What is krack alacking Hardwood Knocks listeners, I am Dan the Valley, coming
at you without my fan tabulous co host Adam Framwell. I am continuously though
excited to continue our season look Aheads were moving on to the Milwaukee Bucks.
In this one, I have tapped thy Windish. He is a co host
of the Eurostep podcast of the Eurostep Podcast Network on the Blue Wire Podcast Network.
Follow him on Twitter at thy Windish. That's at t I W I
N D I s c H. He's great. That podcast is great,
So check out the Eurostep Podcast and all the stuff that they're publishing over at
the Eurostep Podcast Network. We'll get into a whole lot as usual, though
I have some housekeeping notes and I'll just begin to the thank you you guys
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Hardwood Underscore Knox. Without further delay, let's get into some Milwaukee Bucks talk.
Excuse me, ragining champion Milwaukee Bucks talk with the Eurostep podcast thy windish
Ti. Welcome back to the Hardwood Knox Podcast. I was very amped up
when I prerecorded the intro for this podcast because it's exciting to talk to someone
who is coming off covering a team that just won a title. So the
first and most important question is, how the hell are you doing? Are
you still drunk from the Bucks Championship pade? I'm doing great, So we
were. We had some beverages on the Game six finals postgame pot, and
I think I may have been drunk from then until the parade and then for
another week or two. I did get to go to the parade. I
didn't go to any finals games. I went to one playoff game. It
was the only home playoff game. They lost to a team not called the
Brooklyn Nets, the first Atlanta loss, so I wasn't allowed to go back.
Everyone made it very clear, so I watched all the games from home.
But I did get out to the parade. It was such a great
time. But I think emotionally, I'm still drunk off the box, and
I think I don't know if I'll ever not be We've already got been frustrated
by the team again, so I'm glad that we haven't lost the fastball of
yelling about the Bucks. But it certainly is a lot easier to get over
some of the things you may disagree with when you get to see Honis and
Chris celebrated championship, and also when at the moment your team is not Minnesota
or even as a Bright. Now, the other question that I have to
ask you is have you tried sprite and lemonade together yet? Is that a
thing that already should have been tried When Jannie ordered that at Chick fil A
and I saw that clip. I was like, that sounds so delicious.
I haven't tried it. I was like, that just feels like it makes
so much sense, and that it must be an amazing beverage. I think
either the next day or two days after, I got myself over to Chick
fil A, I didn't get the fifty piece. He calls them mc nuggets,
which I find hilarious. But I didn't score fifty in a clinching finals
win, so I didn't get the fifty piece. I did try the beverage
with light ice. That's a part of it too, be honest, is
the honest is very focused on saving money. He's not trying to pay for
all that ice, which I commend. Yeah, I think he said no
ice in his clip when he got it right, or might it might be
no ice. It might be no ice, that's right. However it was,
I'm pretty sure I ordered it the right way and it was good.
Like I'm not gonna lie. I would probably get it again. I haven't
really been to Chick fil A since then now that it's like the official restaurant,
to be honest, but I think when I go back, I'll probably
get it again, if nothing else, just for the mems of probably the
best IG Live ever, certainly the best clean NBA IG Live ever. I'll
say that, Yeah, that was just an amazing moment. I have not
tried, need to try it eventually. I've actually just never tried Chick fil
a period, so that's probably something I need to remedy. But that was
that had to be like one of the best post championship moments ever. And
even him walking out of the tunnel at one point, like swaying his hip
side to side with his hands in the air. I was just like,
this might be the most wholesome championship celebration I've ever seen because he is so
when I know there's been talking about how other players feel about your honest and
then they did kind of support him coming out after that. But he is
just so from a fan's perspective and even a media's perspective, so infinitely likable.
And so that was someone who just roots for chaos are really good games
in series. The moment, like in the extended moment of it is not
just them winning the title, but the parade right there, Like, man,
I know PJ. Tucker's not on the bucks anymore, but PJA Tucker
might still be drunk from thee that was just so all that stuff was so
funny, cool to watch. Yeah, it really, it really was.
We were joking on the live pod before we did a four hour free agency
live pod, which is probably a mistake, but before he of course signed
with the Heat and that came out, we were joking that, like,
the Bucks were trying to find him. He's probably passed out at harp or
somewhere in Milwaukee, just covered in champagne, and they were trying to wake
him up and get him to sign a contract. Unfortunately it was Heat officials
that were doing that. But yeah, I think one of the most surprising
things for me about the post championship period for the Bucks is, like you
said, you know, Beannest so likable. I thought people were going to
hate the IG live like I thought people were going to get sick of be
honest. I just think it's easier to like and root for someone when they
are the under and after that the honest performance, he's a champion. Now,
you know, maybe the nets variable kind of change this, But a
lot of the times we see, you know, the likable, fun loving
team gets to the top and then everyone's like oh, we don't like them
anymore now that they're there and the honest, you know, one of the
all time great finals performances, but everyone is still like, yeah, we
still like Giannis. So I think that really speaks to just how genuine and
good of a dude he actually is. I think also part of it,
too, was just like his knee bent the wrong way to two and f
we say whatever it was, and then here he is just dominating in the
finals. Was having that that moment for it to think I did take issue
with before we get into the nuts and bolts of their off season what it
means moving forward was them saying that he did it without a super team,
which is like true but also not true because Drew Outy and Chris Middleton are
really fucking good and I've just long been I still think Chris Middleton's underrated.
I thought he had an All NBA case, not this past year, but
the year before when it was really strong, and so I thought it was
like, let's contextualize, like Janis had they got good health. Jannie is
an all time talent. He's the only top ten, top fifteen, top
twenty player on his team right now. But there was the framing of he
did this without help, and it's like Drew Holliday's defense is exhaustive and I
get tired of watching him defend. And then Chris Middleton is just so and
had a lot of responsibility later in games. But yeah, Yannis Is,
that was one of the most memorable Finals performances ever, I think, just
because of the singular moments that he gave us even before they won. When
you look at the block on deandret and specifically which is just one of the
wildest moments I remember watching live. I just still can't. My head's not
computing the ground that he made up on all of that. So congrats to
you, Congrats to the Bucks, Congrats to Jannis, who I personally still
am not sick of either. I certainly am not. I can I can
tell you that, you know, it's it's funny, it's Jannie Is quotes.
You know, I did this the hard way. I think there's some
truth to it. I mean, I think obviously he would have had an
easier path if he went to play with one of another top ten, albeit
even you could say even top five player. I mean, the Nets have
two of those most likely this year. But I do think you know that
it's always been I always kind of set these things out when it's like because
I've seen it both ways over the last three or so years, since twenty
eighteen nineteen. Is you know, people who don't like Yannis say stack team.
Ben Simmons can do the same thing there. It's it's a stack team.
It's built for him and people you know who are more pro honest who
just don't like the Bucks. Oh it's Johannest and a bunch of crap,
and it's you know, Yannis is carrying these bombs. And as always with
these ridiculous you know, extreme sides two or something like this, it's always
somewhere in the middle, like it's not a conventional super team. Like before
they all assembled, nobody was that excited about Chris and Drew and I mean
before they drafted Yannest even Yannas except for the Hawks. But by the time
they all played together and they assembled the pieces, I think, you know,
both of the two complimentary players I think are top thirty ad to Siyes
top rating, and I think they're both somewhere in the top twenty five for
ESPN. So like stars, clearly very good players, great players, but
it's it is funny. I mean, when they paid Chris, people called
it an overpay and said they'd rather have to buy his hairs. When they
traded for jew people said they gave up too much money. And the honest
has heard all sorts of slander over the years. So I think you're right
in that it's a great team. It's a very talented team, and the
top three guys are on par with any top three that's not in Brooklyn.
But also it is funny that they got there after pretty much every move along
the way, at least by some, not everyone, but by some was
more or less laughed at. Yeah, he wasn't even the one that said
he did do it the hard way relative to what he could have done.
He wasn't the one that mentioned the super team thing. Really, it was
just everybody else. So that was more of my Chris Middleton applause. I'm
forever going to die on the chrismascept Hey, I'm right there with you.
Although he had me, I was a little shaky at times, but he
redeemed himself. I don't know how many game tying or winning shots yet the
most sense Lebron and oh seven or something crazy like that. I mentioned this
team before we started recording. One of the issues with looking ahead to this
season for this team is that it's not as compelling if you're trying to frame
it as like, oh, what could they be or what's going to happen.
Let's just pretend we're not going to talk about where they land in the
East yet, because it's just so obvious when we bet for the ends.
Let's pretend there's an air of mystery to the Bucks right now, even though
there isn't. Looking at their offseason, what do you what becomes their biggest
addition or who's their most important player that they added? And I'm looking specifically
at the Grace and Allen, George Hill, Rodney Hoods here. You can
throw Semi Ojela in there if you want to, that's your choice. But
I'm just curious as to who you think is going to play the biggest role
or who's just most important among those new additions for this team. Yeah,
so I think I want to save Hood and Shemmy. I think we have
another question later that I think they're more of an answer too, sort of,
But in terms of biggest addition before the Grace and Allen Trade. I
definitely was on board George Hill being that, And I know, I think
the thing with George Hill and everyone who signs with the Bucks, suddenly the
national consensus seems to sour on them for whatever reason. But the thing with
George Hill is, you know, with Philly he wasn't as effective as they
had hoped, and that it kind of happened with the Bucks a couple of
years back too, in the bubble especially. But I think the thing is
teams have just been asking too much of George Hill. Like George Hill the
last few situations he's been in, whether it's Eric Bledsoe is the starting point
guard on his team or Ben Simmons is the starting point guard on his team,
suddenly he becomes like asked to do a lot in the playoffs, like
okay, we basically we need you to be actually our starter. George Hill,
I don't think he can do that anymore. But the Bucks don't need
that from him. That's the thing. Drew Holliday has proven without a doubt
he can be a championship point guard even if he's not you know, the
ideal Chris Paul Maestro, you know, commanding the basketball, so they actually
just need George Hill to be a backup point guard. I think he's going
to be phenomenal in that role. I think they're gonna do some really fun
two guard lineups with he and Drew. And I think, I mean backup
point guard by the finals was clearly their biggest hole, and I think it
was made to seem even bigger because if you have a good backup point guard,
like I mentioned, you can play him with Drew. The Bucks had
no guards by the time they were in the finals. Dante gets hurt,
Jeff tu had a nice moment in the Hawks series, simply was not playable
for ninety plus percent of his minutes. Flipping him out for George Hill,
I think is really big for the Bucks. I think that's the safe answer.
I think Grayson Allen, though, could end up being that Dante,
who is just such a lightning rod for Bucks. Takes his highs I think
are higher than Grayson Allen's highs for sure, but I think Grayson is much
more consistent. He stayed much healthier than Dante has, and I think having
a guy who could end up being the starting two guard on this team,
getting him for Sam Merrill and a couple of picks that they out from trading
down from the Rockets pick that they got when they acquired PJ. Tucker when
they got off DJ. Augustine. Was truly a pretty wild sequence of events
and goes to show John Horace for all the draft issues the Bucks have had
in the last few years, he is good at flipping nothing into something.
And I think that trade is a really good, very low cost move,
and Grayson could end up being super important to this team. I like the
way you framed the George Hill stuff because sometimes I think it is really as
simple as he's they're trying to upgrade from Jeff tique. They won because it's
not Jeff t essentially, is how you can look at it. And Georgia
also, before he got injured in OKC, he was having a pretty good
year and then it's like, how long did it really just take him to
ramp pap up back up because he was injured slash They weren't trying to win
games, so how many you know, how fresh was he? And then
you go to Philly and I think the expectations there were too high because that
was a team that was in the Kyle Ower sweepstakes. And also the last
time Georgia was good was with the Buck anyway, Like he said, not
as much in the bubble, but he shot like a trillion percent from three
that year with Milwaukee, So I'd probably agree with you there. I do
think Grace and Allen might come pretty close because I and I think this might
even be my next question to go back to that that line. But because
off Donte Devincenzo's injury and just they need to get a little bit deeper outside
of their top five or six guys anyway, and he had sort of an
understated year with Memphis and he's a long term I prefer Donte Devincenzo buy a
pretty large margin, but he's insurance if Donte Devancenzo just goest in restricted free
agency and this team isn't willing to pay him, and so I thought,
and to get him for what they did, which was just basically nothing,
that ends up being huge for them too. But I think I agree that
George Hill by default ends up being that biggest edition. Do you have any
sense of a timeline for Dante's return from that? It's the torn ligament in
his left ankle, and what is you know, will they default to starting
him again when he's healthy or do you think that's sort of up for debate
right now, where maybe they want him in the second unit. Think if
he's healthy by the time they're actually starting the season and he's going to start,
I don't think they would have a competition for that. I don't expect
that to happen. But the funny thing about the timeline is we have no
idea, So the Bucks are doing this new thing. I'm glad. I'm
glad you have no idea, by the way, because when I go like
poking around before send these outlines, I'm like, we haven't heard anything,
Like I must be missing something, But oh no, we've here. These
are the updates we keep getting. He's ahead of the timeline. What's the
timeline. We have no idea what the timeline is. But he's ahead of
the timeline. So the Bucks are being a little a little koy and vague
on purpose, which of course all teams love to do that with injuries.
So he's ahead of some sort of a schedule. Whether that means he's backed
by Christmas, he's ready for camp, we have no idea. I would
assume not camp the sense that we've gotten at the Eurostat podcast network, the
four of us just from reading everything and conversations and whatnot, don't think he's
going to be ready by the start of the year all the way, which
I think then it'll be a little bit of a competition. Maybe Bobby Portis
states a case, but I think the Buck's lack of big depth means that
Grayson Love a really good shot to start. So then I think, then
I think where Dante slides in when he is healthy, given that he's not
healthy to start the year, which is still an assumption that I think depends
on how good they look with Grayson. I think they could look really good
with him. The thing with Dante is just a wild difference between his floor
and ceiling from night to night, and even play to play. I think
if Grayson is just consistent, solid, hits threes, plays okay defense,
the Bucks starting five might look really good with them out there, and then
we'll see what happens when Dante does get healthy. Yeah, that's I would
say, especially on offense, he probably have a better chance of grace now
and being more consistent. I also think because his role is a little bit
more defined because there's like Dante can do probably a little bit more on the
ball, and it's gonna, I think, let's say, test the limits
of what he can do when he sometimes he certainly going to do that.
Yeah, And I do think he's probably a better off ball mover, even
if Grace now and the better shooter and can do more in that respect.
But I like the idea of Dante, even Trenzo. If you want someone
cutting or just attacking, I'd probably prefer him. But yeah, I'm in
total agreement with you there, and hopefully we will date this podcast with this
question. It'd be a true shock if he ended up getting an extension before
the season, right, Yeah, I think so. I just think,
you know, we've had this conversation a lot because basically with the other thing
they did with Grayson, I think you put some fire on Dante because they're
on the same timeline for contracts, right, So, I would not expect
the Bucks to retain both. I would expect the Bucks to retain one of
them, which means they let one walk or they trade one. And I
think really it's there's a couple of things that I think John Hors did to
basically give himself until the deadline to make some more firm decisions. I think
this is one of them. But an extension for Dante I don't think will
happen because we know what the Bucks financial situation is. They're going to be
in the tax it's going to be expensive. I don't think at this point
you can go give Dante even like four for fifty with where they're at,
just with the inconsistencies he's shown, the inability to stay healthy and even on
court inconsistencies, And if I'm Dante, why why would I even want to
take that? Right? Like four for fifty doesn't even feel like a lot
for someone who's shown some of the flashes he's shown, and usually guys restricted
free agency just go get paid. So personally, I just don't think it
would work out. You never know, the Bucks have gone from very high
on Dante to trying to trade Dante too, you know, high on Dante
again. It's a little bit of a confusing thing. But I would not
bet on an extension. I don't think like, given just again, just
the inability to stay in the court and some inconsistencies, I feel like the
Bucks would not want to tie up money in a big contract for him long
term. You can always flip a deal, but it gets a lot harder
if the guy is injured. I think it also leaves him options, as
you said towards the trade of mind, where if you extend him, he
basically becomes impossible to move with the boys and pill provision is he still their
swing piece? Is if the Bucks are so good or just something happens that
we didn't see coming. He's one of the primary reasons why or do you
view what he did for the most of the regular season last year is sort
of just like that's what the most complete version of Dante Devintrensa looks like.
Maybe with an air of more offensive consistency. I think he still could be
seen as a swing piece. I mean, he's old for a guy wrapping
up his first contract, because of course he played for a while at Nova.
But the guy we saw in the first month or so of the regular
season, the defense is great, better off ball than on ball. He
makes some bad decisions sometimes on ball, but off ball, I mean he's
a tornado. He's whirling dervish. He generates turnovers. He starts fast breaks,
which obviously, when you do that with you honest. On the court,
it's basically too sometimes a good thing. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
it's not terrible. But offensively, he started the year draining threes I want
to say, like forty plus percent, maybe forty four percent for the first
several weeks. It's like, oh my god, if they have this Dante,
I don't know how anybody beats them. And that was pretty hardened the
Nets. Now it's like, okay, if the Nets have seven great days,
I don't know if anyone beats them anymore. But with this, with
that version of Dante, it's like, Wow, they've never had a guy
who was this good of a three point shooter and this good of a defender.
I'm obviously when Drew is there, but even period, I think Brodden
wasn't as good defensively and just has a slower trigger on threes than Dante.
But then he got really cold from deep and stayed that way for the rest
of the year and just it just wasn't as positive. So that's the question,
right, like, can he consistently shoot forty percent from deep and continue
to drive and maybe get a little better with the ball in his hands?
The Bucks see him is kind of like a backup point guard option as well.
I don't think it's a thing like they're they're making it a thing.
I don't think it's going to be a thing. I don't think he's got
it. But you know, if he gets a little bit better as an
off ball creator, continues to cut as well as he does, defend as
well as he does, he is kind of a perfect complimentary starter to the
other three guys. The question is can you do it consistently enough? So,
yeah, I think I think it's fair to call him these swing piece
just because if for no other reason, then you pretty much know what you're
gonna get from a lot of the other guys, although some of the new
additions could probably qualify too, especially Rodney Hood. Yeah, that's ah they
got. I thought for the market that Milwaukee is when you look at and
free agency and the guys thinking this because I thought they got pretty good mileage
out of some of their minimums, and I'm just mostly looking at I was
a little bit surprised at what George Hill got after the season he had,
but Rodney Hood specifically, I thought could have gotten more than that. Could
you also in a cent say that Jannis is that player and I'm not talking
about in the context of what if he all of a sudden starts hitting all
these threes or more of his little slow dribble pull ups. There is if
he's scoring in the post or hitting more of his fadeaways and then stabilizing at
the free throw line, as we kind of saw him do later in the
postseason, the bucks become that more dangerous because there's the feeling of inevitable with
Jannis, of game over, like, how are you supposed to He doesn't
need the outside shot, and his game is just so you mentioned the Ben
Simmons stuff before, it's just so drastically different from Ben Simmons on the most
fundamental level of he is so aggressive looking to score, and then there's way
more difference beyond that. So could he sort of still be that guy?
Which is the the wildest thing to say about a finals MVP. I'm a
two time league MVP and just someone who is so good already. No,
I think I almost don't view him as such, just because obviously he played
the best ball of his life. But I think one of the bigger differences
in the latter part of the playoff run with Jannis was just his approach.
He stopped trying to be lebron as much, especially in the half court,
and said, I'll just be a model. I don't want to say better,
but I'll say a more modern version of Shack, right, like a
playmaking finding guys for threes, more at more. Again, I don't want
to shock. Obviously, prime Shack was an all time most dominant force,
but like more athletic, more quickness, a little bit more ball handling,
juice not as bulky, but tam close without strongness. The Honest has gotten.
But that's what he became, right Like. We had never seen the
Honest get fed post touches like this. It just didn't happen. It's not
what he liked to do. He liked to handle the ball and everything else,
and he talked about it a bit, you know, before the playoffs
end during but seeding the ball handling to Chris and Drew and letting them get
him in position, whether it's the chrisy Honest pick and roll that's become nearly
unguardable, with the way Chris can pull up from anywhere and fade away,
and of course if you give him too much attention, it's it's a dunk
or just even posting him up, which we just didn't see all that often,
and it wasn't that great when we saw it. He just had a
different approach, and I think we're not going to see it all year long.
He's not going to play at the five all year long, which I'm
fine with. I'm fine with playing Brook and him and Bobby and him,
although I think the honest is the five portis. But I do think we're
going to see some of that approach carry over, and I think they're just
going to be way better because of it. Right, Like I agree with
you, I don't think he ever needs to shoot threes. I think he's
going to continue trying. That's again he's the antithesis of Ben Simmons, and
I'm fine with him trying, but just work on the shot in general,
work on that fade away, work on the free throws. We saw he's
literally unstoppable when he hits the free throws. He had fifty points and five
damn blocks to clinch of finals. But playing that way, I think makes
that's the best version of the honest when he sticks to that stuff, and
it sounds like I'm trying to limit him I'm not. I'm fine with him
experimenting and working on more of the ball handling and everything else, but I
think we've seen without a doubt that's the best version of the Honest, and
doing that stuff more will make the Bucks way better. I think it puts
everyone in better positions on the team, And I think prioritizing Portis kind of
leans toward the Bucks looking to that long term, because I do think Portis
is a really fun and interesting front court pairing with the Honest playing more as
a center with the spacing he gives you while also letting you bully the boards
the way Honest and brook Lopez can do. So does that make the criticism
of them not retaining PG Tucker overblown? I went, I didn't go back
and forth. I'm always of the mind of you could have kept him.
He did help you, so you should have kept him. The honest PJ.
Tucker minutes, which is what everyone was concerned about, is them playing
without another big. They weren't great during the regular season. They're also very
few because he wasn't there for that long, and then the playoffs that ended
up being like a deadly combination. And you just look at the some of
the defensive workload that Tucker shoulder. Even when he was becoming there are points
where it felt like he wasn't even providing enough defensively to offset what he wasn't
giving you on offense, you know, shooting sub thirty two percent on corner
threes. So I go back and forth on that matter, and I'm just
curious as to where you fall with it. You know, I agree.
I think in a perfect world where you have the you know, most ridiculously
obsessed own balmer, basically ridiculously obsessed owner, yeah keep him cut Mammity Diakite
or Elijah Bryant, who are guys who will never play meaningful minutes for the
bucks. Well maybe Mammady will if he sticks around, because they don't have
a true backup center. But I digress. But yeah, keep him because
there's it doesn't take away any opportunities to get anyone else. And maybe he's
that helpful. Again, I think it was a perfect storm for him to
come in and become a starter and take on all that defensive workload. But
why not, right, why not keep him around? I get why they
didn't. I don't agree, but I do get it right. It's a
lot of money and they're going to be in the tax. Whatever else would
have preferred. They kept him for sure, both for on court and because
he's a Milwaukee legend forever and still talking about Milwaukee and dropping Milwaukee merch which
is awesome. But I do think you look at the playoff run as a
whole basically doesn't play in the Miami Series. Is a starter after that,
indispensable to winning a championship, indispensable for the work on KD in the two
series after that, useful, little less indispensable I mean for that team,
yes, because they just didn't have players, But I think his role in
particular, he was the Kade, the guy who had to guard KD,
and then after that he tried to guard smaller players, which I don't think
his ideal for him. I think it was harder for him to try and
guard a Booker or Chris Paul obviously than it was for KD. He's more
built to defend forwards. I think it hurts more that he's probably going to
end up guarding Jannis and that sucks. But I also think he was their
oldest rotation player by far, and I would have rather kept Portis than him,
even if he was more useful in that run than Portis. Was just
that Portis is on the honest age timeline, and the Bucks love guys who
are that age. Grace and Allen is also around that twenty five twenty six
age range, and I think this is the new Bucks thing, is bringing
these bylow guys who are younger, get them bought in, and then just
find ways to retain them and build that more lasting core rather than, you
know, just just only keeping the thirty four thirty five year old guys,
do you it's you already kind of mentioned and if like it's never Jannis the
five has never been like this huge regular season staple for the Bucks, even
if functionally when he's playing with Portis, there's there's stuff talking about there,
there's letting PJ. Tucker Warks Walks sort of inform that they'll be going to
that but sparingly, or it's just the fact that you already mentioned this,
like they don't have necessarily a true backup center, and even if you think
that they do, importist like it's Portis and Brook Lopez and that's it at
the moment. So I sort of go back and forth there too, as
to what the volume on those Jannis at the five lineups that that everybody loves
and just for context, like he played under five hundred possessions per cleaning the
glass during last regular season without another big on the court alongside him. Yeah,
I think they might do it a bit more this season. Again,
I don't think they're gonna go to it too much with the miles every everyone
in the league has put but especially the Bucks. Now, I just I
don't think they're going to push anybody all that hard this this regular season.
Hobby Portis might be the one guy because he took you know, half of
the playoffs here where he didn't take it off he was he was. He
didn't play half of the Brooklyn series just for defensive concerns, which is the
one obviously huge negative with him, although he got better as the yu and
on. But I think Portist might play a ton because he doesn't have the
miles the other guys. Dude, we didn't go to the bubble everything else.
But I think Ji, honest, Chris Drew are going to be you
know, not being pushed, especially early in the year. But I think
they'll have to go to it a little more because they don't have the backup
five, which outside of the Robin Lopez year, they've almost never had a
true backup five. I mean they had times when they played Merritage as the
backup five and nineteen and it hurt my eyes to watch because he just couldn't
do it. And Portist is not quite there, but he's kind of close.
When they asked Portist to drop to disaster, So I think Jianness will
end up playing kind of some five just by default. I do think they
didn't do it in the past. It wasn't great when they did it in
the past, and there are Bucks fans who believed, like it's not the
way to go. He needs a centex it hasn't worked. My thing was
always they just they don't do it well right, Like they don't have him
played true center. He's still playing as he usually does, but just without
the center back there. I think we saw that shift in the finals that
informs me to think maybe they're gonna have like I think he's gonna play more
real center at times, and I think that is probably their best option.
Although if Lopez finally missed his time for the first time in three years now,
I do think they'll need to add someone because I don't think you want
the honest and Bobby Porter's playing forty eight minutes of center for you, and
that's kind of leads me. My next question is, too, what is
your level of confidence in Bobby Porters providing let's call it, an adequate encore
to what he did last year? And you short have mentioned Brook is not
dealt with anything really serious in the three years that he did with Milwaukee,
but you also look at it, it's like, all right, age thirty
three, you don't have a ton of other options at center like it's portis
after that, So it feels like he's even more important to them this year
conceptually than he was last year, which is they won the title and he
was an important part of that. So certain enough to consider that. So
what's your level of confidence that he's going to give the Bucks that adequate encore?
Especially not that I would say Argue came out of nowhere with what he
did, just because this was someone who like really wasn't couldn't even fit on
a NIX team that was just like throwing players out there beforehand. So yeah,
I'm actually pretty confident. I think portis proved over the year that a
he's entirely bought in to everything the Bucks do. I mean, he's you
know, reaching out to be honest, directly to get some influence on getting
him signed. He bought in. I think crucially when he got benched in
the Brooklyn series, he took it as well as an NBA level competitor can
take it. And that is something that I think meant a lot to the
team and just the Bucks org and that they have what they called the note
a Holes rule, and I think in years past they got a little bit
too soft. I think the addition of PJ and Drew helped them be like
nice guys to maybe seem like a holes to the other team, which I
think is good. Also another way to say it, we dogs, as
p J. Tucker said one hundred and fifty times in his speech, which
was incredible. How they let that dude walk? So I don't don't,
I don't I know, well he said he said before on that speech,
you know, I taught them how to be dogs. So hopefully they can
continue to be dogs. They need that to win a title. That's that's
the way that team has to play. But I think Portis has bought in.
I think he's worked really hard. Clearly that the work on the shot
has shown itself. He shot incredibly well, one of the few Bucks to
make any sort of threes in the playoffs. Basically him, Chris and Pat
were the only guys who could reliably shoot them and Brent Forbes in the first
round. But I think defensively he came along as they went and crucially,
he cannot be a drop defender as a five. He just can't do it.
He gets lost. But when they switch, and they switch more now
when they switch, he's actually pretty good. He was getting cooked by Chris
Paul and Devin Booker, so has everyone else in the universe. Those guys
cook everybody. I thought he stayed in position pretty well, and i'm most
other players he holds up pretty well switching. I think he's a not good
a capable switching defender, which what he gives you on offense, it's probably
worth the tradeoff. I think he's definitely worth the tradeoff to play him.
So I'm bought in. I think he's going to continue to improve. I
mean, he's having a lot of fun right now going on SmackDown and everything
else. But I think he's bought in and trying to win more championships,
and you know, I wish he could have gotten paid right away. I'm
not happy about this, But he also still has to earn the big Bucks
contract because of the way the CBA is set up. So I think there's
no concern for me about like a contract year type of thing because he really
hasn't gotten there yet. So I'm pretty bought in. I don't think he's
going to be like their center of the future. I think if anyone,
it's honest, I think they could still use a backup center. But I
do think he's going to be a useful piece who makes a really interesting front
court with y honest, no matter what position you want to call him,
Yeah, I'd be more worried about. And maybe he's an anomaly in disrespect
because I probably trust when to move laterally more than north south when he's on
defense, which speaks, and that's always been a lot of when you look
at his just rim protection in the past. So the switching, I'm actually
totally with you there. I mean, he's big. He's has a wingspan
of like seven one seven two whatever it is, and so like that length
can can help you against the you know, he's not going to keep up
with like the quicker ball handlers. But there's also no you know, Devin
Booker and Chris Paul have like two of the best mid range games in the
league, and so it's not a matter of just getting by him. It's
because you have to plan against the pull up. So I do agree that
he's just better switching than he would be as just sort of a normal rim
protector. I guess my main concert with him would be does the shooting normalize
at all? Forty seven plus percent from three and he was like close to
sixty percent on two's last year. It was just absolutely it was brain bendingly
efficient the way he played on offense or most of the last season. I
do think part of it that I think the three is probably going to come.
I think they came down of the playoffs. Here I have the number
he shot something. It was everyone's three pointer came down during the playoffs.
Every yeah, every Buck except Pat Connadon. Let's see thirty four point six
percent, which isn't great, but for the Bucks it's awesome. Like Chris
shot thirty four point three percent. If you're a Buck and you're above like
thirty three in the playoffs. It's like God's God's work, which is why
at shooting thirty nine percent was one of the all time great Milwaukee sports miracles.
But I think with Portis he's always going to shoot really well from two
because in addition to the pull up, his midi game is ridiculous. He's
really good at those playing with the Honest, and this is why I was
excited when they first announced it, Like the Honest really hasn't played with we'll
just say big to not bring up the four or five thing again, who's
that athletic and like Springy before you know he's played with Portis, with Lopez,
with Mirror Titch, I guess than Maker. Although Thon was always a
little bit stiff, to be honest, but Robin Lopez like he didn't have
this like other athletic player. And I think Porters finds a lot of easy
buckets. Just like being fast. I don't think anybody in the league runs
harder in transition, not faster, but harder. Bobby Porter is full on
sprints toward the basket and every fast break, and I think it's just hard
for defense is to handle the combined athleticism of he and Ianas. Of course
nat such being such a focal point, it opens up a lot for porters.
His tanasis gonna pick up his twenty twenty three player option. No,
I'm sorry, opt out and get another four year contract. Don't be silly,
and not another will probably get it. One of those I went on
a mini It wasn't a mini rant, but I was just I understand why
the Bucks did it. I would actually argue that his player option is more
explainable than Corey Joseph getting a player option in Detroit. Those were the two
that stuck out where at least the Bucks it was like, all right,
John's his brother and he will play his ass off on defense, I suppose,
but just ad throw than I was just him and Corey Joseph having a
player option is just very funny. What's this? And I feel like we've
kind of danced around a couple times. What's this team's like biggest weakness or
void right now? And I think the common answer will be they It's weird
to say because they ended up missing Dante de Vincenzo last year and Drew Holiday
missed some time with COVID, but they were relatively healthy, and I think
you can still look at this roster despite the additions they've made, despite going
too deep in some positions, and say it could be their depth at large.
But is there anything else that you sort of view as a potential Achilles
healer or just something that you wish they could have improved upon over the offseason
or that they should be just monitoring ahead of the trade deadline in February.
Yeah, I'm actually I'm not that concerned about their overall depth. I think
they have like probably three more guys that can play, even not including Dante
in that count, who obviously didn't appear off tout of their sweep of the
Miami Heat than they did last year. Like I think kill I think I'm
just I'm assuming one of Hood and Shemy is like a useful playable piece,
and then Grayson Allen. So I think they're three. They add three and
lose one and PJ, which hurts, but it's still a net gain of
two guys and then three if you want to include Dante as well, which
we just haven't seen him play in such a long time now. But I
think the real biggest they have two I'll say the one that is like more
surface level, is a true another true center on the roster. I would
like to see. It may just end up being Diakete is the emergency center.
I don't think he's really ready to play, but I will say this
player like they wouldn't. They don't need someone to play twenty minutes a night
at the position. They really need someone to give Lopez some time off or
be lopez insurance and just soak up minutes. Like I don't know if they
signed Bismac beyonbo tomorrow, Like I don't think he plays in the playoffs for
them unless something goes wrong. But I really think it's just a nice It
would be a nice security piece for the regular season, So I would like
to see that happen before the season starts. The real answer, though,
the playoffs answer, they need another big wing defender if they need someone to
approximate? What did you just have to assume if you're winning a championship,
you're beating the nets, And I think if you're beating the nets, you
probably need someone else to throw at KD. Chris did as good of a
job as possible at times. If the nets are healthy, you may need
him to defend elsewhere he's also there go to sharpshooter defender. He does really
well at debt, so would I would presume if the Bucks are healthy,
they would like to start Chris guarding Joe Harris and let him focus more on
offense. And he's just been good at Duncan Robinson, Joe Harris guarding those
kind of players, So I think you honest will take some ups at it
too. He's got to. But I think between giving Rodney Hood a flyer,
which I don't think he'll ever be good defensively enough, but if he
gives you something on offense, and then the chemi thing is pretty clearly like,
let's spend almost nothing to see if we can get an approximation of PJ,
who I think best case semi is ten percent worse on defense but fifteen
to twenty percent better on offense if he chose an aptitude to actually hit corner
threes. And then do you live with that trade off? Right? If
Katie scores another bucket or two a game, and or maybe maybe he scores
the same, but as to work ten percent less hard, because clearly he
didn't have a problem scoring on PJ. It's just Pja made it difficult and
warm down over the series. Maybe maybe it's a little easier for Katie to
score on Semi, but he gives you some more offensively, So I think
they're going to try out those options. Is like the other wing player who
will play but I and I guess the Nazis will get a shot too,
right, Maybe he can improve, maybe he can hit some shots for once,
But I think that's their real biggest need is finding another proven wing defender
and acquiring them at the deadline or buy out season or something like that.
The Bucks always make a trade. I'm sure they will trade for someone no
matter what, but I think that is the position they could use the most.
Someone you can bring in and say you got eighteen minutes on KD,
make him work hard and try not to follow him, and there will be
people in veriable to say, well, why can't Yannis just do it?
It's like that's Yannis does so much more than just that, and so I
hate that that becomes a discussion basically every postseason. It feels like I don't
I don't even have anything to add there. It does seem like you might
even be able to expand it in the front court, it's more border work.
It feels like they's just a fourth big like maybe it doesn't need to
be a true backup center, but like another four just because you know that's
basically just Yannis right now. And then you have Bobby Portis, who I
guess it's both the four and a five, So can you get another four
or five? And then I agree with you on the bigger wing. I
think they're fine playmaking wise. It's on the depth chart, it's like,
okay, beyond the starting line up, there's not a ton, but because
you can stagger Drew Jannis and Chris Middleton because those are your three guys you
added George Hill, you end up being fine there. So I think for
me a four or five might be a little bit more pressing. But then
if you're looking ahead of the postseason, then given how important PJ. Tucker
was, then yeah, you want that bigger wing defender there. When you
do look at this roster, and it's tough to answer this question before we've
gone through any part of the season, knowing what the market is, what
the rumor mills, like, who's available, Who would you identify as most
likely player to be traded? I think it's just still the last guy they
tried to trade. I think it's still Dante between you know, probably not
wanting to pay him a lot right now and having someone who looks very literally
looks very much like his replacement in Grayson Allen, and having that be the
one trade they've made so far I think. I mean, you think about
last time they tried to trade Dante. It was like Dante and salary and
I think second round pick or maybe a couple of second round picks. I
don't think any first for bogdan Bogdanovich was like a very good player. I
don't know if they're going to be able to secure or almost secure someone that
good again. But I think if you could upgrade from Dante to someone who's
a little bit more proven, while including some second rounders or whatever else,
I think they would do that pretty quickly or maybe even positionally. Maybe that's
how they find this four or five. I mean, the salaries never worked,
unfortunately, but just theoretically, like if Harrison Barnes didn't make a lot
of money, I think that could be something that would be very interesting to
me. I think there's some people who would say that's selling way too low
on Dante. I think there's some Bucks people who would say I can confirm
that as someone who got destroyed in the comments section of something I wrote where
I wanted the Bucks to lean into it was a fake trade, and I
had Harrison Barnes. Dante was going to Milwaukee lash Dante was going to Sacramento
last year, and Harrison Barnes is going to Milwaukee, and it got I
got vilified in the comments section of that before. I think I've proposed something
like that too, before we thought we'd actually be able to get bogd in
and then of course we didn't. But I just think Harrison Barnes can play,
and I think he'd be a really nice compliment. So scalable. Everything
he does is so scalable. I really like Harrison Barnes, but someone like
that, it won't be him. The thing about the Bucks is none of
the fake trades are that fun because they have no tradeable salary. Like,
I don't think they'll trade Brook maybe if it's a perfect deal, but I
don't think so. He's the only guy outside of the Big three making more
than a couple million dollars maybe six or so. Yeah, their fourth highest
paid player is excuse me players. Pat Connaughton at five point three millions,
I think he's very tradeable now after the postseason he had. I don't think
they'll trade him either. I think Johannest loves him and he's so so freaking
good in the postseason. I think they'll keep him around, and he's quietly.
I think he's more of a four than a two at this point,
but clearly doesn't have the size or anything to hang with a k D,
so I still think that's a position to need. But I think he's kind
of he's not a four or five. I think he's more of a three
four than than a two three at this point, although if they do add
a four or five, maybe he'll just play three. Whatever. It's enough.
Pat good player, really won me over. But yeah, I think
trading Dante you have to just find someone who doesn't make that much money,
which is what makes it difficult. But you know, if you can secure
a bigger wing player or just you know, maybe a guy into contract for
longer for Dante and something, I think that's the most likely, but maybe
it's just the end up. I don't know. I think they're gonna do
something they always do something. I don't know what it's gonna be. They
need Dame to request a trade, and see in Portland does with Robert Covington
at this point, or hell even Larry Nance at that point. Their their
challenge though, is Robert Company says, one of the least expensive players in
the league. And it's just like the Bucks would even have problems matching salary
and that unless they're step laddering because it needs you look at Dante and then
I would say Pat Connaton just as like salary filler, you can take back
like a twelve point two million dollar player. If you want to like get
above that, I mean, one, you have to be willing to trade
both Pat Conton and Dontevian DiVincenzo. That has to be reality. But if
you want to go beyond that, you have to start step laddering where it's
are you moving George Hill, or you're moving Grayson out, or you're moving
Bobby Portius. If you don't want to move any one of your main four
guys, there's to me, there's a little point in moving a Rodney Hood
just because he's gonna give you more than minimum value. So there's just like
that's their challenge. But because of what they do seem to do every year
at the trade deadline, I'm with you where I think they'll make a move.
I would just be shocked if it's anything beyond like a you know,
like a minor sort of housekeeping like transaction. May even just be a buyout.
I've already identified. I'm calling my shot way too early this year.
I think Gary Harris on a buyout, especially if if Dante struggles to get
healthy. I think that could make some sense to shore up the guard defense
a little bit. He'll fit in with the Bucks motif of not being able
to hit threes and yeah, he's ready for that. So who is the
or not? Who? What do you think? And this is such long
hanging through, but this is the staple question portion of the pod. What's
the Buck's best closing lineup in your mind? I don't know if it's that
low hanging. I think there's a little bit to think about here. I
mean, really the hardly wants Nasis in the closing lineup, but I can
see him in your face. I'm actually huge the Nazis fan, but I
don't want him and pretty much any kind of playoff line up, maybe you
know, with five seconds left in the quarter, see if he can draw
a charge or something, which is no one takes a six second spell of
playing time with more pride and seriousness than the Nazis Aeta Kumpo. But the
question, the hardest part about it is really just figuring out do you want
Lopez out there? And it's not anything to do with Lopez, who you
know, in the regular season last year looks slow. I was worried he
was washed. It's just a sixteen game player. Now I think that's just
what it's going to be. It's it's very igodala ask and that I don't
think. I think Brook Lopez again is gonna look slow in the regular season.
I don't think he's gonna leave it all on the court. I think
he's gonna say it till the postseason, which is this team's goal is to
win there. So I have no problem. But if we're talking like playoffs
closing lineups, Brook is really good. He's still clearly one of the best
five players. The issue is is it worth playing him if if it's less
ideal for jannest and it is less ideal for honest after that first year Lopez
hasn't been that guy from three anymore. He's not drawing that much attention to
his threes, especially in half court, and it makes it harder for Giannis
to do his thing inside. The honest is so great it doesn't matter,
but that's the issue. So I really think it's going to depend on what
you get out of the combo of Dante, Grayson, Allen Rodney, Hood,
Pat Contadan and even Portis and figuring out and it's probably going to be
somewhat a matchup thing of you know, obviously Jannis Chris drew, one of
Grayson or Dante, Like we'll say Dante if it's like ideal, like if
Dante is a little bit better, he gives you a lot of upside,
and then it's gonna be one of Lopez or probably Portis and maybe even Pat.
So I personally think the Portis one has the highest upside. So I
think Jannis can do a lot of, if not all, of what Lopez
can do defensively and offensively. Trying to guard a team that Portis is the
fourth best offensive player is really tough to do considering how cood he is on
offense. And I think that lineup you know, could just really tear through
a lot of teams if they're all playing well together, if Portis is shooting
holds up. Is there a let's say you're the coach, you're Mike Buenholz,
There is there a quirky, unconventional out of left field. They probably
never would on a regular basis or in real life lineup that you would just
want to roll out to see what happens. Mmm, that's a fun question.
I might try. I might try to go huge sometimes and just see
what happens, right, like Lopez, Yannis, Hortus, Chris Drew and
just be like we're gonna score a good amount and we're gonna just try and
grab every single rebound and just bully teams. And you know, your small
forward is guarding one of Jannis or Portis and we and or if you try
to stash someone on Lopez, we're going to clear out and have three shooters
and Yannis and we're just gonna bully you and just like make make everyone sore
the next day. Like I think, I don't think it's a good lineup
long term, but I think it might be fun to throw it out now
and again and really just try to bully. I mean, like Chris for
a two is pretty huge too, Like just really go and play a little
bully ball. I like the idea of that. Yeah, this team is
like not built to really try to try the quirkiness. I like yours.
The only other one that I I could have thought of it is just what
if you put on the floor, like the play their asses off lineup,
and so it would just be Middleton, Drew and Jannie who has to be
in any lineup with shemy Ojola and then Tanasis. I'm just like, I
don't know what the shooting looks like in that, but you just have a
bunch of dudes who are going to play their butt off on every single possession.
So this team just really isn't like built for it because they're too good.
It's a compliment, But yours would be fascinating to watch. I would
absolutely watch what that lineup does. I mean, that's that's the fun thing
about Portous is you can squeeze him into more lineups than you think if you
can let them switch defensively. But the spacing you provide, I think it's
a lot easier to make some of those weird lineups work. And also it's
kind of hard to have a bad lineup with all of Christianis and Drew.
So I think you can try a lot of lineups with those three without getting
absolutely smoked because they're just so damn good. Yeah, I mean, you
have to put them in any lineup that you're talking about. They really could.
Let's say Yannis is off the court, like, let's go Shemy Ojolay
at the five and then Middleton Hood, Donte, Devin Chenzo, Drew and
George Hill or something. Just try something wild like that. But I'm not
about to build a fun line up that doesn't have be honest in it.
That just doesn't It could always be more fun if you throw be honest in
there. So Milwaukee says this recording current win total is set at fifty five
point five. Are you taking me over under or are you taking me over
the under? On that? And where do you see them stacking up in
the Eastern Conference the ladder of which might be the single most boring question of
this podcast. I think they're gonna be top two in the East and either
probably when the finals are loosed to Brooklyn unless something goes horribly wrong. But
I mean, I would love to say that a clear favorite. Nobody sees
them as such. I understand, I'm trying to believe it. It's hard
if you assume Kevin Durant, James Harden, Kyrie Irving and they're a famillion
other old guys are all healthy because the top end talent. I mean,
we talked about the Bucks have three maybe top twenty five guys, maybe top
thirty is easier to say Nets have three like top Tennish guys just brutled it
to try and keep up. But I'm actually the over on the Bucks at
fifty five and a half. Although I said, I don't think they're gonna
play you know, heavy minutes for everyone. I think they're a lot deeper
than they've ever been, considering you know, they've never had a third star
and been this deep. I think they were pretty deep in eighteen nineteen,
but maybe not really especially out in the playoffs, but they were as deep.
But then swapping and Drew for bled Cell just makes you so much better
by default. And I think the way that Jannis plays now, I'm hoping,
even if it's not all game, every game, it's just going to
make them much better. Also, I think it's worth noting this is a
year it's going to be year two of the new Buddenholzer's schemes of like we
switch now and cost them a lot of wins that they were just figuring out
how to do that. They've just never done it, and they weren't good
at it to start, and there was a lot of mistakes. Clearly they
got a lot better over the course of the playoff run, so I think
there's gonna be less newness. I think they're still going to add some stuff,
but I don't think it's gonna be as drastic. So I think they're
really good. I think they're clearly better than every other team but one that
they're going to play. And while I think the East as a whole is
a better, they're most teams are still like two pigs below the Bucks.
So I think they're just gonna kill most teams. I think they're actually gonna
win the most games they've won since Kareem was in town. I think with
the honest they they've topped out at sixty I think sixty one sixty two is
in five for this team. I reluctantly go the over here just because it
does involve them winning at a higher rate than they did last season, but
like you said, they were testing out different things, especially on defense,
that might have cost them some games. I'm still reticent because I'm like,
they just want a title. I wouldn't be worried about Janie replicating anything he
does. He has an emotional attachment to every single possession. That's not going
to change because he has a title. But is there just sort of like
we just won the championship drop off at all? You had Chris Middleton and
Drew Howad they went over and their off season was even shorter because they played
in the Olympics. But I still just they're so normally a very good regular
season team under Boutles, even last year, Like we're talking about them sacrificing
wins or winning at a fifty three fifty four win pace, whatever, and
posting the fifth best point differential per one hundred possessions in the NBA. So
I'm going with the over. I don't feel great about it, but I'm
also looking at someone in the league, and maybe two teams are gonna win
fifty five plus games, And you don't just look at the West and say
it's gonna be this team, maybe Utah is because of what they do in
the regular season. You might even be able to talk to yourself out of
Brooklyn because how many games of their stars play together, So it has to
be somebody or to somebody's and then it's just like, right, it's gonna
one of those is going to be the Bucks. Then that's just what I've
decided at this point. Also, they were basically point shaving when they played
DJ Augustin and or Jeff t and they don't have to do that anymore.
And it should not be understated how big of a difference that will make for
this team. Is there anything we didn't talk about very little Andrew Holiday or
Chris Milton this podcast, And I don't really know what to ask about them,
to be honest with you, but it's anything we couldn't talk about with
this team that you think really needs to be covered. I think it's really
cool that despite all the stupid noise about Batman's or Robbins, with the honest
and Chris that they kind of embraced this thing where like Chris and everyone clearly
understands Yannis is the guy and he can be that without having the ball to
start every late game possession like that was such a topic of not in the
Bucks. I don't think they ever cared that much, but like maybe like
five years ago when they were first getting good together, but outside of the
Bucks, it was such a topic right of like is Chris actually the best
player? No, he's not. Watch the games you can tell he's not.
But he is the best guy to have the ball in his hands late
in games. And they just like made it work, right, Like they
were just like, we don't care if this is unconventional. We're gonna let
Chris handle the ball at first and hit a bunch of game winning shots and
also get the ball to Yannest to hit a bunch of game winning shots.
And it's not a concern. I think it's so like almost poetic that this
team that you know, when they first came together, they were the worst
team in the league. They were on that team together. I think they
were both the worst players in the league in two k and like consecutive years
or something. And the fact that they made this weird partnership work is super
cool. I think Drew being the second best player on the Olympic team just
I'll give you a Chris thought and a Drew thoughts. We haven't talked about
him. I think it might be really good for him. I think he
struggled a bit being a real point guard at sometimes. I mean, obviously
the defense was always there, usually the playmaking was, but he made some
pretty bad decisions on shooting and passing. He got a little I think panicky
with some of his shots, especially before the end of the finals, early
in the finals and throughout the Brooklyn series. And I think I think the
confidence of winning a championship, of being a very good point guard on a
gold medal team, I think he might come back and even be a little
bit better than he was at last year. Although he was great in the
regular season he made all his threes, but in the playoffs, I think
that fell off a bit. I don't think he's gonna make all his threes,
but I think he might be even better of like a true point guard,
which would be good for this team, even though Chris will be handling
the ball late in games because he's awesome. I loved It's the honest and
Chris middles has been to give for now eight years is gonna be a year
and that just doesn't really happen with guys in the NBA today. There's Stephen
Clay and andre I guess had been together that long gol and State, but
like that's so unique and their dynamic, I think is really it's more come
to lay bare, like over the past few years where it's like it was
last season where it was Chris that gave Janna's pens for his birthday to sign
his extension with Right and so like stuff like that just cou Yeah, so
stuff like that cousi into you know, the dynamic or the pecking order in
certain situations doesn't really matter. And then it's nice to see it backed up
on the court where you know there wasn't like feathers being ruffled when Chris wasn't
the primary ball handling crunch time for so long. And then last season Yano
Yano Janni's claims to be but he doesn't even claim to be. But like
the whole narrative around Yannis is he's egoist and doesn't care. And then you
see what they're actually doing in crunch time where they've taken the ball out of
his hands for a lot of the possessions. They want him to move off
and work that way, and he's just fine and he's gonna do it.
And so to have two guys like that, and then to add and Drew
Holiday, which just seems like such a like the perfect personality fit for this
team. They have something special there, but just with Middleton and Janna specifically,
like you touched upon, and maybe I'm more nostalgic for it, even
though it's happening now, because we don't see partnerships last this long in the
NBA title winners are so fleeting. Maybe the Bucks proof leading because so many
different things can happen. But right down the Yannis just coming back, we're
not even coming back signing his extension, Middleton sort of staying there never you
know, he's a Max Automax contract. Never sorted to seem to bristle for
more, and the Bucks at least steadfastly agreeing because it was even before.
It's funny that last season was oh is Yannis? Actually the robin went through
up until last season it was just can Chris Middleton even be the number two
on a championship team? And so it's just funny how the goal pulse will
move like that. So they have something special specifically between those guys, and
I hope, I hope they played together for for a super long time because
I very much enjoy them. And like I said, Chris Middleton's not even
a guilty pleasure of mine. I've just been in love with the way that
he's played basically ever since he's busted out in Milwaukee. Yeah, and I
think just expounding on like what they've built there, I think totally agree on
the three personalities, and I think under at least for me, underrated part
two was I think Bud works really well with all of them, and I
think for all the faults and certainly not you know, whitewashing some of the
terrible stuff he's done in past postseasons coaching wise, which I still still quibble
about people with people to this day, I think personality wise, he's a
great fit. I think he's part of the reason that team was able to
stay together through some you know, really gut check losses like the Raptor series,
being up to oh and then being an ot with a chance to win
and blowing it. And the Raptors were good, but they blew it.
I mean, you're up to oh. And of course the Bubble was a
disaster, right before Jannis could have not signed and gotten out of there.
I think budd has a lot to do with what they've built there, at
least chemistry wise, and also by the end he was coaching his ass off
too. But also we had Chase Buford, who was on the bench for
that run, the former coach of the her the Bucks G League team,
on the pod like a month ago, and he was like, no,
Jannie is actually like that guy too close up. So Chase his r C.
Buford's son, so he was around the Spurs a lot in their heyday,
and he's like, it's definitely Duncan esque of like it all starts and
ends with him. And that's just how it is in the league when you
know the star player is that important, not just to the performance, but
to like the culture of the team. I think that's really why the Bucks
are so lucky to have Yiannis, because we've seen in New Orleans, hopefully
not twice in a row now, you know, all over the league where
you can achieve more than the Bucks did before this past year with a player
of Jannest's caliber and still lose them because you know, things go wrong,
they're get unhappy, they're not dedicated or whatever else. Jannie being the guy
who he is both one of the greatest players ever I think, and who
he is as a person is the only way all this happens for the Bucks.
I think that Steph Curry, I think, shares in that same sort
of a mentality, and I think it makes it all the more special to
get it done after all the years of not getting it done. The Mike
Budenholzer conversation is so interesting because he was just so much better this past year
in terms of testing out things, playing his stars heavy minutes, and he
was even if you didn't think he was the reason they won certain games,
he was not as often the reason they didn't win important games. And nothing
ever boils down to one moment. But if Kevin Durant's foot is behind the
line, and it's a meme and it's one of them, is my memes
that went off. But it's true, he's probably not the head coach of
the Bucks right now. Instead, he has an extension, is a championship
coach. We're talking about him being a perfect fit. You're tweeting about how
he deserves a lifetime contract. I saw a few times that's also just funny
how things work out here very quickly. Final question, who is the non
Nets team that would concern you the most or you'd think could give the Bucks
the most problems in the Eastern Conference. Oh, honestly, I think like
Miami would be the popular answer. I've been low on them. I think
there's something to it, but I'm a little scared. Offense has the potential
to be really shaky. They're two best players don't shoot threes right now,
and that's an actual problem. And now you need PJ Tucker off sudden be
a better three point shooter than he was during the postseason. So yeah,
there's definitely a fuck you to their defense, which I think it terrifying the
opponent. But I'm totally with you offensively. Yeah, and I think,
I mean, I'm getting killed by Heat Twitter for saying this, But Jimmy
just was not that same guy in the playoffs. I think the Bucks are
pretty well built to stop him. I think they still are, even if
Flowery there makes it harder and the Heat still don't have the spacing I think
to let Jimmy and bad get off. But I think the real answer,
and I'm not super scared of anyone elseide of Brooklyn. But if the Hawks
to take another step forward, I mean they're just they're really good. They
were really good, and I don't think they'll make another conference finals run because
the top two teams are just better. But like if Trey got a little
better, if John Collins got a little bit better, any of their multitude
of young wing players, like Cam Reddick like a guy who could be a
star. Bogden could even if he stays the same. He's just really good.
Like, they've got a lot of good young players. They're very deep,
They've got a legit superstar who can play in the playoffs. So I
think then like if everything goes right for the Hawks, I think they could
be a legitimately scary team. Again, I don't expect it too but you
never know. And they have a lot of options and flexibility right now,
the team they keep coming back to just beyond Atlanta and Miami, who are
the two teams. I would also mentioned if Toronto decides not to blow anything
up or make any major changes, and like they get good health and they
hit on some of their guys. You just look at the defensive talent they
could field, and to me, it becomes a matter of can you eke
out just enough shot creation against Milwaukee? I would argue no, and I
would say that ten times out of ten. But they're just a team.
I think people are sleeping on where everyone thought they should have pivoted into this
rebuild post Kyle Lowry. But I think if they're healthy, they have the
potential to really muck the Eastern Conference pecking What are up beyond Milwaukee Brooklyn,
of course, but I think they could give anyone a really tough matchup in
any given series. I'm very interested to see what they do for Draggas because
I think it'll be a little bit of an indication of where they want to
send him swag. He's there for good. They sent him a swag baggage.
I think that's a very smart thing to do when Dallas is expecting him
for free and you're trying to extract something for him. I'm just interested.
I know all that they've said. I know their rookie said win forty six
times in an hour, so that's why they drafted him. But I'm just
interested. Yeah, no one thought they would settle for going Draggets and precious
a chewa for Kyle Lowry. And they did, so anything anything's on the
table. I didn't think it was wild. Mavericks fans did not want to
give up White Powell in a perspective Draggas trade like they don't want to pay
Draggets all that money even though it is expirment contract. This is not a
Raptors or Mavericks podcast though, TI thank you so much for coming on.
This is great as usual. Or you're able to tell our listeners where they
can find you and your work as always available for a plug at ty windowsh
on Twitter, T I W I N d I s H share pretty much
everything, all sorts of bucks, thoughts and everything else. But the Eurostep
Podcast Network is pretty much where all of my work has found. So as
the name says, you can find that on the same podcast feed. You're
listening to this terrific podcast and you should give them both five star rating and
review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen, but especially Apple. We also
have a substack and a YouTube, so the YouTube you can just search euro
Step Podcast Network. The substack, I believe it's subsect dot com slash GESPN,
but if you go to b I T dot l I slash fine,
GESPN you can find links to pretty much everything, so that works too.
And if you have the opportunity to go back and listen to the Eurostep Networks
first podcast after the championship, drop some of my favorite takes of the ads.
You guys just went I was, I was in love with it,
So if anyone gets the chance go check that out. Ty, thank you
so much again, rest as short and I'm sure, as you know by
now, I will be pestering you again in the future. Can't wait.
Thanks much, Dan M.