Milwaukee Bucks: Let John Hammond Do His Job

In light of more recent whispers about the Milwaukee Bucks power structure, do the team need to place their faith in John Hammond’s decisions?

The 2015 off-season for the Milwaukee Bucks has been a source of a contention among Bucks fans. Many were left perplexed and upset by many of the moves the front office made last year.

From trading veteran leaders in Zaza Pachulia and Jared Dudley to drafting Rashad Vaughn over obvious fits in Bobby Portis and Jerian Grant, the team has made many moves which have not panned out.

A recent podcast featuring Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski, and reported on by NBC’s Dan Feldman of Pro Basketball Talk, shines light on how many of these controversial decisions came about. On the The Vertical Podcast with Woj, Wojnarowski discussed the influence that Coach Jason Kidd had in many of the off-season moves the Bucks made.

More from Bucks News

Specifically, Wojnarowski stated that Jason Kidd, since arriving in Milwaukee as Head Coach, has “been in charge of personnel. That’s not a secret.” Specifically, Kidd made the call to draft Rashad Vaughn over Bobby Portis, even though “the front office there would’ve liked Bobby Portis.”

Wojnarowski also mentioned the possibility of Jason Kidd leaving as post as Head Coach, stating:

"A lot of people around the league and people I talked to in the aftermath of (his injury) wonder, given Kidd’s penchant in the past to bail on things when they get difficult – could this be the beginning of Kidd’s escape hatch to maybe just move up to a full-time role in the front office, whether he finishes up coaching this year and then tries to move up next year?How do long do they entrust Jason Kidd with the future of this organization. Will they allow him here just to move into a complete front-office and maybe hire his own coach?"

In addition, Feldman suspects that Kidd played a role in many other personnel decisions made by the team. This includes overpaying for Greivis Vasquez, trading away the team’s veteran leaders, and “waiving the younger Nate Wolters to sign over-the-hill Kenyon Martin, a former Kidd teammate.” This, Feldman argues, all looks “suspect.”

This report by Wojnarowski confirms what many fans have feared and suspected did happen this past off-season. Kidd is calling the shots when it comes to personnel decisions, not general manager John Hammond.

Jul 2, 2014; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks new head coach Jason Kidd speaks to the press as general manager John Hammond listens during a news conference at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports /

This isn’t the first time in his Milwaukee tenure that Hammond has had to give in to the requests of other decision-makers. Many suspected that former owner Herb Kohl’s desire to compete for a playoff spot on a yearly basis helped influence Hammond’s win now moves, even though engaging in a full rebuild may have been the better option for the team.

Given this new revelation, it goes without saying that Kidd’s known and suspected personnel moves have not worked out for the Milwaukee Bucks. Every move, from choosing Michael Carter-Williams over the Lakers top three protected pick, to trading away Pachulia and Dudley, has negatively effected the team in some way.

No move, however, is as frustrating as the decision to draft Rashad Vaughn over Bobby Portis, the man Hammond wanted. When given playing time, Portis has looked a solid stretch four with respectable rebounding and defensive ability. In 13 appearances, Portis has averaged 8.5 points, 5.1 boards, and shot 50.5% from the field and 38.5% from three. The Bucks, as this season has shown, could clearly use anyone who can stretch the floor, especially in the front court.

Vaughn, on the other hand, looks like a questionable fit. He barely plays, registering just 9,6 minutes in 29 appearances off the bench. In addition, he’s shot an ugly 28.8 percent from the field, showing a variety of limitations on both ends when given the opportunity. At this point, Vaughn is closer to playing in the D-League than making an impact on the Bucks.

This discrepancy should surprise anyone. It was a clear mistake on draft night and remains one today. Vaughn did have a solid season for a freshman, averaging 17.8 points per game on 43.9% shooting. In addition, Vaughn shot a respectable 38.3% from three on 7.6 attempts per game. However, Vaughn was and still is strictly a jump shooter with little ability to score around the rim.

Portis, on the other hand, was a much more polished product. He averaged 17.5 points and 8.9 boards per game in 29.4 minutes, shooting 53.6% from the field and 46.7% from three on nearly one attempt per game. He could rebound and score in a variety of ways, making his fit obvious on a team that sorely lacked offense for most of last season:

His fit was obvious at the time and became even more so when the team traded away Ersan Ilyasova just days after the commencement of the draft.

John Hammond has a strong track record when it comes to making picks in the draft. With the obvious exception of Joe Alexander, Hammond has often drafted the best talent at the team’s draft position. Tobias Harris and Larry Sanders were both better than their draft position would suggest. In addition, taking a risk on an unknown Greek kid named Giannis Antetokounmpo has paid major dividends. Thus, Hammond has done more than enough to earn deference when it comes to drafting.

Hammond has also done well to get the team out of bad contracts when things have not worked out. If there is any legitimate criticism of Hammond, it’s been his failures in free agency, with the team finally clearing the remaining money from the notorious 2010 off-season (Maggette, Salmons, Gooden).

In addition, no team, with the possible exception of Stan Van Gundy and the Detroit Pistons, has been able to make the Coach/GM role work with one man in charge. Both jobs are a full-time job, requiring countless hours of hard work to be successful. Head coaches, given the time they have to dedicate to coaching their players on a nearly nightly basis, simply don’t have the time to scout players in college or overseas. This role is best left to a GM.

This doesn’t mean Kidd shouldn’t have a say in any personnel decisions. His input on who he thinks would fit best with his coaching style should be considered, especially when it comes to adding free agents. His pitch, after all, helped convince Greg Monroe to come to Milwaukee over many other big market teams.

However, when it comes to valuing assets and making personnel decisions, this decision should be left to someone who can dedicate the required time to make the job work. After all, how is anyone supposed to evaluate how good of a GM Hammond is if he isn’t actually calling the shots?

Given his record as General Manager, Hammond should be allowed to do his job and be in charge of personnel decisions. As Kidd’s line of decisions this past off-season demonstrate, he’s not fit to be in sole charge of personnel decisions. The team will be a lot better off if both return to their original jobs.

Home/Bucks News