The Bucks “bolstered” their roster with two rather mundane signings, adding Tyronn Lue and Malik Allen. Terms were not disclosed, and while I’m sure that Allen got a 1 year, veterans minimum deal, according to who you listen to, Lue got either 1 year or two.
First, thoughts on Allen: He has a history with Scott Skiles and is kind of a Michael Ruffin clone with a little more offense. He probably shoots a little too much, as he plays the catch-and-shoot game a lot (as opposed to Ruffin, who played “Catch and either give it up or throw it away”). Allen is a big guy who is not very athletic. He throws his weight around and has carved out a pretty decent career for himself. Since Skiles is familiar with him he will probably play a little more than we would like. But he’ not a bad guy to have around.
The Lue signing, though, has me perplexed.
Lue is a pretty average player — not bad to have around as a backup, not someone you want starting for you. He is a pretty good shooter, an okay defender for someone only 6 feet tall, and he takes care of the ball well. The thing keeping him from being a starter isn’t that he is bad at anything but that he’s not really superior at anything — shoots an okay percentage, doesn’t get many blocks or steals … he’s okay.
It can be suggested that Lue’s arrival means that a big deal involving Mo Williams might be around the corner, but I can’t really see anything but an expansion team intentionally going with Tyronn Lue as the starter.
Should John Hammond intend to keep a point guard rotation of Mo, Lue and Sessions, it kind of concerns me that he may be missing an opportunity within his own roster: Charlie Bell should be the backup point guard, and the roughly-$2 mil that Lue is making should go to somebody who can back up Michael Redd.
Bell takes care of the ball and is good at staying in front of his man, but for the last two years has constantly been forced into matchups with players 3, 4 and 5 inches taller than him. Let him guard points who he has a size and strength advantage over! Bell has not played much point the last three years, but according to 82games.com, he has played a little better, his opponent played a little worse, and the team a little better with him at the point than elsewhere on the floor.
Signing Lue is definitely the safe move over moving Bell to point guard, but this team has a near-$70 million payroll and won about 30 games last year. Risks are necessary!
The true impact of this signing will only be seen if there is another move made behind it. If Hammond pulls off a big deal for a power player (such as the Rasheed Wallace-Desmond Mason, Charlie V and Bell trade I’ve mentioned in the past) then it makes sense. But if they go into the season with this backcourt then I’m not so sure.
2 responses so far ↓
1 MIL-ILL // Jul 18, 2008 at 5:37 am
Would ‘Sheed play for Milwaukee? I know Hammond mentioned him many times as the real leader of the Pistons and how it was HE who changed the culture to a first pass mentality but we all know that ‘Sheed, as good of a player as he is – and by far my favorite personality on that team, or even in the NBA for that matter – may find the rebuilding situation here beneath him? Or are he and Hammond that ‘tight’ that he would do what it takes to help the Bucks out? Such a great talent that works 65% of the time; I fear that a trade to the Mil will reverse that to 35% of the time.
2 swilldog // Jul 18, 2008 at 8:19 am
Couldn’t Lue’s signing indicate a pending move of Mo, with the intention of going with a Sessions/Lue/Bell rotation at PG?
It would be far from the best PG rotation in the league, but if moving Mo and other parts means we can get some better balance on the roster, I’d be happy with those three running the point.
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