The Milwaukee Bucks entered the 2010-2011 season with high expectations, both for themselves and from the media.
However, a myriad of injuries and some underwhelming performances have Milwaukee sitting eight games below .500 through 46 games. The good news is in today’s Eastern Conference, a 19-27 record is good for ninth place, just half a game behind Charlotte for the final playoff spot.
While there have been injuries aplenty league-wide this season, Milwaukee has arguably been hit hardest, with its top seven players missing a combined 110 games. Sharpshooting forward Carlos Delfino, who suffered a severe concussion just seven games into the season, is finally back in the lineup following a 32-game absence. Chris Douglas-Roberts missed the first fifteen contests with an eye injury which will require him to wear protective glasses for the remainder of his career; and starting center, and current league-leader in blocks-per-game, Andrew Bogut, has dealt with several minor injuries costing him seven games.
Similarly, guard John Salmons has been banged up of late, missing nine games, including the last eight (and counting) with a right hip injury. Offseason addition Drew Gooden’s ongoing bout with plantar fasciitis has resulted in 21 missed contests, including the team’s last six. Perhaps the most costly injury of all came December 18 at the Bradley Center when star second-year point guard Brandon Jennings went down with a broken foot, costing him 19 games.
Despite the significant time missed by key players, Milwaukee has found a way to stay in contention in the NBA’s far less deep Eastern Conference. In Jennings’ absence, seldom-used veterans Earl Boykins and Keyon Dooling stepped up nicely and played surprisingly well, leading the team in scoring on several occasions. Even the often sporadic Corey Maggette has increased his production of late, averaging 20 points per game over the last four contests.
However, inconsistency has been the calling card for Milwaukee all season, as the Bucks have failed to put together a winning streak of greater than three games. Several players, namely Maggette and Chris Douglas-Roberts, have played exceptionally well on certain nights but then failed to produce on others. Maggette, notorious for his weak defense, has fallen in and out of favor with Coach Scott Skiles throughout the season, as evidenced by his production (October: 16 points per game, November: 11.6, December: 7.9, January: 16.0).
Perhaps more vital to the Bucks’ current standing than any player contribution has been the weakness of the rest of the Eastern Conference, particularly the Central Division. A 19-27 second-place team is almost unheard of in today’s NBA, but so is the case when Detroit, Indiana, and the lowly Cavaliers (losers of 31 of their last 32) are your division rivals. With the exception of the Chicago Bulls (11-0 versus division foes), the Central division is among the sorriest in the NBA. Here are a couple examples to put it into perspective: the bottom four teams in the division (Milwaukee, Indiana, Detroit, and Cleveland) have as many combined wins (47) as the bottom two teams in the Western Conference’s Southwest division. If Milwaukee were in the Western Conference, the Bucks would currently be the 13 seed, 20.5 games out of first place. Basically, Milwaukee picked a great year to be plagued with injuries.
Despite the injuries and less than impressive first half, the Bucks, predicted to finish as highly as fourth in the East in the preseason, have to be confident that they can earn a playoff spot. The upcoming All- Star break should give players such as Salmons and Gooden the chance to fully recover and be ready to make a strong second half push.
If this happens, Milwaukee must improve on the offensive end. The Bucks rank last in the league in points per game (91.9), as well as assists (18.3), two statistics that must improve for the team to succeed. Defense, a staple of Skiles-coached teams, has not been an issue, as Milwaukee ranks fourth in the NBA in points allowed per game (93.1). If the Bucks can keep this up and stay healthy, there is no reason a playoff spot is out of reach.