Milwaukee Bucks: All-Time Greatest 15 Man Roster

Sam Cassell – Second Unit

Sam Cassell has a special place in Bucks history. His was one of those rare cases where a great player with a remarkable personality just happened to find himself with a team that was the perfect fit for him.

As much as that young Bucks team of the late 90s/early 00s had a lot of talent, it doesn’t often get talked about any more just how brash they were. There are teams who are good and they get their share of wins as a by-product of that, and then there are teams who know how good they are and almost elevate themselves beyond that to prove a point.

“The Big Three” era Bucks team was the latter, and Sam Cassell was its spiritual ringmaster.

They didn’t bring me here to be Muggsy Bogues. Some nights I’ll score big; some nights I won’t. But getting assists won’t be a problem on this team.

Sam Cassell stayed in Milwaukee for five seasons in total, and they proved to be just yet another stop on his long and winding NBA journey where he achieved great success.

Although, Cassell didn’t pick up a title with the Bucks like he had done in both Houston and Boston, he brought the franchise about as close as it had been since that fateful night in 1971.

There was no other city where Cassell looked so at home on the court either. Overall for his time in Brewtown, Cassell averaged 19 points and 7.2 assists over five seasons. The fact that he never once received an All-Star spot, or even greater praise than that, while in Milwaukee seems criminal when you look at his consistently excellent play.

Bucksketball’s Jeremy Schmidt summed up Cassell’s impact and relationship with Milwaukee perfectly in a piece from back in 2011:

"He played for eight teams over 15 seasons, but if ever Cassell had an NBA home, it was in Milwaukee. He was the point guard on the best Bucks team of the past 20 years. He was the final piece, the one that helped push them from fringe playoff team to legitimate contender. It was his attitude, his jumper and his presence that made Cassell such a fit for Milwaukee over five seasons."

Although, he was unable to push the Bucks over the edge to title success, Cassell’s impression was a lasting one. He ranks top five in terms of All-Time franchise assist leaders, and goes down in the record books as one of the most creative players the Milwaukee Bucks have ever seen.

Next: Sidney Moncrief