Milwaukee Bucks Just Have To Look Around The League To Understand Need For Patience
By Adam McGee
As slow and frustrating as the Milwaukee Bucks season has been so far, a quick glance around the league should remind them that there’s no need to panic.
It’s hard to enjoy a season that has started 15-23, and as a result, there are some pretty natural reactions to be expected from those who care about the Milwaukee Bucks.
At the forefront of the minds of many Bucks fans is the upcoming trade deadline, and a strong desire to see the team make some moves.
There’s no real harm that can be done in talking about trades, and who knows maybe there’s a chance that the Bucks could find a deal that helps them now and in the long term. The one thing that’s certain is that Milwaukee needs to tread carefully with any decisions they make.
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It’s too quick to make reflex decisions about how players like Jabari Parker or Greg Monroe will impact the team long-term. Perhaps even more pressing than that, the Bucks don’t really have any need to panic or push for something bigger right now.
What would a major move really achieve? The Bucks aren’t in any sort of place to worry about winning now, and at the same time it’s still far too early to make definitive decisions on the team’s young core.
Milwaukee has been waiting too long for a ray of hope only to give up on any real young talent capable of going on to realize their potential elsewhere.
The path to NBA glory is lined with horror stories and tales of ruin, and in many ways it’s as important for Milwaukee to observe and take lessons away from them, as it is to try and emulate major success stories.
The Bucks have certainly not been averse to big trades, much like the Phoenix Suns, their partner in the biggest deal at last season’s trade deadline.
When Phoenix picked up Brandon Knight as part of the deal that saw Michael Carter-Williams end up in Milwaukee, it certainly wasn’t the first, nor the last example of their endless roster tweaking over the past few years.
On the surface, this shows a team who are eager to improve and compete, yet the reality is that they might be trying so hard that it’s hurting their chances of being successful.
Former Phoenix point guard Goran Dragic recently spoke to Michael Lee of Yahoo! Sports and gave his judgement on what has gone wrong for the team from Arizona.
"It feels like they’re always changing something. They’re not like Miami, San Antonio, those teams that are really loyal when they find something."
Dragic highlighted the importance that players put in being a part of an organization that not only respects its key players and their roles, but also has the patience to build accordingly.
"I always believe when you find some pieces that you leave those pieces [alone]. But then you upgrade the other positions. Like San Antonio is doing. They always have the Big Three, but then it’s a good team. They always find another player at another position, so they’re always good."
The last thing Milwaukee needs is to tinker with their roster to the point where they blow an opportunity before they even knew it existed. Part of that cautionary tale can be seen in what the Brooklyn Nets have done in recent years too.
After firing head coach Lionel Hollins and general manager Billy King on Sunday, Brooklyn finds themselves in a particularly tough spot. That situation can only come about after years of poor decision making though.
Much is talked about the horrible deal that they made with the Boston Celtics, mortgaging future first round picks to bring in veterans clearly in decline, but there have been plenty more examples too.
If the Nets had placed their faith in Derrick Favors, he could still be theirs. Instead, they sent him to Utah, with Devin Harris and two first round picks for Deron Williams.
That’s not even mentioning the fact that Damian Lillard and Enes Kanter were just two players selected with picks that originally belonged to Brooklyn.
No team wants to end up in that spot. It’s okay to speculate, and of course Milwaukee should be open to deals, but if there’s one thing that history tells us it’s that the Bucks need to be cautious.