Case of failure fatigue
Bucks' Redd ready to look ahead
By CHARLES F. GARDNER
cgardner@journalsentinel.com
Posted: March 30, 2008
Chicago - Michael Redd admits he never saw it coming.
All the changes in the off-season surely meant the Milwaukee Bucks would have no trouble eclipsing their dismal 28-54 record of last season, right?
Wrong.
As the Bucks enter April and the final 10 games of a miserable season, they sit with a 24-48 record and only six victories on the road. General manager Larry Harris has already been fired and coach Larry Krystkowiak is in a tenuous position, as are many of the players on the roster.
"Last year wasn't as bad as this year, though," Redd said. "Last year we had severe injury problems, and we would have been much better. This year, you can't really put it on injuries.
Two underachieving teams met Saturday night on the United Center court, and the Chicago Bulls held off a late charge by the Bucks to take a 114-111 victory. Redd finished with a game-high 33 points, the 10th time he has scored 30 or more points this season, in 46 minutes.
Redd, who is nearly halfway through the six-year, $91 million contract he signed in the summer of 2005, said it was hard to find anything truly positive in this season.
"Nothing, nothing," the Bucks shooting guard said. "The fact is that one day, when we're winning and contending for a championship, we'll appreciate these days. Other than that, character has been built, perseverance has been built up. I've grown in those areas, having patience with everything.
"I've said it often, I'm committed to this organization, to this city, to this team. I signed a six-year deal. I'm looking forward to things changing around next year."
Redd said he would be glad to sit down with the new general manager, when one is hired, to express some opinions on the future of the franchise.
"God has taught me a lesson this year," Redd said. "Everything is not always going to be rosy; you don't always get a mountaintop. It's all about how you respond at times like this."
Redd came into the season in tip-top shape, after playing last summer with the U.S. team that qualified for the Beijing Olympics.
He has stayed healthy for the most part, appearing in 62 games and averaging 23.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists and shooting 44.5%. Redd ranks ninth in the league in scoring.
Still, he has been the target of critics who think the Bucks' offense revolves too much around him.
"I don't know what's being said; I don't see it, hardly," Redd said. "Michael Redd has always been Michael Redd. If you can't take it, it's the wrong business to be in."
Redd admits that he will be highly motivated this summer to help the U.S. Olympic team win the gold medal in Beijing.
"I'm sure we'll experience some great joy this summer," Redd said. "I look forward to being recharged for next season."
A bright spot: Rookie point guard Ramon Sessions had played a total of only 47 minutes in six games entering the Bucks' matchup with the Bulls.
So he was delighted to play 15 minutes, including the entire fourth quarter, while helping spur a Bucks rally that nearly erased a 17-point deficit after three quarters. The rookie from Nevada finished with four points, five assists and two rebounds.
"It's a great feeling any time you get a chance to play in the NBA, showing I belong out there," Sessions said.
