The Young Bucks

      This season may be “playoff or bust” for GM John Hammond and head coach Scott Skiles, who are both entering contract years, but it is by no means the case for the rest of the team. Sure, the Bucks would like to get back to the playoffs, but so would every team. What I'm saying here is this: if the Bucks don't make the playoffs this year, don't give up on the team and blow it up. Here's why...

      The Bucks are young. If, by the end of this year, John Henson would make the starting lineup at center (doubtful, but for the sake of my argument we'll roll with it), their lineup would consist of Jennings (age 23), Ellis (27), Harris (20), Ilyasova (25), and Henson (22). (All the ages listed here are the player's ages at the end of the 2012-2013 NBA season). That is a young team with a ton of talent and upside.

      Not only is their starting line up young, they have a relatively youthful bench at each position as well. At the guard position, rookie Doron Lamb is just 21. At the forward position, Udoh is 25, Sanders is 24, and Mbah a Moute is 26. That's youthful depth at every position.

      The addition of veteran contributors at every position is why I think the Bucks will not only be good for years to come, but will make the playoffs this year. True point guard Beno Udrih is 30, forward/guard Mike Dunleavy is 32, forward Drew Gooden is 31, and centers Samuel Dalembert and Joel Przybilla are 31 and 33.

      If the Bucks can stay healthy, I think the Deer are to be Feared once again. I will boldly predict them to be 6^th in the East this year.

-Zack

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Bucks Offseason

      The Bucks are close. They're about 2 solid contributors away from being a legitimate playoff team. Here's a look at the current roster:

PG's: Brandon Jennings, Beno Udrih

SG's: Monta Ellis, Doron Lamb

SF's: Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Mike Dunleavy, Tobias Harris

PF's: Drew Gooden, Larry Sanders, Ekpe Udoh, John Henson

C's: Samuel Dalembert

       Priority #1 is re-signing F Ersan Illyasova, but so far it sounds like Ersan is more than willing to pack up and leave Milwaukee. If the Bucks can't resign Illyasova, they can turn to SF Carlos Delfino, but I'd be content if they let him go too.

       WITH Ersan, their predicament is pretty good. If free agent SG O.J. Mayo is cheap enough and willing to come off the bench, the Bucks should give him a look. A bigger signing like that will prohibit the Bucks from signing any other big name free agents. If they add Mayo, they can move some of their 1,000 forwards. Drew Gooden's value is probably at his highest since the Bucks acquired him. Veteran Gooden and young shot blocker Larry Sanders may have some decent trade value together. If the Bucks could move the pair for a decent back up center. If these moves were possible, their roster would look like this:

PG's: Jennings, Udrih

SG's: Ellis, O.J. Mayo, Lamb

SF's: Mbah a Moute, Dunleavy, Harris

PF's: Illyasova, Udoh, Henson

C's: Dalembert, (another center...)

with room for more additions

       The Bucks roster then has a lot of talent and starts to look really explosive.

       WITHOUT Ersan, their predicament is a whole lot worse (and I'm not even a huge Ersan fan). Now they still have a deep pool of forwards, but not much talent there. They are thin at C and SG. If the Bucks fail to re-sign Illyasova, they have a lot of pieces to find via free agency or with some trades.

So go re-sign Ersan!

-Zack

follow me on twitter! @WisSportsPulse