BUCKS

Over the last five seasons, the Milwaukee Bucks have been a model of consistency. In 2000, the team finished with 42 wins and followed that up with 52 wins in the 2001 season when they won the Central division and advanced all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals before being beaten by Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers. In the 2002 season, the team finished with 41 wins (a .500 record) but narrowly missed the playoffs. The last two seasons, the team has finished with 42 and 41 wins and lost in the first round of the playoffs in each. Last year, the Bucks actually had a chance to take the #4 seed and home court advantage in the first round but a loss in their final game saw them fall to the #6 seed and they were eliminated by the Detroit Pistons who went on to win the NBA title. Terry Porter, one of the better guards in the league over the last 20 years, retired from the league and took over as the head coach in Milwaukee before last season and his influence was noticeable in the team’s play. The Bucks were one of the best shooting teams in the league but they were also solid on the defensive side of the ball as well.

Last season, the Milwaukee Bucks were led by sharpshooter Michael Redd. The shooting guard led the team by averaging 21.7 points per game last season in addition to his 5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per night. The team made a trade near the end of the season and acquired small forward Keith Van Horn for Tim Thomas. When Thomas was traded, he was averaging 14 points and 5 rebounds a night while Van Horn averaged almost 16 points and just over 6 rebounds in his time with the Bucks. The Bucks also had the services of Desmond Mason, one of the top dunkers in the league, who averaged 14.4 points a game with 4.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists. The team was relatively quiet in the off-season. The only addition to the team was point guard Mike James from the Pistons while the team lost guard Damon Jones and forward Brian Skinner. The team also traded away their only draft pick before the draft began to acquire forward Zaza Pachulia from the expansion Bobcats. The team felt that the 20-year old Pachulia, who has played five years of professional ball in Europe, would help the team more than anyone in the second round of the draft.

The Milwaukee Bucks will likely be one of the top four teams in the Eastern Conference in 2004, almost by default if nothing else. The Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons, both of whom play in Milwaukee’s Central division along with the Chicago Bulls and the Cleveland Cavaliers, will almost certainly be the top two teams in the East barring injuries. The addition of Shaquille O’Neal in Miami alongside Dwayne Wade will put the Heat as the likely #3 seed but the Bucks would have to be thought of as the #4 seed because it’s tough to imagine another team making a serious run to get that high in the standings. The Bucks will have to battle hard in the Central Division to play well against the likes of the Pistons and the Pacers and they’ll need to take care of business against teams like Chicago and Cleveland, teams that the Bucks should beat easily. The Bucks will return most of their lineup from last season with much of the same starting lineup. Michael Redd will lead the team from his shooting guard position with T.J. Ford starting at point guard if he can get over his spinal cord surgery from last season. Keith Van Horn will start at the small forward with Joe Smith at the power forward and the newly acquired Zaza Pachulia starting at center. Desmond Mason will be the first man off the bench for Redd or Van Horn and Mike James will be the starter if Ford is not completely healthy at the start of the season. The Bucks should compete for home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs and will likely play well enough to earn it this year.

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