Friday, June 29, 2007
Draft #199
2007 NBA Draft
Some pre draft thoughts that I never posted in time:
No matter who the Bucks bring in, a few changes need to be made before this team can become successful.
The alpha dog struggle between Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut needs to be settled. From my perspective, it appears that Bogut is not pleased with the amount of shots Redd takes per game. And maybe it's not so much the amount of shots that Redd takes that bothers Andrew but it's just the amount of touches Bogut receives in the post. Too many times last season I watched the Bucks be content to just sit back, clear out, and watch Redd take his man one-on-one while the rest of the players on the court did nothing.
Bogut is a talented passer who can set up at the elbow or on the low block, and at the very least he should be given the chance to distribute the ball to others, if the team doesn't want him to be the primary scoring option. Believe it or not for some players, the defensive effort they put forth is closely linked to the success they have at the offensive end of the floor. Success on the offensive end gives them the energy or the spark to compete on the defensive end. Bogut strikes me as that type of player, if he feels he's not involved offensively, he'll lose interest on defense. He should be an automatic 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists just rolling out of bed. Guess how many times he achieved that minimum statline in a single game last season? Once. One focking time. Coincidentally, they won that game and when Bogut scored in double figures with at least five assists the Bucks went 6-3. In 35 games last season, he had 9 or fewer shot attempts. Couple that with Michael Redd's 23 games in which he chucked over 20 shots (while playing 53 total games) and there is an obvious imbalance here. Last season when the shot attempt ratio was balanced (Redd under 20 attempts and Bogut over 10) the Bucks were like 7-4 in the 11 games that actually happened. The 6-3 and 7-4 record examples may seem like a small sample size but if you maintain that clip throughout the course of an 82 game season, you're going to find yourself with 50 W's in the win column come playoff time.
Outlook
The Bucks had a roster last season that was worthy of being a 4-6 seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs, on paper anyways. Instead, thanks to a rash of injuries and a douche bag for a head coach, they finished the year with the 3rd worst record in the league. With many of the same pieces still in place for the upcoming 07-08 season and a lottery pick to boot, the expectations are high once again. Regardless of who is selected in the upcoming draft, the following needs to take place in order for the Bucks to reach the 50 win plateau.
1. Stay healthy (this applies to any team, any sport, but given what happened last year this should be our first priority)
2. Get Bogut more involved. Eventually 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists should be the norm.
3. Assuming Williams is signed and is the starting point guard, strap him to a chair and force him to watch 150 consecutive hours of Steve Nash game film until his brain morphs into a pass first frame of mind.
4. Figure out what makes Charlie Villanueva tick and slap/beat/poke/prod him with whatever IT is and pray he shifts things out of 1st gear.
5. Convince either Bobby Simmons or Dan Gadzuric to give the money back that they stole from the Bucks, and then arrange it so the two are paid off of the one remaining contract, since they barely do the work of one player anyway.
6. Surgically implant tiny computer chips into the brains of the returning players that will scramble any memory or memories that are related to Terry Stotts in any way, shape, or form.
7. Don't even think about drafting Yi Jianlian from China. I don't feel like waiting 5 plus years for his competitive spirit to blossom. The role of meek and timid is already being played by Charlie Villanueva, so there is no room here, sorry.
8. Do strongly consider Mike Conley Jr. or Jeff Green as your lottery pick with Corey Brewer and Brandan Wright serving as consolation prizes.
9. Target Mo Williams, Gerald Wallace, Charlie Bell, and Travis Outlaw in free agency.
10. Say goodbye to Brian Skinner, Earl Boykins, and Ruben Patterson.
Now some post draft reaction:
Yi Jianlian and company didn't want to come to Milwaukee so the Bucks said nuts to that and selected Yi with the 6th pick anyway. I'm not going on record as being happy with this decision but at least the Bucks didn't draft him ahead of Horford, Conley Jr., or Green. Between Brandan Wright, Corey Brewer, Julian Wright, and Yi it is hard to say who will end up being the better pro, so I would have hated to make this decision.
I'm curious to find out what the Bucks were being offered for their pick because Golden State and Philadelphia, according to what I had read, were very eager to get their hands on Yi. Philly had the 12th pick so we could have traded down and had our choice of Julian Wright, Al Thorton, or Thaddeus Young plus an addition pick or player, but who knows?
I'm still holding out hope that Larry Harris drafted Yi as a bargaining chip since there are so many teams that covet his services, with the primary reason being that he is the perfect centerpiece to a marketing campaign geared toward cashing in on a heavily populated Chinese demographic. I wouldn't mind a trade that sends Yi to Golden State for Brandan Wright and Monta Ellis, I wouldn't mind that one at all.
Final thoughts on the draft:
-Kudos to Portland for getting rid of Zach Randolph before he had the chance to taint Greg Oden in one form or another. Double kudos for getting their hands on Josh McRoberts that late in the draft as well (a guy who was slated to be a high lottery pick before last season). He may not be the type of player you build a team around and Jay Bilas said it best when he mentioned that Josh is better suited to play the role of Robin than he is Batman, but for a guy that should not have even entered the draft, I think he ended up in a decent situation.
-I was happy to see Alando Tucker get drafted in the 1st round and to a top three team in the Western Conference no less. Good for you, Alan-do! Enjoy the guaranteed money.
-Eddy Curry's career assist per game average per season:
2001-02- 0.3/game
2002-03- 0.5/game
2003-04- 0.9/game
2004-05- 0.6/game
2005-06- 0.3/game
2006-07- 0.8/game
-Zach Randolph's career assist per game average per season:
2001-02- 0.3/game
2002-03- 0.5/game
2003-04- 2.0/game
2004-05- 1.9/game
2005-06- 1.9/game
2006-07- 2.2/game
-In case you missed the draft, Curry and Randolph are now on the same team. As if this wasn't great enough, maybe the Knicks will find a way to acquire Antoine Walker, the very man who was once asked, "Hey Antoine, why do you shoot so many three-pointers?" and replied, "Because there ain't no 4's." That would be the ultimate trio but I have a feeling that this duo will be entertaining enough. If Curry + Randolph + Marbury doesn't equal a total disaster by season's end, then I will be completely and utterly shocked.
# posted by hucklebuck @ 7:55 AM 
