Bucks News, Transactions, Trade Ideas - Sign Pete Nance to 2-way

[Jez2983]

You are the biggest conspiracy theorist on this board

In Australian sports, a lot of the time 'mental health issues' were used as code for when a player failed an illicit drug test. These aren't performance enhancing but as the employer the Aussie sports didn't want their employees taking them.

25 for tramadol is ridiculous. Even if he did something bad, the Draymond comparisons are apt.

It doesn't matter if 25 is ridiculous. If two sides agree to a contract provision that is collectively bargained, neither side can wave or modify that provision. It's a binding contract. It would be an unfair labor practice if the NBA reduced Portis' suspension because 25 games was "too much" punishment. The Collective Bargaining Agreement dictates the penalty. The NBA has no discretion to modify the penalty for a violation.

The CBA likely does not address separate penalties for each drug. More likely, the CBA cites penalties for any improper drug deemed to be in a certain classification by an authority like the World Anti-Doping Agency. Both sides would want the threshold for "guilt" and the resulting penalty to be cut and dried. Thus the NBA CBA.

Any labor lawyers out there are welcome to correct any errors in my take.

Send me the contract language and then we will have a better idea how rigid the language is. And yes, both sides can agree to waive language in certain circumstances.

Tramadol was added to the banned list last spring, so I guess after last NBA season.

So if he took this 12 months ago he'd have been fine.

I definitely take exception to the fact that the NBA is far harder on someone taking a tablet accidentally (even if it wasn't) versus a player who seemingly is willingly prepared to injure his fellow employees.

[soxperry]

Yup, all the expert analysis here at deadline without knowing the facts.

The Middleton move is still indefensible, let alone attaching a high upside guy in AJ Magic. If you're trading Middleton, do it to a team who can use him this year for better value. But don't trade him. Run w/ Brook, Giannis, Sims, Prince, Khris as your frontcourt; until Bobby gets back before the playoffs. I'd prioritize keeping a core player over the apron.

And if they desperately wanted to get under they could have dealt Pat w/ a 2nd, Tyler Smith, even AJ Magic if you had to. Rival execs said 3 2nds, which they're probably over-selling as a negotiating tactic. But even if you take it at face value, you're giving them a high 2nd, high 2nd last year, late 1st last year. Gets it done, then some. I don't think it required AJ Magic.

They were seemingly moving on from Middleton before that because of the rumors, then may have panic switched to Kuzma cuz of Bobby's impending absence. Locked themselves into it. Like Horst's mentor Hammond when he traded for Tobes for Redick alone, after the rug was pulled out from under him in regards to Josh Smith, iirc.

Yeah, i doubt they thought of any of that.

[-Jragon-]

More worried Bobby messes our playoff chemistry

[Bernman]

Yup, all the expert analysis here at deadline without knowing the facts.

The Middleton move is still indefensible, let alone attaching a high upside guy in AJ Magic. If you're trading Middleton, do it to a team who can use him this year for better value. But don't trade him. Run w/ Brook, Giannis, Sims, Prince, Khris as your frontcourt; until Bobby gets back before the playoffs. I'd prioritize keeping a core player over the apron.

And if they desperately wanted to get under they could have dealt Pat w/ a 2nd, Tyler Smith, even AJ Magic if you had to. Rival execs said 3 2nds, which they're probably over-selling as a negotiating tactic. But even if you take it at face value, you're giving them a high 2nd, high 2nd last year, late 1st last year. Gets it done, then some. I don't think it required AJ Magic.

They were seemingly moving on from Middleton before that because of the rumors, then may have panic switched to Kuzma cuz of Bobby's impending absence. Locked themselves into it. Like Horst's mentor Hammond when he traded for Tobes for Redick alone, after the rug was pulled out from under him in regards to Josh Smith, iirc.

Yeah, i doubt they thought of any of that.

Who & what? It's a lengthy post w/ a myriad of my own opinions, rival execs who said it, & the Bucks' own based on reporting all along + what they did.

The Bucks weren't set on moving on from Middleton or getting under the 2nd apron? They moved Khris, after weeks of being linked to different guys, & it got them under the 2nd apron, coincidentally. They thought some of it.

Actually specify what you believe they didn't realistically think.

[tedbrogen]

The Kuz trade makes move sense if they knew this was hanging over them. Meant Bobby was untradeable and even if they thought they could win the fight, they needed someone tall who could rebound if they lost. Kuz is tall and can rebound.

[Appostis]

Troll somewhere else

[pifhluk23]

Tampering with Bogdonavic, 25 game suspension for Bobby. These things would never happen to the Lakers, Celtics, Knicks if they were in a title competing window.

[mlloyd10]

My point is none of us know the facts. We speculate, and that's fine, that's what we're here for. But many blasted Horst for not trading Bobby and now we know why. And while we can criticize the Middleton trade, again we have no clue what deals were and were not on the table.

I don't need to know what else was on the table vis a vis Middleton. I don't make the deal when even this version was better than Kuzma, then we had to attach our 1st rd pick from last yr & a pick swap.

Middleton was not good - Stop looking at just the stats

Kuzma > Middleton

You cant rely on Middleton anymore - Very Simple

[Bernman]

Middleton was not good - Stop looking at just the stats

Kuzma > Middleton

You cant rely on Middleton anymore - Very Simple

Don't trust your eyes which say you run a far better halfcourt offense because of Middleton's I.Q. & skill, while it's backed up statistically. Trust my eyes. - Very Simple.

We'll see if he could have been available & if he looks as fit or fitter later in the season.

[Bernman]

There were a lot of reports the Bucks acquired the rights to Lessort, but a lot of conflicting ones the Wiz actually did, including their own site. https://www.nba.com/wizards/news/wizards-acquire-middleton-johnson-from-milwaukee-bucks

Bummer if true & he didn't end up redirected here.

[LUKE23]

It's very obvious that with Portis hurt and Kuzma starting, Green should be starting at 2. He's a better defender of SG, comparable shooter to Prince, and it moves Prince to the small ball 4, which to me at his age is his best position. Doc needs to figure out the lineups, because I think the current rotation has a ton of defensive potential.

Starters:

Dame
Green
Kuzma
GA
Lopez

Bench:

Porter (1/2)
Trent (2/3)
Prince (3/4)
Sims (4/5)

Given that AJJ isn't decipherably better than Green/Trent on D and offers nothing offensively, I'm fine with him out of the rotation. Rollins maybe gets more burn depending on how KPJ looks moving forward, but KPJ offers more offensively to me.

[Finn]

Yup, all the expert analysis here at the trade deadline without knowing the facts.

Correct.And that’s why I’m not taking at face value Bobby just accidentally took pills his buddy had. There is so much smoke here and no local journalist capable of unpacking it.

So, if Portis knew he was taking Tramadol, a banned substance, what was his motive? From reading here, there appears to be no real benefit for him other than pain relief.

You keep intimating that there's some nefarious story yet to be told, what do you think it is?

[Perishable517]

The gang that hit up Portis's house and many other athletes were arrested because the dopes couldn't resist sharing selfies.

At the same time, the agent identified a series of blunders that helped law enforcers identify the culprits and, crucially, connect them directly to many of the stolen items. The mistakes included a series of selfies that the alleged burglars, according to the complaint, apparently shared with others as if to advertise their exploits. The problem was, they uploaded the photos to a secure Apple iCloud account that the FBI was able to access with a search warrant.

In one particularly lucrative burglary, apparently the one at Portis' home, gang members broke open a safe "containing several watches, chains, personal items, jewelry, and cash. Also stolen was a Louis Vuitton suitcase and designer bags." The total value of the items exceeded $1.48 million, the complaint says, identifying the victim only as "Athlete 4."

Who needs snitches when they snitch on themselves.

So, Bobby is now "Athlete 4"?

Sent from my CPH2417 using RealGM mobile app

[M-C-G]

Yup, all the expert analysis here at the trade deadline without knowing the facts.

Correct.And that’s why I’m not taking at face value Bobby just accidentally took pills his buddy had. There is so much smoke here and no local journalist capable of unpacking it.

So, if Portis knew he was taking Tramadol, a banned substance, what was his motive? From reading here, there appears to be no real benefit for him other than pain relief.

You keep intimating that there's some nefarious story yet to be told, what do you think it is?

Chiming in, he is in a contract year right? The benefit might just be availability and fighting through injuries?

[raferfenix]

I’m not taking at face value Bobby just accidentally took pills his buddy had. There is so much smoke here and no local journalist capable of unpacking it.

Tramadol leaves your system after 6 hours.

Seems like a pretty big coincidence if Bobby was randomly tested the one time he accidentally took it.

Certainly possible I don't mean to be unfair to him!

But if it were more than one time (or more than one pill) I don't know if the statements would be any different than what's happening now.

The league's news bulletin doesn't specify beyond it being Tramadol but does include his agent's response:

https://www.nba.com/news/nba-suspends-bobby-portis-25-games

Bucks statement similarly includes Bobby calling it an honest mistake but Horst's quote was more about how the team supports him 100%:

https://www.nba.com/bucks/news/milwaukee-bucks-forward-bobby-portis-jr-suspended-25-games

[Prez]

It's very obvious that with Portis hurt and Kuzma starting, Green should be starting at 2. He's a better defender of SG, comparable shooter to Prince, and it moves Prince to the small ball 4, which to me at his age is his best position. Doc needs to figure out the lineups, because I think the current rotation has a ton of defensive potential.

Starters:

Dame
Green
Kuzma
GA
Lopez

Bench:

Porter (1/2)
Trent (2/3)
Prince (3/4)
Sims (4/5)

Given that AJJ isn't decipherably better than Green/Trent on D and offers nothing offensively, I'm fine with him out of the rotation. Rollins maybe gets more burn depending on how KPJ looks moving forward, but KPJ offers more offensively to me.

This is the obvious rotation/starting lineup choice and it bugs me that Doc seems unable to figure this out. That starting 5 you listed could be lethal.

[Ron Swanson]

So was Andre actually hurt or did Doc actually (finally) yank him from the starting lineup? Even if he went with the jumbo grouping and played Kuz at SG, that's still a big deal if he's finally wised up there. The spacing was clearly and vividly so much better.

[MickeyDavis]

So was Andre actually hurt or did Doc actually (finally) yank him from the starting lineup? Even if he went with the jumbo grouping and played Kuz at SG, that's still a big deal if he's finally wised up there. The spacing was clearly and vividly so much better.

Maybe a combination, not sure. His wrist injury is legit but since he rarely shoots I doubt that would keep him out.

[paulpressey25]

You keep intimating that there's some nefarious story yet to be told, what do you think it is?

I have no idea what the situation is with Bobby. He's a great guy and a very good player. Love him.

At the same time I've been around here a long time. Have seen the Joe Smith hotel incident, TJ Ford's apartment getting raided by the MPD, Bobby allegedly punching a hooker, Mo starting a locker room fight with assistant coach Tony Brown, all the stealth disciplinary suspensions Jason Kidd handed out that were classified as "hamstring injury", and the list goes on and on.

None of this Bobby story passes the smell test. He loses $1.5 million in a home burglary, misses two weeks for grandma's funeral and now we get this news that he just took a mild painkiller his buddy had leftover from a dental procedure and that warrants a 25 game suspension.

I didn't hear Doc stutter in that press conference yesterday, but that's only because he's a better actor than Larry Harris.

[pifhluk23]

It's very obvious that with Portis hurt and Kuzma starting, Green should be starting at 2. He's a better defender of SG, comparable shooter to Prince, and it moves Prince to the small ball 4, which to me at his age is his best position. Doc needs to figure out the lineups, because I think the current rotation has a ton of defensive potential.

Starters:

Dame
Green
Kuzma
GA
Lopez

Bench:

Porter (1/2)
Trent (2/3)
Prince (3/4)
Sims (4/5)

Given that AJJ isn't decipherably better than Green/Trent on D and offers nothing offensively, I'm fine with him out of the rotation. Rollins maybe gets more burn depending on how KPJ looks moving forward, but KPJ offers more offensively to me.

I'm wondering if Doc was told to showcase AJJ for trades but no one was interested. Wasn't he a pg in college though, like how can he be so inept on offense.