http://www.jsonline.com/sports/bucks/ch ... 90961.htmlf you watched the Milwaukee Bucks' news conference Wednesday when team owner Herb Kohl announced he was selling the team to hedge-fund billionaires Wesley Edens and Marc Lasry, you probably saw plenty of suit-wearing media types.
Paul Henning wasn't one of those people. Sitting not far from the front, Henning stood out by wearing a green Bucks hat along with a green shirt with the words "Save Our Bucks" emblazoned in big letters across the front.
Henning and the group of hardcore Bucks fans that started SaveOurBucks.com have made a habit of standing out since November. Their website, presence at games and public forums and, of course, the "Winning Takes Balls" billboard that they raised $5,100 to put up at the corner of W. McKinley Ave. and I-43 in December are evidence of that.
Speaking on behalf of his fellow fans from SaveOurBucks.com, Henning said he was thrilled with Wednesday's announcement. He was able to meet both Lasry and Edens and personally welcomed them to Milwaukee.
"Their commitment to the Milwaukee community seems genuine," Henning said before Wednesday night's Bucks game, where he was joined by approximately 100 SaveOurBucks members from around the country. "Them throwing down a $100 million gauntlet, Herb Kohl throwing down $100 million on the table, that's huge.
"My tone and my attitude and everything is completely different than it was a week ago because I was nervous about billionaires coming in and being (chairman of the Oklahoma City Thunder ownership group) Clay Bennett."
It's been a long season for all Bucks fans. The team lost its finale, 111-103, to Atlanta to finish 15-67 — the worst record in the NBA and a new franchise low for victories. Instead of being silent or tuning out the Bucks, Henning and the SaveOurBucks movement have used the opportunity to voice their concerns about the franchise and demand meaningful change.
The amount of change that has occurred and the large-scale attention and support that the movement has gotten all came as a bit of a surprise to Henning.
"I really didn't think we'd make this much progress in one season," Henning said. "I really didn't know how quickly this was going to happen."
One of the main tenets of SaveOurBucks' executive summary is that the team has been floundering for years because of poor management. The group has taken Kohl to task on numerous occasions, but following Wednesday's announcement Henning said the former senator deserves to be cheered.
"SaveOurBucks has definitely hammered on Kohl's management style and techniques and how he's run this franchise, but right now it's all about love, it's all about appreciation, it's all about bringing the community together and moving in the right direction," said Henning, who joined the BMO Harris Bradley Center crowd in giving Kohl a standing ovation in the first quarter.
"Kohl cemented his legacy today, he really, really did....Kohl's been the owner since I was 5 years old and now he's selling to a group that's going to build an arena that's going to keep the Bucks in Milwaukee for the next 30-plus years.
"So when you think about it, Herb Kohl's actions really kept the Bucks in Milwaukee from 1985 until however long they last. That's something that nobody should discount and everybody needs to appreciate."
While Henning believes Wednesday was a day for celebration for Bucks fans, he still doesn't believe the team definitively has been saved. The new owners said all the right things during the news conference, but they're new to the NBA landscape and have yet to prove themselves or make any actual changes.
There also remains the important hurdle of getting a new arena funded and built. That's not going to be an easy task, even with the $200 million put forward between Kohl and the new ownership group. The political battle regarding public funding is only beginning and is sure to grow more contentious over time.
"We're not completely out of the woods yet," Henning said. "We haven't broken ground yet. Once they cut the ribbon and start digging ground then I can really breathe much easier.
"These guys have been very successful in everything they've done. They identify assets that are undervalued and they build them up. I think they know what they're doing and I think we're on the path to success."
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