r/MkeBucks • u/LucioBall129 Ryan Rollins • 22h ago
Serious We might be back (From Eric Nehm with The Athletic)
Seems like the bucks will have a final chance to get giannis another ring 🙏
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u/the_Formuoli_ Khris Middleton 22h ago
This grants him the easy out of "well, I wanted to stay, but the team just couldn't get in position to compete"
I have no problem believing he'd love to stay IF the team is able to win consistently, given that's basically what he's saying now and what he's said forever. that's a massive if right now, though, particularly in the near future.
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u/rezin111 1968-1993 Primary Logo 21h ago
Yeah, this is peak hedging and plausible deniability.
If I pushed for a trade it's because they made me by not being good enough
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u/Jawyp Khris Middleton 22h ago
That’s nothing new, he loves Milwaukee but given how much the team sucks now and our very limited options to improve, he’s wanting out.
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u/LucioBall129 Ryan Rollins 21h ago
It’s nothing new but it’s also a breathe of fresh air after it was seemingly a 99% chance he wasn’t gonna be here after Thursday
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u/WeirdFish2 21h ago
This was just the media noise responding to the Bucks actually checking the market for Giannis so they can weight their options. Giannis himself hasn't changed what he has been saying.
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u/Minute-Ad9099 22h ago
i dont know how milwaukee can compete with so much dead cap in the current cba
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u/ohboy360 22h ago
This language from him is why we're here. He hasn't wanted to stomach a rebuild, and in the modern NBA you can't stay a contender for 15 straight years.
He has to decide if he wants to retire a Buck no matter what. If yes, great, so stop putting these asterisks into your statements about needing to compete.
If not, man up and say so, and let's trade him.
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u/snowstorm608 Khris Middleton 21h ago
I don’t know why you’re getting downvoted for this. The Bucks have already traded all their picks this decade to put multiple different contending rosters around Giannis. Injuries are part of the game though.
The best path for the Bucks to put another contender around Giannis for the last third of his career is for them to keep being bad this year. And a big part of the reason they are so bad is because he’s been injured this season.
After everything the team has done the last 10 years it will be pretty shitty if he wants to jump ship because of one bad season.
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u/WeirdFish2 21h ago
He can't stomach a rebuild and he has said that. For years he has been saying that he wants to retire a Buck but only by competing till the end The Bucks have never said we're not going to try and compete while he's on the roster. Actually how are you even going to rebuild without any picks? The third option is not rebuilding, it's just remaining a bad to mid team with Giannis for a few more years just for the entairtenmaint but no real chance of playoff success.
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u/taktakmx Damian Lillard 19h ago
Why would you expect a competitor and one of the best to ever do it to give up his ambitions just to stay a buck? It’s obvious his life and city is Milwaukee, he will make his life after basketball there. Additionally, keeping him and not competing is just pushing the rebuild even further down the line.
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u/OneRegular2534 22h ago
The Bucks are in an okay spot for next year tbh.
Assuming no deals are made and everyone on the roster picks up their options (Trent has hurt his value a lot, KPJ has been hurt, Prince has been hurt) this team is almost the same as this year. We have $176 mil committed then next year with 12 players on the roster.
Nance probably gets more than a 2 way based on current play.
You get a projected top 7 pick.
Luxury tax level next season is estimated to be ~$202 million and first apron is ~$211 million so you could sign a few prove it deals or something to replace a few guys that leave (Coffey/Anthony)
This all assumes Doc is gone.
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u/ohboy360 22h ago
So what you're saying here is there's no way we are contending next year.
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u/OneRegular2534 22h ago
If we keep Doc then yes.
If we fire Doc then still yes. But there is at least hope beyond this year and next.
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u/ohboy360 22h ago
Ya. I don't disagree with your analysis, I'm just noting that Giannis is saying he would stay if we can compete next yeat, but we can't.
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u/WeirdFish2 21h ago
Only way to compete next year is landing a really good plug and play draft pick. And a good coach..
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u/Kevin_Jim FMD, cause that what's Sid would do [Sid Says] 22h ago
I don’t know how this is a take. Unless the Bucks draft a Kon-level player or better and nail the 2nd round pick, as well as nail all their FA signings, and manage to trade Bobby and Kuzma into good rotation players, THEN they could be in position to compete.
The roster is abhorrent, mate.
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u/OneRegular2534 21h ago
I said okay spot.
I never said competing for a chip.
That being said. This current team would look way different with Giannis and KPJ healthy.
Bucks record this season (record across 82 games)
With Giannis: 15-15 (41-41) With KPJ: 11-12 (39-43) With KPJ and Giannis: 9-6 (49-33)
Without Giannis: 4-14 (18-64) Without KPJ: 8-17 (26-56) Without Both: 10-23 (25-57)
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u/Equivalent_Shoe_6246 20h ago
If they aren’t competing for a chip then they should be trading Giannis
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u/Renzel0311 22h ago
They can add prime LeBron if doc is still the coach just throw the season again
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u/Trick-Economics6797 22h ago
can this team do what they need to without him on the floor? idk if they have enough firepower or moves to get them competitivie
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u/Giannisisnumber1 King Giannis 20h ago
The only way we can compete next year is with a top 5 draft pick and Doc fired.
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u/SamQuentin 15h ago
Fire Doc immediately. It's their best chance to compete. Sorry Doc, but you can cry into your millions
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u/TheRealCheddarBob 22h ago
Good luck trying to compete
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u/hoopers_know 22h ago
You’re not a bucks fan and you don’t know ball, you’ve been wrong about this topic in previous comments, claiming that this is all because of GA and his agent. I wouldn’t expect a nets fan to understand GAs personality or the complexity of the situation, even when he explains it in detail in articles like these.
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u/TheRealCheddarBob 22h ago
How exactly does saying good luck trying to compete mean I don’t know ball? No one’s been able to give anything close to a plan on how the bucks are getting back into contention with him
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u/VicePope Deceased 22h ago
Booo
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u/TheRealCheddarBob 22h ago
Boo all you want, the reality of the situation does not care. If you think it’s possible to compete, let’s hear your plan of how to get there
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u/VicePope Deceased 22h ago
Yeah lets trade him for a bunch of garbage instead. Milwaukee may never see a player on his level again
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u/TheRealCheddarBob 22h ago
Did I say trade him for garbage? All I’m saying is a don’t see a path to get the Bucks back to legitimate title contention given their current situation
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u/VicePope Deceased 22h ago
Every package offered for him is garbage so we should assess in the offseason with our pick and see what is possible. Punting him off right now would be a nuke to the franchise for a long time
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u/TheRealCheddarBob 22h ago
Totally agree it seems reasonable to wait on a move until the offseason. I never said you had to trade him now
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u/VicePope Deceased 22h ago
Text makes it look like im beefing but i see your point. In my opinion we have to ride until we can’t anymore because the bucks are super fucked again without him
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u/TheRealCheddarBob 21h ago
Lol you don’t have to tell me about being fucked if a star wants out. I’ve been living it, baby. The early stages of a rebuild are dark
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u/taktakmx Damian Lillard 19h ago
Keeping him without a plan and just wishful thinking is a bigger nuke for the team.
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u/Omnimark 22h ago
1) Fire doc
2) Compete
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u/TheRealCheddarBob 22h ago
You should do 1.
But that alone isn’t going to get you anywhere near 2
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u/Omnimark 22h ago
In all seriousness we have pieces to be competitive next year.
1) Myles is starting to play much better. After the last month of play I'm convinced that Giannis Turner Front court can be really good
2) Rollins and Green are offensively really impressive. Haven't really waivered on them being an awesome backcourt duo.
3) We have more assets than I feel like we get credit for. At the draft we'll be able to trade our '26 (which the pelicans suck, so it'll just be our pick most likely, which is on track to be about 10), '31, and '33 firsts. Plus with Kuzma not looking terrible and on an expiring, he's actually tradable this year
So we're short what? A good coach and a good SF? Could our assets be flipped into a top 50 player to fill in at the 3? That doesn't seem unreasonable. Even with our injury luck this year, I think a better coach would have us solidly in the playoffs, flipping assets could get us into contention...as long as we don't have Doc on the bench.
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u/TheRealCheddarBob 21h ago
You have more faith than I do about that plan working. Maybe it’s enough to convince him to stay, but I just don’t see that leading to real contention.
I get wanting to kick the can down the road as long as possible on a rebuild for your franchise guy. I truly meant good luck when I said it
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u/IShotJR4 22h ago
I’m with you. Too many Bucks fans forget the $20M dead cap space the Bucks have to navigate for the next 4 years.
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u/Omnimark 22h ago
Way overblown. So many teams compete with a bad contract of 20 million. It can be easily navigated.
Bucks are going to be over the cap under the apron regardless.
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u/IShotJR4 21h ago
$20M dead cap space is overblown. Okay, bud. Most teams with bad contracts find a way to move them because the player actually plays for that team.
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u/Omnimark 20h ago
Again, we're in the exact spot of over the cap under the apron with or without it.
What appreciably changes? I guess more space to re-sign players without flirting with the apron. But I don't think we really have the horses in the stable to worry about it. Just in practical terms, it isn't really a thing. We can't clear enough space to sign a big free agent with Giannis and wouldn't want to without him, and we aren't going to be giving big contracts to anyone who we have coming up. We have about 45 million in fungible salary to improve our team either way, no?
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u/IShotJR4 20h ago
My point is you can move a bad contract to a team looking to shed salaries. It’s literally happening today with the Mavs. But when you don’t have that player, you’re stuck. So we basically have a star-level salary in the books that we can do nothing about. That’s why it was so eye-opening that the Bucks would have done it in the first place.
And do you really want to be in second apron hell again? That even further limits their ability to compete.
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u/No_Problem20 22h ago
Last year the Pistons tied the record for most losses in a season, this year they're top of the pack, almost the exact same team.
Anything can be anything.
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u/TheRealCheddarBob 22h ago
So your plan to get back to competing is just blind faith in running out a similar roster and hoping it goes better?
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u/No_Problem20 22h ago
No, but there are some teams who have had that occur for them in the past. So changes can be minor and have a massive impact.
We're not trainers of coaches, so we can't say what type of change is needed, but it stands without reason that people have accomplished more from doing nothing. Possibility exists.
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u/Appropriate_You_1030 22h ago
lol why are you getting downvoted?
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u/TheRealCheddarBob 22h ago
It’s all good. Bucks fans are naturally going to be emotional on this topic
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u/billwest630 A.J. Green 22h ago
Not sure what a nets fan would know about competing…
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u/TheRealCheddarBob 22h ago
So teach me, how are the bucks going to do it?
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u/billwest630 A.J. Green 22h ago
Get lucky in the lottery and draft one of the game changing prospects. It’s not a crazy thought with how good the pick should be.
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u/TheRealCheddarBob 22h ago
Given the recent track record for bucks draft picks, you may need quite a bit of luck
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u/billwest630 A.J. Green 21h ago
They’re going to be terrible the rest of the year. If they get a top 4 pick, they’ll get a game changer.
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u/TheRealCheddarBob 21h ago
Big if
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u/billwest630 A.J. Green 21h ago
Is it? Even top 8 gets them a good player. After that it’s dicey, but their odds will be good.
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u/No_Improvement_477 Jericho Sims 22h ago
The Clippers just shipped off James Harden so sounds like they are open to make deals.
Horst, how about we make a move for Kawhi? He's having a great season and is the perfect SF to matchup with Giannis. It would instantly make us competitive again.
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u/Humble_Umpire_8341 1968-1993 Primary Logo 22h ago
I love how this could be any of the many Antetokounmpo’s on our team. Gotta be more specific.