2024-25 Milwaukee Bucks thread

[sveumrules]

During the Bucks 8 W - 1 L run over the last nine games their 106.2 dRTG is 1st in the league.

Offense (114.4 oRTG | 17th) and rebounding (50.3 REB% | 15th) have been more middle of the pack over that same time frame, but have to imagine getting Bobby back should give them a boost in both areas heading into the playoffs.

Overall their +8.2 netRTG is 7th during the stretch with upcoming opponents CLE (+16.9 | 1st), GSW (+12.3 | 2nd), OKC (+8.7 | 4th), IND (+8.7 | 5th), and LAL (+6.8 | 9th) all playing at similar or better paces of late themselves.

[HarryDoyle]

Junior Bridgeman passes away age 71.

Ex-NBA player, billionaire entrepreneur Junior Bridgeman dies - ESPN

[adambr2]

Only the Bucks could lose on a 4 point play and then be caught with their pants down with no timeouts for the final possession.

[Joseph Zarr]

5 minutes ago, adambr2 said:

Only the Bucks could lose on a 4 point play and then be caught with their pants down with no timeouts for the final possession.

Wellllll, only a Scott Foster calls that a foul on a very good close out rewarding an insane flailing flying fall away prayer three pointer. Challenging the play with only one timeout is the silly thing to do. An NBA crew won't overturn that. Save your TO. Draw something up for a half court set. You have 3 seconds. That's a world of time for a meaningful set for a half court inbound play. Doc is not a good HC. He just isn't. And, well, the Bucks continue to make unbelievably dumb errors in late game situations. Can't have the two and the officials constantly screwing you over. Plus, earlier in the quarter the Pacers were rewarded a three point basket on a clear foot on the line and then over the line. These games are won in the margins. The Bucks consistently fail in the margins versus the good teams.

[Joseph Zarr]

I mean, come on. The crew rewarded this play stating Giannis didn't allow Haliburton to land safely:

Did Giannis also throw him into full flight? Scott Foster is the worst. The NBA crews continue punishing the Bucks on a near nightly basis. This is our burden as Bucks fans. It's uncanny.

[adambr2]

9 minutes ago, Joseph Zarr said:

Wellllll, only a Scott Foster calls that a foul on a very good close out rewarding an insane flailing flying fall away prayer three pointer. Challenging the play with only one timeout is the silly thing to do. An NBA crew won't overturn that. Save your TO. Draw something up for a half court set. You have 3 seconds. That's a world of time for a meaningful set for a half court inbound play. Doc is not a good HC. He just isn't. And, well, the Bucks continue to make unbelievably dumb errors in late game situations. Can't have the two and the officials constantly screwing you over. Plus, earlier in the quarter the Pacers were rewarded a three point basket on a clear foot on the line and then over the line. These games are won in the margins. The Bucks consistently fail in the margins versus the good teams.

Yeah. I should have worded the “caught with your pants down with no timeouts” and clarify that Doc just donated it. There was nothing they were ever going to ever overturn.

Nothing earth-shaking here, but Doc really sucks.

[Joseph Zarr]

Just dropping this here.

Didn't make sense the day of the trade. Doesn't make sense as the regular season winds down. How do you just throw in this type of player with a first round pick swap to boot and a veteran leader in Middleton for an inefficient player of Kuzma's ilk? The Bucks have rarely ever understood asset management. They continue to struggle mightily in this regard.

AND, if you are going to trade for Kuzma one would imagine (especially with Sims' injury) you play around with Giannis 5 line-ups. BUT, you have Doc Rivers as your head coach. The pain is real.  The more things change the more they stay the same with the Bucks. Thank the basketball gods Giannis scored a 50-Piece championship nugget. That will soothe my decades of Bucks fandom pain the rest of my days. When you take that Bucks medicine, however, there are definitely side effects. 😅

[adambr2]

I never thought Giannis would grow into an 80% FT shooter… but I also didn’t think he was going to devolve into becoming Shaq.

[Joseph Zarr]

This current Bucks experience feels like a Hambone Bucks era experience but you have Giannis' talent and you have Giannis' input also influencing the decision-making process. I don't quite understand the wishful internets thinking that this Bucks squad is an EC contender. They look every bit the part of another 1st round or 2nd round exit. They just are not a smart basketball team and they are not led by a smart HC. Kyle Kuzma does some nice things on the court - rebounds and defends. But, man, he is a really maddeningly inefficient spazy unintelligent basketball player. The patina has worn off that first week or two feel good there. The Bucks traded away a franchise icon and extremely smart player and just threw in the most exciting prospect they've had in the entire Giannis era like it was nothing. This is just not a high-functioning organization. 

[sveumrules]

11 hours ago, Joseph Zarr said:

Kyle Kuzma does some nice things on the court - rebounds and defends. But, man, he is a really maddeningly inefficient spazy unintelligent basketball player. The patina has worn off that first week or two feel good there. The Bucks traded away a franchise icon and extremely smart player and just threw in the most exciting prospect they've had in the entire Giannis era like it was nothing. This is just not a high-functioning organization. 

During the 39 games after the 2 W - 8 L start, but before acquiring Kuzma the Bucks went 25 W - 14 L (.641 W%) with a 114.7 oRTG (9th) | 111.4 dRTG (8th) | +3.3 netRTG (8th).

During the 22 games since Kuzma's first game the Bucks are 13 W - 9 L (.591 W%) with a 114.5 oRTG (17th) | 110.9 dRTG (4th) | +3.6 netRTG (9th).

I think the biggest factor for the trade was it got us below the 2nd apron or whatever, under the older less restrictive CBA I think there is a better chance they just keep Khris and roll the dice with what was "working".

Next biggest factor was just availability. Kuzma has played all 22 games totaling 729 minutes since the deal. Obviously there has been some load management going on, but Middleton's only played 13 games and 295 minutes for the Wiz.

Playoffs are about defense and they've been better defensively since Kuzma (& Porter Jr.) arrived. I still think 2nd round is the realistic ceiling for this squad, but I do think they improved their odds of making an improbable run (while improving future flexibility at the same time) ever so slightly. 

I'm not contending that the Bucks are any kind of high-functioning organization, they clearly aren't. But I do believe their deadline was purposeful and they mostly accomplished what they set out to given the corner they backed themselves into (out of necessity at the behest of Giannis).

[Joseph Zarr]

2 hours ago, sveumrules said:

During the 39 games after the 2 W - 8 L start, but before acquiring Kuzma the Bucks went 25 W - 14 L (.641 W%) with a 114.7 oRTG (9th) | 111.4 dRTG (8th) | +3.3 netRTG (8th).

During the 22 games since Kuzma's first game the Bucks are 13 W - 9 L (.591 W%) with a 114.5 oRTG (17th) | 110.9 dRTG (4th) | +3.6 netRTG (9th).

I think the biggest factor for the trade was it got us below the 2nd apron or whatever, under the older less restrictive CBA I think there is a better chance they just keep Khris and roll the dice with what was "working".

Next biggest factor was just availability. Kuzma has played all 22 games totaling 729 minutes since the deal. Obviously there has been some load management going on, but Middleton's only played 13 games and 295 minutes for the Wiz.

Playoffs are about defense and they've been better defensively since Kuzma (& Porter Jr.) arrived. I still think 2nd round is the realistic ceiling for this squad, but I do think they improved their odds of making an improbable run (while improving future flexibility at the same time) ever so slightly. 

I'm not contending that the Bucks are any kind of high-functioning organization, they clearly aren't. But I do believe their deadline was purposeful and they mostly accomplished what they set out to given the corner they backed themselves into (out of necessity at the behest of Giannis).

I don't have any meaningful response here. In general, I completely understand the 2nd apron rationale and what getting under opens up. I would casually argue their mismanged projections and roster constructions got them there in the first place but does it even matter discussing these finer points? 😅 In general, the Bucks legitimately just make me feel entirely apathetic. Grateful I experienced a Championship run in my lifetime. Genuinely amazed they are paying three HC salaries and Doc Rivers is receiving the most money of the three. Genuinely amazed.

On the positive flipside, the Bucks absolutely remind me of why I follow the Brewers org so passionately. I just love love love how they execute their Team vision. They certainly botch some personnel and roster construction things from time to time but it is hard not to genuinely admire what they manage to put together annually. A true ongoing annual feat of excellence in American professional sports. I do not take this for granted a single day of any recent season. To me, and this is just me, it is more enjoyable than the mandate of having to win a World Surrious to validate the team's worth. Their health of construction and organization philosophy and execution is what I am in awe of - behind the obvious allure and fascination I have with the players.

[adambr2]

It’s ironic that out of the three major Wisconsin sports teams, the Bucks are clearly the worst run organization, with the Brewers being the best (I certainly don’t agree with everything they do, and I have my suspicions on how financially invested Mark A is in the team relative to himself these days, but it’s clearly commendable how they manage to contend as a small market in a league dominated by money) — yet of the three Wisconsin sports teams, the Bucks are the only one to break through and win a championship in this era.

The obvious, and only correct answer to that irony is Giannis.

[RedStickBrew]

Per the Athletic: Lillard out indefinitely 

Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard has been diagnosed with a deep vein thrombosis (blood clots) in his right calf, the team announced.

The team said Lillard has been put on blood-thinning medication and will continue to be tested regularly.

Details ⤵️
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6229321/2025/03/25/bucks-damian-lillard-blood-clot/?source=bsky_hq

[HarryDoyle]

Does anyone think it's coincidence that the Bucks championship window closed soon after Jimmy Haslam bought a stake in ownership?

[SeaBass]

I think it closed when we traded Jrue instead of Khris.

[sveumrules]

34 minutes ago, SeaBass said:

I think it closed when we traded Jrue instead of Khris.

Trail Blazers wouldn't have accepted Khris in the Lillard trade because he was coming off injury and had only played 33 games the previous season. Jrue had way higher value leaguewide at that point for POR to flip for something more useful to their rebuild.

Like most Championship Windows the Bucks closed when the clock hit zero and they hoisted the trophy.

2019 Kawhi
2020 Lebron
2021 Giannis
2022 Curry
2023 Jokic
2024 Celts

If either of the #1 seeds (CLE or OKC) goes all the way this year that will be seven straight years now with different Champs since LBJ/GSW/SAS monopolized six straight Finals from 2013-18.
 

[GAME05]

We definitely wouldn't have gotten Lillard but I think the 76ers had interest at that point, or maybe he just leaves for pennies and that $40M is just spent elsewhere. Granted, it probably would have been a swap for Ben Simmons.

[Joseph Zarr]

Speaking of Khash Munny...

MRI on his right knee scheduled after he left last night's throttling at the hands of the Pacers. He left the game early with what has been described as 'right knee soreness'. Man, the demise of Khris' body hurts me on a soul level. 😔

Sidebar G-League Update: (Everybuddy's favorite!)

The Herd have won 3 straight. They just throttled GSW's affiliate by over 30. Terence Davis had 44 on 12-for-16 from deep 😳. Big Henry Ellenson is averaging 21 and 10 with 4 dimes on 44.5% from deep (4 attempts per game). Justise Winslow starts for them. Honestly, I'm surprised Winslow can walk or lift his arms after the number of days; weeks; months; years he's spent on NBA IL's. They remain 3.0 GB.

Ol' friend, PF/C Drew Timme just turned the best 30 game stretch in his professional career (including a very recent Fitty Piece!) for the Nets G-League affiliate into a two-year NBA deal with said Nets. Love this for him. Spokane's Golden Son!! My mountain valley is singing this morning. The creeks and springheads trickling off Mount Spokane have an extra twinkle in thine watery eyes! We all know these types of deals have very little if any type of guarantees but it's a legit first foot through the door. Run with it, big fella!

 

[nate82]

2 hours ago, Joseph Zarr said:

Big Henry Ellenson is averaging 21 and 10 with 4 dimes on 44.5% from deep (4 attempts per game).

He is probably not an adequate enough starting or bench 5 in the NBA but he definitely doesn’t belong in the G league.

[Joseph Zarr]

Bucks paying three HC's and Doc leading the money sammich and meanwhile in Memphis they've canned Taylor Jenkins.

 

Make it make sense, Lawwwwwd. Make it make sense.

[nate82]

As long as Giannis is here Doc will be here at least for now.  I am more worried about Dame and if he will be out long term and where the Bucks will get a third option for the offense.  The Suns game was the perfect example of what the Bucks are missing late in the game without Dame they have no one who can hit a clutch shot. 

[adambr2]

Friendly reminder that when the Bucks fired Bud they were coming off a nearly 60 win season that had followed a championship season, and Lillard wasn’t even here yet.

Gonna go out on a limb and say the grass wasn’t greener.

[HarryDoyle]

Giannis is the first player in NBA history to have 35 point, 17 rebound and 20 assist game.

[Samurai Bucky]

I keep hearing the "experts" say that Giannis is gone after this year.  I hope that doesn't happen.

I think they could trade Dame and fill in around Giannis a lot better.  They probably need to get rid of Lopez, too.

[Joseph Zarr]

3 hours ago, Samurai Bucky said:

I keep hearing the "experts" say that Giannis is gone after this year.  I hope that doesn't happen.

I think they could trade Dame and fill in around Giannis a lot better.  They probably need to get rid of Lopez, too.

They have many paths to attempt to reshuffle their chances. BUT, my main 'concern' (I don't take anything too seriously about the Bucks any longer) is: do you trust anyone in their Basketball Ops or Ownership to make the right decisions or carve the right path back to real prominence? I sure as heck don't. I personally experience and read into a highly convoluted collective decision-making process.