There are interesting things happening with the Milwaukee Bucks. It sounds odd considering how disastrous the 2013-14 season has been. But there’s a lot going on in Milwaukee. The Bucks have new owners. And I’m sure the fans are rejoicing as this reign of stubborn mediocrity could finally be over. And because the 2013-14 season has been filled with so much misery, the Milwaukee fans are finally going to get what they’ve been clamoring for in years, a top pick.
The Bucks headed into the 2013-14 season with the same attitude they’ve had for a long time, we want to win even if our team is mediocre. The Buck’s owner, Herb Kohl, never wanted tanking or so he claimed. Year in and year out Milwaukee was a low seed playoff team or just missed the playoffs. And in the NBA this is the worst position to be in. These picks typically do not return an all-star or superstar. But Milwaukee has defied the odds. Despite several head scratching signings, the Bucks have a few interesting young guys on their roster. Larry Sanders was a defensive force last year and was expected to keep it up in the first year of his extension. John Henson showed a lot of potential last year and the fans were hoping for improvement. And people loved the potential of Giannis Antetokounmpo even before the season started. The Bucks have found strong players late in the lottery.
After giving OJ Mayo, Zaza Pachulia, and Carlos Delfino over 42 million fans were expecting another first round playoff sweep. Milwaukee also brought in hometown small forward, Caron Butler. But the season has been a disaster and strangely enough some of the fans are happy about it. The Bucks have done exactly what owner Herb Kohl didn’t want. The Bucks are now at the bottom of the eastern conference. They are getting a top four pick and they couldn’t have picked a better season to throw away. The Milwaukee Bucks can really pick any of the top 4-5 prospects and improve. They need help everywhere and any of these young guys would be a major asset to this team. The Bucks could build around any one of these guys. What they really need to focus on is what direction they want to go in.
The Milwaukee Bucks have no identity. Who are they? Are they a fast paced offensive team? Or a defensive juggernaut? The front office has no direction with this team. Just a few years ago the Bucks were a tough defensive team led by hardnosed Scott Skiles. Andrew Bogut anchored the defense in the middle and they had rising star Brandon Jennings running point guard duties but it all collapsed soon after. Bogut was hit with injuries and ultimately traded. A terrible trade looking back on it now since Bogut has mostly recovered and is back to being a defensive force for Golden State. Jennings regressed and was finally traded last summer in a sign and trade for Brandon Knight. It seems they are content on sitting in the middle with a random cast of players.
Could a couple of new owners finally restore what was once a great franchise? We’ll have to wait and see but fans have to be happy about the potential and possibly fresh ideas. The NBA has deemed their current arena unfit. The new owners could give Milwaukee a new modern arena and finally give this team a new identity. The polarizing front office will probably be gone. It’s a shame as John Hammond has done pretty well with what he was given, especially with a stubborn former owner breathing down his neck demanding playoffs every year. The Bucks are currently last in attendance, even below the unwatchable 76ers. The fans are tired of mediocrity. There are many changes coming to Milwaukee whether they will be the right changes are still to be seen.
The Bucks are going to have a lot of cap space again this summer with really nowhere to spend it. It’s hard to understand why they didn’t overpay for a big free agent like Charlotte did with Al Jefferson (who is a monster this season by the way). The Atlanta Hawks signed Paul Millsap for a very affordable contract. Why didn’t Milwaukee add a year to that offer or extra money and beat out Atlanta for Millsap’s services? The Bucks threw money away on a bunch of midlevel contracts hoping these guys outperform their contracts but none of those guys have even lived up to what they were signed for. Fact is, mid-level contracts are more risky than paying a lot of money to a top free agent. Signing these mid-level guys doesn’t get you many wins and it keeps your young guys from getting the minutes and experience they need. O.J. Mayo is in the run for most disappointing player of the 2013-14 season. After being an important cog on the Maverick’s team last season he came into Milwaukee overweight and out of shape.
The new ownership group needs to be patient with a rebuild. There aren’t many glitzy free agents available this summer. They need to make smart signings, dump the bad contracts, and develop the young guys including whoever they draft with that top four pick. The new owners need to sell hope to the fans. They may finally have their superstar after this draft, there is a new arena coming, you have plenty of cap space, and a few promising young guys on the roster. Whoever is in charge of the new front office needs to decide whether Larry Sanders is worth keeping after all the trouble this season or trade him in the next year. There are a lot of exciting things coming to the Bucks but the owners need to take things slowly instead of rushing things like the previous owner. The 2015 draft class looks promising as well. Perhaps another year of tanking is what this organization needs. Milwaukee will always be a tough sell to free agents. The winters are brutal, the nightlife isn’t great, and the income tax is high. They need to build young guys and overpay big name free agents.
The Milwaukee Bucks have what many teams clamor for, flexibility. They can really go a number of different ways. It’s time the Bucks get an identity again. The new owners need to be careful about not trying to impress the fans with demands of making the playoffs right away as many new owners do. They also need to hold off on wasting money on ill fitted free agents as many new owners do as well. Develop who you have, trade bad contracts given the right opportunities, and wait for the free agents in 2015 and 2016. Patience may be the Buck’s greatest ally but for fans that have gone through many years of mediocrity this may be a tough sell.