!!) player, would he have waived Croshere? Probably not.

A deal Toronto may be able to make: Small forward Josh Howard from the Dallas Mavs for PF/C Andrea Bargnani, and shooter Anthony Parker. The trade rumors coming out of Toronto have been nonstop since December, as it's obvious the Raptors are not going to sit still with a team that is less competitive after the O'Neal trade than it was last season. Most of the roster is on the trading block.

Thinking about how the Bucks might view the availability of all of these Raptors: Bargnani, the 2006 #1 overall draft pick and an excellent shooter, would be an interesting complement to Bogut. However, acquiring him would create an almost desperate need for a more athletic banger at power forward to help in the paint.

Cuban on buying the Cubs: Josh Howard's not the foremost thing on Dallas Mavs owner Mark Cuban's mind. Cuban in the last few days backed off on his bid to buy the Cubs -- but don't read my explanation of what went down: Cuban yesterday posted his thoughts on the Cubs negotiations at his blogsite, blog maverick. Simply titled "The Cubs," it might be the most interesting sports story to read today (after the Bob Boozer Jinx of course) -- especially for Brewers fans wanting to keep up with the goings-on of those hated North Siders. How often does one get a billionaire sports owner's first hand account of his attempt to buy a baseball team? Good stuff.