Milwaukee, WI
Monday Morning Media Roundup: Stasis; It’s What’s (Likely) For Dinner
I’ve spent the column space here each Monday since the season ended thinking about the possible futures of your Milwaukee Bucks. Those thoughts have led me to lament how bad the team’s coming free agent class is, restate my adherence to the Giannis-as-C theorem, and to find ideas on how the team can build if the recent Finals contenders are models to emulate.
Underlying all of this digital ink spillage, though, is the very real possibility that there is no change on the cards. For reasons of contractual, continuity, and chemistry reasons, the baseline expectations for the Bucks should be that they will enter the 2024-2025 season without Jae Crowder and with some other random veteran player in that slot. They could take a contingent of five or six “young guys” — Beauchamp, AJ Green, Andre Jackson Jr., Chris Livingston, Draft Pick X, Draft Pick Y — but that would be anathema to how this front office builds. Expect, then, some draft night trades that see the team buying future capital at the expense of immediate scratch off tickets.
Expect, also, the likes of Bobby Portis and Pat Connaughton to be back, too. They have very tradable contracts and feel like they’ve played out their usefulness with this group. They also can’t be aggregated with other salary because of the Bucks cap situation and they may not have much value around the league besides protected picks and other also-ran vets.
Finally, expect little change in the way the team plays on both ends of the floor. Not for a want of trying on the part of the coaching staff, of course. It is simply the reality of what this group of (very (very)) established players is capable of doing. Brook Lopez doesn’t have another arc in his career that doesn’t lead to his retiring to a massive estate in Orlando. Damian Lillard isn’t going to self-actualize into a superb passer. Khris Middleton has ran at his peak for two playoffs in a row and must be more concerned with maintenance than growth.
It isn’t all that interesting or satisfactory, but it is the likeliest outcome. We’d do ourselves well to prepare for the possibility.
Let’s roundup!
Milwaukee Bucks Links
Bucks offseason primer: Milwaukee’s key roster questions as NBA Draft nears & Who could the Bucks select in the 2024 NBA Draft? Bub Carrington, Tyler Kolek and more options (The Athletic)
You may or may not have already hit your free article limit over on the Times, but if you haven’t I’d say these pieces by Nehm are worthwhile to get a solid baseline understanding of where the Bucks stand. That’s especially the case vis a vis the cap, the first and second aprons, and how difficult it may be to get under the second apron in particular.
One note on Nehm’s draft piece: Found it very interesting that he scouted almost exclusively guards and a few wings. He is rarely in the news breaking business in the way Shams/Woj are, but he isn’t just pulling names for the hell of it, either.
Chronomat Giannis Antetokounmpo (World Tempus (???))
Cracking me up that the AI writer of this never refers to the Bucks by name, but often as “Giannis Antetokounmpo’s team”. Now ain’t there something poetic and true in that.
I’ve no idea how large the crossover is between Brew Hoop readers and Swiss luxury watch purchasers, but if you’re out there, this one’s for you.
How Celtics and Mavericks built their rosters and lessons other teams can learn (CBS Sports)
Some interesting observations in here that were more likely than not inspired by my intro to last week’s MMMR where I tried to determine a few lessons for the Bucks from the Mavs-Celtics Finals. Tend to agree with Sam Quinn on all of his points, and the Bucks aren’t far off on a few, either. Being opportunistic is something GM Jon Horst will often attempt to do, but he’s fallen short occasionally in terms of “hard choices” (trading Jrue could count here, too, though) and the depth of the roster. We shall see where things lead now.
The Seven Commandments of Scoring in the NBA Playoffs (The Ringer)
Again, another interesting piece that tackles a key component to playoff winning: Scoring. As with most of these pieces, if you read them through a Bucks-tinted lens and ask whether the ideas apply to that team you may come up feeling a bit wanting. Giannis is a fearless guy and physicality is his great strength, but his durability issues have prevented us from seeing whether he has truly learned from his failures as well. Beyond him and his two co-stars, I often wonder about the other guys’ skillsets on this plane. In a world where playoff basketball is more iso-heavy as the years go by, maybe it doesn’t matter if the seventh man brings next to nothing in terms of scoring.
Mock Draft Prospect of the Week
Tyler Smith – G League Ignite – 6’9”, 225 pounds, 19 years old, SF/PF
With the MarJon Beauchamp experience underway — and still to be determined even if my hopes aren’t particularly high — will Jon Horst find himself allured by another G League Ignite prospect with his first round draft pick? Tyler Smith at 6’9” with a 7’1” wingspan could be a possible project piece if placed in the right developmental system that will keep him on his nascent upward trajectory. The highlights!
Not bad, actually! The first half of the video is mostly clips of him finishing a ton of dunks off pick and rolls or his reading and reacting to a tough shot/miss by a teammate to finish a play. Crucially, he can elevate off of one foot on the move which is something MarJon can’t quite nail. A couple of made threes shows some promise, although scouting reports say the 36.4% he made as a member of the Ignite could end up being an outlier if his amateur numbers are more reflective of what he’s capable of. On defense, the one-on-one capacity just really isn’t there, but you’d be happy seeing some of those off-ball rotations of his to close and block attempts where he starts on the weak side.
Smith played in 27 games for the Ignite with two starts in there. That team won a total of 2 games all season.
He averaged 22.0 minutes played, 13.0 points (.481/.364/.725), 5.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.7 stocks (0.7 steals+1.0 blocks). For a guy his age and coming mostly off the bench, his usage rate was pretty substantial (24.4%) and his offensive game mostly matched the coaching staff’s expectations when allowing that many possessions to run through him. Of course, it all comes down to how his body develops and whether he can add strength and defensive understanding to hang in the NBA. If the Bucks were to draft him I see no world in which he makes an impact in the first season outside of marginal appearances during the regular season. But if he does continue to strengthen and can keep hitting threes, he’d be a very promising guy to pair next to the likes of Antetokounmpo on both ends of the floor.
It’d take courage and a lot of faith in Doc Rivers’s staff as a developmental group. Very few Ignite guys have broken through properly at the NBA level, so Smith would have to be the first guy to buck that trend to be a success.
The Social Media Section
Give it like five more years and Kobe apocryphal-isms will have passed from stories told on podcasts to foundational national myth/lore
Think we’ve identified what caused all that Achilles pain for Dame
We’re going to party our asses off here at MMMR HQ once this dude’s contract officially expires
Please Notre Dame God, convince Pat his calling is golf. I need cap room like something bad
Yes
I’m too isolated in my continent-spanning country to get the joke. Mbappe commented with crying face emojis, so that’s good I guess
Hala Madrid, indeed
We’re a little over two weeks out from the Draft and, shortly thereafter, free agency. The team will move quickly from open questions to a cohered answer and then we can finally kick off previewing what the future may hold. Nearly there!
Happy Monday!
MILWAUKEE – A Milwaukee man, previously named one of Wisconsin’s Most Wanted, has been sentenced to prison for shooting and killing his cousin in 2020.
In court
What we know:
A Milwaukee County jury found 39-year-old Brandon Gladney guilty of first-degree reckless homicide and possession of a firm by a felon earlier this year.
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Judge Michelle Havas sentenced Gladney to 29 years in prison on Friday, April 17. He was granted credit for more than a year’s time served and further sentenced to 14 years of extended supervision.
Arrested in Arizona after years on the run, court records show Gladney has also been ordered to pay the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office more than $1,800 for extradition costs.
Homicide investigation
The backstory:
The shooting happened in May 2020. Investigators said Gladney was captured on video apparently arguing with the victim, his cousin, outside a Milwaukee convenience store near 21st and Meinecke.
“It’s all on video, and it’s devastating for that family,” the marshal on the case told FOX6 when Gladney was profiled on Wisconsin’s Most Wanted. “You have a family member that shot and killed another family member.”
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Prosecutors said Gladney walked away but then returned with a gun pointed directly at the victim and shot him. The victim died from his gunshot wounds at a nearby hospital. Multiple bullet casings were found at the scene.
Gladney went on the run for years. He was arrested in Arizona in January 2023, years after he was charged.
The Source: FOX6 News referenced information from the U.S. Marshals Service, Wisconsin Circuit Court and prior coverage.
Brice Turang slides to home plate to score during a game between the Miami Marlins and the Milwaukee Brewers on April 17. (Photo by Chris Arjoon/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
MIAMI – Garrett Mitchell went 2 for 4 with three RBIs including a two-run double in the 10th inning and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Miami Marlins 7-5 on Friday night.
By the numbers:
Miami’s Calvin Faucher (1-2) entered a 4-all game in the 10th and walked Gary Sánchez with Brice Turang on second. Jake Bauers hit a single to load the bases.
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Luis Rengifo reached first on a throwing error by second baseman Xavier Edwards, allowing Turang to score. Mitchell followed with his double.
The Marlins scored one run in the bottom of the 10th when Jakob Marsee came home on Trevor Megill’s wild pitch. Megill settled in for his fourth save.
Coleman Crow, who made his debut on the mound for the Brewers, threw 77 pitches over 5 1/3 innings. He threw four strikeouts, gave up two earned runs and a walk.
The right-hander was 2-0 with a 4.07 ERA in two starts with the Brewers’ Triple-A affiliate in Nashville. He missed part of the 2023 season and all of 2024 after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
The Brewers scored three runs in the fourth inning. With the bases loaded, Mitchell hit an RBI single, Bauers scored on a forceout at first and Rengifo scored on a throwing error by catcher Agustín Ramírez.
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Miami’s Otto Lopez hit a triple to center field in the fourth and scored on a sacrifice fly by Owen Caissie. Lopez hit a two-run homer in the sixth to pull Miami within 4-3 and Ramírez doubled in the eighth to tie the game at four.
Abner Uribe (1-0) earned his first win of the season, coming on in the ninth inning.
Marlins third baseman Graham Pauley left the game in the seventh inning with right oblique discomfort after spinning out of the way of a pitch.
What’s next:
The Brewers and Marlins continue their 3-game series on Saturday, with Brandon Woodruff (1-0, 4.36 ERA) taking the mound for Milwaukee and Sandy Alcantara (2-1, 2.67) for Miami.
The Source: The Associated Press provided this report.
Michigan wins the national championship over UConn
Michigan beats UConn to win the national championship and we break down how they did it and where both programs go from here.
Loyalty is a word you rarely hear anymore when it comes to college sports.
Amare Hereford is an exception.
The night before he was able to put pen to paper and make his commitment to the UW-Milwaukee men’s basketball team official earlier this week, the Beloit Memorial standout was invited for an on-campus visit with the Wisconsin Badgers.
Hereford did his due diligence. What player wouldn’t have in his position?
“Me being an 18-year-old kid, my first high major [visit], I just decided to go check it out,” Hereford said.
UW put on the full-court press in an attempt to lock down the Wisconsin “Mr. Basketball” finalist.
“They offered me a scholarship,” Hereford said. “It all happened so fast. It was all within a day.”
Hereford went home, processed the situation with his family and came to a decision.
He would honor his commitment to the Panthers, with his signature cementing the deal and UWM announcing the news Thursday, April 16.
“No, it wasn’t really hard to turn down,” Hereford said, referring to UW’s offer. “I love every school and I appreciate every school that reaches out to me. But I’m going to choose a school that I have a great relationship with, with all the coaching staff, and that’s been thinking highly of me and recruited me for the longest time. And that was the Panthers.
“Wisconsin is a great school, of course. But I’m going to the school that has been with me for the longest time.”
The 6-foot-2, 175-pound Hereford is a huge addition for a Panthers squad that, like so many other programs due to transfer portal madness, is in the midst of rebuilding its roster for the 2026-2027 season almost from scratch.
“Amare will be a star here at Milwaukee,” coach Bart Lundy said. “He will be a fan favorite from the beginning. He is a complete basketball player but probably has as good of an ability to score as I’ve seen in any high school player. He is a great student and a great worker and completely fits our culture.
“We are so excited that he will represent the city of Milwaukee and the state and especially his hometown of Beloit.”
Indeed, Hereford put the ball through the net for Beloit Memorial at a prodigious rate, averaging 37.5 points per game – tops in the state – as a senior. He finished as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 2,493 points in four years.
Hereford also poured in 49 points in his final high school game, a WIAA sectional semifinal loss to Verona last month.
Hereford was tough to guard going to the basket as his 60.7% shooting this past season indicates, but he also shot a terrific 45% from from 3-point range (81 for 180) and capitalized on all the contact he drew to the tune of 83% accuracy at the free-throw line.
More than just a scorer, though, Hereford also finished with team-leading averages of 8.5 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 3.9 steals per game.
“My playing style fits the way [the Panthers] play – they get up and down, play fast,” Hereford said. “Coach Lundy said he definitely sees me running [point guard], having the ball in my hands, playing the same way I did in high school, finding teammates, getting to the rim and scoring at all three levels.”
Defense is typically where newcomers experience the biggest growing pains, learning the all-out effort it takes to guard at a high level on every possession.
Hereford, however, indicates he’s more than just a scorer.
“I love playing defense,” he said. “Hitting the gaps, getting steals and different things like that, being active with my hands a lot. I’m definitely looking forward to getting pushed defensively and picking up the ball full court, on-ball pressure in the half court.”
Hereford took his visit to UWM in mid-March, after the season had been completed, but saw enough games on TV to cement his opinion of the challenge ahead.
“The Horizon League is amazing,” he said. “There’s a lot of guards who play the same way I play, like to get up and down, play fast. That’s why I love Coach Lundy and the Panthers and the rest of the staff. They let guys be themselves. They play fast, get up and down, play together as one.
“They let everybody touch the ball and be themselves.”
Before Wisconsin entered the picture, Hereford said he’d narrowed his school choices to UWM and San Diego, where Whitefish Bay Dominican product and former Iowa State assistant JR Blount has taken over as head coach.
Now, Hereford projects as an important piece in the Panthers’ rebuilding process.
“Coach Lundy and the staff, they believe in me heavy. And I just want to prove them right,” Hereford said. “I want them to see that I can come in and make a huge impact right away for the team and in the Horizon League.
“I’m definitely going to come in and compete for my minutes. And obviously, I want to stay there.
“So, definitely looking forward to coming in and earning my spot.”
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