Matt Breen

My wife (works for a healthcare system - hate to always say that, but I just like to qualify what I'm saying) said that physical reactions of people getting the vaccine have been - thus far - minimal. Some headaches and stuff like that - but nothing bad - and not for any extended period. Most tier 1 people have been thrilled to get the vaccine - and more people want it. Which I find it encouraging. I should note that in the initial surveys sent out to staff, there was a significant number of people who did not want to get the vaccine right away. I stress right away because many do want to get it. But they are just wary about being the first in line. They want to see how others react - see how it works, etc. I suspect that if the vaccine proves effective, many of these fence sitters will be happy to get their shot(s). Again, just my thoughts.

Neikro was a really good player for a very long time. He wasn't the best pitcher in the world - but he was usually good. And then you add in the durability and the innings pitched - and he was incredibly valuable.

This is great for Milwaukee. With this roster, we are championship caliber for this year, and - assuming Holiday extends (Milwaukee will be very motivated to keeping him around) - for the next few years after that. No one is guaranteed a title, but - with a little luck - I think we will be amongst the league's best teams for a few years. However, stuff can go wrong - in particular injuries. And with Giannis under contract, it offers us some protection. If Giannis wants out of Milwaukee at some point, we'll be able to get a huge haul for him, which would help make up for all the draft picks we have dealt. The worst case scenario would have been Giannis leaving after next season without compensation. If that had happened, there would have been a good chance Holiday bolted as well - and the franchise would have been gutted for the next five years (due to all the traded draft picks). By locking up Giannis, we have likely avoided that scenario. So, let's enjoy Giannis and hope we can bring a championship to town. Excited to see next year's club in action. I liked Bledsoe, but he was frustrating at times with his inconsistencies. I think Holiday will help a lot there. I'll miss Hill as well, but he's not mission critical. No matter - should be fun.

People in USA watching Chernobyl when it came out May 2019, "lol Russia, we could never bungle something THAT bad." I remember when it came out the Russians were slamming it. And then it was announced the Russians were going to make their own version - complete with the CIA having a hand in the disaster. I don't know if they ever went forward with that version.

If you stick with just season 1 of True Detective you'll love it. Started this last night, and I'm absolutely hooked after 1.5 episodes. Is it truly best to just stop after Season 1? Are there any redeeming qualities of 2 or 3? Yeah, the first season of True Detective is great. Never watched the others -- everyone I knew who did was disappointed.

The drop in COVID cases has been very welcome. Let's hope it keeps trending down and the surge that was predicted doesn't happen.

I agree. Good show.

"Chernobyl" on HBO was outstanding.

I like Santana, but I'm just wary of another older player (he'll be 35 in April) coming off a poor year who really profiles as a DH. The hard thing is looking at his 2019 production and see how good he was that year - .281, .911 OPS, 34 HR. But that's sandwiched between a mediocre and bad year. If the club had signed him I would have been excited for the possibilities - but that's life. A 2-year deal is a pretty good get for Santana. I was thinking he'd get a year with an option. Good for him.

Some interesting notes about the Bucks failed go at Bogdanovic. Essentially, the Bucks and Bogdanovic had some serious interest in each other. Giannis, his brother, and George Hill (who Bogdanovic had played with a few years ago), really worked on recruiting him. But it was the Jrue Holiday trade that played a major role in torpedoing the deal. Bogdanovic had envisioned himself as the #3 guy on the team. Holiday's addition changed that. Plus it sent away Hill. And it limited the amount of money the Bucks could offer Bogdanovic. https://behindthebuckpass.com/2020/12/01/milwaukee-bucks-rumors-bogdan-bogdanovic/

Here you go:

My sister-in-law's father is hopefully going to be released from the hospital in the next couple of weeks. He's been there - after getting COVID - for nearly three months. It was touch and go for a while, but he looks like he's going to make it. Pretty amazing at his age (90+). They are talking about him getting put into an assisted care facility to continue his recovery. On the flip side, my same sister-in-law's niece (who I know, but haven't seen in ages) has been given a really grim assessment. She got COVID and is now on a ventilator. The doctors said it isn't looking good. Only about 40-45, but from what I understand, she has had some other health issues. Still, it's not easy to hear about. Hope everyone is staying healthy.

My wife told me she did not think you cannot require people to get Emergency Use Authorized (EUA) vaccinations. Which means no one will be able to require it for a while. I stress this was her belief - but she may be incorrect. It is something her organization is dealing with right now. That said, many places require vaccinations such as the flu. The military does, as do many health care organizations. My guess is that once the vaccine is not just classified as EUA, you will see places begin to require it. And by then, tens of millions of people will have had it - so opposition will be not as fierce as in the next few months (that's assuming all goes well with the vaccine). Opposition is high. For many people, however, it's not that they don't want the vaccine - it's that they don't want to be in the first round of the vaccine. Which is understandable. Even if you believe it's safe, there's going to be some uneasiness for a lot of people.

There's nothing wrong with offering up ideas - even ones not likely to pass. That's what this forum is for. So please be respectful about things. Thank you.

Got an email from my friend this morning. Him and his wife have COVID. They are pretty good about stuff - small circle of people, etc., but they still got it. His wife has rheumatoid arthritis, and it's really hit her hard. Not enough to go to hospital, but he said she is miserable. His words: "I wouldn't wish this crap (not his word choice) on anyone." So please, everyone, take care.

My thoughts on this offseason: - Holiday is a huge get - and makes it all a plus. - The Portis move is intriguing. He could really thrive in our offense. - D.J. Augustin is a nice backup PG, but at the price, it seems steep. $7M for a year is just a bit of an overpay. $21M over three years is overkill. The guy is 33, and giving $7/year for an aging back up is risky. Especially considering our money issues. Still, he's a good player. Maybe not the shot Hill was - but a better play maker. - Connaughton is a fine guy to have, but $16M over 3 years seems overkill. Oh well, it could be worse (but it probably could be better). - The draft was solid. We got two guys with very a specific skill set - shooting. Nothing wrong with that for 2nd rounders. - Forbes is a good shot, but nothing little else. Craig is a good defensive stopper, not much else from what I have read. - The Bogdan stuff was a fiasco. It just makes the club look like amateurs. Of course, it might not have been their fault. It could have been someone with Sacramento - or even Bogdan's camp. But the optics are awful. - The overall feel (as noted in The Athletic article) of the franchise is not great. They just look incompetent. If that perception is reached in Giannis' camp - it can cause some issues. In the end, the Bucks did well because Jrue Holiday is in the line up over Bledsoe. Nothing wrong with Bled, it's just Holiday equals him on defense - and betters him on offense - and he should fit better in our scheme. Bledsoe's playoff performances are another issue we have gotten rid of - a big plus. The big question now is Giannis. Does he sign or not? We shall see. I think this is a better team than last year. If DiVincenzo can step up his game (consistency would be really nice), it will really help soothe the lose of Bogdan.

Bucks have added two players - small forward Torrey Craig, and shooting guard Bryn Forbes. Both are most likely minimum salary guys. Nothing bad, nothing that good. Forbes can shoot pretty well - but not much more from what I understand. Might fit well with our scheme and personnel. Craig is considered a plus defender, but limited scorer.

Bogdan has signed an offer sheet with Atlanta. 4-years, $72M. So that ship has sailed.

A combination of Wilson ($4.5M), Donte ($3.0M) and Connaughton (probably around $5M or so) would get you close. That's $12.5M. Bogdan looks like he's going to get around $17-18M a year. Let's say you start that around $16M - then give him increases each year. The Bucks have to send back 75% of Bogdan's 2020-21 salary to the Kings. 75% of $16M is $12 -- so it is feasible. Of course, the Kings would have to want Connaughton and his 3-year/$16M deal. And Bogdan would have to be willing to come to Milwaukee at the price noted. And let's not forget that the league might be signaling to the teams not to make such a deal or risk tampering charges. And it all assumes I'm interpreting NBA salary cap rules correctly - never a sure thing.

All of this. Augustin should have a nice bounce back year this season and the addition of Portis is a big step up from Robin. I’m hoping we can still somehow work out a deal for Bogdanovic. If we could somehow pull that off, I would view the offseason moves as basically perfect given the circumstances. A Bogdanovic deal would be tough, but you never know in the NBA.

If you had told me before the offseason that we'd swap Bledsoe/Hill/Lopez for Holiday/Augustin/Portis I'd have been happy with that. But the excitement of adding Bogdanovic as well - and then the falling apart of the deal - just gives things an air of disappointment. Still, I think this team is better than last year. Especially when we will be playing good teams.

Favorite Connery movie is "The Man Who Would be King" with Michael Caine. Great, old school adventure.

From Adrian Wojnarowski Interesting.... New Orleans and Milwaukee are expanding the original Jrue Holiday trade to include more teams and players, including the routing of Steven Adams to the Pelicans, sources tell ESPN. Talks are moving toward a possible four-team trade.

A recent CDC study in Kansas demonstrates that mask mandates do affect COVID rates. On July 3, the governor of Kansas issued an executive order requiring wearing masks in public spaces. 81 of the state's 104 counties opted out of the order - meaning no masks were needed. In the aftermath, COVID-19 incidence decreased (by 6%) in the 24 counties with mask mandates, while in increased (by 100%) in the other 81 counties. Now, these reports are often difficult to read - so I hope I'm distilling down the main points correctly. But here's the link to the study. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6947e2.htm I'm sure others can read the study and pull out some nuggets - or correct any mistake I have made.

One guy that might have worked for Milwaukee was Justin Holiday (Drue's brother). But he's back with the Pacers - 3-years/$18M. One guy we might look at is point guard D.J. Augustin. He would be a solid playmaker behind Holiday. I doubt he's too expensive.