Milwaukee Bucks 1987-88 Presser

[IamQuailman]

Good afternoon, gentle people of the NBA Sports Media WORLD! It's great to be back for another thrilling season of basketball. Here in Milwaukee, we have set the bar pretty high for ourselves in that we see any season not ending in a championship as a disappointment, but last season was especially a let-down. Not because we lost to the Lakers in a 7 Game thriller of a series that was basically the ying to last season's 7-game series yang... but because it would end up being Kevin McHale's last hurrah as a Milwaukee Buck and we couldn't send him off with a ring and a celebration. No riding off drunkenly on top a championship parade float into the sunset. He was left to contemplate his thoughts on the court, looking up at the fans on (unbeknownst to us all) for the last time in a Milwaukee Bucks jersey. An absolute legend of the game, perennially snubbed MVP candidate and despite him no longer being in a Milwaukee Bucks uniform... I will STILL cape for his MVP case (unless someone on our own team steps up to the plate...)

Anyway, enough of the Buck Obituary for Kevin McHale. It's a new season for us, and we faced a lot of soul searching after our defeat. Some questioned whether we were going to blow things up and start anew. We received MANY calls about Terry Tyler, Kevin McHale, Jeff Hornacek, & Kurt Nimphius... some of whom obviously are no longer with the team. But we wanted to set the message straight: we weren't going to blow up for the sake of blowing up. This core is way too good to start from scratch. We would only move on from KEY players if we received an offer that was too good to pass up on... And enter: CHARLES BARKLEY.

*Barkley waves from behind*

We had many long discussions with the Hawks regarding McHale, and it seemed they too were at a crossroads. Did they want to continue to try and figure things out or did they want to cash in on draft assets & young players. They leaned towards the latter, making a flurry of moves. One of the moves eliminated the original plan we had discussed in a McHale framework, but Barkley entered the equation again. And it was almost a perfect fit, no brainer... why didn't we do this sooner? So we locked it in and brought in who we feel can be an absolute FORCE to be reckoned with. Barkley's athleticism and agressiveness is a perfect fit next to Terry and Benoit, who will absolutely remain with the team for as long as we can keep it going. This young core is set, with Terry being the glue guy... the linchpin holding it together from an offensive & defensive standpoint.

From a free agency perspective, retaining Big Doc Rivers was Priority #1. But he made it easy for us by opting to come back to us on a team friendly offer, to ensure we can keep this core together. With McHale's salary off the books, we took a couple swings in Free Agency to bring in some additional depth, including Albert King and Edmund Sherod. We really like the off-ball abilities of King, who will fit perfectly into our bench rotation lead by Danny Young & Peter Voerhoven. Sherod brings a pure PG to the bench that allows Danny to play more off-ball, which we think will help him thrive.

The team, despite losing its MVP, came into camp reinvigorated. There was a new sense of excitement, and it showed. Jeff came into camp in the best shape of his life, and Danny Young looks like he has something to prove after being bad-mouthed by a Boston-based guerilla smear campaign after he had been tied to a potential move for Terry Porter. Things really are looking up, and we are excited to see how the season unfolds. I'm not sure whether or not it's Championship Or Bust.. but with us, we always are pushing for a Championship. Why stop now?

[WigNosy]

Steve Duin, the Oregonian:

Barkley is an amazing player but scouts around the league have told me they are a little uncomfortable about his lack of size. Outside of Benoit Benjamin, most of the Bucks' roster appears to be a little big undersized. Are there any concerns that this squad, which has traditionally built a fortress in the paint and is perenially among the league leaders in blocked shots, might take a bit of a step back on the defensive end this year?

[IamQuailman]

Steve Duin, the Oregonian:

Barkley is an amazing player but scouts around the league have told me they are a little uncomfortable about his lack of size. Outside of Benoit Benjamin, most of the Bucks' roster appears to be a little big undersized. Are there any concerns that this squad, which has traditionally built a fortress in the paint and is perenially among the league leaders in blocked shots, might take a bit of a step back on the defensive end this year?

Height is only a number. We pride ourselves on elite shot blocking across positions, and we want to be innovators in the league in that we thrive in playing team-based, positional basketball. As for Charles, he took part in some rim protection drills & clinics in the off-season to help his potential grow in that area. We look forward to him contributing across the board.

[AngryBanana]

Chet Youbetcha, Dimmadome News: we’re hearing news that it was actually the Bucks who were trying to negate Terry Porter’s abilities in order to get him at a discount.

Can you speak to the use of Barkley, given you have Terry Tyler at the 3? Will Charles or Terry move to PF?


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[LazyTitanSmash]

What will it take for you to have a rebuild season?

[Eazy P]

Do you think Barkley will make the same impact as McHale for your Bucks?

[IamQuailman]

Chet Youbetcha, Dimmadome News: we’re hearing news that it was actually the Bucks who were trying to negate Terry Porter’s abilities in order to get him at a discount.

Can you speak to the use of Barkley, given you have Terry Tyler at the 3? Will Charles or Terry move to PF?


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Barkley will play the PF, Terry will remain at the SF for the moment, but they are both eligible for both positions.

[IamQuailman]

What will it take for you to have a rebuild season?

Trying to get rid of me? Honestly I'm not sure. I'd have to kinda see an end at the tunnel for this team but right now I have win-now young guys balanced out with other players entering or in their prime. So it really depends on how those kids develop.

[IamQuailman]

Do you think Barkley will make the same impact as McHale for your Bucks?

We hope so. He's clearly smaller. But he's so much more athletically gifted than McHale... the only issue is his Jump Shot is not quite as developed and this could limit his offensive growth.

[TheSyndicate]

You've covered your strengths well, what do you think are this team's biggest weaknesses and how might you go about addressing them?

[greepleairport]

When are you going to trade for magic Johnson?


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[IamQuailman]

You've covered your strengths well, what do you think are this team's biggest weaknesses and how might you go about addressing them?

I think our biggest "weakness" may be size mismatches against some of the bigger line-ups, like the Celtics. So for something like that we may have to lean into our quickness and mid-range game to counterbalance opponent's size

[IamQuailman]

When are you going to trade for magic Johnson?


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It would probably take all of my players to get Magic.