Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee Bucks Unveil Point Guard Bobby In First Preseason Game

Published

7 months ago

October 9, 2023

Milwaukee Bucks Unveil Point Guard Bobby In First Preseason Game

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – APRIL 19: Bobby Portis #9 of the Milwaukee Bucks reacts after a basket … [+] against the Miami Heat during the first half of Game Two of the Eastern Conference First Round Playoffs at Fiserv Forum on April 19, 2023 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. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

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The Milwaukee Bucks tipped-off a new era on Sunday with a preseason game against the Chicago Bulls. Although it was your typical sloppy and vanilla exhibition contest, there were several intriguing developments, including the unveiling of point guard Bobby Portis.

The new man in charge for the Bucks, head coach Adrian Griffin, has set a clear directive: they’re going to pick up the pace and prioritize transition plays. It’s an approach that promises excitement and challenges.

In their initial preseason matchup, though, things were a little different. The team was without its main quartet of ball-handlers—Damian Lillard, Cam Payne, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Khris Middleton. As a result, it was Portis who sometimes took up the mantle of bringing the ball up the court and directing the offense.

Under Mike Budenholzer, Portis was typically asked to run the floor without the rock in his hands and make himself available in transition. It appears his playmaking responsibilities have increased in the new era.

We saw the first glimpse of this just a few minutes into the game. Portis snagged a rebound and immediately turned up court with bad intentions. As he dribbled across halfcourt, three Bucks were staggered to his right and Malik Beasley was on his left. Beasley veered into Portis’s defender, forcing some miscommunication on the Bulls’ part as the new Bucks’ point guard turned the corner and finished the layup in traffic.

This was a great example of the early offense Griffin wants Milwaukee to create. They got a point-blank look just eight seconds into the shot clock and against a scrambling defense.

Before the Bucks signed Payne last week, questions swirled about who would handle the ball for them. Although Lillard, Antetokounmpo and Middleton are capable of carrying heavy loads, they certainly needed at least one more ball-handler. That question was mostly answered with the free agent acquisition of Payne, but it appears Griffin might give all of the Bucks (or at least, most of them) more leeway to bring the ball up the floor following a defensive rebound and look for easy buckets early in the clock.

Portis got another chance to do just that four minutes into the second quarter. Brook Lopez skied for a rebound following a missed shot from DeMar DeRozan and tossed it to Portis who immediately took off trying to inflict damage on the Bulls.

With Chicago still getting settled, Portis went to that same left wing with Beasley, but went into a dribble handoff this time around. Chicago handled it better, switching defenders and putting Zach LaVine on Portis. However, that’s exactly what the fan-favorite wanted, as he posted up, received the pass and Beasley cleared out of the space. It wasn’t long before Portis backed down his defender, spun baseline and hit a nifty jumper over a leaping LaVine, this time a whopping 10 seconds into the shot clock.

On both occasions, Milwaukee did a tremendous job getting up the floor quickly and running their secondary break against an unexpecting defense.

This is a new role for Portis who has mostly played off the ball during his time in Milwaukee. When he did have the rock in his hands, it was closer to the post or in a catch-and-shoot scenario. He was rarely asked to create offense for his teammates, especially by initiating.

That means there will be growing pains, as what happened just a couple minutes later in the second quarter. Lopez again fed Portis following a defensive rebound. As he dribbled the ball up the right side, he lost control and had to dive on the floor as it scooted out of bounds.

For now, Milwaukee will live with these types of possession, especially in exhibition games, as they work out the kinks. It’s the type of learning experience the entire team is undertaking under a new offensive and defensive scheme.

The Bucks’ first preseason game against the Bulls was akin to catching a glimpse of the tip of an iceberg in a vast ocean. While they didn’t unveil their full arsenal of strategies in this meaningless contest, it was as if we saw a hummock rising above the surface, providing a tantalizing hint of what lies beneath for the upcoming season. Will there be more point guard Bobby in store? Stay tuned to find out.

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Milwaukee, WI

Deer Diaries, Ep. 183: New Process, Same Result

Published

5 hours ago

May 15, 2024

Press Room

Deer Diaries, Ep. 183: New Process, Same Result

Having pulled out all the stops to rally after the Milwaukee Bucks’s game five victory (including calls from Kyle in Vegas and a new intro produced by Adam, no less), there just wasn’t enough heart to do an autopsy on the season after the 98-120 trouncing to end the season.

But now we’re back! Kyle, Adam, and I got together last night to sift through the debris of the season to better understand what we learned along the way. Was the Pacers series just one final condemnation of a now-forgettable roster? Has the ground shifted too much under the Bucks feet as to make serious contention more of a thing of chance rather than something the team controls? Was the instability beginning last summer the new norm, or can the organization right the ship?

We cover all that, plus!

A few more punches are thrown at Jae Crowder while he is down (please don’t come back!)
Voting Bobby Portis, Pat Connaughton, and MarJon Beauchamp off the island
Anticipating Thanasis Antetokounmpo’s return to the roster even post-Achilles
Predictions about how large of a shakeup the team will aim for this summer (hint: not much of one)
Apologies all around — from Adam to the listeners, from Bobby to all of us, from me to you on behalf of Bobby, etc.
How much longer the team can remain in its “Giannis 1.5” build
And more!

All of us at Deer Diaries want to thank you, our listeners and watchers, for sticking with us this season. We hope you enjoyed the podcast as much as we enjoy putting it together during the year. Our release schedule will dial back now that we’ve reached the summer, although we’ll be back whenever major news breaks (the NBA Draft, free agency, and, of course, Summer League roster reveals). Thanks again!

We’re over on Brew Hoop’s YouTube page:

Our Spotify page is always up to date:

As is our Apple Podcast feed:

And anywhere else you can find subscription-based audio media feeds!

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Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee shooting Wednesday; 17-year-old wounded near 44th and Clarke

Published

12 hours ago

May 15, 2024

Press Room

Milwaukee shooting Wednesday; 17-year-old wounded near 44th and Clarke

article

Shooting near 44th and Clarke, Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE – A 17-year-old was shot and wounded near 44th and Clarke early Wednesday, May 15.

Officials say the shooting happened around 1:45 a.m. Tuesday. The victim was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Police are seeking an unknown shooter.

Shooting near 44th and Clarke, Milwaukee

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MPD tips

Anyone with any information is urged to contact Milwaukee police at 414-935-7360 or to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 414-224-TIPS or P3 Tips.

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Milwaukee, WI

Sal Frelick shines at the plate and in the field as Brewers beat Pirates 4-3

Published

19 hours ago

May 14, 2024

Press Room

Sal Frelick shines at the plate and in the field as Brewers beat Pirates 4-3

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Sal Frelick homered for the first time this season, Joe Ross and three relievers combined on a three-hitter, and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3 on Tuesday night.

Pittsburgh’s Nick Gonzales hit his first homer of the year, and Connor Joe also went deep for the Pirates.

Gonzales’ last homer was July 2 against the Brewers. Frelick hadn’t homered since Aug. 7 of last season, against the Pirates.

Frelick also made two diving catches in center field. He caught a sinking liner from Jared Triolo to end the second and made a play on the warning track to rob Andrew McCutchen of an extra-base hit in the eighth.

Joe homered with two outs in the ninth off Trevor Megill to cut Milwaukee’s lead to 4-3, but Megill struck out Jack Suwinski to earn his fifth save.

Ross (2-4) struck out six while allowing two hits, two runs and one walk in five innings. Bryan Hudson pitched two innings and Elvis Peguero worked the eighth without allowing anyone to reach base.

Brewers pitchers had retired 15 straight Pirates before Joe’s homer.

After each team left runners on the corners in the first inning, the Brewers took the lead for good in the second.

The Brewers collected five straight hits against Quinn Priester (0-4) during one stretch in that inning. Joey Ortiz got things started with a one-out double before Frelick lofted an 0-1 slider over the right field wall.

Oliver Dunn, Jackson Chourio and Brice Turang then delivered three consecutive singles, with Turang’s hit driving in Dunn. Christian Yelich’s two-out single brought home Chourio to make it 4-0.

Gonzales cut Milwaukee’s lead in half with his two-run shot in the fourth.

Priester lasted six innings and gave up four runs and nine hits. He struck out five and walked two.

GERMAN MAKES SEASON DEBUT

TRAINER’S ROOM

Pirates: Domingo Germán allowed a run over four innings for Single-A Bradenton in the former New York Yankees pitcher’s first appearance since signing a minor league deal with the Pirates in March. Germán threw the 24th perfect game in major league history in New York’s 11-0 victory at Oakland last June 28, but he was placed on the restricted list and entered treatment for alcohol abuse later that summer.

Brewers: 1B Rhys Hoskins went on the 10-day injured list with a strained right hamstring. The Brewers promoted utilityman Owen Miller from Triple-A Nashville to fill Hoskins’ spot on the roster. … Brewers LHP DL Hall (left knee) threw 35 pitches in a simulated game Tuesday.

UP NEXT

LHP Martín Pérez (1-2, 3.60) starts for the Pirates and LHP Robert Gasser (1-0, 0.00) pitches for the Brewers as this three-game series concludes Wednesday afternoon.