Can The Milwaukee Bucks Make The NBA Playoffs This Season?

The NBA is back! Now that the players and owners have reached an agreement, NBA training camps will be opening on December 9. There is optimism for many teams because they have new players and it is the start of a new season. The Milwaukee Bucks are one of 30 NBA teams showing this optimism for the upcoming season. After a disappointing 35-47 record this past season, can the Bucks turn their record around and make the playoffs next April? This hub will examine recent Bucks' success and failure, and then speculate on what Milwaukee must do to get back to the playoffs.

The 2009-2010 NBA season exceeded most fans' expectations. in coach Scott Skiles second season, the Bucks finished with a 46-36 record, its best record in ten years. This was good enough to make the playoffs, and in the first round even without star center Andrew Bogut, Milwaukee took Atlanta to seven games before eventually losing the series. Why the big turn around? It was primarily because all players unselfishly bought into coach Skiles' defensive-minded style of play. There was great chemistry on a team which was led by seasoned veterans such as Jerry Stackhouse, Luke Ridnour, and Kurt Thomas. The Bucks had good, solid play from Andrew Bogut and rookie Brandon Jennings. Most importantly, Milwaukee had an outstanding contribution from guard John Salmons who became a go-to-player after being obtained in a trade with Chicago about half way through the season.

On the other hand, the 2010-2011 season was extremely disappointing not meeting fans' wishes. Prior to the beginning of the season, the Bucks lost Luke Ridnour and Kurt Thomas to free agency. Jerry Stackhouse retired. Milwaukee acquired Corey Maggette in a trade and added Drew Gooden, Jon Brockman, and Chris Douglas-Roberts as free agents. Everyone thought the Bucks would be much better with the added offense from Gooden and Maggette. Why, then, did Milwaukee finish with a 35-47 record and not make the playoffs? I feel there are two primary reasons. The first is that the team was beset with injuries from the beginning of training camp. During most of training camp, Skiles had to struggle to find 10 players for scrimmages. Then, during the season, Bogut was not very effective offensively as a center, because he had not completely recovered from injuries to his right hand and elbow suffered in a game in early April of 2010. Bogut missed 17 games as did point guard Brandon Jennings who was inactive for 19 games due to a broken foot. Drew Gooden who had been counted on to rebound and score missed 41 games due to plantar fascitis on his foot. In addition to these injuries, forwards Carlos Delfino and Ersan Ilyasova lost significant playing time due to concussions.

The second primary reason was the lack of chemistry and not anyone stepping forward to be a leader on the court as were Kurt Thomas and Jerry Stackhouse during the previous season. The probable selfish play of Maggette and Chris Douglas-Roberts saw them in coach Skiles' dog house. Salmons who had done so well in 2009-2010 did not really step forward as a leader, and he was generally ineffective as player who could be called on to take control of a game on the line. Although the Bucks still played good defensively, they couldn't shoot and score very well, resulting in the team ranking last among the 30 NBA teams in points scored per game and shooting percentage.

Following the 2010-2011 season, the Bucks realized they had to address the chemistry and bench needs of the team. For that reason, on NBA draft day in June of this year the team traded away Corey Maggette and John Salmons, and acquired guards Beno Udrih and Shaun Livingston as well as guard Stephen Jackson. The Bucks let prior and twice seriously injured star Michael Redd's contract expire and let Chris Douglas-Roberts go. With the 19th pick in the draft, Milwaukee selected forward Tobias Harris out of the University of Tennessee. Within the assistant coaching ranks, the Bucks hired Sidney Moncrief who had previously been an offensive and defensive star with the club during the 1980s.

When training camp opens on December 9, the Bucks will have 12 players under contract. They include: guards Brandon Jennings, Beno Udrih, Stephen Jackson, Shaun Livingston, and Keyon Dooling; forwards Jon Brockman, Carlos Delfino, Drew Gooden, Tobias Harris, and Ersan Ilyasova; and center Andrew Bogut. In looking at the roster, one can see that there are too many guards and not enough centers. Based on present indications, none of the players are injured.

If the Bucks are to make the playoffs next April, they must accomplish the following:

1. Cut Down on Injuries During The Season

Injuries played a big part in derailing any hopes Milwaukee had last year of making the playoffs. Because 66 games will be played in only four months, it will be necessary for the Bucks to avoid all of the injuries whey had last year.

2. Establish a Good Bench

During the upcoming season there will be many back to back games and even a lot of games played three days in a row. If star players, especially the older ones, are going to hold up for the whole season, it will be necessary for the Bucks to have a deep bench of capable reserves. Ersan Ilyasova, Beno Undrih, Jon Brockman, and Larry Sanders have proven in the past to be good bench players. If the Bucks can resign their star defensive stopper, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, it will give them good experienced backups. Milwaukee doesn't have a true reserve center; therefore, it is necessary to sign a free agent who can play 12-16 minutes a game to take the load off of Andrew Bogut. Also, with all of the depth at guard, the services of Keyon Dooling are not needed.

3. Establish Good Team Chemistry

Bad team chemistry hurt the Bucks last year. All of the players must play team defense as well as being unselfish. If Stephen Jackson can accept his role and fit in with the team, he will be an upgrade to Corey Maggette.

4. Improve The Offense with Finishers:

In the past both Brandon Jennings and Andrew Bogut have shown flashes of brilliance. the problem is that in close games with less than one minute the Bucks have rarely had any player step forward to make a critical basket when needed. Milwaukee is hoping this will change with the additions of Jackson and Udrih, the further maturing of Jennings, and Bogut's recovery from previous injuries.

5. Emergence of Leaders on The Team

To be a truly good team the Bucks need leaders such as Jerry Stackhouse and Kurt Thomas whom they had in the past. If Stephen Jackson becomes a team player, he could become one of the leaders of Milwaukee.

If the Bucks can avoid serious injuries and Stephen Jackson becomes a team-oriented leader, Milwaukee will be very competitive in the upcoming months. Brandon Jennings and Andrew Bogut both must be more consistent and take their games to the next level before the Bucks make the playoffs.