I Had A Dream Last Night And It Looked Just Like A Dream by Noam Schiller The Bucks have a very weird roster this season. With Andrew Bogut gone, this projects as an offensively oriented team – with nobody who is a bona fide scoring threat both inside and out. It’s a classification that transcends position or role – every player on the roster can score efficiently from only one of the two areas, if any, even if some don’t realize it. But what if Skiles turns this to his advantage? What if the flawed pieces were used to create two different, but complementary units with just the balance between inside and out? I present the dual Bucks lineups: Smalls in, bigs out: Very rarely do we see teams employ this sort of strategy, because it requires Kevin Garnett jumpers or Andre Miller derrieres. Enter Monta Ellis. Better known for jacking up 18 footers, the speedster is one of the best post-up guards in the game, albeit a reluctant one. Tobias Harris, standing 6’8”, posted similar numbers abusing smaller wings in his rookie year. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is usually a liability on the wings because he can’t shoot, but he does well at the rim and is a fantastic cutter. He can feast off the ball while Ellis and Harris post up, enabling him to stay on the outside defensively, where his impact is rivaled by few. And on the outside, two of the best shooting bigs in the land – Ersan Ilyasova, who added 45.5% shooting from 3 to his always steady long two numbers, and Drew Gooden, who has quietly mastered the high post while shockingly going without a trade for two years. Bigs in, smalls out: A more traditional way of looking at things. Beno Udrih’s 3 point shot abandoned him last year, but as he’s remained strong from just inside the arc with one of the best off-screen pull ups in the game, he seems poised for a bounce back. Mike Dunleavy has been a spot up savant the past two seasons, and projects to continue apace if his knees hold up. Doron Lamb shot the lights out at Kentucky and if he sticks in the league, and that projects to be the skill that keeps him in the league. And inside, we have Dalembert, a very good role man and elite offensive rebounder, and the pick of the Udoh-Henson-Sanders triumvirate – who aren’t exactly elite offensively, but sure as hell can’t shoot from a distance (though Henson may prove otherwise in due time). Sprinkle in a healthy dose of Brandon Jennings, mediocre from both ranges, but the Bucks’ best ball handler and creator, into both lineups, and you have a team that can throw two completely different offensive looks that are tailored to their limited pieces. Defense could be a concern – specifically, one of the “inside bigs” might need to switch lineups the Gooden-Ilyasova combo doesn’t get torched – but it’s the sort of versatility that the modern NBA requires.
Doomsday Vs. Manna From Heaven by Clint Peterson Here's a fun little Did You Know. DYK that "injury prone" Carlos Boozer has missed about half as many games as former Milwaukee front-man Andrew Bogut over the last five years, 73 to 141? Remember when David Kahn and Neil Olshey of the Timberwolves and Clippers were collecting point guards like they were Beanie Babies? Well, that's what Bucks GM John Hammond has done with big men. If you think the Lakers or Jazz are log jammed at the bigs spots, check this out: The Bucks have six legitimate big men on the roster, seven if you count Luc Richard Mbah a Moute as a big. And literally no depth at the guard spots. Sure, we all realize that none of these bigs are capable of what a healthy Bogut is -- the key word being "healthy" -- but unless Hammond has some serious wheeling and dealing in mind one injury in the backcourt and Hammond can get in line for the lottery early. And maybe the soup kitchen line too.