2008-09 Milwaukee Bucks Predictions & Preview

Written September 30, 2008 by Luke Knight

The Milwaukee Bucks finished with the third-worst record in the Eastern Conference posting a 26-56 record. Since then, they fired Larry Krystkowiak and hired Scott Skiles and done a major overall to their lineup. Many of their losses last season can be improved by improvement in three areas according to Skiles: better defense, better offensive execution and ball movement, and improved mental toughness. Keep reading to find out if we think Scott Skiles can turn around this woeful Eastern conference team, or if they are on the road to another long season. Head over to BetUS to check out the NBA odds on the Milwaukee Bucks.

While the Bucks lost Mo Williams to the Cavaliers, they picked up Luke Ridnour. Ridnour is not the scorer that Williams was, but he is a much better ball distributor. The Bucks are excited in the promise that Ridnour shows in being a true number 1 guard, and the fact that while not a prolific scorer, he provides the skills they lacked in Williams. The Bucks also picked up veteran Tyronn Lue, who they signed as a free agent. Lue and Ramon Sessions are expected to backup Ridnour. Sessions had a game against the Bulls last season where he had 24 assists, a franchise record, and is only in his 2nd year.

Michael Redd, one of the premier long-range shooters on the planet, was retained by the Bucks, and since he is one of the most prolific scorers in the nation, that was probably a good move. Redd averaged 22.7 points a game, 8th best in the nation, but shot only 44% from the field, which Skiles looks to improve with better shot selection. Charlie Bell will compete for minutes when Redd is on the bench.

Get a 50% Signup Bonus at BetUS!

The Bucks picked up Richard Jefferson from the Nets in an attempt to upgrade this position. Jefferson is one of the most complete players at small forward. He is a solid scorer and a lockdown defender. Jefferson averaged 22.6 points a game last season, which was right behind Michael Redd. Joe Alexander, the rookie out of West Virginia, should get some decent minutes here to relieve Jefferson. Adrian Griffin and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute also will provide some depth.

Charlie Villanueva will get the opportunity to earn the starting job here, but the gifted offensive player has a reputation of lacking concentration and being a suspect defender. Joe Alexander very well could get some minutes as Villanueva’s backup. Malik Allen also signed as a free agent this season, and played for Skiles in Chicago.

Andrew Bogut, the 7-0 center out of Utah, is the Bucks center of the future. Bogut was the number 1 overall draft in 2005 and recently signed a 5-year deal with the Bucks. Bogut almost registered a double-double last season with 14.3 ppg and 9.8 rebounds per game. Skiles plans on utilizing Bogut on both sides of the court. Dan Gadzuric is Bogut’s backup, and while not great offensively he is a sound rebounder and shot blocker. Francisco Elson will provide additional depth at both the center and power forward position.

Final Analysis

Herb Kohl, owner of the Bucks, shelled out big money to get John Hammond as his GM and then Scott Skiles as his coach. Skiles will be more of a motivator than Larry Krystkowiak was and a lot more demanding of a disciplined team. The talent is there on this team, and it was there last season. Michael Redd and Richard Jefferson are both top-10 scorers and Luke Ridnour is much better at distributing the ball. The Bucks should be much better this season. We have them finishing 3rd in the Central ahead of the Pacers and the Bulls, but behind the Cavaliers and the Pistons. The Bucks will be in contention for a playoff spot in their first season under Scott Skiles. While we don’t have them factoring into the Eastern conference championship, it wouldn’t be crazy to see these guys in the playoffs after a terrible season last year since the 3 from the Central was just 1-game out of the playoff picture last season.

Check our more articles from Luke Knight:

We have more NBA predictions on all of the teams, but if you want winning NBA expert picks each night to help you beat the NBA point spreads, then look no further than the handicappers at our site.

If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:

No comments yet, but your thoughts are welcome!

Comments

Comments are closed.