Can the Milwaukee Bucks Enter the Class of the Elite in the East?

I think the Milwaukee Bucks have done an excellent job with their roster the past couple of seasons, acquiring a nice mix of talented youngsters and wily, but not overly aging, veterans. However, I have to say that I think the instability at the top of the franchise (the team may be sold at some point in the near future) will eventually lead to instability on the court.

As most adults will readily admit, s - -t usually rolls downhill - and most times, manages to land squarely on the people who least deserve it. In this case, that would be the Bucks players and coaches. At any rate, I think the Bucks are headed in the right direction and should once again be a legitimate playoff team in 2006-07. Here's my preview on Milwaukee for the upcoming season.

Milwaukee traded away promising point guard, T.J. Ford this past offseason because of the apparent talent of former backup, Mo Williams, who provided several absolutely electric moments for Milwaukee last season. The Bucks also made a wise move by acquiring veteran, Steve Blake who will provide excellent leadership and outside shooting ability when Williams is not on the floor.

At shooting guard, Michael Redd is no longer just an outstanding shooter. The talented sniper has developed into a much more complete player and a real team leader who can create a shot for himself at any time from anywhere on the floor. Youngster, Charlie Bell is going to be a fine player as well and can certainly fill in capably for Redd for stretches of time.

Small forward, Bobby Simmons is an excellent all-around player who probably doesn't get the recognition he deserves. Simmons is a decent scorer and shooter and should probably be better in his second year in Milwaukee after learning of how to mesh his game with Redd's.

One move the Bucks made that I didn't like was the acquisition of perennial head case, Rueben Patterson. Yes, Patterson is athletic, but he is not a particularly good shooter or defender - and we all know what kind of person he is. Why Milwaukee ever signed him, I have no idea, but like most teams that have employed Patterson, they will probably end up regretting their decision at some point in the near future.

At power forward, the Bucks acquired the talented Charlie Villanueva by trading Ford to the Toronto Raptors in a move that should benefit both teams. Villanueva put up very good numbers last season in limited playing time and could turn out to be a 20 and 10 player in the league for a long time. At the very least, I expect Villanueva to put up 16 and 8 on a regular basis. Veteran Brian Skinner, a hustling overachiever, will spell Villanueva and provide the Bucks with plenty of high energy, rebounding and defense off the bench.

I think the Bucks made a wise choice by selecting center, Andrew Bogut with the number one overall selection in last season's draft. Bogut may never turn out to be a dominating low post player, but he is smart and doesn't seem too timid, two good traits a lot of veteran centers can't claim they have. Backup Dan Gadzuric is a player I've always liked - and expected more out of. He is a little more athletic that Bogut, if not as solid in some other areas.

Prediction:
I expect the Bucks to make the playoffs again this upcoming season, but will probably need a little more firepower to advance past the first round. If Williams and Villanueva mesh well with the Bucks' other starters, then who knows, a second round playoff appearance could be in the works. As it stands right now, I'm saying the Bucks should finish the regular season with approximately 47 wins