Bucks Linked to Bledsoe, Lin

With Milwaukee Bucks Summer League set to get underway tomorrow evening from Las Vegas, there have been plenty of rumblings around the circuit that the team has interest in acquiring a point guard to run the team going forward.

This past Saturday, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweeted that Bucks have kicked the tires on a possible trade for Rockets' PG Jeremy Lin, are also working on pitching an offer sheet for Suns' coveted restricted free agent point guard Eric Bledsoe and looking at Greivis Vasquez.

In addition to weighing possible trade for Lin, I'm told Bucks are pitching offer sheet to RFA Eric Bledsoe and pursuing PG Greivis Vasquez
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) July 5, 2014

Vasquez re-signed with Toronto last night on a 2-year/$13 million contract, so naturally, he's out of the question now. It's down to Lin or Bledsoe.

If I'm honest, it's unlikely the Bucks land either of these guys. My explanation:

Jeremy Lin makes $15 million for the upcoming season but due to a weird contract loophole, he will only count $8 million toward the cap. Regardless, the Rockets need that space to be able to sign Chris Bosh to the absurd contract they offered him this week. To put it simply, Lasry & Edens might not think that Lin is worth paying $15 million (and they'd be right).

Also, there is a conspiracy out there that since Rockets' GM Daryl Morey and Sixers' GM Sam Hinkie go way back, they'd be willing to help each other out in a trade. The Rockets want cap space and the Sixers want MOAR assets.

Lin might slightly derail the Sixers' second consecutive blatant tank season but they would probably be willing to take the risk if they get a first-rounder and another prospect (Clint Capela?) for their troubles. Bucks fans have serious doubts at John Hammond's ability to win a trade because we typically get fleeced in all deals we're a part of (see: JJ Redick trade where we could have theoretically obtained Bledsoe in the first place).

Speaking of Bledsoe, the thought around the league is that the Suns are going to match any offer sheet that Bledsoe is offered. Chances are, the Bucks would have to offer a 4/$64 offer sheet for Bledsoe to make the Suns think twice but even then, I've come to terms with the fact that the Suns, who have a ton of cap space themselves, will not hesitate to match.

The only outside chance the Bucks have is that Bledsoe has been in contact with new Bucks' head coach Jason Kidd has gotten through to him that he can be the coach to take him to the next level. Bledsoe would be a good fit with forwards Jabari Parker and Giannis Antetokounmpo going forward. Bledsoe is a point guard that excels with the ball or without the ball.

One thing to think about with the Suns is whether they like Goran Dragic or Bledsoe more or if they think they can both play together long-term. I see no reason why they can't but if Bledsoe commands $16 million a year, Dragic is going to look to earn pretty close to that much himself. That's a lot of money to be tied up in a backcourt.

Anyway, the Bucks already have one true point guard on the roster and his name is Nate Wolters and he'll be attending Bucks' Summer League along with Parker and Giannis, among others.

Brandon Knight is also a "point guard" on the Bucks current roster but it's pretty apparent he's a combo guard at best and most likely a shooting guard.

It's refreshing to see that Bucks' management isn't forcing Brandon Knight as a point guard.

'Til next time.

-Big Money

Tapping The Keg Podcast Episode 95

After a week hiatus, Charlie and Mitch are back with another edition of Tapping The Keg podcast. We talk about all things Milwaukee Bucks for the first 15 to 20 minutes of the podcast going over Jason Kidd's hiring plus Jabari Parker and Summer League. Next, it moves to NBA Free Agency talking about LeBron James and whether he will go to Cleveland or Miami. Continuing on, we try to calm everyone down about the Milwaukee Brewers recent skid. It finishes with a little World Cup and Johnny Manziel talk.

Jason Kidd Doesn't Owe You Answers

Milwaukee Bucks introduced Jason Kidd to Milwaukee yesterday morning. They brought in their new coach after Larry Drew was ousted rather quickly, and the press conference did not make them go 1-0 to start the Kidd era. People tagged it as 'awkward' and Kidd avoided all sorts of questions about the situation itself. The criticism of Kidd's press conference happened at a rampant rate with everyone trying to make their own dodging joke. Bucks are in such a weird spot due to everyone on the Internet hating their coach, but everyone embracing their players like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker. They aren't the bad boys, but not many people want this team to succeed next season.

It is sort of surprising to see how many media members rushed to criticize Kidd for dodging all sorts of questions. This is PR 101. Kidd didn't want to spend the press conference talking about what just happened. He knows at some point, Kidd will have to face the music and talk about the situation in Brooklyn, that will eventually happen, but this isn't the time for it. But right now, this is not the topic Kidd wants to talk about, he just wants to move forward. This is a problem right now with media and other outlets where they expect answers at the drop of a hat and then get pissed when it doesn't happen.

It makes sense that's how the new generation thinks about things because so many things happen immediately.  In the days before the Internet, you had to read about the press conference the next day and now, there is an immediate reaction with need of opinion. In reality, we need to let it simmer. Sure, Kidd didn't come up guns ablazin' where you want to go 'HELL YEAH COACH, LET'S RUN THROUGH SOME BRICK WALLS!!!'  We would love to have those sort of things from all of the coaches we bring in, but every coach is different. Kidd didn't need to win the press conference. He owes the media nothing and knows they are killing him right now yet the main part of the whole thing is building this young team to make a push to the playoffs. 

If Kidd's first season doesn't work out the way we want and the Bucks struggle again which would delight a ton of media members, that's fine if a couple things happen. For one, Giannis takes another step as a basketball player. Parker gets off to a good start in Milwaukee. Brandon Knight becomes a different point guard under the tutelage of Kidd. And maybe most importantly if he's not traded, Larry Sanders returns to form with a new coach. All of those things are more important winning next year. If the Bucks only win 24 to 26 games, but all of those things happen, the foundation is set for Milwaukee to be a real solid team for the future. That's more important than anything else right now. Winning is secondary despite everyone in the media wanting him to fall directly on his face.   

My stance on Kidd was always I thought it had some backstabbing elements to it, but in the end, he is the coach and if he wins, that's all that matters. What also is weirdly strange about the whole thing is Milwaukee stole the headlines from some of the biggest free agents. This story fascinated everyone in the NBA community. It also means a great deal of things for the Bucks in the national scope. People will look at this team closer. Bucks are going to get at least one or two games on national television whether it is an ESPN, TNT, ABC or FOX Sports 1 game because their matchups with Brooklyn are appointment television.  This paragraph is something we haven't been able to say about Milwaukee years so yes, good press is bad press. 

All is hopefully quiet on the Bucks front for now. It will be about filling the coaching staff and deciding what players they want to keep or bring in. It should be a fun offseason leading up to the October tip-off.  

Charlie. 

Jason Kidd, a Do or Die Decision for Milwaukee's New Owners

Milwaukee Bucks seems to have some momentum building in the last couple of months. They had new ownership. They added a top draft pick with Jabari Parker whom received standing ovations all over the city of Milwaukee over the weekend. Everyone really liked what Milwaukee was doing, but then they went for the remix by trading for Jason Kidd as their head coach. Larry Drew is now out as the head coach something he just found out today which is not the way to do things in coaching circles. Kidd made a power move and it worked, but at the same time, there are a great deal of consequences if this doesn't play out in Milwaukee's favor although there is always a chance this will work out for everyone.

Many people are wondering why people are coming to the defense of Drew, a head coach whom won only 15 games, the answer is simple. Drew got taken out back and drilled in the back of the head instead of being done the right way. It was a ruthless decision. Sure, it happens all the time in the business world, but Milwaukee flexed its muscles like the 5'6 bro tank-wearing guy at an O.A.R. concert wanting to start a fight with a 6'6 mountain of a man. Bucks have zero muscles to flex with their owners, General Manager and everyone else involved. That's why the furor is there from people. It's not what the Bucks did, rather how they handled the situation given the position they are currently in.

Bucks are not one of the best five organizations in the NBA. They are an organization with an arena and attendance problems. Some could argue they belong in the bottom five. If this thing blows up in their faces, Milwaukee could be left in the dust. What coach wants to come to Milwaukee if this is how they treat people? Not many will see the job alluring if you combine the lack of winning, the arena issues and the mob mentality of the organization. Sure, two out of those three could be fixed, but at the same time having people live in a perpetual state of fear isn't always the best business practice. Many people can make the argument Drew deserved to be fired given only winning 15 games out of 82, but at the same time, he is at least owed some respect instead of looking like a complete clown.

 If Milwaukee's owners knew this was going to happen, they should have told Drew to skip everything involved with Parker. The fact the Bucks trotted him out with their owners talking to Kidd without his knowledge makes him look like a puppet in a scheme. Some can say Drew looked like it was coming but there is not a chance in hell he realized his new boss was the Frank Underwood of the NBA. Anything to get what he wanted and attempt to take this team to the top. Marc Lasry was Kidd's financial advisor and now he's Kidd's boss, the head coach will have more protection than the President of the United States. Even though this thing went down in the dirtiest way imaginable, there is a chance it works out for Milwaukee and their ownership.

Kidd is not a bad coach based off one year. That's unfair. People cannot immediately claim he is terrible. Further, a first-year coach dealing with a team full of guys like Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Jason Terry, Deron Williams were all his peers at some point in his career. Kidd is coming to a Bucks organization where most of the guys watched him play throughout his career and may have looked up to him. He could do wonders for a guy like Brandon Knight. And most of these players are going to listen to Kidd and instill his beliefs as a coach even if many people from outside Milwaukee will want to see this Bucks team fail given what happened this weekend. Kidd gets a team full of young guys which I have always argued is easier on new coaches.

If Kidd brings the Bucks a Central Division title in the next three years, all will be forgotten. Even if Kidd leads the Bucks to consistent playoff appearances where they are higher than the seventh seed, I think people will be happy. No one will remember this little incident if the Bucks are winning basketball games. I don't know if Drew would have been better with this crop of talent or would have gotten fired mid-season if Milwaukee struggled again. If the latter would have happen, maybe it's better this way even if it did not happen in the greatest of circumstances.

The last concern for all Milwaukee basketball fans is Jason Kidd does whatever Jason Kidd wants. He has one of the biggest egos in the NBA and really does not give one damn about whom he hurts on the way. Kidd could easily find a better job in two months and tell the Bucks, he is moving forward. The man has consistently burned bridges throughout this entire career, both playing and now coaching. Hopefully, Milwaukee doesn't give him a need for gasoline and matches.

Charlie.

Lakers & Knicks' Desire for Derek Fisher

Every professional sports organization can be copycats at some point. There are teams always wanting to replicate what the successful teams are doing in order to make themselves successful. Sometimes it works out for them, and other times, it turns into a dumpster fire because there are bigger problems with the team. The latest trend in the NBA is hiring players fresh off their playing stint to be NBA head coaches without any experience. NBA believes coaches can be fine coming right off the roster. The latest candidate has been Oklahoma City Thunder's point guard Derek Fisher as he is wanted by New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers. 

It seems like Fisher would be an ideal fit to be an NBA head coach. Fisher is a guy who has the respect of almost any locker room. He always seems to have the ear of the players. He is trusted, but Fisher needs to pick the place where he can mold minds versus trying to get his virtual peers behind him. My point when Jason Kidd got hired by Brooklyn was it concerned me with all the veterans, and how Kidd would be seen as just a former player, not a coach. Fisher will get the chance to influence some of the younger players although he could have some trouble with the old stalwarts of the team. 

Kidd ended up being okay, but it was a rocky start to the season with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and other veterans. Would the same thing happen to Fisher?  The odds of it happening in New York is way higher. The Knicks only have three players under the age of 25.  They also have J.R. Smith. I know people are worried about Carmelo Anthony, but if I am Fisher, do I really want to coach J.R.?  He is a hell of a player at times, but he can be one of the most frustrating players in the league. Fisher would also have to deal with Amar'e Stoudmire's playing time. Finally, the whole Anthony leaving the Knicks should be a concern as well with taking the New York job. 

It is hard to tell whether having Kobe Bryant as your top player in Los Angeles would pay off as it would be like having an extra assistant coach, or if Kobe would dictate all that happened on the court essentially becoming too involved with Fisher. The two have a good relationship, but it could become a scenario where Kobe sticks his hands into way too many things. Lakers might be going through a transition, but Fisher will get a youthful team compared to New York which is nice. Look at how many players rallied behind Mark Jackson due to being younger players. The one drawback with the Los Angeles is the pressure to win in the Western Conference plus the additional pressure to be the kings of L.A. with the success of the Clippers of the past couple years.

Is there a chance Fisher says 'Guys, I am going to keep playing for another year or two?'  I think there is a microscopic chance of that happening given the positions open. If say, Milwaukee and Orlando were the jobs open versus New York and Los Angeles, Fisher would definitely think more about staying on another year with Oklahoma City. But these are two premier jobs with a great way to start building your coaching legacy, there is no way Fisher says no to both of these teams if offered the job to play another year. Even Brett Favre thinks that's a bad idea. 

There are good and bad things about taking the New York or Los Angeles job. Fisher will probably burn a bridge at some point, but it wouldn't surprise me if he is a head coach next season. 

Charlie.