It's sad that I say the Bucks don't rate a lot of interest. But, that's the reality. In the meantime, I still like them, so here's the Stinger preview.
Guards: The Bucks traded Mo Williams to the Cleveland Cavaliers. While Williams was a solid scorer, he was not a true point guard, which on a team that wasn't really a team, is not a good thing. The Bucks in 07-08 were a team that couldn't play team ball and couldn't play defense. Having a shoot-first point guard is not conducive to what new coach Scott Skiles wants to do, so away he went. In comes Luke Ridnour, who I liked coming out of Oregon. He is a solid 1, so I think he will eventually help. At the 2 is the well-traveled Michael Redd, who has a gold medal from Beijing. He will get the Bucks 22-26 points every night, but it will be interesting to see if he sticks around through yet another rebuild. Someone may want him at the trade deadline. Backups are the occasionally solid Ramon Sessions and Charlie Bell, and Damon Jones and Tyronn Lue.
Forwards: The Bucks made a splash this year by miraculously getting rid of Bobby Simmons' contract and a malcontent-in-the-waiting in Yi Jianlian, and getting Richard Jefferson. This was a great move to get someone who will be a good three for the next few years. This has not been a position of strength since Glenn Robinson was around (which is saying something considering Big Dog could shoot, but little else). The Bucks have the frustrating Charlie Villanueva at the 4, who shows flashes of brilliance, but doesn't always show up. The Bucks drafted Joe Alexander and Luc Mbah a Moute to solidify the forward slots. Both have some promise. Austin Croshere is there to provide some experience off the bench. I doubt he has much left in the tank, though.
Centers: The man is Andrew Bogut. He is fast becoming a solid center in this league, which is exactly what Milwaukee wanted when they drafted him (although Chris Paul would have looked awfully good in Bucks gear). The thing is, if you have a good center who can alter shots and get some boards, that is a great start to a good team. The unshakable Dan Gadzuric is still around (unshakable because of his contract), so Bogut will need a lot to play a lot of minutes.
Coaching: Larry Krystowiak was in over his head coaching in the NBA. That was patently obvious pretty much right away. Getting Scott Skiles in was a big move, but not the biggest move. I think Skiles is worth at least 5-7 more victories by himself.
Overall: This Bucks team is better than last year's edition. In the East, they will be in contention for the 8 spot. But, they aren't good enough to make a run yet. It will be interesting to see how much of a rebuilding project the Bucks will be in the next couple of years. But, I think John Hammond will guide the Bucks to better days.
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