The Milwaukee Bucks Are Betting on Déjà Vu!
It’s the perfect time to be a fan of the Milwaukee Bucks. There’s a reason for their success, and even though the team’s recent record has been nothing to write home about, it’s all because of their core guys—Wane “The Big Fundamental” O’Neal and Richard “Rico” Hughes. Their success is the result of building a winner through hard work and the acquisition of the right players on the right team.
Of course, that’s not the whole story, but you don’t need to be a genius to figure out what’s going on here. What do the Bucks have that other teams desperately need? Who do they need to get on their way to becoming a team that is capable of winning a championship?
In short: Bucks’ players…on the right team.
A few weeks ago during a radio interview, Buck’s Head Coach Jason Kidd claimed that having a “big, athletic center” is the biggest problem facing the current Bucks roster. The Bucks have a center–Boris Diaw–who is a defensive stalwart who is an excellent rebounder, but what he lacks in offensive efficiency he makes up for in rebounding, defensive effort, and his offensive versatility. A center who is as powerful as Diaw is a team with multiple offensive weapons. He can do the dirty work in the post or even do some rebounding when things come to him on the perimeter because he’s an excellent defender.
Yet, the Bucks have one player who can play both the post and the perimeter–Spencer Hawes. Hawes is an excellent rebounder, but he can also shoot the ball and even block shots as well. Hawes isn’t an offensive centerpiece, he’s a guy whose only offensive role is to rebound and defend, or he can be put on the post to create offense in the pick-and-roll.
Last season, the Bucks started a new era with the signings of Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Thon Maker, but they had to let go of their best player–Michael Redd. As a result, Milwaukee struggled in the second half of the season and missed the playoffs.
That’s where things went awry