Milwaukee Bucks Pre-season Presser for 1989-90 Season

[IamQuailman]

Good afternoon, good evening, and good morning to whatever time zone you are tuning in from, because honestly, after what we just accomplished, we feel like celebrating around the clock. In fact, as this season kicks off, I'm going to be observing from Tokyo Disneyland, advancing our international marketing plan instituted seasons back. But enough about my big travel plans...

Welcome back to Milwaukee, welcome back to Bucks basketball, and welcome back to a press conference that does NOT start with us talking about falling short. Last season, we went back to the NBA Finals. We faced the San Antonio Spurs again, the same team that beat us the year before, the same team with Michael Jordan doing things that should probably be studied in a laboratory somewhere, and this time we finished the job. CHAMPIONS. Milwaukee Bucks, NBA Champions. We want to let that sit in the air for just a moment because last year left us really in a spot where we needed to improve and get back to the top. Now, we should acknowledge that the Spurs were not completely whole. Chris Mullin, one of their key contributors, went down with an injury and was not available for the series. We are not going to pretend that does not matter, because it does, and we respect what that team is capable of when fully healthy. But Tom Chambers was out there. Michael Jordan was out there. That is not exactly a depleted roster we were going up against. We won because we were the better team in that series, and we are incredibly proud of everyone who suited up and gave everything they had to bring this city its championship. The parade was everything. We will leave it at that.

Now, here is where things get a little complicated, and we want to be upfront with you all rather than let the rumor mill do the talking. Winning a championship has a way of clarifying things. You go through that playoff run together, you see who steps up in big moments, you see where the team's future is pointing, and sometimes the picture that emerges is a little different than the one you walked in with. That is what happened with us this offseason. We looked at this roster with fresh eyes after the title and decided that the honest, responsible thing to do was a mini-reset around the younger core. That meant some difficult conversations and some genuinely tough decisions. The most significant one was moving on from Charles Barkley. Let's be real: Charles Barkley is a generational talent still in his prime, and there is part of us that would love to have him on this team forever. But the deal that came back to us in exchange was simply too strong to turn down. We got Ron Harper and meaningful draft capital, and once you watch Ron Harper in a training camp setting for about four days, you stop second-guessing yourself pretty quickly. This guy is READY. He came in locked in, motivated, and playing with a chip on his shoulder that we absolutely love to see. We believe Ron Harper is going to be a focal point of Milwaukee Bucks basketball for the next five to seven years, and acquiring him while also stacking future assets felt like the right move for where this franchise is headed.

The other move that hits close to home, and we want to address it with the respect it deserves, is the Terry Tyler situation. Terry Tyler has been the heartbeat of this team for years. The defensive anchor, the glue guy, the guy who did everything that does not show up in a box score and somehow also showed up in the box score anyway. Trading Terry was not something we did lightly, and if you are sitting there thinking it was a cold, purely business decision, you are not wrong that it was a business decision, but there was nothing cold about it. This was his swan song as a Milwaukee Buck, and we honor everything he gave this organization. In return, we brought in Thurl Bailey, who gives us a skilled, versatile big man that can contribute on both ends of the floor in a way that fits beautifully with what we are building. On the free agency side, we kept things fairly targeted. We signed Jeff Lamp and John Paxson, two guys who know their roles, play the right way, and will give us exactly what we need from the second unit. And critically, we locked up Benoit Benjamin to a long-term deal. Benoit is our big man of the future alongside who we could see taking over if we ever move on from Alton, and getting that deal done was a priority we are very glad to have checked off the list.

So here we are. New look Milwaukee Bucks... Same high expectations & goals. Doc Rivers runs this team with a steadiness and a competitive fire that we think is underappreciated around the league, and we feel very good about him leading this group into a new era. Jeff Hornacek continues to be one of the most reliable two-way guards in the Eastern Conference, and Dominique Wilkins coming off the bench is still the kind of luxury that makes opposing coaches lose sleep. Alton holds down the middle. Thurl gives us that versatile big off the bench. Lamp and Paxson give the second unit real shooting and real IQ.

Is the roster different than the one that won the championship a few months ago? Yes. Is it still loaded with high-level talent capable of competing for the top of the Eastern Conference and making a deep playoff run? Absolutely, without question, yes. The future of this franchise is genuinely exciting, and while there is some uncertainty in what this group looks like long-term as we continue to build around our young core, the short-term objective has not changed one bit. We did not win a championship just to come back the next year and coast. We are pushing for another one. That is what you do here in Milwaukee. Now let's get this season started.

[tbone963]

There's been rumors about Benjamin being on the trade block. Do you think these rumors, whether unfounded or true, will affect his headspace going into the season?

[JNR]

The JNR: First of all how dare you

[IamQuailman]

There's been rumors about Benjamin being on the trade block. Do you think these rumors, whether unfounded or true, will affect his headspace going into the season?

We just recently worked with him directly to heavily invest in his role on this team going forward. We put a program around him to maximize his potential and become the center we always envisioned him becoming when we drafted him

[IamQuailman]

The JNR: First of all how dare you

How dare I what?

[WigNosy]

Steve Duin, the Oregonian...

Your reputation for "blowing things up" is, I think, greatly overstated - your trades tend to be surgical. To that end, I'd like to ask about your trade with the Kings and your acquisition of Thurl Bailey for Terry Tyler. What made you decide it was time to part with Tyler, who has been a foundational piece for you for years, and why did Thurl Bailey in particular make you decide to pull the trigger?

[jlmarines]

Justin Bieber, Teremana.com: Congratulations on your season. Is there a team you are concerned that might prevent you from getting another ring?

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[IamQuailman]

Steve Duin, the Oregonian...

Your reputation for "blowing things up" is, I think, greatly overstated - your trades tend to be surgical. To that end, I'd like to ask about your trade with the Kings and your acquisition of Thurl Bailey for Terry Tyler. What made you decide it was time to part with Tyler, who has been a foundational piece for you for years, and why did Thurl Bailey in particular make you decide to pull the trigger?

Great question. Terry was a guy we always saw as someone who could have a long shelf-life in this league. His ability to rebound and rim protect were a luxury at the SF position where he primarily played, but he could easily move that skill set down to the power forward spot as he entered into the back half of his career. We had a vision for him. He also was someone we quietly shopped but the value outside of our organization never equated our value threshold. That said, when Darth approached us with this idea, we had already had preliminary talks with the Timberwolves re: Barkley-Harper trade. This seemed like a great move that could be paired with the Barkley trade, if it were to surface. If it didn't we still had Dominique Wilkins who could easily move into the starting SF spot if necessary.

Thurl is an intriguing player. Younger, physical, a guy who has proven he can be a high end player on both sides of the ball. Thurl also gave us the luxury of shopping around Alton Lister a little more aggressively as well. In the end, acquiring him allowed our team to be much more flexible regarding future moves. Its just a shame that it came at the expensive of Terry

[IamQuailman]

Justin Bieber, Teremana.com: Congratulations on your season. Is there a team you are concerned that might prevent you from getting another ring?

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The Spurs are the easy answer, but actually, I really like what the Nets have done. I think they will give the East fits and quite possibly be contending for #1 seed. I'll worry about the Spurs if I get out of the East. The Nets are the team I'm worried about right now.