<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">You can call it happenstance, good fortune, a blessing or whatever you like, but the Bucks are hoping to call it successful as the team tries to get back to the postseason. Milwaukee's front office staff, however, knows playoff glory requires more than a good break, which is why the team figured prominently in the free-agent market this summer. Step 1 may not have been luck, but consider it good fortune that Michael Redd chose to re-sign with the team during the offseason rather than go home to Ohio, where the division-rival Cleveland Cavaliers were waiting with their checkbook at the ready. Sure, Redd's contract involves quite a bit more than a little luck -- the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is reporting Redd inked the largest deal in team history -- but it's not bad for a guy who, only five short years ago, wondered how he'd even make the team. Since being selected with the 43rd pick in the 2000 NBA Draft, Redd has had to contend with other teams' best defenders locking him up on the perimeter and taking away the three-point shot. While his accuracy from beyond the arc has dipped a bit, Redd remains a credible threat to knock down the deep ball, while also being able to take it to the hoop and draw contact. The addition of this year's top overall Draft pick, Andrew Bogut, should help spread the floor and give Redd a few extra looks from outside. After watching Milwaukee defeat the odds and claim the No. 1 pick in the 2005 Draft, we watched the team cash in their winning lottery combination by selecting Bogut, who appears the perfect fit for the Bucks. Bogut, who cleaned up on the various collegiate player of the year awards last season, is a legitimate seven-footer, who has the skills and the fundamentals to work in the post at both ends, while also being able to make passes out of the double team. Surprisingly athletic for a seven-footer, Bogut drew the ire of fellow Australian hoopsters when, the day before June's NBA Draft, he shot down comparisons to to his countrymen. "I?ve had a better collegiate career than anyone else from Australia that came over here," Bogut said at the time. "I?m not as slow as Luc Longley, I?m more athletic, I can shoot better, I?m more competitive. So I think it?s not even fair to bring that name up." While the comments filtering back to Longley and other Australians may have been taken a bit out of context, Bogut's confidence certainly was not. It's that type of assertiveness, combined with his international and collegiate experience, which will have Bogut making meaningful contributions to the Bucks from day one. The Bucks also expect a big contribution from Bobby Simmons, who signed with the team as a free agent after winning last year's Most Improved Player award as a member of the Clippers. Simmons joins Joe Smith and the newly re-signed Toni Kukoc in the front court, helping to create space on the floor and let Bogut do his thing down low. The fifth-year player brings toughness on the defensive end of the floor, while creating headaches for defenders when the Bucks are on offense. In addition to re-signing Redd, the Bucks tied up another second-round pick by re-signing Dan Gadzuric, who could be in the starting lineup early in the season, though it's likely he'll soon take a seat behind Bogut. Gadzuric is coming off the best statistical season in his three-year career, averaging 7.3 points and 8.3 rebounds last year. The 6-11 center is a force on the boards ranking second in the NBA at 18.1 rebounds per 48 minutes in 2004-05. In the backcourt, the Bucks received a considerable boost, as T.J. Ford was cleared to return after more than a season away from the game because of a spinal cord injury. The 2003 lottery pick was quickly proving wrong the critics who said he was too small to play the game when he crashed into Minnesota's Mark Madsen in February 2004. As Ford shakes off any rust that accumulated during his lay off, look for Mo Williams to be counted on to keep the offense running smoothly. Now, for what the Bucks lost this summer: Calvin Booth. A victim of the amnesty provision in the new Collective Bargaining Agreeement, Booth will continue to be paid and his salary will count against the team's cap space for the remaining years on his contract, however, the team will avoid paying any luxury taxes on his contract. Booth's departure should not affect Milwaukee as Bogut and Gadzuric should have no problem holding down the middle. Holding down the X's and O's is Terry Stotts, who replaces Terry Porter in the head coaching seat. Stotts served four seasons as George Karl's lead assistant in Milwaukee, with three trips to the playoffs and one to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2001. So, how will Bogut perform in his rookie season? Will Redd make a second All-Star appearance? Can Ford bounce back to his pre-injury form? And can the Bucks claim one of the top eight spots in the Eastern Conference to secure a playoff berth? With a little luck, Stotts may have an answer to those questions and more when the 2005-06 season gets underway. </div> I liked this article. Finally some recognition in the national media for our Bucks
Good read. It's been a long time since I've seen an in-depth story on the Bucks from a national source. Let's just hope there's many more to come, and many wins!
