I've always been a huge fan of both the Bucks and the Milwaukee Brewers but now the Bucks have almost moved to the forefront of my sports fandom. I'll break it down to you like this: the Brewers are like my first son, they've had their struggles and now they've figured it out (to some degree). The Bucks are like my younger son that just can't seem to get their life turned around and I'm putting a lot of energy into staying after them.
Anyway, that's enough about me and my trials and tribulations and on to the team. There are 11 new faces on the Bucks from the playoff (!!!) team that was routed and embarrassed four straight games by your NBA Champion Miami Heat last year. Let's take a pretty detailed look at these guys:
The X-Factor: C Larry Sanders - LARRY SANDERS! was rewarded this offseason with a contract extension (that doesn't kick in until next year) for the huge strides he made last year. He's also become the unquestioned 'face of the franchise' with Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis being gone. With great power comes great responsibility, Larry. Thus far in the real early-going, he's looked a tad bit shaky. I'm also concerned about his temper and foul trouble. After all, if he can't stay on the court at all, he can't help the team now or in the future.
The Big Question: How will the Bucks score? - Now that the "$wag Twins" are gone (Jennings/Ellis), the Bucks will look for new guys to score the ball. Who might that be? We know it most likely won't come inside, unless John Henson shows us a little more consistent, efficient offense. That's one thing that Henson struggled with last year was scoring efficiently as a big man. That, and defensive awareness but that's neither here nor there. Sanders, Zaza Pachulia and Ekpe Udoh are not offensive big men either. So, scoring will have to come in the form of three point shooting and good ball movement. Fortunately, the Bucks are a pretty solid all-around three point shooting team. Caron Butler, OJ Mayo, Ersan Ilyasova and even Brandon Knight are going to give you around 40 percent from three point range this year, assuming they're healthy.
Key Additions: SF Caron Butler, SG OJ Mayo, C Zaza Pachulia, PG Brandon Knight - All of these guys were brought in this offseason to be key contributors for the upcoming season. I'm sure they will. Zaza has looked good in his short season thus far. He's a big body that can step in when Sanders is in foul trouble and set real screens to initiate the offense more effectively. Butler can still shoot, even though he's lost a step and Mayo is a former top three pick in the NBA Draft that is yet to realize his potential. He could be the Bucks' version of Carlos Gomez in that there were a few teams that gave up on him and he might be able to do things being the focal point of the offense. Then there's Brandon Knight, another guy that was given up on by the Pistons. The former number eight overall pick in the 2011 draft might thrive in Larry Drew's offense much like Jeff Teague did after his first few seasons in the NBA. We shall see.
Key Departures: PG Brandon Jennings, SG Monta Ellis, SG JJ Redick - Bucks lost all of their vaunted backcourt from a year ago and good riddance. That's all I have to say.
Bucks Draft: Giannis Antetokounmpo, G Nate Wolters - I couldn't be happier with John Hammond's first round draft pick, Giannis Antetokounmpo. He was the ultimate unknown going into the draft. The kind of boom/bust guy that the Bucks need to be taking chances on. Thus far, he's shown flashes of both boom and bust but the flashes of brilliance have shown us how special this kid can be. He's only 18 years old. It's tough to give Giannis a position because he can handle the ball so well at 6'9"ish and can pass really well. He will probably be a point forward at some point in his career. As for Wolters, he's a second round pick from mid-major South Dakota State. His ceiling is probably Luke Ridnour but if he can have a career like Ridnour's he's been a success.
Prediction: I'm really not trying to be cryptic here but I just don't think there's a lot on this team. Larry needs to stay on the floor. If he can do so and be the rim protector this team needs, the defense can be really stout. Knight and Mayo will be upgrades defensively on the perimeter over Jennings and Ellis and the Bucks are bigger and longer across the board, which should be beneficial to the defense. Offensively, as I previously stated, I fear this team will be challenged greatly. They'll live and die by jumpers without a go-to low post scorer or anybody that can get to the basket at will. Sure, they'll have their good nights but they'll more than likely have more off nights. Gun to my head, I really see this team finishing somewhere in the 30-35 win range, possibly higher if they see no more major injuries. They may sneak in as an eight seed, which is a nightmare if we get an eight seed based on middling vets playing and not by featuring youth.
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