Behind the Bucks Pass
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Milwaukee Bucks: 49 years in 49 days – 2011-12 season

By Ti Windisch

OAKLAND, CA - MARCH 16: Shot of Monta Ellis #11 and Brandon Jennings #3 of the Milwaukee Bucks during a game against the Golden State Warriors on March 16, 2012 at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. 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 Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2012 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - MARCH 16: Shot of Monta Ellis #11 and Brandon Jennings #3 of the Milwaukee Bucks during a game against the Golden State Warriors on March 16, 2012 at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. 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 Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2012 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Milwaukee Bucks made a loud but ineffective trade during the 2011-12 season and then missed the playoffs.

The season: 2011-12

The record: 31-35

The postseason: N/A

The story:

The Milwaukee Bucks, locked into a weird and not very good core, needed to do something dramatic to avoid stagnation during the 2011-12 NBA season. The season was shortened due to a lockout, which typically results in some wacky situations happening.

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It certainly did for the Bucks that year, although the craziness began before the lockout during the 2011 NBA Draft. Milwaukee somehow was able to unload two of the bad contracts it added during the previous season by trading Corey Maggette, John Salmons and the rights to Jimmer Fredette for Stephen Jackson, Shaun Livingston, Beno Udrih and the rights to Tobias Harris.

A fractured ankle took one of the best Bucks, Andrew Bogut, out of action after just 12 games played that season. Bogut started the season well, and went on to end it with a different franchise.

He and Stephen Jackson were dealt to the Golden State Warriors for Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh and Kwame Brown. Trades were weird in 2012. Jackson’s relationship with the Bucks coaching staff soured pretty quickly after the team traded for him, so losing him wasn’t so bad, but even though Bogut was injured he was still a young defensive stalwart.

The return for him and Jackson was interesting. Udoh and Livingston both were capable role players in 2012, while Ellis was a supposed young star. Milwaukee apparently missed that the Warriors avoided small backourt problems by trading Ellis out of a tandem with Stephen Curry.

Now Ellis was paired with Brandon Jennings. Jennings is 6’1″ and Ellis is 6’3″. It’s no surprise that without Bogut and with Ellis, Milwaukee’s defense fell from top five to middle of the pack during the 2011-12 season.

The Bucks offense did improve, though. That wasn’t saying much considering Milwaukee was last in the league in scoring in the previous season, but with Ellis and Jennings the team moved up to 13th in scoring efficiency and fifth in points per game.

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Stylistically, the Bucks were completely different. The team leaped from the 25th-fastest pace to third in the NBA, hence the huge uptick in points per game rank. With a small sample size, the Jennings/Ellis Bucks went 12-9. That wasn’t enough to save their shortened season, and Milwaukee missed the postseason for the second straight year.

The team had found a new hope, even if they weren’t good enough to qualify for the playoffs quite yet. Ellis averaged 17.6 points per game, and Jennings entered a new territory as a scorer by posting 19.1 points per game.

Milwaukee Bucks legend Ersan Ilyasova was next up in scoring with 13.0 points per game. Drew Gooden and Mike Dunleavy were the other Bucks who made it through the season to average at least ten points per game.

Next: 49 years in 49 days: 2010-11 season

They weren’t outstanding or anything, but there was some level of excitement brewing around the new-look Milwaukee Bucks, even if a juggernaut was forming in Miami.

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