The buck stops here. Trends will be bucked. They’re coming to buck buck you down. In short there’s a team marinating in America’s Dairyland, poised to make a great midwestern leap into further fathoms of Playoff water, as if a youthful summertime at lake Winnebago. The Bucks dipped there toes this past offseason, but found the water too frigid, quickly retreating after losing in six games to their neighbors to the south, the Chicago Bulls. Chicago finished the Bucks season with an exclamation point when they soundly defeated them in the final game by a score of 120-66. The loss also featured Giannis Antetokounmpo’s finest falter, when he was ejected from the game after picking up a flagrant 2. The Greek Freak surgically hunted his prey, the wild Mike Dunleavy, finishing with an elbow two the Bull’s undefended midsection on a wide open three pointer in transition.
But let’s leave the past in the past.
The Bucks had an eventful offseason, resigning their potent wing scorer Khris Middleton and in a surprise move, adding sought after free agent big man, Greg Monroe. Monroe will likely evolve into a center and a successful one at that. Milwaukee has also chosen to covet height at every position, despite the NBA’s determined march to small-ball. However, they’ve done so by filling out the roster with players who possess versatility and agility, seemingly nullifying the demand for the vertically challenged. If a player is tall but embodies the skill set of a traditionally smaller player, he’s on Milwaukee’s radar. The Bucks may be leading the way to new basketball frontiers, one might even say they are indeed bucking a trend. Imagine a few years down the road when teams trot out a lineup of players 6 feet and under and the Bucks roll up with a combined 35 feet of functional height. Facetious? You bet, but the Bucks are investing in an idea. If they maintain a roster where they possess a height advantage at every position and their young uber prospects develop, they will be a devastating foe. The stretch four potential of Giannis alone, has NBA fans drooling.
Milwaukee is also a well coached team. Remember back when Jason Kidd was thought to have made the biggest blunder of his short coaching career? Kidd asked for too much power with the Brooklyn Nets, only to be cast off to Milwaukee, a place where basketball talent has typically gone to gather dust. Oh how the times have changed. Look at the Nets, the most bloated payroll in the NBA, no future draft picks to bother with a rebuild and an owner who publicly wants to sell the team. Now look at the Bucks, a smorgasbord of young talent, a willing owner, a successful rebrand and a new arena in the near future. Well everything’s just coming up Kidd!
The team’s Eastern Conference location, where competition is top heavy to say the least, is but the cherry atop the already imposing sundae. Make no mistake about it the Bucks will be a team to watch this season and expect them to win at least one Playoff series. However, years away is when the most delectable fruit is to be harvested. Once the best-in-show produce that is Giannis and Jabari truly vine ripen and emerge as Allstar level players, there is simply no telling what the Bucks ceiling is.
