Milwaukee: From the Algonquin Word "Millioke"—Meaning "Mediocre Basketball"

In 2005 Comedy Central decided to roast Pamela Anderson. One of the comedians up on the dais was Jeff Ross, the self-proclaimed "Roastmaster General". Ross is known for his vicious barbs and this particular roast was no exception. In one of his bits Ross recited the names of three of Anderson's more famous bedfellows. "Tommy Lee, Kid Rock, Bret Michaels..," he continues, "You're (sleeping) your way to the middle!"

I was watching the clip of Ross' performance on YouTube last Friday before I went to the Lakers/Bucks game at Staples. It must've left an impression on me because as I was watching the Bucks in warm-ups I knew exactly how Ross felt. Andrew Bogut, Bobby Simmons, Charlie Villanueva, they've slept their way to the middle.

The Bucks are one of those franchises in sports that nobody ever talks about. Maybe because they've been stuck in mediocrity for so many years. Or maybe it's because the Packers will always be number one in Wisconsin. For whatever reason, how the Bucks ended up where they are can be traced to poor decisions made by current GM Larry Harris and his predecessor, Ernie Grunfeld.

In 2001 the Bucks were the best they'd been since Don Nelson was coaching the team in the 80s. They got within one win of reaching the NBA Finals. In Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals that year they had a starting lineup of Sam Cassell, Ray Allen, Darvin Ham, Glenn Robinson and Ervin Johnson. The key reserves on that team were Tim Thomas, Scott Williams and Lindsey Hunter.

Sensing that his team lacked toughness, Grunfeld traded Scott Williams to make room for the signing of Anthony Mason and traded Hunter to the Lakers for Greg Foster. Mason was thought to be the missing piece for then-coach George Karl's squad. Things didn't turn out the way that Karl or the Bucks had hoped and the 2001-2 squad went 41-41 and failed to make the playoffs.

Grunfeld spent the following off-season and regular season blowing up the team instead of giving the current group a chance at redemption. He wasted the 13th pick in the draft on Marcus Haislip. He then traded Robinson, who was still an All-Star at the time, to the Hawks for Toni Kukoc, Leon Smith and a 2003 first-round pick.

For a team that already had an aging roster with Mason, Cassell, Jason Caffey and Ervin Johnson, adding another aging vet wasn't the smartest of moves. Although Robinson didn't have the greatest reputation, he was still averaging 20 points per game. It wasn't so much the trading of Robinson that didn't make sense. Even the addition of Kukoc wasn't so bad considering he brought playoff experience and a culture of winning with him. But if it was a future draft pick and a veteran player that Grunfeld wanted he probably could have done better than Kukoc. Smith was subsequently waived before the season started.

During the season, Michael Redd had filled in admirably for an injured Ray Allen.  Grunfeld felt Allen was expendable and traded him, along with their first-round pick, to the Sonics for another aging vet in Gary Payton and high-flyer Desmond Mason. With Sam Cassell already on the team the Bucks had no use for Payton. Perhaps it was Payton's expiring contract that the Bucks wanted. If that was the case, then how could he part with the team's first-round pick as well? If anything, the Bucks should have received the Sonics first-round pick. With Atlanta's 2003 pick in hand, Grunfeld must've felt the Bucks pick was nonessential.  The team went 42-40 and lost to the Nets in the first round of the playoffs. George Karl was fired as if he had something to do with the team's lackluster season and replaced with Terry Porter.

To add insult to injury they didn't use whatever financial freedom provided by Payton's deal to bring in any significant free agents and Payton signed with the Lakers for the veteran's minimum. With the pick obtained from the Glenn Robinson trade they drafted T.J. Ford. The Sonics used the Bucks pick on Luke Ridnour.

Then the freefall really took shape. Cassell and Ervin Johnson were traded during the summer to the Timberwolves for Joe Smith and Anthonly Peeler and Tim Thomas was traded to the Knicks for Keith Van Horne. They also cut ties with Anthony Mason and waived Anthony Peeler.

If you're scoring at home (and I'm sure you are), in just three short seasons the Bucks traded out Robinson, Allen, Cassell, Payton, Johnson, Anthony Mason and Thomas for Kukoc, Smith, Van Horne and Desmond Mason. I'd say that's a bit of a downgrade.

Amidst all of those horrible trades and signings the Bucks wasted draft picks on stiffs like Marcus Haislip (#13 overall), Joel Pryzbilla (#9 overall) and Dan Gadzuric (#33 overall). Even the drafting of T.J. Ford with the  8th pick in the 2003 draft was a bit of a risk when you consider Ford's history of neck problems.

To their credit, not every move made by Grunfeld or Harris was a bust. The signing of Maurice Williams away from the Jazz was a coup and getting a solid, young player like Charlie Villanueva for T.J. Ford was also a good move. You can even give Harris credit for getting Jamal Magloire for Desmond Mason. But even that move was negated when he traded Magloire to Portland for Brian Skinner and Steve Blake and then traded Blake to Denver for Earl Boykins and Julius Hodge. Both Boykins and Hodge are out of the league.

But every other move made by them can best be described as comical. The signing of Bobby Simmons to a 5-year/$47 million contract tops the list. A distant second would be the drafting of Andrew Bogut. Don't get me wrong. Bogut is a nice player. But if I told you some of the other names that were in that draft and gave you the first overall pick tell me where Bogut would be on your list. Here are the actual draft positions of some of the players from the 2005 Draft:

1) Andrew Bogut

2) Marvin Williams

3) Deron Williams

4) Chris Paul

10) Andrew Bynum

17) Danny Granger

30) David Lee

40) Monta Ellis

I know hindsight is 20/20 but the Bucks had the first overall pick. You can't tell me that you would rather have Bogut over Deron Williams, Paul or Bynum.  The worst part about it is that the Bucks will probably have to overpay to retain Bogut with a silly extension this summer.

The Bucks are just a poorly constructed team. They are the perfect example of an imbalanced team. They rely way too much on the 3-pointer and teams like that are usually only good at home. Case in point, the Bucks are currently 10-5 at home and 5-17 on the road.

With the exception of Redd, this is a team of all role players. There are times when it's not bad to have a team comprised of mostly role players because you're only one superstar away from contention. But the Bucks role players are all being paid star salaries. Next year, the Bucks have $51 million, or roughly 85% of their cap space devoted to Williams, Bogut, Gadzuric, Redd and Simmons alone. If that's not the middle then I don't know what is. Things don't get much better the following season when Bogut's extension will kick in.

So what can the Bucks do from here? Let's take a look at what they've got.

I really like Yi Jianlian and I think getting Desmond Mason to come back for only two years was a smart move. But unless the Bucks are able to parlay one of their overpaid players and one of their younger players for another front-court player then this team is running on a treadmill. It doesn't matter how many miles they run, at the end of the day, they are in the exact same place where they started.

Since Milwaukee isn't really the preferred destination for a lot of free agents the only way the Bucks can acquire talent is either with more money, draft picks or through trade. Yi, Williams, Bogut and Redd are probably untouchable since they are all either unerpaid or overpaid and the team lacks depth at their positions to make them expendable. Yi and Bogut are still making rookie money and I don't see them trading Williams or Redd unless they can package them together.

If I were Harris I would have to take a flyer and make a trade because his job is at stake. He's in the final year of his contract and if this team fails to make the playoffs with a $63 million payroll then he's got to go. Since Yi and Bogut are untouchable the only young player he can move is Villanueva. There are not a lot of guys in the league that are 6-11 and can run the floor and shoot like he can. He's eligible for an extension this summer that would kick in at the same time that Bogut's extension would. If Bogut gets a deal similar to Chris Kaman's 5-year, $52 million extension then Villanueva's looking at something in the neighborhood of 4 years and $35-40 million. That's way too high of a payroll for a team that's currently three games out of the last playoff spot in the East.

Harris should try to pair Villanueva with Simmons since nobody will take Gadzuric's contract off their hands. As overpaid as Simmons is, he's only got two more years on his deal left after this one to Gadzuric's three. Simmons is also a great shooter and can play both shooting guard and small forward. He can be an effective player when healthy. It's not far-fetched to envision him averaging 12-15 points a game whereas Gadzuric is an 8-point, 8-rebound guy at best.

The Bucks could use a starting power forward that could compliment Bogut. They might also consider trading for a center and moving Bogut to power forward. Are there any teams that would trade for Villanueva and Simmons? You can start with teams that are either struggling or teams that are looking to create cap space for the summer of 2010 when LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Dirk Nowitzki, Amare Stoudemire, and Josh Howard could all become free agents.

Let's look at two teams that are struggling but aren't currently rebuilding.

1) Miami Heat

Do the Heat have anything the Bucks want? Perhaps the Bucks would be interested in Udonis Haslem to play alongside Bogut. He's a decent rebounder and plays hard every night but his numbers have tailed off as the season has worn on. That may have something to do with defenses not having to worry about Shaq. The Heat could definitely use the 3-point shooting of Simmons and Villanueva but would have to include someone else, like Ricky Davis' expiring contract, to make the deal work. A Simmons and Villanueva for Haslem and Davis deal is completely lopsided. The Heat also traded a conditional first-round pick to the Wolves to get Davis and can't really afford to trade another since they're capped out. The Heat could trade their pick if they're in the lottery but I think Riley would rather have Haslem and a lottery pick than Simmons and Villanueva. But you never know. You also have to take into account that both teams are in the Eastern Conference and in no hurry to help each other out. If the Heat included Daequan Cook the Bucks might reconsider.

Probablitiy: Unlikely

2) New York Knicks

There were rumors this past week that Bucks were interested in trading for Zach Randolph. They were quickly shot down and I don't blame the Bucks for shooting them down. Randolph is a better rebounder than Bogut but his contract is horrible to make it worth trading for a potential franchise killer. A trade of Simmons and Villanueva for Randolph works under the cap. If Randolph had one fewer year left on his deal I'd make the deal but he's signed through 2011.

The Bucks should be interested in Eddy Curry, though. Curry and Randolph have struggled playing alongside one another and the Knicks might have to move one of them. Since most teams would be afraid of Randolph they might consider moving Curry. Like Randolph, Curry has options that could also push his deal to 2011, but he makes a much more reasonable salary than Randolph. Curry's deal has three years and about $32 million left after this season while Randolph's has three years and close to $48 million. Bogut could move to power forward and Curry might thrive being close to his hometown of Chicago and out of the media firestorm that is New York. A trade of Simmons and Villanueva for Curry and Fred Jones works.

Probability: Even odds 

As for the teams that are looking to create cap space for 2010, none of them are looking to make a deal right now unless they can get rid of a long-term deal in the process. The Bucks might not be inclined to make that type of move if they plan on also being players. The extensions of Yi and Bogut might make that impossible so they may have to swing a deal for a Jermaine O'Neal or a re-signed Shawn Marion. They'll have a much better chance of making that type of move a year from now when Simmons is one year closer to free agency.

The Bucks are on their fourth coach since 2003. They're soon to be on their third GM. The Pistons and Celtics are clearly the cream of the crop in the East. But the cores of both teams are made up of players in their 30s. The Raptors, Magic, Hawks, Bulls and Bobcats are all young teams trying to develop their players for a chance to make a run in two or three years. The Heat, Sixers, Knicks and Cavs all have one eye on 2010 while nobody really knows what the Wizards, Pacers, and Nets are doing.

It's time for the Bucks to figure out who they are and what they want to be. That Pam Anderson roast was in 2005. Look what has happened to her since. She dated a Dutch magician and married an amateur porn star. If the Bucks aren't careful they might just destroy the franchise. It's not impossible. After divorcing Anderson, Kid Rock had a number one record. Bret Michaels has a hit TV show. Tommy Lee? Well, two out of three ain't bad.