The Bratwurst – Milwaukee Bucks Blog

The beginning of basketball season is so depressing.

It’s the final sign that summer is over. Rain, wind, colds and flu, no more golf. It sucks.

But at least we have basketball again.

Yup, a 116-79 exhibition loss to the Timberwolves, we’ve got basketball!

The loss itself is no big deal, especially since the TWolves actually tried. They gave over 20 minutes to four of their projected starters and gave their whole projected rotation over 10 minutes. The Bucks, meanwhile, were without Joe Alexander, Charlie Bell, Luke Ridnour (get used to that) and eventually Andrew Bogut came down with a “migraine.”

So forget the game. The most important thing is: who will fill out the end of the roster? Damon Jones will not be with the team, so there should be a spot for one member of the training camp-fodder of TJ Cummings, Matt Freije, Ron Howard and Kevin Kruger.

What is there to say about them? Given the glut of guards on the roster, Kruger and Howard have no chance.

TJ Cummings is 27 and played last season in South Korea for the Anyang Kites last year (which is fun for any Arrested Development fan). As I’m sure you know, he is the son of former Buck, Terry Cummings. He has decent size (6′9″, 215) but is on the thin side and averaged under 5 rpg in college. Never do a google search for “TJ Cummings” and hit the “I’m feeling lucky” button. In fact, be sure to search “TJ Cummings Bucks”. Lets just say there is another TJ Cummings who works in a decidedly different business.

Matt Freije carried Vanderbilt for a couple of years and is a dead-eye shooter. I’ve always liked his game and sort of wondered why he could never catch on in the league. The answer is that he
is not much of an athlete. The problem with 6′10″ shooters like him is that to be effective he has to be cruising around the perimeter rather than banging inside, opening up matchups and rebounds for the opposition. Freije was also involved in one of the more bizarre incidents in ABA history (which is really saying something). Signed to the Nashville Sounds (as a PR stunt to bring the former Vanderbilt player back), he was playing for the only female coach in league history (the hot, hot Ashley McIlheney) when one of the co-owners of the team, one Sally Anthony, stormed onto the court and tried to fire McIlheney. Apparently, this stemmed from Anthony not wanting Freije to play. Fun stuff.