Once again the Milwaukee Bucks have made a move or two at the NBA's trading deadline. In two separte moves, the Bucks put themselves about $13 million under the NBA's salary cap, got two extra draft picks, a promising young player, and lost their fourth leading scorer.
In the first move the Bucks dealt backup point guard Mike James, and seldom used center Zendon Hamilton to the Houston Rockets for two second round draft picks and Madison native Reece Gaines.
I am not at all surprised that James was moved, I kind of expected it. His value was rising with recent 20 plus point games, he can play defense and he has playoff experience and won a ring with the Pistons last year. This is a great move for the Rockets. They have had issues at point guard and now they have a quality backup for Bobby Sura.
By making this move the Bucks gave themselves insurance. Gaines can play the point or two guard thus giving them insurance at the point guard spot if TJ Ford never plays again, or at shooting guard if Michael Redd leaves town this summer. I really like Reece Gaines. I was extremely high on him coming out of college. I was at the Milwaukee Bucks draft in 2003 covering it for a radio station and I thought the Bucks should have drafted Gaines then. I openly discussed this with a few other media members and a few agreed with me. I was proven wrong by TJ Ford, he was incredible for the short time the Bucks had him, while Gaines struggled in Orlando.
I still think Gaines can be a player in this league, he just needs some playing time, which he will get plenty of in Milwaukee. I am really excited about seeing what Reece Gaines can do and look forward to watching him play out this season.
The other deal the Bucks made sent Keith Van Horn to Dallas for Calvin Booth, Alan Henderson and cash. This was a money deal. Alan Henderson's contract expires this summer and he will not be resigned. Calvin Booth can contribute 5-10 good minutes a night, but don't expect much else from him. By moving Van Horn, getting the cash form the Mav's and not resignig Henderson the Bucks give themselves quite a bit of cap relief this summer.
I'm a bit sad to see Van Horn go. I was happy when they made the deal for him last year, and thought he would be the perfect complement to Redd. But for some reason or another, things just didn't seem to work out for Van Horn here, much like his other three stops in the NBA. Dallas will be a perfect fit for him though. Not much will be expected of him and he will be the third or fourth option on that team.
All of this brings us to the question of the day, will Michael Redd resign with the Bucks? I know an article in The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal said that Michael Redd has indicated that he will resign with the team this summer, but I won't believe it until I see it.
If you're Michael Redd, one of the prize free agents of the upcoming summer, Cleveland and King James want you, many other teams will court you and offer you similar money to what the Bucks are willing to give you. Why do you want to return to Milwaukee? Why? He is a loyal guy and has said he would like to end his career with one team, but as a career move it's probably not the right one.
Would you pass up playing alongisde the next great player, and that may be an understatement, in the league-LeBron James? Think of potential championships you could win or endorsements you could get. Oh yeah I forgot the Cavs are your hometown team. That may be strike three and Redd is out.
In fairness look at it from the Bucks end, why would he choose to return here. He is a loyal guy and likes it in Milwaukee. The Bucks can offer him more money than any other team. He wouldn't have to readjust to a new team and teammates, and in Cleveland's case he wouldn't have to deal with being the hometown guy. But other than that he would be returning to a team without Van Horn, James and probably Ford. He would be palying with a young guard still learning how to play-Reece Gaines-and you don't know how much longer Joe Smith or Toni Kukoc will be around. Plus you don't know how much depth you have on the team and once again you would be expected to carry the load.
In terms of a pure basketball decision, why would you want to return to that team? As I said earlier the Bucks now have about $13 million in cap room, so you're initial thought is they can resign Redd and add guys around him with that money. Not so fast. $13 million is not a lot of money in terms of NBA cap. Realize this, Micheal Redd will probably get about $8-10 million of that, maybe even more. What does that leave you with to use on surrounding players? Not much.
The reality is this, if Redd returns he does so knowing this team is rebuilding and won't compete for two or three years. They are going to heavily rely on young guys like Pachulia and Gaines, and give their record so far they should have a good draft pick and another young player who will get a lot of playing time. Does he want to win alongside a great player, or does he want to help build up his team? Judge for yourself, but I've got my mind made up.
Thursday, February 24, 2005
Marquette's fallout
Consider for a moment that you are on the NCAA selection committee. Unless Marquette makes a miraculous run and wins the CUSA tournament, would you really want them in the Big Dance? With Travis Diener, MU at least had a foot in the door for the NCAA's. But with Diener shelved for the rest of the season, that door seems to have closed.
Before #34 broke bones in his left hand, MU had a slim chance of getting an at-large bid to the tournament, but nonetheless, whenever a team features one of the premier playmakers in the country and arguably the best player in his respected conference, not to mention a possible All-America selection, it gives that team a bonafide chance to get a bid in the eyes of the selection committee. While Marquette has showed little or no consistency throughout its regular season conference schedule, a player of Diener's caliber can, at times, single handedly carry his squad to the sweet sixteen. That is something that the selection committee takes into consideration.
But now what separates MU from average teams or even great Division III teams? Not a whole lot. Now does anyone honestly feel that the Golden Eagles could string together a few victories and make a little run in the tournament? The obvious answer is no. They have no proven leader or anyone else that plays with consistency. Other teams know this as well. Look what happened when MU (sans Diener) took on Louisville at Freedom Hall: A 47-point shellacking. Rick Pitino even cited that they knew without Diener, his team is substantially better than Marquette's. Tell me Cincinnati isn't thinking the same thing. No matter how one breaks it down, MU's chances of making the postseason tournament appear over, unless of course you're a member of the NIT selection crew. But even then, should MU finish out its regular season 1-2 and lose in the first round of its conference tournament, why would you want them playing in the postseason at all?
Before #34 broke bones in his left hand, MU had a slim chance of getting an at-large bid to the tournament, but nonetheless, whenever a team features one of the premier playmakers in the country and arguably the best player in his respected conference, not to mention a possible All-America selection, it gives that team a bonafide chance to get a bid in the eyes of the selection committee. While Marquette has showed little or no consistency throughout its regular season conference schedule, a player of Diener's caliber can, at times, single handedly carry his squad to the sweet sixteen. That is something that the selection committee takes into consideration.
But now what separates MU from average teams or even great Division III teams? Not a whole lot. Now does anyone honestly feel that the Golden Eagles could string together a few victories and make a little run in the tournament? The obvious answer is no. They have no proven leader or anyone else that plays with consistency. Other teams know this as well. Look what happened when MU (sans Diener) took on Louisville at Freedom Hall: A 47-point shellacking. Rick Pitino even cited that they knew without Diener, his team is substantially better than Marquette's. Tell me Cincinnati isn't thinking the same thing. No matter how one breaks it down, MU's chances of making the postseason tournament appear over, unless of course you're a member of the NIT selection crew. But even then, should MU finish out its regular season 1-2 and lose in the first round of its conference tournament, why would you want them playing in the postseason at all?
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Milwaukee college hoops
Milwaukee has two major division 1 college teams, and one (UWM) is enjoying a fine season, while the other (Marquette) is not. Yes, Marquette most recently beat a talented DePaul team at the Bradley Center to keep what is a slim to none chance of being an at-large team invited to the NCAA Tournament. But the Golden Eagles basically have to run the table on the regular season AND make a deep CUSA tournament run to have any shot whatsoever of making the dance. My bet is that they are an NIT team for the second straight year. MU has not shown that it can consistently beat a decent team that has more than one scorer. Before anyone gets too excited about the DePaul win, wait and see what happens against Cincinnati. Remember this team couldn't beat TCU and struggled mightily against Southern Mississippi.
UWM on the other hand is currently in the middle of what might be its best season to date. However, something tells me that the Panthers will still have to win the Horizon League tournament to get into the NCAA tournament. It is just the life of a mid-major team. The odds are stacked greatly against you. But the Panthers seemed poised to win the league tourney this time around after dropping a tough loss to UIC on their home court in the title game last year. This Panthers team is not so reliant on one person (Dylan Page) as they were last year. They have several options. While Ed McCants has been their leading scorer nearly all season, his average to below average shooting percentage could haunt them. But if he stops taking a handful of bad shots every game and heats up a little bit, they will certainly be too formidable for any other Horizon team to beat them at home. They have lost one home game this season (vs. Detroit, Jan. 3) but other than that, have been perfect. Something else to keep in mind is that the U.S. Cellular Arena is where UWM has been playing all of its home games the last two seasons, and while for a general regular season home game there are typically between 3,000-6,000 spectators in attendance, for the league tournament, it just about sells out at it's capacity of 12,000. While last season, that didn't matter against UIC, look to the year before that when Butler lost to Milwaukee big time in what was one of the greatest college atmosphere's I've ever witnessed a game at.
Additionally, last season, UWM backed into the league tournament, this year they have currently wrapped up the top seed in the tourney and are winners of 15 of their last 16 games. But nonetheless, it should be an interesting and exciting tournament once again.
My last thoughts on the Horizon League tournament at this time is that the one lower seeded team that no one wants to see on their radar is certainly Loyola. The Ramblers are drastically improved since the season began and have already thumped UWGB (the second seeded team) twice this season.
As this is my first post as a new member to this site, I'm sure JG and I will be doing our best to keep everyone posted on the happenings of UWM and the Horizon League tournament because it's championship game is on March 8, and both of us will most likely be in attendance.
UWM on the other hand is currently in the middle of what might be its best season to date. However, something tells me that the Panthers will still have to win the Horizon League tournament to get into the NCAA tournament. It is just the life of a mid-major team. The odds are stacked greatly against you. But the Panthers seemed poised to win the league tourney this time around after dropping a tough loss to UIC on their home court in the title game last year. This Panthers team is not so reliant on one person (Dylan Page) as they were last year. They have several options. While Ed McCants has been their leading scorer nearly all season, his average to below average shooting percentage could haunt them. But if he stops taking a handful of bad shots every game and heats up a little bit, they will certainly be too formidable for any other Horizon team to beat them at home. They have lost one home game this season (vs. Detroit, Jan. 3) but other than that, have been perfect. Something else to keep in mind is that the U.S. Cellular Arena is where UWM has been playing all of its home games the last two seasons, and while for a general regular season home game there are typically between 3,000-6,000 spectators in attendance, for the league tournament, it just about sells out at it's capacity of 12,000. While last season, that didn't matter against UIC, look to the year before that when Butler lost to Milwaukee big time in what was one of the greatest college atmosphere's I've ever witnessed a game at.
Additionally, last season, UWM backed into the league tournament, this year they have currently wrapped up the top seed in the tourney and are winners of 15 of their last 16 games. But nonetheless, it should be an interesting and exciting tournament once again.
My last thoughts on the Horizon League tournament at this time is that the one lower seeded team that no one wants to see on their radar is certainly Loyola. The Ramblers are drastically improved since the season began and have already thumped UWGB (the second seeded team) twice this season.
As this is my first post as a new member to this site, I'm sure JG and I will be doing our best to keep everyone posted on the happenings of UWM and the Horizon League tournament because it's championship game is on March 8, and both of us will most likely be in attendance.
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