<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Since Day 1 of training camp, the Milwaukee Bucks have been working on developing a potent running game that will enable them to put some easy points on the scoreboard. But now, three weeks into the exhibition season and realizing their potential to get into the open court, the Bucks are talking about establishing a Running game . . . with a capital R. "I think we have a lot of offensive talent," coach Terry Stotts said. "But it's a matter of it coming together." The Bucks will conclude their exhibition schedule with games tonight at Dallas and Wednesday at Denver. They then will have five days of practice time to prepare for their regular-season opener next Tuesday at Philadelphia. Some of the Bucks have become so encouraged by their potential to run that the magic word has been dropped. Phoenix. The Phoenix Suns, going with a small and quick lineup, put new meaning into the term fast break last season by running past their opponents and averaging a league-high 110.4 points per game. The Suns posted a 62-20 record last season, best in the National Basketball Association. Although the Bucks wouldn't seem to be a 60-victory team this season, they do think they have the capability to get it and go, as the Suns did last season. "We've been working on getting up and down the floor," point guard Mo Williams said. "That's the way Terry wants to play, especially when we get a team on a back-to-back. They don't want to run like that. That's what Phoenix did to a lot of teams. They just ran them out of the gym." The Bucks have the potential to be explosive on offense when they go with a smaller lineup that includes T.J. Ford and Michael Redd at guard and Desmond Mason and Bobby Simmons at forward. When Stotts has played Ford and Williams together at guard, the Bucks become even quicker and have the ability to fly down the court on the fast break. If they defend and rebound, that is. And to Stotts, that is the catch. The Bucks, possibly because some of their big men have been injured during the exhibition season, have been pounded on the boards at time during the exhibition season. And, playing defense has been a challenge for them at times. If the Bucks expect to run, they will need to do both. "You've got to defend and you've got to rebound," Stotts said. "Or you've got to defend and you've got to come up with the ball. There's a balance there. The one thing that's overlooked in what Phoenix did last year, they were for most of the season 12th in defensive field-goal percentage. I think they ended up 14th. I think that's something that was overlooked in Phoenix as far as their style of play was that they were getting stops. They would run after makes but they were getting a good amount of stops, too."</div> Source
On top of the rebounding/defense thing, they've got three quality centers who are all too slow to participate in the running game. They really need an Amare-type player for this to work.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Seattle.:</div><div class="quote_post">On top of the rebounding/defense thing, they've got three quality centers who are all too slow to participate in the running game. They really need an Amare-type player for this to work.</div> I don't think that our centers are incapable of running the floor. Magloire is pretty much a post player, and getting up and down the floor is something he's going to have to work on. Other than him, however, our post players can run. Gadzuric is very energetic and gets up and down the court-he's one of the better transition rebounders in the league. Bogut is an athletic guy, too, and I'm sure he'll get up and down the court. In college he played in an offense that revolved around him, so it wasn't as important to get out and run the floor. The tools are there, though. It'll just take some time. Joe Smith is another very athletic post player, when he's healthy. I think we'll have no problem running. If we want to go to a lineup that can be quick and run the floor, we can use Gadzuric at C, Bobby at PF, Kukoc at SF, Redd and T.J at the guards. Or we could even keep Kukoc on the bench and slide Mo Williams in for a three guard look. I don't think this team is going to have any problems running or rebounding in transition. It's the halfcourt defense that I'm most worried about...
It may be a great way to start off the game to build a quick lead but they will have to get their bigs involed especially when thinking about their development but whoknows maybe their running game will get them into the playoffs.
