20 Years ago - Bucks Summer of 2005

[paulpressey25]

Thought we could use a memory lane thread on the summer of 2005. Many of you were here as members and would love people's thoughts, both at the time and now in hindsight. It was perhaps the Bucks most epic off-season in terms of major moves made.

The Kohl era was starting to wear thin as the 2001 team imploded very quickly the next year, so 2005 brought amazing new optimism.

Highlights:

Bucks win the lottery and Bogut is #1 over Marvin. Chris Paul slips to #3 because he punched that guy in the nuts and got a bad reputation for it.

Larry Harris drafts Ersan in the 2nd round. Overlooked transaction.

At the February 2005 trade deadline, Herb Kohl cuts handshake deal to pay Michael Redd a max contract, so the Bucks don't deal him. He signs a 6-year/$90 million deal.

ZaZa signs a 4/$16mm offer sheet with the Hawks. Bucks decline to match as they've inked Dan Gadzuric to a 6/$36mm deal.

On a late Friday night during FA week, Mark Stein tosses out an ESPN.com bomb that the Bucks have signed FA Bobby Simmons to a 5/$47 million contract.

Then the big one - after holding a press conference where Larry Harris says he will "sink or swim" with Terry Porter as Bucks coach. Herb reverses course and fires Porter. We go on a coaching search where Kohl tries to lure Flip Saunders and Doug Collins but ends up with Terry Stotts.

[Jez2983]

I can't believe we screwed Stotts twice.

[Licensed to Il]

That was a fun time to be a Bucks fan (the era wasn’t great, but that summer was).

I panned the Stotts move but he was much better than most realized.

Redd was a good guy, but miscast as a #1.

Bogut took longer than expected to become an impact two way guy but he did, that Amare/elbow injury was terrible misfortune for Andrew and the franchise.

Bobby Simmons is a weird example of a guy that flashed a good all around game, got paid, and quickly reverted to role player status. But at the time of the signing, we all believed he was a break out guy.

In retrospect, we should have done the Brewers thing by flipping Redd for more prospects.

[Baddy Chuck]

Thought we could use a memory lane thread on the summer of 2005. Many of you were here as members and would love people's thoughts, both at the time and now in hindsight. It was perhaps the Bucks most epic off-season in terms of major moves made.

The Kohl era was starting to wear thin as the 2001 team imploded very quickly the next year, so 2005 brought amazing new optimism.

Highlights:

Bucks win the lottery and Bogut is #1 over Marvin. Chris Paul slips to #3 because he punched that guy in the nuts and got a bad reputation for it.

Larry Harris drafts Ersan in the 2nd round. Overlooked transaction.

At the February 2005 trade deadline, Herb Kohl cuts handshake deal to pay Michael Redd a max contract, so the Bucks don't deal him. He signs a 6-year/$90 million deal.

ZaZa signs a 4/$16mm offer sheet with the Hawks. Bucks decline to match as they've inked Dan Gadzuric to a 6/$36mm deal.

On a late Friday night during FA week, Mark Stein tosses out an ESPN.com bomb that the Bucks have signed FA Bobby Simmons to a 5/$47 million contract.

Then the big one - after holding a press conference where Larry Harris says he will "sink or swim" with Terry Porter as Bucks coach. Herb reverses course and fires Porter. We go on a coaching search where Kohl tries to lure Flip Saunders and Doug Collins but ends up with Terry Stotts.

Magloire erasure.

[Mags FTW]

I e-mailed Larry Harris at fans2harris@bucks.com begging him to keep Zaza instead of Gadz. It did not work.

[BUCKnation]

This was the first season are started to watch the majority of the games

[paulpressey25]

Magloire erasure.

Great point. Should have mentioned that one.

That trade took place right before the start of the season, and according to Epi was because the team wanted to "win now" and learned Bogut wasn't ready to take the full C load.

https://www.espn.com/nba/news/story?id=2204385

The Milwaukee Bucks continued to aggressively reshape their roster Wednesday by beating out a clutch of teams to acquire New Orleans/Oklahoma City center Jamaal Magloire.

Clinching the deal by offering its 2006 first-round pick without lottery restrictions, Milwaukee also sends swingman Desmond Mason and cash considerations to the Hornets for Magloire, an East All-Star in 2004.

The Bucks felt they needed a more physical presence on their front line to aid the development of No. 1 overall pick Andrew Bogut and the recently re-signed Dan Gadzuric. Magloire, like Mason, has only this season and next season left on his contract, lessening the immediate demands on Bogut without affecting the 7-footer's standing as a future cornerstone.

Given Milwaukee's logjam of swingmen after retaining Michael Redd, trading for Jiri Welsch and signing Bobby Simmons, a move involving Mason between now and the February deadline was widely seen as inevitable. This one gives the Bucks an opportunity to play Magloire and Bogut together -- the Australian from the University of Utah remains a candidate to start -- with Simmons starting at the other forward spot. The Bucks also have Gadzuric and Joe Smith in what suddenly looks like a well-rounded frontcourt rotation.

The Hornets have been shopping Magloire for months as part of their own makeover, which accelerated in February when Baron Davis, another former All-Star, was dealt to Golden State.

[MissKhriddleton]

We started Magloire and Bogut lmao. 9 points, 7 rebounds, and an inexplicable lost jumpshot between college and the pros from who we thought was our franchise savior. Good times.

[MickeyDavis]

Rick Majerus told the Bucks not to draft Bogut #1.

[Frank Nova]

I wanted Magloire and Bogut to be the new Duncan and Robinson twin towers so bad. Eventually turned into Giannis and Brook and now Giannis and Myles so I guess it all worked out in the end. Just took a really long time lol

[Matches Malone]

I wanted Magloire and Bogut to be the new Duncan and Robinson twin towers so bad. Eventually turned into Giannis and Brook and now Giannis and Myles so I guess it all worked out in the end. Just took a really long time lol

What a crazy time period that was. I was bummed we traded DMase but Magloire was an all-star center the season or two before and just never played to that ability again. Depressing

[Licensed to Il]

Rick Majerus told the Bucks not to draft Bogut #1.

How come? Immaturity stuff? Or talent?

[MickeyDavis]

Rick Majerus told the Bucks not to draft Bogut #1.

How come? Immaturity stuff? Or talent?

The 2 did not get along. Majerus told the Bucks to draft Williams (which would have also been a mistake). He also told the team (and other NBA execs) that Bogut had a degenerative eye disease, which Bogut denied.

[Licensed to Il]

Oh yeah, I remember that now.

Marvin Williams was Tim Thomas version 1.5

Paul was the obvious right pick, but I always wondered if he refused to come here, in that era many prospects did so back channel.

[aboveAverage]

This was around the time I started following the Bucks more seriously and started reading the JSOnline Bucks forum.

I believe I joined this forum shortly before the Charlie Villanueva trade, which I thought was an absolute steal at the time. He had just dropped 50 points against us a few months prior to that trade.

[Licensed to Il]

Thinking back to the Kohl era, really highlights how fortunate we were to stumble on to Giannis in the middle of the first round, then luck in to new ownership.

Kohl showed a generosity in keeping the team in state, through some poor years. And his benevolence showed in the sale too. Of course he was also the reason those teams were so bad.

What a treat, the Giannis era has been.

[paulpressey25]

Rick Majerus told the Bucks not to draft Bogut #1.

How come? Immaturity stuff? Or talent?

The 2 did not get along. Majerus told the Bucks to draft Williams (which would have also been a mistake). He also told the team (and other NBA execs) that Bogut had a degenerative eye disease, which Bogut denied.

That was so damn strange and random. Majerus (RIP) was a Kohl sounding board and for some reason he starts up with this idea that Bogut had macular degeneration.

The whole Bogut experience was an amazing ride. A seven year rollercoaster of amazing highs and major lows.

[humanrefutation]

I joined the board a year after this move, after looking for a place to discuss the stunning TJ Ford for Charlie Villanueva trade.

But I remember this draft night like it was yesterday. I remember feeling quite strongly that we should draft CP3, especially in light of TJ's injury. I didn't believe in Bogut and I couldn't imagine Marvin doing anything when he couldn't crack the starting lineup at UNC.

[zmanishere11]

Man this is like masturbating in a time machine.

I loved the Bogut pick so much - his passing from the post was off the charts. Spent thousands of dollars on his rc cards. Had I put any of that into Lebron I'd be retired right now.

Was at Redds 57 point game that season - freaking incredible.

[Ron Swanson]

Probably still the most hype Bucks offseason of my lifetime. #1 overall pick, Redd coming off another fringe All-Star caliber season, TJ Ford with a clean bill of health (one rebound shy of a triple double in his first game back), signed the MIP winner from the previous season in free agency (just like Greg in 2015, new Bucks fans will never know how big of a deal this was). I wasn't even that big of a fan of the Magloire trade, but this was the first offseason that legitimately gave me hope since the Ray trade. Turns out Bogut was a fraud, Redd and Bobby never stayed healthy beyond that first year together, and trying to create the discount version of the twin towers was a disaster (not to mention 6-years too late). It didn't work out but I couldn't knock the process too much.