Milwaukee Bucks Blog - The Bob Boozer Jinx : Vince Carter

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)

VIDEO: Shooting tips for the Milwaukee Bucks... Bulls blow it... On to Cleveland

J.D. Mo — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 06:03:00 GMT

Can we send this Bucks team to a basketball shooting clinic? They need some help.

I became downright optimistic about the Bucks chances of winning this game when Vince Carter opened the 2nd half heaving up a long three-ball, and the Bucks answered with a Francisco Elson dunk. "The team that does the least chucking should win this game," I thought. Carter was having a terrible shooting night (5-20) and his pal Richard Jefferson was slightly more horrendous (4-18) for the Bucks. Carter and Devin Harris were a combined 2-12 from 3-point land; Charlie Villanueva and RJ nearly matched their futility shooting 3-15 from downtown.

Chucking was the name of the game. Unfortunately for the Bucks, Carter was wise enough to eventually stop shooting and let Keyon Dooling and Jarvis Hayes do the mad bombing in a 23-11 Nets run over the game's final 4 minutes that won it, 99-95.

The Bucks found no such shooters all night (35-91 for 38.5%, 6-23 on threes) but after a layup-and-1 by RJ, the Bucks led 84-76 under the 5-minute mark in the 4th. Sessions then blocked a driving layup by Devin and the Bucks had the ball and the 8-point lead with 4-1/2 minutes left. Charlie V (3-9 downtown) decided it was time to launch a quick three. It was a brick, and the Nets took over.

First Carter, then Hayes, then Dooling hit threes to give the Nets a 87-86 lead. Dooling hit another to make it 90-86. Charlie V tied the game at 90 with 30 seconds left, but Hayes responded with the Nets 5th 3-pointer of the run to force the Bucks into fouling mode. The Nets refused to cooperate by missing free throws the rest of the way. Take that Jim Boylan (in a Bucks Shots email prior to the game, coach Boylan informed fans that the Nets "are not a great 3-point shooting team."

During the Nets run, Scott Skiles left his defenders -- Luc Mbah a Moute and Charlie Bell on the bench, finally putting them in will 30 ticks left . It would have helped to have the Prince on 6'8" Hayes (or hounding Devin); and Bell/Ridnour or Bell/Sessions guarding Harris/Dooling instead of Sessions/Ridnour. Bell can shoot it too, as he showed in New Orleans Friday. Just guessing here, but I suppose Skiles was hoping that Frodo (Ridnour) could get control of the game for the Bucks and provide some crunchtime magic. And Sessions was playing well.

It was too bad, as the Bucks wasted an otherwise fine defensive performance, despite Bell and Keith Bogans only playing about 12 minutes apiece.

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It feels like the Bucks grip on a playoff seed is beginning to slip. New Jersey (27-33) is now just a half game behind the Bucks (29-34). ..... But luckily, Chicago can't seem to find a way to pull themselves up the playoff ladder with its new players. Tonight in Charlotte, the Bulls (27-34) played a stinker and were blown out, 96-80.

"I didn't like our demeanor, I didn't like our effort," Bulls 1st-year head coach Vinnie Del Negro said. "No toughness, no urgency."

Watch out for the 'Cats.

The difference between a Larry Brown team and a Del Negro team? The Bobcats are playing like tough guys, like Brown's Pistons and Sixers teams. Raja Bell, one of Brown's old Sixers from the 2001 Finals team, shook off a wrenched shoulder to lead with 18 pts. Forward Gerald Wallace played despite bruised ribs. On the Bulls side, Luol Deng scratched with a sore shin.

Brown now has the 'Cats (26-35) playing better than the Sixers, Bucks, Nets and Bulls. They've won four straight to move within 2 games of the Bucks, tied with the Pacers for 11th.

Integrating Brad Miller and John Salmons, acquired from Sacramento two weeks ago, isn't going well in Chicago -- the Bulls are 2-4 since the trades and Del Negro is looking for some professionalism from his players:

"When you bring new guys in, guys have to adjust. There are no excuses. We have to play hard and together."

The Bucks play the Bulls in Chicago Friday.

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The Bucks reward for a second agonizing defeat in three games? A trip to Cleveland to play the Lebron, Mo and the East-leading Cavs tonight. New out of Cleveland is the return of 14-year veteran Joe Smith, who agreed Tuesday to rejoin the Cavs for their playoff run. Smith was traded by the Cavs to Oklahoma City last August as part of the Mo Williams-for-Luke Ridnour trade with the Bucks. The Thunder bought out Smith's contract last week and waived him, opening the door for Smith to get back to Cleveland for the playoffs.

Smith, a Bucks fan favorite 2003-06, isn't likely to play against the Bucks, the Cleveland Plain Dealer is reporting - so the Cavs will be a bit shorthanded. Big Ben Wallace broke a leg last week and is out 4-6 weeks (only 35-40 days for a broken leg?). But Delonte West, the Cavs best perimeter defender not named Lebron, is back in the starting lineup after missing 15 games with a broken hand. The Cavs starters - Lebron, Mo, West, Varejao and Big Z - are playing heavy minutes this week.

The Bucks are 0-3 against the Cavs this season. The last time they met, at the BC Feb. 20, the Bucks played them tough... but Lebron was too much, going off for 55 points, 16 in a 3-minute span to open the 2nd half. He was open because he was shooting from 5-feet beyond the arc of Reggie.

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%.

Forgotten Man: Richard Jefferson has played more minutes than any NBA player -- yet he's the Buck few talk about

J.D. Mo — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 09:59:00 GMT

Richard Jefferson is the man Bucks coach Scott Skiles plays more than any other. In fact, Jefferson's played more minutes than any player in the NBA to this point, thanks to the Bucks grueling schedule. (They are one of only six teams to play 26 games so far, Charlotte in the East and Utah, Portland, Sacramento and OK City out West being the others). Yet Jefferson is not a player who gets much scrutiny or praise from fans whether it's on our forum here at Sportsbubbler or others. Discussion about Michael Redd or Andrew Bogut? Those never seem to end.

Jefferson, despite the big trade of Yi Jianlian that brought him here and the court time he gets, is somehow flying under the radar, at times a forgotten man. It's an odd phenomenon but it's also part of who R.J. is as a player. To get to the bottom of this, let's go back to last year when R.J. was a New Jersey Net.

[No, I don't know who the brunette on R.J.'s arm is (the tag just says she's a model - no kidding) ... EDIT: Turns out that's R.J.'s wife, Trinidadian supermodel Teresa Lourenco.]

I was at a Nets-Bucks game last December and you wouldn't have known Jefferson was on the court much of the time. The Bucks played well that night, if not consistently. It was Mo Williams bobblehead night, and he and Michael Redd decided to have a shootout in the first half. Mo had 21 at half; Redd made sure to outscore him with 24 (or maybe it was the other way around). In any case, it was kind of sickening when you realize they were on the same dam team and at one point when Mo was on fire, Redd nearly threw a temper tantrum over it as the team came to the bench during a time out(our Bucks, what a team!). In spite of (and because of) the Bucks fireworks, New Jersey hung around, won the 4th quarter and won the game.

Afterward, the feeling was, how'd the Nets do it? They weren't shooting well for much of the game or so it seemed, and they looked out of sync despite Jason Kidd running the show. Kidd hit a clutch three in the 4th, that much I remember. But R.J.? Couldn't have even told you that night how he did. I just checked the boxscore from the game and can report that R.J. had a quiet 19 points in 39.5 minutes to go with 1 reb and 1 asst in all that time. Kidd and Vince Carter were on the court even morethan R.J. -- 40+ mins for both of them. Redd played just as much and had 35 pts, most of it in the 1st half, and his Bucks lost at home.

I came away with the conclusion that Jefferson (and Carter and Kidd, too) had done a lot of little things on the court that escaped notice, none more important than playing consistent, though unspectacular, defense. Also, the Nets knew how to win the game -- the Bucks were 0-4 vs. the Nets last season and it wasn't because the Nets were necessarily outplaying the Bucks. All four of those games were close -- the Bucks just couldn't figure out how to win any of them. The Nets had numerous heroes, from Josh Boone to Bostian Nachbar (who's now playing in Europe or Russia or somewhere). It didn't seem to matter who the culprit was -- New Jersey found a way to win. It was the little things - things the Bucks were not doing and hadn't been doing for years.

R.J.'s not the best of shooters, never has been, though some fans may recall how clutch he was against the Bucks early in his career. Is R.J. a slasher? Well, the book on him coming to Milwaukee was that he was, but that was part of the case made that R.J. and Redd would be "complementary players." R.J.'s slashing was limited at best in New Jersey. What sticks out in my mind about R.J. in his career are jump shots he hit over Big Dog in his rookie year (2002) and more of those in the 2003 playoffs againt the Bucks. It's never a good idea to put too much stock in the highlight dunks that show up on SportsCenter. Regardless, he hasn't been a slasher as a Buck -- in fact it looks like he's lost some hop.

According to 82games.com shooting stats, 77% of Jefferson's shots are jumpshots, a higher percentage than the shots of the alleged jumpshooter, Michael Redd. Redd takes the ball to the basket much more than many fans realize. When the trade was made, I viewed Redd and R.J. as much more "like" players than pieces that fit together. They're hardly complementary.

Jefferson's no great passer or rebounder, either, although it was also said when the trade was made that R.J. would be a good rebounder. Bucks fans should know what a good rebounding small forward looks like: for the majority of team history the Bucks have had SF's who hit the glass more and better than R.J. -- Big Dog, Terry Cummings, Marques Johnson and Bob Dandridge come to mind. Sticking with the more recent past, R.J.'s not the rugged boardsman Big Dog could be when the team needed him to be.

So what does R.J. do on the court? It's those little things that help win games -- playing hardnosed, constant-pressure, ball-denying D; working hard every possession and never giving up on a play (a couple of things Bogut could improve on); doing more than enough (but not too much) with the ball on offense to remain a threat and maintain spacing for his teammates; getting to the line; keeping the ball moving on offense; being a good teammate; and, thinking and believing that his team is going to win. These are all things that rub off on teammates and, if and when they do, it's called leadership. Plus, Jefferson is able to maintain intensity without seeming to get tired, despite the heavy minutes that coach Skiles keeps him on the court. It's a long list.

Up to this point in the season, R.J. is off to his best start ever shooting from 3-point land. Whether that continues or not is anybody's guess, but he's never shot as well as he is now for an entire season. Whether R.J. continue to hit threes or not shouldn't play into how Jefferson is appreciated by fans. The intangibles that R.J. brings, those things that don't always show up in the box score, are much more important to this team, especially as they learn Skiles' defensive system.

If there's one word that best fits the intangible R.J., it wouldn't be "defense" or even "leadership" (though both of those things are part of it). The word is ATTITUDE.

Bucks vs. Sixers: Two wins in a row under their belts and the Bucks tonight face the Sixers, a quick athletic gang who can't shoot straight. Also waiting for Andrew Bogut and the Bucks in Philly is Sixers center Sam Dalembert. Dalembert hasn't been playing so well this season but in his last two games against Bogut and the Bucks, Bogut had more turnovers (7) than points scored (6). Here's the box score from the last one. It ain't pretty. I have a feeling that Bogut is looking for some redemption tonight.