NBA: Milwaukee Bucks News

2008-11-26T10:59:00.001-06:00

Looks like we'll be taking on the Hawks tonight without center Andrew Bogut. He's still out due to a bone bruise to his left knee.

2008-10-30T12:50:00.001-05:00

Get out there and vote next Tuesday, November 4th, Buck fans!

2008-10-16T16:19:00.001-05:00

Countdown to opening night! As of this posting, 12 days, 3 hours, 9 minutes to go! Get your tickets here!

The Times They Are A Changin'

2008-07-20T14:30:00.000-05:00

Here's something that wouldn't have happened a generation ago. My dad is going on a date. First date in a long time. He wants to take this lady to something cool, so he actually called me to ask what hot concert tickets are these days. I was like, "Hot like stolen?" Just for fun. Haha.

The sad thing is, I'm not much help either. My default is always sports, which isn't necessarily great for first dates.

And the Bucks rebound winner goes to...

2008-02-26T15:32:00.003-06:00

So after a long debate with Rob in the cube next door at work on who's had the best total rebounds numbers this year, I realized that I could have cut the debate a lot shorter by just looking it up in the first place. Turns out, thanks to his defensive plays, Andrew Bogut has successfully kicked everyone's butts.

Gotta love the internet!

Go Team USA!

2007-08-28T11:51:00.000-05:00

The Bucks' Michael Redd on the Team USA Olympic baseketball team? Now that's the way things should be. Congrats, Michael!

Sanders Released

2007-05-11T12:30:00.000-05:00

The Bucks won't be renewing assistant coach Mike Sanders' contract. Sanders has spent the last two seasons with the Bucks. Krystkowiak cited the desire to "proceed in another direction" while expressing his appreciation for Sanders' contributions during his tenure.

Bucks drop one to Magic

2007-04-11T16:32:00.000-05:00

The Orlando Magic moved a step closer to securing a playoff berth last night with their defeat of the Bucks. The Bucks left Orlando plenty of room to move outside, and coupled with Orlando's best shooting performance of the season (62.5%) were overcome 117-94. The Bucks suffered from having players out on injuries, being left with no defensive possibilities against Dwight Howard.

Bucks missing free throw.

2007-02-14T13:06:00.000-06:00

I have to admit that free throw is something a lot of players struggle with especially when a game is on the line. I would be one of those people who pay huge bucks for a ticket just to sit behind the basket to mess with the players in hopes they miss their free throw, but not when my team is shooting at the basket of course. If I could only afford tickets that low.

2007-01-17T10:39:00.000-06:00

Bucks finally broke their five-game losing streak! Thanks go to Earl Boykins (30 points!) and Andrew Bogut (new acquisition from Denver), who made it look simple as the Bucks triumphed over the charlott Bobcats 99-91.

Bucks lost again...

2006-12-14T15:41:00.000-06:00

The Bucks came up short in a 108-95 road loss to the Nets. Charlie Villanueva led the way with 23 points to lead four Bucks in double figures. Andrew Bogut scored 15 on 6-for-7 shooting and added 12 rebounds and five assists. This leaves them with a 9-13 standing, they're playing the Bulls on the 15th.

Bobby Simmons Out for Remainder of Season

2006-12-07T13:37:00.000-06:00

Bucks forward Bobby Simmons is scheduled to undergo arthroscopic surgery to remove bone spurs on his right ankle.

Who needs Bobby Simmons when the Bucks have Michael Redd?

After resting during the 2^nd quarter of the game against the Portland Trailblazers, Redd came back to score 19 points in the 4^th quarter. Right now Redd is on fire and carrying the Bucks, but the rest of the team really need to step it up. Michael Redd can’t carry them forever.

Changing It Up

2006-11-30T15:06:00.000-06:00

Finally the Milwaukee Bucks get a win and who would have guessed that it would have been over the Los Angeles Lakers. This breaks the Bucks streak of 10 consecutive losses to the Lakers. That losing streak might have continued even longer if the Bucks didn’t have Michael Redd, who seems to be carrying the team. However, the Bucks are going to have a hard time against the Phoenix Suns on Friday if they don’t get their act together. Right now the Suns are on a hot streak which really spells trouble for the Bucks.

Utah Jazz Was Seeing Redd

2006-11-15T16:16:00.000-06:00

We were down by 24 points against the Utah Jazz by the second quarter of the game, and Michael Redd just really, really wanted to win. He came within seconds of pulling it off, too, although the score at the final buzzer was Jazz 113, Bucks 111.

Still, in the process of kicking things up a notch in the second half, Michael Redd scored a career-high 57 points and broke the team record set by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1971. There have, of course, been even more astonishing totals. But one thing that was pointed out in the press was that this was not a case of piling on points in a lopsided game. Both sides wanted the win, and Redd had to finish the night being double-teamed. An amazing night for an amazing player!

Ten Different Takes on the Bucks?

2006-10-31T14:38:00.000-06:00

That's what ESPN's Daily Dime promised in the lead paragraph. Then every darn one of them predicted we'd be #5 in the Central Division. But, hey, several of the pundits mentioned that the Central is the toughest in the NBA.

As for the Eastern Conference, the votes averaged out to 9.7, which is a little slide from the real standings at the end of last year. I gather that they were pretty much in agreement that trading T.J. Ford will leave a hole. but everybody is expecting good things from Michael Redd, Andrew Bogut, and now Charlie Villanueva.

The proof of the pudding starts with a real game against the Detroit Pistons.

Bucks Win Game, Lose Starters

2006-10-16T10:43:00.000-05:00

Nice to beat the Dallas Mavericks, handily too: 91-78. But in the process we lost Bobby Simmons for the next month. The Bucks were already short a starter since Andrew Bogut messed up his leg in a practice game.

You know, it must be odd in a way for the mostly millionaire NBA players and other pros to have physical injuries as such an ever-present occupational hazard, same as it is for window washers, bricklayers, etc. Biggest occupational hazard for most of us is carpal-tunnel syndrome. Or terminal obesity.

The Bucks' bottom line

2006-10-10T16:44:00.000-05:00

Well since the Brewers let us all down this year maybe we will have something promising to look forward to out of the Milwaukee Bucks. I did a little thinking about my last entry....maybe if the Brewers had acquired some new threads at the beginning of this eason the y would have done better, but I'm getting off topic here. Andrew Bogut has conveniently injured himself as of yesterday according to GM Larry Harris and will be outfor the first month, maybe more, lovely.

new threads

2006-10-02T18:27:00.000-05:00

The Bucks will be sporting new uniforms this season. The new duds will be made of the popular shimmery fabric that has become popular in the NBA in recent years. By incorporating cues from the past into the updated look, the Bucks are making an effort to further strengthen brand identity. Where else has this been a major, successful trend? Well, everywhere, lately. The auto industry provides a great example. Regardless, the only measure of the Bucks’ success is their performance, so let’s hope their game shines as much as their new uniforms.

Right At Home

2006-08-17T15:21:00.000-05:00

Had to copy that headline--it's perfect for a piece about this guy and his life's work:

Milwaukee native Bruce Froemming has had quite a career in pro sports. Froemming is not a Buck, nor is he a Brewer, but Milwaukee can be proud of what he has contributed to baseball. Wednesday night the Boston Red Sox – Detroit Tigers game at Fenway Park marked Bruce Froemming’s 5000^th game as an umpire for Major League Baseball! His 36 MLB seasons have included well over 100 postseason games, among those five World Series. His calls have not always earned the devotion of fans, as when his “Ball four” ended Chicago Cubs’ Milt Pappas’s perfect game one strike shy of the record books. But what he has earned is respect. And Wednesday night, a standing ovation.

By the way, that game went to the Red Sox, 6-4.

Wade and Shaq: Can do no wrong in the eyes of NBA officials.

2006-06-25T22:49:00.000-05:00

The Finals were a weird trip this year. I am not sure how to feel. It seemed to me that the Dallas Mavericks have every right to question the quality and nature of the officiating in the final series. I noticed a lot of errors, non calls and bad calls. I noticed so many that I soon concluded that the game must be fixed or something. The officiating did not seem fair and balanced at all and the punishments handed out were harsher than the offenses warranted.

Bucks Draft is Coming Soon

2006-05-15T19:51:00.000-05:00

I am getting excited about the NBA draft. It is coming up in the end of June and I am hoping for some bold moves on the part of the Milwaukee Bucks. We need some youth and power on this team. Are there any prospects worth mentioning at this early stage?

Don’t let it get to you boys!

2006-04-24T18:33:00.000-05:00

The Milwaukee Bucks are going up against the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the playoffs and lost their first game of the series last night. The score was an abysmal 92-74 and I am hoping the Bucks can shake it off for game two on Wednesday. They will need a confidence booster after this first loss and I hope they get it before the series gets away from us.

Spring is Seeding Time

2006-04-02T23:12:00.000-05:00

Michael Redd was a force to be reckoned with in the Milwaukee Bucks victory over the Indiana Pacers this weekend. Redd scored 39 points and 20 of them were in the third quarter. This was an important win for us and after the previous nights loss it was nice to see the Bucks striving to improve their seeding at this crucial time.

Can’t put my finger on it.

2006-03-10T17:19:00.000-06:00

The Milwaukee Bucks have fallen under the mark and are now technically having a losing season. At 29 and 31 they don’t seem to be keeping it together like I had hoped they would. This has been a mediocre season thus far and I can’t put my finger on what is the cause of this slump.

Bucks Go Soft and Continue Flip Flopping

2006-02-03T22:17:00.000-06:00

Trying to get a handle on their mediocre record, the Milwaukee Bucks have fallen short of the goal. Michael Redd sat out in the game against the Houston Rockets due to back spasms and we lost the game 86-84. I just don’t see us holding on to a winning record with our offense playing lazy and submissive like they have been

Will Redd Stay?

2005-06-06T17:12:00.000-05:00

Shooting guard Michael Redd has high hopes for the Bucks in 2006. The 25 year old becomes a free agent at the end of the summer. Redd has said that his first choice would be to stay with the Bucks.

"I've always said that's the beauty of free agency. Being a free agent, you have the ability to weigh your options. Obviously, Milwaukee would be my first choice, to figure out something we could do here.” - Redd

Redd has spent his entire NBA career with the Bucks since he was Drafted in 2000. I know we would all like to see him stick around. He is a valuable asset to the team.

Sophisticated

2005-05-30T10:26:00.000-05:00

As you know the Milwaukee Bucks got the first pick in the NBA draft for 2005. Which is odd considering the Atlanta Hawks were the worst team this past season setting a NBA and Franchise record with a 13 -69 finish, and that is why we have the lottery in case of suspicion of a team throwing the season for the sole purpose of receiving the number 1 pick.

Before the lottery, the NBA determined its first picker by using the coin-flip method. While the coin flip still seems good enough to decide presidential elections, pro basketball has become more sophisticated. - excerpt from Foxsports.com

So I was reading up on the draft order and found this to be hilarious. I am not trying to mock the NBA draft lottery, just the guy who called it ‘sophisticated’. LMAO

Thanks & Bye

2005-05-24T16:38:00.000-05:00

Today in Milwaukee, the Bucks General Manager Larry Harris announced today that assistant coaches Mike Schuler and Jerome Kersey will not return to the Bucks bench for the 2005-06 season. Not that you guys didn't already know that, but here is what he had to say about them.

“Mike’s many years of coaching experience played an important role in Terry’s development as a head coach,” said Harris. “And Jerome's presence last year as a coach was a benefit as well. We wish both of them well and thank them for their contributions to our team.”

Porter to Stay

2005-05-19T16:12:00.000-05:00

News in Milwaukee is that Terry Porter will remain as Head Coach for the Bucks, but do to a 30-52 season, some one had to go. Well two assistant coaches were fired after the Bucks were able to pull off one of the worst season in practically a decade.

"It was never about Terry Porter and whether he'd be coming back… I hired him. I want him to succeed.'' - General Manager Larry Harris

However, the day was not as good for veteran assistant coaches who were let go, Mike Schuler and Jerome Kersey.

Marcus Frizer

2005-05-12T14:10:00.000-05:00

Standing at 6’8 and weighing 260 pounds Marcus Fizer stands as a treat at the Forward position. Fizer is often over looked and that is understandable, considering that he starts every came on the bench.

Even though that is so, Fizer is a valuable asset to the team, because late in the half’s when the starters run out of gas the teams turn to the bench. There is a reason those guys or on the team and waiting patiently on the bench. There time will come.

In 54 games Fixer averaged 16.7 minutes and scored double digits at least 13 times while leading his team six times in steals, 5 times in rebounds, and led once with assists. Look for this Fizer to keep grinding it out in Milwaukee for awhile.

Meet Bango

2005-05-02T16:55:00.000-05:00

For all you die hard Bucks fan or for people who like to wrestle with mascots, don't forget about your chance to meet up with Bucks mascot Bango! In addition to One-on One autograph corners during the season, Bango will be making appearances throughout the community.

Saturday, May 7 - Next Door Foundation's Walk for Children (9:30 - 10:30 a.m.)
Saturday, May 14 - Kite Festival at Veterans Park (11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.)
Saturday, May 14 - Kids Day America - Calhoun and North Avenue in Brookfield (1:00 - 2:00 p.m.)

Last game for '05

2005-04-19T16:48:00.000-05:00

from foxsports.com

It's been a difficult season for the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Bucks conclude their first losing season in seven years when they take on the Toronto Raptors.

Milwaukee will finish with its first losing campaign since going 36-46 in 1997-98 and its worst season since a 25-57 finish in 1995-96. Not much went right this season as the Bucks struggled to a 7-34 mark on the road and were never really in contention for the postseason.

Now some major question marks are on the horizon in the offseason, with the status of leading scorer Michael Redd being the primary concern. Redd has the option of becoming an unrestricted free agent and the team's inability to build around him may make this a likely scenario.

The Bucks must also hope that injured point guard T.J. Ford can make an impact next season. Ford missed the entire season due to cervical spinal surgery and just recently returned to the court for practice Saturday for the first time in 14 months.

Redd will likely sit out the finale after missing the last two games with left Achilles' tendinitis. Dan Gadzuric had 21 points and 20 rebounds in a 122-106 loss at Philadelphia on Monday.

The Raptors will miss the playoffs for the third straight season. Toronto has dropped six of eight games heading into their final two of the season.

There appear to be changes in store for Toronto as well. Wayne Embry, hired in June 2004 as a senior advisor to general manager Rob Babcock, was shifted to a senior advisor to team president Richard Peddie on Monday.

"While Wayne will not have direct authority over basketball operations, enhancing his role will allow us to better capitalize on his expertise and experience both on the basketball court, in the community and with our fan base," Peddie said.

Toronto has won four of its last five visits to the Bradley Center.

No Playoffs this Year

2005-04-11T12:04:00.000-05:00

The Milwaukee Bucks dropped their last contest to the Boston Celtics 103-97, or course Milwaukee was an improbable team to make the playoffs but now they are now officially eliminated for qualifying for the playoffs after losing for their nine out of their last ten games and that is not accounting that this would be there 10th straight loss on the road as well.

Mason was the lone star well at least for the end of the game. It seemed that the Bucks never found a rhythm. Maybe because top scorer Michael Redd was not there to account for the lack of points in the first half.

Pacers deal Bucks sixth straight loss

2005-03-30T17:46:00.000-06:00

(AP), from ESPN.com

Indiana coach Rick Carlisle knows exactly why the Indiana Pacers are in the playoff chase.

"The biggest reason we're still in the hunt is because of Reggie Miller," Carlisle said.

Miller scored 12 of his 22 points in the third quarter to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 90-76 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night.

"He's really focused in on these last 12, 13 games," Carlisle said. "He wants to go out as a guy who's competing in the playoffs. As a team, we're going to do everything we can do to get him and ourselves one more shot at playing in the first round of the playoffs."

Miller, who was ejected in the second quarter of a four-point loss Saturday at Chicago, made 5-of-7 3-pointers and sat out the entire fourth quarter as the Pacers held a comfortable lead.

His night was definitely finished as he gave his shoes to a pair of Indiana fans with about 3 minutes left in the game.

"I told the guys to approach this like a playoff game because this was a must-win for us," Miller said.

Indiana is in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, three games in front of ninth place Orlando.

Michael Redd had 14 points to lead the Bucks, who matched their season-high with a sixth straight loss.

"There was no life about us," Milwaukee coach Terry Porter said. "Mentally we were fried after we came back from that long West Coast trip. We just didn't have it."

The victory was only Indiana's second win in Milwaukee over its last 10 games.

"We've had no luck in here the last two years," Carlisle said. "We haven't really come close to winning a game in Milwaukee. We tried everything. We tried going out a different way before the game. It gets to a point where you try to change your luck a little bit."

The Pacers blew the game open in the third quarter. Miller had eight of Indiana's first 11 points, including two 3-pointers and a dunk to give the Pacers a 56-39 advantage. After the Bucks scored the next eight points to close to 56-47 with 5:13 left, the Pacers went on an 18-3 run to end the quarter.

"We executed well, got a couple of easy buckets, which was really important," Carlisle said. "Then we were able to get stops. That gave us a little more life to try to put them away."

Stephen Jackson had 11 of his 13 points in the first half as Indiana built a 46-34 lead.

Dan Gadzuric had 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Bucks. It was his team-high 15th double-double of the season.

"We played competitively on the road and we came home and to play like this, it's disappointing," Redd said.

Bucks deal Van Horn to Mavs

2005-02-24T19:48:00.000-06:00

ESPN.com news services

The ever-tinkering Dallas Mavericks made a surprising move to bolster their rotation Thursday, getting Keith Van Horn from the Milwaukee Bucks for Alan Henderson, Calvin Booth and cash.

Moving Van Horn, in addition to the trade of Mike James to Houston earlier Thursday, removes nearly $13 million in salary-cap obligations from the Bucks' payroll next season.

The Bucks made the moves in anticipation of presenting free agent-to-be Michael Redd with a contract offer sufficiently lucrative to convince Redd to spurn advances from his home-state Cleveland Cavaliers and stay in Milwaukee.

When healthy, Van Horn would provide Dallas with another scorer, perhaps when star Dirk Nowitzki rests or even alongside him at small forward. Coach Don Nelson loves trying to create mismatches, so he might even pair the two perimeter-oriented big men at center and power forward.

Problem is, Van Horn isn't always healthy. He's missed 19 games this season because of tendinitis in his right ankle and has been hobbled often in his 10-year career. Milwaukee has mostly limited him to fewer than 20 minutes per game since he came off the injured list in January.

In addition to his lessened role, the Bucks were willing to give him up for salary-cap reasons. He's due nearly $16 million next season, while Henderson becomes a free agent and Booth is owed a little more than $6 million; Booth also gets a small raise the next season.

Dallas acquired Henderson and Booth over the summer, with Henderson basically a throw-in on a deal with Atlanta after he played just six games last season. He wound up becoming a key part of the team's rotation -- he was the only Mavericks player to appear in all 52 games so far this season.

The timing is a bit awkward for the Mavericks because center Erick Dampier just went on the injured list with a stress fracture in his right foot and Henderson started in his place the last two games. Booth's role had increased, too. Dallas had no choice, though, because Thursday was the trade deadline.

Bucks 110, Raptors 107

2005-02-10T14:40:00.000-06:00

from Foxsports.com

Rafer Alston was back in action for the Toronto Raptors and looking for an apology.

Michael Redd had 29 points, leading the Milwaukee Bucks to a 110-107 victory over the Raptors and their troubled point guard Wednesday night.

Alston said he wanted an apology after being benched for much of Tuesday's loss to Cleveland and that he's not sure he wants to stay with the Raptors.

Alston and coach Sam Mitchell argued after Alston was pulled from the game in the first quarter against Cleveland. Alston didn't come out of the dressing room for the second half and was seen crying as he was escorted to the team bus by security during the fourth quarter.

He had just returned to the Raptors on Thursday, following a two-game suspension the team gave him after he stormed out of practice last week.

Alston reiterated after the game that he did nothing wrong Tuesday night.

"I was man enough to come in after the suspension was over and apologize to this team, this organization, Canada, my mom, my family," Alston said. "Somebody should be man enough to apologize to me."

Despite the sore feelings, Alston was at his best in the first half against Milwaukee, scoring 16 points with seven assists. But he went 0-for-5 from the field in the second half and finished with 12 assists.

After the game, Mitchell singled out another one of his players. Eric Williams, acquired from New Jersey in the Vince Carter trade, left for the dressing room in the second quarter after a crown on a tooth came off.

"We actually called his name to go into the game, but he wasn't feeling well and was in the back. In the future, guys have to let the trainer know, so we know," the first-year coach said.

Williams wasn't happy he didn't play at all.

"I left to get my teeth repaired. What about the rest of the game?" said Williams, who has barely played recently.

Redd, left off the All-Star team, made two key jumpers down the stretch for the Bucks, who blew out Boston on Tuesday night.

Jalen Rose had 26 points but missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have sent the game to overtime. The Raptors have lost three straight to drop to 10 games below .500 (20-30)

"We should have won," Rose said. "Unfortunately, we didn't close the game strong. We have to find a way to put a good effort together for an entire game. I guess that's why our record is what it is."

Toni Kukoc gave Milwaukee its first lead since the first quarter with a 3-pointer with seven minutes left. Mike James capped the 14-3 run with a 3-pointer, giving the Bucks a 104-97 lead with 4:34 remaining.

Toronto went 3-for-11 from the field in the fourth before Donyell Marshall converted a three-point play to cut the lead to two with 2:45 left.

Redd followed with a jumper over Rose, but Rose answered with a running layup.

Desmond Mason blocked Rose's next shot before Redd made a fadeaway jumper to give Milwaukee a four-point lead with 50 seconds left.

Marshall then dunked over Dan Gadzuric, who also fouled Marshall. Marshall converted the three-point play to cut the lead to one with 27 seconds remaining, but Joe Smith made two free throws to make it 110-107 with 8.1 seconds left.

"Toronto pretty much had control of the game for most of the game. We came back and in the third and fourth quarters and played extremely well," Redd said. "We have a lot of character." Toronto 48-35. ... When told Alston wanted an apology, Mitchell said: "I don't know who that is directed to." Mitchell said he met with Alston earlier Wednesday.

We can't catch a break.

2005-01-31T18:32:00.000-06:00

From sports.yahoo.com:

George Karl made a triumphant return to the NBA at the expense of his former team.

``I'm going to drink beer,'' Karl said after directing the Denver Nuggets to a 106-100 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night. ``Beer tastes like champagne after wins like tonight.''

Out of the NBA since the Bucks fired him in 2003, Karl took over the Nuggets on Thursday. Denver fired Jeff Bzdelik on Dec. 28, and Michael Cooper coached the team on an interim basis before Karl's hiring.

Acknowledging that he was rusty, Karl gave most of the credit to his players for the victory and said he coached against his former team as if it was a playoff game.

``You always want to win against your former team,'' Denver's Marcus Camby said. ``He didn't say publicly he wanted to beat the Bucks, but you could just tell he wanted this one real bad.''

Karl said he forgot to practice new offensive plays against zone defenses at his team's practice Friday morning, but the Nuggets used their old plays to rip Milwaukee's zone in the final quarter, outscoring the Bucks 38-20.

``The fourth quarter was our downfall,'' Milwaukee coach Terry Porter said.

Carmelo Anthony scored 25 points for Denver, which overcame a 14-point deficit to snap a three-game losing streak.

The Nuggets used a 26-4 run to take a 92-84 lead with 4:12 left.

Karl said he was frustrated by his team's defense at times as Milwaukee scored 31 points in the first quarter and 30 in the third.

``I hate 30-point quarters and I lost my temper both times,'' Karl said. ``You've got to be really bad to give up 30 points.''

In the final quarter, though, it was the Bucks who played poor defense, blowing a double-digit lead.

``You've got to have a killer instinct and we didn't have that,'' Porter said. ``We haven't had that all year for the most part.''

Milwaukee pulled to 103-100 on Maurice Williams' 3-pointer with 23 seconds left. Denver's Andre Miller then hit a free throw with 21 seconds to go, and Marcus Camby scored on a tipin after Miller missed his second free-throw attempt.

Earl Boykins scored 17 points, and Nene added 13 for the Nuggets. Both players had nine points in the final quarter.

``We got stops in the fourth quarter and we were able to score,'' Boykins said. ``That was really the key.''

Michael Redd scored 26 points for Milwaukee, and Dan Gadzuric tied a career high with 19 points.

Milwaukee missed 12 of its first 14 shots in the fourth quarter, allowing the Nuggets to get back into the game.

We really need another powerhouse in terms of points on this team aside from Mason and Redd. Lets hope Van Horn can get over the tendinitis in his ankle and come back to play. We need some big shooters to step up or else our fate this season with be unevitable. GO BUCKS!

Inching up

2005-01-26T18:40:00.000-06:00

From sports.yahoo.com:

The New York Knicks had a new coach, a few different looks on the court and the same old result in the end.

Desmond Mason scored 22 points to lead six Milwaukee players in double figures, and the Bucks held off the free-falling Knicks 101-96 Sunday, spoiling the debut of coach Herb Williams.

``We were definitely prepared for their energy,'' Mason said. ``Once we jumped on top of them pretty quick, we kind of knocked their spirits down.''

The Knicks haven't had much to get excited about lately, losing 10 of their last 11. This one came a day after Hall of Fame coach Lenny Wilkens stepped down and Williams assumed the head job for the rest of the season.

With Knicks president Isiah Thomas looking on from his usual vantage point in the tunnel behind the bench, Williams immediately set to work putting his imprint on the team. He gave rookie Trevor Ariza the first start of his career, used several different lineup combinations and played some zone defense in an effort to find a way to get the Knicks back on the winning track.

``I'm going to keep things a little more towards defense,'' Williams said. ``Lenny was really good at running offense, but I think you have to shut teams down in this league.''

Stephon Marbury had 33 points to lead New York, and Jamal Crawford added 20. But it wasn't enough to stop Milwaukee from picking up its fifth road win of the season.

It was another close loss for the Knicks. Coming into the game, four of New York's previous five defeats had come by a total of 11 points. The exception was a 98-81 loss to Toronto.

``I know we are better team than this,'' Crawford said. ``Besides the Toronto game, we have lost our last four by a combined 10 or 11 points. We just came out on the short end of those games.''

The Bucks, who have won three of their last four games, led 75-70 after the third quarter, and increased the lead to 85-76 with about six minutes left. The Knicks, behind Crawford and Marbury, got within 91-89 with just over two minutes remaining.

However, New York couldn't make any defensive stops when it had to. A basket by Maurice Williams and 3-pointer from the right corner by Michael Redd put Milwaukee up 96-89.

``They were playing that zone defense and the ball went to Keith (Van Horn) on the pick and roll and Keith swung it to Des and he swung it over to me and I made it in,'' Redd said.

The Knicks never got closer than four after that.

Michael Sweetney came off the bench to finish with 14 points and 11 rebounds for New York, while Kurt Thomas added 12 points.

Joe Smith and Redd each had 14 points for Milwaukee, which had all five starters score at least 10 points. Zaza Pachulia added 13 points, while Maurice Williams and Dan Gadzuric each had 10.

Gadzuric also led the Bucks with 13 rebounds.

``We came out with a lot of energy and intensity,'' Milwaukee coach Terry Porter said. ``It's always tough coming here when a new coach comes in and the players are excited about trying to play well for that new coach. Our guys handled it really well.''

The Knicks have a grueling schedule upcoming. They have two games left on their four-game homestand -- Phoenix and Cleveland -- before hitting the road for a six-game trip that includes stops in Detroit, Sacramento and Phoenix. They will then return home to play Shaquille O'Neal and the Eastern Conference-leading Miami Heat.

``Right now, the only thing that is going to get us out of this is better defense,'' Marbury said. ``Having these lapses at the end does not translate into winning.''

Its amazing to me how this team has become a on/off team. We either play really good, or play terribly. Obviously it was a good night, and the number of those good nights seem to be increasing. However, with the increasing injuries, it will become harder and harder for the wins to keep coming. Also, in the last 2 games it seems as if Michael Redd hasn't been playing like he ussually does. Lets hope he can come out of this small bump in the road and start leading this team to a playoff spot. GO BUCKS!

Gambling with Ford, comes up bad.

2005-01-16T15:22:00.000-06:00

From sports.yahoo.com:

As expected, guard T.J. Ford will not suit up for the Milwaukee Bucks this season.

Ford, who suffered a bruised spinal cord after a nasty fall last February and has not played since, will sit out the remainder of the season, Bucks general manager Larry Harris said Thursday.

"Despite making progress with his recovery, T.J. Ford will not play this season," Harris said. "His spinal cord bruise continues to improve but has not healed enough to allow him to play. In the meantime, T.J. will continue his rehabilitation and will participate in non-basketball activities with the team."

"I'm anxious to get back out on the court and being 100 percent ready is the first step in that process," Ford said. "I'll continue to follow the direction from the doctors and the staff to help me reach my goal."

Last February 24, the 21-year-old Ford suffered the injury in a horrifying fall in the fourth quarter of a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He fell hard on his tailbone and had to be taken off the court on a stretcher.

Initially diagnosed with a neck sprain, Ford later was found to have a bruised spinal cord. He missed the last 26 games of his rookie season, finishing with averages of 7.1 points and 6.5 assists in 54 games, primarily as a starter.

The Bucks selected the 6-foot Ford eighth overall in the 2003 draft. He led all rookies in assists per game.

"We're disappointed by the news, there's no question," said Bucks coach Terry Porter, whose team is just 12-21 this season. "We miss having T.J. on the court, but we're confident in going forward that he is going to be a big part of this organization for a long time."

Realizing that Ford would probably not be able to play in 2004-05, the Bucks signed free agents Mike James and Maurice Williams to split time at point guard.

Initially, the Bucks accepted the fact that Ford was an unstable player, but we still drafted him regardless. His back was already weak, and a back injury would put him out for a while which was just seen. I am hoping that he will be able to come back and play again in his lifetime, but even that is uncertain. Let's hope for the best, and root our Bucks into a winning streak. Come on Bucks!

High scoring win over the magic

2005-01-05T18:19:00.000-06:00

From sports.yahoo.com:

Michael Redd and the short-handed Milwaukee Bucks were determined to extend their winning streak.

Redd scored 29 points and the Bucks got 15 points and a career-high 14 rebounds from center Dan Gadzuric in a 111-105 win over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night.

The Bucks, who had only 11 players in uniform because of injuries, got contributions from 10 of them in recording their third straight victory. Desmond Mason added 21 points and Zaza Pachulia, starting for the first time this season, had nine points and 11 rebounds.

With the win, Milwaukee matched its best run of the season.

``We're tired of losing,'' said Redd, who shot 12-for-19. ``We look at the standings and we're last in our division and that's no fun. We knew we had a tough stretch coming up had had to get some wins and we did that.''

Steve Francis nearly had a triple-double for Orlando with 24 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists. Grant Hill had 26 points and Cuttino Mobley added 17 for the Magic, who were undone by 23 turnovers.

``We're not playing well and it begins on the defensive end, but it extends to the offensive end and taking care of the basketball,'' Magic coach Johnny Davis said. ``A lot of those turnovers were unforced errors. We're throwing the ball around carelessly like we've never played together.''

Milwaukee scored 31 points of Orlando turnovers and shot 49 percent in the win. Whenever Orlando missed, Gadzuric and Pachulia were there for putbacks. The Bucks' big men had nine of the team's 12 offensive rebounds.

``We realized what we should have realized before, which is that everybody has to hold up their responsibility,'' Gadzuric said. ``We came out real strong and everybody held up their roles the rest of the game.''

The Magic trailed the entire game, but used a 9-1 run at the start the fourth quarter to pull within 87-86 on a driving layup by Hedo Turkoglu with 9:30 left. Mike James hit a 3-pointer for Milwaukee to stop the run and Orlando never got closer than four the rest of the game.

``What we need is better execution, better decision making and a commitment to just be flat-out tough,'' Davis said.

The Magic committed a season-high 14 turnovers in the first half, which the Bucks turned into 19 points on their way to a 56-50 halftime lead. Milwaukee shot 56 percent in the half and all 10 players in uniform had at least one field goal.

Mobley kept Orlando close with 13 points on 5-for-5 shooting from the field in the first half, including three 3-pointers.

The Bucks scored seven straight late in the third period to take an 11-point advantage, their biggest of the game. Two free throws by Mason gave Milwaukee an 84-73 lead with 1:13 left in the third quarter.

Another injury and we got a win

2004-12-28T14:11:00.000-06:00

From Sports.yahoo.com

Michael Redd made up for a subpar game in a big way.

Redd scored 20 of his season-high 39 points in the first quarter and the Milwaukee Bucks held on to beat the Chicago Bulls 99-92 on Sunday night.

Redd, who made eight of his first 11 shots, was 15-of-27 from the floor as Milwaukee snapped its five-game losing streak.

``We wanted to go to him and get him going early in the game,'' Milwaukee coach Terry Porter said. ``His shot was rolling early and that's obviously good for us.''

Redd had just four points and was 2-of-10 from the floor in a nine-point loss against Portland on Wednesday.

``I always try and look forward to the next game, but I was really determined to come back and have a good game,'' said Redd, who made all eight free throws and had eight rebounds.

``I was more aggressive than I have been all season,'' he said. ``I was focused. I didn't have one of my better performances the other night against Portland.''

Joe Smith added a season-high 21 points to go with nine rebounds for the Bucks, who beat Chicago for the 13th straight time in Milwaukee.

Ben Gordon had 19 points for Chicago, which had its five-game winning streak halted.

``(Redd) was in a zone and there wasn't much we could do,'' Gordon said. ``He was full of confidence.''

The Bulls, who trailed by 18 in the second quarter, got 18 points and six assists from Kirk Hinrich.

``We didn't have the defensive intensity that we have had to start the game,'' Chicago coach Scott Skiles said. ``We had a hard time stopping Michael Redd.''

Milwaukee led 91-90 when Smith banked in a basket to increase the lead to three with 51 seconds left. After Gordon missed a short shot, Redd sank a baseline jumper and was fouled by Gordon. Redd's free throw gave Milwaukee a 96-90 lead with 23 seconds left.

``I wanted the ball in my hands,'' Redd said. ``I knew I was going to get something done.''

Hinrich made a shot to cut the deficit to 96-92, but that's as close as Chicago got.

Chicago trailed by nine at halftime but managed to tie it at 80 on a 3-pointer by Gordon from the corner with 8:26 left.

Baskets by Redd and Desmond Mason gave Milwaukee a 91-86 lead with 3:06 remaining. Gordon answered with a free throw and another 3-pointer to trim the deficit to 91-90 with 1:10 to play.

``We had guys make shots for us down the stretch and we were able to hold our cushion,'' Porter said.

I am hoping that this game, that broke the loosing streak, can spark a run to bring us back up. It is becoming more and more out of reach though, because Van Horn has just been added to the injured list.

From Sports.Yahoo.Com:

Milwaukee Bucks forward Keith Van Horn, who has missed the last 10 games with tendinitis in his right ankle, was placed on the injured list Tuesday.

The team also announced Van Horn will be out for at least two more weeks.

In 13 games this season, Van Horn is averaging 17.2 points and 8.2 rebounds.

It has been a disappointing season for the Bucks, who are in last place in the Central Division with a 7-16 record.

Not looking too good

2004-12-20T10:57:00.000-06:00

From sports.yahoo.com:

A night after the Philadelphia 76ers had a disheartening loss, Allen Iverson made sure it wouldn't happen again by playing one of the best games of his stellar career.

Iverson scored a season-high 54 points, including his 15,000th career point, and the Sixers won for the fourth time in five games, earning a 116-97 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night.

``I called his play as many times as I possibly could, and it makes my job a lot easier,'' Philadelphia coach Jim O'Brien said.

It was the seventh time in Iverson's nine-year career that he had scored at least 50 points in a regular-season game, and he has done it three times in the playoffs.

His career-high is 58 points against Houston in an overtime game on Jan. 15, 2002, and the 54 points tied his second-highest scoring total in a regular-season game.

The Bucks tried several different defenders against the five-time All-Star, but none could slow him. He made 17 of 29 shots and 16 of 21 free throws, grabbing eight rebounds before exiting with 2:34 left and the Sixers leading 106-87.

Iverson said he did not mind sitting out the final minutes of a blowout victory instead of attempting to set a career high.

``Honestly, and I can't be any truer than this, all I wanted was for the Milwaukee Bucks to be down one point once there were all zeroes on the board,'' he said.

The Sixers blew a 19-point, fourth-quarter lead in an overtime loss to New York on Friday night. They opened an 18-point, third-quarter lead against Milwaukee, but watched as the Bucks pulled within 64-63 on Michael Redd's 3-pointer with 4:44 left in the quarter.

Philadelphia, though, went on a 9-0 run to open a 10-point lead and the Bucks came no closer than seven points the rest of the game, and no closer than nine in the fourth quarter.

``We're starting to get some things, and four out of five (games won) is a good indicator,'' O'Brien said.

Milwaukee, decimated by injuries, has gone 3-14 since starting the season 3-1.

``The biggest thing for us was we struggled offensively and we are just really limited as to what we can run because of all the new guys,'' Milwaukee coach Terry Porter said.

Redd scored 29 points for the Bucks, who have four players on the injured list and also are playing without the injured Keith Van Horn. Milwaukee missed 58 of 88 shots, shooting a season-low 34 percent.

Andre Iguodala scored 18 points and Corliss Williamson added 15 for Philadelphia.

Iverson is the seventh active player and 93rd in NBA history to score 15,000 points. He scored 33 first-half points, making 12 of 17 shots and six of seven free throws.

His 17-foot jump shot with 6:19 left in the second quarter gave him 15,001 points.

After the game, Iverson credited all of his NBA coaches and teammates for the milestone.

``It made me feel good about the people who have surrounded me and have helped me during my ups and downs in my career,'' he said.

Iverson had 12 field goals in the first half to Milwaukee's nine. The Bucks missed 25 of 34 shots in the first half, with their starters missing 17 of 20.

Injuries are starting to add up

2004-12-15T18:42:00.000-06:00

With the injuries of T.J. Ford at the beginning of the season, and Kukoc later one. Santiago has been the newest victim. It doesn't seem too bad, but the points start to add up. Its approximatlety 10 ppg together aswell as about 10 assist that we are missing. If we continue to loose more players, our fate will look worse and worse. Aside from the injuries, we have been playing "better." Its not close to the "better" we are looking for, but right now, I think we will take anything. Lets up things start to look up as the season progresses. GO BUCKS!

Breaking the streak

2004-11-30T19:15:00.000-06:00

From sports.yahoo.com:

Michael Redd knew the Milwaukee Bucks needed a fast start against the Detroit Pistons to snap a six-game losing streak.

Keith Van Horn supplied the early offense, scoring 14 of his 20 points in the first period, and Redd added 20 of his 29 points in the second half, helping the Bucks to a 96-90 win over the Pistons on Saturday night.

``It was very important for us to come out and set the tempo,'' Redd said. ``We had to get this monkey off our back and get a win.''

Maurice Williams added 10 points and a career-high 13 assists for the Bucks, who charged to a 28-12 lead in the first quarter on the way to their first win in two weeks. They last beat New Orleans 94-91 on Nov. 13.

Van Horn credited the Bucks' defense for their offensive outburst.

``That really paid off on the offensive end with some open looks,'' he said.

Tayshuan Prince and Rasheed Wallace each scored 20 points to lead the Pistons.

Detroit was again without All-Star center Ben Wallace, who was serving the fifth game of his six-game suspension for his Nov. 19 fight with Indiana Pacers star Ron Artest. The Pistons are 2-3 without Wallace in the lineup.

Detroit coach Larry Brown said the Pistons had a great change to win the game, even without Ben Wallace.

``This was a winnable game and we gave it away,'' Brown said. ``Right now, we think we can turn it on anytime we want. We think we are better than we really are.''

The Pistons rallied from a 16-point, first-half deficit and took a 90-89 lead with 2:15 remaining on Richard Hamilton's driving layup.

Reserve center Eldon Campbell said falling behind early hurt the Pistons.

``I'm curious why we keep doing this to ourselves,'' he said. ``We keep getting down early. I can't figure out why.''

Redd's two free throws with 1:58 remaining gave the Bucks a 91-90 lead.

After the Pistons missed a shot, Redd hit a jumper from the top of the key with 1:12 remaining to increase the lead to 93-90.

After Rasheed Wallace missed a short jumper with 1 minute remaining, Redd missed a 3-pointer with 33 seconds left, but Mike James got the rebound. Williams missed a driving layup with 12 seconds left, but Van Horn got the rebound and scored on a short shot to give the Bucks a 95-90 lead with 9.8 seconds remaining.

Rasheed Wallace missed two 3-point attempts, Desmond Mason was fouled with 1.5 seconds remaining and he made one of two shots to seal it.

The Bucks used a 28-6 run in the first quarter to grab a 33-22 lead. The Bucks shot 72 percent in the quarter, including hitting 6-of-7 3-pointers. Van Horn had 14 points, including four 3-pointers, to lead the Bucks in the quarter.

The Pistons went on a 20-5 run late in the second quarter to cut the lead to 49-48 at halftime.

Its about time we got a win. Our fate was looking worse and worse as the loosing streak dragged on. I'm hoping that the recent win will pull us out of the crypt of loses. Redd seems to be taking the lead and its starting to show slowly but surely. On another note we waived Goldwire and Santiago is out for a week and a half...
From sports.yahoo.com:

The Milwaukee Bucks waived reserve guard Anthony Goldwire on Monday.

The Bucks signed Goldwire on Nov. 2 after placing Mike James on the injured list with a rib injury. James, who signed as a free agent in the offseason, was activated Nov. 17 after missing the first five games of the season.

Goldwire was used sparingly by the Bucks, playing just two minutes in Milwaukee's 102-88 victory over Cleveland on Nov. 6.

Center Daniel Santiago injured an eye in practice Monday and will be sidelined seven to 10 days.

Santiago, who has a scratched cornea, is averaging 1.3 points and 3.3 rebounds in limited action this season.

The presence of 2 key players missing.

2004-11-24T14:35:00.000-06:00

T.J. Ford has been out since the start of the season, but there is a new addition to this list. Kukoc has since joined the group of elite members called the Injured list. It seems to have show a big problem with loosing 5 straight after starting off 3-1. It was most definatley apparent in the 2 games against the Heat. Shaq and Jones battered our players in the second game mostly. Wade also came back to make us wish we hadn't traded him. Van Horn and Redd are pretty much carrying this team, and when they don't preform as well, the whole team hurts. We need to learn to spread out the ball, so we don't need to rely on either of them as much. Lets hope we can make it back to the playoffs this year but go somewhere. Pray for a speedy recovery for all 3 of our injured players and lets get back out there and show everybody the Bucks that I know.GO Bucks!

Fizer in trouble, Winning without Ford.

2004-11-15T15:48:00.000-06:00

From sports.yahoo.com

The NBA suspended Milwaukee Bucks forward Marcus Fizer on Tuesday for one game following his guilty plea on a gun charge.

Fizer, who signed with the Bucks last Thursday, is currently on the injured list with a knee injury and out four to six weeks. He will serve the suspension when he is healthy enough to play.

The former Chicago Bulls player pleaded guilty in August to carrying a loaded handgun in his car. Fizer was sentenced to a year's probation and fined $2,500.

Fizer was charged with a felony count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon in October 2002. Authorities said a police officer recovered the gun from Fizer's sport utility vehicle during a highway traffic stop.

Fizer was drafted by the Bulls in 2000. He became an unrestricted free agent after he was chosen in the expansion draft by the Charlotte Bobcats.

We have been doing suprisingly well this season, and have only lost in nail-biters. We have driven on without T.J. Ford this year which is a good sign as far as talent goes. I feel we have a good enough team this year to really show our stuff. Even though we lost the game against the Heat. It was a hard fought game and was extremely fun to watch although it was a pretty low scoring game with 2 OT's.

Keyon Dooling played only seven seconds during the final 18 minutes of the Miami Heat's double overtime victory against the Milwaukee Bucks.

He made the most of his cameo appearance.

Dooling forced a second overtime with a running layup, and the Heat took advantage by scoring the first seven points of the extra session in a 112-110 victory Sunday night.

Dooling sat out the final 7:50 of regulation, entering the game with 7.1 seconds left in the first overtime and the Heat trailing by two. After Keith Van Horn misplayed a pass for a critical turnover with 5.7 seconds left, Dooling dribbled the length of the floor and dropped in a layup with 1.4 seconds left to tie it.

Lets keep the good play up you guys and keep fighting till the end! GO BUCKS!

Starting the season off without Ford?

2004-11-03T17:47:00.000-06:00

From sports.yahoo.com

The Milwaukee Bucks placed guard T.J. Ford and forward Zendon Hamilton on the injured list Monday night.

Ford is continuing his recovery from spinal cord surgery, while Hamilton is recuperating from arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.

Ford was sidelined for the last two months of last season and had surgery in May. He was leading all rookies in assists and ranked ninth in the NBA before he was hurt Feb. 24 when he landed on his tailbone against Minnesota.

Looks like Van Horn and Redd will have to lead us off in the season opener against the Magic. We have a game against the Magic for the opener this year and its not going to be easy, especially with the absence of Ford. Lets pull it together so we can shut down Francis and the Magic tonight! GO BUCKS!

New season, let's get all the way this year!

2004-10-26T19:40:00.000-05:00

From sports.yahoo.com:

What a job Bucks coach Terry Porter did last season, taking a team expected to finish in the bottom of the conference and leading it to the playoffs. Michael Redd is as good a shooting guard as there is in the East, and T.J. Ford returns from his scary neck injury to run the offense.
The frontcourt is thin, with Keith Van Horn and Joe Smith joining Desmond Mason and Toni Kukoc. Talented but small, the Bucks will be hard pressed to repeat their performance from a year ago.

I have to tell you, even I was impressed last year by our preformance. We really pulled it together to get us to the playoffs. It really got me excited to see us in the playoffs, even if we didn't go all the way. With all our players back, healthy( Thankfully we have T.J. Ford) and ready, I am excited for a great year. We are 3-3 in preseason, which is sort of a flashback to the end of last season. Let's get up in the win column Bucks!

Thanks for stopping by!

2004-08-19T17:19:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately, I'm not quite up and running yet, but I will be soon. So come back and see me!