Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee Bucks made several big gambles and might pay high price

Published

2 years ago

February 23, 2024

Milwaukee Bucks made several big gambles and might pay high price

Before the season when the Milwaukee Bucks traded for Damian Lillard and paired the long-time Portland Trail Blazers star with Giannis Antetokounmpo, they were heralded as an Eastern Conference contender reborn after a disappointing playoff run.

A few months later, however, those takes are starting to get freezer burn. The Bucks entered the All-Star break with a number of cracks showing in their armor, including an embarrassing two-game losing streak—the first a 123-97 loss to the Miami Heat without Jimmy Butler, the second a 113-110 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies who were led in scoring by Ziaire Williams and two-way player G.G. Jackson.

“We had some guys here,” Bucks head coach Doc Rivers quipped postgame. “We had some guys in Cabo.”

Rivers himself, of course, is a product of the Bucks’ difficult season. Rivers replaced Adrian Griffin at the helm after Milwaukee fired the first-time head coach 43 games into his tenure. That came on the heels of Mike Budenholzer’s firing last year after the Bucks became the rare 1-seed to lose to an 8-seed when they fell to the eventual Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat. Budenholzer’s 2021 run to the franchise’s first championship in nearly 50 years wasn’t enough to save his job.

The returns are still very early, but Rivers hasn’t fared much better to date. The team is 3-7 since his tenure began on January 29, with a negative net rating (points generated per 100 possessions minus points allowed per 100 possessions) at -1.7. The offense has cratered to 24th overall at 111.9, which has negatively countered the fact that the defense has actually been two points per 100 possessions better compared to their season average.

But the Bucks’ problems pre-date Rivers. Lillard is shooting 34.1 percent from 3-point range on 8.5 attempts per game, and he shot just 27.8 percent in January, to go with 32.6 percent in February.

Meanwhile, the Bucks can’t survive lineups with Antetokounmpo off the floor at all. They outscore opponents by 7.2 points per 100 possessions when he plays, per the website Cleaning the Glass, which is solid—the Los Angeles Clippers have the fourth-best net rating in the National Basketball Association (NBA) at 7.2 as well. But when Antetokounmpo leaves the floor, the Bucks are outscored by nine points per 100 possessions. With Lillard and former All-Star Khris Middleton on the floor and Antetokounmpo off, that total falls even further to -14.1 (albeit in a small sample size).

Those are disastrous numbers, and they are indicative of the kind of problems the Bucks will face in the postseason. Antetokounmpo is shouldering an MVP-level load and doing it admirably—30.8 points, 11.2 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game.

Damian Lillard of the Milwaukee Bucks is seen at Fiserv Forum on February 12 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Bucks are in a precarious situation going forward.

Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images

But blue-blood contenders like the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets have surrounded their MVP/MVP-adjacent stars with talent that complements and enhances them, which is a symbiotic relationship. If a role player can make Nikola Jokić or Jayson Tatum’s life easier, they will in turn make life easier for the role player. The Bucks don’t seem to enjoy that luxury with Antetokounmpo.

If Lillard heats up from 3-point range, and if the defensive improvements are real, the Bucks have plenty of time to turn things around once they get back from All-Star break, even if some players mentally left for Cabo a little early. The Celtics appear to have a stranglehold on the Eastern Conference’s top seed, but the Cavaliers are just 1.5 games ahead for the 2-seed, and they won 18 of their last 20 games before the break to reach that point.

If the Bucks don’t get it together, however, they are staring at a very uncomfortable situation. To acquire Jrue Holiday from the Pelicans in 2020, the Bucks dealt the right to swap their 2024 first-round picks, their unprotected 2025 pick, the right to swap their 2026 first-round picks, and their unprotected 2027 first-round pick. To acquire Lillard this summer, the Bucks traded the right to swap their 2028 first-round pick to the Trail Blazers, their 2029 first-round pick unprotected, the right to swap their 2030 first-round pick…and Holiday.

In other words, the Bucks won’t control their own draft pick again until 2031. If things go wrong and the Pelicans and Blazers start swapping picks with the Bucks immediately (unlikely but possible), the Bucks may have traded every pick from 2024 to 2030 just to acquire a 33-year-old point guard sharpshooter who is hitting just 34 percent of his threes.

Other possibilities exist. The Bucks could rediscover their best form in the postseason, Lillard could catch fire, Antetokounmpo could overwhelm opponents, and the Bucks could storm to a championship. If that happens, Milwaukee fans in 2029 staring at what might be a chilly roster can warm themselves with memories of two titles in 2021 and 2024.

But with the (justifiable) goal of maximizing Antetokounmpo’s tenure with the team, the Bucks took some enormous gambles over the last four years, and they pushed all of their chips into the middle of the table this summer. With every loss to a Heat team sans Butler, or a Grizzlies team fielding G-Leaguers and 10-day-contract players, the Bucks see a few more of those chips go into the dealer’s pocket.

The Bucks return to action Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves, who currently hold the top seed in the Western Conference, at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Source link

Click to comment

Milwaukee, WI

Leaders from Milwaukee Rep, local Jewish organization team up to support families in need

Published

7 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

Leaders from Milwaukee Rep, local Jewish organization team up to support families in need

MILWAUKEE — For 31 years, the Milwaukee Repertory Theater has ended every performance of A Christmas Carol with a heartwarming tradition: cast members ask audience members for donations that are then given to a local charity.

Watch: Milwaukee Rep’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ raises donations for Jewish Family Services

Milwaukee Rep’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ raises donations for Jewish Family Services

This year’s chosen charity is Jewish Family Services, an organization that provides support to families in need throughout the community.

I was there when Jenny from the Rep and Jenny from Jewish Family Services celebrated the generosity of the community, which is providing gifts for families in need this holiday season.

Kidd O’Shea

Behind the scenes at Milwaukee Rep, volunteers were busy wrapping presents for their “A Christmas Carol Families” program. The initiative aligns perfectly with the theater’s mission of creating positive change in the community.

“This goes right to our mission of creating positive change in the community, and when we’re doing a play like A Christmas Carol, what better show to be able to use the themes from that production of generosity and compassion over greed to make sure that we’re walking the walk as well when we are saying, ‘Hey community, we should be doing this,’ right? So this is one example of how we can create that change in the community as well,” said Jenny from Milwaukee Rep.

The donations collected from theatergoers will make a significant impact for families served by Jewish Family Services, which has been operating since 1867.

“It’s going to make such a huge difference. These are families facing the harshest of circumstances. We’ve been in existence since 1867, but this year we have such extreme need from all the families we serve,” said Jenny from Jewish Family Services.

Even small contributions from audience members attending the beloved Milwaukee holiday tradition add up to meaningful support for local families.

“To everyone who went to see A Christmas Carol, which is such a holiday tradition here in Milwaukee, and made a donation — maybe it was just $1 or a couple bucks here and there — it all adds up and really is community showing up for community,” I said.

“We’re so grateful to have been chosen this year, and to align our missions like this with the Rep is just a community outpouring of support that is going to go directly to benefit some people who will be very grateful,” said Jenny from Jewish Family Services.

The longstanding tradition demonstrates how the theater continues to give back to Milwaukee, extending the spirit of the holiday classic beyond the stage and into the community.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

Let’s talk:

Hey there! At TMJ4 News, we’re all about listening to our audience and tackling the stuff that really matters to you. Got a story idea, tip, or just want to chat about this piece? Hit us up using the form below. For more ways to get in touch, head over to tmj4.com/tips.

It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.

Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.

Report a typo or error // Submit a news tip

Source link

Milwaukee, WI

Community raises over $29,000 during Home 4 the Holidays virtual food drive

Published

19 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

Community raises over ,000 during Home 4 the Holidays virtual food drive

Thanks to generous viewers, TMJ4’s Home 4 the Holidays Virtual Food Drive raised more than $29,000 for Milwaukee’s Hunger Task Force — money that will help get food on tables this holiday season.

The donations came as the Hunger Task Force reports a 35% increase in traffic at local pantry networks over the past year.

The fundraising effort marks the 10th year that Raymond James, TMJ4, and Milwaukee’s Hunger Task Force have partnered for the Home 4 the Holidays virtual food drive. The online platform allows people to purchase an assortment of holiday food choices from the comfort of their own home or office.

Gary Sievewright from Raymond James explained why the company continues its annual participation.

Watch: Community raises over $29,000 during Home 4 the Holidays virtual food drive

Community raises over $29,000 during Home 4 the Holidays virtual food drive

“It’s part of our culture to be involved in the community, and we just love the need to help people that really have a need for food, right? So this is a passion of ours, it’s a passion of yours. We love the partnership, and we’re happy to raise as much money as we can every year,” Sievewright said.

People can continue making donations by visiting HungerTaskForce.org to help feed families in need this holiday season.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

Let’s talk:

It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.

Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.

Report a typo or error // Submit a news tip

Source link

Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee New Year’s Eve Free Rides; MCTS, Molson Coors team up

Published

1 day ago

December 17, 2025

Press Room

Milwaukee New Year’s Eve Free Rides

In partnership with Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS), the Miller Lite Free Rides program returns to Milwaukee as people ring in the new year.

MILWAUKEE – In partnership with Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS), the Miller Lite Free Rides program returns to Milwaukee as people ring in the new year.

The program got its start in 1988 and provides residents with free transportation to celebrate the new year responsibly.

This year’s program is especially meaningful as Miller Lite celebrates its 50th anniversary and the Free Rides program approaches 10 million rides provided nationwide.

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android

Visit the MCTS website to find the most popular routes. You can also download the UMO app to plan and track your bus in real-time.

The Source: The information in this post was provided by Molson Coors Beverage Company.

MilwaukeeNewsMilwaukee County Transit System

Source link