Bucks refuse to tank

[mgtr81]

What a tough season. When the Milwaukee Bucks were finally getting into rythm, just eight minutes into their game against the Cleveland Cavaliers their leading scorer and rebounder, Greg Monroe, broke his hand and will miss the next two months of competition. With the Bucks being tenth in the Eastern Conference with a 15-19 record, those two months could make a big difference in the team's hopes for the season. With their own draft pick back from the trade that saw LeBron James join the defending champions in Detroit, the easy route for the Bucks after Monroe's injury will be to tank. In fact, that is what most do. But not this franchise. The Bucks refuse to tank.


Monroe going against Green early in the game.

That's not the our culture. Each and every time our team steps on a basketball court, we give our best. Whether we win or lose, it's one hundred percent effort every single possession. No matter what others do or think, we have never and will never tank. Greg's injury is a tough blow, as we were playing better lately, but we will have to get creative and see what we can do until he gets back in early March.

Monroe, one of the CSL elite big men, signed a five-year $94,314,370 deal last summer to remain in Milwaukee. He was averaging 18.7 points and 10.0 rebounds per game, including the two games he played with his broken hand. With James departure, he was expected to have even a larger role within the team. That, however, has been now put in hold.

The Bucks are 3-2 since the aforementioned trade. Brandon Knight, the main piece the Bucks acquired in that deal, has been shining in those five games: 27.2 points, 4.4 assists, 2.6 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 0.4 blocks in 33.2 minutes per contest, shooting 47.5 % from the field, 80.0 % from the free throw line and 36.4 % from three-point range. Not only that, but the 26-year-old guard has injected a more dynamic pace to the team. So far, the coaching staff is pretty happy with the way he has adjust to the team.


Knight has blossomed in Milwaukee.

Brandon has been great. It takes some time to get used to a new system and teammates, but he's been quick to mesh with everyone else. He has allowed us to play faster and have a better inside-outside balance. We were excited at what we could do, but obviously Greg's injury changes those expectations. Still, we think we can manage to stay close enough to the playoffs with hopes to make a run when he returns.

The Bucks will now have to rely on a group of young but unproven players to stay afloat: Cady Lalanne, Kaleb Tarczewski, Joel Bolomboy, Cliff Alexander, Alex Poythress and the more experienced Kyle O'Quinn will have to step up in order to keep the team competitive.

[Rizzo]

I know first hand that you can get production out of your "lesser" players as Alex Poythress was a big reason why you beat my Nets this week. I have no doubt that you will find a way to get this team gelling and playing well together to stay competitive.

[OneNole]

The week of injuries. Not a good week to be a big man. First Randle, then Faried and Monroe. Its a double edged sword. You can be a deep team like I strive for to help withstand injuries but it may limit how many elite players you can have or you go after a high end SL but your season can be ruined from a single injury.

[hardenwithnod]

Honestly I feel Monroe could command much more value than just Giannis, but I see that you want to fight for playoffs, and with Monroe being out, then you had to make a move. Curious to see how Giannis will do under your watch.

[andrei]

Weird to see this article after you traded one of the top PFs for a player that will never reach Monroe's level even if his preferences can be fixed. I though initially Monroe is out for 400 days or something - but no, its only 54. So he is going to be back this season. Your words say that you are refusing to tank but actions tell a different story. My opinion only though

[mgtr81]

Your words say that you are refusing to tank but actions tell a different story. My opinion only though

Ask around to all GM's that have shared years and years of sim leagues with me and then you will understand I'm not going to tank. That being said, this does not mean it will work, but you can be sure I will try my best.

[Ocons]

Weird to see this article after you traded one of the top PFs for a player that will never reach Monroe's level even if his preferences can be fixed. I though initially Monroe is out for 400 days or something - but no, its only 54. So he is going to be back this season. Your words say that you are refusing to tank but actions tell a different story. My opinion only though

I think this is in response to the move. Manu obviously knew the criticism was coming and pre-empted it with this article. You can say that in trading a guy who is out two months for a serviceable player now is an attempt to stay relevant. However, it's a huge IF and definitely hurts the long term. I'm no Giannis fan though so take it with a grain of salt.

I am quite surprised to see Manu trade someone so quickly that he gave a max offer to just this last off-season. It's not like him. He values players differently, we've seen that before, but typically that type of move from him means the player is a prized possession in his eyes. This doesn't correlate with that. . .

[mgtr81]

I am quite surprised to see Manu trade someone so quickly that he gave a max offer to just this last off-season. It's not like him. He values players differently, we've seen that before, but typically that type of move from him means the player is a prized possession in his eyes. This doesn't correlate with that. . .

You're correct Kevin. We gave Monroe that max deal because we thought Lowry would come back. It didn't happen, though. Had Lowry not left then both James and Monroe would still be Bucks. But without Lowry, our James-Monroe-Smith core wasn't going anywhere. Not because of lack of talent, but lack of balance. Take into account, also, that James and Monroe were part of the roster I inherited when I joined. Outside of those two, there was little talent. I tried to put the right pieces around them, but that wasn't the kind of team I really like. So decided to build a team with a different style. From that moment, both LeBron and Monroe were set to move. The question was when would that happen. And here we are, in the middle of that process. There are still moves to be made, of course, whether they are before the deadline or in the offseason remains to be seen.