Milwaukee Bucks Blog - The Bob Boozer Jinx : Richard Jefferson

Ersan returns... Final Summer League Highlights... RJ and who?...

J.D. Mo — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 01:49:00 GMT

Ersan down, Sessions to go ... The Bucks confirmed another step in the right direction, agreeing to terms with Ersan Ilyasova this week. The 6'9" forward was last in Milwaukee in 2006-07, and spent the last two years in playing in the Euroleague...(read more)

RJ to the Spurs... Bucks get Pistons' Amir Johnson

J.D. Mo — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 01:32:00 GMT

With only 11 players signed for next season and very little room under the luxury tax threshold to fill a full roster, Bucks GM John Hammond did what he had to do -- and traded forward Richard Jefferson. RJ went to the Spurs today for backup forward/center Kurt Thomas (age 36) and the expiring (nonguaranteed 2009-10) contracts of defensive specialist Bruce Bowen (age 38) and Fabricio Oberto, another backup big.

What's that you say? Couldn't the Bucks have done a little better in trading perhaps their most marketable healthy player? Well, Hammond wasn't done. He then dealt Oberto to the Pistons for forward/center Amir Johnson, Journal Sentinel reported a couple of hours ago. That's better.

True, Johnson's not a bonafide starter in the NBA but is just 22 years old and has already made some strides. Unfortunately, he wasn't coming along fast enough in Detroit, where his slow progress (as well as that of forward Jason Maxiell) was a contributing factor to the Pistons plunge to mediocrity last season.

Here's the Bucks press release and comments from GM Hammond:

“The trade we made today provides us with much needed options in both the short and long-term planning for our franchise. We acquired a young, long, athletic forward in Amir Johnson, along with two proven, tough-minded veterans in Bruce Bowen and Kurt Thomas. The trade also provides us with additional opportunities, both now and in the future, to consider adding more pieces to our roster.”

At the end of the day, the Bucks got older but added two pretty good big men, Thomas and Johnson; about $6 million in payroll relief; and one of the best defenders in the league, Bowen.

Bowen's $4.1 million contract, however, is a team option that the Bucks don't have to pick up. This means that Hammond has created enough room to pay their draft picks (the 10th pick is set to make $1.8 mill; the 2nd round pick would make the league minimum, about $800,000) and Ramon Sessions AND Charlie Villanueva -- though it still seems unlikely that the Bucks will sign both.

With defense at a premium for coach Scott Skiles and Michael Redd a big question mark coming back from knee surgery, it's in the Bucks best interest to keep a guy like Bowen around -- 38 years-old and all -- rather than invest in a player like Charlie V who probably isn't in the long range plan. Bowen, a forward-guard, brings a lot of toughness and can guard nearly anybody on the court -- forwards who were RJ's covers as well as guards that would be Redd's covers. There's no doubt that Bowen is a Scott Skiles kind of player who would be a great fit in the new Bucks culture. He'd certainly fill Jeffferson's leadership role and be an even better defensive coach on the floor.

For me, the bottom line is that, if you had to trade Richard Jefferson, far better to bring in a guy like Bowen who can help continue the work with young players like Luc Mbah a Moute and Ramon Sessions than it would be to cut Bowen loose. Veteran leadership, as we saw in the Finals, has great value in the NBA.

Here's how the Bucks payroll looked prior to the deal with Detroit -- $62.8 mill before the deal for Johnson. The only real difference there is that the Bucks are on the hook to pay Johnson next season, while they could have cut Oberto loose to create more cap relief.

The salary cap and luxury thresholds haven't been released yet, but it's safe to assume that the luxury tax limit will be static -- about the same $71.2 million it was last season, although the new limit may be slightly lower.

Add the salaries for the draft picks and the Bucks are left with a 15-man roster and about $5 or $6 million to pay Sessions OR Villanueva -- plus flexibility with Bowen and Salim Stoudamire's non-guaranteed contracts.

Here are the players involved and their money, and some notes for review:

RJ was set to make $14.2 million next season and $15.2 mill the following season.

Kurt Thomas - $3.8 mill next season.

Bruce Bowen - $4.1 mill next season, not guaranteed.

Amir Johnson - $3.66 mill next season.

Bucks current payroll: $62.8 million, with about $5 mill (Bowen and Salim Stoudamire) the Bucks can opt out of.

Cost of the 2009-10 draft picks: $2.6 million

Estimated room under luxury tax limit: $5-6 million

Estimated room under luxury tax limit if Bowen is released: $9-10 million

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.

No tanking for this Bucks team... Bogut injury update

J.D. Mo — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 06:59:00 GMT

The Bucks, lo and behold, for the first time in three years, are playing out a season, and giving the kind of effort fans need to see every night at the BC. The New Jersey Nets, ~~playing without Devin Harris again Monday~~ just plain sucking, are headed the other way.

The 58-16 Lakers, the Bucks opponent tonight at the BC (7pm start), have other concerns. They're road weary and this week lost ground on the Cavs in the race for the league's best record and home court advantage throughout the playoffs. The Lakers, now three games behind the Cavs, lost in Charlotte last night, their second straight after winning four in a row on the road. When they hit Milwaukee, Kobe and crew will be on the 2nd night of a back-to-back and playing the last game of a seven-game road trip. If Kobe shoots 11-28 as he did in Charlotte, the Bucks have a shot.

Charlotte (34-40) swept the Lakers this season and pulled within a game of the (36-40) Bulls in the race for 8th as the Bulls lost in Indiana. Speaking of not tanking, the Pacers (32-43) haven't given up on the season and are now tied with the Bucks for 10th in the East.

No tanking allowed: Andrew Bogut dealt with this tanking business in his blog Tuesday, deciding it shouldn't be allowed.

"We have been up and down, but don’t doubt that we are still fighting. A lot of people are already counting us out and want us to so-called ‘tank’ for a lottery pick. The way I look it at is tanking only builds bad habits. It’s not something you should be allowed to do. I commend our franchise and head coach for letting everyone know we will fight as long as there is a game left on our schedule.

Bogut injury update: It was reported that Bogut went to the doctor Monday in New Jersey but he now says on his blog that he didn't make the appointment. He says he was scheduled take the final scan of his lower back in NY Monday but was too ill to keep the appointment.

Although he missed the test, it sounds as though he's ready to start working out, and is awaiting final confirmation. Whether that means he'll play in a game remains to be seen. The way the Bucks have continued to press on even as their hopes for the playoffs have dwindled would suggest that elimation from the playoff picture probably won't impact the decision on whether or not to play Bogut. The Bucks are treating these games as though they have meaning; if Bogut's ready to play some minutes, he'll play.

Time is running out, however, for Bogut to get in decent game shape.

The Bucks, just 5-14 since their 3-game winning streak right around the All-Star break/trading deadline, have continued to play as though the games have meaning, emphasizing the need to build an 82-game, playoff mindset. The only change is that Joe Alexander's playing time has picked up -- he played nearly 50 minutes total against the Heat and Nets, the most he's played in a 2-game stretch all season. Joe had 16 points in New Jersey, his season high.

Death to the NY/New Jersey press: An insightful article from the New Jersey Star-Ledger in which Richard Jefferson jokes that he "probably would have killed somebody" had he not been traded from the Nets. When reporter Dave D'Alessandro prodded a little to find out whom RJ might have killed, he learned that "it could have very easily been" him.

It's an interesting look at where the Nets were at last summer when they traded RJ to the Bucks. Yes, the Nets were looking for future salary cap space (2010) and thought Yi Jianlian would be a good and popular addition (this isn't working out so well) but there was also a need to end the RJ-Vince Carter tandem. This didn't get much attention in Milwaukee when the trade was made but I did note it here as part my reasoning that Mo Williams was a better fit for Cleveland than Michael Redd would have been (the overlapping of like styles bit, hinging on Redd not being as much of a spot up shooter as people seem to think he is). Would Redd and Lebron have complemented each other as well as Mo and Lebron have? Or would they have ended up like VC and RJ?

Jefferson had this to say about the current state of the Bucks:

"You're supposed to come out here and continue to play hard and these guys have played their butts off. We have been playing as hard as we can. We haven't played as well as we would have liked. But guys have put it out there."

Bucks Weekend: Skiles, Jefferson of single mind about defense

J.D. Mo — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 20:01:00 GMT

Does it matter if the Bucks make the playoffs? If their defense doesn't improve to the point where they can consistently gain control of games with it, then maybe there was never a point to making the playoffs.

The Bucks are in Florida to try to figure out a way to beat Dwight Howard and the Magic after an uninspiring performance against the Raptors -- and the coach and his veteran leader are not even concerned about whether their shots go through the hoop or not. They want to talk about defense.

"Congratulations," I said to Z-man the Bulls fan, the only other guy in Axel's (on Oakland) Wednesday night watching "the NBA TV" - everybody else was into the Kentucky-Notre Dame NIT game on the other TVs. "Looks like you guys are gonna make it to the playoffs."

Z-man: "It doesn't matter."

JDMo: "Why not?"

Z-man: "Derrick Rose."

JDMo: "Hinrich playing the point was pretty effective against Detroit ... and the Bucks."

Z-man: "Doesn't matter."

JDMo: "Why not?"

Z-man: "Derrick Rose."

Point being: What's good for Derrick Rose is good for the Bulls right now. If making the playoffs and losing to Boston, Cleveland or Orlando in the first round is good for Derrick Rose, good. If the Bulls make the playoffs relying on Kirk Hinrich to win an extra game or two, no good for Rose. It's better to lose with Derrick Rose playing heavy minutes than to win with Hinrich, no offense to Kirk Hinrich. In fact, Bulls GM John Paxson issued that decree to coach Vinnie Del Negro after some great 4th quarters by Hinrich not too long ago (one against the Bucks Feb. 18).

What does this have to do with the Bucks? Well, if culture change is what it's all about in Milwaukee (and that's what GM John Hammond and Scott Skiles have said it is) then that's the mission Skiles and Richard Jefferson have to be concerned about. Making the playoffs was only important if it grew out of the culture change, which is why GM Hammond spurned offers for RJ at the trading deadline. The message was, continue the work of establishing a winning culture built on defense, whether Joe Alexander or Andrew Bogut or Michael Redd or Damon Jones is on the court, whether the 2009-10 budget can include free agent Charlie Villanueva or not.

Although the Bucks have a core of defensive-minded players in RJ, Luc Mbah a Moute, Charlie Bell and Keith Bogans, the job isn't finished. Where the Bucks are playing, who you're playing, whether they are playing in the regular season or the playoffs, doesn't matter -- as Jefferson pointed out to Tom Enlund after the Toronto game:

“I’m not about starting off trips or ending trips. You’ve got to try and play good basketball. You know, (talking about) ending a home stand, or starting off a home stand,…those type of things, you can’t do that because then you get a mindset of carryover. I try to just take each game individually... We just didn’t do the stuff we were supposed to.”

Jefferson was in a similar mood to point out "where it's really at" when the subject of the Bucks not-so-good shooting came up:

"Your shooting percentage is something that you don't worry about too much. You worry about the quality of shots you're taking . . . if you're taking good shots. You don't want to pass up good shots. And then your defense, what you're doing defensively. We've shown that we don't have to shoot in the high 40s or mid-40s to win games. We can shoot in the mid-to low 40s, and even 30s, and win."

And here's a refreshing change for Milwaukee Bucks fans: the veteran leader and his coach are on the same page. This is part of the culture change:

"We're a fairly high-possession team," coach Scott Skiles said. "One of the reasons is we lead the league in forcing turnovers. We're getting possessions there. When we play better defense on certain nights, we get more possessions that way. We've been a good rebounding team, which means we're getting possessions there. Generally we have more possessions than our opponent in games. I don't focus too much on the scoring, it's how efficient are we being?

"We're first in the league in forcing turnovers but of the top 10 teams, only Charlotte and Miami have less fast-break points than us. So we haven't been efficient enough in turning those opportunities into extra baskets."

And there you have it. The Bucks are in Florida to try to figure out how to beat Dwight Howard and the Magic after an uninspired performance against the Raptors -- and the coach and his veteran leader are not even concerned about whether their shots go through the hoop or not. They want to talk about defense and the type of shots they're getting.

That's culture change.

NCAA tournament note: Duke is no longer Duke. No kidding. Can we now talk about those sweet seeds the ACC teams received?