Behind the Bucks Pass
Fansided

Milwaukee Bucks: 49 years in 49 days – 2010-11 season

By Ti Windisch

MILWAUKEE, WI - APRIL 11: Carlos Delfino #10 of the Milwaukee Bucks dunks against (L-R) Ed Davis #32 and James Johnson #0 of the Toronto Raptors during the NBA game on April 11, 2011 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 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 2011 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI - APRIL 11: Carlos Delfino #10 of the Milwaukee Bucks dunks against (L-R) Ed Davis #32 and James Johnson #0 of the Toronto Raptors during the NBA game on April 11, 2011 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 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 2011 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Milwaukee Bucks tumbled back to the lottery during the 2010-11 season after losing the spark they found the previous year.

The season: 2010-11

The record: 35-47

The postseason: N/A

The story:

The Milwaukee Bucks were spenders in the summer of 2010. After tasting their best season since 2000-01 the previous year, the Bucks were ready to compete in the Eastern Conference. Or so they thought.

More from Bucks History

Milwaukee’s offseason moves were limited, in terms of new players joining the squad. A pair of trades brought in Chris Douglas-Roberts and Corey Maggette, and the team quietly killed it in the 2010 NBA Draft with the selection of Larry Sanders, although it’d take a few years for anybody to know that.

Additionally, Milwaukee paid up big time for Drew Gooden and to retain John Salmons. Signing Salmons was almost a must after the spark he ignited in the previous season–the Bucks were 22-8 with him around, after all.

Despite the fact that Salmons had scored more than 12.5 points per game just twice in his eight season career and that 30 games is an incredibly small sample size, Milwaukee paid $39 million for five years of him anyway. Unfortunately for the Bucks, he was unable to put up the 19.9 points per game he poured in in his Milwaukee debut season.

He was still second on the team in scoring, but that was more so due to other players not being able to get buckets than any other reason. Salmons put up just 14.0 points per game, while Brandon Jennings led the way by adding 16.2 points per game.

Jennings’ scoring continued to be inefficient as hell. He shot less than 40 percent from the field, as did Carlos Delfino, a fellow starter. Those two weren’t the only bad shooters, as the Bucks ranked last in field goal percentage that season.

More from Behind the Buck Pass

The warning flags were there last season too about this Milwaukee offense. Even with Salmons for that incredible stretch, the Bucks ranked 23rd in offensive rating for the entire season. Without Contract Year Salmons around, the team dropped to the bottom of the NBA in offensive efficiency.

The sad part was Milwaukee’s defense continued to be stout. The Bucks were fourth in defensive rating that year, and thanks to the team’s slogging pace on offense allowed less points per game than all but one other NBA team. Defense can win championships, but at the end of the day (or season) basketball still comes down to outscoring the other team. Milwaukee’s horrid offense prevented that from happening very often.

None of the Bucks’ offseason acquisitions were able to help much on offense. The previous season saw the team find success because a bevy of decent scorers surrounded one standout one (Salmons) and was buoyed by a great defense. Without the standout scorer, the supporting cast simply wasn’t good enough during the 2010-11 season.

Next: 49 years in 49 days: 2009-10 season

The Milwaukee Bucks had accidentally financially locked themselves into a terrible core, which didn’t bode well for the immediate future of the franchise.

Home/Bucks History