In a conference filled with mediocrity and change, nothing is for sure. This past summer changed the landscape of the Eastern Conference more than any in recent memory. There isn’t a team in the conference without a bunch of questions to answer. Of the top 9 teams last year, all have made significant changes or lost a key player. All, that is, except for two. The Milwaukee Bucks are one of them. What follows are the reasons that I believe that the Bucks will not only improve significantly over last season, they will be one of the last two teams standing from the East. I warn you that I write this with EXTREME optimism and assume everything will go right and there will be no major injuries to this club. Here goes nothing. 

The Spark Plugs 
Last year the Bucks were one of the most disappointing teams in the league. They came in with the promise of being one of the major players in the Eastern Conference. Instead, they were an underachieving team that was well under .500 deep in the season. The Bucks were headed back to the lottery. They were through. Massive changes were on the way. But then something happened. Karl inserted two players into the rotation that nobody thought could make a difference. They were Scott Williams and Darvin Ham. When people that didn’t follow the Bucks would look at the box scores, they would think, “So what? Those guys combined for 8 points and 5 rebounds. They were hardly a factor in the game.” What those people didn’t see was the hustle. The diving for loose balls. The second and third efforts. They didn’t see the constant fight that these guys brought night in and night out for the Bucks. They didn’t see that these two were the spark that the Bucks were desperately looking for. This year Williams and Ham will be there from the beginning. This year, from game 1, they will be providing the Bucks with the spark plug that lead the Bucks to finish the regular season on a 10-3 run and nearly knock off the Conference Champion Pacers. With these two in the rotation, this team will never again be the low-energy, underachieving group that we saw much of last year. 

The Bucks Get a Hunter 
Two years ago, the Bucks finished the strike-shortened season with a record of 28-22. This was in part due to two backups, Michael and Del Curry. Michael is one of the most annoying defenders in the league. He was one of the captains of the team with good reason. He would come in and his tenacious defense would help shut down the opposing team’s hot hand. His counterpart, Del, was counted on for something much different. If the Bucks were struggling to put points on the board Del was sent in. Quite often, the Bucks would quickly have 3 points put on the board. He was the instant offense off the bench. Both of those players left the team via free agency. The Bucks replacement for them was Vinny DelNegro. Now, while I love Vinny to death, he wasn’t able to provide the Bucks with the offensive spark Del was and his defense wasn’t anywhere near as good as Michael’s. Enter Lindsey Hunter. How the Bucks were able to get him while only giving up a player that wouldn’t have even been in the rotation is beyond me. Lindsey is one of the better defensive guards in the league and proved he is one of the best from downtown by finishing in the top 5 in 3s and 3pt% last season. He is a major improvement over Vinny of last year. Plus, he also provides veteran leadership to a young group of backup guards that includes Rafer Alston, Michael Redd, and Jason Hart. While Hunter may not be quite as tenacious defender Michael Curry was, he is still capable of shutting down a player every now and then. In essence, the Bucks have both Michael and Del Curry back in the form of Lindsey Hunter. 

The Bucks Traded for Who?! 
I’ll be the first to admit that I knew very little about Jason Caffey when the Bucks traded for him. All I knew is the remarks he made about Milwaukee last year. Needless to say, the trade wasn’t too popular when if was first announced. But since then relationships have been mended and all appears well between Caffey and the organization. Now, I can’t remember ever seeing Caffey play, so everything I know about him comes from talking to Golden State fans and articles I’ve read. What I do know is averaging 13ppg and 7rpg going against the likes of Duncan, Webber, Wallace, Malone, McDyess, and Garnett night in and night out isn’t too shabby. Playing in the East this year should seem like nothing compared to what Caffey went up against last season. Some of the Bucks biggest weaknesses last year were inside scoring, toughness, and rebounding. Caffey should provide an improvement in all three of these areas. The Bucks finally have a guy that can consistently score inside. Hopefully, this will lead to occasional double teams inside and a wide open Allen, Cassell, or Robinson. Providing an inside scoring punch and the fact that Caffey stated his role model is Dennis Rodman because he isn’t afraid to throw around his body make Caffey a significant improvement to this team.

Who’s that Tall White Guy? 
When the Bucks traded Jason Collier and a future 1st round pick for Joel Przybilla, they did it with the intention of Prizzy contributing to the team in 2 or 3 years. Anything that he gave the Bucks this year would be considered a luxury. Prizzy has come with some concern in the fact that many believe he, like most other tall white guys, will be a major disappointment. Thus far, that hasn’t been the case. Since the Bucks drafted him, he has performed well in the summer league, shown up for camp a month early, gained 15 pounds of muscle, and gained the respect of his teammates. Just how impressive has he been? Not only does Karl call him by name instead of “The Rook”, Karl has complimented him several times and already acknowledged that Prizzy has earned a spot in the rotation this year. If you’re a rookie and you get George Karl to praise you, you must be doing a heck of a job. While Prizzy probably won’t get too many votes for Rookie of the Year, he should be a contributor to this team with his shot blocking and rebounding. And on a team that lacked both of those last year, he can only help. 

A Star is Born 
He was the only player outside of the Big 3 to lead the Bucks in scoring last year. At 6’10”, he is as fast as most guards. He can play four positions on the floor. He defines the word “versatility”. I like to refer to him as KGjr. His name is Tim Thomas. A lot of teams have an answer for the Buck’s Big 3. For example, New York has Rice, Sprewell, and Houston. Orlando has Armstrong, McGrady, and Hill. But what these teams don’t have is an answer for Thomas. This guy is probably better than 75% of the starters in the league. Some will question if he deserved the money he got this summer. I say it was a no-brainer. If you play him soft, he’ll step back and hit the 3. If you press up on him, he’ll blow by you and drive to the basket. With his height and speed, he can smother most players on defense. And if he dedicates himself more this year on the defensive end, he will be downright nasty. This is a player of the new era. Pure athleticism. And the scariest part? At 23 years of age, he’s only going to get better. Towards the end of last year he repeatedly showed signs of brilliance. This year, he becomes a star.

Sam I Am 
He shoots too much. He doesn’t play hard enough on defense. He complains too much to the refs. He cares too much about himself. He is arguably one of the top 5 point guards in the league. He was tied for 2nd in the league in APG last year. When he played well, the Bucks were unstoppable. When he didn’t the Bucks lost. He was the leader of this team last year. He is Sam Cassell. People can criticize him all they want. This is an impact player. He has 2 championship rings to prove it. And yes, he played a significant role in getting those rings. Cassell has said that he wants more money and will sit out next year if he doesn’t get it. He also said that he would show this year that he is worth the money. And I believe he’ll do exactly that. Last year Sam started converting from a shooter to a point guard. He still may take too many shots, but keep in mind he also shot 46.6% from the field. If he didn’t shoot, defenses wouldn’t respect him and concentrate more on Allen and Robinson. After being with this group for a year and looking at the scorers on this team, there is no reason Cassell can’t average over 11apg this year. He is starting to realize that his passing, and not his shooting, results in wins. This year he takes another step in being an excellent team player. And that’s bad news for opposing defenses.

Is He Still the “Big” Dog? 
Few players suffer through more trade rumors throughout the year then Glenn Robinson. Almost every day there is another scenario sending him out of Milwaukee. Lately it has been worse than usual with the emergence of Tim Thomas. But Glenn isn’t going anywhere. This guy has averaged 21.1ppg for his career. And last year, before the All Star break, he was having by far his best all-around season as a professional. He was the Buck’s MVP for the first half of last season. Nobody knows for sure what happened to him afterwards. But the fact remains that while he will never be a stellar defender, he can light it up with the best of them. Big Dog reported to camp this year looking to be in the best shape of his career. He appears to have rededicated himself to improving. Whether or not he is an improved player has yet to be seen, but either way, this guy will always give opposing teams headaches. 

Our Olympic Hero 
He hit 172 3s last year, good for second in the league. He shot close to 90% from the free throw line and 45.5% from the field. Ray Allen. Known league-wide for his shooting ability. What he isn’t known for is his ability to drive the lane with the best of them. Time after time I have seen him drive the lane, but instead of driving into the defender and trying to dunk, stopping right in front of the defender and putting up a lob shot over the defender’s head. Swish. Two more points. He is one of the premier offensive players in the league. And while he isn’t a stellar defender, opposing SGs only shot just over 42% against him last year. That isn’t half bad. The next step for Allen is becoming a leader. His experience in Sydney should help tremendously in this regard. Allen was arguably USA’s best player in Sydney. And he played with class. The experience of playing with top defenders such as Gary Payton should help Ray understand what it takes to be the best. If Ray becomes the leader everybody hopes he does, this team will be much more successful. 

Defense, Defense, Defense 
The Bucks were one of the very best offensive teams in the league last year. They were also one of the worst defensive teams. Karl has vowed that won’t be the case this year. Through 10 practices the entire focus has been on defense. And the players seem to be buying into it. They want to make the next step, and they know that defense is how they do it. One needs to look no further than Philadelphia to see what defense can do for you. A team with only one premier scorer made it to the second round of the playoffs. The Bucks believe they have 4 premier scorers. If they can step the defense up this year, and the offense is clicking, there are very few teams that will be able to beat the Bucks. 

Those Other Teams 
As I stated at the beginning, few teams will enter the season with a roster resembling the one they have last year. Miami will have 3 new starters (albeit 3 very good new starters) and depth is a question. Indiana will have a new starter at 4 positions and have lost one of their all-stars. The Magic have much reason for hope, but Hill’s ankle might be a problem and we have yet to see if Hill and McGrady will be an effective combination. The Knicks are in disarray over what the lineup will look like and are still looking for another trade. The Pistons have lost their best player. The Raptors, while they signed Mark Jackson, have lost McGrady and have to get used to a new coach. Charlotte also lost their best player. And while they’re the biggest team in the east, they most likely will have players playing out of position. The other top team that didn’t make any major changes was Philadelphia, and they definitely are good enough to win the East. But Iverson must stop letting issues off the court come up and mend his relationship with Brown. Otherwise, they might be in for a long year. New Jersey, with the addition of Martin, should be much better this year, but are probably still a year or two away from contention. Boston may be better, but they also might be worse. The Bulls, Cavs, and Hawks all have some more work to do before they get out of the lottery. In general, the Bucks look to have the fewest questions to answer and appear to be in a great position. 

In Conclusion 
The Bucks can win 40 games, or they can win 60. They are talented enough to achieve the latter, but a lot has to go right and they have to remain consistent for the entire year. I expect somewhere between 50-55 wins. The Bucks schedule at the beginning of the year is much easier than at the end, so it is imperative that they get off to a fast start. If they do, then they should be well on their way to the Central Division title. In my eyes, the worst this team does is the second round of the playoffs. Anything less would be a HUGE disappointment. But I think they’re even better than that. They are good enough to make it to the Conference finals. Heck, they’re good enough to make the finals. But I’ll save that for next year. 

10/10/2000
____________

InsideHoops.com

[ InsideHoops Home | Discuss this on the NBA Message Board ]

Sign up for a free web-based email account @InsideHoops by clicking  here.

Basketball fans who don't use InsideHoops as their main web-based email account might as well forget basketball forever and take up gardening.