Milwaukee Bucks links for your perusal on November 4th, 2024
The Milwaukee Bucks are engaged in something of a miniature doom loop. While the weight of expectations for this season weren’t unbearable, they were certainly high enough that a 1-5 start should rightly be considered borderline unacceptable. One, two, or three losses are just a handful of sparks flitting around the pile of fire starter this franchise has consciously stacked. Losses four and five are like lighting a torch covered in gasoline and whipping it into the kindling.
So now a blaze is hoping to break out. We are merely six games into the year. There is still time for the players and coaches to put the fire out. Their problem, however, is that the firefighters look poorly equipped to do the job. To whit:
- Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard are posting solid to great counting stats—leavened by bursts of bad runs of possessions which undo their hard work.
- The defense flat out sucks. It is really really bad. There is no fix for this on the roster waiting to be unveiled.
- Of the supporting cast, the only one who has shown any propensity for consistent contribution is… Bobby Portis. YMMV on how “helpful” his scoring can be.
- Delon Wright is doing a fantastic Tony Snell impression as far as stat tracking goes. He has been largely invisible.
- Pat Connaughton.
- Taurean Prince is playing higher in the rotation than you’d want. His defense has been welcome, but he offers a narrow skillset on offense and is taking on the highest per game minute load of his entire professional career.
- I’m back to wondering how much of Gary Trent Jr.’s defense is real v. a matador act. His horrible shooting splits aren’t helping, although you hope those will correct in time.
- Pat Connaughton.
- I’d get into coaching, but the fact that a full summer, training camp, and preseason looks to have been insufficient to implement whatever advanced-level schematic concepts the staff apparently has is a red flag for all involved.
- Pat Connaughton.
- And finally, every time the Bucks lose the weight of expectations will gradually increase not only on the team, but also on Khris Middleton. Middleton, a guy who the team is interested in slow rolling into minutes as much as they can afford. Once available, he will not be playing 30 minutes. He may touch 20. If he returns and the team still struggles, panic can promptly set in.
A road tilt against the East-leading Cavs means the path towards pulling out of this loop remains narrow in the short-term. Should the team drop to 1-6, Milwaukee will have to beat the Utah Jazz to avoid the embarrassment of going from a possible contender to quite literally the worst team in all of professional basketball. Should they fall to those lows, any path forward for this group may be nothing more than an illusion.
Let’s roundup!
Milwaukee Bucks Links
Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors will never stop until he actually leaves the Bucks (SB Nation)
This is a truth that should have set in for all of us years ago when the wish casting of Giannis’s departure just never ceased from the outside world. The difference in the past was that the team won enough to comfortably ignore it all without issue. We haven’t watched the Bucks actively suck like they have lately during the Giannis Trade Rumor Era. Its uncharted waters we’re in now, folks.
What becomes of Damian Lillard if Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future with Bucks is in doubt? (CBS Sports)
He becomes one of, if not the, greatest tank commanders of all time with co-pilot Bobby Portis manning the helm and Khris Middleton in the medical bay. Then we’ll ship him to San Antonio in a year and a half for Keldon Johnson and a poo-poo platter of pick swaps.
Has the NBA title window closed for Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks? (Yahoo)
You can safely ignore this if you think Kevin O’Connor has no clue what he is talking about ever—do any of us? I wanted to include it, though, because this piece came out prior to the Memphis and Cleveland defeats. The subtext to this week’s column’s intro is that this is merely the tip of the iceberg should a turnaround not be in the offing in the extreme near-future. Undignified as it is, these sorts of narrative arcs tend to generate a momentum of their own. Start making the unsayable, sayable, and interpersonal/interorganizational dynamics will do their work.
Bucks need action, not just talk, to pull themselves out of worst start in over two decades (CBS Sports)
This stat is a good (sobering) one: “…just 36 out of the 187 teams (19.6%) to start a season 1-5 went on to make the playoffs.”
We humbly thank Adam Silver for the gift of the play-in. That should boost the odds of a playoff appearance a little bit, at least.
The 2024-25 NBA All In-dex (The Ringer)
I’m actually shocked that the Bucks only average out to sixth-place as far as teams who are leveraged out beyond their skis in terms of payroll and draft capital. And if there’s something to keep you up at night vis a vis the rest of the East, the Celtics have plenty of draft picks to burn through, use, or trade to continue sustaining this group. Spooky.
Know Your NBA Enemy
Cleveland Cavaliers – Fear The Sword – It’s time to admit that Cavs are title contenders
Young continuity v. old continuity (as far as roster age), Doc v. Kenny Atkinson (v. Adrian Griffin?), trying to construct defenses with two guards who aren’t great defenders on paper and two bigs backing them up. Are the Cavs just taking the baton from Milwaukee’s falling hands? We’ll find out!
Utah Jazz – SLC Dunk – Is Walker Kessler about to break out for the Utah Jazz?
Is MarJon Beauchamp about to break out for the Rip City Remix?
New York Knicks – Posting & Toasting – Notable trends through the first week of Knicks basketball
In spite of all the talent the Knicks front office has continued to assemble over the years in an impressive turnaround for that franchise, you’ll always wonder how far a group led by Thibs can go. The rigors of heavy minute loads over 82 games have always taken their toll, but when you’re doing that while the rest of the contenders around you are more careful in load management? It gets dicey.
Boston Celtics – Celtics Blog – Jordan Walsh has arrived — and he’s impacting the Celtics sooner than even he expected
Andre Jackson Jr. has arrived (on the porch of a Yankee Hill apartment building) — and he got there sooner than even he expected.
The Social Media Section
Please do not rob Bobby’s house. Sorry to hear that this happened to him and hope it all turns out okay.
Time to win a basketball game
Outlandish outfit game like a vet already
Thanasis go on Ultimate Fighter
S/O and happy birthday to Grandma Lillard
Riley’s 2024-2025 Prediction Record: 2-4
Milwaukee Bucks 2024-2025 Actual Record: 1-5
You know things are absolutely bleak when I have a better record (predicting) than the Bucks do in reality. And at 2-4! Yikes.
The games this week:
- @ Cleveland Cavaliers, tonight, Nov. 4th – 6:00 PM (Central)
- v. Utah Jazz, Thursday, Nov. 7th – 7:00 PM (Central)
- @ New York Knicks, Friday, Nov. 8th – 6:30 PM (Central)
- v. Boston Celtics, Sunday, Nov. 10th – 2:30 PM (Central)
They have to turn this around at some point, so I will stay 2-2 is ahead with wins over the Cavs and the Jazz. I’m hoping the Cavs get a little complacent and the Bucks benefit from finding a few folds from Saturday to take forward. And the Jazz are trying to lose like their lives depend on it, so… win for the good guys?
Then the rest of it. We’ll be back here a week from today with more lukewarm takes, I’m sure!
Happy Monday!