quote:

Originally posted by bani1717:
Yeah, the max contract Larry Harris gave Redd obviously worked out so well, as he was the Savior of this franchise....

I'd rather overpay for a proven talent than overpay for a young, unproven guy. If you can sign Sessions for 3 years at $10-$12M, like Music City said, that would be worth it though.

I think Redd would have been a much better player had he been playing under Skiles coming up and actually had to learn how to play a little D.

Proven Talent is NOT coming to Milwaukee. When was the last time the Bucks signed a top 20 player in Free Agency? Use winning to lure talent ???? How do you do that without actually winning first? Kinda like the old Chicken or Egg question.

Agreed that Redd would've turned into a better player under Skiles than under Karl/Porter/Stotts/Krystowiak. I also agree that they're not going to be able to go out and sign some huge name player.

But I don't think they can become a winning team making risky moves and making high contract offers to average/good (but not great) players. See Dan Gadzuric. I would say Sessions has shown more than Danny G did, but even still you cann't go offering the guy a $30M deal at this point I don't think.

Part of my feelings definitely have to do with the fact that the Bucks fell apart with Larry Harris, a guy who gave out too many big contracts to marginal players, as our GM. I don't want to see Hammond make the same mistakes, and judging by what he's done so far with this team, he won't. When he does give out a big deal, I think it will be a smart move. I just don't think Sessions is at that level quite yet.

The only way it appears they will be able to keep Sessions and Villanueva is if they make a few deals to clear the room.

They have $64M committed to next year, and they only have 7 guys under contract. They have 2 more with player options (Malik Allen and Francisco Elson), and both players are likely to decline to try to get more money (the options are for $1.7M and $1.3M respectively).

Damon Jones comes off the books at $4.4M, and Bogans and Adrian Griffin will be off the books at $2.9M and $1.7M respectively.

Luke Ridnour's salary is sitting at $6.5M, and he is only signed through next year.

The Bucks are going to have to move Jefferson if they want to keep Mbah a Moute, Sessions, and Villanueva. If they decide they think that Jefferson is a part of the team's core and a playoff cog, they're going to have to sacrifice one of them. Unfortunately, if they lose Sessions they'll be thin at PG with Ridnour and Bell (who isn't a PG), and if they lose Villanueva they won't have his scoring ability.

In a perfect world, they keep Sessions first because he'll likely be cheaper than CV. With the $7M coming off the books, they'll be able to fit Sessions if his demands are reasonable (2-3 years, $10-12M).

CV represents a problem in that he'll be able to receieve offers from other teams that the Bucks can match as a RFA. Teams with money might be able to price him out of Milwaukee by simply forcing the Bucks over the cap if they match.

If Hammonds believes that he has a core of players and CV and Sessions are part of that core, he'll have to move a big contract (i.e., Jefferson). But will the team still be good enough without RJ to continue what they are building now? He's a valuable part of what's going on with this team, and he's a good team leader.

This will be a real test for Hammonds. The franchise is on the brink right now, and they're dying to convince people that a new arena needs to be built. The fan base has started to sho interest again (see uhnt's column from the weekend in the JSO). If they can keep the product they have on the floor, they have a shot to be a middle-tier Eastern Conference playoff team if they have a lineup that features Bogut, Redd, Jefferson, and Villanueva, so long as they continue to develop chemistry-wise and players like Sessions and Mbah a Moute continue to be Bucks and stay on their current path.

Keeping this team together and dealing with the financial mess of the Harris era is not going to be easy...

Now that I've seen RJ for about a full season ... I definitely over-rated what he can do on the floor. He would be a good final piece for another team but I don't think he fits with the Bucks(Budget-wise) if you have Redd and Bogut.

As much as I like his demeanor and toughness, he is over-paid on this team. I'd rather have Sessions at least and possibly CV.

Fun season mowaukee, you can rest during the playoffs.

Funk is really , really not enough?

there were weeks on end, when the Mowaukee team could and did beat anybody

It is ibvious that Skiles has the right mindset, and now all he needs is the talent. I think they can go far with him...