Bucks new GM....it isn't Bill Simmons

One of my first posts talked about The Sports Guy, Bill Simmons, lobbying to be the new GM of the Milwaukee Bucks. I used the occasion to lament the state of the Bucks and how things could get really bad soon, even worse than it already is.

However, I have to say I am cautiously optimistic about the guy the Bucks picked to be the new GM, John Hammond. He was Joe Dumars' right-hand man in Detroit, and the Pistons are about as close to a model franchise as you'll find, at least in the Eastern Conference. He has helped Dumars build consistent winners, with a few NBA Finals appearances and one title. He has inherited a mess of bad contracts (Bobby Simmons, Dan Gadzuric, etc) and a meddlesome power structure above him in the organization. He is going to need a couple of years to right the ship in Milwaukee. But, like I said, I am cautiously optimistic that he can do it.

So, while Bill Simmons put a nice "campaign" together, and he is one of my favorite sports/pop culture columnists out there, I am glad that a guy like Hammond was plucked from the class of the Central Division. Good luck, John...you'll need it.