After the first two weeks of the new season, nobody in the NBA is respecting, much less fearing, the deer.
Sporting a 2-5 record through seven games, the Milwaukee Bucks’ quest to return to the NBA Playoffs is off to a slow start. The team is averaging the fewest points per game in the league, due in large part to the inability for any single player to step up and shoulder the scoring load. No one on the Bucks’ roster is averaging more than 15 points per game, and the team is averaging 89.6 points per game as a team. The situation may appear worse than it actually is, however, as one of their losses came against the reigning Eastern Conference champions (Boston Celtics), and two more to a surprise team that remains undefeated after their first six games in the New Orleans Hornets.
This Milwaukee team came into the season trying to improve on the 46-win season from last year, in which the squad made the playoffs for the first time in four years. They return almost all of their notable players from last year’s team, and even added prolific scorer Corey Maggette in the offseason. Maggette was brought in to provide head coach Scott Skiles with some instant offense off the bench, and he has not disappointed. He has averaged over 13 points a game in just 20 minutes of action so far. The problem with the ex-Golden State Warrior is his shooting percentage, which is hovering around 36 percent from the floor. That is a major contribution to the team’s 39.9 percent field goal percentage, which ranks as second worst in the NBA.
Former No. 1 overall pick Andrew Bogut has returned from a horrific arm injury suffered in a game last April, and he has shaken off the rust to the tune of 14.8 points and 11.5 rebounds per game thus far. 21- year-old rising superstar Brandon Jennings put up the first triple-double of his young career on Oct. 30, totaling 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists as the Bucks beat the struggling Charlotte Bobcats. Even Carlos Delfino and John Salmons have added a serviceable 13 and 11 points per game, respectively. However, no one player has risen to the occasion night in and night out, and the team’s record is suffering because of it.
The Bucks are hoping that veteran sharpshooter Michael Redd will fill the scoring void once he returns from injury. Redd, who was an All-Star in 2004, has averaged over 20 points throughout his NBA career. He blew out his left knee during the Bucks’ 2008-2009 season, and has struggled to stay healthy and produce on the court since then. He had surgery on the knee in the 2009 offseason, but then reinjured it just 18 games into last season. Redd had a second surgery eight months ago, and the 31-year-old has said that he remains very cautious with his recovery. He does not want to permanently damage the knee, which would diminish the rest of his career as well as Milwaukee’s future. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has reported that Redd may not return until February of 2011, four months into the season.
The Bucks’ other prominent injury from last season, Bogut, claims he still feels pain in his arm when he shoots. He is also dealing with migraine headaches, and actually had to miss last Friday’s win over the Indiana Pacers because of them. He has dealt with migraines his whole life, and has yet to find a surefire way to keep them from affecting him. If Bogut can rid himself of these injury problems and Redd returns in strong form, the Bucks will have a dangerous group of players who can win on any night. Until then, however, they may remain cellar dwellers in the Eastern Conference.