2023-24 Bucks Season Thread

[nate82]

42 minutes ago, patrickgpe said:

I know tonight is game 2 and the draft is the least thing on everyone's mind, but the bucks were granted pick 21 after winning tie breakers with New Orleans and Phoenix. Unfortunately the Pelicans will use their right to swap picks from the Bledsoe trade. 

I think the Bucks have to trade their 1st round pick anyways.  I don’t believe they have the cap room to sign their 1st round pick.

[sveumrules]

15 minutes ago, nate82 said:

I think the Bucks have to trade their 1st round pick anyways.  I don’t believe they have the cap room to sign their 1st round pick.

The Rookie Exception in the CBA allows teams to sign their 1st round picks even if they are over the cap.  

[patrickgpe]

23 minutes ago, nate82 said:

I think the Bucks have to trade their 1st round pick anyways.  I don’t believe they have the cap room to sign their 1st round pick.

well they would still have to make their pick and trade it on draft night then, since they didn't have one last year. You may be right, we will see what changes are made to the team. I do know that they need some young / cheap controller players. 

[nate82]

35 minutes ago, sveumrules said:

The Rookie Exception in the CBA allows teams to sign their 1st round picks even if they are over the cap.  

Hmmm I thought that only applied to  second round picks.  I guess I need to catchup on the NBA’s CBA.

[adambr2]

Someone other than Lillard or Lopez needs to contribute something offensively.

[patrickgpe]

yes, @adambr2 Lillard has tried to carry this team on his back these 2 games with Giannis gone. Portis and Middleton need to step up in game 3, especially if Giannis misses again. Neither were absent last night, but the 2nd leading scorer in the league is out, so more is needed. 

Bench scoring was pitiful though. 

[Samurai Bucky]

Was at the game.  Indiana had a great approach -- be physical and continue to be physical.  The other thing was to get in the heads of the Bucks.

One other thing that is very obvious in person if not already obvious on TV:  the Bucks are old and slow.

Lopez is good for some three pointers at the beginning of the game, but, for the most part, his shot blocking is negated by a good game plan.

Middleton was hurt and it showed.  Credit to him for gutting it out, but he is playing hurt... again.

Beverly is a physical defender (probably the only one who matched the physical defending of the Pacers).  He just doesn't score.  He missed, at least, two bunnies from what I remember.

Portis also missed a lot of bunnies.

Jae Crowder added nothing.  His demeanor on the floor isn't anything to write home about, either.

AJ Green played pretty well defensively in the first half.  He needs to make his threes, though.

It is great that Lillard scores well in the first half, but somebody else needs to take the mantle over in the first half so he can do his magic against a tired team in the second half.

The Pacers simply did not miss.  At one point in the fourth quarter, they were shooting 58% from the field.  58%!!!  It helps when the Bucks look tired and slow.  I suppose that is what happens when you get beat up during the course of the game.

Aside from that, the crowd was fine until they were down 12 in the fourth.  It was a fun experience.

[patrickgpe]

@Samurai BuckyThe bucks biggest issue is that they have been trading every pick that they can to go all-in, which their stars aren't getting any younger. Middleton is 32, Lillard 33, and Lopez 36. The only recent 1st round pick you made, can't get on the court. I get you had to make the moves you made to keep Giannis happy and resigned, but there is a price to pay (cap and age wise) when you do this. 

[thebruce44]

On 4/22/2024 at 2:50 PM, HarryDoyle said:

One half of outlier basketball isn't going to change my mind.

Alright, I will be less snarky and more engaging. My issue with your initial post was that when you make statements like "never" or "nobody" you are almost always immediately wrong. In fact, you are wrong here because you know me through he internet, and I do think the Bucks will win this series. You can say you don't think they will win, or the national media is pro Indiana, but instead you went scorched earth, which adds nothing to the conversation.

The Bucks and Celtics are both 1-1 with the Bucks missing their best player and the Heat missing their best player. I feel as though there is some unpredictability in the playoffs and certain players show up more when the lights are brightest. I hate clichés, especially in other sports, but in the NBA some teams/players are abnormally difficult outs. Dame has proven himself to be that type of player. Giannis (if healthy) put up 50 in a finals close out game. Middleton and Bobby (with lots of help from Holliday) willed the Bucks into the finals in 2021.

How about we wait to see what happens instead of pronouncing this team dead?

[nate82]

Giannis out for game 3.  It looks like he will be out for the series.  Definitely not good for the Bucks if Giannis can't go for game 4 or 5.  I think this might be over for the Bucks before Giannis can even get into the series. 

If Middleton can't step up and put up 25+ points then I don't see this team winning this series. 

[adambr2]

I wouldn't bet the house on it, but there's a non-zero chance that Giannis has played in his last game as a Milwaukee Buck. 

[adambr2]

Tell me you've got nothing without Giannis without telling me you've got nothing without Giannis. 

Somewhere, Mike Budenholzer is laughing about how this season played out for the Bucks. 

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Fork'em. A disaster of a season from day one.

[adambr2]

Maybe they can put a good game together and steal game 4 which would still put them right in this. I sure wouldn't bet on it, though. Pacers in 5 seems more likely at the moment than Bucks in any amount of games. 

[adambr2]

In any game where you don't have Giannis, you had damn well better be able to knock down a few 3's if you're going to have any chance. 

We are halfway through the 2nd and they do not have a single 3.

[GAME05]

Well they got drastic to change things after their exit last year. Maybe again this summer?

[HarryDoyle]

The Lillard trade is going to go down as the biggest blunder in franchise history.

[GAME05]

If we traded Lillard this offseason he'd certainly get a haul back in return, though we'd be dreadful if we had to rely on Middleton to be the #2 scorer.

[adambr2]

Pacers going to be beyond sick if they blow this one. 

[OldSchoolSnapper]

I'm completely shocked they made this a game. 

[nate82]

OMG Middleton!

[adambr2]

If they lose it's because they got absolutely killed on the offensive glass. 

[OldSchoolSnapper]

That sequence was one of the most embarrassing and unbelievable things I've seen in the NBA in a long time. 

[young guns]

FINALLY A REBOUND

[SeaBass]

If the Bucks lose its my fault I just turned on the game for the first time.