NLL Insider - Team by Team: Milwaukee Bucksby pennywise , updated on Thursday, October 12 2017, 07:38 pm EST
Season Highlight: Escaping the 1st round of the playoffs. This was the first time the Bucks have made
it to the 2nd round since the 2012 Playoffs. No one wanted to face Milwaukee in the
playoffs, as the inside-inside combo of Westbrook driving and KAT posting was a
horror matchup. The Evil Empire continues to gain momentum and we can only
wonder if 2017/18 could be the year they break through and make the NLL Finals
for the 1st time in team history. Season Lowlight: It’s a dual shot here, losing KCP to injury just before the
playoffs and then falling in the 2nd round to the Knicks. Sure, the Knicks were a great team and went
to the NLL Finals, but on paper, the Bucks were the favorite. I’m sure BadWolf was up many sleepless nights
after that series wondering just what if KCP had been healthy. Best Trade: Milwaukee trades
Kentavious Caldwell Pope to Dallas.
Dallas sends 2017 1st(Den, 20th overall) and 2018
1st (Bkn). Initially, I thought this was a great deal for Dallas,
getting the #8 overall pick from 2013 for a 20 something pick this year and a
20 something pick next. However, after
all the offseason NBA dust settled, it looks like Milwaukee actually got the
better end of this deal. KCP will have
his QO used to retain him this year, but he will be on a 1 year $18 million
deal and will likely become a FA with an F loyalty next offseason. Foresight like this is why GM Badwolf always
fields a competitive team. Worst Trade: Milwaukee trades
Tobias Harris to Brooklyn. Brooklyn
trades 1st round pick(BKN) to Milwaukee. Tobias Harris ended up averaging over 18 points a game and
was a pretty solid defender this past year.
Sure he is a little costly at 16 mil a year, but Aaron Gordon, who was
supposed to help the Bucks forget about Harris, ended up being unforgettable
himself and was eventually also traded away.
Harris’ athleticism could have made a Westbrook, Giannis, KCP, KAT
starting lineup look mighty hard to defend and hard to score against. Other Notable Trades: The Detroit Pistons
send Louis Williams to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Milwaukee Bucks send Deyonta
Davis to the Detroit Pistons. The Milwaukee Bucks send a 1st-Rounder (Ind) to
the Atlanta Hawks. Lou Will ended up being a valuable asset for the Bucks with
KCP and Lavine going down with injuries. The LA Lakers send
Iman Shumpert to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Milwaukee Bucks send DeMarre Carroll
to the LA Lakers. Iman was another player intended to fill the KCP/Lavine
holes, but was not effective. In terms
of the straight swap, Carroll was largely ineffective in the Bucks lineup, so
adding a more athletic wing player made sense for Milwaukee. The Dallas Mavericks
send Thaddeus Young to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Milwaukee Bucks send Timofey
Mozgov, Alessandro Gentile and Cameron Payne to the Dallas Mavericks. The
Milwaukee Bucks send a 1st-Rounder (Mil) and 2nd-Rounder (Was) to the Dallas
Mavericks. Bucks rid themselves of the albatross Mozgov contract and
bring in a solid bench player in Young. The Charlotte Hornets
send Langston Galloway to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Milwaukee Bucks send Jose
Calderon to the Charlotte Hornets. The Charlotte Hornets send a 2nd-Rounder
(Bos) and 2nd-Rounder (SA) to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Milwaukee
Bucks send a 1st-Rounder (SA) to the Charlotte Hornets. Galloway was a sneaky good pickup, and Calderon really has
played horribly of late. This was
another move by Wolf to try to fill the gap left by KCP and Lavine. Sure, the 1st was a very late 20s,
but Galloway ended up not wanting to stay in Milwaukee and opted for a roll of
the dice in free agency. The Dallas Mavericks
send Shabazz Muhammad to the Orlando Magic. The Milwaukee Bucks send Rondae
Hollis-Jefferson to the Dallas Mavericks. The Orlando Magic send DeMarre
Carroll to the Milwaukee Bucks. This trade ended up being considered the Best trade of the
season for Dallas and it was close to being the worst for Milwaukee, but for
how effective Harris was compared to RHJ. Now, RHJ has tremendous upside and is
a 3 and D wing with great athleticism, which is what BadWolf looks for in his
specs, but in hindsight, he may wish he could have RHJ back. Best FA Signing: Personally, neither of the 2 free agents the Bucks signed
were worth much for them last year. Worst FA Signing: Timofey Mozgov – See Surprise. Star: There were actually 2 for the Bucks, Russell Westbrook and
KAT. Maybe the slight edge could go to
KAT, since he had 11 boards per, but we are splitting hairs here. This double edged sword ran roughshot over
most competition all year. Surprisingly,
Westbrook has been openly shopped since last season, but we get the sense that
once he signs the extension, those trade talks will cease. Surprise: Timofey Mozgov – There are 2 surprises with Mozgov. 1 – That he even ended up on a Bucks roster,
which is usually focused on youth, potential, and affordable cap value. 2 – How horrendous he played. Total cost/stat - $228,000 per point,
$283,000 per rebound and $2,183,000 per block. Goat: Demarre Carroll. This
guy was a pittance of what he was expected to be. Coming off 13 per last year to only average 5
per game for the Bucks is disappointing to say the least. Then, they trade him and he goes back to
almost 10 a game. Talk about not liking
the team he was playing for, but makes you wonder what his motivation is, with
the Bucks ending up being an elite NLL team. Draft Report Card: Jarrett Allen (20) Merencio (C+) Nenjabin (B+) Allen is a surprisingly good C that should immediately slide
into the backup C role, replacing the recently traded Nurkic. Can Allen handle the minutes early on, or
will the NLL be too fast for the young rook? Looking to the Future: As always, Milwaukee is a rotating door for new, young
potential and this year is no different.
The Bucks are anchored by 3 stars in Russ, KAT, and Giannis. They have promising young talent, like
LaVine, Labissiere, Poeltl, Allen and Mitchell.
They have replaced their questionable pieces with ones that should
better fit this team’s strategy. Expect
the Bucks to compete for the top spot in the NLL for at least the next few
years. Upcoming Free Agents: None |
Archive· Team by Team: New York Knicks · Team by Team: Milwaukee Bucks · Team by Team: Washington Wizards · Team by Team: Minnesota T'wolves · Team by Team: Philadelphia 76ers |
© 2001-2019 nbaliveleague.com | All Rights Reserved | About Us | FAQ | Sign Up | Contact Us | Site Statistics