The NBA season is once again upon us — actually, let's call it a marathon. And for the Milwaukee Bucks, this is an especially crucial year, one that in all reality does hold a little more meaning than the past couple.
Rarely have the Bucks had as eventful of an off-season as they did this summer. Two years ago Milwaukee was in full rebuilding mode, unloading the final semblances of the "Big Three" and starting anew with a young and unproven batch of players.
But, one surprise playoff appearance and one colossal crash back down to earth later, Milwaukee finds itself at a crossroads. After playing with the league's equivalent of pocket change over the last two seasons, general manager Larry Harris got a little bit of a bump in the old allowance this off-season, courtesy of the deep pockets of Sen. Herb Kohl.
And with that cash, Harris went on a spending spree, re-inking star guard Michael Redd to a maximum-level contract (six years for $90 million) and backup center Dan Gadzuric (six years for $36 million) and adding swingman Bobby Simmons (five years for $47 million). Harris also got a present when the No. 1 pick in June's draft improbably landed in Milwaukee, allowing the Bucks to add Australian big man Andrew Bogut.
But Harris wasn't done. He waved goodbye to head coach and Milwaukee native Terry Porter, who was entering the final year of his contract weeks after putting his arm around Porter and saying the two would "sink or swim together." Then, he brought back former George Karl assistant Terry Stotts to run the show.
To top it off, Harris sent swingman Desmond Mason packing, swapping him for Hornets center Jamaal Magloire — essentially completely a total remolding of the team's roster since taking over.
Harris has transformed the Bucks from a team with no expectations to a squad that should — in large part due to the money invested in this roster — be disappointed with anything short of a playoff appearance. And a lackluster season will not go over well in Brewtown. For better or worse, Milwaukee will be stuck with the hefty contracts Harris handed out over the summer. Stotts signed a three-year deal, and Bogut inked a $26 million rookie contract for five years. So, yeah, the Bucks will be playing with their current hand of cards for the foreseeable future, meaning this year should determine quite a bit — namely the future of a franchise that has endured its share of ups and downs over the last decade.
If the worst happens, meaning Redd isn't the star his contract says he is, Bogut is in fact the next coming of Luc Longley and Simmons' breakout year for the Clippers last season was simply a mirage, then Milwaukee will be stuck with a marginal core to its roster without much money to tinker with in the coming years. Now, the chances of all three of those scenarios (or any for that matter) playing out are not likely.
The more probable reality is this team will play its way into the playoff hunt, with the biggest question being whether it has the combination of toughness and skill to crack the top-eight in a tight Eastern conference race.
Either way, that fate, and in turn the long-term prospects of the Bucks will be largely determined by the next 80 games.
