NBA Draft: Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks were very busy on draft day making a proposed trade with Charlotte and Sacramento. The details of the three-way trade are in the blog post directly below this one. Basically the Bucks got rid of Corey Maggette and John Salmons for Stephen Jackson, Shaun Livingston, and Beno Udrih.

At first I was upset by this trade because I felt that Milwaukee general manager John Hammond gave up on the team.

John Salmons had a bad season last year but that does not mean he is a bad player. Corey Maggette is a very good player who was never really given much of a chance in Milwaukee, where he mostly came off the bench.

Stephen Jackson is definitely a scorer but can he do anything else? He has issues when he plays for a team that he does not want to, which he has made very clear that Milwaukee is not a good fit for him. Shaun Livingston has been considered a bust in the NBA since he was selected by the L.A. Clippers 4th overall in 2004. After a horrific knee injury in 2006, he missed the next season and played in only 48 games the next two with three different teams. Last year was his first good year playing in 73 games and averaging 6.6 points per game coming off the bench. Beno Udrih seems to be on the upswing as he started 64 games last season, a career high.

I thought about it, got over my own hysteria, and realized that this might not be such a bad deal after all.

Stephen Jackson (shooting guard) started 67 games last year. He averaged 18.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game. Comparably, John Salmons (shooting guard) started 70 games last year. He averaged 14.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game. The numbers are very similar, but Jackson's stats are better in every category. The most important category for a shooting guard is points per game in which Jackson averaged 4.5 more points per game than Salmons did. If all goes according to plan and those numbers are mostly the same next year, the Bucks have just upgraded their shooting guard position. This is particularly important considering the Bucks ranked towards the bottom in almost every offensive category, ranking dead last in points per game and field goal percentage.

Beno Udrih started last season at guard, but the early rumors have stated that he will be coming off the bench in support of Brandon Jennings. Udrih played in 79 games last year and started 64 of them. He averaged 13.7 points (career high), 3.4 rebounds, 4.9 assists (career high), 1.2 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game. Keyon Dooling, who was Brandon Jennings' backup last year, played in 80 games. He averaged 7.1 points, 1.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.0 blocks per game. Considering Udrih will be coming off the bench, it is safe to assume that his numbers will not be the same from last year, but bench scoring is a huge asset in the NBA and either way he is a great addition to the team.

I am not exactly sure where Shaun Livingston fits on this team, but I am sure the Bucks will find a way to utilize him coming off the bench. He averaged 6.6 points, 2.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game in 73 games played.

The Bucks selected Tobias Harris, forward out of Tennessee, with the 19th pick in the first round. The 6'8" freshman averaged 15.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game. He was voted second-team All-SEC and will be a great asset to the Bucks.

With these additions the future looks bright in Milwaukee. The team has been upgraded and primed to make another playoff run in 2011-2012.