Where the Bucks Stand: Gauging The Future

[SupremeHustle]

I was thinking about how we measure the Bucks' success and an idea for a post came to mind and that post is this:

Right now I think it's fair to say that the Bucks fall into a tier of teams that includes Portland, Minnesota, Sacramento, New Orleans and Phoenix from the West and Philly, Toronto, Detroit and The Bullets, from the East.

All of the above teams are obviously looking to improve. My question is, where will the Bucks rank in that group in a season or two? Which team(s) from the above tier will move from fringe playoff team to home court playoff and maybe sustain that success? Also, is it fair to compare the Bucks future success to those teams? Why or why not? Show your work.

This might be a better off-season topic but what the hell. I just finished the Tupac script and I'm bored. I'll probably go get Bioshock Infinite. Heard it's fun. Yeah. I should do that. Also, I shouldn't type while eating Cheetos.

[ReasonablySober]

Congrats on the script, but man, rookie mistake on the Cheetos.

[step3profit]

Based on initial evidence, 12 gauge should do.

[WEFFPIM]

Based on initial evidence, 12 gauge should do.

CLOSE DOWN THIS ****ING THREAD. THIS WINS ALL

[paulpressey25]

You need to hit the next tier of big time so you can buy the team and save us.

Yes to your question. Almost all those teams in our peer group will be better in three years. Just like how OKC, Heat, Clippers, Warriors, etc have gassed us by with smarter moves the prior three years.

[REDDzone]

As long as Hammond is around, we have a pretty decent shot at getting the 8th seed.

And as long as Kohl is around, that will be the goal.

Not much else to say from my perspective.

[emunney]

We have one good player and one good prospect. The flexibility is there such that we could build something substantial in a very short period of time, but it would require a good architect. So we're ****.

[emunney]

You need to hit the next tier of big time so you can buy the team and save us.

He'd have to hit the George Lucas or at least the J.K. Rowling tier.

[Wooderson]

Where probably one Larry injury away from being in the hunt for Wiggins...so there's that.

[Wooderson]

On second thought, we would probably just trade that pick unprotected for Kendrick Perkins.

[Badgerlander]

I was thinking about how we measure the Bucks' success and an idea for a post came to mind and that post is this:

Right now I think it's fair to say that the Bucks fall into a tier of teams that includes Portland, Minnesota, Sacramento, New Orleans and Phoenix from the West and Philly, Toronto, Detroit and The Bullets, from the East.

All of the above teams are obviously looking to improve. My question is, where will the Bucks rank in that group in a season or two? Which team(s) from the above tier will move from fringe playoff team to home court playoff and maybe sustain that success? Also, is it fair to compare the Bucks future success to those teams? Why or why not? Show your work.

This might be a better off-season topic but what the hell. I just finished the Tupac script and I'm bored. I'll probably go get Bioshock Infinite. Heard it's fun. Yeah. I should do that. Also, I shouldn't type while eating Cheetos.

I think the Suns and the Bobs are the two worst teams in the league. The Suns have Dragic who is an avg PG and one more year of Gortat at a bargain, and then some decent roleplayers. The Bobs have MKG and a few decent roleplayers. Minnesota and the Kings have decent assets assembled terribly. Toronto has Jonas+Ross+Amir and a bunch of overpaid dreck, and Orlando has Vuc+Tobes+Harkless and some meh. Philly has Jrue and Thad who is more of a good player on a bad team type. Detroit has the best young post combo in the league in Drummond+Monroe while New Orleans may eclipse that if they get Noel to go next to Davis not to mention Gordon+Anderson. Portland was a defensive big and a 6th man away from the playoffs, but the way Barton finished the season they may be only a Millsap away from a 6th seed. If Wall had been healthy this year Washington would've been the 8th seed. Therefore I'd put us between the Pistons/Pelicans and the Wizards/Blazers with the opportunity to move up one or down one or more slot depending on this offseason.

Suns/Bobs
Wolves/Kings
Raptors/Magic
Pistons/Pelicans
Bucks/Mavs/Philly
Wizards/Blazers
Boston/Atlanta
Houston/Utah

[Jez2983]

Yes to your question. Almost all those teams in our peer group will be better in three years. Just like how OKC, Heat, Clippers, Warriors, etc have gassed us by with smarter moves the prior three years.

The thing is though, people have been saying this but we just seem to be able to retool our roster to remain amazingly mediocre year after year.

I just can't see us bottoming out. As bad as our contracts have been, they are never so crippling to absolutely screw the team. Someone takes a Salmons or a Jackson. Granted, catching the Larry Sanders lightning in a bottle was pretty helpful in maintaining our 8th seed...

[Chapter29]

[LUKE23]

Well, the way I break it down is looking at a five year outlook. I think our future is bright if we refrain from handing out big contracts to non-star veterans, and focus on a draft approcach, because right now we really have no big time horrible deals, even Gooden's isn't bad, and Ilyasova/Sanders/Henson is a decent trio. We need to add two more really good young prospects to that still though. If we do spend on mediocrity, we are in huge trouble, because I see a lot of teams capable of passing us quite easily with just some health, one more solid draft and improvement from youth. Specifically Detroit, Washington, and Cleveland.

We are nowhere close to competing for homecourt, so we need to go the other direction and build our young core. If we do spend on veterans, I see us maxing out at the 8th seed and easily falling to 11th/12th based on the health of other EC teams.

Miami, Indiana, Chicago, New York, and Brooklyn (at least for the next couple seasons) aren't going anywhere. Boston is probably nearing the end, but Ainge is a great GM. Atlanta has Teague/Horford and the most cap space in the league. It's far more likely we drop out of the playoffs than move up to homecourt. Our front office needs to realize this and make sure we start thinking long-term.

[unklchuk]

Good posts in this thread.

I would just echo the view that Kohl/Hammond severely crimps our future by having built a pattern of dysfunction that is both wide and deep. They don't belong in the NBA marketplace of buyers/sellers, where they are out of their depth. They try to stay afloat, rather than making forward progress, by seizing on assets that let them down. They think only in terms of separate pieces in building their ship; they have no instinct for how you build a TEAM, fit the pieces to make the ship seaworthy. It's as if they studied under Rube Goldberg.

Something has to change or the Bucks future is becalmed under a starless, pitch-dark night.

[Treebeard]

From the RealGM WT......

.....Jackson said he would be interested in a developing team "where you'd have the influence in (selecting the) coaching staff and the kind of culture that goes along with it. It goes all the way down to - not down to, but includes - trainers and the people who are doing the hands-on work with players, that have to be really embedded with how you put a team together. ... The support group is important; guys who get an opportunity to hear and talk and influence the players.

"It would be a real opportunity to implant the game, a culture that I believe in - that's the intriguing part."

Phil Jackson - or someone else following a similar plan, sounds like a pretty decent idea to me.

[Treebeard]

Good posts in this thread.

I would just echo the view that Kohl/Hammond severely crimps our future by having built a pattern of dysfunction that is both wide and deep. They don't belong in the NBA marketplace of buyers/sellers, where they are out of their depth. They try to stay afloat, rather than making forward progress, by seizing on assets that let them down. They think only in terms of separate pieces in building their ship; they have no instinct for how you build a TEAM, fit the pieces to make the ship seaworthy. It's as if they studied under Rube Goldberg.

Something has to change or the Bucks future is becalmed under a starless, pitch-dark night.

Too often, the whole has been less than the sum of the parts for this franchise. Couple that idea with some of the parts not being worth the price, and the math hassn't looked so good.

[unklchuk]

Phil Jackson and his "philosophy" could make a difference in Milwaukee. The tough part would likely be getting him here. And maybe not because he'd look down his nose at the city, but rather because he wouldn't believe the owner would let him do his job.