Moderators: MickeyDavis, paulpressey25
emunney wrote:Acquiring Damian Lillard in a trade and Bobby Marks' first reaction is "losing a shooter in Grayson Allen hurts". It's impossible to be that dense by accident.
LatentFrog wrote:How long until the Dame jerseys drop?
Matches Malone wrote:How did NBA fandom get to the point that it's more fun to thirst over players on other teams than to care more about your own team and players...
giannis and 1 wrote:LatentFrog wrote:How long until the Dame jerseys drop?
emunney wrote:MickeyDavis wrote:Some of what Lowe wrote about our new offenseLillard doesn't merely boost Milwaukee's half-court offense -- its weak link even in that 2021 title run, its undoing in every other postseason. He allows for a total reimagining of it. He is, by himself, damn near a walking top-five offense. Milwaukee's defense should be good enough and then some as long as both Antetokounmpo and Lopez -- two Defensive Player of the Year candidates last season -- are on the floor at go time.
The Lillard-Antetokounmpo pick-and-roll -- with everyone else spotting up around it -- becomes a supercharged version of the Middleton-Antetokounmpo two-man game that was Milwaukee's tentpole in their championship season. That partnership drifted away from the Bucks amid Middleton's injuries and his uneven play upon returning last season. It was not something they could count on as they unraveled in fourth quarters against Miami in the first round. Holiday's decision-making and overall offense were scattershot in every Milwaukee playoff run.
Lillard is the second-most-talented pull-up 3-point shooter in NBA history, behind only Stephen Curry. He is the ballhandling failsafe Milwaukee has not had in two years, and never really did. Even in Middleton's best seasons, the Bucks got by in the half-court -- relying more on Antetokounmpo's transition thunderclaps and brutish offensive rebounding. With Lillard, the Bucks can run pick-and-roll from more spots and far-flung places -- stretching defenses to their breaking points. They can ease Middleton into a third option role for which he is better-suited now.
Every season, Lillard gets cagier as a driver and playmaker. He's not an A-plus passer, but he's very good -- steadier than anyone Milwaukee has tried in that role across Antetokounmpo's prime. Lillard takes care of the ball and gets to the line a ton -- almost 10 times per game last season, a career high.
When Antetokounmpo wants to cook, Lillard is as intimidating a floor-spacer as exists outside the Bay Area. Watch out for the inverted Antetokounmpo-Lillard pick-and-roll, especially in semi-transition. Good god.
God bless Zach Lowe for actually having more than a superficial understanding of the game he's paid to talk/write about.
milweskee wrote:Kinda crazy that Portland was okay with taking on Jrue without a 4th team yesterday.
paulpressey25 wrote:Windhorst isn't necessarily wrong. If Portland deals Jrue for Brogdon and two #1's, we will have some issues with that team.
We need Jrue to stay in Portland. Since the trade is official, do they have to wait now to re-route him somewhere?
JonHeist wrote:I think Jrue ends up traded to GSW for CP3 and a few of their young guys/picks
KnicksGod wrote:Middleton probably the most underrated player in NBA History
That's why I always thought this would never happen. Didn't think Por would value Jrue and let alone just hold on to himmilweskee wrote:Kinda crazy that Portland was okay with taking on Jrue without a 4th team yesterday.
DanoMac wrote:bullox wrote:That phone number was an asset to you. You had a direct line to the gm. You've squandered it.
I squandered an asset? Then Hammond taught me well.
emunney wrote:
I'M NOT SURE HE'S A BETTER FIT FOR THE BUCKS. How can these guys make a career out of something they're so dumb about?
The Wet Whistle wrote:You guys care waaaay too much about what talking heads say, imo
Gery Woelfel wrote:Got a time big boy?
emunney wrote:
Hope you're ready to wait 6 months for it if you buy it from the Bucks Pro Shop.
AussieBuck wrote:Warriors Analyst wrote:Warriors' fan here who used to spend more time on this board and watching Bucks' games than I did the Warriors. I'm very curious what Lillard's arrival does for Middleton. I suspect Middleton won't have much of an issue returning to a more secondary creation role and I suspect he'd benefit from it. But I'm especially curious to see if Midds can get back to the defensive effort levels he had in the Kidd era. I get that in an expanded role and with age/injuries, it's not reasonable for Middleton to the defender he was in his early to mid(d)-20's, but this team will need him to be a neutral defender.
Beyond that, what a thrilling trade. Should be lots of fun to see Giannis with such unreal spacing.
Khris is in the Klay boat. injuries and age. Still smart enough to chase dudes through screens and pick angles but physically shot on anyone who can move quickly.
glenn wrote:Find it interesting that the former NBA players on ESPN were all ecstatic about seeing Dame in Milwaukee while all of the talking heads are in mourning.