Sports Nut

No one seems to know much of anything regarding Larry Sanders’ absence from the Bucks at this point. So, instead of adding to the conjecture, let’s take a look at what this means for the Bucks on the court. Earlier this season, I brought up the Bucks’ power forward problem in this space. Sanders absence, coupled with a torn Jabari Parker ACL and an Ersan Ilyasova concussion, has made the Bucks very thin on the front line. The addition of 37-year-old Kenyon Martin earlier today brings another body to Milwaukee, but likely not much in terms of actual help. Instead of…

Photo courtesy of BRC Imagination Arts They are doing something different and lasting, something educational and celebratory, something that, perhaps and perchance, goes a tad overboard, but only because it’s something so heartfelt. And yet, to understand the whys and hows, first you must navigate through the sea of snark. Because whenever Bud Selig is involved, everyone’s a comedian. So once the Milwaukee Brewers announced plans for their Selig Experience, Twitter turned into a Jay Leno monologue flashback, with cue cards for steroids and All-Star games and everything in between. National guys like Craig Calcaterra and Keith Olbermann couldn’t resist…

A middle-aged man reads a book called Space Chronicles via the tiny light attached to his ballcap brim. A younger man walks by wearing a faded NASA T-shirt, while elsewhere in the Riverside Theater audience, scattered patches of fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, await the star of Wednesday night’s show. No, at a venue that’s hosted such performing luminaries as Jerry Seinfeld and Tony Bennett, Wilco and John Legend, this was not your typical sold-out audience. And while Neil deGrasse Tyson may have shown off a few dance moves at previous shows, that wasn’t why he got three standing…

“Our best case is to make the playoffs. It’s not, ‘Let’s make sure only so-and-so plays, because they need experience.’ We want to play them, but we also want to win.” – Marc Lasry. This quote from Zach Lowe’s piece on the Bucks at Grantland may have paralyzed some Bucks fans, reminding them of something so familiar. “We want to be a good team. We want to get to the playoffs; we want to win in the playoffs.” – Herb Kohl (June 2013) There are a few things Bucks fans need to understand. 1. Bucks fans do not need to…

While watching Brandon Knight play this season, there are only two thoughts that come to mind. 1) “Man, I’m happy we have that guy.” The 23-year-old point guard has improved once again this season. After a bit of stagnation in his second season in Detroit, Knight has continuously improved in Milwaukee. Last year, Knight upped his scoring average by 4.5 points and added an assist per game. This year, he’s progressed even more, adding another point, another assist, another rebound, and half a steal to his per-game averages, which brings his totals up to 17.9 points, 6 assists, 4.8 rebounds,…

It would be very easy to write about all the things Bucks fans should be thankful for in this space. Frankly, there’s a lot to write about, but I wouldn’t be doing my job as a consumer and purveyor of all things Bucks if I allowed the masses to enjoy their happiness peacefully. The Bucks’ great start to the season is going to come to a screeching halt in December. As many have noted, the Bucks have a ridiculously difficult December schedule. The schedule: Dec. 2: at Cleveland Dec. 3: vs. Dallas Dec. 5: vs. Miami Dec. 7: at Dallas…

The Bucks’ insane triple-overtime victory last night featured big games from Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker, clutch baskets from Brandon Knight, an offensive boost off the bench from O.J. Mayo and big-time contributions in the extra periods from Khris Middleton and Ersan Ilyasova. When Brandon Knight missed a layup that would’ve won the game at the end of the second overtime, people around the Internet lauded his teammates for coming to pick him up after the tough miss. Throughout the season, everyone has talked about the chemistry of this Bucks team and how great this team plays together. Everything mentioned…

McDonald’s All-American. First-team All-Rookie. Blossoming Star. Talented Malcontent. Rejuvenated Scorer. Overweight Bench Player. Sixth Man of the Year? Throughout his career, O.J. Mayo has played many different roles, but the last one on the list might not be as far-fetched as it may seem. Mayo has come off the bench for all eight Bucks games this season and scored 12.1 points per game, making him just one of 21 players averaging double-digit points primarily off the bench. He’s been consistently attacking the basket and not settling for mid-range jumpers. According to basketball-reference.com, Mayo is shooting a career-high percentage of his…

The Bucks have a power forward problem and it needs to be addressed. They simply have too many people that could fill the role. The Bucks started rookie Jabari Parker at the 4 spot in their first three games, and he’s played a majority of his minutes at that position. In the last two games, veteran Ersan Ilyasova has been the starting power forward, but only played 42 total minutes. Many predicted a possible breakout season for John Henson this season, yet the 23-year-old, who plays both power forward and center, has seen his playing time nearly cut in half.…