MADISON — The NBA lockout dragged on so long it’s possible
people forgot about the unsightly offense the Milwaukee Bucks had
during their dismal 2010-11 season.

Not Andrew Bogut.

“It was terrible,” the Bucks’ center said. “We just couldn’t
score.”

Indeed, the Bucks couldn’t shoot from the outside, couldn’t finish
inside, couldn’t score consistently from anywhere.

It was a shame, too, because Milwaukee continued to play the kind
of defense coach Scott Skiles demands. Had the Bucks not finished
dead last in the NBA in per-game scoring (91.9) and field goal
percentage (.430), they would have had a fighting chance to make a
second consecutive playoff appearance.

Instead, their win total fell from 46 to 35 and general manager
John Hammond spent still another offseason making wholesale
changes. John Salmons, Corey Maggette, Keyon Dooling and Chris
Douglas-Roberts are out; Stephen Jackson, Mike Dunleavy Jr., Beno
Udrih and Shaun Livingston are in.

The Bucks came out way ahead in that offseason shuffle of NBA
veterans, especially since the new guys are better fits offensively
with the Bucks’ cornerstones, Bogut and point guard Brandon
Jennings. The acquisitions are proven shooters, which were in short
supply in Milwaukee last season.

For the Bucks, who open their abbreviated season Monday night at
Charlotte, it’s pretty simple: If they can regain their shooting
touch, they will be a playoff team in the Eastern Conference. If
they don’t, Hammonds will be making more wholesale changes next
offseason.

Injuries also played a significant role in Milwaukee’s decline last
season. Bogut missed 17 games, Jennings 19, Ersan Ilyasova 22,
Carlos Delfino 33 and Drew Gooden 47.

But the Bucks still might have reached the playoffs if Salmons
hadn’t reverted to his career-long pattern of playing well, signing
a big contract and then forgetting how to score. On some nights,
the Bucks found themselves virtually devoid of scoring
options.

Players such as Maggette and Douglas-Roberts, who drive to the
basket for a living, found little room to operate with Bogut
setting up down low. And Bogut couldn’t play away from the basket
because complications with his surgically repaired elbow made his
right arm virtually useless and hindered his ability to shoot
anything but a layup or left-handed hook. The result was a horribly
dysfunctional offense.

“We’re so good defensively and we have an onus on defense and every
little detail on defense that I think we ourselves — not the
coaches, but we ourselves — carried that to offense,” Bogut said.
“At the offensive end we made it robotic, like we were defensively,
because we’re so good defensively. So the coaches weren’t teaching
that. We just picked that up. I think now we understand that we
need to be able to have a lot more freedom offensively. … We have
the talent right now that we should be able to score 100 points a
game.”

Another way for the Bucks to reach 100 per game would be to
generate more transition baskets from their stellar defense.

“Turnovers lead to easy transition baskets and I think we didn’t
take advantage of the turnovers that we forced to get easy
baskets,” Gooden said. “I think that’s something we’re going to
emphasize this year is getting out on the break and trying to get
four to six points on layups. That can win a lot of ballgames for
us.”

Actually, much more than that has to happen. Bogut must show he can
use his right hand again — he says his elbow is pain-free — and
not allow teams to overplay his left. Jennings must show
improvement on his shot after being basically the same player last
season that he was as a rookie. Delfino, Ilyasova and a
slimmed-down Gooden mostly have to stay healthy.

Unlike last year, when the new guys were supposed to help the
offense by going to the basket and drawing fouls, the new guys this
year will add something useful — namely, shooting. Jackson, a
notorious streak shooter, and Dunleavy, who moves well without the
ball, are proven wing scorers. As a backup point guard and
occasional playing partner with Jennings, Udrih could give Skiles
what Luke Ridour gave him so effectively two seasons ago.

“We’ve been what we thought we would be on paper,” Skiles said of
the offense. “We have a willingness to pass the ball, which is
good. We’ve got a bunch of guys that can put the ball on the floor
and make plays for somebody else. Our overall court vision is
better. We’re seeing open people and making nice plays. All that’s
very encouraging. We just have to work out some execution
things.”

An improved offense wouldn’t put the Bucks in a class with Miami,
Chicago, Boston and Orlando in the East, but it would probably put
them in the next tier of teams. Given good health, there’s no
reason that can’t happen.

—–

Contact Tom Oates at toates@madison.com or 608-252-6172.

—

(c)2011 The Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, Wis.)

Visit The Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, Wis.) at
www.wisconsinstatejournal.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services

Dec. 6, 2011 |

Get ready for Derrick Rose, D-Wade and LeBron.

Hey, and Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant, too.

But no Dirk and no Blake.

The Milwaukee Bucks released their shortened 66-game schedule for the 2011-’12 season Tuesday, and their fans definitely received some good news.

The Chicago Bulls and Rose, the league’s reigning most valuable player, will make two appearances at the Bradley Center, as will Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and the Miami Heat.

The Bulls will play the Bucks on a Saturday night, Feb. 4, and will return March 7. And the Heat will be at the Bradley Center twice within a two-week span, on Feb. 1 and Feb. 13.

But Bucks fans will not get a chance to see Dirk Nowitzki and the defending league champion Dallas Mavericks, and they also will miss the Los Angeles Clippers and reigning rookie of the year Blake Griffin.

Due to the lockout-shortened schedule, the Bucks will not play six Western Conference teams at home: Dallas, Houston, the Clippers, Golden State, Sacramento and Utah.

But Bryant and the new-look Lakers under coach Mike Brown will visit the Bradley Center on Jan. 28, the identical date on the original schedule released in July.

“It’s luck of the draw,” said Bucks vice president of business operations John Steinmiller. “It’s a marquee game, one our fans want to see.”

Durant and the on-the-rise Oklahoma City Thunder also will visit Milwaukee on April 9.

The original 82-game schedule is long gone, but a few remnants appear in the new four-month season.

The Bucks still will open January with a five-game Western swing, beginning in Denver on Jan. 2.

The original slate had the Bucks on the road for 12 of 16 games in January, and Milwaukee will be on the road for 11 of 17 games in the revised version. But two home games were added in January.

“Each season there will be a team that has to do that,” Bucks general manager John Hammond said of the western swing. “How often do we look at a team that is out west early and say, ‘They picked up a good road win?’

“The teams that can do that, it can propel you into a good season. If you pass that test, a lot of positives can come out of that.”

After the Bucks open 2012 in Denver, they play at Utah and Sacramento before heading to Los Angeles to face Griffin and the Clippers. The trip finishes at Phoenix on Jan. 8.

And what about opening night?

The Bucks will open at Charlotte on Dec. 26, the second day of the regular season, after five league games are played on Christmas. New Bucks players Stephen Jackson and Shaun Livingston will have a chance to go against their former team right away, while Corey Maggette will be wearing a Bobcats uniform.

It is the 27th consecutive season the Bucks are opening on the road.

And the Bucks’ home opener follows Dec. 27 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Milwaukee will be quite familiar with the Timberwolves – now coached by Rick Adelman – as the teams also play a two-game exhibition series, including the MACC Fund game at the Bradley Center on Dec. 21.

The Bucks also will play at home Dec. 30 against the Washington Wizards.

“We’re extremely excited to have two home games during the holiday week,” Steinmiller said.

Twelve of the Bucks’ first 18 games are away from home, so it will be imperative for the Bucks to come out of training camp with a cohesive unit.

“It’s a tough start,” Hammond said. “But you say, ‘Hey, if we can come out of January still standing, we have a chance to finish the season strong.’ ”

The Bucks will have just one set of back-to-back-to-back games, with home games against Boston on March 22 and Indianapolis on March 24 and a trip to Charlotte on March 23.

The team has 20 back-to-back sets after playing 23 back-to-back games last season.

Milwaukee has just two trips of three games or more, the early swing to the west and a three-game trip that features a Leap Day matchup at Boston on Feb. 29 and stops in Atlanta on March 2 and Orlando on March 3.

The Bucks will play three Western Conference teams twice – Denver, Phoenix and Portland – and just once against the other 12 Western clubs.

Milwaukee will not travel to Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Memphis, New Orleans and Minnesota during the regular season, and they will not face the Lakers at the Staples Center.

And the Bucks have just one nationally televised game on ESPN, an April 13 matchup at Detroit, while four other games will air on NBA TV (Jan. 7 at the Clippers, March 3 at Orlando, March 22 vs. Boston and April 2 at Washington).

The Bucks will have a five-game home stand in April and will play nine of 14 games at home in the final month.

“We have Saturday games every month,” Steinmiller said. “Our weekends held up well (with the new schedule).”

The Bucks will play eight Saturday home games and three Friday dates but no Sundays.

THE CANADIAN PRESS

TORONTO — Drew Gooden’s return from a 30-game fight with a left foot ailment could be the shot in the arm the Milwaukee Bucks need for their desperate playoff push.

Gooden scored 22 points off the bench and added 11 rebounds in his second game back from his lengthy layoff as the Bucks beat the Toronto Raptors 104-98 Wednesday.

The Raptors were unable to play spoiler, with the Bucks (30-45) badly needing to win to keep three games back of eighth-place Indiana in the Eastern Conference.

Brandon Jennings scored 25 points and added seven assists for the Bucks, while Andrew Bogut added 17 points and 10 rebounds.

“Drew is a big part of this team,” Jennings said of his teammate, who hadn’t played since Jan. 21 because of plantar fasciitis. “He is a great rebounder and he is a great screen and pop shooter. When he is out there making shots it just opens up the offence for a lot of us.”

Andrea Bargnani scored 22 points, returning to the Raptors line up after missing their last game with a sore right ankle. DeMar DeRozan added 20 points for the Raptors (20-54), who have lost five straight coming off a Western Conference road trip where they went 1-4.

The Raptors didn’t have any answers as the Bucks beat them from the perimeter shooting 47 per cent from the three point line and inside, scoring 38 points in the paint.

“I thought the guy that hurt us was Gooden,” said Raptors coach Jay Triano. “When he came in he made jump shots against our second unit and that hurt us.”

In a hotly contested fourth quarter with the teams trading baskets, Gooden scored 12 points and eight rebounds. He followed up a key offensive tip-in with a 21-foot jump shot from the corner with 43 seconds, giving Milwaukee a 98-92 lead.

Leandro Barbosa responded with a 24-foot jump shot to bring the game within four points with 27.6 seconds left. Jennings made both free throws after being fouled on the subsequent inbound play extending the Bucks lead to 100-94.

DeRozan’s slashing lay up with 20 seconds was followed by two free throws by Gooden making the score 102-96 with 17.5 seconds left.

Barbosa’s three-point attempt with 11 seconds left fell short, hitting the front of the rim. Gooden finished the game off with another pair of free throws.

Bargnani scored 12 points in the third quarter, helping the Raptors keep pace, despite Jennings and Bogut each scoring eight for the Bucks.

DeRozan hit back-to-back pull-up jumpers to give the Raptors a 72-71 lead with 2:27 left in the quarter. On the Raptors last possession, Barbosa’s penetration led to an assist on a Reggie Evans lay up with 3.8 seconds left tying the game 76-76 at the end of the quarter.

Milwaukee started the second quarter on a 11-3 run, with the point guard tandem of Jennings and Earl Boykins scoring 15 points and seven assists in the quarter. Eight team turnovers by the Raptors helped the Bucks to a 52-49 lead going into halftime.

After starting the game shooting 11 of 13 from the field the Raptors cooled off taking a 28-22 lead into the second quarter.

Notes: Raptors next game is at Chicago on Saturday. … Raptors James Johnson’s 10 rebounds were a career-high. … Reggie Evans returned to the Raptors line up after missing his last game with a sore right foot … Michael Redd of Milwaukee played in his second game of the season. …. The Raptors were missing Linas Kleiza (right knee surgery) and the Bucks were without Ersan Ilyasova (Concussion). … Jon Brockman left the game in the second quarter with a left shoulder injury.

Raptors point guard Jerryd Bayless (5) splits the defence for a layup in a 118-110 overtime loss to the Bucks on Jan. 28. (Ron Turenne/Getty Images)

Despite being 15 games below .500, the Milwaukee Bucks still have a chance to earn a playoff berth. They would be in better position to get one if they weren’t closing games so poorly of late.

Before a key matchup with the team they’re chasing for the Eastern Conference’s final post-season spot, the Bucks continue their three-game trip Wednesday night when they face the Toronto Raptors.

This road swing ends Friday against Indiana, which is three games ahead of 10th-place Milwaukee (29-44) for eighth in the East. The Bucks fell two games behind ninth-place Charlotte with an 87-86 loss to the Bobcats on Monday.

That defeat resulted from another late meltdown. After giving up the final 12 points in Saturday’s 95-87 home loss to Chicago, the Bucks did not have a field goal in the final 5:10 on Monday and went scoreless in the last 3:52.

“It was a must-win game and we came up short,” said Brandon Jennings, who finished with 26 points but missed 10 of 12 shots in the fourth.

“We had chances to do it and I take it on myself that I should have came up down the stretch and made big plays. But I didn’t.”

Milwaukee has led in the fourth quarter of each of its last four losses.

While the Bucks have shot below 40 per cent from the field in their last two games and are last in the league at 42.7, they have shot 50.6 per cent in two meetings with the Raptors this season and won both.

Toronto (20-53) is among the NBA’s worst teams defensively, allowing 105.6 points per game on 48.3 per cent shooting.

Milwaukee had its highest-scoring game of the season in its only trip to Toronto, winning 116-110 in overtime Jan. 28.

The Raptors return home following a 1-4 trip that ended with Saturday’s 94-90 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Toronto, which fell behind by 40 points in defeats to Denver and Golden State during the western swing, dropped its fourth straight Saturday after leading by 10 with 8:27 left.

“We’re not moving the ball that well,” Raptors head coach Jay Triano said. “Teams are going to play zone against us, so the ball has to go inside and side-to-side.

“We’re a team that sometimes holds the ball. And when you do that, the zone can match up.”

Toronto could find it even more difficult to create offence if leading scorer Andrea Bargnani sits a second straight game with a sore right ankle.

Rookie Ed Davis, though, has shown steady improvement since missing the first 17 games of the season following knee surgery. He posted his second consecutive double-double Saturday with a career-best 21 points and 11 rebounds.

“I’m still fresh because I missed training camp,” Davis told the Raptors’ official website. “It’s only my 56th game.”

Davis could see plenty of time against Bucks centre Andrew Bogut, averaging 22.7 points and 13.0 boards in his last three road games. He had 24 points in the Jan. 28 victory in Toronto.

Milwaukee has won six of eight versus the Raptors and now looks to win three straight in the series for the first time since the 2003-04 season.