In that case since Walter joined the Bucks...
1992 - 28-54
1993- 20-62
1994 - 34-48
1995 - 25-57
1996 - 33-49
1997 - 36-46
1998 - 28-22 (lockout season)
1999 - 42-40
2000 - 52-30
2001 - 41-41
2002 - 42-40
2003 - 41-41
2004 - 30-52
2005 - 40-42
2006 - 28-54
Total Record Since Ron Walter joined the Bucks front office: 603-678
Kohl holds nobody in the front office accountable for losing. It must be nice to make some critical decisions in the franchise and have that record to show for it. Kohl just likes to have people around that agree with him on everything and that he is comfortable with. That is a major problem when you are the owner of a NBA franchise. The whole front office should be fired tommorrow.
Herb Kohl As A Business Man
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fam3381
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Andrew34r wrote:Kohl holds nobody in the front office accountable for losing. It must be nice to make some critical decisions in the franchise and have that record to show for it. Kohl just likes to have people around that agree with him on everything and that he is comfortable with. That is a major problem when you are the owner of a NBA franchise. The whole front office should be fired tommorrow.
Yeah, he'll hold the GM accountable because he's the public face, but everyone else gets a free pass. They might as well change the title to General Manager/Future Scapegoat
Retired Bucks blogger. Occasional Bucks podcaster.
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Andrew34r
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fam3381 wrote:-= original quote snipped =-
Yeah, he'll hold the GM accountable because he's the public face, but everyone else gets a free pass. They might as well change the title to General Manager/Future Scapegoat
What year was Harris hired? His record actually does not look that bad compared to some of the other terrible years before him.
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crkone
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Kohl is like the owner of the Indians in Major League. He wants to run the team into the ground so he can move the team. He knows his time as a senator is running out, so why not bank on moving the team when he leaves office? It is obvious no one even cares about Bucks in the city and state except for a handful, so that won't even matter when he moves them. And with how Milwaukee politcs are there is no way we get a new arena with other entertainment destination around it. Its a crying shame.
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paulpressey25
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Kohl's problems as a manager are symptomatic of the problems our city faces. At one time Milwaukee was a powerhouse city in the eyes of the world. A large number of European immigrants, including a sizeable Jewish contingent located here.
These were not only the hardworking great mechanical craftsmen of Europe, but they were brilliant entreprenuers who were coming here for economic and political freedom along with stability that they didn't have back in Europe.
Kohl is part of the second or third generation of this group that have been prevalent on the business scene here the last 25-years. These guys are not the risk takers but the caretakers. Their fathers or grandfathers built great businesses. These guys took them over. The Kohl cohorts work very hard, they micromanage, and above all are very fearful of losing what they have. Most have never worked for any other company outside their jobs with the family business. They usually have limited ability to think outside the box because they've been inbred with the family business culture. This group also doesn't trust the employee, a vestige of the early days when there was greater tension between labor and management, and when fear of losing everything meant you didn't want to empower your labor force or managers because you feared they would screw up. Doesn't that describe Kohl's tenure with the Bucks?
Unfortunately for those of us in the city, these guys have generally spent the last 25-30 years protecting what they have (had) rather than having a risk taking spirit to spend some money and build something new. Combine this inbred conservatism (again remember I am not talking political conservatism but the European war era conservatism that comes with preserving one's health and fortune at all costs)
As an example of this, the success of Kohl's department stores is not a result of the Kohl family, but the risk takers, many from out of town, who came in to take over that business. If the Kohl family were still running the department stores, we'd have only about 20 of them in Wisconsin and that would be it.
The bottom line is that we owe Kohl a debt of gratitude for preserving the Bucks here in the city. But his family and business background is imprinted all over this franchise and that approach doesn't work in 2008. Regretably the Bucks aren't the only business in town that now suffers (or is out of business) from the inability of the second and third generation to adapt to a changed world.
These were not only the hardworking great mechanical craftsmen of Europe, but they were brilliant entreprenuers who were coming here for economic and political freedom along with stability that they didn't have back in Europe.
Kohl is part of the second or third generation of this group that have been prevalent on the business scene here the last 25-years. These guys are not the risk takers but the caretakers. Their fathers or grandfathers built great businesses. These guys took them over. The Kohl cohorts work very hard, they micromanage, and above all are very fearful of losing what they have. Most have never worked for any other company outside their jobs with the family business. They usually have limited ability to think outside the box because they've been inbred with the family business culture. This group also doesn't trust the employee, a vestige of the early days when there was greater tension between labor and management, and when fear of losing everything meant you didn't want to empower your labor force or managers because you feared they would screw up. Doesn't that describe Kohl's tenure with the Bucks?
Unfortunately for those of us in the city, these guys have generally spent the last 25-30 years protecting what they have (had) rather than having a risk taking spirit to spend some money and build something new. Combine this inbred conservatism (again remember I am not talking political conservatism but the European war era conservatism that comes with preserving one's health and fortune at all costs)
As an example of this, the success of Kohl's department stores is not a result of the Kohl family, but the risk takers, many from out of town, who came in to take over that business. If the Kohl family were still running the department stores, we'd have only about 20 of them in Wisconsin and that would be it.
The bottom line is that we owe Kohl a debt of gratitude for preserving the Bucks here in the city. But his family and business background is imprinted all over this franchise and that approach doesn't work in 2008. Regretably the Bucks aren't the only business in town that now suffers (or is out of business) from the inability of the second and third generation to adapt to a changed world.
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75totheMACCfund
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MajorDad
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I believe if/when you discuss Kohl as a business man, you must talk about his poltical job, because that is his current business and source of income. I don't really know what Kohl as a senator stands for, and I'm not trying to make this political, but you have to realize anything bad that happens to the Bucks can have an adverse effect on kohl's political career. it's as if Kohl is playing the ownership game with a prevent defense. he's afraid of taking a risk for fear it will count against him twice.
Unfortunately, the fact he is a senator does have an overall effect on how he runs the Bucks. he makes decisions about the bucks almost the same way he makes decisions in congress. he will not make controversial trades that might get people upset, because that could be used against him in his next campaign. he makes his GMs look like the fall guy rather than having himself look like the guy who is constantly lieing to his players or making bad trades. he has a Bucks staff just like he has a congressional staff. he refuses to allow power to go to just one man(GM) to make all the decisions for him. and rather than looking like an absentee owner who is never around to vote on an issue, kohl, unfortunately wants to be in on every bucks' roll call to put forth an image to his fans that he is on the know of things going down.
Unfortunately for kohl, the Bucks fans are also his voters. Kohl would be better off if he pulled a Hillary Clinton and represented a different state than the one he grew up in. if Kohl was the Senator of South dakota, nobody there would care what type of moves he made as the Bucks owner. the Bucks could be terrible, and the people of South Dakota would vote for Kohl based on his political agenda. however , since Kohl is the Senator of Wisconsin, and bucks fans are from Wisconsin, he has to keep the fans happy and at least thinking he is trying to look out for their best interests. if Kohl was the Senator of South Dakota, he could sell the Bucks and they could move to Vegas , and nobody in South dakota would care. but as a Senator in Wisconsin, if Kohl sold the Bucks and they moved to vegas, he could kiss his Senate seat good bye.
As a Senator, he has to ensure the Bucks do not become a source of controversy or distratction. The Bucks have to be bland. They have to be mediocre. if the Bucks were highly successful, people would think they must be cheating somehow. if they are terrible, it makes Kohl look like a loser too. if they are 41-41, nobody cares. the Bucks also can't have any drug users or wife beaters on their team. That's why Kohl has stopped potential trades for randolph and Artest who both have rather shady off the court problems.
Kohl is not a bad owner. but he runs each year of the Bucks as if it were a political campaign. like a politician, he is always positive at the begining of the year and making a lot of promises. like a politician, he always finds a fall guy when things go wrong. Like a politician, he tries to show that he is concerned and cares. like a politician, he does little action to fix what needs fixing. he is all talk. and like a politician, he knows a lot more than what he wants to reveal to his fan base. he knows there will not be a new arena built in the next 50 years. but he doesn't want his fan base to realize this as being true. he doesn't want to shatter their hopes and dreams by informing them of the reality of the business.
The Bucks will be better off, and kohl will be a much better owner when he is no longer a politician, and can start running the Bucks as if it were a business and stop trying to please it's fan base with every move he makes.
Unfortunately, the fact he is a senator does have an overall effect on how he runs the Bucks. he makes decisions about the bucks almost the same way he makes decisions in congress. he will not make controversial trades that might get people upset, because that could be used against him in his next campaign. he makes his GMs look like the fall guy rather than having himself look like the guy who is constantly lieing to his players or making bad trades. he has a Bucks staff just like he has a congressional staff. he refuses to allow power to go to just one man(GM) to make all the decisions for him. and rather than looking like an absentee owner who is never around to vote on an issue, kohl, unfortunately wants to be in on every bucks' roll call to put forth an image to his fans that he is on the know of things going down.
Unfortunately for kohl, the Bucks fans are also his voters. Kohl would be better off if he pulled a Hillary Clinton and represented a different state than the one he grew up in. if Kohl was the Senator of South dakota, nobody there would care what type of moves he made as the Bucks owner. the Bucks could be terrible, and the people of South Dakota would vote for Kohl based on his political agenda. however , since Kohl is the Senator of Wisconsin, and bucks fans are from Wisconsin, he has to keep the fans happy and at least thinking he is trying to look out for their best interests. if Kohl was the Senator of South Dakota, he could sell the Bucks and they could move to Vegas , and nobody in South dakota would care. but as a Senator in Wisconsin, if Kohl sold the Bucks and they moved to vegas, he could kiss his Senate seat good bye.
As a Senator, he has to ensure the Bucks do not become a source of controversy or distratction. The Bucks have to be bland. They have to be mediocre. if the Bucks were highly successful, people would think they must be cheating somehow. if they are terrible, it makes Kohl look like a loser too. if they are 41-41, nobody cares. the Bucks also can't have any drug users or wife beaters on their team. That's why Kohl has stopped potential trades for randolph and Artest who both have rather shady off the court problems.
Kohl is not a bad owner. but he runs each year of the Bucks as if it were a political campaign. like a politician, he is always positive at the begining of the year and making a lot of promises. like a politician, he always finds a fall guy when things go wrong. Like a politician, he tries to show that he is concerned and cares. like a politician, he does little action to fix what needs fixing. he is all talk. and like a politician, he knows a lot more than what he wants to reveal to his fan base. he knows there will not be a new arena built in the next 50 years. but he doesn't want his fan base to realize this as being true. he doesn't want to shatter their hopes and dreams by informing them of the reality of the business.
The Bucks will be better off, and kohl will be a much better owner when he is no longer a politician, and can start running the Bucks as if it were a business and stop trying to please it's fan base with every move he makes.
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buckybadgerfan
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Interesting perspective Majordad,
However that doesn't explain why Kohl recently allowed a controversial trade for Yi to happen. You describe Kohl to be somewhat of a conservative politician/businessman and yet he went to China to court Yi while encouraging the globalization of a small Milwaukee market via connections with Yi/China. Most politicians at this point seem to be distancing themselves from Red China and it's cheap products.
Also, why would Kohl want to own the smallest franchise of a major professional organization? If anything it doesn't put him in the middle of the pack, it puts him on the spot. Trying to transform this small organization into something respectable while being at a disadvantage EVERY YEAR...That doesn't describe someone unwilling to take risks.
Do you really think that Kohl intended for the Bucks be bland and mediocre? Do you really think that guys like CV, Redd, Mason and Bogut lack personality when compared to other NBA players? Come on Thunder-from-down-under and the space-cowboy? Even CV who has his own blog can be a primadonna at times.
Bucks are no more bland a team then the Twolves, Bulls and Pacers.
However that doesn't explain why Kohl recently allowed a controversial trade for Yi to happen. You describe Kohl to be somewhat of a conservative politician/businessman and yet he went to China to court Yi while encouraging the globalization of a small Milwaukee market via connections with Yi/China. Most politicians at this point seem to be distancing themselves from Red China and it's cheap products.
Also, why would Kohl want to own the smallest franchise of a major professional organization? If anything it doesn't put him in the middle of the pack, it puts him on the spot. Trying to transform this small organization into something respectable while being at a disadvantage EVERY YEAR...That doesn't describe someone unwilling to take risks.
Do you really think that Kohl intended for the Bucks be bland and mediocre? Do you really think that guys like CV, Redd, Mason and Bogut lack personality when compared to other NBA players? Come on Thunder-from-down-under and the space-cowboy? Even CV who has his own blog can be a primadonna at times.
Bucks are no more bland a team then the Twolves, Bulls and Pacers.
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buckybadgerfan
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Honestly, I think if Wisconsin loses the Bucks to another market after this year Kohl wouldn't necessarily lose his job.
Pro teams in Milwaukee have talked about leaving in recent years such that Wisconsinites wouldnt be surprised if it were to happen. By the way, Bucks aren't helping the cause either with their play.
Anyway, Kohl has been a senator and prominant figure in Milwaukee for so long that many would vote on his political contibutions and not his management of a failing franchise.
Pro teams in Milwaukee have talked about leaving in recent years such that Wisconsinites wouldnt be surprised if it were to happen. By the way, Bucks aren't helping the cause either with their play.
Anyway, Kohl has been a senator and prominant figure in Milwaukee for so long that many would vote on his political contibutions and not his management of a failing franchise.