Me waking up to tweets from Bucks accounts letting me know that Giannis (or his team) spent last night scrubbing his socials after the Bucks put forth a PUTRID effort against a 2-win Wizards team that is actively tanking:
First the game itself: Disgusting. Pathetic. Embarrassing. I try not to be too hyperbolic on this blog/podcast but that might be the worst regular season loss in the last 8-9 years. The Wizards had the worst record in the NBA last night (2-16) and are pretty much actively tanking to try and get the #1 pick in next year’s draft. On top of that, they were missing a few key players last night. The Bucks are finally healthy with Giannis and KPJ back, had a 16-point lead in the 3rd quarter, then proceeded to, and pardon my French here, shit down their leg.
They were outhustled, outworked, out everything-ed. And that includes Giannis. It is RARE that Giannis looks uninterested but he looked disengaged last night. They turned the ball over 16 times, allowed one of the worst offensive rebounding teams in the league to snatch 14 offensive boards, and went 13-21 at the free throw line in a three point loss. The turnovers and offensive rebounds allowed the Wizards to take EIGHTEEN more shots than the Bucks. 18! Basically an extra quarter of shots.
Then, after the game, Giannis didn’t conduct a media session (rare) and proceeded scrubbed all of his social media, back to the day after the Bucks won the title in 2021.
Now, that could mean a lot of things. One of the things it could mean, is nothing. It could mean that he’s looking to block out distractions and lock in (please be it), or it could mean we’re seeing the first real trembles of Jurassic Park-water that this year might truly be it for Giannis in Milwaukee.
Look, the shine of the 4-1 start is LONG gone. The Giannis injury didn’t help obviously, but after last night this team is sitting at 9-13 and on on the outside of the Play In Tournament. There’s a LONG way to go, but it’s hard to have a lot of hope that this team is going to go on a heater when you’re losing to the worst team in the league.
I said it on the podcast and I’ll say it again here: This season feels like a one year trial run for Giannis. He’s got one more year left on his deal after this season, so this offseason it is either going to be an extension in Milwaukee or he’s going to get traded. They cut and stretched Dame’s contract to bring in Myles Turner and try one more different version of this team, and so far it’s been pretty ‘blah.’ Turner has been okay, AJ Green has been one of the best three-point shooters in the league but his defense has fallen off of a cliff, Kevin Porter Jr. looks like a decent piece and they may have a budding star in 23-year old Ryan Rollins. But beyond that? Not a lot of anything. Bobby Portis is basically a net-negative at this point with how poor his defense and rebounding are, Kuzma is VERY hit or miss (mostly miss), and Cole Anthony is a nightmare.
And then there’s Doc. I love Doc as a guy, I love Doc as a mentor for these young players trying to find their way in the league, but his schemes, his rotations, they aren’t hitting. We’re in our second full year at this point, I just don’t think it’s going to get a whole lot better. I guess maybe Jon Horst could work some magic and make some bigger moves to bring in more talent, get our depth better, etc. But I just don’t think Doc is the guy anymore that can take a team (ANY team) on a deep playoff run or a title run.
So that’s where we’re at. Not great, Bob! I hope I’m just overreacting to one REALLY REALLY REALLY bad game, and maybe they can get things turned around with a lighter strength of schedule this month. But again, if you’re losing to the 2-16 Wizards with THAT kind of effort? It’s getting more difficult to see a path forward. Not just for success this season, but for a future where Giannis is still a Buck.
PS: Of course it was Khris Middleton who hit the go-ahead three with a minute left last night. OF COURSE.
Comments