The Milwaukee Bucks just can’t seem to win much without their nine-time All-NBA superstar power forward, Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The 6-foot-11 big man, 31, has missed 11 games and counting so far this season. First, he was shelved for a bit with a groin strain. Now, he’s out of commission for a few weeks due to a calf injury. Without him, the Bucks have gone 2-9. Even with him, Milwaukee hardly looks like the class of the Eastern Conference, having posted a thoroughly mediocre 9-8 record.
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At 11-17, the Bucks currently occupy the No. 11 seed in the East. They could plummet a lot further until Antetokounmpo is back in the fold.
It’s no secret that Antetokounmpo has been floated in trade rumors for months, as rival teams expect he’ll grow tired of being an afterthought in the league’s junior varsity conference at some point. This Bucks club clearly isn’t going to change that trend.
The two-time league MVP recently spoke with reporters at a presser for the first time since his Dec. 3 calf strain.
Antetokounmpo made sure to clarify a recent report from Shams Charania of ESPN that he and his agent, Alex Saratsis, have spoken with the Bucks this month about whether or not it was time for him to be traded.
Per Eric Nehm of The Athletic, Antetokounmpo tacitly tried to explain that Saratsis may have chatted with Milwaukee brass about his fate, but that Antetokounmpo was still committed to the Bucks.
"If my agent is talking to the Bucks about it, he is his own person," Antetokounmpo insisted. "He can have any conversation he wants about it. At the end of the day, I don't work for my agent; my agent works for me. And there's going to be conversations that are going to be made between him and the Bucks, and him and his other players, and him and other teams and other GMs, executives around the league. It's something that you can't control. But at the end of the day, I personally have not had the conversation with the Bucks."
It feels unlikely that the agent of such an elite player would talk to his team about a trade without said player’s full knowledge and consent. But Antetokounmpo claimed he remains invested in the Bucks.
"I'm still locked in, locked in on my teammates. Most importantly, locked in on me getting back healthy," Antetokounmpo said. "And then, locked in on my teammates and how can I help them from the sideline or encourage them to be able to play and play free? Because at the end of the day, it takes a toll on them, too, right? They're playing game after game after game. Thank God we've had a very good schedule in the last couple of weeks, but it takes a toll on them, too - rumors, injuries, lose, win. It's hard, right? As a leader, but most importantly as a winner, you just gotta be there for them first."
Milwaukee lacks the perimeter defense or supplemental playmaking it used to enjoy around Antetokounmpo, but young backcourt pieces like Ryan Rollins, Kevin Porter Jr., Cole Anthony and Gary Trent Jr. have performed well in his absence. Center Myles Turner, who was inked to a massive four-year, $108.9 million, has been solid as a mobile defensive big, but has struggled on the other end.
Antetokounmpo is hopeful that the trade buzz can die down, although he’s pessimistic that will actually happen unless the Bucks can get it together without him.
"Do I hope it ends? For sure. Do I think it's going to end? No," Antetokounmpo added. "I think when people see cracks, they see opportunity to get in through those cracks. And I understand it. It's part of the game. It's part of winning. You've gotta make the right moves to create the best chance for your organization to compete and win a championship. So, I get it.”
In 17 healthy games this season, Antetokounmpo has been averaging 28.9 points on .639/.435/.635 shooting splits, 10.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists per.
"If I was on the other side and I was an executive, I would probably do the same thing,” Antetokounmpo noted. “Eventually, you're going to break. We're going to keep on calling you, and if the team is not doing well or is not performing in the standings the way you guys think it should, we're going to keep on calling until you say, ‘OK, let's get it done.' That's how it works in business."
Newsweek