Bucks are on the right track

It’s easy for pessimists to say that the Milwaukee Bucks had another disappointing season, one which ended without a trip to the post-season. But unlike recent Bucks teams, where effort was questioned and an unproven head coach was at the helm, this year’s team clearly took a step in the right direction.

Two of the Bucks top players, Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut, each missed more than half of the team’s games this season. Redd played in only 33 of their 82 games, and has been out since January 24th when he tore the ACL and MCL in his left knee. Bogut was not on the court much more than that, playing in 36 games, missing the majority of the season with a lingering back problem.

And despite those major injuries, the Bucks still finished with eight more wins than last season, due in large part to new head coach Scott Skiles. They were also a legitimate Playoff contender up until the final three weeks of the season, when a stretch of going 4-16 put an end to any thoughts of post-season basketball in Milwaukee in 2009.

But with all things considered, the 2008-09 season was a success, starting with the acquisitions and roster moves of new general manager John Hammond last summer.

First, he turned the terrible contract of Bobby Simmons (had 2 years and $20 million left at the time of the trade) and the incredibly disappointing Yi Jianlian into proven veteran player Richard Jefferson. In terms of straight up talent-for-talent, the Bucks destroyed the New Jersey Nets in this trade. Luckily, Hammond was able to take advantage of a team that was looking to clear salary cap space for the summer of 2010 when LeBron James and other big-name players hit free agency.

And while Simmons continued to prove that he’s one of the worst contracts in the league (7.8 points per game in ’08-09, made $10 million) and Yi showed his second team in two years that he’s a lottery pick bust (8.6 ppg, 38% shooting in ’08-’09), Jefferson played all 82 games for an injury-plagued Milwaukee team, averaged just under 20 points per game, and was by all accounts, the steady presence that kept the Bucks afloat and in the Playoff race through the middle of March.

Additionally last summer, in a move that appeared to be more about team chemistry, Hammond also traded Mo Williams to the Cleveland Cavaliers, only to see Williams become a first-time All-Star this season. But in Milwaukee, Williams was expected to be a pass-first point guard in an offense filled with guys looking to get 15-20 shots each game (namely Redd and Charlie Villanueva), along with the Bucks desire to also get Bogut the ball more in the post. But in order for Williams to be most effective, he needs to be on a team where he can take plenty of shots, and playing alongside LeBron James in Cleveland was a perfect fit for him.

I do think, however, that the Bucks could have gotten more than Luke Ridnour, the expiring contract of Damon Jones, and Adrian Griffin (who ended up as an assistant coach, not a player) in exchange for Williams and Desmond Mason, so I can’t justify this as a good move. But it did get Williams’ contract (5 years, $43 million left at the time of the trade) off the books. Most felt that the Bucks (under previous general manager Larry Harris) overpaid Williams in the summer of 2007 to prevent him from signing with the Miami Heat.

In Hammond’s first NBA Draft as general manager of the Bucks, I think credit is due. While some consider Joe Alexander (Bucks’ 2008 1st round pick, 8th overall) a disappointment after one season in Milwaukee, more has to be considered before calling it a wasted first-round lottery pick. Sure, D.J. Augustin and Brook Lopez (overall picks 9 and 10 to the Charlotte Bobcats and New Jersey Nets, respectively) had better individual seasons than Alexander, but consider the positions that those two play. Augustin is a point guard, and Lopez is a center, and we had young guys at both positions already in Ramon Sessions and Bogut. Plus, with Alexander’s athleticism, he certainly has a chance to live up to his billing as a top ten pick.

But even if you can’t find a positive in using an 8th overall pick on Alexander, there is no denying that the Bucks came away with one of the two steals in the second round, drafting Luc Richard Mbah a Moute with the 37th overall pick (the other being Mario Chalmers 34th overall to Miami). Mbah a Moute had an outstanding rookie season, defending the other teams’ best perimeter player every game, and showing his versatility by starting 51 games this season at two vastly different positions, shooting guard and power forward.

With Hammond’s second off-season approaching as general manager in Milwaukee, Bucks’ fans should be confident that this team is heading in the right direction for the first time in several years.

Next week I’ll be talking about how the Bucks can improve this summer through free agency, trades, and the draft.