Bucks ball

Got my first live look at the Milwaukee Bucks tonight as they played the Minnesota Timberwolves up here in Minneapolis. The Bucks were lights-out in the first half, shooting something like 65%. Unfortunately, they let the Timberwolves hang around. And, you know what happens when you let teams hang around....they come back and win, especially at home. While there were a few hundred Bucks fans there, the home crowd (all 10,000 of them) helped the Wolves come back and win. A couple of observations about the Bucks:

1. I really like Andrew Bogut's development. I think he is one of the better passing centers in the league, and he has some nice post moves. I would like to see him alter more shots on defense, but that will get there.

2. Michael Redd had his usual solid game, scoring 32, but I still think he can be a little too quick to shoot. He needs to realize that he is not the only scorer.

3. Richard Jefferson is a nice addition to the team. He had 29 tonight, and while I know he wasn't terribly pleased to come to Milwaukee, he has been a good soldier. Having a high-scoring forward helps.

4. Scott Skiles has a scheme problem on defense. The reason the Wolves got back into the game was because the Bucks did not do enough to defend the baseline. Rodney Carney was left open on the baseline too many times and made too many uncontested shots. He came off the bench and scored 22, and I think he was 4-5 from behind the arc. The Bucks are markedly better on defense, but still are not good enough. I should not have to miss Paul Pressey 20 years after he stopped playing.

5. Overall, the Bucks are definitely better than last year. Having a real coach helps. But, they are not ready for prime time yet. They have to learn to put teams away. The Bucks had no business losing this game, but did anyway. The Bucks may end up in the playoffs in a top-heavy Eastern Conference, but they will not get far. They will be better as Skiles gets these guys to buy into the system.

I hope I can get to another Bucks game, this time in Milwaukee.