Preseason games have always, and will always, mean absolutely nothing.  Kareem Rush can go 0-200 shooting 3’s in the preseason and he could still be a top 5 guy in the league in the year…starter’s minutes are cut in half, 1/4 the starters don’t even play, and the rotations are nothing like what they will be in the regular season.  It exists purely to allow coaches to get some reps in with offensive schemes, practice defensive rotations, and to experiment with different lineups.  But it’s nice to see the T-Wolves are still breathing after their horrible effort last year!

Why I like the Bucks:

-They are healthy. One of the top three most consistently injured teams the last few years.  They sign Bobby Simmons, he’s gone for two years.  Michael Redd has his best NBA season…gets injured, season over.  Bogut’s been hurt, Mo’s been hurt…Charlie V, everybody.  I don’t think they’ve gone longer then 25 games with their actual legit starting five in place.  Having these guys at 100% health will be huge.

-Michael Redd/Richard Jefferson combo: Behind only T-Mac/Artest, DWade/Marion, and AI/Melo, pretty hard to argue the Redd/RJ combo is next best in the NBA.  RJ compliments Redd far better then VC, as Redd is a pure shooter, and VC is (or should be) mostly a slasher.  Michael Redd and RJ are also at similar points in their careers…they are around the 6 year mark, entering their prime, know all the veteran NBA tricks, and both have been part of dissapointing teams and desperately want to win.  I also think people severely underrate RJ’s versatility, especially his passing and setting teammates up…and how much Redd has learned the past two years from his Olympic experiences.  Redd has a better all around game then most people give him credit for…he moves great without the ball, has a much better senes of floor spacing, and has great shot selection vs. knowing when to give the ball up.

-Andrew Bogut: This is the year he finally shuts his critics up.  I do not see this as a guy, like Kaman, who will tank the season after signing a big deal.  I think he feels a lot of pressure to live up to the #1 pick, and under a tough nosed guy like Skiles should blossom.  I also think given that Skiles is an excellent half court coach Bogut’s ast numbers will near the 4 mark, as he has excellent court vision.  I see him getting 15, 10 and 4 this year, a la vintage Brad Miller. 

-PG situation: Not a strength, but it is interesting.  Michael Redd desperately needs to play with a better passing PG, which Mo Williams most certainly was not.  While Ridnour’s assist numbers have never blown anyone away, he is more of a true floor leader, and has a nice shot.  It will also give them some time to evaluate Ridnour, and if he doesn’t work out, you can just slide in Sessions at PG and pray his 10 apg to finish the season wasn’t a fluke.  Ridnour is also a cheap option for a starting point…7 (maybe 7.5?) mill a year is very reasonable.  Also, Ridnour was ALWAYS caught in a logjam with Watson in Seattle…he’s never gotten enough minutes to really show what he’s capable of.  When he has…he got injured. 

-Skiles: He’s proven a great ability to give a true kick in the ass jumpshot to teams that need it.  Larry Krystkowiak was HORRIBLE choice of coach…he was not prepared, did not know how to handle the different egos and manage players on his team, and never cracked the whip.  He even acknowledged he had lost control of his own team.  If there’s one thing we know about Skiles, he will a commanding figure in the locker room.  That alone will provide more W’s, and his defensive mindset will have to rub off a little bit.

-Joe Alexander/Forward spots: I think this guy is WAAAAAAY overhyped…but I don’t see the forward logjam people are talking about.  RJ is an all star level talent…he is going to get 35 mpg at SF.  Villanueva is starting to look more focused, he will probably get 28 mpg or so.  That leaves a good 20 mpg for Alexander to show what he can do.  They could also go smaller since they have Bogut in the middle, and play RJ at the 4 and Alexander at the 3, for a huge offensive and shooting lineup. 

-Big weakness (defense aside): Bench. I agree with Dannie/Pete that Charlie Bell is a nice combo guard to have, and Ty Lue is a decent proven vet.  I also think Gadzuric is also a nice piece…whenever he logs regular minutes, he’s put up capable numbers and is a nice defensive presence.  Elson was a pretty good signing…but man, they have a HUGE hole in the bench at the SF/PF spots.  They need a defensive intimidator…without one they are very thin up front, especially considering Bogut isn’t the most physical guy on earth.

I just saw that the Celtics-Sixers preseason game will shown tomorrow on NBATV 7PM!!

Greatest strength(s):
-Scott Skiles will hopefully change the culture of this soft team
-Interesting pieces
-Nice starting lineup offensively
-Slightly better at home
-Richard Jefferson, nice complement to Redd
-John Hammond, the new GM and fmr assistant GM to Joe Dumars
 So far the moves have been good thus far, now we have to see the results!!

-Potential
  Ramon Sessions (keep an eye out for him)
 Had a lot of high assist games last April  (the highest being 24 assists, not too far from matching Scott Skiles record of 30 in his playing days)
Greatest weakness(es):
-Soft team
-Attitude (Villaneuva said the team didn’t play hard last year!)
-Poor road team
-Who is the point guard?  Ridnour or Sessions?
-Defense
-What is their identity?
This team has potential and is capable of getting an eigth seed due to a poor Eastern conference, but there are other teams competing for that seed:
-Atlanta Hawks
-Miami Heat
-Chicago Bulls
-Milwaukee Bucks
This team is an uncertain, but has potential because of Scott Skiles.  He did a great job of molding that Chicago Team into his personality and tenacity on the defensive end.  Will he do the same with the Bucks.
 
The Bucks are going to be 4th in the Central Division, 11th in the East.
 
(On a side note, the Sixers will be 3-1 against the Bucks.  Only one loss will be at Milwuakee for the Sixers.  Will the new AI dominate the Bucks like the old one, let’s hope so.  The Sixers fastbreak offense should be able to crush them, like we did last year!!)