When I decided to attend the Bucks game against the visiting Lakers Wednesday night it wasn’t because I’m a die-hard NBA or Bucks fan. It wasn’t because I thought the Bucks could win (local Bucks talkshow host Steve Pfeiffer of WSSP said he’d be happy with a 12 or less point loss). Really the only reason I went was because I had never seen Kobe Bryant play in person. He is one of the last superstars from the days when I was a die-hard NBA fan that I had not seen. So I expected to see Kobe play well (39-7-4). I expected to see the Lakers big guys look way too strong for the Bucks. I also expected to see more Brandon Jennings (~ 5min in the 4th and 0 min in OT).
So when there was about 6 minutes left and the Bucks were up by 5 I was just waiting to see the Lakers go on a run. But they couldn’t… the Bucks had a shot and then I saw one of the most shocking scenes not involving Artest punching fans. The refs just changed the course of the game right before our eyes. First, with the bucks still up 5 and only 3:31 left, Gasol makes a short jumper and gets fouled. Shot is good. Free throw is not. However, on the free throw Artest jumps into the lane about 5 seconds early and seems to pull Ilysova with him, who then goes to block out for the rebound. Whistle blows, should be Bucks ball. Instead, they call a lane violation on the Bucks! Gasol gets another chance at the free throw and drains it. Now it’s a 2 point game. Bogut manages to tie it up late and Kobe misses a fadeaway as the clock runs out, sending us to overtime. The Bucks look strong the majority of overtime, despite missing several shots for a stretch they have the lead with about a minute left. Then it really happened. Kobe has the ball about 15 feet out. Everyone is crowding the key, Kobe drives, spins, takes a few extra steps and knocks over two Bucks players. He makes his shot in the process. Whistles blow but there is no call. The refs just stare at each other until finally a block is called. Kobe converts the 3 point play and brings it to within a point for the Lakers. It was the most gut-wrenching backwards call I’d ever witnessed in a live game. After that, the Bucks can’t make a shot and just like a scene from a movie, Kobe hits the game winner.
It really doesn’t matter that the Bucks lost. The two calls I mentioned were a 4 point swing in Lakers’ favor. The NBA and its followers can come up with plenty of examples where the Bucks missed opportunities late to overcome those 4 points. They are all bad arguments though, because they rely on the “what-if” world of revisionist history. I don’t care what happens if the Bucks make a few foul shots. Should they make them? Yes. Might they have changed the course of the game? Maybe. The more important point is that the very hard to defend calls late DID change the outcome of the game.
Former Pistons VP John Hammond is officially the new Milwaukee Bucks GM. It’s a pretty surprising move really, as it almost seems a sign that Herb Kohl is attempting to take the team seriously again. It’s been noted in the past that Hammond has really been the guy calling the shots in Detroit over the years (Dumars has the final say, but Hammond creates the game plan). That said, Hammond created the kind of team that I’ve always wanted Milwaukee to be, and not just the kind that wins. The Pistons have been all about teamwork, defense, toughness and attitude.
The next few months will be very exciting. If Kohl gives considerable power to his new general manager, there should be some sweeping changes. The first stop will be with the coach. Rumor already has it that Rick Carlisle is going to be sought for the soon to be vaccancy. Next comes the players. You have to wonder who would be worth keeping on the team. It could be a player or two being added/subtracted along with some better coaching. It could be a near complete overhall. I don’t want to make too many predictions this early, but I probably wouldn’t recomend buying anybody’s jersey just yet.
Either way, call me a bandwagon jumper all you want, but I’m already signing up as one of the countless people who are actually looking forward to a Bucks season again. There’s thousands of fans in Milwaukee who could not forget about the team quickly enough once MLB spring training started, and many of them are thinking twice about that right now. A move like this at least sparks interest in a team that may as well have moved to Oklahoma City by now, and that’s huge.
So Don Walker of JSOnline.com posted a story where Sen. Herb Kohl admitted that the Milwaukee Bucks lose money, at least in recent years. (blog link)
According to ESPN.com’s attendance report, the bucks are toward the bottom of the league, with about 83% attendance on average. No surprise really, as the closest they’ve come to winning in recent memory is an overhyped trip to the Eastern Finals, which happened 4 coaches and 2 GMs ago. Is it any shock that fans aren’t willing to drop a lot of money on a team that always finishes under .500, tanks the end of each season, can’t keep a coach, signs players like Dan Gadzuric to monster contracts, and has 3 lottery picks that are bigger stars overseas than in the NBA? Let’s face it, the team is pathetic. Hats off to Kohl for wanting to keep the Bucks in Milwaukee, but is it really worth it? At some point it will come down to a new arena being essential. When that happens, the Bucks are going to look to Milwaukee, who is still trying to pay off Miller Park, to front the cash. We will likely end up with the same mess the Seattle fans are in. A struggling team that can’t turn a profit being forced to leave town because the city won’t suffer financially over a bad investment. I say treat them like any other local business… if they aren’t worth spending money on, it’s time to close shop.
I think we all knew it was coming, and the rumors were already in circulation this morning.
Now it’s official. Larry Harris is gone after the season.
If only we could do something about the owner…
