Milwaukee Bucks

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2007-08 Milwaukee Bucks season
Milwaukee Bucks
Conference Eastern Conference
Division Central Division
Founded 1968
History Milwaukee Bucks
1968–present
Arena Bradley Center
City Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Team colors Hunter Green, Deep Red, Silver, White
Owner Herb Kohl
General manager Larry Harris
Head coach Larry Krystkowiak
NBA D-League affiliate Tulsa 66ers
Championships 1 (1971)
Conference titles 2 (1971, 1974)
Division titles 13 (1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 2001)

The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They play in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The current franchise owner is U.S. Senator Herb Kohl.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Early years

Image:MilwaukeeBucks1968.png
Original Bucks Logo (1968-1993)
The Milwaukee Bucks were formed in January 1968 when the NBA awarded a franchise to Milwaukee Professional Sports and Services, Inc. (Milwaukee Pro), a group headed by Wesley Pavalon and Marvin Fishman. In October, the Bucks played their first NBA regular season game against the Chicago Bulls before a Milwaukee Arena crowd of 8,467. Their first victory came in their 6th game as the Bucks beat the Detroit Pistons 134–118; they would win only 26 more games in their first year.

The Buck's record that year earned them a coin flip against the Phoenix Suns to see who would get the right to draft Lew Alcindor, later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, in the 1968-69 NBA season with the first pick in the upcoming draft. The Bucks won the coin flip and upon drafting Lew Alcindor instantly became contenders for the NBA Championship. In only their second season the Bucks made the playoffs and Alcindor was named rookie of the year. David Horne is by far one of the best Milwaukee Bucks players ever. Amen. He averaged 20 ppg for 3 years before leaving and playing in Canada for better money $$.

[edit] 1970s-1980s

The following season, the Bucks added the final piece to their championship puzzle by adding Oscar Robertson, known as "the Big O," to the team. Subsequently, in only their third season the Bucks won 66 games and went on to win the NBA Championship on April 30, 1971, by sweeping the Baltimore Bullets in Milwaukee, 118–106, in Game 4 of the finals. By winning the title in only their third season, the Bucks became the fastest expansion team in any of the four major American sports leagues (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL) to win a world championship.

In 1972, the Bucks snapped the Los Angeles Lakers record 33-game winning streak during a nationally televised game; in 1973 the Bucks recorded their third consecutive 60-win season, the first NBA team to do so. One year later, the Bucks were back in the 1974 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics. In Game 6 of the series, Jabbar made a patented "sky hook" shot to end a classic double-overtime victory for the Bucks. The Bucks lost Game 7 and the series to the Celtics. After the 1974-75 NBA season, the Bucks pulled a mega-trade by sending Jabbar to the Lakers for Elmore Smith, Junior Bridgeman, Brian Winters and David Meyers.

After the mega-deal, the Bucks brought with them several seasons in transition, but most of these players would bear fruit. After being sold to cable television executive Jim Fitzgerald in 1977, the Bucks would enter in another era of greatness. It began with coach Don Nelson. In the 1977 draft, the Bucks drafted in Marques Johnson, Kent Benson, and Mark Grunfeld. Johnson would become a staple in the Bucks for years to come. Rookie Sidney Moncrief made his debut in 1979.

In 1979, the Bucks also brought in veteran center Bob Lanier to fill in the hole left by the departure of Jabbar. They then won the Midwest Division title in 1980. After losing to Seattle in the semi-finals, the Bucks moved to the Eastern Conference's Central Division. There, they would win 6 straight division titles and have .500 seasons for the next 11 years. Within those years, the Bucks became perennial Eastern Conference contenders, primarily due to the strong play of Moncrief, Paul Pressey, Craig Hodges and the arrival of Terry Cummings, Ricky Pierce and Jack Sikma from trades with the Los Angeles Clippers and Seattle respectively. Other notable players who played for the Bucks in this era included Larry Krystkowiak, Randy Breuer and Paul Mokeski.

During the 1980s the Bucks were one of the most successful basketball teams in the league. Only three teams had overall winning records throughout the 80s -- the Celtics, the Lakers and the Bucks. Despite their success, the Bucks were perennially stymied by the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics in post-season. Starting in 1980-81 season the Bucks were eliminated by either the Sixers or the Celtics for 7 consecutive seasons, including twice in 7-game series. On the occasions in which they did beat one of the two teams they would often lose to the other as in 1982-83 when they swept the Celtics only to lose the Sixers and in 1985-86 when they beat the Sixers only to be swept by the Celtics (see below section for season by season playoff recap). It was also during the 1985-86 season that the Bucks removed red in the color scheme.

[edit] Ownership and arena changes in the 1980s

In 1985, Milwaukee businessman (and now U.S. Senator) Herb Kohl bought the Bucks after fears that out-of-town investors could buy the team and move it out of Milwaukee. (In 2003, after considering selling the team, Kohl announced that he had decided against selling the Bucks to Michael Jordan and would "continue to own them, improve them and commit them to remaining in Wisconsin.")

In the 1988-89 season, after 20 years at the 11,052-seat MECCA (Milwaukee Arena, now U.S. Cellular Arena), the Bucks moved into the new 18,700-seat Bradley Center, located directly across the street from the MECCA in downtown Milwaukee. The Bradley Center was one of the first arenas in the country to be built with luxury suites. The Bradley Center was privately financed from a $90 million donation from Milwaukee businesswoman Jane Bradley Pettit in memory of her father.

[edit] 1990s-present

Image:MilwaukeeBucks1993.png
Bucks logo from 1993 to 2006.

To honor their 25th Anniversary in 1993, the Bucks changed their uniforms, replacing the cartoonish deer in favor of a more regal one. Also, red was replaced by purple.

The Bucks had two high lottery picks in a row in the early 1990s that allowed them to get two high-caliber offensive players. In the 1993 NBA Draft, Milwaukee selected power forward Vin Baker with the eighth overall pick. The following season, the Bucks obtained small forward and college standout Glenn Robinson with the first selection in the 1994 NBA Draft. From the 1994-95 season to the 1996-97 season, the Bucks were led by the strong offensive play of both Robinson and Baker. Following the 1996-97 season, Baker was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics in a three-team deal that brought Terrell Brandon and Tyrone Hill to Milwaukee.

With the steady addition of talent such as Ray Allen, Tim Thomas, and Sam Cassell, as well as the hiring of veteran head coach George Karl, the Bucks grew to become an elite team in the Eastern Conference, winning the Central Division title in 2001. However, the Bucks lost Game 7 of the 2001 Eastern Conference Finals to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Behind the strong encouragement of George Karl, the Bucks acquired Anthony Mason at the beginning of the 2001-2002 season. On paper, this made the Bucks the team to beat in the Eastern Conference for the 2001-02 season. On the court and off, however, team chemistry was destroyed by the presence of Mason. The Bucks, who at the season's midway point were the number four seed in the Eastern Conference, began an unthinkable free-fall, which culminated with a loss to the Detroit on the final night of the season, eliminating them from NBA playoff contention. This fallout caused tension between the team's three stars and coach, resulting in the eventual trades of Glenn Robinson to Atlanta (for Toni Kukoc and a first-round draft pick that they used to select T.J. Ford).

In the midst of the 2002-03 season, the Bucks traded their superstar Ray Allen and backup Ronald "Flip" Murray to the Seattle SuperSonics for Gary Payton and Desmond Mason. The trade allowed for increased playing time for Michael Redd, and with Gary Payton in the backcourt, the Bucks finished the season with a 42–40 record. The Bucks made the playoffs; however, the Bucks lost in the first round to the New Jersey Nets. Team leaders Sam Cassell and center Ervin Johnson were traded to Minnesota (for Joe Smith). Payton would leave via free agency following the season. Coach George Karl’s coaching tenure with the Bucks also ended after the season.

The Bucks had a promising 2003-04 season with the strong play of rookie point guard T.J. Ford and new coach Terry Porter, until Ford suffered a career-threatening spinal cord contusion, thus sitting out the final 26 games of the season.

With T.J. Ford missing the entire 2004-05 season because of his spinal cord contusion, the Bucks had a disappointing regular season, ending with a 30–52 record. Strong play by young stars Maurice Williams and Michael Redd did provide some encouragement. Coach Terry Porter was fired at the end of the season. Due to their poor record, the Bucks were placed in the NBA Draft Lottery. Despite only having a 6% chance for the first selection in the lottery, the Bucks won the first pick for the 2005 NBA Draft, which was used to select Andrew Bogut of Australia and the University of Utah. This luck would raise expectations for the coming season, as the team anticipated the return of T.J. Ford along with the addition of Bogut and former All-Star center Jamal Magloire who was acquired in a trade with the New Orleans Hornets for Desmond Mason.

The Bucks showed improvement in the 2005-06 season under new head coach Terry Stotts. On April 1, 2006, the Bucks set a new NBA record for the fewest team turnovers in one game with just two turnovers in a 96–89 victory over the Indiana Pacers. Earlier the same week, on March 28, they set a new NBA record with 11 3-pointers in a quarter, another new NBA record with 14 3-pointers in a half, and a team record with 18 3-pointers in a 132–110 shootout victory over the Phoenix Suns. The Bucks finished the 2006 regular season with a loss to the Wizards, giving them a 40–42 record and dropping them to the eighth and final playoff seed in the Eastern Conference. The Bucks lost to the Detroit Pistons, the defending Eastern Conference Champions, in the first round of the 2006 NBA Playoffs, with a final series tally of 4–1. Milwaukee had their only win in the playoff series when they beat Detroit 124–104 on April 29, 2006.

After the 2005-06 season, the Bucks made substantial changes to their roster, trading several of their key players. The Bucks traded starting point guard T.J. Ford to the Raptors for forward Charlie Villanueva, and traded starting center Jamaal Magloire to Portland for Steve Blake, Brian Skinner, and Ha Seung-Jin. On August 10, 2006, the Bucks traded Joe Smith to the Denver Nuggets for Ruben Patterson[1]. During the season, in January 2007, Steve Blake was traded to the Denver Nuggets for point guard Earl Boykins, Julius Hodge, and cash considerations. In Boykins' Milwaukee Bucks debut, he contributed 11 points and 11 assists. Hodge was later waived by the Bucks.

On June 28, 2006, the Bucks revealed a new color scheme, as well as an updated logo. The new colors revealed were dark red and forest green, returning the team to its original color scheme, although they retained silver from the previous color scheme. Its new uniform identity was also revealed on the last week of September 2006.

The beginning of the 2006-07 season gave Bucks' fans high hopes. The Bucks had a fantastic December--going 11–6, but soon after, starters Michael Redd, Charlie Villanueva, and Moe Williams suffered key injuries. For much of January, this left Andrew Bogut as the only remaining starting player from the anticipated lineup (starter Bobby Simmons had been sidelined for the entire season with an heel injury). The Bucks’ record suffered as a result of these injuries, with the team recording only two wins in the month of January. In February, the Bucks lost a crucial game to the Boston Celtics who were riding a franchise-record 18-game losing streak. The Bucks' struggles continued with more injuries until they fired head coach Terry Stotts after losing their 41st game of the season. Late in the season, Bogut was also injured, leaving the Bucks with four out of the five anticipated starters for the season, Bogut, Villanueva, Simmons, and Redd, all of whom on the injured list during the final weeks of the season. The Bucks finished with a 28-54 record, third-worst in the NBA.

On June 28, 2007, the Bucks drafted Yi Jianlian from the People's Republic of China with the No. 6 pick. Yi is widely regarded as the best Chinese prospect to come out of China since Yao Ming. Although Yi is considered by many as a strong offensive player, his selection by the Bucks brought many concerns, leading some commentators to consider Yi to be a high risk choice. Most notably, prior to the draft, Yi’s agent, Dan Fegan, had stated that Yi did not want to play for the Bucks, and refused to let them watch Yi train. Fegan had stated that Milwaukee did not have a sufficient population of Asians, and Milwaukee would not have been a good fit for Yi. After being drafted by the Bucks, Yi refused to visit Milwaukee, and his agent has openly tried to convince the Bucks to trade Yi to another team by threatening that Yi would return to China rather than play for the Bucks. In addition, questions exist surrounding Yi’s real age (ranging between 19 to 22) and his ability to acclimatize to the physical game in the NBA. Yi Jianlian recently signed a deal with the Milwaukee Bucks on August 29, 2007, in Hong Kong. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Yi made his Bucks pre-season debut against Chicago, although scoring only three points and fouling out. He made a better showing at Utah with 12 points on the stat sheet. The Milwaukee Bucks are currently 7-4 in the regular season following their 97-95 win over the Dallas Mavericks. The Bucks were lead by Michael Redd who had 27 points, as well as a strong performance from big man Andrew Bogut. Bogut contributed with 16 points and 14 rebounds.


[edit] Trivia

ESPN anchors of Sportscenter have introduced many Bucks highlight reels with the statement "I like big Bucks and I cannot lie", a play on the words of the first line of Sir-Mix-A-Lot's "Baby Got Back".

[edit] Season-by-season records

Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, % = Win-Loss %

Season W L  % Playoffs Results
Milwaukee Bucks
1968-69 27 55 .329
1969-70 56 26 .683 Won Division Semifinals
Lost Division Finals
Milwaukee 4, Philadelphia 1
New York 4, Milwaukee 1
1970-71 66 16 .805 Won Conference Semifinals
Won Conference Finals
Won NBA Finals
Milwaukee 4, San Francisco 1
Milwaukee 4, Los Angeles 1
Milwaukee 4, Baltimore 0
1971-72 63 19 .768 Won Conference Semifinals
Lost Conference Finals
Milwaukee 4, Golden State 2
Los Angeles 4, Milwaukee 2
1972-73 60 22 .732 Lost Conference Semifinals Golden State 4, Milwaukee 2
1973-74 59 23 .720 Won Conference Semifinals
Won Conference Finals
Lost NBA Finals
Milwaukee 4, Los Angeles 1
Milwaukee 4, Chicago 0
Boston 4, Milwaukee 3
1974-75 38 44 .463
1975-76 38 44 .463 Lost First Round Detroit 2, Milwaukee 1
1976-77 30 52 .366
1977-78 44 38 .537 Won First Round
Lost Conference Semifinals
Milwaukee 2, Phoenix 0
Denver 4, Milwaukee 3
1978-79 38 44 .463
1979-80 49 33 .598 Lost Conference Semifinals Seattle 4, Milwaukee 3
1980-81 60 22 .732 Lost Conference Semifinals Philadelphia 4, Milwaukee 3
1981-82 55 27 .671 Lost Conference Semifinals Philadelphia 4, Milwaukee 2
1982-83 51 31 .622 Won Conference Semifinals
Lost Conference Finals
Milwaukee 4, Boston 0
Philadelphia 4, Milwaukee 1
1983-84 50 32 .610 Won First Round
Won Conference Semifinals
Lost Conference Finals
Milwaukee 3, Atlanta 2
Milwaukee 4, New Jersey 2
Boston 4, Milwaukee 1
1984-85 59 23 .720 Won First Round
Lost Conference Semifinals
Milwaukee 3, Chicago 1
Philadelphia 4, Milwaukee 0
1985-86 57 25 .695 Won First Round
Won Conference Semifinals
Lost Conference Finals
Milwaukee 3, New Jersey 0
Milwaukee 4, Philadelphia, 3
Boston 4, Milwaukee 0
1986-87 50 32 .610 Won First Round
Lost Conference Semifinals
Milwaukee 3, Philadelphia 2
Boston 4, Milwaukee 3
1987-88 42 40 .512 Lost First Round Atlanta 3, Milwaukee 2
1988-89 49 33 .598 Won First Round
Lost Conference Semifinals
Milwaukee 3, Atlanta 2
Detroit 4, Milwaukee 0
1989-90 44 38 .537 Lost First Round Chicago 3, Milwaukee 1
1990-91 48 34 .585 Lost First Round Philadelphia 3, Milwaukee 0
1991-92 31 51 .378
1992-93 28 54 .341
1993-94 20 62 .244
1994-95 34 48 .415
1995-96 25 57 .305
1996-97 33 49 .402
1997-98 36 46 .439
1998-99 28 22 .560 Lost First Round Indiana 3, Milwaukee 0
1999-2000 42 40 .512 Lost First Round Indiana 3, Milwaukee 2
2000-01 52 30 .634 Won First Round
Won Conference Semifinals
Lost Conference Finals
Milwaukee 3, Orlando 1
Milwaukee 4, Charlotte 3
Philadelphia 4, Milwaukee 3
2001-02 41 41 .500
2002-03 42 40 .512 Lost First Round New Jersey 4, Milwaukee 2
2003-04 41 41 .500 Lost First Round Detroit 4, Milwaukee 1
2004-05 30 52 .366
2005-06 40 42 .488 Lost First Round Detroit 4, Milwaukee 1
2006-07 28 54 .342
2007-08 12 20 .375
Totals 1696 1502 .530    
Playoffs 99 111 .471 1 Championship

[edit] Players of note

[edit] Basketball Hall of Famers

[edit] Retired numbers

[edit] Current roster

Milwaukee Bucks roster
v  d  e
Players Coaches
Pos. # Nat. Name Ht. Wt. From
PG 42 Image:Flag of the United States.svg Bell, Charlie 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Michigan State
C 6 Image:Flag of Australia.svg Bogut, Andrew 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 260 lb (118 kg) Utah
C 50 Image:Flag of the Netherlands.svg Gadzuric, Dan 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 245 lb (111 kg) UCLA
G 12 Image:Flag of the United States.svg Ivey, Royal 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Texas
SF 24 Image:Flag of the United States.svg Mason, Desmond 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 222 lb (101 kg) Oklahoma State
SF 34 Image:Flag of the United States.svg Noel, David 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 230 lb (104 kg) North Carolina
SG 22 Image:Flag of the United States.svg Redd, Michael (C) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Ohio State
F/C 51 Image:Flag of the United States.svg Ruffin, Michael 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 248 lb (112 kg) Tulsa*
PG 7 Image:Flag of the United States.svg Sessions, Ramon 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Nevada
G/F 21 Image:Flag of the United States.svg Simmons, Bobby 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 230 lb (104 kg) DePaul
SF 20 Image:Flag of the United States.svg Storey, Awvee 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Arizona State
F 31 Image:Flag of the United States.svg Villanueva, Charlie 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 232 lb (105 kg) Connecticut
F/C 43 Image:Flag of the United States.svg Voskuhl, Jake 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 255 lb (116 kg) Connecticut
PG 25 Image:Flag of the United States.svg Williams, Mo (C) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Alabama
PF 9 Image:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Yi Jianlian 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 238 lb (108 kg) China
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend

Roster • updated 2007-09-12

[edit] First overall picks

[edit] Additional players of note

[edit] Coaches and others

[edit] Hall of Famers

[edit] Current coaching staff

[edit] Coaching history

[edit] General manager history

[edit] High points

[edit] Franchise leaders

[edit] Individual awards

[edit] External links

Preceded by
New York Knicks
1970
NBA Champions
Milwaukee Bucks

1971
Succeeded by
Los Angeles Lakers
1972
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