Bucks News, Trade Ideas, Transactions - Grayson Extended - 2/$20 million

[GHOSTofSIKMA]

On the Lasry podcast, he talked about what good character guys they have. I do give Hammond some legacy credit there, passed on to Horst. By and large Hammond tried to avoid the problem guys, save for the Capt. Jack situation and maybe some Monta/Redick stuff.

Meh, I don't buy the culture **** with Hammond. With his biggest splashes he constantly added guys who did nothing for "culture". Richard Jefferson, Monta Ellis, Stephen Jackson, JJ Redick, Samuel Dalembert, Corey Maggette, Greg Monroe, Jason Kidd +. He tried to right his sinking ship with a few Jerry Stackhouse's and Jason Terry's here and there but meh.

FTD was successful because of a lockerroom element early in his tenure but id have to agree it may have been something that he stumbled into rather than sought after considering how horrific some of the guys who came in after were.

[Perishable517]

One thing that was really interesting about when Horst came in was that he seemed to have a very clear idea of who he wanted around him and almost nobody was kept from the old player personnel team. Maybe those guys themselves didn't want to be around, but Horst had the freedom to build his staff and I think only Dave Dean was kept, and he went to the Herd. Newton, Bollero, Bollier, Mincberg, and I think all the scouts -- all Horst hires.

Wasn't the first thing he did was can Kidd?

[theFireBlanket]

One thing that was really interesting about when Horst came in was that he seemed to have a very clear idea of who he wanted around him and almost nobody was kept from the old player personnel team. Maybe those guys themselves didn't want to be around, but Horst had the freedom to build his staff and I think only Dave Dean was kept, and he went to the Herd. Newton, Bollero, Bollier, Mincberg, and I think all the scouts -- all Horst hires.

Wasn't the first thing he did was can Kidd?

Hammond (or Owners/operations, Thorn?) considered firing him the previous season. Horst did it 8- 9 months after taking the GM position.

[theFireBlanket]

If Mark Cuban had listened to his head scout, Donnie Nelson Jr,, they'd have Giannis. He didn't.

The story was always that Drew was the one who pushed for Giannis, as Atlanta had scouted him a bit. So what BigO is saying is that we should be thankful that Hammond hired Drew. That was actually his best move.

The Middleton stuff is actually hilarious. Like if Hammond was hell-bent on Mids, why didn't he start all season or be announced as the centrepiece of the trade.

Lol.

If this is true, then yes Hammond deserves credit IMO.

Middleton was insisted on but Knight was the higher pick & Jennings replacement, so he would always headline that deal.

Dumars was reluctant to put Khris in but did what he had to for unloading Knight & getting back BJ. Helps that Hammond used to work under Joe.

Drew & Babcock (scout) pushed for Giannis. I wouldn't doubt good guy lover John wasn't thinking Giannis was the ultimate good guy pick. Looking at his backstory & hearing him talk.

Danny Ainge FD up, Cuban FD up, Danny Ferry by not trading Josh Smith for the pick FD up. But when it came down to it Bucks made the right pick on the board. Would've been more confident in pulling it off with a trade up but they didn't have to.

[raferfenix]

Success in the NBA breeds opportunity across the board. Team governors always become intrigued by executives from franchises that stole headlines in the postseason. Personnel from the most recent year's contending teams—such as former Phoenix Suns assistant Willie Green, hired as the New Orleans Pelicans' head coach in July—can cut the line of other qualified candidates. "It all depends on which team wins, and it can even help if you make a surprising run," one assistant general told B/R.

With that in mind, sources around the league wonder if Milt Newton will get his next opportunity after a successful stint as the Milwaukee Bucks' assistant general manager. Newton helped run the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2013 to 2016, assuming the lead chair after Flip Saunders died in 2015. Newton played an integral role in drafting Zach LaVine and Gorgui Dieng while helping to construct the megatrade that shipped Kevin Love to the Cleveland Cavaliers, brought Andrew Wiggins to the Wolves and positioned Minnesota to land Karl-Anthony Towns with the first pick in the 2015 draft.

Newton was one of many let go when Tom Thibodeau and Scott Layden assumed control of the Wolves. Since then, he's been a key element within the Bucks' brain trust, assisting general manager Jon Horst in orchestrating Milwaukee's trade for Jrue Holiday and the creative deal to land P.J. Tucker. Newton was in the mix to join Philadelphia's front office before the Sixers brought in Daryl Morey above Elton Brand, and he was linked to Chicago's opening ahead of the Bulls' hiring of Arturas Karnisovas. "Milt's a veteran and as respected as they come," said one longtime Eastern Conference executive.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2947977-br-nba-exec-survey-who-are-the-leagues-next-top-gm-candidates

[SupremeHustle]

Anything new to report on Donte? Healthy and with less minutes, I think he could be a nice bench guy.

[Matches Malone]

Anything new to report on Donte? Healthy and with less minutes, I think he could be a nice bench guy.

I thought I read somewhere that it could be December until he comes back but have found nothing to verify that. I could definitely see a scenario where Grayson plays well in the starting lineup and they just leave Donte on the bench.

[raferfenix]

I’ve posted this Horst interview from July a few times now but it still seems to be the most recent update on Donte (albeit pre-Grayson Allen) and far and away the most optimistic about his health and how the Bucks value him:

Guard Donte DiVincenzo had surgery on his ankle this postseason. How is he progressing and is there a chance he can be available for the start of training camp?

Really too early to know. Incredibly successful surgery, he’s doing everything he can right now to be ready as soon as he possibly can.

he’s ahead of where he should be at this time and he’s doing an incredible job right now.

We know who Donte is, we know what he can do on the floor. We have complete confidence in his health. This is not some sort of injury that he had that players struggle to come back from. There’s no questions on Donte.

We have another year on his rookie scale deal and if we don’t do an extension he’ll be a restricted free agent, if we do he’ll be under an extension.

We love Donte. We’re incredibly bought in on Donte.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.jsonline.com/amp/5422530001

[jakecronus8]

Doesn’t appear to be more than speculation but I’d like it, especially after reading about his and Giannis’ relationship in the Fader book.

https://clutchpoints.com/bucks-news-milwaukee-sparks-rumors-of-acquisition-that-will-make-giannis-antetokounmpo-extremely-happy/amp/

[giannis and 1]

Doesn’t appear to be more than speculation but I’d like it, especially after reading about his and Giannis’ relationship in the Fader book.

https://clutchpoints.com/bucks-news-milwaukee-sparks-rumors-of-acquisition-that-will-make-giannis-antetokounmpo-extremely-happy/amp/

It seems like Alex needs a lot more development. Why didn’t he stay in Europe for another year or two if he knew there was a chance that he may go undrafted? Another year in Europe then a year in the G league seems like a good development plan for him.

[Pachinko_]

I like Thanasis very much, the other two not so much.
I don't know if the two younger brothers were maybe too young to remember what it's like to be poor, or whatever, but for some reason they just don't seem to have the same maniacal work ethic and passion to succeed as Giannis and Thanasis.

[Jez2983]

I like Thanasis very much, the other two not so much.
I don't know if the two younger brothers were maybe too young to remember what it's like to be poor, or whatever, but for some reason they just don't seem to have the same maniacal work ethic and passion to succeed as Giannis and Thanasis.

I can't imagine what it would be like to be talented and follow in the shadow of a super successful family member in the same sport.

You would know Gary Ablett Junior from Aussie foosball. So his Dad's nickname was literally 'God'. Those two are in the conversation of the best ever AFL players. There is a younger son, Nathan, who played for Geelong and was a good player but just starting out. At that time Gary Jr was breaking out, and there was talk of 'Nathan is even better' which was ridiculous pressure. He basically said **** this, went to Darwin, became a brickie I think and dominated some local footy up there.

I guess it's really hard to balance expectations in these sort of situations.

[theFireBlanket]

I like Thanasis very much, the other two not so much.
I don't know if the two younger brothers were maybe too young to remember what it's like to be poor, or whatever, but for some reason they just don't seem to have the same maniacal work ethic and passion to succeed as Giannis and Thanasis.

They grew up teenagers in Milwaukee, with support from Giannis' NBA income. Whereas those two grew up that age in Athens, without NBA money.

But Giannis & Thanasis are like their father figures with Charles gone, they might have the ability to make them want to work the same way. It's also possible that they are working hard in other areas of life that we don't witness.

Maybe at the end of the day they realize they don't want to play basketball. They don't have to be like Giannis. But if they want it, he's there to help & they can carve their own path.

[Pachinko_]

Yeah nah, it's all fair, I'm not criticising the younger ones, they're doing fine. I'm just saying, they're from a different cloth than the older ones. You just know, if Giannis had the same access and support and opportunity as they do, he wouldn't look like this 3 years later at their age. Then again Giannis and Thanasis are 1 in a million maniacs, you can't have that expectation from anybody really.

[MartyConlonOnTheRun]

Yeah nah, it's all fair, I'm not criticising the younger ones, they're doing fine. I'm just saying, they're from a different cloth than the older ones. You just know, if Giannis had the same access and support and opportunity as they do, he wouldn't look like this 3 years later at their age. Then again Giannis and Thanasis are 1 in a million maniacs, you can't have that expectation from anybody really.

I don't disagree that they probably don't have the same grit as the older to brothers but they had there own pressures. The book really brought to light them dealing with racism in Greece and then suddenly having access to anything they wanted in America while people also expected a ton out of them. I heard about some attitude issues at Dominican but they've gone through some crazy life adjustments. It just makes it even more amazing how Giannis has kept himself centered and hasn't seen go prima Donna.

[MartyConlonOnTheRun]

The story was always that Drew was the one who pushed for Giannis, as Atlanta had scouted him a bit. So what BigO is saying is that we should be thankful that Hammond hired Drew. That was actually his best move.

The Middleton stuff is actually hilarious. Like if Hammond was hell-bent on Mids, why didn't he start all season or be announced as the centrepiece of the trade.

Lol.

If this is true, then yes Hammond deserves credit IMO.

Middleton was insisted on but Knight was the higher pick & Jennings replacement, so he would always headline that deal.

Dumars was reluctant to put Khris in but did what he had to for unloading Knight & getting back BJ. Helps that Hammond used to work under Joe.

Drew & Babcock (scout) pushed for Giannis. I wouldn't doubt good guy lover John wasn't thinking Giannis was the ultimate good guy pick. Looking at his backstory & hearing him talk.

Danny Ainge FD up, Cuban FD up, Danny Ferry by not trading Josh Smith for the pick FD up. But when it came down to it Bucks made the right pick on the board. Would've been more confident in pulling it off with a trade up but they didn't have to.

I don't think anyone f-ed up. It's like picking the wrong numbers on a lottery ticket. Book said scouts and GMs from 20+ teams saw Giannis play live. He was 2/3rds the size that he is now. He wasn't number 1 on the Bucks draft board. We just got extremely lucky. Yeah it helps we did our due diligence but it was mostly pure luck we got him at 15. What are the chances a guy like him started playing late so he was that was at 18 AND had passport issues so scouts didn't see as much of him AND his body developed after the draft making a perfect storm for a guy with his potential just being too risky to draft any earlier. Hell he was a risk at 15 and it was very likely at the time people would have been saying Hammond f-ed up 2 years later.

[BroncoBuck]

Alex went after a ref at Dominican lol. He had a couple breakdowns during games in his time there. Again, I seriously doubt he’s a 2 way candidate and I’m almost certain he will be on the Herd next year. The Bucks just have to get his rights. I’m not surprised he didn’t want to spend another year overseas, their family is extremely close.


Kostas is playing on a big time French basketball team. Wembanyama is the best prospect since Luka in my opinion, and Kostas will be playing along side him. I highly suggest checking out some of their games this season. He is sensational.

[JonHeist]

Alex went after a ref at Dominican lol. He had a couple breakdowns during games in his time there. Again, I seriously doubt he’s a 2 way candidate and I’m almost certain he will be on the Herd next year. The Bucks just have to get his rights. I’m not surprised he didn’t want to spend another year overseas, their family is extremely close.


Kostas is playing on a big time French basketball team. Wembanyama is the best prospect since Luka in my opinion, and Kostas will be playing along side him. I highly suggest checking out some of their games this season. He is sensational.

Wemby is insanely good. i can't wait to watch some ASVEL games this year.

[Pachinko_]

The French league is a joke. Jabari's paradise, chuckers everywhere and nobody plays any defense whatsoever
I'll watch them if they play in any major Euro cups though

[TroyD92]

Damn Kostas is 24 this year. Alex looks slow and relatively unathletic. Idk he might be okay, but I have doubts he'll even be as good as Kostas tbh.