The All-Star break gives teams a chance to reflect the first half of the season or put it all behind. To ride momentum into the final months or start over with a clean slate. For the Milwaukee Bucks, a fresh start is needed. Pronto.
NBA Media Ventures LLCComing off of a season that absolutely no one saw coming, the Bucks attempted to bolster their roster in the off-season with acquisitions like Drew Gooden, Corey Maggette and Keyon Dooling. You might be thinking to yourself, “Why mess with what was working?” Clearly, Milwaukee had some gaps to fill after losing backups Kurt Thomas and Luke Ridnour to free agency, so it was necessary to go out an find replacements. But what usually helps bolster a young lineup that is fresh off the first playoff appearance in many of their careers? Veteran leaders who have experience winning. Not to be rude, but bringing in career losers to an organization that is in desperate need of creating a winning atmosphere isn’t exactly what Milwaukee needs. The Bucks may have created a roster that was loaded with talent and depth, but it doesn’t matter when you can’t get players to buy into Scott Skiles’ system. Maggette is experiencing a career low in minutes this season because of his inability to play defense and avoid bad shots. Dooling might be an upgrade over Jennings on the defensive side of the ball, but he also has a habit of chucking up horrible shots at the worst times. Gooden doesn’t bother me. He gives the Bucks much needed size and plays fairly well within the system…when he’s healthy.
Skiles preaches defense FIRST. The Bucks slow pace has kept their games low scoring, so it’s not exactly the defense that’s behind Milwaukee’s 3rd ranked points per game allowed ranking. The 30th ranked offense, however, is much more of a concern.
Obviously, you can’t blame it all on the signings and trades. Injuries, like with the aforementioned Gooden, have plagued the Bucks just like they have in previous years. Allow me to take a deep breath before I list off the key Bucks that have missed time with injury this season…Corey Maggette, Andrew Bogut, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Carlos Delfino, Drew Gooden, Brandon Jennings, John Salmons…the list goes on. It simply doesn’t allow Milwaukee to gel as a team and generate any chemistry.
High expectations may have also played a factor in the Bucks’ woes this season. They were a team that many chalked up as not only a playoff team, but a competitor for the Central Division crown. That has long been considered an afterthought thanks to an incredible start by the Chicago Bulls and a disappointing 21-34 record for the Bucks leading into the break. It’s possible that too much was expected of Milwaukee after having the luxury of sneaking up on teams in the 2009-10 season, now receiving every team’s best shot.
Still, thanks to a weaker than ever Eastern Conference (at least past the top five), there remains a glimmer of hope for the Bucks to sneak into the postseason. Miraculously, only 3.5 games separate Milwaukee from the eighth seed. There’s nothing keeping the Bucks from going on a second half surge similar to the one that last season’s team rolled off.
It all rides on keeping this squad healthy, developing chemistry and keeping the past…in the past.
Whats Your Verdict?