2024-25 Milwaukee Bucks thread

[CheezWizHed]

On 10/20/2024 at 9:26 AM, adambr2 said:

Do we have any interest in retaining Thanasis for any other reason than "maintain morale of Giannis"?

Look at nate82's quote below and replace Beauchamp with Thanasis... He has always only been a "maintain morale" role and never a player.  Granted, he might be more valuable than Bronny...

On 10/20/2024 at 12:48 AM, nate82 said:

Beauchamp is basically an end of the bench no chance in playing unless it is an absolute blowout type of player.  Don’t expect to see much of Beauchamp going forward at least with the Bucks.

Thanasis had a pretty serious injury (knee??) late in the season.  I was hoping that was enough to keep him off the roster now... just make him a coach already.

[nate82]

1 hour ago, CheezWizHed said:

Thanasis had a pretty serious injury (knee??) late in the season.  I was hoping that was enough to keep him off the roster now... just make him a coach already.

The Bucks are big on team chemistry this year.  Thanasis brings more "chemistry" than Beauchamp does apparently. 

 

[CheezWizHed]

1 hour ago, nate82 said:

The Bucks are big on team chemistry this year.  Thanasis brings more "chemistry" than Beauchamp does apparently. 

 

Coach, waterboy, Giannis valet... let him travel with the team... just not suit up and take $2M hit on the salary cap for cheerleading.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

This is the least excited I've been about the Bucks probably since like 2015. I feel that we have entered purgatory.

[Joseph Zarr]

2 hours ago, CheezWizHed said:

Coach, waterboy, Giannis valet... let him travel with the team... just not suit up and take $2M hit on the salary cap for cheerleading.

[Joseph Zarr]

Just now, OldSchoolSnapper said:

This is the least excited I've been about the Bucks probably since like 2015. I feel that we have entered purgatory.

If 'purgatory' is Prime Giannis, I am ready and willing to enter the Darkness.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

1 minute ago, Joseph Zarr said:

If 'purgatory' is Prime Giannis, I am ready and willing to enter the Darkness.

I think this sums it up nicely:

"But who are we kidding: Four seasons removed from their championship campaign, the Bucks are spinning their tires, inching as close to the NBA's middle as they are title contention, burning the rest of Antetokounmpo's prime, and there will be a(nother) point when he can no longer stand the status quo."

Will they win games? Sure. Are they a real contender? I would like to believe they are, but I just see too much age.

[Joseph Zarr]

4 minutes ago, OldSchoolSnapper said:

I think this sums it up nicely:

"But who are we kidding: Four seasons removed from their championship campaign, the Bucks are spinning their tires, inching as close to the NBA's middle as they are title contention, burning the rest of Antetokounmpo's prime, and there will be a(nother) point when he can no longer stand the status quo."

Will they win games? Sure. Are they a real contender? I would like to believe they are, but I just see too much age.

I agree on the 'we're old!' sentiment. We are. But, who knows? It all comes down to health. But that's the same every season for every team. If the Big Three are healthy? They can still beat any team in any series - including the Celtics. That's a massive 'If' tho. I think we are going to see a much more dialed Dame. Much more. Last season was rough by his standards given all that was going on.

 

[sveumrules]

Yeah, Boston is clearly the class of the East and the whole Association.

Philly and New York have gotten the offseason hype because of their big moves, but Embiid is still a fraud and New York certainly didn't look much improved on opening night.

I'll take a healthy Giannis, Dame and Khris against anybody just a matter of crossing our fingers and praying for eighty two regular season games.

The Bucks might not be the favorites, but they have superstars so they at least have a chance. Purgatory in the NBA was the Kohl years. Crazy how fast some forget.

[nate82]

Coming as a surprise to no one but Middleton won’t be playing in game 1.

[HarryDoyle]

1 hour ago, nate82 said:

Coming as a surprise to no one but Middleton won’t be playing in game 1.

Rivers said it's precautionary, but we all know he'll be out until mid January. The rest will begin breaking out the Metamucil and Geritol to get ready for the season.

[nate82]

Always good to start out the season with a win.

[Joseph Zarr]

I can honestly say I don't recall a single game last season the Bucks were as organized as they were vs Philly on both ends. Vet Minimum signings appear massive. Words can not describe the upgrade of Gary Trent Jr. over Beasley.

[Samurai Bucky]

3 hours ago, Joseph Zarr said:

I can honestly say I don't recall a single game last season the Bucks were as organized as they were vs Philly on both ends. Vet Minimum signings appear massive. Words can not describe the upgrade of Gary Trent Jr. over Beasley.

I think Prince had hit a three pointer from the wing and one of the play by play guy had said, "That looks like the Celtics."  

I liked the spacing.  I liked that the Bucks were more consistent with their threes.  Bobby P still missed some bunnies and made some poor decisions.  They also made Maxey work.  I liked that, too.

It did seem like the refs swallowed the whistle a little more than usual.  I heard the term "point of emphasis" a lot during the broadcast.  What is the NBA supposedly focusing on in regards to allowing the defense to play defense better?  The Maxey cross body block on Giannis should not have been called differently... 😉

[BrewerFan]

Dude...I got to see this team win a Title...I got to see Giannis and now I get to see Dame healthy and in shape.

Middleton last year was near prime Middleton in the post-season(at least offensively).

 

I know it's asking a lot, but they get to May, June with a healthy team...I like our odds. Giannis and Dame have something to prove, Middleton is a much better #3 with this group. The length of Prince and Wright...I'd like to see Beauchamp play more because I still think there's something there and I don't want to see Middleton play more than ~55 games and 30MPG in those games. 

I think AJax will be a dude this year. I'm also looking at the rest of the league and while Boston is a powerhouse and Philly and NYK are probably better when healthy, I don't care. 

It's the reality of the NBA, but you CAN mortgage the future and we've done that and no better time to do that than with Giannis. In retrospect, bring Halliburton back home would have been wiser than Dame, but what can you do?

 

I put it at about 10% we have one last run, but again, if not...I enjoyed the Suns series and I can respect that the ownership group did what they said they would(Save for maybe Brogdon, but...bygones and all that). 

 

1-0
On pace for 82-0!

[nate82]

1 hour ago, BrewerFan said:

I'd like to see Beauchamp play more because I still think there's something there and I don't want to see Middleton play more than ~55 games and 30MPG in those games. 

LOL that is not happening.  Beauchamp will be lucky to play garbage minutes.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

On 10/23/2024 at 2:18 PM, sveumrules said:

Yeah, Boston is clearly the class of the East and the whole Association.

Philly and New York have gotten the offseason hype because of their big moves, but Embiid is still a fraud and New York certainly didn't look much improved on opening night.

I'll take a healthy Giannis, Dame and Khris against anybody just a matter of crossing our fingers and praying for eighty two regular season games.

The Bucks might not be the favorites, but they have superstars so they at least have a chance. Purgatory in the NBA was the Kohl years. Crazy how fast some forget.

I don't understand why the concept of raised expectations is seen as some negative awful thing. Purgatory doesn't mean sucking. The last two years of results have quite literally been the Kohl years, except way worse because the Bucks have one of the best players in the world and have been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. They won more regular season games I guess, which frankly in the NBA is a big old yawn.

It has nothing to do with forgetting. Injuries are only part of the excuse too, and not really something you can point to when the best players are old and oft-injured.

I am as happy as anyone they brought a championship to Milwaukee but the feeling of stagnation around the Bucks is completely realistic and valid. I'm not even criticizing the team because the cap hell they're in was necessary to win and I would make the same deal 100/100 times. But it is just the reality of where they are now. They are in that bucket of teams that yes, will probably win 50 games, but everyone kinda knows they aren't going to be there in the end.

If I were the Bucks I would seriously consider something drastic like sitting the star players every few games on a rotation or VERY light minute count. Anything possible to get the main 4 guys available in the playoffs.

 

[CheezWizHed]

4 hours ago, OldSchoolSnapper said:

If I were the Bucks I would seriously consider something drastic like sitting the star players every few games on a rotation or VERY light minute count. Anything possible to get the main 4 guys available in the playoffs.

They used to do that more, but the NBA cracked down on star players sitting in certain games.  We can still do it of course, but it has to be more planned on when and why.  

[adambr2]

It just seems so odd to me for a young star basketball player to peak at age 22 as a free throw shooter, and then just kind of get progressively worse throughout their career. Giannis can't make free throws to save his life, and it's lowkey become a huge problem. 

[adambr2]

Nobody fears the deer anymore, unfortunately.

[adambr2]

13 hours ago, OldSchoolSnapper said:

I don't understand why the concept of raised expectations is seen as some negative awful thing. Purgatory doesn't mean sucking. The last two years of results have quite literally been the Kohl years, except way worse because the Bucks have one of the best players in the world and have been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. They won more regular season games I guess, which frankly in the NBA is a big old yawn.

It has nothing to do with forgetting. Injuries are only part of the excuse too, and not really something you can point to when the best players are old and oft-injured.

I am as happy as anyone they brought a championship to Milwaukee but the feeling of stagnation around the Bucks is completely realistic and valid. I'm not even criticizing the team because the cap hell they're in was necessary to win and I would make the same deal 100/100 times. But it is just the reality of where they are now. They are in that bucket of teams that yes, will probably win 50 games, but everyone kinda knows they aren't going to be there in the end.

If I were the Bucks I would seriously consider something drastic like sitting the star players every few games on a rotation or VERY light minute count. Anything possible to get the main 4 guys available in the playoffs.

 

The problem with this is they're no longer good enough to just coast to a top 4 seed. They didn't even win 50 games last year. Moreover, they probably have one of the worst head coaches in the NBA. They've painted themselves into a corner with Rivers because with a few impulsive moves and bad hires they've made the top job in Milwaukee a volatile one that nobody wants. 

I wish I could mental gymnastic my way into thinking that this team is going to wind back the clock a few years and be one of the teams to beat in the East, but the reality is that we're closer to being a play-in tournament team than the team to beat. 

[nate82]

Must be garbage time as Beauchamp is in the game.

[HarryDoyle]

1 hour ago, adambr2 said:

The problem with this is they're no longer good enough to just coast to a top 4 seed. They didn't even win 50 games last year. Moreover, they probably have one of the worst head coaches in the NBA. They've painted themselves into a corner with Rivers because with a few impulsive moves and bad hires they've made the top job in Milwaukee a volatile one that nobody wants. 

I wish I could mental gymnastic my way into thinking that this team is going to wind back the clock a few years and be one of the teams to beat in the East, but the reality is that we're closer to being a play-in tournament team than the team to beat. 

They were the same way last season too, and losing in the first round proved it. The Pacers were always the better team and would've beat the Bucks even if Giannis was healthy. Their championship window has closed, and the Lillard trade will go down as one of the worst trades in franchise history. in the same vein in trading away Ray Allen.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

7 hours ago, HarryDoyle said:

They were the same way last season too, and losing in the first round proved it. The Pacers were always the better team and would've beat the Bucks even if Giannis was healthy. Their championship window has closed, and the Lillard trade will go down as one of the worst trades in franchise history. in the same vein in trading away Ray Allen.

Ehhh. They wouldn't be any better with Holiday though. Dame was a risk they had to take. Holiday's limitations offensively are very real, and that is what the Bucks needed, a reliable second scorer. Those limitations are also masked in Boston because the roster is just better. 

That he isn't playing so great alongside Giannis wasn't predictable. They were definitely not going anywhere running it back again. So while it looks like the door is shut, I think it was a shakeup they had to try. 

Certainly not even close to trading Ray Allen away. 

[OldSchoolSnapper]

8 hours ago, adambr2 said:

The problem with this is they're no longer good enough to just coast to a top 4 seed. They didn't even win 50 games last year. Moreover, they probably have one of the worst head coaches in the NBA. They've painted themselves into a corner with Rivers because with a few impulsive moves and bad hires they've made the top job in Milwaukee a volatile one that nobody wants. 

I wish I could mental gymnastic my way into thinking that this team is going to wind back the clock a few years and be one of the teams to beat in the East, but the reality is that we're closer to being a play-in tournament team than the team to beat. 

I agree 97%, but I doubt that nobody wants to coach the Bucks. It's an NBA gig with Giannis. Plenty of guys would take it. There aren't that many jobs.