| Lottery Summit: Milwaukee Bucks Authored by Andrew Perna & The RGM Bucks Forum - May 16, 2008 - 1:03 pm
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The Milwaukee Bucks:
2007-08 Record: 26-56
Difference From 2006-07: 2 Fewer Wins
Chance Of Landing #1 Pick: 4.3%
Restricted Free Agents: Ersan Ilyasova, Awvee Storey (T)
Unrestricted Free Agents: Royal Ivey, Michael Ruffin, Jake Voskhul
The Verdicts
1. What could the team have done different to make the playoffs?
RingtheBell: Trading Michael Redd for Carlos Boozer and Ronnie Brewer, and then Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons for Shawn Marion.
Bucks_Revenge: If we had gotten rid of Mo Williams and Redd.
trwi7: A better coach and an owner who doesn't listen to people with no basketball knowledge would have helped.
EastSideBucksFan: They could've hired a different coach and brought in some guys to play defense.
smalls: Any semblance of team chemistry and this team probably grabs the eighth seed. Whether this lack of chemistry was due to inexperienced coaching, selfish play or just a bad mix of players remains to be seen. I just hope John Hammond knows the true answer. Personally, I think it was a combo of all three.
coolhandluke121: They never really had a chance with their opening day roster. The only way they could have made the playoffs would have been to trade Yi, who must have had tremendous trade value around midseason, to some rebuilding team looking to trade a good veteran.
StikWitEM: If Mo and Redd weren’t on the team
Andrew34r: If they played as a team from the start. There are selfish teams and selfish players in the NBA and than there are the Milwaukee Bucks, who nearly give you a heart attack when they make an extra pass.
Dahner62084: Playing Mo off of the bench. He is much better in the sixth man role. Also, if we made Andrew Bogut the go-to-guy from the beginning, he would have been hitting his mid-range shot, like he was at the end of the season, a lot earlier.
europa: This team never had a chance to make the playoffs. The roster composition by Larry Harris and Herb Kohl was terrible. They ignored defense for the second offseason in a row, overpaid for the starting point guard, the starting small forward and a reserve center, and had too many players who needed to shoot a lot to make an impact. This team was doomed to the lottery before the season even began.
2. Where were the team’s biggest strengths?
RingtheBell: We didn't have one.
Bucks_Revenge: Bogut.
trwi7: Offense.
EastSideBucksFan: The only thing I think we were good at was being wildly inconsistent.
smalls: I may be biased, but I think it was their complete lack of defense and ability to lie down. Honestly though, their biggest strength was the stretches on offense when the team actually did play inside-out basketball.
coolhandluke121: Despite all the praise for Bogut, who is their best all-around player, the team's biggest strength is still outside shooting.
Andrew34r: Ramon Sessions. While he was playing in the NBDL putting up decent numbers, I always brushed it off as because he was in the NBDL. It was a pleasant surprise to see him take some of that to the NBA.
Dahner62084: They didn't really have any strengths.
europa: They had none. Honestly, this was a bad team. The defense was atrocious and the offense sputtered. Toss in one of the worst benches in the league, and nothing went right.
3. Who had a surprisingly effective season?
RingtheBell: Sessions.
Bucks_Revenge: Sessions (I was not shocked by Bogut's play).
trwi7: Bogut.
EastSideBucksFan: Bogut took a huge step forward to becoming a very good defender. His blocks total tripled from last year, but it still wasn't enough to keep us from being the worst defensive team in the league.
smalls: Bogut.
coolhandluke121: Bogut. I didn't foresee him becoming a very good defender, but he was fetching nearly ten rebounds a game while tripling his blocks. Sessions put up big numbers against teams that weren't playing any defense, and given the circumstances it's no surprise when someone puts up that kind of production even if he was a rookie.
StikWitEM: Sessions.
Andrew34r: Bogut. He improved in a lot of areas, but his huge improvement on defense really shocked me.
Dahner62084: I think Sessions was a big surprise. Bogut was more effective, but that wasn't really a surprise, because we assumed that would happen if he was used correctly.
europa: Bogut was by far the MVP of this team this season. He made a significant improvement defensively and played at an All-Star level over the final 48 games.
4. Who had a surprisingly ineffective season?
RingtheBell: Yi.
Bucks_Revenge: Mo and Redd.
trwi7: Redd.
EastSideBucksFan: Yi hit the rookie wall early, and after scouting reports came out he was completely ineffective as a one-dimensional jump shooter. He couldn’t go into the post without losing the ball.
smalls: This is a tough one because so many disappointed, but I am going to have to say Redd. His game regressed and his bad play cost this team several wins.
coolhandluke121: I can't say I'm really all that surprised by anyone's poor play this year, but I think Bell is a little better than he showed. Guys on this team have some individual talent and they showed it, but they never played well at the same time because the pieces didn't fit together well.
StikWitEM: Redd.
Andrew34r: Villanueva, in my opinion, was the most pathetic player on the team. He started out the year coming off the bench, cried about it but didn’t put up the numbers to justify even the thought of being put into the starting lineup. His defense was non-existent as well. When he got moved into the starting lineup during Yi’s slump he put up great numbers at first, but still got torched on defense. Then he went back to being ‘Mr. Inconsistent’ once he got comfortable in the starting lineup.
Dahner62084: It’s a toss up between Redd and Mo. Redd was terrible in the fourth quarter, and lost us many games. Mo was extremely ineffective running the point.
europa: Redd went from being an All-Star to having his worst season as a starter. His shot often disappeared -- especially in critical moments in the fourth.
5. How confident are you in the front office heading into the offseason?
RingtheBell: Very.
Bucks_Revenge: Very confident.
trwi7: There's still a little skepticism of Kohl actually letting the GM do his job, but so far I’m fairly confident.
EastSideBucksFan: The hiring of Hammond has instilled plenty of confidence, and having a veteran coach like Skiles in place should help.
smalls: More so now than in the past, but it really can't get any worse. I am gonna stick to the "In John We Trust" motto.
coolhandluke121: I'm pretty confident that Hammond can make this team competitive in two-three years, but I'm not predicting an overnight turnaround. I want to see them approach the offseason like Boston did last summer, trading young players and draft picks for good veterans, but I don't really expect that to happen.
StikWitEM: Extremely confident.
Andrew34r: I’m confident at least for now that Hammond will be able to structure the roster how he would like. That is, until I hear about someone in Kohl's inner-circle meddling.
Dahner62084: I like the direction, and the fact that we went with Skiles. I’m also glad we got a guy that was coveted, by a lot of other teams to be GM, and has a proven history of success.
europa: Very. Hammond was my top choice for the job once Donnie Walsh was out of the picture. And he appears to have the authority he needs to turn this team around.
6. What are the team’s biggest needs in the draft?
RingtheBell: Defense.
trwi7: Somebody who can play defense.
EastSideBucksFan: We need athleticism and length at the small forward spot, a true point guard (although Sessions will factor in) and a true banger-type at the power forward spot.
smalls:The ‘best-player-available’ in any position besides center, which in this draft looks to be a guard.
coolhandluke121: The Bucks should take the best player available. There is no point in reaching for a player who plays a position of need, because most draft picks won't be good for two or three years anyway.
StikWitEM: Defense.
Andrew34r: Defense and a team player that is also smart and knows the game.
Dahner62084: Point guard and small forward, but the needs could definitely change, with the trades that will hopefully occur.
europa: A quality point who can make his teammates better, a big-time small forward and defense at every position on the court.
7. Assuming the lottery plays out true, who would you like your team to select?
RingtheBell: Trade it or take Nicolas Batum.
Bucks_Revenge: Derrick Rose.
trwi7: Russell Westbrook.
EastSideBucksFan: I'm not really enamored with anybody at the seventh or eighth spot. Personally, I'd rather we trade down and try to get two picks so we end up with maybe Brandon Rush or Chris Douglas-Roberts and Joey Dorsey.
smalls: If we stay at seven, I really like Westbrook. He reminds me of a poor-man’s D-Wade and his versatility at the guard spot and ability to be a lock-down defender will give Hammond options.
coolhandluke121: Westbrook. Even if he doesn't look at all like a potential franchise player, I see no reason why he can't be a good NBA player and possibly a borderline All-Star if it all comes together. That's all you can ask for out of a seventh pick.
StikWitEM: Eric Gordon or Westbrook.
Andrew34r: Trade the pick.
Dahner62084: With things as is, I’d be happy with O.J. Mayo, Westbrook, Danilo Gallinari or Anthony Randolph (in that order).
europa: It's Rose or bust for me. If the Bucks can't get Rose, I'd like to see them trade the pick. He's the only player in this upcoming draft I truly want.
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Andrew Perna is a Senior Writer for RealGM. If you’re a fan of one of the many teams that we have yet to feature, surf over to our forums and weigh in on what is happening within the organization. If you’d like to contact Andrew, shoot him an e-mail at Andrew.Perna@RealGM.com
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