Bucksketball: Can we take a moment to give Ian Segovia all (or nearly all) the love?
His piece on Ekpe Udoh is serious and irreverent, personal and analytical, descriptive and brief, right and wrong, and I think it’s one of my favorite things that I’ve read on the Bucks this offseason.
April 13, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks power forward Ekpe Udoh (13) leaves the game after being injured during second half against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-US PRESSWIRE
Udoh’s deficiencies are rather glaring. He’s near the bottom in shooting percentage (.431 FG% for a center!). His rebounding numbers are terrible for his size. He’s not so keen on catching the ball and if he does, the issue of him dribbling arises.
What Udoh does do is so freaking subtle, it’s almost nonexistent and takes some serious logical steps to see why it matters. Of course the Bucks grab more defensive rebounds when Udoh’s on the court. Udoh bumps his man out of the paint before the entry pass. Before the shot goes up, he’s already made rebounding easier for his team.
I still hold to the belief that his comfort zone on offense lies with his back to the basket, and that he may be the most proficient of the Bucks’ bigs in that area (though still well behind Monta and Tobias in that department). But as Ian notes, it’s hard not to have biases. Is my appreciation of Udoh’s post moves just a case of my wishful thinking? Yeah, probably.
Now go to Bucksketball and read the rest of it.
Seattle Times: A deep-pocketed, local boy (Chris Hansen) has put together a group of homegrown Seattle investors, and they are ready to front more than half the cash toward a NBA-ready arena. Seattle is ready to bring back the Sonics! Hooray – A historic piece of the NBA is restored! According to author Jerry Brewer,
“Let’s put it like this: Now that Seattle truly has its act together, it’s not a matter of if the NBA will return. It’s a matter of when.”
Wait a second, where are they getting this team from again? Gulp.
ESPN.com: On Friday, Don Nelson was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. A great storyteller, Nelson used the pre-induction press sessions to pepper writers with terrific anecdotes from his 45-year career in the NBA. Perhaps the best one came in a Q-and-A with ESPN’s Marc Stein:
Q: You were part of five championship teams in Boston as a player and no one ever talks much about that. Maybe they’ll show an occasional replay of your shot against the Lakers [in Game 7 of the 1969 Finals that bounced high off the rim and in], but that’s it. How much, deep down, does that bug you?
A: I was just a so-so player anyway. I was lucky enough to hang around with a great team for a long time. What I brought to the party was in a reserve role. I was just a 25-minute player.
But I’ll never forget, when I was coaching my first stint with the Warriors, we’re playing in Boston and we’re having a morning practice or shootaround. So I went over to Mitch [Richmond] and said: “See that No. 19 hanging up there?” I said: “Yeah, that’s my number.” And Mitch said: “You played, Coach?”
CSN Bay Area: Good news! In another pre-induction interview, Don Nelson said the Monta-Bogut trade was a coup!
Unfortunately, Nellie coached in both Golden State and Milwaukee, and for this West Coast interview, he was speaking from the Warriors’ point-of-view.
I really like what they’ve done. As much as I love Monta I thought he was – just because of his size and not his ability, a 6-3 two guard – it’s very hard to win with a small two guards in our league. When I first had him, I tried to get him to think more like a point guard – if he could ever be a point guard.
He did have the ability to pass. He does have that. He’s doing more of that now. But you know, a player has to be willing to see that and to do those things. His approach when he was younger was a like a lot of guys. He’s not ready to do that. So he was going to be what he was. But now he’s more of an all-around player than I’ve seen out of him. He is passing more and seeing players. He’s a good teammate now.
Brew Hoop: Dan Sinclair examines the underappreciated phenomenon of Prince Luc.
Feels Like Gators (podcast): Tobias Harris joins a Tennessee Volunteers podcast (37:40 mark) and the hosts hold their collective football-talking breath long enough to discuss UT basketball.
Twitter.com/BucksEnergee: I had no idea that the tryouts for Bucks Energee were this popular. That’s a lot of people.