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Matches Malone wrote:Seems Giannis is getting more comfortable with the LA life, seeing as how his comments a few years ago were how he didn't like how busy and invasive bigger cities like LA could be when a paparazzi asked him.
DukeH wrote:Plenty, RealGM Bucks Board is the Golden Dawn of forums.
“[Bucks can retain Giannis] If they win a Championship in the next two years, if they doesn’t, I think he’s[Giannis] gone…I don’t think the Bucks are back at the drawing board. I think they changed their coach, I think they got two years…If they win a championship I think he will stay, if they do not, I think he will have an opportunity to move on.”
We can rule out Antetokounmpo extending when he’s eligible near the end of September. He’s already told us he won’t be doing that.
We probably safely rule out Antetokounmpo playing out the three remaining seasons on his contract and signing a new five-year deal in 2026 too. Given his age, career mileage and injury history, Antetokounmpo won’t leave that much to chance.
We also probably rule out simply playing out his deal with the Bucks, opting out in 2025 and then re-signing with Milwaukee as a free agent. That’s almost as risky as playing out the entire remainder of his deal, and the financial upside really isn’t all that great.
That leaves two real options. Antetokounmpo extends with Milwaukee in 2024. Or he plays out the two final guaranteed seasons on his contract and leaves the Bucks as a free agent in the summer of 2025.
The guess here is Milwaukee will do whatever is necessary over the next two seasons to convince their franchise player that he should stay in the only NBA home he’s ever known. The Bucks can still offer him the most possible money, either via extension or a re-signing. It’s up to them to make him want to stay in Milwaukee.
That leaves only a few real questions:
1. Will Antetokounmpo opt in for 2025-26 and add three new years? Or will he opt out and add four new years? Bet on the first option, as he’ll likely make more money, and it gets hm back on the market for one more possibly big contract in 2029 heading into his age-35 and Year 17 season.
2. Will Antetokounmpo take less years than the max he’s able to? He could look to game the system a bit, while also keeping pressure on the Bucks, by extending but adding a year or two fewer than he’s eligible to in an extension. That way he can get back on the market sooner, and potentially cash in even bigger by taking advantage of the year-over-year cap growth.
3. What moves do the Bucks have to make over the next year to show Antetokounmpo they are serious about staying contenders? First is getting something done to keep Jrue Holiday in Milwaukee. After that, it’s probably being aggressive in trading role players and draft picks (when they are able) to upgrade with top-tier talent. That could leave the team thin depth-wise, but that’s not really the superstar’s problem to worry about. That’s for the front office to figure out, if they want to keep Antetokounmpo in the Good Land green and Cream City cream.
JayMKE wrote:Our window with this core outside Giannis is about 2 years away from rotting into the ground and being worth nothing, its sad our team has pretty much accepted this future and I don't blame Giannis for his now seemingly inevitable departure all considering. Our FO is ran by amateurs who have no business in professional basketball, blowing our wad like this was the best they could do and the good times will soon be over since they never built anything sustainable. They lacked the knowledge & creativity & patience to get it done, they chased that nut like a crackhead & at least we got 1 ring ig because it really probably should be zero.
never built anything sustainable
“One day he’s in, 1000 percent. The next day, he’s asking more questions.”
That anonymous quote is describing the sometimes-whimsical ways of Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee Bucks star who made so many of his fans nervous with his The New York Times interview that was published on Aug. 24. If you somehow missed it, the two-time MVP one-time champion made it clear that he’d be willing to go elsewhere to win a title again if he didn’t believe the Bucks were doing everything possible to reach that goal.
But here’s the twist about the above Giannis quote: It’s from a Dec. 2020 story that chronicled the last time he was faced with extension questions about when, and if, he would sign. Point being, we’ve seen this before when it comes to Antetokounmpo and the way in which he approaches major basketball decisions. And yes, if you remember, it turned out quite well for Milwaukee.
That’s not to say this NYT discussion was nothing — it’s definitely not — and kudos to Tania Ganguli for getting such candid perspective from Antetokounmpo in their interview. But the Bucks’ results in this coming season, more than anything, will likely dictate what comes next here.
MartyConlonOnTheRun wrote:JayMKE wrote:Our window with this core outside Giannis is about 2 years away from rotting into the ground and being worth nothing, its sad our team has pretty much accepted this future and I don't blame Giannis for his now seemingly inevitable departure all considering. Our FO is ran by amateurs who have no business in professional basketball, blowing our wad like this was the best they could do and the good times will soon be over since they never built anything sustainable. They lacked the knowledge & creativity & patience to get it done, they chased that nut like a crackhead & at least we got 1 ring ig because it really probably should be zero.
I was always on the side of trade Midds/Jrue (didn't like the trade) before they get too old and expensive. We went the easy, uncreative route as you said where we just threw a bunch of money at the guys we had and first available meh-star.
That said, 1 ring isn't something to cast aside since any ring is hard to get. On the flip, I don't know how you could say it should be zero since we have been a top 5 team for the past 5 years. If we didn't deserve 1 ring during this stretch, find me a team that did.
DukeH wrote:Plenty, RealGM Bucks Board is the Golden Dawn of forums.
Giannis weighs in on Hakeem comparison, Nigerian heritage, Noah Lyles, NBA owner aspirations
Giannis Antetokounmpo used his first podcast appearance to sit down with friend and former Milwaukee Bucks staffer Rodd Geiger, a co-host on the NBA discussion podcast "48 Minutes."
Geiger spent a lot of time in his Subaru Outback driving the international superstar around his rookie year. One of their adventures on the road, getting caught in a Milwaukee snowstorm, was one of many topics discussed in the latest podcast episode released Tuesday.
Here are some of the best moments from the episode:
Giannis honored to be considered the next Hakeem
Antetokounmpo and former NBA great Hakeem Olajuwon have a lot in common. Both players are credited with having great all-around games that many would consider similar. Both are also of Nigerian heritage and prefer jersey number 34.
Geiger's co-host, Bruce Bernstein, asked Antetokounmpo what he thought of the comparison.
"That's a great compliment to be in the same sentence as Hakeem Olajuwon," Antetokounmpo said. "One of the best international players to ever play this game. For sure the best African player to ever play this game. I loved his game. I always tried to study his game. I loved that he did it the right way; he stuck with his teammates and won two championships."
Antetokounmpo revealed that it is his plan to workout with Olajuwon before the season starts. He said he prefers to workout with former players than active players. He previously worked out with Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant.
"If I can kind of take a few things from his game, or learn anything from the few days I'm going to spend with him, it's going to be a blessing," Antetokounmpo said. "It's a guy I looked up to my whole life. It's a guy my parents looked up to because he was the number one guy in Nigeria. He was the best athlete ... in Africa."
Does Giannis consider himself European or African?
Antetokounmpo discussed whether he considers himself African or European, having been born in Greece.
"We grew up in a Nigerian household," he said. "(But) sometimes the way I operate, it's a little bit Greek, it's a little bit European because I went to school, most of my friends are Greek and European. It's a little bit of both."
Antetokounmpo said he may represent the Greece in international competition, "but at the end of the day everybody knows that I'm Nigerian." He mentioned how he was able to go to Nigeria earlier this summer with his family.
Giannis weighs in on Noah Lyles and American exceptionalism
A simmering debate sparked by American sprinter Noah Lyles has people of all genres weighing in on whether not champions in American-based sports leagues should be referred to as "world champions."
As you can imagine, in America, Lyles has received quite a lot of rebukes for not embracing American exceptionalism. Well, Antetokounmpo came to his defense in the interview after being asked for his thoughts by co-host Michael Freer.
"I wanted to back him up so bad," Antetokounmpo said. "He received so much backlash for saying the like obvious, but I think people don't understand it. It's like an arrogance thing.
"You cannot say you are the world champ because you play in the best league in the world."
Antetokounmpo said the only basketball team that can say they are "world champs" is Germany, who won the FIBA World Cup on Sunday, after defeating Team USA in the semifinals.
"I might get some backlash from this, but I really do not care, I totally agree with (Lyles)," Antetokounmpo said.
Giannis caught in a snowstorm in Milwaukee
Geiger brought Antetokounmpo back to his rookie year to reminisce about the time they got caught in a snowstorm on the freeway in Milwaukee.
Geiger said the pair had just left The Cheesecake Factory at Bayshore Mall when he thought it would be best to pull over instead of driving through the storm.
But Antetokounmpo had other ideas.
The scrawny Nigerian kid from Greece grabbed a Gatorade towel from the backseat, reached his long frame out the passenger window and began clearing off the windshield as Geiger continued to drive.
Geiger joked that a journalist attempted to debunk the story, but Antetokounmpo defended his friend's account of the incident.
"First of all, that's totally true," Antetokounmpo said, adding that it was late at night and he needed to go to bed so he could workout in the morning."
"I remember my hand was so cold after I did that," he said. "Thank God we made it home safe."
Giannis says it would be 'dream come true' to be NBA owner
Antetokounmpo already owns part of the Milwaukee Brewers and soccer club Nashville SC, among other investments, so Geiger asked him if he'd have any interest in owning an NBA franchise one day.
"First all, for you to own an NBA franchise you got to have money. As we move forward, it gets more expensive," he said. "Eventually I would want to own an NBA franchise, that would be a dream come true."
Antetokounmpo and his brothers folded their business ventures into one parent company — Ante, Inc. — earlier this year.
He said the business and investment opportunities are plentiful but he tends to want to focus on basketball and being a father as opposed to off-the-court ventures, so this was an opportunity to hire the right people to manage his business portfolio.
He reiterated his long-held belief that the Bucks franchise must remain committed to championship-level basketball or he wouldn't want to remain in Milwaukee. In recent days, head coach Adrian Griffin said he and Antetokounmpo are aligned on their expectations.
tonyreyes123 wrote:Lol it’s so painfully obvious Giannis is outta here
Coach Carter wrote:This year is a wash and most of us know it.
DukeH wrote:Plenty, RealGM Bucks Board is the Golden Dawn of forums.
DukeH wrote:Plenty, RealGM Bucks Board is the Golden Dawn of forums.
DukeH wrote:Plenty, RealGM Bucks Board is the Golden Dawn of forums.
DukeH wrote:Plenty, RealGM Bucks Board is the Golden Dawn of forums.
“[The Knicks will] get one of those three guys, I guarantee,” said Simmons on the Bill Simmons Podcast. “Giannis, Embiid, or Mitchell will be on that team a year from now.”
raferfenix wrote:“[The Knicks will] get one of those three guys, I guarantee,” said Simmons on the Bill Simmons Podcast. “Giannis, Embiid, or Mitchell will be on that team a year from now.”
https://clutchpoints.com/knicks-news-bill-simmon-major-superstar-prediction-for-new-york-future
DukeH wrote:Plenty, RealGM Bucks Board is the Golden Dawn of forums.
Gery Woelfel wrote:Got a time big boy?