I'm looking for a little info on your team

[jazzfan1971]

I'm starting up my offseason preview and wanted to get some info and feedback from you guys before I got going.

So, I come to you folks.

How do you see your depth chart breaking down?
What are the major story lines to your team this year?
How do you think you will finish record wise in the league? (what place? 1-30)
Tell me a little about your coaching situation.

Thanks in advance.

[tski1972]

the depth chart is up in the air at the moment.

Giannis and Parker are the story lines

We most likely will be bottom 5-7

Kidd's coaching is unknown, especially with all the youth on the team

[DanoMac]

Ideal depth chart--

Marshall/Wolters/Knight
Knight/Bayless/Mayo
Giannis/Middleton/Inglis
Parker/Ersan/O'Bryant
Sanders/Henson/Miroslav

Story lines - Kidd, Parker, Giannis' improvement, front office (will Hammond keep his job), and arena.

We'll be lucky to win 25 games IMO. I see us finishing bottom 5. This roster is not ready to compete at all. Maybe if the entire league was 25 and younger, but it's not.

In general, we're excited about Kidd. We're excited what he brings to the table based on his accolades as a former player, and we're also excited about the fresh change of scenery he gets as a coach. Hard to come into the league as a 1st time coach and go right to coaching a veteran, win now team led by KG, PP, JJ, and DW. Now he gets to inherit a roster full of kids under 24 and a few (what we hope) budding stars in Giannis and Parker.

EDIT: I'm assuming Zaza won't be here opening night. Also forgot we signed Bayless. Why?? WHY???

[emunney]

The guard rotation is basically a complete unknown, but as it stands you'd have to pencil in Knight for ~35 mpg. The remaining 60ish guard minutes are going to Mayo, Bayless, Wolters and Marshall in god knows what kind of pattern.

Rest of the depth chart probably looks like:

Giannis/Middleton
Jabari/Ersan
Sanders/Henson/Zaza

Many of us think the roster is unfinished and expect one or two trades by the end of the summer.

Major storylines:

1. Jabari's acclimation
2. Giannis' growth
3. Jason Kidd
4. Who plays guard?
5. Does Larry Sanders bounce back?

Seems pretty early to write a preview -- what's the rush?

[Nowak008]

Couple things

1) The owners are committed to a full rebuild. We are going to be very bad next year, top 5 bad.
2) Ersan will be dealt at some point, Kidd is transparently trying to say he is a keeper to up his value.
3) Knight is the only player who will play more than 30 mins a game.
4) Our line ups are going to be a mess, 10-11 guys playing a night.
5) Giannis will be force fed PG responsibilities.

[Newz]

1. Our guards are going to be terrible. Knight has some talent, but is far from a legitimate NBA starter. Marshall is solid but unspectacular. Wolters has a long way to go before he could be a starter. Middleton could potentially provide solid minutes at the 2 as a floor spacer.

Basically we have no starting quality NBA guards on our entire roster. Knight might be able to play at a starters level. I guess Marshall could potentially get there as well. But expect our guards to be awful.

2. Giannis and Jabari are great talents, but they aren't ready to be big time contributors yet. I think odds are both of them don't "move the needle" much this year in terms of wins.

3. No one knows how Kidd will interact with this team because he's coached for one year... and the team he coached was nothing at all like our own. How he interacts with our roster at this point is basically just a guess.

4. Predicting records in the NBA can be a bit tricky. If Kidd gets the guys to bust their asses night in and night out, then I guess I could see us being a 35-40 win team. Effort goes a long way during the NBA regular season. But I think odds are we will win around 25 games. Parker will be horrendous on D, Giannis wont be a major impact player yet, our guards will be garbage and even if Sanders is playing elite D it won't make up for the lack of developed talent on our roster.

[ReasonablySober]

The Bucks have some vets like Zaza, Delfino, Ersan, Mayo and Bayless (probably) that are all used to getting run. I could see Kidd giving them all minutes, and I could see them all traded or buried on the bench.

I don't think anyone knows what to expect until the roster is trimmed. That we're even signing a guy like Bayless is head scratching.

[eagle13]

Projected bottom 4-8

A. Jason Kidd as coach of a developing young team. How does he handle the losses?

B. New ownership’s and old GM’s handling of the team – personnel and transaction wise from here through the trade deadline.

C. The new Arena? Built here or Seattle?

PLAYERS

1. Will Giannis actually grok the PG position and will Kidd stick with him there? IF Gian by seasons end has developed enough to be considered the team's starting PG - at 6"11 that's a big development.

2. Does Parker prove he has a position? He can play both Fs some but can he play one and handle it full time regardless of the match up? Or is he a tweener after all?

3.Does Larry Sanders return a calmer more in-control player or will he continue to be his own worst enemy?

4. Does Knight fill the bill at SG – including defensively.

5. Is Ersan part of this team’s plans or not?

6. Will Henson take the next step?

7. Will Marshall play a meaningful role? How good can he be with his combination of pin point passing and 3 pt shooting?

[H2tObes]

Our guards blow

Exciting young team that will suck this season.

[eagle13]

Hey Jazzfan - With Exum Hayward Trey Burke and Hood at G - might you be willing to part with Alec Burks?
From an outsider it seems you need a SF - do you feel that's true? We all like Khris Middleton. So much so that many of us would consider him as our best present option at SG. But no one would argue against that SF is his best position. Would you do Burks for Middleton (and Delfino if filler is needed)

[FlagsFlyForever]

I think a major storyline is Jason Kidd. Even though he's an exciting young coach and probably the best player to be associated with this franchise since Kareem, I don't think anybody expects him to be coaching here very long. His track record shows he doesn't last and Bucks fans generally aren't happy about the circumstances that transpired to acquire him.

Jason Kidd's post-high school basketball career:
1992: California
1994: Dallas
1996: Phoenix
2001: New Jersey
2008: Dallas
2012: New York
2013: Brooklyn
2014: Milwaukee

The other main storylines are Giannis and Jabari Parker. The Bucks will be one of the worst teams in the league, other than Philadelphia there isn't a team that is definitively worse than Milwaukee so Bucks fans will be watching the games with a keen eye on their two prized youngsters and hoping to add a third in next year's draft.

Minor storylines include:
-a complete lack of a quality point guard (they were so desperate, they tried Giannis at point guard in the summer league)
-New owners who are entirely unknown at the moment
-Larry Sanders staying healthy and out of trouble. He's an elite defensive force who signed a longterm contract before last season, but played only 23 games last year
-Ersan's health. One of the best stretch fours in the game at the end of the 2012 and 2013 seasons, he spent much of last season missing games due to injury or playing at less than 100% turning in a hugely disappointing season. For a guy who recently turned 27, his break from playing for Turkey this summer could prove valuable.
-I don't think you can talk about the Bucks without mentioning the huge cloud that is possible relocation. The Bucks are a very small market for an NBA team, they finished with the worst record in the league, haven't been relevant in forever, and their arena is a dump.

As for projected roster, it's anybody's guess at this point but it's looking like the rotation may be:
PG: Marshall/Wolters
SG: Knight/Mayo
SF: Giannis/Middleton/Delfino
PF: Parker/Ilyasova
C: Sanders/Henson/Pachulia

[AussieBuck]

As mentioned, way too early if you want accuracy. The roster isn't completed for the season plus new coach.

[StillABucksFan]

We're likely going to suck again this year. Just hoping to see Giannis and Jabari look better and better. Also hoping Larry Sanders stays away from trouble. I also have a question for you. I too am a fan of jazz, but I've only heard the big names. Any deep cuts you could suggest?

[Diggr14]

Google: Freeway and the Milwaukee Bucks.


That's where you start.

[Miasma]

Google: Freeway and the Milwaukee Bucks.


That's where you start.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dky4I5VNrw[/youtube]

[step3profit]

They will be terrible, but the good kind of terrible, instead of the usual, historical norm, Bucks terrible.

[hege53190]

I don't know who should start but my guess would be

Wolters
Knight
Giannis
Parker
Sanders

Bench
Middleton
Henson
Ersan
Marshall
Mayo

I think I named 4 out of the 5 starters. But besides Sanders and Parker I am not sure who the other 3 will be. If Kidd is as in love with Ersan as it seems, he could start. I could just as easily see Middleton or Henson starting also.

I think this team will win 38-42 games. The Bucks will play defense, press and run. In the half court they will probably struggle to score but this team should be able to defend.

[JHSFIVE]

Google: Freeway and the Milwaukee Bucks.


That's where you start.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dky4I5VNrw[/youtube]

Yeah, I've ran into mike a few times over the years...if he did that to me, he'd prolly catch a hot one.

[jazzfan1971]

Curious: Why does nobody have Knight as the starting PG?

[AussieBuck]

Curious: Why does nobody have Knight as the starting PG?

He can't pass.