<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Early in the National Basketball Association season, Milwaukee Bucks backup center Dan Gadzuric patiently awaited his turn to become a viable part of coach Terry Stotts' rotation. That time finally appears to have come for the 6-foot-11, fourth-year player out of UCLA. With starter Joe Smith sidelined after undergoing knee surgery, Stotts is turning more to Gadzuric as a member of his second unit, and Gadzuric has produced. "I'm playing a whole lot more and I'm trying to make the best out of it," Gadzuric said. "So far, so good." Gadzuric's coming-out party occurred Saturday night in a victory over Orlando, when he scored 16 points - 14 in the fourth quarter - and grabbed six rebounds in 18 minutes. He then had 12 points and eight rebounds in 19 minutes in a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, and had six points and six rebounds in 21 minutes Wednesday in a victory at Philadelphia. In the last three games, Gadzuric has averaged 11.3 points and 6.7 rebounds in 19.3 minutes per game and shot 59.3%. Stotts has said all along that he has never had anything against Gadzuric and that his lack of early season playing time was more a reflection on how well Jamaal Magloire and Andrew Bogut were playing rather than anything Gadzuric was doing wrong. "All three of those guys - Jamaal, Andrew and Dan - their natural position is at center," Stotts said. "I can play them together at times. But how much mileage you can get out of playing those big guys together, I don't know how much over the course of the game. Especially since different teams at some point go small. Every team goes small at some point. So it's difficult to maintain a big lineup out there." With Smith out and Magloire and Bogut starting, Stotts is trying to bring Gadzuric and Toni Kukoc in off the bench together. Kukoc didn't play against Philadelphia because of a neck injury but Gadzuric feasted off Kukoc's passing in the game against Orlando. Four of his seven baskets came on assists from Kukoc. Stotts agrees that a window of opportunity has opened for Gadzuric. "Dan has played very well but a lot of that is when Toni has been on the court and so Dan has been getting his minutes at the center position," Stotts said. "It's still managing the minutes. But the way Dan has played and has come in and been ready, he's going to have that chance." That hasn't always been the case. Gadzuric did not play in four of the team's first 14 games. In the 10 games in which he appeared, he averaged 3.6 points and 3.0 rebounds in 10.3 minutes per game. Included was a stretch of nine games in which he played a total of 34 minutes. Gadzuric, who started 81 games last season and averaged 22 minutes per game, admits that was a tough time for him. "It's always difficult for a player to sit on the bench and not be able to play," he said. "But that's part of the game. So you've always got to stay focused and stay ready. Keep working hard and the times you don't play, practice hard. "Some players start and then they sit on the bench. It goes back and forth depending on the lineups and how they want to use the players. As I said, stay positive and the time will come." </div> Source
I've been very happy with Danny's play the last couple of games. He's bringing his traditional energy, rebounding and defense, but he's also got an improved offensive game. He's still going to get most of his points on a dunk when someone else gets in the lane and draws defenders, but he's becoming more of a complete player. The only troubling part of his improvement is that I know it means he's probably going to be traded soon
Danny won't be traded as long as Joes out. You really think Larry wants Erv as the back up big man...Don't think so
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting gmanspack:</div><div class="quote_post">Danny won't be traded as long as Joes out. You really think Larry wants Erv as the back up big man...Don't think so</div> I sure hope Larry isn't thinking about Erv as his main backup The way I see it, there are probably going to be a lot of teams who become interested in Danny as the season goes on and injures, etc happen. He's the kind of guy who will really help a team without breaking the bank. I sure as hell hope he stays, I love how the guy plays! But I can't see us holding on to him with all the other guys we have, once Joe comes back. That and the fact that we could use some perimeter defense, and I don't think Charlie Bell is going to get enough minutes to make a big enough impact. I just have the feeling that Larry will be wheeling and dealing again before long...
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting gmanspack:</div><div class="quote_post">Danny won't be traded as long as Joes out. You really think Larry wants Erv as the back up big man...Don't think so</div> I agree, the strength for this roster is their depth in the frontcourt. Plus you have to prepare for Bogut hitting the rookie wall, and it's becoming obvious Bogut/Magloire cannot handle quicker big men when they are on the court together. I'm not sure what the Bucks would need in return either. Schaddy you mentioned perimeter defense, but once Simmons heals up, you'll see an improvement. It was one of his underrated contributions to the Clippers last season. I think this team has great balance with the current makeup of their roster. They just need some time to gel and learn each other's tendencies on defense. If you look at the starting lineup, the only starter from last season is Michael Redd. Everyone else is new, plus a new coach, so there's going to be inconsistencies early on.
