Buck Up! Milwaukee Talent Merits Winning Change

They've lingered in the Eastern Conference for the past eight years, going from Eastern Conference finalists to mediocrity to all-out losing status. The Big Three of Glenn Robinson, Ray Allen and Sam Cassell (recent NBA champions with the Boston Celtics) have turned to season-long squads of vagabonds. Now the Bucks of Milwaukee are reloaded with a new head coach in Scott Skiles and a fresher mix of new additions and veteran leaders for the 2008-2009 season.

A great thing that the Bucks have done was thin out the frontcourt of repetitive players and in turn, added new forwards that will invigorate the team. The most noteworthy transaction regarding the frontcourt is the addition of Richard Jefferson, who came from New Jersey in exchange for Chinese forward Yi Jianlian and oft-injured swingman Bobby Simmons. Jefferson's competency as a player, outside shooting and slashing ability will give the Bucks great dimension coming from a quasi-All-Star talent. Standout top-ten pick Joe Alexander to some extent duplicates Jefferson, but is more of a point guard with his ball-handling and more complimentary than a clash as Jefferson's backup.

Mo Williams left via trade for the Cleveland Cavaliers, but the Bucks received disgruntled Seattle SuperSonic Luke Ridnour as the new starting point guard, who while not as good a shooter as Williams, may be quicker and more apt to pass and distribute. Ramon Sessions, a surprising rookie in the previous 2008 season, will be waiting in the wings, though, just as Charlie Bell will back up as both a point guard and a shooting guard. Not to be outdone, Tyronn Lue is also competing for point guard minutes, as well as bigmouth three-point shooter Damon Jones, so a competition is under way for the guards' minutes dispersal.

Michael Redd, the team's best player and arguably the NBA's best shooter, will have another opportunity to help the Bucks' point production and Andrew Bogut will try to hold down the post as the starting center, hopefully showing more growth as a offensive presence as a maximum contract player.

The key player who will determine how well the team plays outside of Redd and Jefferson will be Charlie Villanueva. A very talented combo forward standing at 6'11", Villanueva has had his fair share of ups and downs, battling coaching changes, fluctuations as a starting forward and various shoulder injuries. Having come in healthy and with a firm grab of the starting power forward position, he will be heavily depended on for his ability to score on the inside, slash toward the basket and shoot the 3.

The Bucks don't have the most evenly dispersed collection of players in terms of all five positions, but making the most of their best players in the starting lineup, Milwaukee has a decent chance to be a playoff contender at best.