The Bratwurst – Milwaukee Bucks Blog

Welcome to “Thoughts to Section 211″ which will serve as my new weekly column to share my thoughts as a fan in the seats of an NBA team. In my particular case, I’m a Milwaukee Bucks season ticket holder and stake my claim to the economically aging Bradley Center. I don’t intend with this column to break down offenses, post game recaps, or do anything resembling what a beat reporter would do. Frankly beat reporting sounds like work, and I’m merely looking for an outlet to discuss my experience as an NBA fan.

With that in mind, here we go.

The Milwaukee Bucks first preseason home game is tonight. I would be lying to you if I said I wasn’t excited to be back watching live NBA basketball, but expectations must be tempered, it’s still preseason basketball. The Bucks play the Minnesota Timberwolves, a team that throttled them in their first preseason game, but the re-matchup holds a little less intrigue as Spanish phenom Ricky Rubio won’t be playing.

Besides being the first game at the Bradley Center since April of last year (the free intrasquad scrimmage is neat, but still just a glorified practice), it’s the first game since the NBA lockout and follows another off-season of major roster moves for the Bucks.

Of note with the roster moves is one that appears certainly combustible, Stephen Jackson. Now I couldn’t care less about Jackson’s emerging second career as a hip-hop artist, but I am paying to hopefully see him produce on the court and that’s the problem. Last time I remember Stephen Jackson at the Bradley Center he was getting tossed out of a game in the first quarter while playing for the Charlotte Bobcats and I was getting quite a laugh. The Bucks were clearly overmatched because of injuries, and Jackson more or less cost his team the game less than 5 minutes into it. The time before that which I can clearly remember? Brandon Jennings lighting him and the Warriors up for 55 points, to which it didn’t seem Jackson was putting in that great of an effort on the defensive end. Nothing short of not impressive.

Now he’s a member of the deer and throwing up tweets about his pining for a contract extension “First day of camp. Made it threw. I know alot of people happy. Still want what i deserve. Asap. Patience is thin.” All of which is a bit odd, because he has another year on his deal left. The reason why? The ESPN NBA Today podcast recently clued me in that Jackson was actually extended a year early in Golden State, so perhaps that’s how he believes things should work.

All that aside, Jackson had an epidural this week for his back pains. I’m sure he’s feeling great now, but I can see a day a few weeks from now where the pain comes surging back and he’s missing lots of games AND asking for a contract extension. He has the potential to be more or less Corey Maggette Part Two!

In short, I have little faith that the Stephen Jackson experiment ends well. He has the ability to score points in bunches which should be make it entertaining at least for a few games. The organization meanwhile should rush to get acquainted with how to spell his name, I’ve caught two typos calling him Steven this week already and it’s only Wednesday.

Also of note were the Bucks additions of Shaun Livingston (who I was hoping they would add as a free agent last summer) and Beno Udrih, who hopefully will bring a high efficiency style of play that should keep the team in games.

Going on the record now, despite former Badger Jon Leuer’s first game going pretty well, I don’t expect anything productive to come from him this year. Just my gut feeling, he went in the second round for a reason. I’m pretty surprised he left his German team to come to camp this year. Not how I expected the roster situation to play out there, especially given that he’s essentially slotting himself to be the 15th man and a role where he regularly dons a suit, not a jersey.

Anyway, I’ve got a lot more thoughts to share as I try to get back in the habit of writing about basketball, but it’s time to head on over to the Fortress on Fourth and watch some basketball for a change.

In the Time of Bobby Cox

I just finished reading SLAM Executive Editor Lang Whitaker’s book about spending the past 20 years with Bobby Cox (mostly through a one-way television connection). In the Time of Bobby Cox: The Atlanta Braves, Their Manager, My Couch, Two Decades, and Me details Lang’s entry into adulthood alongside one of the greatest runs a baseball team has ever gone on (14 consecutive division titles can’t be argued against). It’s a story of one man’s love of his team.

I’ve included a short review I wrote below, but checkout the book if you’re so inclined.

I’m not a Braves fan, so I wasn’t sure if this was the book for me. On top of that, I’m not extremely knowledgeable about the history of the Braves.

Turns out, I didn’t need to be either to enjoy this book. The book is as much about Lang’s journey into adulthood as it is about the Braves, which made it an easier read than just a straight Braves history book.

I found myself engaged in the book, but it’s not something I’m going to be telling everyone I know to read (my 5-star rating standard). I’m not sure why that is, I enjoyed reading it, it just wasn’t life changing.

My next test (4-stars) is would I tell my friends that are into baseball to read it before other baseball books. I’m not sure I would. If they’re into the Braves certainly, but I’m not sure a die-hard Brewers fan gets a lot out of this book if he isn’t interested in Lang’s journey. Moneyball and others are these perspective altering books, Lang’s book is a story of a man’s journey with his team.

I’ve been a SLAM subscriber for years, and that’s what ultimately pushed me over the top to read the book. I’m glad I did. If you’re going to read just one book this year, this probably isn’t it. However, if you’re into reading about sports, you will likely enjoy this book, especially if you have a relationship with a must-watch favorite team.

Meet the newest member of the Milwaukee Bucks, and a potential candidate for Scott Skiles new best friend, Jon Brockman. Hopefully he can flourish into a Big Baby Davis type body who can provide solid minutes off the bench.

This t-shirt from Philly Phaitful features Dr. J, Dr. Julius Erving, twirling the ABA ball on his finger.

The more amazing thing is that I still want to buy this shirt despite Dr. J being involved in one of the weirder situations ever in Bucks’ history. I’ll let Wikipedia summarize…

When he became eligible for the NBA draft in 1972, the Milwaukee Bucks picked him in the first round (12th overall). This move would have brought him together with Oscar Robertson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Instead, the 6′ 7″, 210 pound Erving signed a contract with the Atlanta Hawks before the 1972–73 season.^[1]

As attorneys tried to reach an agreement among three teams in two leagues, Erving joined Pete Maravich and the Hawks’s training camp, as they prepared for the upcoming season. Erving enjoyed his brief time with Atlanta, and he would later duplicate with George Gervin his after-practice playing with Maravich. He played three exhibition games with the Hawks until, because of a legal injunction, he was obliged by a three-judge panel to return to the ABA Squires. The NBA fined Atlanta $25,000 per game for Erving’s Hawks appearances because Milwaukee owned his NBA rights.

So yes, Dr. J could have made everyone feel the high-flying deer. Who knows, maybe Lew Alcindor can’t leave town if Dr. J is around and the Bucks win 5 titles. Or maybe Dr. J blows out his knee, and this t-shirt is never made. Oh the possibilities!

What if LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh formed a boy band instead of a basketball team (the minimum-salaried vets would sing backup of course)? It would probably look just like this.

There is some absolutely excellent anti-Lebron James clothing out there. My personal favorite has to be this shirt about “The Decision” on ESPN.

Hat tip to SlideRuleJockey on RealGM for linking me to a whole collection of anti-James shirts.

By now you’ve seen the infamous, “Bango on the stairs dunk”, but have you seen Kenny, Charles, and Ernie try to do it themselves?

Enjoy! It’s a lot easier to watch when it’s full screen, for what it’s worth.

The latest “Protect This House – I WILL” commercial from Under Armour features Young Buck’s journey from Rome to Milwaukee, and the work he’s put in. Along the way there are plenty of images of Milwaukee, including the skyline, a nasty smokestack, and 9th Street entrance to the Milwaukee County Courthouse under MacArthur Square. Unfortunately the airport code for Milwaukee’s General Mitchell Airport is MKE not MIL. The Bucks three-letter code in the NBA is MIL.

It’s time for another edition of everyone’s favorite infrequently posted blog segment, the NBA Clothing Spotlight. With the Bucks recent hot play, this item is centered around one of the deer that should be feared.

Moute Kicks Boute

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is the silent assassin on the Bucks. He typically has to defend the best offensive player on the other team, be it Dirk Nowitzki or Kevin Durant. As a reward for his hard work, Mbah a Moute never gets a single play called for him. So how does he post a career average of seven points a game? The offensive glass. Despite being undersized as a starting power forward, Luc Richard yanks down over two offensive rebounds a game. Those rebounds usually go straight back up and result in two points for the good guys.

How can you honor a defensive stopper who is arguably the hardest worker in the league? Buy his t-shirt.

Past Editions of NBA Clothing Spotlight

• Zombie Sonics