Milwaukee Bucks links for your perusal on October 7th, 2024
I survived my third marathon yesterday. Better than that, I PR’d (again, thank God) and slashed a little over 15 minutes over my previous fastest time (you can go here if you want to watch me stumble over the finish line). As is tradition, I will be getting my old time crossed off and a new one added to an ongoing tattoo collection on my ribcage. I’ve learned a lot about the body’s immediate needs post-run to avoid bombing out and ruining not only the rest of the day, but the days that follow. Writing this around 2 PM, I don’t feel the collapse coming on. All in all and on its face, a great day.
Goodness, was it a horrible experience, though.
This go-around was done at the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon — my prior two were back up in my haunts at the Twin Cities Marathon. A great view of a Great Lake and a great city, plus the natural temperature control the waterfront exerts; it has everything! It also has hills. Like, unlimited amounts of hills. As if those weren’t enough, our friendly course designers had us trudge over the Hoan Bridge not once at mile nine, but a second time at mile 25. Imagine running for hours and hours hoping for it to just end already, and then you literally drag yourself up the 794 on-ramp with gusts of 30 mph wind whipping you in the face. Being a functional piece of civil engineering, we got to dodge all the bits and pieces of car detritus to boot. A horror show.
But I made it. My wife, my sister-in-law, dad, stepmom, stepsister, and even my boss were there to help me out of the finisher corral and into the shade so I could finally stop caring.
What’s the connection with all this to the Milwaukee Bucks? Well, maybe I’ve grown a new appreciation for the fact that playing 82+ games a year sucks. If I could’ve asked someone to take my place around miles 20-26 in the name of “DNP-CD, Rest” I absolutely would have. So next time Giannis is catching Zzzs and popcorn courtside, Dame is wearing a full-on Canada Goose jacket when its 70 some odd degrees indoors, or Khris is working his way back from yet another duel with Functional Basketball Death, I’ll try to remember how I’m feeling now. Why suffer in a Tuesday night road game against the Washington Wizards when MarJon Beauchamp is right there literally praying for a chance to play? Turns out I do have a lot in common with NBA athletes!
Let’s roundup!
Milwaukee Bucks Links
Damian Lillard Talks Offseason, Building Chemistry with the Bucks and How His Family Motivates Him (Slam)
Good interview with Dame that ranges across a range of subject matter. For the purposes of the Dame-Giannis P&R believers, we did receive further evidence that their running those deliberately just… didn’t happen during the first half of last season. Then Doc Rivers arrived and forced them to do it over and over again while teammates looked on. There’s plenty of work to be done on this front in particular, but I don’t think it is crazy to say we saw tangible progress for at least a few weeks there before Giannis picked up an injury. It needn’t be the end all, be all, but as a go-to move that’s really hard for most teams to counter? I’m a fanatic.
Bucks Seek Chemistry with California Training Camp (Milwaukee Magazine)
At first I was a little skeptical of sending the team out of town for training camp — this is one of the better times of year to be in Milwaukee! — but the logic driving Doc’s decision makes sense to me. Given the substandard structure around last year’s training camp you might as well hit the road to isolate the group of players and have them better focus on one another ASAP.
The Bucks aren’t alone, either. Here’s an article from NBA.com/the AP on this new trend gradually taking the league across the country before preseason even begins.
Milwaukee Bucks 2024-25 season preview: How far can Giannis and an aging core go? (Yahoo)
Coming out of Media Day, one of the talking points most readily latched onto by the national media was the admission that Giannis and Lillard didn’t meet up at all this summer. I have to admit that I was annoyed reading that, too. Not that you expect a ton of chemistry growth working together in an empty gym or, at best, against a couple random fitness coaches standing around like traffic cones with arms. But still, the gravity of the situation they’re stepping into would’ve lent itself well to even a quick stop through.
Will it all matter? Depends on whether a summer of R&R for Dame and Olympic competition for Giannis is more valuable individually and together than a week in a gym. Mark it under “would’ve been nice to have” rather than “must have”, I suppose.
10 takeaways from the 2024 Milwaukee Bucks media day (On Milwaukee) & Milwaukee Bucks ‘disappointed’ to not be on Christmas slate (ESPN)
I like the idea that these guys don’t check the schedule release at all and just wait for others to fill them in on important dates. If missing out on Christmas means the players get to spend some time with friends and family, I’m willing to sacrifice whatever matchup with the Knicks we would’ve gotten instead. Last thing I wanted was the Bucks ruining my holiday, anyways.
The Social Media Section
NEW ART ALERT
Trust me when I say Giannis hates to see me walking onto the court. Lockdown defense all day.
I just respect this guy’s entire aesthetic. Riding the mullet revival wave.
Hope Delon keeps the behind-the-scenes footage coming all season!
Weird not having this guy at training camp. But he’ll be a part of the team again sooner rather than later.
Please don’t get on the rocket ship
Pick+Roll
What the hell is James Akinjo doing in these pictures lol
John Calipari is… coaching Razorbacks basketball???????????
Unfortunately, a stomach bug kept me off the MMMR keyboard a week ago so I missed my opportunity to do a little preseason prediction thread. I’ll hold off on making a donkey of myself belatedly, but the team does have one game this week!
- v. Los Angeles Lakers, Thursday, Oct. 10th — 7 PM CDT
Good to have basketball back, even if it is merely highly organized chaos ball!
Happy Monday!