If you were to ask the average rabid Milwaukee Bucks fan about their relationship with the franchise, their answers would resemble a Cleveland Browns fan. “We had Jim Brown, followed by a decent team here or there, but largely, it’s been a mess.” The Herb Kohl Bucks were a respectable franchise, they fought with the talent they had to win as many games as possible. Unfortunately, the team just struggled to acquire top level talent for the fanbase to ooh and aw over. As Herb Kohl readied to sell the team, he left three gifts to the franchise, Giannis Antetokounmpo, funding for the new stadium and the number two pick in the 2014 draft.
Bucks ex-GM John Hammond selected Jabari Parker with the number two pick. The 2013 and 2014 NBA drafts reshaped the franchise, pairing one of the most talented offensive prospects of his generation alongside the most all-around talented prospect of his generation, both at the ripe age of 19 years old.
For young Milwaukee fans, the Bucks had never even come near this much hype and young talent on the team. It didn’t end there. The new ownership group brought in future Hall of Fame point guard Jason Kidd to mentor their budding stars. The new era of Bucks basketball brought something new to the team, attention.
You know the story from there, let’s fast forward through the rebrand, injuries, questionable management and roster decisions, into 2017. The Bucks walk into the season with high expectations, talking about winning 50 games and a playoff series in the depleted Eastern Conference.
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Success once seemed well on its way, but with Jabari Parker rehabbing his ACL injury and gearing up for contract negotiations, as well as Giannis’ family situation, this team could end up off the rails.
Giannis is in an incredibly difficult situation. He’s the face of the franchise, and is being relied on to carry the team this upcoming season more than ever. Losing his dad in such an unexpected way makes it impossible to predict how he’ll perform.
He’s going through a chaotic time in front of the NBA community. If he gets a one game suspension for shoving Mike Dunleavy Jr., he gets a one game suspension. No need to start speculating about his leadership.
Buck’s prodigy Jabari Parker is recovering from his second ACL tear, and it’s hard to know how his knee will respond. What we do know is that his career is off to a very frustrating start. He’s barely shown the league why he was heralded as a superstar coming into the league. Between offensive restrictions from the coaching staff during his rookie season, and slowly building his minutes after recovery, Jabari has only gotten to show his talent for about 60 games in three seasons.
Parker is seemingly in incredible spirits rehabbing his knee, considering this injury could significantly shorten his stay in the NBA. But no one who loves basketball like Jabari obviously loves basketball could avoid being emotional throughout the process. You’d expect each player to be in a dark spot.
A parent’s death and major injuries teach you that there’s no better time to take the next step than right now. Hopefully, Jabari, Giannis, Coach Kidd and the entire Bucks organization can take their next step together.
But, should the team fall short of their expectations, things could become tense this season. The organization seems desperate to earn respect. Add in the personal situations of Jabari Parker and Giannis Antetokounmpo, and that becomes a lot to juggle. Losses may affect the organization more than they should this season. Success is not a guarantee.
This article was brought to you by Cream City Central, a sports website based in Milwaukee that covers the Bucks, Brewers, Packers, Badgers and Golden Eagles. This article was written by staff writer Reid Mueller. You can find more articles from them here. You can also find them on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
