Milwaukee Bucks 2010-2011 preview
Who would have thought the Bucks were a 46 win team last year? And they look to continue that good form this season after the good off-season they had.
Brandon Jennings came out of nowhere to be one of the biggest surprises of last season and after a full NBA season under his belt should continue to progress at a rapid rate. If that happens the Bucks should once again be an above average team.
One big question mark is going to be centre Andrew Bogut. He finally showed everyone why he was drafted as the first overall pick in 2005, putting together a season that helped the Bucks claim the sixth seed in the east.
But an elbow injury in April, which required surgery, forced him to miss the post-season and some of the pre-season. The Bucks couldn’t recover from that loss, losing in the first round to the Atlanta Hawks. Bogut has already admitted he’ll have to play through the pain this season, news that will be worrying for the Bucks.
If he learns to play with pain – like Kobe Bryant does – then the Bucks should still be fine, if he doesn’t then the Bucks could struggle.
Off-season moves
The biggest addition the Bucks made was trading for Corey Maggette from the Golden State Warriors. They only gave up Charlie Bell and Dan Gadzuric to sign Maggette, who should provide much needed scoring and the ability to get to the free throw line. Considering that opponents had 536 more free-throws than Milwuakee last season, Maggette should be a great signing – even if he won’t pass the ball.
He should score around 20 points a game and though he might have $30million left on his contract Maggette should produce over the course of the deal.
They decided to sign Drew Gooden to the full mid-level exception (five years and $34million) in a move that gives them some backup at centre should Bogut not recover fully from his injury. Despite playing for six teams by the age of 29 Gooden is a good NBA player, averaging 10.9 points and 7.7 rebounds.
Signing a 30-year-old to a five-year, $40million contract is never a good idea, unless that player is Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant or any other superstar. John Salmons is far from that level, but did have a nice second half to the season when the Bucks traded for him, scoring just under 20 points a game. Can he keep that up? Probably not but the Bucks had no choice in signing him.
In Chris Douglas Roberts Milwaukee got another scorer. He might only average under 10 points but coming off the bench CDR is a pretty decent addition.
Other moves: acquired Jon Brockman in a sign-and-trade for Darnell Jackson and a second-round pick; signed Earl Boykins for one year, veteran's minimum; drafted Larry Sanders; and signed Keyon Dooling.
Prediction
Much really depends on Andrew Bogut. He was on his way to becoming an elite NBA centre before his injury. If that elbow continues to bother him and he struggles, Drew Gooden won’t be good enough to carry the team. If he is fit the fifth seed and a 50-game win season is well within their reach.
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