Bill Simmons--Bucks Blurb

SheedsWeed · Post #1 » by **SheedsWeed** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 9:12 pm

New article today, Bill gives some more insight on the troubled Bucks...

http://proxy.espn.go.com/espn/page2/blo ... e=20080324

Post #2 » by **paulpressey25** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 9:29 pm

It is a damn brutally honest assessment of the Bucks franchise......

SheedsWeed · Post #3 » by **SheedsWeed** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 9:32 pm

^I like your sig...I'm trying to make one with his face on it, but I can't find any pics of him besides the 100x100 pic of his face.

raferfenix · Post #4 » by **raferfenix** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 9:50 pm

I agree with Simmons on most things, but where I disagree about our hopeless situation is that very few teams have a player who can be the best on a championship team. The key for us is to get enough assets that we could trade for such a player when the time comes, or, we build such a cohesive team that we could do it without a superstar like the pistons did a few years back.

With that said, he is absolutley right about how dumb Kohl was for not jumping on this PR boondoggle. What scares me is his last statement:

"Anyway, since the Bucks refuse to acknowledge my candidacy, it looks like I'm going to have to shift to Plan B: Openly and frequently torturing them. Stay tuned."

I hope he means he wants to torture Kohl in a proactive manner...but we Bucks fans have been tortured enough, and simmons trying to tank our players' trade value even more than they have on their own would really suck.

bayrdbandit · Post #5 » by **bayrdbandit** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 10:16 pm

bill simmons for gm!

aboveAverage · Post #6 » by **aboveAverage** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 10:27 pm

The rest of the article is pretty good too.

On Thursday, I broke my longstanding "Never drive to Anaheim for any reason" rule to catch four first-round games with my friend Lewis

Post #7 » by **ReasonablySober** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 10:32 pm

aboveAverage wrote:The rest of the article is pretty good too.

I liked it too. I remember reading Simmons' piece on Mayo last year, so I was curious to get his thoughts.

Nearly a year ago, I wrote a basketball blog about the McDonald's All-American Game comparing Kevin Love to Mayo and predicted that Mayo might become my least-favorite player since Vince Carter before everything was said and done. Then the college season started and we realized that Mayo wasn't close to being the next LeBron; when Billy Packer slapped the "overrated" tag on him during a CBS game in December, for the first time in 25 years, I found myself agreeing with Billy. When the predictable "O.J.'s not that good!" backlash started, Mayo freefalled on the draft boards and became somewhat of an afterthought on the college scene.

In the middle of February, Someone Who Knows Things urged me to give Mayo another chance and think of him simply as a talented swingman and a potential lottery pick. I watched a couple of USC games and, much to my surprise, found myself becoming a semi-fan. All of Mayo's annoying chest-puffing and posturing had been shelved; his shot selection had been corralled considerably; and what remained was a world-class athlete with genuine gifts as a defender and passer, a streak scorer who took over games for extended stretches, someone with a first step so quick it's hard to imagine how he could fail as a pro (especially when you throw in his body and the way guys seem to bounce off him LeBron-style). Believing that the NCAA tournament would double as Mayo's coming-out party as a top-four pick, I picked USC to make the Final Four in a shaky region, never expecting an enigmatic K-State team to knock the Trojans out.

So what do we make of Mayo as a prospect? Drop the LeBron comparison and think of him more like Andre Iguodala, only if Iguodala was a first-class passer ... and if he isn't one of the top-five picks in June, I will be flabbergasted. He's too good. More importantly, thanks to Mayo's growth at USC over the past two months, Vince Carter remains safe as my least-favorite player of this generation.

I really want the Bucks to draft this kid.

Post #8 » by **MickeyDavis** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 10:38 pm

The one thing wrong with his logic is that casual fans have no idea who he is.

Post #9 » by **paulpressey25** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 10:39 pm

DrugBust wrote:-= I really want the Bucks to draft this kid.

I enjoyed that as well....but it sucks for us, since Mayo will no longer be in the discussion unless we get a top 3 lotto draw.

After the pre-draft workouts, I'll bet Mayo ends up top three....and the Beasley might not go #1.

1. Rose
2. Beasley
3. Mayo
4. Lopez
5. ? (Bayless)

europa · Post #10 » by **europa** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 10:39 pm

I'm on board with drafting Mayo. Then trade Mo to get a pick in the back end of the lottery and take Augustin (if he falls) or Collison. Trade Redd for a legitimate SF and you have your new backcourt and hopefully a good SF to team with them. Add Yi and Bogut and now you have a reason to watch the Bucks again.

Post #11 » by **ReasonablySober** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 10:41 pm

MickeyDavis wrote:The one thing wrong with his logic is that casual fans have no idea who he is.

Yup.

europa · Post #12 » by **europa** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 10:43 pm

paulpressey25 wrote:-= original quote snipped =-

I enjoyed that as well....but it sucks for us, since Mayo will no longer be in the discussion unless we get a top 3 lotto draw.

After the pre-draft workouts, I'll bet Mayo ends up top three....and the Beasley might not go #1.

1. Rose
2. Beasley
3. Mayo
4. Lopez
5. ? (Bayless)

I'm not ripping on you Press but Brook Lopez at 4 is ridiculous. I just don't see an impact NBA player there and you better get one with a Top 5 lotto pick - I don't care how the strong the draft is or isn't (and I'd say this one isn't one of the stronger ones in terms of prolific talents).

europa · Post #13 » by **europa** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 10:44 pm

MickeyDavis wrote:The one thing wrong with his logic is that casual fans have no idea who he is.

And those of us who do know that his NBA personnel moves have been ... well let's just be kind and call them ... spotty ... at best.

Post #14 » by **ReasonablySober** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 10:46 pm

paulpressey25 wrote:-= original quote snipped =-

I enjoyed that as well....but it sucks for us, since Mayo will no longer be in the discussion unless we get a top 3 lotto draw.

After the pre-draft workouts, I'll bet Mayo ends up top three....and the Beasley might not go #1.

1. Rose
2. Beasley
3. Mayo
4. Lopez
5. ? (Bayless)

Like I said in another thread, I think that it's almost a lock that Lopez and Bayless go before Mayo, simply because PG and C are two premium positions and if you're picking that high in the draft chances are you have a hole at one or both positions. After that it's cloudy. I don't know anything about Danillo, but many speak highly of his play. Same with Randolph. Gordon has likely slipped but he's an even better athlete than Mayo and is every bit the scorer. The wildcard is Jordan.

I don't think the Bucks will be able to fall past #7 if they want a legit shot at the kid.

Post #15 » by **ReasonablySober** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 10:48 pm

europa wrote:-= original quote snipped =-

I'm not ripping on you Press but Brook Lopez at 4 is ridiculous. I just don't see an impact NBA player there and you better get one with a Top 5 lotto pick - I don't care how the strong the draft is or isn't (and I'd say this one isn't one of the stronger ones in terms of prolific talents).

He's an athletic center with great hands, decent post work and the ability to contribute the day he comes into the NBA. He'll go top 5.

europa · Post #16 » by **europa** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 10:50 pm

DrugBust wrote:-= original quote snipped =-

He's an athletic center with great hands, decent post work and the ability to contribute the day he comes into the NBA. He'll go top 5.

I like him and I've seen him play a lot. Everything I've seen from him screams solid to me, not impact player. I don't question where he'll end up going. I'm just saying that whoever takes him there might regret it since I don't think he'll prove to be a Top 5 talent.

SheedsWeed · Post #17 » by **SheedsWeed** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 10:51 pm

I agree, I don't see Mayo falling past #5.

Nowak008 · Post #18 » by **Nowak008** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 11:59 pm

DrugBust wrote: I don't know anything about Danillo, but many speak highly of his play..

Draft express- "Best Case: European Version Of LeBron James"

High praise indeed.

Post #19 » by **paulpressey25** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 12:05 am

europa wrote:-= I'm not ripping on you Press but Brook Lopez at 4 is ridiculous. I just don't see an impact NBA player there and you better get one with a Top 5 lotto pick - .

You might not see an impact player there yourself, but as DB noted, he'll got top five unless he completely flames out this weekend in the tournament (which is possible)

I think the guy solidified himself as top-five this past weekend.....you should wade into all the threads you missed. We had lengthy discussion on him. As a "prospect" he's not really that far off where Bogut was as a "prospect" IMO.

europa · Post #20 » by **europa** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 12:07 am

I disagree, Press. I don't think Lopez is close to where Bogut was in his final collegiate season nor do I think he has the upside that Bogut brought with him to the NBA.

Again, I agree he'll probably go Top 5 in a so-so draft. But I don't think he's going to be a standout player. At least, he hasn't shown me that in any of the games I've seen him play. And I've watched him a lot because I kept reading and hearing how good he was.