Giannis Antetokounmpo's return has not been the elixir the Milwaukee Bucks held out hope it would be. Instead, they have won a single game, against the woeful Jazz, and slipped to 27-36 in the standings. Hope, or whatever is left of it, is fading fast.
At this point, Bucks fans might as well enjoy some comic relief. During a recent episode of his podcast, analyst Bill Simmons had several zingers in store, capriciously labeled 'silver linings.'
"I have some silver linings for Bucks fans. They won the title four years ago, five years ago. Just go back and watch the DVD. That's one. Two, if there's expansion, you're not going to lose anyone you really like, because you don't have any players to protect. And then, you do have your first-round pick this year."
That last one is legitimate. The first two are clearly unserious. The sad part? If you let yourself, it's hard to hold back a smirk.
Bucks have become an easy punching bag right now
Even Simmons' guest, Zach Lowe, known himself to dabble in sarcasm, temporarily stuck up for the struggling Bucks.Â
"That's mean. That one was mean," he chided Simmons on his second point. "You didn't need to. That one was mean."Â
Ultimately, Lowe couldn't resist getting in on the fun. "What about Thanasis? Will someone take Thanasis in the expansion draft?" Okay, give Lowe credit for that one.Â
A major obstacle in Milwaukee's season, of course, has been the other Antetokounmpo brother's health. Giannis has missed 31 games in all, easily his most in a season, and the rest of the roster has mostly struggled without him. After losing five of six, the Bucks sit four games behind Charlotte in the Play-In. Atlanta has gone up by 5.5 games in ninth.Â
Not so long ago, Milwaukee was riding high on an 8-2 streak. Unfortunately, it seems Bobby Portis was all too precise: that stretch of winning looks like so much fool's gold. Once the competition got harder, the Milwaukee Bucks wilted.Â
Hoped for turnaround may not be comingÂ
Fettered by a minutes restriction, Giannis has not been able to save them. He isn't quite himself yet, understandably. That calf strain held him out for the longest injury absence, 15 games, of his career. Managing a new type of injury has taken some getting used to.Â
For Bucks fans, so has been the prospect of missing the playoffs for the first time in a decade. Ditto for the sub-.500 record that appears all but inevitable, even if they were to mount a miraculous surge for the Play-In as the Hornets or Hawks collapsed.Â
This team knew they would be tested out of the break. After some early resistance with wins over Miami and Cleveland, it looks as if the Bucks have their answer. There's still time, but that feels more and more like an empty mantra than a reason to be encouraged. Reality is setting in.Â
Should fans turn back their mental clock and revisit the glory of the 2021 Finals film? Bill, we're not that desperate. Milwaukee's first championship in half a century is still hallowed ground. "We've downgraded that to silver lining?" Lowe questioned.
That draft pick, though, that could be intriguing. While no guarantee of a future All-Star or even a quality player, a top 10 pick could offer a source of genuine excitement the Bucks haven't had in years of drafting outside that threshold, sometimes without a first-rounder entirely.