Almost four decades ago, the Milwaukee Bucks had a theme song, proclaiming “Green and Growing... The Bucks don’t stop here!” The song was prophetic; young stars including Junior Bridgeman, Brian Winters, Marques Johnson and Sidney Moncrief launched the franchise’s longest era of success: 12 straight winning records from 1979-’80 through 1990-’91, with seven straight division titles and three trips to the NBA Eastern Conference finals.
As the Bucks open their 48th season this week, “Green and Growing” applies once more. Last season, another batch of youngsters led a stunning 26-game climb from the team’s worst-ever record and got fans dreaming of a return to the NBA’s top tier.
Is the dream realistic? The Fairly Detached Observers discuss...
Artie: Ah, that funky song! It pops into my head whenever I open my refrigerator, where there’s bound to be something way in the back that’s “green and growing.”
Frank: Another line in the song is, “Better each year.” The growth spurt got the Bucks to 41-41 and back in the playoffs, but they exited quickly. So there’s plenty of “better” available. Can they grab it?
A: It won’t happen all at once, and of course they have to stay healthy. But I’d be surprised if these gosh-darn young guys don’t take another step up.
F: One reason for optimism is that Jason Kidd got them to “buy into” playing tough defense.
A: A hotsy-totsy statistic these days is “Defensive Efficiency”—opponents’ points per 100 possessions. The Bucks went from next-to-worst in the league in 2013-’14 at 108.9 to second-best at 99.3.
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F: They have great “length” on D, with Giannis…—let’s skip his last name to save space—John Henson and newcomer Greg Monroe, all at 6’11”; and in the backcourt with Michael Carter-Williams—make that “MCW”—newcomer Greivis Vasquez and rookie Rashad Vaughn, all at 6’6”.
A: Monroe is a genuine force at center, but I’ve heard questions about whether he’s quick enough to incorporate into that kind of switching, always moving, long-arms kind of D.
F: But I heard Greg Anthony say on NBA TV that, while Monroe isn’t overly athletic, he has “good feet.” I guess that means he can get where he needs to be efficiently.
A: Let’s hope so. He and Henson could be a great tandem of “rim protectors.”
F: The Bucks also led the league in turnovers by their opponents—16.6 per game.
A: Once MCW arrived from Philly in February they didn’t have any trouble piling up their own turnovers, too.
F: They were next-to-worst there, at 16.0 per game; MCW averaged 3.8 with only 1.75 assists per turnover.
A: Not good for a point guard. And there are big issues with his shot.
F: After three NBA seasons he’s a .401 shooter overall and .252 on three-pointers, but judging from last week’s exhibition game in Madison, MCW can sure get to the basket. That should mean opportunities to draw the defense and feed someone who can make an open shot.
A: Someone like Vaughn—drafted out of UNLV because he was one of the best shooters available.
F: Khris Middleton and O.J. Mayo fill that role, too, and a big goal for Giannis is to develop his outside game.
A: And Jabari Parker is returning from the knee injury that wrecked his rookie year, but I wouldn’t assume MCW is the absolute starter at the point. Vasquez was a great pickup from Toronto. He can shoot—and so can Jerryd Bayless—who could be a key cog.
F: MCW might be more useful as an “energy guy” off the bench, but Kidd, who had to work hard on his shot as a player, should be able to help him.
A: But it’ll take time—and so will blending all these new guys into the system. They might struggle for a while as Kidd finds the best rotations; he has his work cut out for him.
F: Also, as one TV analyst said, “They won’t be sneaking up on anyone this time.”
A: A really nice goal would be to get 50 wins.
F: Or just matching the 46-36 record of 2009-’10—the Bucks’ only winning season in the last 12.
A: I enjoyed watching that bunch—all the crisp passing, moving without the ball; same with last season, but let’s give Kidd time to get things together again.
F: Several forecasts put the Bucks fifth in the East—in the mix with Atlanta and Washington, but below the presumed “elite” of Cleveland, Toronto and Chicago.
A: But the Bulls are suspect. Can Derrick Rose ever stay healthy? And Joakim Noah looked pretty banged up last season. It’s not crazy to think the Bucks could rise to a three or four seeding with a home-court edge in the first round.
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F: A grander hope is that, by the time their new arena opens, they’ll be genuine title contenders.
A: If not, it’ll be a mighty expensive showcase for a mediocre product.
F: Expensive to build and definitely more expensive to enter for Joe Fan.
A: Doesn’t matter to me; I can’t afford a decent seat now.
F: As for the public spending to build this palace, I’ll say this: Rich people are very good at convincing other people, especially politicians, to help pay for things that make the rich people a lot richer.
A: Ayn Rand wasn’t an NBA owner but she knew the strategy. They are the masters! The rest of us exist to support them.
F: Good thing there’s wide-screen and high-def.
A: So we can still enjoy a young, exciting basketball team with tons of potential.
First Among Equals
F: I heard Anthony say on NBA TV that most of the Bucks have a “high ceiling” in terms of potential, but when it came to Giannis there’s no limit to how good he can be.
A: You betcha! The guy can play anywhere on the court.
F: It’s really striking. He has the ball-handling skills to be a guard and the length to dominate around the rim.
A: And in the transition game he can get from baseline to baseline in, like, three steps.
F: Remarkable even for the NBA, where nobody is restricted to three steps even when they have the ball. If he truly improves his shot, as he seems determined to do...wow.
A: There’s something else. I’m seeing more heft in Giannis; he’s not so much the skinny guy he was in his first two years. That can only help his game.
A Leading Question
F: Here’s one question. I heard the Bucks’ TV guys speculating about which players will take leadership roles on this very youthful team. Last season, by all accounts, Zaza Pachulia and Jared Dudley were really important in that regard. But they moved on as part of this summer’s changes. So are the Bucks “too youthful” now?
A: I think Vasquez could be one of those leadership guys. And maybe Monroe, too. He seems to be a mature, level-headed guy. He’s only 25 but has been in the league five years already.
F: Same with Vasquez.
A: And there’s Bayless, who’s got seven-years’ experience but is only 27. I really think he’s a guy who’ll make some contributions.
F: And there’s this: Kidd was still playing as recently as the spring of 2013. What he has to say about playing in this league isn’t some ancient memory.
A: Some of these guys actually mixed it up with him on the court.
F: And finally, in terms of team stability, there’s addition by subtraction in not having Larry Sanders anywhere in the picture.
A: That whole meltdown was very distracting in the early part of last season.
F: And speaking of the early season, one thing that might help them this month is that seven of the first nine games are against teams that were sub-.500 last season.
A: Let’s see... They have the Knicks twice, the Nets twice, plus Philly, Boston and Denver. The other two games in that stretch are against Washington and Toronto.
F: We always caution about predicting things based on last year’s records, but this gives the Bucks a decent shot at a winning record by the time they hit an imposing seven-day stretch in mid-November: hosting the Cavaliers, then on the road at Washington, Cleveland and Indiana.
A: Being 7-6 after all that would be fine with me.
Worrying Takes No Bye
F: The Packers are coming out of their bye week at 6-0 but I sense you’re concerned.
A: They’re pretty banged up. Jordy Nelson never made it to the regular season. Randall Cobb hasn’t been anywhere near full-strength. Linebacker Sam Barrington and safety Sean Richardson are done for the season, Richardson maybe for good because of a neck thing. Andrew Quarless has been out with a knee.
F: He’s on injured reserve, but in a new category that allows him to come back at the end of this month.
A: But there’s more. Davante Adams, who was to be quite possibly the No. 2 receiver behind Cobb, has hardly played because of an ankle. Eddie Lacy has been ineffective—another ankle. In their last game receiver Ty Montgomery went out with an ankle sprain. No break, but those ankle things can last and last.
F: Yikes. Got any more?
A: B.J. Raji went out two weeks ago with a groin thing. Safety Morgan Burnett has a calf thing and has hardly played. Bryan Bulaga was out for a couple of games. T.J. Lang had some kind of ankle thing, but he played against San Diego. Let’s just say the list is too long.
F: So your not-so-latent sense of doom is not eased by 6-0.
A: It’s nice to have the bye week, but is that time enough to get healthy? They’re at that cusp now where they can’t have much more of this. But that’s the game. So many teams are missing so many guys. The NFL has a problem; the guys are just too big, too fast, and they hit too hard.
Mets Make Their Pitch
F: So it’s the Royals and Mets, who last won the World Series in ’85 and ’86, respectively.
A: Three decades or so. Big deal. I’ve been waiting since the ’50s for a Fall Classic triumph—and that was with a team that ain’t here anymore.
F: Any preference in this one?
A: I’d rather have seen Toronto. The Royals had their shot last year. But in any case, I’m a Mets fan for this. I really like that starting pitching, and their offense is good enough.
F: The Royals have pitching too, but the strength there is in the bullpen.
A: And they can find ways to score runs out of nothing. But the cliche is good pitching beats good hitting in the fall, and can KC get enough from their starters to get to their strength?
F: You’re not rooting for our old Brewers skipper, Ned Yost?
A: Nah. I wouldn’t mind if KC wins, but these are not yesterday’s Mets, with a huge payroll like the Dodgers have now. They’ve come back to the pack in spending and they’ve developed some nice young talent. Plus I have no visceral dislike for the Mets, as a lifelong Yankees rooter might. Know anyone like that?
F: Since it ain’t a Subway Series, I can live with a Mets victory. Besides, I’m happy for those misguided members of my family who somehow drifted down the wrong path, the one that leads to Queens and not the Bronx.
Frank Clines covered sports for The Milwaukee Journal and the Journal Sentinel. Art Kumbalek once had a shot.
