(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
2008 Statistics
Finished 34-48, fifth in Central Division, 12th in Eastern Conference
Missed Postseason
Key Additions
Brandon Jennings via draft, Jodie Meeks via draft, Hakim Warrick via free agency, Sonny Weems via trade, Walter Sharpe via trade, Amir Johnson via trade, Kurt Thomas via trade
Key Losses
Richard Jefferson via trade, Tyronn Lue via trade, Charlie Villanueva via free agency
The Milwaukee Bucks were a team going into the 2008-'09 with high expectations. They had one of the best shooters in the league, as well as a reliable big man who can put in a double-double night in and night out.
But to the dismay of the Bucks, both of those players got injured early in the season. Shooting guard Michael Redd's season was derailed after playing in only 33 games. He averaged 21 points and three rebounds playing hurt for the latter part of his season.
Redd was forced to the bench four games into the season before trying to make a comeback and sitting out the rest of the season when the injury came to be more serious.
The team also lost Andrew Bogut to an injury around the same time Redd went down. Bogut was averaging a career high 10 rebounds at the time, but saw his points drop down to 12 after a productive 2008-'09 campaign when he averaged 14 points and a little under 10 rebounds per game.
The former No. 1 pick out of Utah is not living up to the image Milwaukee was hoping for, but he is a reliable post player and any time you can pick up a seven footer that can actually make an impact then its a luxury.
Despite the injuries of two of it's starters, it still managed to keep pace for the postseason before faltering late in the season. It was mostly thanks to forwards Richard Jefferson and Charlie Villanueva emerging as team leaders for the first time in their careers.
Going into the 2009-'10 season though, the Bucks no longer have these two to rely on after trading Jefferson to the San Antonio Spurs and losing Villanueva to division rival Detroit Pistons.
The starting lineup will suffer with the loss of two of it's top scorers and will now have to rely on young players such as Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, new addition Hakim Warrick and Joe Alexander at the forward spots.
The draft is going to cause an uncertain future for the Bucks. The team drafted point guard Brandon Jennings out of Italy. Jennings can jump out of the building and has some of the greatest ball handling since Tim Hardaway was crossing the NBA.
His issues include that he could become out of control at times and not play the greatest defense at times, but for his time in Europe it could have brought him more experience than what the college ranks could have.
Jennings leaves an uncertain future as we could expect maybe the next Allen Iverson potentially if things pan out right for the young point guard.
The Bucks did manage to draft a college player in Jodie Meeks out of the University of Kentucky. Meeks is most remembered in his college days for his 54 point performance against Tennessee, which is a new single-game record for Kentucky.
Meeks has one of the best shots in the draft class and is a scoring machine averaging 23 points in his junior year. If he can transition that scoring touch in the NBA, then he'd be the biggest steal of the draft.
Milwaukee did see the emergence of two of it's young players last year in Mbah a Moute and Ramon Sessions. Sessions, who was coming off an injury plagued first season in 2007-'08, showed a lot of promise of what's to come when he averaged 12 points and six assists last year as the teams starting point guard for half the year.
One of his best performances of the season was a 44 point, 12 assist and five rebound effort against the Detroit Pistons. People need to remember that last year was his first legitimate year in the league and he is already able to light teams up with scoring, passing and rebounding.
Sessions could represent the future of Milwaukee and he will compete with Luke Ridnour for the point guard spot.
The team also welcomed in former UCLA standout Luc Richard Mbah a Moute who was the team's second round pick last year. In his first year in the league, he averaged seven points and six rebounds, but could see his numbers increase when he is utilized more this upcoming season due to the loss of Jefferson and Villanueva.
New pickups Amir Johnson and Hakim Warrick will also have immediate impacts on the team, they are expected to fight for the power forward spot. Warrick averaged 12 points last season for the Memphis Grizzlies and could be a good role player for the team.
Johnson on the other hand never got into a groove with the Detroit Pistons leading up to his departure and only averaged four points in his last season with the team. Johnson is listed as the starting power forward on the teams depth chart, but could change.
Milwaukee has been one of the least successful teams of the past few years missing the playoffs three years in a row in a weak Eastern conference, as well as not having a winning record since the 2002-'03 season when they went 42-40.
The Bucks are a team in limbo right now trying to utilize it's young talent, draft picks and the little number of stars that are left on the team to make it back into the playoffs. The team will need to rely heavily on Redd and Bogut making great comebacks from season ending injuries and will also have to rely on the young talents in Sessions, Jennings and Mbah a Moute.
Milwaukee might have to wait a little while longer than other teams to make it back into the postseason, but if its draft picks and veterans can come through they might have a shot to make it as soon as next year.
Projected Starting Lineup
PG-Ramon Sessions
SG-Michael Redd
SF-Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
PF-Amir Johson/Hakim Warrick
C-Andrew Bogut
This is part 16 of a 30-day series of 2009-10 season previews of each NBA team. My profile will contain every other team that has been previewed before.
We're going to send you the most entertaining Milwaukee Bucks articles, videos, and podcasts from around the web.
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