The Basketball Diaries: 11/4

For the first time in four years, there is legitimate hope in the city of Milwaukee when it comes to basketball.

Not since the days when Glenn Robinson, Ray Allen and Sam Cassell made up the "Big Three" was there this much optimism circulating around the city. And for good reason, the Bucks are a good team.

Larry Harris did his share of wheeling and dealing this offseason, and set this team up with it's best nueclues since the 1971 NBA Championship season. That's right, even better than the 2001 Eastern Conference runner up team.

That team was built to score. They couldn't stop anyone to save their life, and Sam Cassell was the go to guy down the strecth, no matter what you think. That's not good. Glenn Robinson and Ray Allen failed to step up when it mattered most, and will be remembered as not quite as good as they should have been.

So what makes this team so good? Why should you be legitimately excited about the prospects of possibly making it to the conference finals? I thought you'd never ask...

1. TJ Ford: He's baaaaack. Man does Terrance look good back in the fold. TJ does so much for this team, words cannot even describe. It's a noticable difference.
2. Terry Stotts: Terry Porter was a good guy, but he was too raw, and the only reason why he got the job was because of his roots. Stotts is a very good young coach, and let's not forget he was the top deciple of George Karl. He did have a few head coaching offers during the 1998-2001 run, but decided to turn them down and stay with George until the two had a falling out.
3. The Twin Towers: As Bucks fans, we've always looked at teams with a good big man and thought why can't we ever have one of those? We now have two. Andrew Bogut is going to be a very special player in this league. He has the tools, and the intellect, he just needs the molding. Jamal Magloire is his body guard. Magloire does the dirty work and Bogut cashes in. Plus this allows Joe Smith to come in off the bench, something he is better suited to do at this point in his career. Joe Smith playing 15-20 minutes a night as a reserve is a pretty nice fall back option.
4. Michael Redd: Redd is a bonafide superstar waiting to erupt. I've been pulling for this guy since 2001 and felt all along he would suceed if given the chance to play. Michael Redd will end up being one of the greatest players in franchise history, and has already evolved into just as good of a player as, if not better, Ray Allen.
5. The Nuecleus: This team is virtually all young guys just coming into, or about to come into their own. Magloire, Redd, Simmons are all guys just hitting the high level. Mo Williams, TJ Ford, Bogut and Charlie Bell haven't even cracked the surface yet. Toss in vets like Joe Smith, Big Erv (Earvin Johnson) and Special K (Toni Kukoc) and they've got a nice mix. Not to mention Jiri Welsch, who hasn't even cracked the rotation yet.
6. Larry Harris: The guy seems like hes pure evil and 100% slime ball. But that's somethign this city isn't used to. A win at all costs guy. Granted I wouldn't trust him, or want to meet him in a dark alley (look at him and seriously tell me he doesn't look like "a made guy" if you know what I mean) but he's putting a good product on the floor.

The only thing holding this team back for now is the fact that they play in the toughest division in basketball. Give them a few years, but somethig big is happening in Milwaukee. Basketball and Baseball (who would have thunk it...)