Meet the Milwaukee Bucks: the team that has perennially been at the bottom of the barrel of the Eastern Conference but is somehow tied for the fifth seed in the conference with just five games to play in the 2009−10 regular season. Since mid−February, the Bucks have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA and are heading into the playoffs as either the fifth or sixth seed with the promise of being a dangerous matchup for any opponent.
On Feb. 18, the Bucks traded forwards Hakim Warrick and Joe Alexander to the Chicago Bulls for John Salmons. Salmons, in his eighth year in the league and the only player in the NBA from the University of Miami, has been a solid role player his entire career.
In his first five seasons in the NBA, he never averaged more than nine points per game, but over the last three years, he has become a proven scorer in the league. After a four−year stint with the Philadelphia 76ers in which he received limited playing time, Salmons signed a free agent deal with the Sacramento Kings in the summer of 2006. But he was dealt to Chicago at last year's deadline and dealt again this season after struggling early.
Salmons seems to have found a home in Milwaukee; in 25 games with the Bucks, he's averaged 20.2 points per game and is shooting 39 percent from three−point range. Over that span, the Bucks have gone 19−6, surging from 24−28 overall to 43−34 in just six weeks. Salmons is building a very solid case for the NBA's Most Improved Player award and is arguably the most underrated player in the NBA. At 6−foot−6, the 30−year−old swingman has a great outside shot and uses his size well to take defenders to the basket.
Former All−Star shooting guard Michael Redd suffered a season−ending knee injury just eight days before the Bucks acquired Salmons in February and only played 18 games this season. Salmons has stepped seamlessly into his role and provided the scoring punch that the Bucks were hoping to get from the injury−plagued Redd, who was averaging just 11.9 points before going down for good.
In last June's NBA draft, the Bucks took a chance with the 10th pick by taking Brandon Jennings, the high school standout who chose to play overseas in Italy rather than play college ball. Jennings has shined in his rookie season, averaging 15.5 points and 5.9 assists at point guard.
Jennings burst onto the scene in early November when he dropped 55 points in just his seventh game in the NBA. The point guard is small at just 6−foot−1, but his quickness is unmatched, and his ability to create his own shot allows him to play much bigger than he looks. He has a playground style of play, much like Allen Iverson did at the beginning of his career and has shown that swagger on and off the court.
Beyond the formidable backcourt of Jennings and Salmons, the Bucks have a solid front−court tandem that balances out their attack. However, during their meeting with the Phoenix Suns on April 3, the Bucks lost their star center in Andrew Bogut to a season−ending elbow injury. This may prove to be a serious blow to the Bucks, though they have beaten the Suns and Bulls since losing him. A former No. 1−overall pick, Bogut has played consistently well for the Bucks all season, averaging 15.9 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game. Bogut is a unique center; he is very mobile for a 7−footer and has the ability to shoot the 18−to−20 foot jump shot, shooting 52.0 percent from the field. The team's chances will certainly take a hit without him in the lineup.
Still, the Bucks are fairly deep and tend to play 11 or 12 players per game. Milwaukee still has five players averaging double−digits. Fifth−year Argentinian Carlos Delfino has picked up his game after coming to the Bucks from the Toronto Raptors, averaging 10.9 points and 5.4 rebounds in 30 minutes per game. Ersan Ilyasova, the 22−year−old big man from Turkey, is having a breakout season as well, averaging 10.4 points and 6.4 rebounds off the bench for Scott Skiles' club.
Ilyasova should see a more significant role down the stretch and in the playoffs with Bogut's injury. The Bucks' supporting cast is rounded out by a pair of former Pac−10 standouts: second−year Luc Richard Mbah, a Moute out of UCLA, and veteran point guard and Oregon star Luke Ridnour, who provides some pop off of the bench. Together, the two provide over 16 points per game for Milwaukee.
Skiles likes to mix and match his lineup differently depending on the night, but one of his favorites is putting Ridnour and Jennings on the floor together and moving Salmons to the small forward position. This gives the Bucks a smaller but quicker look and also allows them to have three great outside shooters on the court together. This creates matchup problems for many teams, especially those who have trouble defending the perimeter.
Since mid−February, the Bucks have knocked off some of the NBA's most elite teams, including three in a row against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics and Utah Jazz in early March as well as the Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks and Phoenix Suns. Two of their final five games of the season are against the Eastern Conference's current fourth seed, the Boston Celtics.
If things unfold as they have up to now, the Bucks will match up with the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs next week. It would be a shock to see Milwaukee upset Boston, but the way it is playing right now, one cannot discount its chances.
