Insider Special: Bucks Blueprint

Does the slipper still fit East's Cinderella?

By Chad Ford
ESPN Insider

Last season about this time, I was leading the chorus that claimed the Milwaukee Bucks were going to be the worst team in the East.

They had a rookie point guard, a second-round pick playing the two, an undersized two guard at the three, an underachieving, overpaid big man who thinks he's a shooting guard at the four, and Daniel Santiago and Joel Przybilla in the middle.

The Bucks' lineup didn't exactly instill confidence.

So when Milwaukee started rolling over everyone early in the season, the head scratching eventually turned into appreciation. The Bucks weren't pretty, but they played the game the right way. Given the talent erosion in the league, the Bucks and Jazz proved that heart was enough to win basketball games.

Guiding the turnaround were Bucks GM Larry Harris and coach Terry Porter. Harris had suffered as assistant GM through the team's Big Three era. The only thing bigger than Glenn Robinson, Sam Cassell and Ray Allen's bank accounts during their stint in Milwaukee were their egos.

The old Bucks had star power, but no fire. The new Bucks, Harris envisioned, would play like an inferno, but at only a fraction of the cost.

The team caught everyone by surprise, and had rookie point guard T. J. Ford remained healthy, Milwaukee had a good shot at the No. 4 playoff seed in the East.

Can the team duplicate its success this year, or were the Bucks a one-hit wonder?

Here's a look at what to expect as Insider continues its summer blueprint series.


Bucks Summer Blueprint
DRAFT: The Bucks didn't have a first-round pick this year. Their pick, which the Hawks used to select Josh Smith, originally was traded away in a series of deals that led to then-coach George Karl getting Anthony Mason. Ugh.

The Bucks have a history of trading their first-rounders. This year they went one better, sending their second-round pick to the expansion Charlotte Bobcats in return for Georgian center Zaur Pachulia. Pachulia averaged 3.3 points and 2.9 rebounds last season for Orlando, but many scouts feel he could have a bright future in the league.

"One of the areas we wanted to address this offseason was adding depth to our frontcourt positions," Bucks GM Harris said. "We feel the addition of Pachulia helps us in that pursuit. He's a young player at 20 but has already played five years of professional basketball between the NBA and internationally. We've tracked his progress over the years and like his size and toughness. We look forward to having him in Milwaukee."

FREE AGENCY: The team has two significant free agents -- Toni Kukoc and Brian Skinner -- and it appears that they won't re-sign either. Skinner, who opted out of his contract to become an unrestricted free agent, agreed to a five-year, $25 million offer sheet with the Sixers.

Kukoc is talking with the Heat about becoming a member of Shaquille O'Neal's eventual posse in Miami.

Etan Thomas
Forward-Center
Washington Wizards
Profile


2003-2004 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
79 8.9 6.7 0.9 .489 .647



To address the loss of Skinner, the Bucks were surprisingly proactive this summer, seeking out and offering Wizards' big man Etan Thomas a six-year deal for their mid-level exception.

Thomas is coming off his best season, averaging 8.9 ppg and 6.7 rpg for the Wizards. While Thomas is considered an undersized center, he's the type of physical, low-post player who doesn't come along very often these days. Think a poor man's Brian Grant. Thomas' shot-blocking ability also will be a welcome sight in Milwaukee.

That's the good news. The bad news is Thomas is a restricted free agent, and the Wizards will have until July 29 to match the offer. The Bucks will try to front load the offer to make it less palatable to the Wizards, but there's a strong indication the Wizards want Thomas back.

If the Wizards match, the Bucks aren't going to find many other centers left. The team also could use a backup point guard. Ford is coming off spinal surgery, and while team expects him to be healthy by training camp, given his injury history and slight frame, it never hurts to have a backup.

TRADES: If the Bucks are talking trade, they aren't talking publicly about it. Last year they were aggressive, swapping out Sam Cassell and Tim Thomas and bringing in Joe Smith and Keith Van Horn. They have a nice young core with Michael Redd, Desmond Mason and Ford in the backcourt, meaning it's unlikely the team is trying hard to shake things up.

Like most teams, the Bucks still need a center, and they're pretty thin at power forward. However, given how budget-conscious the franchise is, don't expect it to go crazy on the trade front. Several players have expiring contracts at the end of next season, and the Bucks are looking at some potential cap room next summer.

COACHING: Porter was a candidate for coach of the year in his rookie season. He was tough and found a way to transplant his blue-collar work ethic onto his entire team.

The Bucks weren't the most talented team in the league, but, like the Jazz out West, they out-hustled and out-executed everyone. Were it not for a late-season injury to Ford, the Bucks had a real shot at making a run in the playoffs.

FRONT OFFICE: Harris, in his first season as GM, did a remarkable job. He's quiet, soft spoken and likes to fly under the radar. But there aren't many better basketball minds in the NBA.

Ask him about his team and he'll tell you, "We just want to get better." The Bucks will. But they'll do it without fanfare and without rubbing the rest of the league's faces in it.

Despite the fact the Bucks decided to slash payroll 18 months ago, Harris and Porter have managed to put together a team that makes about half as much as the Big Three but has double the heart. Whether they'll be able to have the same remarkable run this year is questionable, given how much some of the teams in the East have improved.

But Harris has put the franchise in a position to win in the long run. And that should give Bucks fans something worth watching.

Chad Ford covers the NBA for ESPN Insider.