<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">After losing their previous four games by allowing an average of 109 points per game and placing a welcome mat around the basket for their most recent opponent, it's easy to surmise what the Milwaukee Bucks emphasized Monday in practice. "Defense," coach Terry Stotts said. The Bucks realized that playing lock-down defense would be a challenge for them this season, but the way that opponents have lighted up the scoreboard so far - and especially in the last four games - has left them with a feeling of desperation. The Bucks took a 2-5 record with them when they left town after practice Monday for a game tonight in Atlanta and another Wednesday in New Jersey. Ask coach Terry Stotts about the challenges that lie ahead for his team this week and he does not talk about the opposition. He speaks of the Bucks becoming their own worst enemy by consistently falling behind by 20 or more points, only to frantically try to play catch-up later on. In their loss Saturday to Utah at the Bradley Center, the Jazz led by 24 points in the second quarter. "The challenge we have, more so than the opponent, is playing with a sense of urgency and a sense of desperation," Stotts said. "The more we do that, the better we are. It's been obvious that when we get down, and start defending and playing with a sense of urgency, things usually work out pretty well." Desperation? "When you're down 24, you get a little desperate," Stotts said. Center Andrew Bogut pointed out that the Bucks had passed this way before. "It's the same problem we had last year," he said. "So I don't know what to tell you in that sense. Every game, it's the same thing. We've got to come out hard. "We've just lost two close games now. We'd probably win those by 10 or 15 if we come and play from the start. We have lapses where we play bad and there are times when we play good. I knew that was going to happen being a young team coming into the season. Now, it's how we adjust to it."</div> Source
Is this some sort of revelation? Harris hired a coach who doesn't make his guys play defense, he hasn't made an effort to improve our defensive personnel...oh wait, no, he acquired Ruben Patterson, and then turned right around and got Villanueva to cancel him out. There are so many problems with this team right now it's not even funny. We've had far too many stupid turnovers, which is a symptom of playing two point guards who really shouldn't be playing PG for more than 15 minutes per night. We don't even try to play defense most nights. There is no leadership; Redd is a lead-by-example guy, and Patterson really isn't a leader despite being the only real 'veteran' we've got. Skinner is a good locker room guy, but when your best leader is your 3rd man off the bench... And like Bogut said, this team has been getting destroyed in the first half. The Rockets and Jazz both had 20 point leads halfway through the 2nd quarter on our home floor. That's totall, completely unacceptable. Let's just say I'm glad college basketball season has started.
