It seems the days of the Milwaukee Bucks being the punchline of NBA franchises is over. Today the Bucks signed former Detroit Pistons center Greg Monroe to a three-year $50 million deal.
Yeah, Greg Monroe and the Bucks. Like, together. Twitter essentially exploded when this deal was leaked; fans of the Knicks stopped purchasing their Monroe jerseys in shock. Throughout the duration of the season it was assumed Monroe was as good as a Knick. Nope, Knicks gonna Knick. Monroe was also courted by the Trail Blazers and the Lakers but the Knicks always seemed to be in the driving seat.
It’s a credit to the organization in Milwaukee that they could land a big fish like Monroe. It seems being a storied franchise isn’t enough these days. Long term future matters too and boy, do the Bucks have a long-term future.
The Bucks under first year head coach, Jason Kidd, ranked second in defensive efficiency with a rating of 99.3. It’s a credit to Kidd and his staff as the Bucks ranked 29th in the 2013-14 season in defensive efficiency finishing with a rating of 108.9. However, suspicions of tanking do arise.
It’s incredible how one move changes a franchise. Without Monroe the Bucks were destined to be in the 4-6 seed range or destined to in NBA purgatory. However the Monroe signing brings even more firepower and shores up the center position in Milwaukee; Monroe averaged 15.9 PPG and 10.2 RPG last season with Detroit. Milwaukee ranked 19th rebound rate last season and combined with the freakish talents of Giannis Antetokounmpo and the relative unknown of Jabari Parker — Milwaukee will have a scary backcourt.
Let us not forget though, the Eastern Conference is under the rule of one LeBron James. Every contender in the East must consider how they’re going to get past the King’s Cavaliers. That’s no reason not to contend though, right? Perhaps it’s overreaction, but a Cleveland vs. Milwaukee Eastern Conference final does not seem out of the question even right now.
One of the most exciting parts of this Milwaukee team is Giannis Antetokounmpo. The ‘Greek Freak’ seemed to be able to do it all last season, averaging 12.7 points (almost doubling his scoring average from last season) and also 6.7 rebounds-per-game. Giannis also seemed to adjust to the NBA as his field goal percentage went up to a credible 49%, up 8% from his rookie season.
The sky is the limit for Giannis, he was one of the pioneers of the Milwaukee revolution. He was able to develop tremendously while Milwaukee tanked for Wiggins/Jabari and successfully added Jabari Parker to go along with a now sophomore Giannis.
There was a certain mystique around Giannis when he was drafted 15th in the 2013 NBA draft. Now looking at his scoring ability and his defensive prowess he could be the best player to come out of the draft. It’ll be interesting to see if Giannis can gel with Monroe at the power forward position, as the Bucks traded Ersan İlyasova to Detroit after the season ended. Thankfully for Jason Kidd one of Giannis’ beauties is his versatility but much like Magic Johnson, excuse the hyperbole, you could make a case for the Greek Freak to start anywhere on the floor.
Another reason for excitement in the midwest is of course, the second overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft, Jabari Parker. The Blue Devil unfortunately only played in 25 games last season before tearing his ACL against the Phoenix Suns. Jabari was quick to show off why he was regarded as a franchise player by averaging 12.3 points and 5.5 rebound-per-game. In fact it’s easy to forget with all the Andrew Wiggins hype that Parker and Wiggins were neck and neck in terms of talent up until the draft. If the Bucks could even have Jabari a tier or two below what Wiggins is projected to be, they’ve got another franchise cornerstone.
The signing of Khris Middleton was nothing sort of a significant steal for the Bucks. The former Piston signed a five-year $70 million deal on the first day of free agency which will become nothing short of a bargain in the coming years with cap space skyrocketing. Middleton remains invaluable to the Bucks, as his ability to stretch the floor is desperately required among this Bucks line-up. Middleton led the Bucks with 5.7 three-point attempts per game and registering a 40% success rate. You don’t need to look any further than the Golden State Warriors to see why floor spacing is so valuable.
If Middleton resumes power forward responsibilities next season, his ability to roam will compliment Monroe’s domination of the paint nicely. Although in other line-ups we could see Giannis lineup at power forward as he still bulks up in his third NBA season. Whatever Milwaukee does they need not look any further than Detroit, who saw how badly Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond clogged the paint for each other. Someone who can stretch the floor will be invaluable for Milwaukee.
Milwaukee is also not without its flaws though (sorry to end on a bad note). This still a point guard league. They run the show and the Bucks are currently without a sufficient show. If you’re still betting on Michael Carter-Williams‘ development, then I am envious of your optimism. In the 2014-15 season, MCW swished 23% of his three-pointers. It’s clear that MCW is a slashing point guard, perhaps Milwaukee wants to go down that route. It’s unlikely though, considering their sizeable line-up and their desperation for floor stretchers, we could see Milwaukee go all-in this season and trade for a ‘true’ point guard.
The average age of Parker, Giannis, Monroe and Middleton is 22. It would be logical for Milwaukee to plan ahead for when LeBron James’ powers begin to dwindle and there is room at the top of the Eastern Conference. The Cavaliers pretty much have a spot reserved in the finals for the foreseeable future but Milwaukee’s current roster will at least give the Cavaliers food for thought; and hey it’s the freakin’ NBA — anything can happen. There’s no doubt that the Monroe move solidifies Milwaukee as an Eastern Conference contender, Chicago will be hoping they don’t meet Milwaukee in the playoffs for once.
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