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[captain green]

Well two things stand out that I like.
1. Miami didn't get him and let good player go to try.
2. I think the bucks downgraded defensively.
Hell yes !!

[bigfoot_cryptozoology]

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[Bill Lumbergh]

I'm not sweating the Bucks. We've got our own big 2 and 1/2, or big 3 if you want to count Jaylen.

[sam_I_am]

I have to admit that prime time Giannis-Lillard on paper looks about as good as KG-PP did in 2008. The question is how close to prime time can Dame be in the pressure cooker of the ECF? That pick and roll is going to be unreal.

[Memokerobi]

I actually don't think this Bucks team is that good. Their defense will be completely mid, and I their core is a year older. They will win a lot of regular season games and flame out in the 2nd or 3rd round as always.

I feel like this is a move for them to show Giannis that they are committed to putting a championship team around him but I'm not sure it translates to them being that much better. Maybe I just really like Jrue though, he is a defensive beast.

That's what I'm saying. Scoring was never their problem and they just took a dive on defense where they have gotten worse every year. Add to that another year older Middleton and Brook? Yeah I'm not sold.

I also think people underestimate how huge of a get Zinger was for our team

Scoring has been their biggest problem by far

[Ticket]

Can we trade for Jrue without giving up Rob? Doesn't seem to be the case.

A defensive lineup of Jrue-White-JB-Tatum-Rob would be nasty af

[Memokerobi]

I think the Clippers will land Jrue fwiw

[threrf23]

I really like that trade for the Suns.

I also like it for Bucks, of course. Curious to see how their new coaching staff plays out, I thought Bud was a weakness.

[shackles10]

I think the Clippers will land Jrue fwiw

Makes a lot of sense. Could be cheaper than Harden and a better fit.

[ConstableGeneva]

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[Bad-Thoma]

I feel like this is a move for them to show Giannis that they are committed to putting a championship team around him but I'm not sure it translates to them being that much better. Maybe I just really like Jrue though, he is a defensive beast.

That's what I'm saying. Scoring was never their problem and they just took a dive on defense where they have gotten worse every year. Add to that another year older Middleton and Brook? Yeah I'm not sold.

I also think people underestimate how huge of a get Zinger was for our team

Scoring has been their biggest problem by far

They were 8th in the league last season in PPG, I don't think being top 10 can really count as a problem. By contrast they were 14th defensively in the same category, middle of the pack and falling.

[zoyathedestroya]

That's what I'm saying. Scoring was never their problem and they just took a dive on defense where they have gotten worse every year. Add to that another year older Middleton and Brook? Yeah I'm not sold.

I also think people underestimate how huge of a get Zinger was for our team

Scoring has been their biggest problem by far

They were 8th in the league last season in PPG, I don't think being top 10 can really count as a problem. By contrast they were 14th defensively in the same category, middle of the pack and falling.

They can get by in the regular season. Half court offense and clutch scoring in the playoffs are issues. Especially if Middleton can’t come back to previous levels.

More and more, I’m starting to believe you can put up great defense for stretches even if your roster isn’t riddled with great individual defenders. Miami and Denver both made the Finals with blah to average defenders on their main rotation. Scheme and connectivity bigger factors.

[Bad-Thoma]

Scoring has been their biggest problem by far

They were 8th in the league last season in PPG, I don't think being top 10 can really count as a problem. By contrast they were 14th defensively in the same category, middle of the pack and falling.

They can get by in the regular season. Half court offense and clutch scoring in the playoffs are issues. Especially if Middleton can’t come back to previous levels.

More and more, I’m starting to believe you can put up great defense for stretches even if your roster isn’t riddled with great individual defenders. Miami and Denver both made the Finals with blah to average defenders on their main rotation. Scheme and connectivity bigger factors.

They'll still certainly be good and I mostly agree with you about the scheme being a huge factor on defense. I still remember Kemba getting run over repeatedly though at the point of attack and our defense always being in rotation. Lillard isn't Kemba-bad on D but Jrue was a top tier perimeter defender and having one at the point, ala Smart and last season White, makes the whole defense work so much better. They're likely going to drop from middle tier to bottom 3rd defensively, that'll be a huge deficit to make up in the playoffs when teams can really game plan. I'm rooting for Adrian Griffin to be a good coach though, always liked him.

[Shak_Celts]

I feel like this is a move for them to show Giannis that they are committed to putting a championship team around him but I'm not sure it translates to them being that much better. Maybe I just really like Jrue though, he is a defensive beast.

That's what I'm saying. Scoring was never their problem and they just took a dive on defense where they have gotten worse every year. Add to that another year older Middleton and Brook? Yeah I'm not sold.

I also think people underestimate how huge of a get Zinger was for our team

Scoring has been their biggest problem by far

Chile Bucks are gonna be hella good! Still, defense wasn’t their biggest problem because they had really good defenders, now that they have Dame, defense will be their biggest problem (likely only in the playoffs where it could matter).

[Ayt]

I actually don't think this Bucks team is that good. Their defense will be completely mid, and I their core is a year older. They will win a lot of regular season games and flame out in the 2nd or 3rd round as always.

I feel like this is a move for them to show Giannis that they are committed to putting a championship team around him but I'm not sure it translates to them being that much better. Maybe I just really like Jrue though, he is a defensive beast.

Look at his offense in the playoffs. He was putrid, and his defense couldn't make up for that. His TS% in the playoffs with the Bucks was .476, which is mindbogglingly bad, particularly for someone taking so many shots.

The Bucks desperately needed someone who could create offense with the ball in his hands, and they got one of the best in the league.

[steefP2]

Bucks, Celtics, Nuggets all tier 1 contenders now. Rank as you see fit. Teams like suns still tier 2.

[shackles10]

Bucks, Celtics, Nuggets all tier 1 contenders now. Rank as you see fit. Teams like suns still tier 2.

Agreed. We're probably 3rd on top end talent with the other 2 having MVP's and this Dame guy some might have heard of, but we also have the best depth, size, and least amount of holes in the roster. We're also the younger of the 3 rosters. Nobody with a distinct coaching advantage either as all 3 are meh to unproven.

[Bad-Thoma]

I actually don't think this Bucks team is that good. Their defense will be completely mid, and I their core is a year older. They will win a lot of regular season games and flame out in the 2nd or 3rd round as always.

I feel like this is a move for them to show Giannis that they are committed to putting a championship team around him but I'm not sure it translates to them being that much better. Maybe I just really like Jrue though, he is a defensive beast.

Look at his offense in the playoffs. He was putrid, and his defense couldn't make up for that. His TS% in the playoffs with the Bucks was .476, which is mindbogglingly bad, particularly for someone taking so many shots.

The Bucks desperately needed someone who could create offense with the ball in his hands, and they got one of the best in the league.

Can't argue with Jrue being offensively bad on offense in the playoffs last year, I still don't think it's going to change Milwaukee's overall fortunes that much. They are still a top tier team but they are getting ready to fall off pretty hard and don't have a lot of assets long term. The good news for them is if the window does close Giannis will net them a great start on a rebuild.

I really do get the upside offensively both regular season and playoffs, Lillard and Giannis are going to make each other's lives a lot easier with their respective gravities. Jrue actually shot a higher 3pt% (regular season of course and on about half the attempts) the last 3 years but I would imagine Lillard gets a boost from not always being the defense's focus. I still see the loss of defense at the point of attack being an issue for a team that was already mediocre defensively in the regular season and had the second worst rating in the playoffs. I'm not saying it was a bad move either, it was a good move to try and keep Giannis happy and on board, I just don't see it translating to a bump in immediate success and the unprotected picks and pick swaps will hurt them later.

[BK_2020]

I actually don't think this Bucks team is that good. Their defense will be completely mid, and I their core is a year older. They will win a lot of regular season games and flame out in the 2nd or 3rd round as always.

I feel like this is a move for them to show Giannis that they are committed to putting a championship team around him but I'm not sure it translates to them being that much better. Maybe I just really like Jrue though, he is a defensive beast.

Look at his offense in the playoffs. He was putrid, and his defense couldn't make up for that. His TS% in the playoffs with the Bucks was .476, which is mindbogglingly bad, particularly for someone taking so many shots.

The Bucks desperately needed someone who could create offense with the ball in his hands, and they got one of the best in the league.

His defense clearly made up for his offense as the Bucks won the NBA championship with Jrue.

[Wingy]

Can we trade for Jrue without giving up Rob? Doesn't seem to be the case.

A defensive lineup of Jrue-White-JB-Tatum-Rob would be nasty af

Salary wise only, Brogdon/Horford/Hauser works.