Baddy Chuck wrote:LUKE23 wrote:I definitely think you're a contender moving forward rolling with a Parker or Wiggins/Giannis/Henson/Sanders core. That's under the assumption Larry is Larry of last year. That's a damn good core.
Meh, I'm not completely sold on Giannis being your second star and Henson/Sanders being a contending frontcourt. I think you can be a very good team with that core, but I'm far, far from sold on it being a contender.
While I am almost largely sold that you can move forward assuming Giannis will develop into something special, I think if we land a top five pick this year the franchise will need to move forward and try to win next year with a young core, given the attendance issues this year. I don't know that we come out of a second year of tanking with the team in Milwaukee. I have no inside info, but that is a feeling I have. Assuming a top 5 pick, I think the Bucks should treat next year like the Brewers treated second half of 2005 and all 2006, which entails keeping Larry Sanders.
I say build excitement around the youth, show that they want to win now (now being 2014-15), while still building toward the future. The Bucks are poised to do that. Will that team be a contender? Probably not next year, and I don't even know about the future, but it would at least be conceivable (like the '06 Brewers) and if we want the team to stay in Milwaukee the goal needs to be a new arena, and that means building excitement. A starting lineup of Top five pick, Giannis, Sanders, Henson and whatever young piece we can get in trades for Ersan, Wolters or Knight (if top 5 pick is a PG) or our plethora of 2nd rounders would be a fun, young and interesting team to watch.
You promote Top 5 Pick and Giannis similarly to Prince and Weeks in '06 (hoping that it turns out like Prince and Braun, sans PEDs), Sanders is Bill Hall (similarly praying his big year isn't a fluke), and John Henson is Corey Hart (the guy who is really good statistically, but doesn't seem to have the whole package for some reason). You fill in competent vets around these guys (this is where I am somewhat OK with OJ being around, he's Geoff Jenkins, you don't want him carrying a team, but he's nice to have in the right line-up), Middleton is JJ Hardy (always seemingly outside the true core) and that is a team that has a future and is fun to watch. Look at the Brewers attendance to see what happened with young exciting team in this town:
2003 (last full year of Selig): 1,700,354 (Opening Day Lineup Alex Sanchez, Eric Young, Richie Sexson, John Vander Wal, Jeffery Hammonds, Wes Helms, Eddie Perez, Royce Clayton and Ben Sheets, I include that just because it reads like a Herb Kohl style lineup, if he ran the Brewers)
2004: 2,062,382 (boosted by a surprisingly good start, attendance collapsed in the second half)
2005: 2,211,023
2006: 2,335,643
By the end of 05 to the beginning of 06 it became clear the Brewers had, and were executing a plan, and they were rewarded with a 37% increase in attendance from their Miller Park nadir BEFORE they became competitive. That would be the equivalent of 17,000+ in the BC from the current nadir. By 2007 the Brewers drew 2.8 million and were competitive. The Bucks are a top 5 pick and some good luck away from being in that same boat. But I do think we only get one year to create this situation, so Sanders has to be part of a rebuild.
