Behind the Bucks Pass
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Milwaukee Bucks: 49 years in 49 days – 2008-09 season

By Ti Windisch

MILWAUKEE, WI - APRIL 4: (L-R) Ramon Sessions #7, Luc Mbah a Moute #12, Keith Bogans #10, Charlie Bell #42 and Richard Jefferson #24 of the Milwaukee Bucks come back on the court from a timeout during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies on April 4, 2009 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Grizzlies won 107-102. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI - APRIL 4: (L-R) Ramon Sessions #7, Luc Mbah a Moute #12, Keith Bogans #10, Charlie Bell #42 and Richard Jefferson #24 of the Milwaukee Bucks come back on the court from a timeout during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies on April 4, 2009 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Grizzlies won 107-102. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Milwaukee Bucks added a hot name and improved in the 2008-09 NBA season, but not enough to make it to the playoffs.

The season: 2008-09

The record: 34-48

The postseason: Nope

The story:

The Milwaukee Bucks dealt one NBA Draft bust and selected another one one the very same day in 2008. Milwaukee dealt Yi Jianlian (plus Bobby Simmons) to the New Jersey Nets in exchange for Richard Jefferson, and then used the eighth overall pick that year to select Joe Alexander.

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Alexander was known primarily for being one of the best athletes in his draft class, a sure sign that he was an all-around basketball player if there ever was one. He would last 67 games across two NBA seasons before washing out of the Association entirely.

Jefferson, on the other hand, is somehow still fighting for a roster spot on the reigning Eastern Conference Champion Cleveland Cavaliers at the moment. If 2009 Richard Jefferson was on the Cavs, he would easily make the cut.

He averaged 19.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game with the Bucks that season, and didn’t miss a single game. Milwaukee needed that scoring punch, badly, after being dealt a huge injury blow during the season.

Michael Redd, he of the 20-plus points per game every single season, tore both his ACL and MCL in January. After scoring 21.2 points per game in his first 33 contests, the reliable scoring presence would miss the rest of the season with that torn-up knee.

The loss of Redd predictably took a huge toll on the team. Milwaukee started 17-16 in his 33 games played. The rest of the season would not see the Bucks winning more than half of their games.

Andrew Bogut also dealt with injury problems, and himself played in just 36 games that season. All of the injuries opened up a lot of possessions on offense that not even Jefferson could use by himself, resulting in Charlie Villanueva scoring a career-best 16.2 points per game, trailing just Jefferson in scoring among Bucks who played most of the season.

The Bucks second-round pick in 2008 would end up having a much better career than his earlier-picked classmate, as Luc Mbah a Moute played all 82 games that season while averaging 7.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Alexander played in 59 games and put up 4.7 points and 1.9 rebounds per game.

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Another trade before the season had sent out Mo Williams in exchange for Luke Ridnour, Damon Jones and Adrian Griffin. Out of the three players coming back, only Ridnour played significant minutes, and he averaged less than 10 points and just over five assists per game.

Williams, on the other hand, averaged nearly 18 points per game and made an appearance on the Eastern Conference All-Star team. Not a great trade, that one was.

It’s too bad this Bucks team didn’t get to play together, healthy, even with that disastrous deal. Redd, Jefferson and Bogut might have been a fairly formidable big three in the East at the time. With All-Star Mo Williams, those Bucks could have been damn good.

Next: 49 years in 49 days: 2007-08 season

Could of, would of, should of, though. The Milwaukee Bucks without Redd or Bogut were not good, and finished the year 12th in the East with a record of 34-48.

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