Milwaukee Bucks Franchise Season 1- Season Wrap-Up

[bullsfan009]

Hello everyone, I'm bullsfan009 and I'm back for my second season (the first was my Chicago Bulls season- I lost in the first round of the playoffs you can check it out in the Live 2000 Franchise Issues section).

This time, I'm using Alex's newest roster, v.0.51, which is completely up-to-date as of the NBA playoffs. Because all the salaries and contract lengths etc. are good, I'm ready to do my first franchise.

I did a lot of thinking about what team I wanted to be. I didn't want to be a good team, because that makes things too easy, but not a horrible team, too. Also, I wanted a team whose jerseys and home court I liked.

With all this in mind, I have decided to be the Milwaukee Bucks. I like their green + purple uniforms, I like their stadium, and even though they had a bad record this year they have some interesting talent- especially Michael Redd, Desmond Mason, and T. J. Ford.

I'm also considering players I'm going to try to trade for to build up a championship-contender, but I'll keep everyone in suspense for a little while longer .

So, I just wanted to give everyone an introduction- this probably won't really start up until early next week (at the latest) because I'm still doing tweaking on the rosters and I'm going to be out of town for a few days. Until then, stay tuned!

[Diogo]

Hope too see this Franchise as soon as possible

[COOLmac©]

speaking of trades.......i'm in the edge of my seat...... get back soon and do this right mr.bullsfan.....i enjoyed the chicago run you did last time

[bullsfan009]

Thanks everyone- the compliments give me the extra motivation I need to keep going for example that Bulls season was the first entire 29-game season I've completed in a LONG time...

I'll get this one up as soon as possible- just have a bit more tinkering to do with the Toolkit.

[bullsfan009]

OK I'm ready to get started. First, though, I've got to get everyone familiar with the Milwaukee Bucks roster, and salary situation. Here goes: (PLEASE ALWAYS REFER BACK TO THIS B/C I WILL CONSTANTLY UPDATE IT WHENEVER I MAKE A ROSTER MOVE)

PICTURE ROSTER

Booth, Calvin: C, #52, 6'11", 248 pounds, OVERALL RATING= 70, $5,900,700 per year, 3 years remaining

Childs, Chris: PG, #1, 6'3", 195 pounds, OVERALL RATING= 71, $349,458 per year, 1 year remaining

Fizer, Marcus: PF, #21, 6'8", 250 pounds, OVERALL RATING= 71, $735,960 per year, 1 year remaining

Gadzuric, Dan: C, #50, 6'11", 228 pounds, OVERALL RATING= 72, $1,250,000 per year, 1 year remaining

Gaines, Reece: PG, #34, 6'6", 205 pounds, OVERALL RATING= 61, $1,454,640 per year, 3 years remaining

Ham, Darvin: SF, #8, 6'7", 240 pounds, OVERALL RATING= 69, $932,546 per year, 1 year remaining

Henderson, Alan: PF, #51, 6'9", 240 pounds, OVERALL RATING= 67, $8,273,125 per year, 1 year remaining

Howard, Dwight: PF, #12, 6'11, 240 pounds, OVERALL RATING= 79, $4,179,720 per year, 4 years remaining

Mason, Desmond: SF, #24, 6'5", 200 pounds, OVERALL RATING= 79, $6,529,630 per year, 3 years remaining

McDyess, Antonio: PF, #11, 6'9", 235 pounds, OVERALL RATING= 76, $2,500,000 per year, 3 years remaining

Pachulia, Zaur: PF, #27, 6'11", 240 pounds, OVERALL RATING= 65, $620,046 per year, 1 year remaining

Santiago, Daniel: C, #15, 7'1", 256 pounds, OVERALL RATING= 68, $1,320,000 per year, 1 year remaining

Strickland, Erick: SG, #20, 6'3", 210 pounds, OVERALL RATING= 72, $1,650,000 per year, 1 year remaining

Terry, Jason: SG/PG, #31, 6'2", 188 pounds, OVERALL RATING= 80, $7,500,000 per year, 2 years remaining

Williams, Maurice: PG, #25, 6'1", 180 pounds, OVERALL RATING= 72, $2,000,000 per year, 3 years remaining

SALARY TOTAL: $45,415,871. The Bucks are now $415,871 over the salary cap. (Anthony Goldwire is still making $620,046 for 1 year b/c he was waived). Also, I have 8 players in the final year of their contracts.

[bullsfan009]

I almost forgot, here are my franchise settings:

29-game seasons (1 game vs every team)
QUARTER LENGTH: 10 minutes (I get very realistic scores)
SIM QUARTER LENGTH: 12 minutes
CPU-ASSIST: ON (makes more competitive games)
DIFFICULTY: SUPERSTAR (hardest)
CPU-TRADING: ON (When moves are made around the league, I'll let you all know)
PLAYOFF FORMAT: 5-7-7-7 (this is NBA Live 2000- the first round being a best-of-7 game series just started a couple of years ago)
INJURIES: ON
I'm going to play all of my games in their entirety. No simming.

That's all I can think of.

[alexboom]

bullsfan, I'll send you a couple of cyberfaces, that should reduce drastically the amount of generic cyberfaces in your roster (just for the pleasure of our eyes )

[COOLmac©]

yeah atleast now he started posting some pics of protraits.....now that's a start

[bullsfan009]

Alex- I'm going to send you my completely updated roster soon. I did a LOT of work on it- completely updated ratings, player pkg, score area, player appearances, and some salaries that were wrong (for example Kirk Hinrich was getting $8 million per year in the game, when he's still on his rookie contract).

And OK for the cyberfaces, thanks. Although, some of them I might have already seen, but preferred my generic cyberface b/c IMO it looks better. (For example, T.J. Ford). So I may not use all of them...

COOLmac-

[bullsfan009]

Here are the first transactions of the (pre)season:

11/1/1999..........The Milwaukee Bucks trade SG Michael Redd ($3,000,000 per year, 1 year left) and PF Joe Smith ($5,899,400 per year, 3 years left) to the Orlando Magic in exchange for PF Dwight Howard ($4,179,720 per year, 4 years left) and C Tony Battie ($4,800,000 per year, 2 years left).

The Milwaukee Bucks sign Free Agent PG Chris Childs to a 1-year contract for $349,458.

The Portland Trailblazers release PG Maurice Baker, and sign Free Agent Isiah Rider to a one year contract for $349,458.

(whenever I make a roster transaction, refer back to my PICTURE ROSTER above- it will be updated with the new players, and my new salary cap situation.)

[bullsfan009]

MEET THE GM: "Mr. Middleman"

Seeking to find balance in life and with the Milwaukee Bucks roster, Mr. Middleman is the hard-working General Manager for this NBA Franchise. Here's his thoughts on the direction of the franchise:

"I've found that in anything that you do, you've always got to consider the big picture. Applying that to my General Manager duties with the Milwaukee Bucks has been a challenge.

It is because of this "big picture" that we traded Michael Redd for Dwight Howard. We know that Redd is obviously the better player right now- the Orlando Magic aren't dumb. They now have one of the best backcourts in the league with Steve Francis at the 1 and Redd at the 2. But Dwight Howard is worth it, we believe. He's a very versatile player- very athletic, good fundamentally, a terrific rebounder, and is more mature than people twice his age despite coming out of high school. With his work ethic, we expect him to be a good player this year, and a great one within 3 years.

As a GM, I'm looking for guys who have the talent, but just as important is that they play with heart. I want players who have pride, and play with a passion and love for the game. And, high character guys, who care for their teammates, and don't get jealous but are supportive. Of all the very many traits of a championship-caliber team, this to me is one of the most important: team unity.

Strategically, I want to see a very versatile Bucks team on the floor every night. Critics might suggest that a team needs an identity as either an OFFENSIVE (like the Suns, & Wizards) or DEFENSIVE (Pistons, Spurs) team for them to succeed. However, I want our identity to be "The Bucks are the most versatile team in the league. They can play whichever way they want & need to, and still dominate the game."

People may think that this is wishful thinking, that it's too idealistic. But lemme tell you- look at what we have already! We've got Desmond Mason, who can play the 2 or the 3, can run or play in the post, and lock people up defensively. We've got Toni Kukoc, one of the most versatile players in the league during his career, who can play 4 positions easily. Dwight Howard can play power forward or center for us, and same goes with Tony Battie.

If we want to run & gun, check out this lineup: TJ Ford, Maurice Williams, Desmond Mason, Toni Kukoc, and Dwight Howard.
If we want to go big, how about: Childs at the point, Mason at the 2, Kukoc at the 3, Howard at the 4, and Gadzuric at the 5? Offensive? Williams, Mason, Kukoc, Fizer, and Howard.
Defensive? Ford, Childs, Mason, Howard, Gadzuric.

Notice here that Desmond Mason and Dwight Howard are the only players that appear in each of the different lineups. Which is great because that means that our 2 best players are our 2 most versatile players. So, obviously, we're on the right track.

I envision us not using a set starting lineup, but changing it game-to-game according to what style is best for winning that contest. Think about how hard it would be for teams to contain us: they won't know whether they're going to be up against a grizzly bear or a gazelle that night.

Everyone and everything should have an ultimate goal in their life, something they relentlessly persue and work towards.

For the Milwaukee Bucks franchise, it's winning NBA Championships. I believe that we're going to do it. Welcome, fans, I hope you will believe too.

[bullsfan009]

Game 1: Minnesota Timberwolves (0-0) @ Milwaukee Bucks (0-0)

KEY PLAYERS:

Desmond Mason (MIL) vs. Kevin Garnett (MIN)

GAME SUMMARY:

MIN 98, MIL 89
A Sluggish Start- Bucks Feel Absence of Michael Redd, Struggle in Opener


MILWAUKEE- The Bucks played their first game of the season last night at the Bradley Center in downtown Milwaukee. They had just made some drastic roster moves in the preseason, ones that would change the course of the franchise for many years to come.
All-star and fan-favorite Michael Redd was shipped to the Orlando Magic, along with veteran Joe Smith, in return for rookie power forward Dwight Howard and center Tony Battie. “It was a move for the future,” Bucks GM Mr. Middleman stated. “We believe that Dwight will be a premier player in this league in the not-too-distant future. And Tony Battie is a solid veteran who will help carry the load until that time.
“I know the fans will miss Michael Redd, as will I. He was a special player and a special person. I wish him the best, I expect nothing less than a hall-of-fame career of Michael. And Joe Smith was a solid player for many years for our team. We thank him for his efforts during his stay here.”

On to the game. The Bucks had 3 new starters from last season- reserve Erick Strickland replaced Redd as the shooting guard, Howard started at the power forward position, and Battie got the nod over incumbent starter Dan Gadzuric for the 5-spot. The starting lineup was rounded out by Desmond Mason at the 3, and T.J. Ford led off at the point.
The first quarter was an even battle, as Minnesota led by a 25-23 margin at the end of it. Their go-to guy, the dominant Kevin Garnett, simply played like K.G. He had 10 points on 5-7 shooting, and grabbed 5 boards. For the Bucks, Tony Battie surprised with a quick start: he had 6 points and 4 rebounds in the opening period. Desmond Mason struggled, scoring 4 points on 1-6 from the field.
The second quarter was just ugly. Both teams did nothing to hide the fact that they were playing their first regular season games. The Bucks shot only 37.5%, and the T-Wolves were even worse: 33.3%. The teams each scored 19 points, and Milwaukee wouldn’t have got even that had Maurice Williams not come off the bench to score 11 points in the period. The first half came to an end with Minnesota still clinging to a 2-point lead.
Desmond Mason commented after the game, “With Michael [Redd] gone, the team really depends on me now on the offensive end, and I felt I let them down in the first half.” He was determined to improve on his total of just 6 points at that point, and did just that. Mason exploded in the third and the fourth quarters, scoring 24 points total on a barrage of mid-range jumpers and physical inside drives. His 30 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists weren’t enough to even get the team to 90 points, though.
Sam Cassell and Kevin Garnett erased Mason’s efforts with a big 3rd quarter and 4th quarter, respectively. Cassell was hitting from everywhere in the third, scoring 12 points, and The Big Ticket didn’t miss in the fourth on his way to 10 more points and 4 more rebounds.
Milwaukee was down just one point going into the fourth quarter, trailing 64-63. However, Minnesota opened up the final period with a 9-0 run, and led by as much as 13 as they busted out 34 points on 57% shooting to take over the game and put away the Bucks 98-89.

GAME NOTES
The X-factor in the game for the Wolves was SG Trenton Hassell. Hassell is on the Wolves, and the league, really, because of his suffocating defense. He definitely made his defensive impact with 6 blocks, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals, but he also poured in an unexpected 12 points- double what the Bucks starting SG Erick Strickland got.

GAME STATS

MILWAUKEE
Battie: 8 pts, 7 reb, 1 ast, 4-8 FGs
Howard: 9 pts, 10 reb, 1 ast, 4-8 FGs
Mason: 30 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast, 14-25 FGs
Strickland: 6 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast, 3-14 FGs
Ford: 4 pts, 1 reb, 3 ast, 2-7 FGs
Kukoc: 8 pts, 2 reb, 1 ast, 4-8 FGs
Gadzuric: 2 pts, 3 reb, 0 ast, 1-3 FGs
Williams: 13 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast, 6-13 FGs
Fizer: 2 pts, 3 reb, 0 ast, 1-1 FGs
Childs: 7 pts, 0 reb, 1 ast, 3-6 FGs
Booth: 0 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast, 0-2 FGs
TOTALS: 42-95 FGs (44.2%), 4-6 FTs, 43 REB (12 OFF), 19 AST, 10 FL

MINNESOTA
Olowokandi: 2 pts, 7 reb, 1 ast, 1-4 FGs
Garnett: 28 pts, 15 reb, 3 ast, 14-19 FGs
Sprewell: 15 pts, 4 reb, 1 ast, 7-20 FGs
Hassell: 12 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast, 6-12 FGs
Cassell: 23 pts, 0 reb, 6 ast, 10-19 FGs
Hudson: 9 pts, 1 reb, 5 ast, 3-10 FGs
Szczerbiak: 6 pts, 1 reb, 0 ast, 3-9 FGs
Griffin: 3 pts, 2 reb, 0 ast, 1-3 FGs
Johnson: 0 pts, 5 reb, 0 ast, 0-0 FGs
Thomas: 0 pts, 1 reb, 0 ast, 0-0 FGs
TOTALS: 45-96 FGs (46.9%), 4-6 FTs, 41 REB (13 OFF), 18 AST, 5 FL

QUARTER-BY-QUARTER SCORING
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bucks 23 19 21 26---89
Timberwolves 25 19 20 34---98
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Three-point field goals: Milwaukee 1-11 (Childs 1-3, Ford 0-1, Strickland 0-2, Kukoc 0-2, Williams 0-3), Minnesota 4-10 (Cassell 3-5, Hudson 1-2, Szczerbiak 0-1, Sprewell 0-2). Turnovers: Milwaukee 14, Minnesota 10. Steals: Milwaukee 4 (Ford 2, Childs 2), Minnesota 10 (Sprewell 3). Blocks: Milwaukee 4 (4 tied with 1), Minnesota 15 (Hassell 6).

Highlight of the Game:
Latrell Spreewell with the putback jam

BUCKS RECORD: 0-1

[Diogo]

Keep it rolling bullsfan, your franchises are fantastic

[bullsfan009]

I will, and thanks, friend.

[bullsfan009]

GAME 2: Milwaukee Bucks (0-1) @ Miami Heat (0-1)

MIA 108, MIL 98
Torched By Turnovers- Heat Play Great Defense, Bucks Turn Ball Over 21 Times


MIAMI- The Bucks were their own worst enemy last night against the Miami Heat. They committed an astounding 21 turnovers, led by Desmond Mason and Toni Kukoc who had 7 each. “If I had any hair, I would have pulled it out tonight,” Bucks coach Terry Porter remarked. “Miami deserves a lot of credit, but we beat ourselves up tonight.”
Milwaukee decided to go with a big lineup to match up against Shaquille O’Neal and the Heat, so they slid Desmond Mason over from the 3 to the 2, and started 6’11” veteran Toni Kukoc at the small forward position.
The game got off to a quick start, with both teams continuously racking up points until halftime. The Bucks shot 59% in the first quarter, and 52% in the second, but still trailed 65-58 points at the half. All this, and they still trailed by 7- that’s how easily and how often Miami was scoring.
Dwyane Wade had a huge game, scoring 14 of his 34 in the first quarter. Shaq was solid, too, collecting 21 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 blocks. For Milwaukee, Toni Kukoc looked like the Kukoc of 9 years ago that won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award. Aside from his 7 turnovers, he played a brilliant game, scoring 33 points, grabbing 6 rebounds, and distributing 6 assists. Of his 33 points, 25 came in the first half.
But in the third and fourth quarters, Miami put the clamps on defensively, and buckled down to defend their basket. After shooting marvelously in the first half, the Bucks went 15-36 (41.6%) the rest of the way. Combine that with their 14 second-half turnovers (9 in the fourth period) and Dwyane Wade’s spectacular 10-point fourth quarter, and it’s easy to see why Miami got the “W” last night on their home floor.

GAME NOTES
Desmond Mason is having a great start to his season, both offensively and defensively. After scoring 30 points, grabbing 5 rebounds, and dishing out 5 assists in the opener, he had 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists in Miami. He also held Eddie Jones to 12 points on 6-16 shooting, and had 3 blocks and 2 steals.

Dwight Howard had his first career double-double, scoring 15 points to go with his 11 rebounds. Coach Porter commented, “He’s a fast learner, and works hard at his game. I think you’ll see constant improvement from Dwight as he gains more experience in the league.”

Miami had 25 more field-goal attempts than the Bucks in the game. Why? “Anytime a team commits 13 less turnovers that you, and then they also grab 11 more offensive rebounds, you’re in trouble…” T. J. Ford said.

GAME STATS

MILWAUKEE
Battie: 3 pts, 7 reb, 0 ast, 1-4 FGs
Howard: 15 pts, 11 reb, 1 ast, 6-10 FGs
Mason: 18 pts, 5 reb, 6 ast, 9-19 FGs
Strickland: 6 pts, 1 reb, 1 ast, 2-5 FGs
Ford: 2 pts, 0 reb, 6 ast, 1-5 FGs
Kukoc: 33 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast, 12-20 FGs
Gadzuric: 6 pts, 3 reb, 0 ast, 3-6 FGs
Williams: 6 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast, 3-6 FGs
Fizer: 4 pts, 3 reb, 0 ast, 1-4 FGs
Childs: 2 pts, 0 reb, 3 ast, 1-1 FGs
Booth: 3 pts, 3 reb, 0 ast, 1-1 FGs
TOTALS: 40-81 FGs (49.4%), 16-19 FTs, 43 REB (7 OFF), 26 AST, 11 FL

MIAMI
O'Neal: 21 pts, 12 reb, 1 ast, 10-13 FGs
Haslem: 4 pts, 9 reb, 0 ast, 2-9 FGs
E. Jones: 12 pts, 2 reb, 3 ast, 6-16 FGs
Wade: 34 pts, 7 reb, 1 ast, 15-26 FGs
D. Jones: 15 pts, 0 reb, 7 ast, 4-10 FGs
Mourning: 0 pts, 3 reb, 1 ast, 0-1 FGs
Dooling: 5 pts, 1 reb, 9 ast, 2-7 FGs
Butler: 3 pts, 3 reb, 1 ast, 1-13 FGs
Anderson: 12 pts, 2 reb, 0 ast, 6-9 FGs
Doleac: 2 pts, 0 reb, 1 ast, 1-2 FGs
TOTALS: 47-106 FGs (44.3%), 9-12 FTs, 39 REB (18 OFF), 24 AST, 13 FL

QUARTER-BY-QUARTER SCORING
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bucks 32 26 21 19---98
Heat 38 27 18 25---108
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Three-point field goals: Milwaukee 2-6 (Kukoc 2-4, Ford 0-1, Williams 0-1), Miami 5-17 (D. Jones 4-8, Butler 1-6, E. Jones 0-1, Dooling 0-2). Turnovers: Milwaukee 21, Miami 8. Steals: Milwaukee 7 (Mason 2), Miami 12 (4 Tied With 2). Blocks: Milwaukee 7 (Mason 3), Miami 14 (Haslem 5).

Highlight of the Game
Toni Kukoc played spectacularly against the Heat.

BUCKS RECORD: 0-2

[bullsfan009]

Newest League Transactions

11/1/99.....Free agent Eddie Robinson signs with the 76ers for $349,458 over 1 year.

11/2/99.....Cory Alexander was released by the Charlotte Bobcats.

11/2/99.....The Bobcats have signed free agent Michael Curry for $349,458 over 1 year.

11/2/99.....Obinna Ekezie was released by the Atlanta Hawks.

11/2/99.....Free agent Kendall Gill signs with the Hawks for $349,458 over 1 year.

11/4/99.....The Knicks have signed Gary Trent as a free agent for 1 year at $349,458.

[bullsfan009]

GAME 3: Seattle Supersonics (0-1) @ Milwaukee Bucks (0-2)

SEA 99, MIL 82
Sleeping Against Seattle- Bucks Play Uninspired, Get Blown Out At Home

MILWAUKEE- “EVERYBODY is going to running a lot of laps very early tomorrow morning. Including myself.” Those were the first words out of frustrated Bucks coach Terry Porter after last night’s embarrassing home loss to the Seattle Supersonics. It wasn’t just a loss, either- it was a convincing blowout.
The first half wasn’t bad for the Bucks, actually. They led 45-44 at halftime, and were competing hard on both ends. They did have 12 first-half turnovers, though, which never pleases the coaching staff. “We should have been up 10 points, at least, if we took better care of the basketball,” Porter remarked.
It was the third quarter that doomed Milwaukee. They came out really flat, and got dominated on both ends. While they shot just 27%, and committed 5 turnovers, Seattle was smoking, shooting 59% from the field, and only turned the ball over once. They outscored the Bucks 35-16 in the quarter, bringing a hush over the disappointed home crowd. Rashard Lewis was particularly devastating, hitting almost everything (7-8 in the period) from almost everywhere on the court. Lewis scored 21 points in the game.
It was looking bad for the Bucks, but there was still one more quarter to go. If they could put together a quarter like the Sonics’ third quarter, the game would go down to the wire. Unfortunately, the Bucks played like they were asleep. They played sluggish, looked tired and/or unmotivated, and only chipped 1 point off of Seattle’s 18-point lead by the end of the contest.
Seattle shot just 7-22 (32%) from the field in the fourth, so one would think that at home, the Bucks should definitely make a rally. However, they shot 9-27 (33%) themselves, and hence never could get back in the game.
There were some positives to take from this game, despite the final score. Reserve Marcus Fizer was all over the glass, grabbing a season-high 11 rebounds in 20 minutes of action. Desmond Mason also had 23 points on 10-15 shooting, to go with 9 rebounds and 4 assists. He also played very good defense on Allen, holding him to 37% shooting.
Coach Porter was asked, “Will Desmond be running too?” Porter didn’t hesitate when he answered, “Oh yeah. He had 6 turnovers tonight, and is leading our team, and probably the league with most turnovers per game. I want him to think about every one of ‘em as he’s running his miles. Plus, how can you single out a single player when the entire team just got blown out at home?”
Good point, Terry- you can’t.

GAME NOTES
Milwaukee stuck with their “big” starting lineup for their contest against Seattle: Desmond Mason slid over to the 2, and Toni Kukoc started at the 3. Mason started his career in Seattle, and was assigned to guard Ray Allen, the very player he was traded for. “At the time I was upset over getting traded, but I’ve moved on. I’m a Milwaukee Buck now, but I don’t have any hard feelings towards Seattle. They gave me the opportunity to get started in this league, and I can only be thankful for that.”

GAME STATS

MILWAUKEE
Battie: 8 pts, 5 reb, 0 ast, 4-7 FGs
Howard: 11 pts, 7 reb, 0 ast, 5-12 FGs
Mason: 23 pts, 9 reb, 4 ast, 10-15 FGs
Strickland: 8 pts, 3 reb, 0 ast, 4-8 FGs
Ford: 8 pts, 1 reb, 5 ast, 4-10 FGs
Kukoc: 8 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast, 3-11 FGs
Gadzuric: 6 pts, 4 reb, 1 ast, 3-6 FGs
Williams: 0 pts, 0 reb, 2 ast, 0-6 FGs
Fizer: 4 pts, 11 reb, 2 ast, 2-5 FGs
Childs: 5 pts, 0 reb, 1 ast, 2-10 FGs
Booth: 0 pts, 0 reb, 1 ast, 0-1 FGs
Santiago: 1 pt, 1 reb, 1 ast, 0-2 FGs
TOTALS: 37-93 FGs (39.8%), 7-10 FTs, 47 REB (13 OFF), 21 AST, 16 FL

SEATTLE
James: 12 pts, 7 reb, 0 ast, 5-6 FGs
Evans: 3 pts, 8 reb, 0 ast, 1-3 FGs
Lewis: 21 pts, 3 reb, 1 ast, 10-19 FGs
Allen: 26 pts, 4 reb, 0 ast, 10-27 FGs
Ridnour: 8 pts, 2 reb, 11 ast, 3-7 FGs
Fortson: 4 pts, 3 reb, 1 ast, 2-4 FGs
Daniels: 13 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast, 5-11 FGs
Murray: 0 pts, 0 reb, 5 ast, 0-4 FGs
Collison: 8 pts, 9 reb, 0 ast, 4-8 FGs
Radmanovic: 4 pts, 4 reb, 0 ast, 2-7 FGs
Potapenko: 0 pts, 2 reb, 0 ast, 0-1 FGs
Wilkins: 0 pts, 6 reb, 1 ast, 0-3 FGs
TOTALS: 42-100 FGs (42%), 11-19 FTs, 51 REB (18 OFF), 22 AST, 16 FL

QUARTER-BY-QUARTER SCORING
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bucks 24 21 16 21---82
Supersonics 24 20 35 20---99
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Three-point field goals: Milwaukee 1-11 (Childs 1-6, Williams 0-2, Kukoc 0-3), Seattle 4-23 (Ridnour 2-4, Lewis 1-5, Allen 1-8, Potapenko 0-1, Murray 0-2, Radmanovic 0-3). Turnovers: Milwaukee 21, Seattle 8. Steals: Milwaukee 6 (Strickland 2), Seattle 13 (Daniels 3). Blocks: Milwaukee 6 (Howard 2), Seattle 9 (Evans 3).

Highlight of the Game:
Rashard Lewis tips in Jerome James' bricked free throw

BUCKS RECORD: 0-3

[bullsfan009]

GAME 4: Los Angeles Lakers (1-0) @ Milwaukee Bucks (0-3)

LAL 100, MIL 92 (O.T.)
Bucks Lose Brick Party- Play With More Energy, Just Can’t Hit Shots


MILWAUKEE- The Bucks tried hard against the Lakers last night at the Bradley Center. They battled back when behind, competed on the boards, and had 10 blocks in the game. They even had a season-low 11 turnovers, despite the game going into overtime. So why did they lose? They couldn’t throw the ball into Lake Michigan, or hit the side of a barn, or whatever other figurative language can be used to describe horrible shooting.
Of the Bucks’ 102 field goal attempts, only 37 were successful. That’s a horrible 36.3%. And from the 3-point line, they were even worse- shooting 2-12, or 16.7%. In their last two games, they are now 3-23 from long range- just 13%! At one point in the game, after Toni Kukoc proceeded to brick one of his 7 missed 3-pointers, color commentator Reggie Theus turned to play-by-play announcer Don Foyer and exclaimed, “Don, YOU could shoot better than that from 3 point range!”
The cold shooting must have been contagious, because the Lakers were just as bad. They shot 35.5% on all field goal attempts, and 25% on threes. Their two best players, Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom, combined to go 21-62 on their shots (33.9%).
All of these bricks would have built a nice new neighborhood in downtown Milwaukee, but in this game it just meant that there were plenty of rebounds to go around. The Lakers grabbed an amazing 66 rebounds in the game, and Odom had a third of them with 22. For the Bucks, rookie Dwight Howard is showing that he can rebound with the best of them. In just his 4th game in the NBA, he hauled down 17 boards.
Odom was the player of the game for the Lakers. He scored 14 of his 22 points in the third quarter, when L.A. was able to pull away to a 9 point lead going into the fourth, 71-62. The Bucks fought hard in the final period, though, desperately trying to get their first win of the season, and their home fans something to cheer about. They climbed back, and then in the final minute the Bradley Center was rocking as they watched an exciting series of events take place.
With 50 seconds left in the 4th, and L.A. up 2 points, Toni Kukoc hit a clutch three pointer. That gave Milwaukee the lead, but they didn’t hold it for long. The Lakers raced back on the next possession, swung the ball to Caron Butler, who stepped up and buried a three pointer of his own. The Bucks tried to answer again, giving it to Kukoc in the corner. He shoots another three pointer…MISS! But Dwight Howard made a huge play- he shows his incredible athleticism by skying over everyone to tip in the miss in midair. The game was now tied 86-86, and there were 30 seconds left.
Los Angeles put the ball in the hands of their best player, Kobe Bryant, and let him work his magic. Kobe came off of a pick, got into the lane, and found a slashing Butler with a behind-the-back pass. Butler proceeded to throw down a two-handed dunk with authority. (SEE HIGHLIGHT OF THE GAME- below) The Bucks were once again down 2.
Milwaukee coach Terry Porter decided not to call a timeout in this situation. “I felt that we were in a rhythm, and the way we had been shooting the ball, there was no way I was going to break that up with a timeout.” So the Bucks went down, and tried to work the ball into Desmond Mason. The defense cut off his progress, so he had to kick it back out. Finally, the broken play led to Dwight Howard getting the ball in the post, where he calmly sunk a hook-shot in the lane, tying the game with 8 seconds left. Bryant missed a shot at the buzzer, and there was free basketball in Milwaukee: we were going to overtime.
In O.T., the Bucks went back to their atrocious shooting, going 1-9 from the field (11.1%). The Lakers were able to shoot 46%, and it all spelled out another loss for Milwaukee.

GAME NOTES
After busting out 33 points against the Miami Heat in the second game of the year, Toni Kukoc has gone very cold. In the last two games, he’s averaged 11 points, with a 30% field-goal percentage. “I must be more consistent,” Toni stated. “I’m getting old, but I know I can still play.”

GAME STATS

MILWAUKEE
Battie: 10 pts, 9 reb, 3 ast, 4-12 FGs
Howard: 15 pts, 17 reb, 3 ast, 7-17 FGs
Mason: 17 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast, 8-13 FGs
Strickland: 2 pts, 7 reb, 0 ast, 1-6 FGs
Ford: 14 pts, 1 reb, 3 ast, 5-12 FGs
Kukoc: 14 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast, 6-19 FGs
Gadzuric: 3 pts, 5 reb, 0 ast, 1-6 FGs
Williams: 3 pts, 1 reb, 1 ast, 1-5 FGs
Fizer: 9 pts, 8 reb, 2 ast, 3-10 FGs
Childs: 5 pts, 0 reb, 1 ast, 1-2 FGs
TOTALS: 37-102 FGs (36.3% ), 16-20 FTs, 58 REB (14 OFF), 18 AST, 9 FL

LOS ANGELES
Mihm: 7 pts, 9 reb, 0 ast, 3-7 FGs
Odom: 22 pts, 22 reb, 2 ast, 10-28 FGs
Butler: 23 pts, 9 reb, 1 ast, 10-19 FGs
Bryant: 27 pts, 7 reb, 1 ast, 11-34 FGs
Atkins: 5 pts, 1 reb, 13 ast, 2-12 FGs
George: 6 pts, 1 reb, 0 ast, 3-5 FGs
Grant: 7 pts, 13 reb, 1 ast, 3-8 FGs
Jones: 3 pts, 1 reb, 1 ast, 1-3 FGs
Medvedenko: 0 pts, 2 reb, 0 ast, 0-3 FGs
Vujacic: 0 pts, 1 reb, 4 ast, 0-2 FGs
TOTALS: 43-121 FGs (35.5% ), 8-10 FTs, 66 REB (22 OFF), 23 AST, 13 FL

QUARTER-BY-QUARTER SCORING
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bucks 21 17 24 26 4---92
Lakers 20 21 30 17 12---100
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Three-point field goals: Milwaukee 2-12 (Ford 1-2, Kukoc 1-8, Williams 0-2), Los Angeles 6-24 (Odom 2-3, Jones 1-3, Butler 1-3, Bryant 1-6, Atkins 1-7, Vujacic 0-1, George 0-2). Turnovers: Milwaukee 11, Los Angeles 5. Steals: Milwaukee 4 (4 Tied With 1), Los Angeles 6 (Bryant 2). Blocks: Milwaukee 10 (Battie, Fizer 4), Los Angeles 8 (Mihm 4).

Highlight of the Game
In crunch time, Kobe gives a nifty behind-the-back pass to Butler, who finishes strong

BUCKS RECORD: 0-4

[bullsfan009]

NEWEST LEAGUE TRANSACTIONS & NEWS

11/5/99.....The Clippers have signed free agent Eric Murdock for $349,458 over 1 year.

11/7/99.....Desmond Mason receives the Player of the Week award (22 ppg, 6 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.3 bpg, 56.9% FGs) while the Rookie of the Week award goes to Dwight Howard (12.5 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 46.8% FGs).

11/7/99.....Royal Ivey was released by the Atlanta Hawks.

11/7/99.....The Hawks have signed free agent Pat Burke for $349,458 over 1 year.

(Wow- my guys Mason & Howard take all the awards for the first week!)

[COOLmac©]

this is just me scanning around.i'll be checking the whole page soon about saturday.anyways the animated gif's rocks..too bad for the 0-4 start better luck next time hehehe.... i'm still on vacation so good luck bullsfan

[bullsfan009]

Thanks, COOLmac. Did you say it was your birthday? If so, happy birthday

And I'm going to do something about these Bucks soon...


GM NOTES

I've been scouting around the league, talking with other GMs about possible deals. I don't want to force a trade just because the Bucks are 0-4, though- it's got to be a smart move for the future.

I had a long conversation with Mark Cuban, the Dallas Mavericks' owner, and I'm excited about possibly making a deal with him. He's been fed-up with his starting point guard Jason Terry, who's shooting just 33% on the season, and only dishing out 3 assists per game. I've actually been high on Terry for awhile- he's a solid young combo guard, who's actually a very good defender. So I asked Cuban about a trade for Terry, and he told me that he's actually had his eye on T. J. Ford since we drafted him out of Texas two years ago. Cuban feels that Ford's a perfect fit for his team- a pass-first, run-and-gun point guard who can get the most out of guys like Dirk Nowitzki, Jerry Stackhouse, and Michael Finley. So a deal might go down there.

No matter what trades go down, I'm going to make sure we don't change the fact that we're going to have a lot of money available in the offseason to sign quality free agents. If we can get all the pieces in place, and then get everyone locked up to long-term deals, all we would need to do is tinker each offseason through the draft & free agency to fill out the roster. That's how you build a dynasty. Look no further than the San Antonio Spurs, the best franchise in the NBA, if you want proof.

[Diogo]

Yeah... looks like the Bucks really needs some good transactions at this moment... and hope they can find their chemistry soon... (Damn... I must study more English... )

[bullsfan009]

Jermaine ONeal: Have confidence man- your English is very good. I've never had a problem understanding you...don't worry about it.

As for the Bucks, here's some news:

Breaking News:
11/7/99.....The Milwaukee Bucks trade PG T.J. Ford (7.0 ppg, 4.3 apg, 1.0 spg, 75 OVR) and Tony Battie (7.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.8 bpg, 74 OVR) to the Dallas Mavericks for combo guard Jason Terry (18.0 ppg, 3.0 apg, 3.0 rpg, 33% FGs, 80 OVR) and PF Alan Henderson (6.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 67 OVR).

SALARY DETAILS
Jason Terry is making $7,500,000, and has 2 years remaining on his contract.
Alan Henderson is making $8,273,125 per year, and is in the final year of his contract.
This puts the Bucks at a total salary of $44,983,325- that's $16,675 under the salary cap.

PRESS CONFERENCE STATEMENTS
Milwaukee GM Mr. Middleman: "This deal has been in the works for a little while, and I believe it's one of those trades that will really help both teams. Dallas gets a point guard in T.J. Ford who has immense potential, and has a perfect style of play with their team. They also get a quality backup center for Erick Dampier in Tony Battie. For us, most likely not many fans out there know who Jason Terry is, but that's about to change. We think he's All-Star material, a scorer who can play the 1 or the 2, plays solid defense, and has a great attitude and work ethic, too. Alan Henderson is a veteran presence who can fill in here or there and help the team."

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban: "I agree. We appreciate Terry's efforts for our team, it's just that for some reason it wasn't working out and he was really struggling for us so far this year. And I'm ecstatic about the prospect of T.J. Ford running our offense for many years to come- we've seen what he can do when he's healthy (and we believe he is)."

[Diogo]

Good trade, let's see how the Bucks play now... BTW thx Bullsfan, but I'm gonna try to make my English a little better

[alexboom]

this dynasty ROCKS, it's at least as good as Live 2005 dynasties. Keep up with the good work!