Giannis Antetokounmpo should stay in Milwaukee.

Making that clear up front. This is not a longtime Warriors writer once again pondering a future with the Greek Freak as the new pillar of Golden State, one of the NBA’s it brands. I’ll leave that to Warriors owner Joe Lacob.

And maybe Stephen Curry.

And maybe Giannis.

OK, seriously. Antetokounmpo belongs in Milwaukee, to Milwaukee. The sappy side of sports, the romantic 30,000-foot view demands him staying with the Bucks, where he became a legend. The Chick-Fil-A where he ordered a 50-piece chicken nuggets should become a state landmark.

Mushy moments, however, are about past accolades. The Bucks, featuring the all-time great in his prime, rightfully want more than the 2021 Larry O’Brien Trophy they earned. But what’s emanating from their current on-court play suggests a pending impasse.

The big swing Milwaukee took just last season to get a superstar, trading Jrue Holiday for Damian Lillard, is being revealed as a miss — at least in the sense of its championship aspirations. Like a giant puzzle that hasn’t finished forming, we can see enough to imagine the end picture.

Of course, being wrong is possible. The Bucks could turn this around. While they sit at the bottom, they’ve played the best in the Eastern Conference close enough to warrant optimism.

But, frankly, my deer, this feels like a problem Khris Middleton’s return can’t fix.

The Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers look like juggernauts comparatively, and the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks are threats in the East despite their mediocre starts. And Bucks fans would be wise not to look West right now. It’s scary out that way.

The Bucks are 2-8 through their first 10 games, disappointing enough to trigger the discourse about what they should do. And while nothing from Giannis suggests he wants out — and his new three-year, $175 million extension kicks in next year — he’s the mega figure the rest of the league is watching. The player who can shift the dynamic of the league. Naturally, people will be interested in whether a fourth consecutive season not making it past the second round prompts big changes in Milwaukee.

All of this points to a possible moment of truth for the Bucks, and Antetokounmpo, for which we wait to see how the league’s new climate and culture impact their decision. The NBA’s pursuit of parity altered the landscape of team-building. So it’s only reasonable for it to also alter the mindset of how married front offices are to their superstars.

How he and the Bucks respond could be informative. Turning 30 next month, he’s the oldest of the young superstars. He’s also the one who seems among the furthest from a championship.

Giannis should stay in Milwaukee.

The same questions figure to eventually arrive about Luka Dončić or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Jayson Tatum. Or Duke’s Cooper Flagg. Or Utah Prep’s A.J. Dybantsa.

The collective bargaining agreement doesn’t have protections for drafting well, which means teams that do are counting down to when they have to pay. Welcome to Sam Presti’s life. It seems executives, players and fans should be emotionally prepared for stars to be sacrificed in the name of the CBA.

Obviously, it all depends on the situation. The stars’ accomplishments. The ownership’s financial capacity. The roster’s flexibility.

The obvious answer is for the Bucks to retool around Antetokounmpo. With the increased longevity of superstars, and the way he takes care of himself, he should have at least five to six years of eliteness in him. Maybe more.

But it’s also easier than ever, figuratively, to move on and still turn out just fine. Parity’s impact makes it more feasible, figuratively, for teams to retool quickly. With no impossible juggernaut sitting atop the league — the closest one is Boston, which is facing a similar pending money crunch — the climb to the top is shorter. The punishment for having three maximum salaries increases the possibility of star-caliber players being available or coming to market.

Hard-line stances are easier for teams to take these days. Jimmy Butler does not have a max extension in Miami despite being the face of the franchise. Paul George is in Philadelphia, and his former team doesn’t look worse long-term as a result.

The salary explosion surely makes ownership take a longer, harder look. Is that No. 2 star really worth $40 million? Is the No. 1 really worth $60 million?

Those figures won’t look quite as massive when the new television deal raises the salary cap. But the sticker shock will still be present for the check-signers.

At some point, having such an albatross figure eating up so much of the salary cap makes maneuvering tough. The Jazz considered moving on from Lauri Markkanen before locking him for $48 million a year over the next four. The Suns will have three players making over $50 million next season, putting some real championship pressure on Phoenix right now as the penalties for crossing the second apron loom.

This climate wouldn’t figure to make loyalty as appealing. Lillard is a cautionary tale of being loyal to a fault. He spent years of his prime on a Portland Trail Blazers squad that didn’t have a real chance at a title. Could he have a title if he was in Miami in 2023 when it faced the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals? We’ll never know because he was still ride-or-die for Portland.

Market size is less relevant in the modern media climate. The salary suppression of the new CBA makes staying home less profitable. The league has intentionally increased the number of teams on the cusp of being serious. It’s a concoction sure to fertilize other grasses.

How long before Joel Embiid wants a fresh start? How long will Ja Morant settle for being second fiddle with the grit and grind if the Grizzlies don’t build a winner around him?

Taking away the sentimentality, and keeping it strictly basketball maneuvering — is it better for the Bucks to send their pillar to Oklahoma City, which by far and away could offer the biggest bounty of any team? No one could blame Antetokounmpo for wanting that.

Because what’s also true about the age of parity is the ease of falling behind. Hopes for a ‘ship can sail away as quickly as they dock when the league can rearrange so fluidly. The right role player can lift a team into the mix, let alone an All-Star. How many teams could change their odds by adding Butler?

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Conversely, a team that looked on the come-up can suddenly seem far away. It was but two years ago Sacramento and Memphis looked to be the future.

It is early, but it looks as if Milwaukee is drifting behind. It’s always risky to make conclusions when Halloween candy yet remains (albeit the candy corn no one actually likes). Especially for a team missing a player as good as Middleton. But seasons have vibes. Tones are set. Patterns start developing. Antetokounmpo has already called out the team’s effort.

One of the tells of chemistry and cohesion is fourth-quarter production. And late in games, Milwaukee has looked like it’s staying together until the kids graduate high school.

Entering Monday, the Bucks were 25th in fourth-quarter scoring (26.2) and second-to-last in fourth-quarter offensive rating (105.6). Milwaukee has the fourth-worst offensive efficiency in the clutch, averaging just 89.3 points per 100 per possessions of clutch time. Only the Chicago Bulls, Knicks and Thunder were worse — and Oklahoma City was so low because it’s usually chilling in fourth quarters.

If the conclusion is Dame and Giannis aren’t the takeover-the-league duo we thought they’d be, I was certain they’d be, what is the Bucks’ next move?

Giannis should stay in Milwaukee.

Because the inverse is also true. If it’s easier to rebuild in a league that frowns on hoarding superstars, it figures to be even easier with an anchor in place. The hardest piece to get is the biggest one.

What’s more, we’ve seen this place where the NBA could be headed. All markets being in play now, with the superstars spread more evenly across the league, the player movement could turn up. A Game of Thronesian shifting of power.

While that for sure adds an element of excitement, the league constantly reforming its contender class, jerseys expiring faster than whole milk, sentimentality takes on its own value. Having a franchise pillar becomes more meaningful.

And since this is a business, still fueled by the magnetism of superstars, something will always be special about the players who ride it out with one home.

Sure, they might miss out on all-time great conversations, their trophy collections limited by their team’s resources and front-office acumen. But they are among the most adored, most respected.

Giannis should stay in Milwaukee.

(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; photo of Giannis Antetokounmpo: Patrick McDermott / Getty Images)

HIGH SCHOOL FLAG FOOTBALL

CITY SECTION PLAYOFFS

Games at 3 p.m. unless noted

WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE

Semifinals

Open Division

No. 4 Verdugo Hills at No. 1 San Pedro

No. 7 Banning at No. 6 Eagle Rock

Division I

No. 13 King/Drew at No. 1 Jefferson

No. 6 Panorama at No. 2 Narbonne

Division II

No. 4 San Fernando at No. 1 El Camino Real

No. 15 WISH Academy at No. 3 Cleveland

Note: Championships (all divisions) Saturday at Crenshaw.

In a display that fell short of even the most measured expectations that come with gimmick fights, Jake Paul breezed past a 58-year-old Mike Tyson on Friday night in a bout that was heavy on nostalgia and bombast but lacking in any sort of competitive satisfaction.

Tyson landed just 18 punches in eight sluggish rounds. Paul, the 27-year-old influencer who is far better at promotion than boxing, followed suit by just letting them both get to the end for a decision. By then, they were both surely richer by millions and the fight that didn’t matter in the first place proved to be one that fans wanted to quickly forget.

It was also a mixed night for Netflix, which streamed the bout to its hundreds of millions of subscribers without charging extra fees, but struggled to keep up with clearly high demand and widespread complaints of freezing, buffering and resolution problems.

“I wanted to give the fans a show but I didn’t want to hurt someone that didn’t need to be hurt,” Paul told reporters afterward.

For about 60 seconds, it looked like Tyson might thrill the packed AT&T Stadium crowd in Arlington, Texas, with a momentary flashes of the presence he had during his heyday in the ’80s and early ’90s. But for the next 15 minutes, plus some breaks for deep breaths, he looked exactly like a man nearing his 60th birthday who hadn’t fought a professional boxing match in 19 years.

Paul spent much of the fight dancing around Tyson. He lowered his arms often and taunted the legendary knockout artist to try to get close. But Tyson never built up any offense, and went long stretches without even throwing punches. Paul pieced him up with elementary combinations and some sharp left hooks, but even his glancing blows drew some reaction from a clearly underwhelmed crowd seeking any kind of highlight.

Afterward, Paul said it was an honor to share the ring with Tyson and called the former champion the GOAT.

As for the exhausted Tyson, he said he was “totally happy” with his performance, while admitting he went into the fight with an injury. He refused to elaborate.

He did say that he might like to fight again, and offered to fight Paul’s brother, Logan Paul, who was standing in the ring. Logan Paul, a WWE wrestler who had an exhibition with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2021, shot back a puzzled look and a quick retort: “I’ll kill you, Mike.”

Netflix declined comment on its technical issues, which came in the leadup to the Tyson-Paul bout and especially undercut the most thrilling bout on the card, Katie Taylor’s controversial decision win over Amanda Serrano. It was Taylor’s second win over her rival and a high profile followup to their first match in April 2022 that sold out Madison Square Garden. Serrano, clearly gutted by the judges’ scores, tearfully pledged to keep chasing big moments for her sport.

Hardly anyone, conversely, will be calling for a rematch of the main event between Paul and Tyson. The louder calls will almost certainly be for Tyson to step away from the ring for good. And, perhaps, for Paul to fight legitimate competitors who are active in the sport.

It’s unclear, of course, if Paul wants to do that. His 11-1 record is padded with wins over subpar competition, and his one loss was to Tommy Fury, who boxes but had been better known as a reality TV personality and the half brother of Tyson Fury, the heavyweight star.

Paul didn’t call out any new opponents, but did say that he was the route for boxers to make big paydays, and repeated his claim that he could deliver that even to Canelo Alvarez, who is perhaps the sport’s most bankable star right now.

Paul claimed in the leadup to the fight that he was earning $40 million for the bout with Tyson, though the actual earnings for both headliners was not made public. Clearly, getting in the ring was a victory for both men even though their display barely qualified as a fight.

“There was a point where I was just like, he’s not really engaging back,” Paul said, adding: “I could just tell that his age was showing a little bit.”

Tyson, one of the biggest stars in sports when he was at his height, looked like a shell of the boxer who last fought professionally in 2005. Even that Tyson quit on his stool before the seventh round against journeyman Kevin McBride.

Still, he opened the door for Friday night’s bout with an exhibition four years ago against Roy Jones Jr., a draw that featured Paul on the undercard early in his boxing foray.

On Friday night, the wear on Tyson was evident. The YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul was more comfortable with his technique and used his three-inch height advantage to keep Tyson out of range.

While it was clear Tyson trained significantly, as evidenced by his flashes of power in the first few rounds, he had little hope of matching Paul’s endurance.

Just six months ago, Tyson suffered a medical emergency on a flight that left him throwing up blood and eventually losing 26 pounds, he said in the buildup to the fight. While the two-and-a-half-inch ulcer in his stomach didn’t prevent the rescheduled bout from taking place, its effects clearly played a major role Friday.

The bout was fought with 14-ounce gloves — rather than the traditional 10-ounce gloves — over the course of eight two-minute rounds, as opposed to the typical 12 three-minute rounds for men’s championship fights.

At the weigh-ins Thursday, Tyson delivered a stiff slap to Paul after Paul appeared to step on one of his feet. Paul said later the same day: “It’s personal now. He must die.”

Paul joins a list of Buster Douglas, Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, Danny Williams and the aforementioned McBride as the men who have beaten Tyson.

Tyson’s loss went on his professional record, lowering his career mark to 50-7.

Required reading

(Photo: Al Bello / Getty Images for Netflix © 2024)