NBA

Bucks Open Summer League Play Against Detroit

June 13, 2018 By Bill Scott

The Milwaukee Bucks will open up NBA Summer League play in Las Vegas on July 6th against the Detroit Pistons.

The complete schedule was released on Tuesday and for the first time ever, all 30 teams will participate in the league.

The Bucks will also play the Mavericks and Nuggets in preliminary round play before being seeded in a tournament. Each team is guaranteed a minimum of five games.

The Bucks are expected to put last years rookies, D.J. Wilson and Sterling Brown on the Summer League roster, as well as the teams draft pick this year.

Bucks Name Assistant Coaching Staff

June 7, 2018 By Bill Scott

The Milwaukee Bucks have named Darvin Ham, Taylor Jenkins, Charles Lee, Ben Sullivan and Patrick St. Andrews as assistant coaches on the staff of Head Coach Mike Budenholzer. In addition, Sean Sweeney has been retained by the Bucks as an assistant coach.

Ham spent the last five seasons as an assistant coach with Atlanta, including the last two as the lead assistant under Budenholzer. Ham played eight NBA seasons for six teams, including three years with the Bucks, from 1999-2002.He won an NBA championship with the Detroit Pistons in 2004.

In 2014-15, Ham, Jenkins, Lee and Sullivan were all part of Budenholzer’s Eastern Conference All-Star coaching staff, as the Hawks recorded a team-record 60 wins, including a team-best 19-game win streak, en route to the club’s first-ever appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Sweeney returns to the Bucks bench for his fifth season and first under Budenholzer. Before joining the Bucks, he was an assistant coach in Brooklyn for one season and prior to that spent two seasons as the Nets assistant video coordinator.

Antetokounmpo named to All-NBA Second Team

May 25, 2018 By Bill Scott

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo has been named to the All-NBA Second Team. He is joined on the Second team by Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook, San Antonio’s LaMarcus Aldridge, Toronto’s DeMar DeRozan and Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid.

Antetokounmpo set career highs in points per game (26.9), field-goal percentage (52.9%) and rebounds per game (10.0).

The All-NBA Second Team honor is the second straight for Antetokounmpo. The two players that finished in front of him and thus garnering first team honors were LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State’s Kevin Durant.

The last Bucks player to make consecutive all-NBA teams was Sidney Moncrief, who earned the recognition five straight seasons starting in 1981-’82.

Antetokounmpo is the fifth Bucks player to be selected to multiple all-NBA teams.

Antetokounmpo falls short of NBA Defensive honors

May 24, 2018 By Bill Scott

The NBA released it’s all defensive teams on Wednesday and Milwaukee Bucks all-star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo fell short of both the first and second teams.

Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans) and Robert Covington (Philadelphia 76ers) earned the forward spots on the first team. Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors) and Al Horford (Boston Celtics) took both spots on the second team.

Former Marquette standout Jimmy Butler of the Minnesota Timberwolves also made the second team.

Bucks make Budenholzer’s hiring official

May 18, 2018 By Bill Scott

The Milwaukee Bucks made it official on Thursday, announcing the hiring of Mike Budenholzer as the teams 16th head coach in franchise history.

Budenholzer spent the last five seasons as the head coach in Atlanta, reaching the playoffs four times. He helped the Hawks win 60-games and was named the NBA’s Coach-of-the-Year in 2014-’15.

Budenholzer’s hiring is the first step in a big off-season for the Bucks, who now dive in head first into NBA Draft preparation with the NBA Combine underway in Chicago. The Bucks must also decide if they want to bring Jabari Parker back after his contract expired at the end of the season.

The Bucks have the 17th pick in the upcoming June 21st draft and Budenholzer will now join the Bucks team to help decide which direction they want to go with that selection.

The Bucks still haven’t set a date and time to formally introduce Budenholzer to the media. That is expected to happen soon.

Reports: Budenholzer to take over as Bucks head coach

May 17, 2018 By Bill Scott

According to multiple reports, the Milwaukee Bucks have reached an agreement with Mike Budenholzer to become the 16th head coach in franchise history.

The deal was first reported by ESPN, which said Budenholzer’s deal will cover four years.

The 48-year-old Budenholzer was one of two finalists, along with San Antonio Spurs assistant Ettore Messina, to be interviews a second time by Bucks G.M. Jon Horst as well as the Bucks ownership team.

Budenholzer will replace Joe Prunty, who coached the Bucks for 37 games as well as this years playoffs, following the dismissal of Jason Kidd in January. The Bucks finished seventh in the East this past season (44-38). They fell to Boston in seven games in the opening round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. [Read more…]

Bucks to meet with Budenholzer a second time today

May 15, 2018 By Bill Scott

The Milwaukee Bucks will meet with former Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer for a second time today (Tuesday). According to reports, the second interview will include members of the Bucks ownership group.

The Bucks have met with several coaching candidates, including Joe Prunty, who finished the previous season on a interim basis after Jason Kidd was fired in January.

Budenholzer has spent the last five seasons as head coach of the Atlanta Hawks and 17 years before that as an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs.

If the Bucks like Budenholzer, they may have to move quickly to lock him up. He is also said to be the top candidate in Toronto after the Raptors fired head coach Dwayne Casey.

While in Atlanta, Budenholzer guided the Hawks to the playoffs four times, including a 60-win campaign in 2014-15. The Hawks advanced to the Eastern Conference finals and Budenholzer was named the NBA’s Coach of the Year.

Happ working out for the Lakers today

May 3, 2018 By Bill Scott

Ethan Happ

Wisconsin Badger forward Ethan Happ has yet to receive an invite to the NBA Combine, but he’s still set to undergo some private workouts for NBA teams.

The Wisconsin State Journal reported that Happ is scheduled to workout for the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday.

Happ can work out for NBA teams and still maintain his collegiate eligibility. The Badger big man has yet to sign with an agent, so he can still withdraw his name from draft consideration and return to school for his senior season.

Happ initially said he would return to school if he’s not projected to be selected in the first round.

Happ has until May 30th to gather all of the information he can before making a decision.

Happ has been working out with a trainer in Chicago. He averaged 17.9 points, 8 rebounds and 3.7 assists a game as a junior last season.

Bucks head into the offseason with some decisions to make

April 30, 2018 By Bill Scott

Jabari Parker – File Photo – by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Following Saturday’s 112-96, game seven loss to the Boston Celtics, the Milwaukee Bucks are out of the playoffs and contemplating the upcoming decisions they need to make during the offseason.

Bucks players returned to Milwaukee on Sunday to undergo physicals and went through exit interviews before heading out for the summer.

It was a disappointing season for the Bucks (44-38), who for the 17th straight year, failed to advance out of the first round of the NBA playoffs. Malcolm Brogdon told reporters on Sunday that the goal was the Eastern Conference finals. Their first round exit left them well short.

Now Bucks management will have to decide on a head coach. Joe Prunty took over near midseason on an interim basis for the fired Jason Kidd. Now Prunty will have to interview, among others, for the permanent head coaching position.

Since Prunty took over, the Bucks went 21-16 to finish the regular season, then went 3-4 in the playoffs against the Celtics.

The Bucks will also have to decide if they want to keep Jabari Parker, and at what price?

Parker played 31 games this season after rebounding from a second torn ACL. He averaged 12.6 points and 4.9 rebounds in 24 minutes per game in the regular season.

Bucks force a Game 7 in Boston

April 27, 2018 By Bill Scott

So far, the home team is undefeated as the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics take their best-of-seven series to Boston’s TD Garden for the final game on Saturday night (7 p.m.).

Giannis Antetokounmpo poured in 31 points and pulled down 14 rebounds to lead the Bucks to a game six, 97-86 victory over the Celtics at the BMO Harris Bradley Center on Thursday night.

The Bucks were playing catch-up in the first half until closing on a 14-2 run to lead 48-39 at halftime.

The Bucks lead grew to 14 points in the second half, but the Celtics used a 20-6 run to tie the score. But they would not take the lead as the Bucks had an answer, jumping back out in front by nine points by the end of the third quarter.

The Celtics climbed back to within two points and the Bucks yet again had the answer. The key blow came after Jaylen Brown missed a three-pointer. Giannis Antetokounmpo gathered the rebound, hit Eric Bledsoe with the outlet, who found Malcolm Brogdon in the corner. He dropped in a three-pointer over Al Horford as the Bucks pulled away for the win.

Brogdon finished with 16 points and six rebounds. Khris Middleton also had 16 points for the Bucks.

Milwaukee hasn’t won a playoff series since 2001. To break that string, they will need to beat the Celtics in Boston on Saturday night.