With the Milwaukee Bucks surprising everyone by becoming the first team in NBA history to double its previous season's win total by the following All-Star break, there are a lot of promising things going on at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
In our second Bucks mailbag of the season, fans were interested in the on-court product, but they also inquired about the ongoing Larry Sanders saga, the upcoming trade deadline and the timetable for a new arena to be announced.
Thanks to everyone who submitted questions.
Q: What are the Bucks long-term plans for Larry Sanders? They can NOT pay him $44 million to go away IMHO, so how do they deal with him moving forward? -- Mike, Milton, Wis.
A: I figured this would be a good place to start, considering there are many questions regarding the status of Larry Sanders.
Sanders has almost certainly played his last game with the Bucks. The organization is ready to move on. It remains to be seen just how accommodating Sanders will be to a mutual parting of ways. He's owed the remainder of his $11 million salary for this season and $33 million over the next three years. The two sides are said to be discussing a buyout. Sanders has all the power in those negotiations. He doesn't have to take a buyout. The motivation for Sanders to take a buyout would be to receive the freedom of seeking a fresh start with a new team.
A buyout would be the best resolution for the Bucks. If one can't be reached, Milwaukee can consider releasing the troubled center using the stretch provision, which would spread out the remaining money owed over a six- to seven-year period. Another option would be to outright release Sanders and eat the money. If the Bucks want to rid themselves of Sanders, they are going to have to eat a substantial amount of money.
Q: What do you expect the Bucks to do at the trade deadline this year? -- Adam, Elkhorn, Wis.
A: I don't expect the Bucks to be very active prior to Thursday's 2 p.m. CT trade deadline.
General manager John Hammond told a small group of local reporters last week that the team will not sacrifice its long-term rebuilding plan for one season. But if a deal presents itself that would bring the team a young piece or a future asset without harming the current roster, the Bucks will certainly listen.
One player I would expect them to listen to offers on is Ersan Ilyasova. He hasn't played a major role on this team due to injuries and is owed $7.9 million next season with a team option for 2016-17 at $8.4 million.
Q: Do you think the key to the rest of the season is guys being motivated to move the ball and have multiple efforts on defense? To me it was good that players saw selfish basketball on both ends and had that players only meeting. Some teams play like the Bucks currently are but lose it after a couple games. The Bucks have seemed to sustain the ball movement and multiple efforts on defense. -- Danny, Milwaukee
A: Continuing to play team basketball is critical to the success of this current Bucks team. Their unselfish style of play is one of the major reasons they have exceeded expectations thus far. The test will come in the playoffs. Will the lack of a go-to scorer hurt when they need a bucket late in the fourth quarter?
I don't see any reason why Milwaukee wouldn't continue to play the way it has for 53 games. The chemistry and leadership are strong in the locker room, while the players have bought in to what Jason Kidd is selling. A trade could disrupt that, but I doubt the Bucks make a move that will put what they have going at risk.
Q: When I watch Bucks games it looks as if the assistant coaches have a bigger role than other regimes I've witnessed. Yet, Jason Kidd seems to get all the love from the media (not that he doesn't deserve it). Can you give me a rundown on the assistants and what each brings to the table? -- Mike, Lake Geneva, Wis.
A: Good question, Mike. Jason Kidd certainly deserves a lot of credit for what has gone on, but he has surrounded himself with what I feel is an outstanding coaching staff with multiple guys who could eventually be head coaches in the league.
The lead assistant coach is Joe Prunty, who is widely considered one of the top assistants in the NBA. He has served under Gregg Popovich, Avery Johnson, Nate McMillan, Byron Scott and Kidd. For lack of a better way to describe his role, Prunty is Milwaukee's offensive coordinator. He also serves as the head coach of Great Britain's national team.
Sean Sweeney is essentially the team's defensive coordinator. He started in Brooklyn as a video coordinator and quickly earned himself a promotion to assistant coach under Kidd. Sweeney was the head coach of Milwaukee's summer league entry and is considered to be a rising star in the industry.
Eric Hughes specializes in player development, as he worked training NBA players like Kevin Durant, Al Horford and Dwight Howard before joining the Toronto Raptors staff as a basketball development consultant in 2007. Josh Oppenheimer was Larry Drew's player development coach and was retained by Kidd partially due to his popularity among the players. He is known as the "shot doctor" and spends hours after practices working with players on their shots, among other things.
Although he isn't officially on staff, renowned veteran NBA assistant coach Tim Grgurich has been around the Bucks for a good portion of the first half of the season. There's speculation Grgurich will join George Karl's staff in Sacramento. He was an assistant under Karl in Seattle (1991-98) and Milwaukee (2001-02).
Q: Is there any light to be shed on when the new arena site is to be announced? -- Matt, Menomonie, Wis.
A: The ownership group keeps pushing back a potential announcement date and there currently isn't a specific timeframe for a site to be announced.
I expect the arena site to be released to the public in the near future. Bucks president Peter Feigin recently said the organization is pursuing "a very accelerated schedule to get a shovel in ground by next fall." That would mean the Bucks would need to narrow in on an exact site very soon. Multiple reports have the land just north of the BMO Harris Bradley Center as the favorite.
Q: Will the Bucks be able to keep Brandon Knight in Milwaukee? -- Dan, Green Bay, Wis.
A: Because Brandon Knight is a restricted free agent, the Bucks ultimately control whether he is back in Milwaukee next season. The Bucks will have the right to refuse any offer sheet Knight may potentially sign with another team.
Milwaukee's decision will come down to just how much they feel Knight is worth. He has improved over each of his two seasons with the Bucks and is just 23 years old. His value will continue to increase if he plays well down the stretch and in the postseason. All it takes is for one team to give him a big offer to potentially thwart Milwaukee's plans, but he likely won't receive an offer sheet too rich for the Bucks to not consider at least matching.
The Bucks still have plenty of time to determine if Knight is part of their long term plans. My guess is that he will be.
Q: What are the chances of Jason Kidd winning coach of the year award? Or is Atlanta's coach pretty much a lock already? -- Steve, Pewaukee, Wis.
A: I wouldn't say Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer already has the award locked up, but he is considered a heavy favorite around the league at this moment.
The Coach of the Year award is usually given to one of the coaches with the best records in the NBA (Popovich has won two of the last three years). Budenholzer and the Hawks are going to finish with a better record than the Bucks. Fair or not, that's oftentimes how voters base their ballots.
Kidd certainly deserves heavy consideration. What he's done in such a short time with the Bucks is remarkable. I've never seen a coach receive complete buy-in from players as fast as Kidd has. I'd say he at least has a fighter's chance at winning the award.
Q: How do the Bucks like Damien Inglis and what is his potential? -- Maurice, Milwaukee
A: The Bucks are still very high on the potential of Inglis. They felt as if they got a first-round talent with the No. 31 overall pick in last June's draft. He likely fell in the draft because of his fractured foot, which turned out to be much worse than anybody thought.
Inglis hasn't played competitive basketball in almost a year. I've never seen him play, so it is hard for me to give my take on his game. His length and size could make him a solid defensive player, but multiple scouting reports point to the rawness of his offensive game. The Bucks need Inglis to be healthy and ready to participate in the summer league this offseason.
Thanks to everyone who submitted questions. Look for another Bucks mailbag to run as we get closer to the playoffs.
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