Russo: Bucks Drop To 0-3 With Loss To Bobcats
By Nick Whalen
This wrap was written by Behind the Buck Pass contributor Henry Russo. Henry is a senior at Marquette University and can be found on Twitter @HankRusso.
The Milwaukee Bucks fell in their preseason home opener to the Charlotte Bobcats 83-76 Saturday, blowing a huge lead in the process. After leading by 17 entering the fourth quarter, Milwaukee could not hold the lead. Veteran guards Janerro Pargo and former-Buck Ramon Sessions led the Charlotte charge, outscoring the Bucks 33-9 in the final period. The loss drops the Bucks to 0-3 in the preseason and 0-1 on their newly designed court.
Though it is still only the preseason, the loss is disappointing for a few reasons other than blowing a big lead. The Bucks starters played heavy minutes but struggled shooting the ball, especially in the fourth quarter. Charlotte was without its newly acquired star center Al Jefferson, but the Bucks were still overmatched down low. Larry Sanders finished with no points going 0-8 from the floor. Though John Henson registered a double-double, scoring 10 and grabbing 10 boards, neither he nor Sanders could slow down Bismack Biyombo from snagging a game-high 21 rebounds. It’s only the preseason, but Larry Drew can only hope his team will learn from this fourth quarter collapse instead of it being a sign of things to come.
With that said, there are two awards to be handed out from last night’s game:
MVP:
Olek Czyz – He’s not exactly a household name in the NBA – or Milwaukee, for that matter – but Czyz was the only Bucks player to finish the game with a positive +/-, as the Bucks outscored the Bobcats by nine while he was in the game. Czyz shot 4-of-5 from the field, tallying 11 points and three boards in only 16 minutes of playing time. Though his spot on the Bucks’ roster is far from guaranteed, Czyz is a member of the Polish national team and has an insane vertical. If he makes the team, Czyz is sure to provide a few exciting plays off the bench.
LVP:
Caron Butler—Though he put up fairly good numbers, Caron earns his spot as the least valuable player due to his late game ejection. When the Bucks acquired Butler they were hoping he would provide a positive veteran influence to a young team. Although he will still fill this role, getting ejected in a preseason game is less than impressive. In order for this young team to mature, Butler will need to show players how to keep their cool in all situations, even if it’s only a preseason game.
This wrap was written by Behind the Buck Pass contributor, Henry Russo. Henry is a senior at Marquette University and can be found on Twitter @HankRusso.
The Milwaukee Bucks fell in their preseason home opener to the Charlotte Bobcats 83-76 Saturday, blowing a huge lead in the process. After leading by 17 entering the fourth quarter, Milwaukee could not hold the lead. Veteran guards Janerro Pargo and former-Buck Ramon Sessions led the Charlotte charge, outscoring the Bucks 33-9 in the final period. The loss drops the Bucks to 0-3 in the preseason and 0-1 on their newly designed court.
Though it is still only the preseason, the loss is disappointing for a few reasons other than blowing a big lead. The Bucks starters played heavy minutes but struggled shooting the ball, especially in the fourth quarter. Charlotte was without its newly acquired star center Al Jefferson, but the Bucks were still overmatched down low. Larry Sanders finished with no points going 0-8 from the floor. Though John Henson registered a double-double, scoring 10 and grabbing 10 boards, neither he nor Sanders could slow down Bismack Biyombo from snagging a game-high 21 rebounds. It’s only the preseason, but Larry Drew can only hope his team will learn from this fourth quarter collapse instead of it being a sign of things to come.
With that said, there are two awards to be handed out from last night’s game:
MVP:
Olek Czyz – He’s not exactly a household name in the NBA – or Milwaukee, for that matter – but Czyz was the only Bucks player to finish the game with a positive +/-, as the Bucks outscored the Bobcats by nine while he was in the game. Czyz shot 4-of-5 from the field, tallying 11 points and three boards in only 16 minutes of playing time. Though his spot on the Bucks’ roster is far from guaranteed, Czyz is a member of the Polish national team and has an insane vertical. If he makes the team, Czyz is sure to provide a few exciting plays off the bench.
LVP:
Caron Butler—Though he put up fairly good numbers, Caron earns his spot as the least valuable player due to his late game ejection. When the Bucks acquired Butler they were hoping he would provide a positive veteran influence to a young team. Although he will still fill this role, getting ejected in a preseason game is less than impressive. In order for this young team to mature, Butler will need to show players how to keep their cool in all situations, even if it’s only a preseason game.