Nov 18, 2013
After an abysmal 2-7 start to begin the 2013-14 regular season, the Milwaukee Bucks look primed to select high in this summer’s NBA Draft. Regardless of their best efforts to compete this season, teams almost admittedly using this season to position themselves at the top of the draft order are outplaying the new-look Bucks.
Owner, Herb Kohl, recently stated that the team will not “tank” and he believes they can win in the playoffs with new head coach, Larry Drew. With the return of Derrick Rose for the Bulls, the emergence of Paul George for the Pacers, and even the improvements made by the Pistons and Cavaliers, Kohl may be thinking wishfully. Despite doing everything in their power to sneak into the playoffs year after year, the Bucks have remained a stepping stone for the real contenders in the Eastern Conference. It may be wise for management to begin scouting top prospects, and realize that this season may be a blessing in disguise.
How did the Bucks finally reach rock bottom?
This woeful tale of the Milwaukee Bucks will begin in 2001. It all began way back when Ray Allen was part of his original “Big 3”, alongside Glenn “Big Dog” Robinson and Sam Cassell. That squad won a robust 52 games during regular season play, and appeared destined to reach the NBA Finals. Alas, it was not to be. In game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Robinson missed a 10-foot game-winning shot that would have sent Milwaukee to the Finals for the first time since 1974. The story does not end here however. This season was just the beginning of a painfully drawn out end.
How were the Bucks able to build a contender and get so close to competing for a title?
Losing. Plain and simple. The answer to building a contender in Milwaukee is losing. It is how the sport of basketball is structured. Unless you are the Miami Heat, you lose, draft high, and wait for those young players to ripen. The Milwaukee Bucks were able to collect a couple of key assets in Robinson and Allen, and build a contender around them. The pieces were in place, yet everything but success followed.
How can the Bucks lose and still have arguably the shallowest pool of talent?
Besides players having an apparent fear of the cold weather in Milwaukee, WI or maybe the lack of that big city night life, the reason for the lack of talent is poor asset management. After the disappointing exit of the 2001 playoffs, General Manager Ernie Grunfeld traded away the surprisingly effective Scott Williams and a first round pick (which ended up being Josh Smith, a recent trade target of the Bucks) for Aleksander Radojevic and Kevin Willis. They then gave Anthony Mason over 4 million per, to join the effort. The result of these trades was an underwhelming season that put Milwaukee at the bottom of the Central Division and out of the playoffs.
How did the Bucks respond to their decline the following offseason?
They started by trading their second scoring option and former first overall draft selection, Glenn Robinson, for Toni Kukoc, Leon Smith, and a first rounder (T.J. Ford). With the power of hindsight, they were able to rid themselves of Robinson before his decline and get a first round pick out of it, but it also set the stage for one of the most lopsided trades in NBA history. During the All-Star break, Desmond Mason made enough of an impression with his dunk contest performance that Grunfeld pulled the trigger on a trade that sent superstar guard, Ray Allen, along with Ronald Murray, Kevin Ollie, and a first rounder (Luke Ridnour, currently in his second stint with the Bucks) to the Seattle Supersonics for half a season of 34 year old Gary Payton and Desmond Mason. This trade will always be remembered as one of the worst in team history, and the end of their brief rise to power in the East.
Are the Bucks able to right the ship and avoid the tank?
No one, with the exception of the General Manager and owner Herb Kohl, knows exactly what terms are discussed between teams in trade talks. Analysts and fans create a lot of buzz surrounding many potential scenarios, and many of them never had anything to support the idea. Did the Bucks ask for Monta Ellis instead of taking Stephen Curry? Did they take two 2nd rounders for J.J. Reddick instead of taking Eric Bledsoe? The people that know will not say, but one thing is for certain; the Milwaukee Bucks are losing more than they gain.
There are different models as to how to build a contender. They typically require finding a cornerstone, a block to be built around, a piece so valuable that it is not available for any price. The Bucks have deemed many of their pieces unavailable over the years. This year, it would appear that John Henson, Larry Sanders, and Giannis Antetokounmpo are near untouchable. Which makes sense, especially in Giannis’ case, because they are likely the most valuable and have the most upside. If history tells the story, these players are being overvalued, and will be traded when the Bucks draft more players with similar potential. Maybe it is time for a new approach in Milwaukee. It could be time to pursue a trade for a player that can be built around immediately, and use the overvalued talent they have as ammunition. There is hope for the struggling Bucks. maybe not this year or the next, but the future is theirs if they just go out and take control of it.
What Bucks fans really want from the organization is hope. It could come in the form of a young player looking for a change of scenery, or a high draft pick that has All-Star potential. Overpaying a new starting lineup every couple of years does not offer many positives for fans to focus on. There are players out there that would make Milwaukee their home and give everything they can to the community. Fans would cherish those types of players and flock to the Bradley Center to support them. Those players are out there, they have found them before. So now is the best time to acquire another franchise lifting player like Ray Allen, Sidney Moncrief, or if lucky, Oscar Robertson. If that happens, the NBA may once again, “Fear the Deer.”
