Author: John Schopf
The Bucks have multiple players that could have been dealt even with the horrendous year that they're having. Ersan Ilyasova, Caron Butler, Gary Neal, Larry Sanders, John Henson, and Luke Ridnour were all rumored to draw interest from teams in the NBA. Eventually a deal was struck to bring back point guard Ramon Sessions and power forward Jeff Adrien from Charlotte for Gary Neal and Luke Ridnour. A deal that doesn't necessarily benefit us at all, except for adding a power forward to the mix and a guard that knows the Bucks system The real issue is what didn't happen.
Tempers are beginning to flare in Milwaukee and Wisconsin as the Bucks are an embarrassment throughout the state and what happened in the week leading the the trade deadline will only fuel these tempers. Deals were on the table to send first and second round picks to the Bucks along with expiring contracts, but nothing could come as a result. With the contracts the Bucks have taken on to their payroll last off season, there's no way we couldn't have added a player or pick to make these deals work. With the next NBA draft supposedly being one of the deepest in a decade, those picks would have been crucial in rebuilding this team.
Ersan Ilyasova was rumored to be in multiple trade talks, but nothing resulted from these talks. The reason for this is Herb Kohl. The long time owner made it known that he likes Ersan Ilyasova's talents and he sees him as a star in this league. This statement drove potential trade partners away due to the high asking price of Ilyasova. Let's face it, there's no way Ersan becomes a star in this league no matter what team he is on. John Hammond, GM of the Bucks, wants to keep his job so he listens to and abides to whatever Kohl says, but this remark is the reason the Bucks are where they stand.
Examining the path of the trade that went through between the Bobcats and Bucks shows why the Bucks are at the bottom of the league. While Gary Neal was drawing a lot of interest, the Bucks should have had their way with potential suitors to bring in a piece to the puzzle for the future. Instead, the Bucks had to be convinced by the Bobcats to take Ramon Sessions. While the Bucks should have had the upper hand in all negotiations, instead they conceded to the Bobcats' needs. Neal was very disgruntle in Milwaukee and the trade could be looked at as giving him a way out and a chance with a playoff contender, but at the end of the day, the Bucks should have made a business decision to bolster the future.
In recent years, the Bucks have made many acquisitions to bring in players like Richard Jefferson, Corey Maggette, Stephen Jackson, Monte Ellis, JJ Redick. When all is said and done, where did these acquisitions get us? None of these acquisitions really benefited the team in the long run, and the same goes for this season with adding Ramon Sessions. With Herb Kohl and John Hammond running the team, their regime has been solely built off of shuffling players but never really gaining any ground.
There are multiple pieces to the puzzle in place now with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brandon Knight, OJ Mayo, and John Henson, but when does this team make that leap away from squeaking into the playoffs? Something in the organization needs to be done soon or we all better be prepared for many years to come just like this season.
The Bucks have multiple players that could have been dealt even with the horrendous year that they're having. Ersan Ilyasova, Caron Butler, Gary Neal, Larry Sanders, John Henson, and Luke Ridnour were all rumored to draw interest from teams in the NBA. Eventually a deal was struck to bring back point guard Ramon Sessions and power forward Jeff Adrien from Charlotte for Gary Neal and Luke Ridnour. A deal that doesn't necessarily benefit us at all, except for adding a power forward to the mix and a guard that knows the Bucks system The real issue is what didn't happen.
Tempers are beginning to flare in Milwaukee and Wisconsin as the Bucks are an embarrassment throughout the state and what happened in the week leading the the trade deadline will only fuel these tempers. Deals were on the table to send first and second round picks to the Bucks along with expiring contracts, but nothing could come as a result. With the contracts the Bucks have taken on to their payroll last off season, there's no way we couldn't have added a player or pick to make these deals work. With the next NBA draft supposedly being one of the deepest in a decade, those picks would have been crucial in rebuilding this team.
Ersan Ilyasova was rumored to be in multiple trade talks, but nothing resulted from these talks. The reason for this is Herb Kohl. The long time owner made it known that he likes Ersan Ilyasova's talents and he sees him as a star in this league. This statement drove potential trade partners away due to the high asking price of Ilyasova. Let's face it, there's no way Ersan becomes a star in this league no matter what team he is on. John Hammond, GM of the Bucks, wants to keep his job so he listens to and abides to whatever Kohl says, but this remark is the reason the Bucks are where they stand.
Examining the path of the trade that went through between the Bobcats and Bucks shows why the Bucks are at the bottom of the league. While Gary Neal was drawing a lot of interest, the Bucks should have had their way with potential suitors to bring in a piece to the puzzle for the future. Instead, the Bucks had to be convinced by the Bobcats to take Ramon Sessions. While the Bucks should have had the upper hand in all negotiations, instead they conceded to the Bobcats' needs. Neal was very disgruntle in Milwaukee and the trade could be looked at as giving him a way out and a chance with a playoff contender, but at the end of the day, the Bucks should have made a business decision to bolster the future.
In recent years, the Bucks have made many acquisitions to bring in players like Richard Jefferson, Corey Maggette, Stephen Jackson, Monte Ellis, JJ Redick. When all is said and done, where did these acquisitions get us? None of these acquisitions really benefited the team in the long run, and the same goes for this season with adding Ramon Sessions. With Herb Kohl and John Hammond running the team, their regime has been solely built off of shuffling players but never really gaining any ground.
There are multiple pieces to the puzzle in place now with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brandon Knight, OJ Mayo, and John Henson, but when does this team make that leap away from squeaking into the playoffs? Something in the organization needs to be done soon or we all better be prepared for many years to come just like this season.