FanHouse previews all 30 NBA teams in advance of the 2009-10 season.The Bucks were awful last year, but at least they had an excuse: Michael Redd, the team's leading scorer six years and counting, and Andrew Bogut, the franchise center who signed a $72 million extension before last season, each missed more than half of the season with injury.
The good news? Both players are healthy entering camp and should be primed to make up for lost time. The bad news? GM John Hammond has rebooted the supporting cast in their absence, trading Richard Jefferson to the Spurs in a cost-cutting maneuver while losing Charlie Villanueva and Ramon Sessions to free agency.
When a fifth-place team loses three of its top four scorers and doesn't even receive a legitimate starter to show for it, you know it's going to be a long year.
That's not to say Hammond doesn't have a plan; even if last year's core stayed healthy, the most they could have looked forward to was a first-round exit in the playoffs. Instead, they missed the postseason and earned the right to draft Brandon Jennings, who matured beyond his 20 years when he played professionally in Europe last season.
Jennings won't be handed the starting job on a silver platter -- Scott Skiles has preferred safe veterans over flashy youngsters his entire coaching career -- but this season is clearly dedicated to rebuilding and Jennings has the talent to develop into a franchise cornerstone.
The Bucks aren't so sure about last year's lottery pick, Joe Alexander, drafted eighth overall. While it's certainly not too late for Alexander to salvage his career, he's struggled to stay healthy long enough to compete with Luc Mbah a Moute, the 37th overall pick in 2008 who started 52 games as a rookie.
With Alexander not even practicing because of a strained hamstring, Mbah a Moute started the preseason opener alongside 22-year-old Ersan Ilyasova, who returned to Milwaukee on a three-year contract after spending the last two years polishing his game with FC Barcelona.
While Mbah a Moute, Ilyasova and, yes, even Alexander, represent Milwaukee's youth movement, veterans Hakim Warrick, Carlos Delfino, Kurt Thomas, Dan Gadzuric and Francisco Elson are still lurking in the shadows, looking to soak up whatever frontcourt minutes are available. You'd like to see the youngsters given every chance to fail, but Skiles is too competitive to think beyond what will help him win the next game, which helps explain his affinity for safe point guards and creaky big men.
With a 34-48 record, the Bucks finished 2008-09 a mere five games out of the playoffs -- but it may as well have been 50. The East will be even more competitive this year, especially with the Raptors and Wizards, who finished with 33 and 19 wins, respectively, leapfrogging the Bucks back the playoff picture after productive offseasons. Even if the Bucks finally stay healthy, they're at least a season or two away from returning to relevance.
Last Season By the Numbers
Record: 34-48 under Scott Skiles. Finished 5th in the Central Division, tied for 11th in the Eastern Conference.
Offense: 106.7 points per 100 possessions, 23rd in the NBA. 25th in shooting, 15th in turnover rate, 9th in offensive rebounding, 11th in free throw rate.
Defense: 107.9 points per 100 possessions, 15th in the NBA. 17th in shooting defense, 1st in opponent turnover rate, 12th in defensive rebounding, 30th in opponent free throw rate.
Top Performers: Michael Redd led the team in scoring with 21.2 points per game, but only played 33 games because of injury. Richard Jefferson averaged 19.6 points per game, and Charlie Villanueva averaged 16.2 points per game. Neither will wear a Bucks uniform this season. Ramon Sessions averaged 5.7 assists per game (he is now a Wolf) and Luke Ridnour averaged 5.1 assists. Former No. 1 overall pick Andrew Bogut averaged 11.7 points and 10.3 rebounds, but played only 36 games because of injury.
All statistics via Basketball-Reference.com.
Player to Watch
FanHouse's Matt Moore and Tom Ziller preview one player to watch from each team. Here's a snippet of Moore's post on Bucks forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute.
To say Mbah a Moute was under the radar last season is to vastly overestimate the strength of radar systems. Coming out of UCLA, Mbah a Moute was considered a project like so many rookies. He didn't possess the wowzer tangibles (standing only 6-8 and being listed as a power forward will do that to you), didn't stir the senses with playmaking, and was considered a good college player that he might make it with some time.
And then Mbah A Moute actually hit the floor.
See Moore's full post on Mbah a Moute.
Offseason Tracker
IN: Brandon Jennings (draft), Kurt Thomas (trade), Ersan Ilyasova (free agency), Jodie Meeks (draft), Roko Ukic (trade), Carlos Delfino (sign-and-trade), Hakim Warrick (free agency)
OUT: Richard Jefferson (trade), Charlie Villanueva (free agency), Ramon Sessions (free agency).
