The NBA’s trade deadline will finally be here on Thursday, Feb. 5 at 2 p.m. CST, a virtual “Sword of Damocles” that has been looming over the Bucks for most of a wasted season. It is now up to management to decide which way to move forward: do nothing; open the wallet to bring in another player; or trade “The Big Guy” for a rebuild.
Neither direction is appealing. Bucks head coach Doc Rivers believes the team will remain together, when the date passes. He also wants the date to pass quickly.
Everything has revolved around Giannis Antetokounmpo regarding trade rumors and even speculation of him playing for a team on the moon. Before day one of the season, he opened the door to moving on. The pursuit of another championship is the goal, whether with Milwaukee or elsewhere.
Right Calf Culprit
Despite the early chest-thumping of “This is my city,” and meaningless points scored against the Chicago Bulls to “wake up” the team, there is a problem. He is injured, conceivably until March, and management has issued no timetable. The right calf is now the culprit preventing his participation.
The team is once again without a solid leader, and one that presumably had the personnel built around him. It is repetitive to note that general manager Jon Horst picks up pieces here and there. We are witnessing the same dilemma from 1971, where a championship team was effectively dismantled because of mismanagement.
The Bucks (18-29) are holding onto fourth place in the NBA Central Division, while sinking out of post-season contention. They have dropped eight of their last 9 games, and some by whopping deficits. They are an amazing puzzle, and “brilliantly erratic” continues to be an applicable term.
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Chaos and Missed Shots
Sunday’s 107-79 loss to the Boston Celtics is a prime example of another maddening effort. The Bucks blew out to a 12-0 lead in the first quarter and controlled the opening minutes. Then, it was chaos and missed shots that let the Celtics finish with an 11-3 run to close the period, tied at 26-26. The Bucks only scored 16 points in the next quarter, game over.
Against the Washington Bullets on Thursday, Myles Turner scored 21 points, and grabbed 14 rebounds, but the Bullets were ahead 57-43, by halftime. The 109-99 loss reflected poor defense and an inability to stop plays from developing, especially those that were telegraphed.
Tuesday’s game with the Philadelphia 76ers was basically a slugfest with both teams unable to corral each other’s offense, until the Bucks seemingly ran out of gas. Down 71-62 at the half, the Bucks nearly tied it up 81-81, before Philadelphia’s Paul George and Joel Embiid ended the discussion. The Bucks lost 139-122.
The Bucks are not without firepower, as Turner (31 points), Bobby Portis Jr. (17), Ryan Rollins (24), Kyle Kuzma (17), and the team hit 51% from the field. Kuzma had to leave the game early, because of a left quad cramp.
It remains a mystery why all the horses can’t be brought together. There is a core group of players, even without Antetokounmpo. What will it take? Whatever the trade deadline brings, Portis Jr. has to stay. He is the only one jawing at people on the court. Chicago’s loss is still our gain.
The Bucks return to the Fiserv Forum to play a three-game homestand starting Tuesday against the Chicago Bulls, the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday, and the rival Indiana Pacers on Friday night.