In depth Bucks chatter from Aschburner
With Bogut down, Bucks looking to turn their luck around......In all, 14 players missed a total of 273 games last season, an average of 3.4 per night. The maladies ranged from Drew Gooden's plantar fasciitis and the dueling concussions of Carlos Delfino and Ersan Ilyasova to Brandon Jennings' broken fifth metatarsal and Bogut's buffet of boo-boos (migraine, back, virus, knee bruise, rib-cage pain, elbow).
The humorless joke of the Bucks' season, with Skiles again working sardonic, was the fact that at no point from November through April did he have even one practice with all his guys healthy.
This season is headed that way, too, for at least as long as Bogut is out. Through their first 20 games, six Bucks have missed a combined 39 games due to injuries or personal absences. That's a better average, maybe, but it still stinks when they are rotation guys such as Luc Mbah Moute (10 games), Mike Dunleavy (10), Beno Udrih (six) and Bogut (eight).
And yet, just when you think the Bucks might have built their practice facility on someone's ancient, sacred burial ground ...
An unexpected thing has been happening for Milwaukee. It might not last. It could, in fact, fizzle at any moment. But the Bucks have come together to win three of their last four, beginning with the game in Houston. After a loss to the Bulls on Friday, they went home and beat the Lakers on Saturday, which might not mean what it used to but was still feel-good for Milwaukee and its fans. Then they toyed with Detroit on Monday at Bradley Center.
The Bucks have scored 105, 100, 100 and 103 points in their last four and have reached triple digits nine times in 20 games, compared to 21 times in 82 last season. Their offensive rating has jumped 13 spots, though their defensive rating has dropped from fourth in 2010-11 to 16th.
Still, more players are returning than exiting. Dunleavy, Mbah a Moute and Udrih are back and contributing. Bogut's absence has asked and gotten more out of big men Drew Gooden, Ilyasova and rookie Jon Leuer. As for Stephen Jackson -- who already had been suspended once for oversleeping a shootaround and again for verbally abusing a referee after the Chicago game -- the less of him, it seems, the better. Skiles left the self-absorbed swingman on the bench Monday.
That left the Bucks with a bunch of players who are gelling and turning embattled into emboldened. Jennings is even making a little All-Star push among East point guards...........
http://www.nba.com/2012/news/features/s ... index.html
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, this is awful. I don't think I will watch another game this year.
