Style of Play: Milwaukee Bucks

I spent some time Friday night watching the Bucks-Lakers game and thinking about the type of team Milwaukee is. The Bucks have missed Michael Redd and Desmond Mason for a significant amount of time due to injury. However, they are twenty-third in the NBA in points per game. Though they lack some depth at the end of the bench, they do have a nice collection of young players who can score from outside.

Often times during TNT's studio show, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith talk about "what type of team are they?". This is referring to the Suns and Warriors being up-tempo teams, the Mavericks being a tough defensive team, the Nuggets having the ability to score a lot of points in bunches, the Spurs as a versatile type of team.

So the Bucks - what type of team are they? I think this identity needs to follow the Suns and Warriors into the fast break mode. With a group of talented guards (Charlie Bell, Mo Williams, Michael Redd), versatile big men (Yi Jianlian, Charlie Villanueva), and wings that can score in transition (Bobby Simmons, Desmond Mason) they seem to have some important pieces. Unlike the Suns, they are missing that big time post player that can get out and run, but I certainly think they would have more success if they began to push the tempo. As they are currently constructed, they play Yi and Villanueva interchangibly - I would play them together. A lineup of Williams, Bell, Redd, Villanueva, and Yi would certainly be able to score. This group would probably struggle to defend, especially in the post, but I doubt the dropoff from Andrew Bogut would be great. In fact, I would look to move Bogut in the offseason since he would no longer fit with the team's plan.

Kansas State freshman, Michael Beasley, would likely be the missing piece for the Bucks to really succeed in an up-tempo offense. Since the 2002-03 season ended with the departure of George Karl, the Bucks have been stuck in a funk trying to figure out their next move. Bringing in a coach that will push the offense and adding a big man with great athleticism would give the Bucks a new look, and likely, a successful one.

Follow-up on Charlie Bell

Obviously to my great suprise, the Milwaukee Bucks matched the Miami Heat's offer to guard Charlie Bell. Bell is set to make $18,500,000 over the next five seasons.

Bell is surely disapointed that he will not be able to play for the Heat in the coming seasons, but he certainly ended up making more money than he probably thought several months ago. At the end of the day, Bucks general manager Larry Harris felt that Bell was too important of a player for his team to lose. Bell will be the first guard off the bench next season, playing behind starters Mo Williams and Michael Redd. Royal Ivey and rookie Ramon Sessions will also compete for time. Swingman Desmond Mason will be used at both the shooting guard and small forward spots for Milwaukee.

With this signing, the Bucks now add Bell to the list with Redd, Williams, Gadzuric, and Jianlian to players who are locked up for the next several seasons. Additionally, both Andrew Bogut and Charlie Villanueva become restricted free agents after the 2008-09 season, and the Bucks will have to make a difficult decision as to whether to keep these players long term.

Desmond Mason is the only significant expiring contract on the Bucks payroll in the near future at $5,300,000. Between a lack of expiring contracts and upcoming long-term contracts for Villanueva and Bogut, the Bucks will have very little cap flexibility in the future seasons.

I personally would have let Bell go to the Heat and filled his spot with a group of young, inexpensive point guards, such as Dee Brown, Royal Ivey, or others. However, I certainly see from a talent perspective why Harris values Bell so greatly. Bell is a versatile guard who can defend two positions. Bell has improved each season in the league and has shown to be very durable.

With Williams, Bell, and Redd in the backcourt, Mason and Simmons on the wing, Villanueva at the power forward, and Bogut and Gadzuric at center the time is now for the Bucks to compete. Add in rookie Yi Jianlian as a wildcard, and the Bucks should be playoff contenders for the next several years. However, if Milwaukee is not able to have success immediately, it will most likely be the end of general manager Larry Harris and head coach Larry Krystkowiak's time with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Explaining the Mid-Level Exception

Brian Windhorst of the Akron-Beacon Journal today summarized the rules around the NBA's "mid-level exception".

Below is his description of this salary cap exception:

The mid-level exception changes every year and can be used to sign one or more free agents. This year it is $5.3 million. All teams over the salary cap, or within $5.3 million of the cap, get the exception. The bi-annual exception must go to one player and can only be used every other year. This year it is worth $1.8 million and the Cavs can use it. These contracts can only be for two years. Trade exceptions are created when trades are unbalanced within the trade rules. Say a player making $10 million gets traded for a player making $7.5 million (which is legal) the team who got the $7.5 million player gets a $2.5 million trade exception. It can be used by itself in another trade. Sometimes teams can just trade salary-cap space for players, creating large exceptions. This is what the Charlotte Bobcats and Orlando Magic did this summer. When a player gets injured and is out for the year, teams can apply to the league for injured player exceptions, which can be used like trade exceptions but can be combined with players. The Milwaukee Bucks used an injured player exception (for Bobby Simmons) to get Earl Boykins last season.

This can be found by going to:
http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/cavs/2007/07/30/the-as-to-the-qs-part-two/