Chernobyl Bucks Disaster Zone

[IamQuailman]

GM Ian Quailmen enters the presser in a Hazmat suit.

GM Quailmen: I've done gone and blown it up. Yes, I'm not even going to give this the normal song and dance. After having our run at the division and conference for the longest time, I went and pressed the detonation on our roster. Very few survivors remain, mainly Radoslav Nesterovic and Malik Rose. No one saw it coming, not even myself. Shellshocked after losing to the eventual champion Hawks in the ECF, I looked at our roster. I looked at who was a free agent. I looked at our financial situation. Shaq and Jalen look nice. They always did, and will for some time. But everything else about our team looked past due. Bo Outlaw was a FA looking to get paid (see: Kings, Sacramento). Anthony Goldwire was a FA looking to finally get his (see: Nets, New Jersey). We were heading into our 4th repeater year for the luxury tax, looking to be well over the cap just to retain the team we had coming into last season. So when the Blazers came along for a chit chat, I joked about Shaquille O'Neal. After a little back and forth, I realized that I was not joking after all, and next thing I knew I was hammering out the details of the Shaq deal, while fielding offers for Jalen. It hath begun. With all that being said, we want to take a moment to wish all players no longer with the organization the best of luck. The last few seasons have been one hell of a ride, and it's really sad to move on. However, sometimes holding on to things too long hurts a franchise more than helps, and we feel it truly is best for the players themselvs, the fans, and the organization as a whole to be proactive in looking to a secure future for all parties.

GM Quailmen: Let's do a quick recap of transactions:

• Shaquille O'Neal for Manu Ginobili, Robert Horry, and #6 overall pick - The mack daddy trade that started the Milwaukee Megaton Meltdown. 2 young pieces and a solid, expiring vet for Shaq. Can't complain about that haul.
• #6 for #8, #15, and #16 - With Z-Bo off the board, trading back 2 spots to get 3 picks in a loaded draft is a no brainer right?
• Drafted Troy Murphy @ #8 - Murphy looked to be a solid power forward with intriguing potential and a unique skill-set.
• Drafted Chris Birdman Andersen @ #15 - Birdman was a versatile big whose athleticism and defensive prowess was pretty intriguing.
• Drafted Brendan Haywood @ #16 - Haywood was another athletic big whose strength and defense appealed to us.
• 5pts and #30 for #29 - Traded for this pick as part of a trade that fell through
• Drafted Charlie Bell @ #29 - Left to make this pick thank to the expiring draft clock
• Jalen Rose, Howard Eisley, and Chris Andersen for Zack Randolph, Chris Mihm, 10 pts and 2004 Supersonics 1st - The other big splash for us. Jalen, our franchise centerpiece, moved for Zack Randolph, our next centerpiece (hopefully)
• Eric Piatkowski and 10 pts for Bryant Stith and Grizzlies 2003 1st - got a pick back into the 03 Draft
• Charlie Bell for 5 pts - Nothing to see here
• Signed Rodney Rogers, Bobby Jackson, Jacque Vaughn, Derek Anderson, and Maurice Taylor in Free Agency - solid young veteran depth for our team

GM Quailmen: This doesn't even gloss over deals gone sour throughout the off-season, which included trading for the likes of Jason Terry, Baron Davis, and our own 03 1st. Ignoring those defunct moves, we are here today and look back at this team before Training Camp very happy. We have a very young core and looked primed to start our rebuild on a very good and deep note. Then training camp happened. While analysis of the team indicates that our training camp was actually very much so a success, some setbacks to Brendan Haywood and Troy Murphy stung, but they both are primed to be major contributors on our team this season. Troy will still play his role as sharp shooting forward with a nose for the defensive glass, and Brendan will be competing for the start with Rasho and Chris (Mihm). Zack have ELITE gains in all the areas that matter for bigs (INS, ORB, DRB, PSD, STR), and Manu continues to improve across the board. We were most impressed with Jacque Vaughn, recently signed point guard, who came in and really shined. Both he and Bobby Jackson will be competing for the starting PG spot.

GM Quailmen: I feel like there will be a plethora of questions about our team, and I want to start by opening the floor to you in the audience. Fire away.

[Xist2Inspire]

Random Reporter: Could you tell us more about the signing of Bobby Jackson, who - at 28 - seemingly clashes with all the young talent on your roster and the long, patient rebuild you seem to be going for?

[IamQuailman]

GM Quailmen: Bobby Jackson was a top PG in Free Agency, and still in his prime with room to grow. Despite his age, we've always been very high on him, even when he was with the 76ers. With that said, we did not expect to sign both Jackson AND Vaughn (nor did we expect Vaughn's growth this TC). And locking up over 25% of our cap in 2 PGs is not how we intended. Depending on the position battle, it is possible that someone will be in another jersey before the end of their contracts.

[IamQuailman]

(bump)

[coltsguy510]

With Randolph coming along slowly, how long do you feel it will take until you are in championship mode again? And how long until you blow it up after that?

[NickMalone77]

Nick Melon; Charlotte Observer: Do you foresee more moves being made once day 60 has passed to try and acquire More youth and draft picks or do you think there's a chance that with the volcano that erupted in the Milwaukee mini mart that the Bucks could make the playoffs in the East as a 7th or 8th seed?

[IamQuailman]

With Randolph coming along slowly, how long do you feel it will take until you are in championship mode again? And how long until you blow it up after that?

It really just depends on how our growth continues. I foresee a long haul rebuild. So it could be at least 3 seasons before we are competitive again. BUT that being said, something else may spark us and we take a leap.

As for blowing it up again, a couple more Orlando Magic blow-ups will happen before we blow it up again.

[IamQuailman]

Nick Melon; Charlotte Observer: Do you foresee more moves being made once day 60 has passed to try and acquire More youth and draft picks or do you think there's a chance that with the volcano that erupted in the Milwaukee mini mart that the Bucks could make the playoffs in the East as a 7th or 8th seed?

December 15th is always an exciting time in the league. Players acquired in the offseason become trade-eligible, and more and more player movement happens. It's that day and trade deadline. And I'm fairly certain something will happen before then and now.

[Eazy P]

Brew Drees Jimmy Johns Ledger:

Are you considering firing your training staff after this past Training Camp? Can you explain to us what may have contributed to these TC results?
Do you regret not picking Tyson Chandler?

[NOLa.]

Whats the plan this season for the Bucks? Sit still and grab a good pick in the draft, or do you see opportunity to sneak in playoffs?

[IamQuailman]

Brew Drees Jimmy Johns Ledger:

Are you considering firing your training staff after this past Training Camp? Can you explain to us what may have contributed to these TC results?
Do you regret not picking Tyson Chandler?

This past TC wasn't solely on the training staff. I think some players come in wanting to earn it, where as others come in expecting to get it. I think that is what we saw happen here, and we will take this opportunity as a LEARNING moment.

As for Tyson Chandler, I won't go on to say we regret not picking him. We knew exactly what he would be, but with the depth of the draft, we could've had 1 Tyson Chandler or 3 quality pieces that could have developed into something nice. We went the latter. Obviously, one of those helped in landing us Z-Bo. The other 2 will help round out our squad and be big contributors.

[IamQuailman]

Whats the plan this season for the Bucks? Sit still and grab a good pick in the draft, or do you see opportunity to sneak in playoffs?

Honestly, it really depends on the first couple sims.

[Soundwave]

Why did you quit on the team you had? Are you on coke?

[IamQuailman]

Why did you quit on the team you had? Are you on coke?

There was no "quit". We've seen GMs ride their star players until they are declining assets and have 2-3 years left on their deals. We, as an organization, decided to do that. Our core 5's average age would have been 29.5. 2 of said players would be eating up 50-60% of our cap, and another 20-30% by 2 other players. How does that point to a team with long term success? So instead of patching holes and hoping TC didn't stick in in deep, we decided to get young.

[Conroy]

Sports Guy Bill Simmons here, did you see anything in the preseason that surprised you with your squad? Who do you think will end up the best player out of your 3 guard combo of Bobby Jackson, Manu, or Vaughn?

[IamQuailman]

Awarded 5 points! Thanks for your contribution!