The Bucks looked good in the first half but they were awful in the 2nd half as they were outscored 55-39 and it cost them big time in this game. Rookie point guard Brandon Jennings led the way for the Bucks in his NBA debut with 17 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists. Michael Redd was only 6 of 17 shooting in this game but he still finished up with 17 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals. Ersan Ilyasova had a decent game off the bench for the Bucks tonight with 11 points and 4 rebounds in only 18 minutes. The Bucks are now 0-1 on the season.

I have a feeling that the Bucks are going to have to most ping pong balls in the NBA Lottery next June. They got rid on everyone who made money on the roster besides Michael Redd, Andrew Bogut and Luke Ridnour. The rest of the roster is filled up with youngsters or career backup types. With that in mind I would bet on the under with confidence.

Hakim Warrick could have signed with a good team as a bench player but he decided that he still wanted to start and that’s why he signed on with the Milwaukee Bucks. He was the Bucks’ leading scorer in the pre-season so he will likely get the chance to start at either small or power forward when the season starts. Warrick played in all 8 of the Bucks’ pre-season games (2 starts) and he averaged 23.1 minutes, 13.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. Warrick also shot 55.6% from the floor for the Bucks in the pre-season. If Warrick isn’t starting on opening day then the Bucks deserve to stink this season.

The Bucks have lost small forward Joe Alexander for the next 8-12 weeks with a partially torn hamstring. This injury will hurt Alexander more than the Bucks as he was going to likely get a real chance to show what he can do this season. Hakim Warrick and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute will likely share the small forward job for the Bucks until Alexander is ready to return to action. How much he plays when he gets back will depend on how well the other guys play while he is out of action.

The Bucks don’t have much talent outside of Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut on the roster and they are both injury prone. Skiles led the Bucks to a 34-48 record (41.5%) last season and he will be fortunate to lead them to that many wins this season. Skiles though does have a 315-299 (51.3%) career record as a head coach in the NBA during the regular season so maybe he can work some magic. He also has a post season record of 15-20 (42.9%) in his career.

The Bucks are depending on shooting guard Michael Redd and center Andrew Bogut to provide a lot of offense this season. So they need them to both stay healthy. The 24-year old Bogut played in 36 games last season for the Bucks and he averaged 31.2 minutes, 11.7 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 blocked shot per game. The Bucks even expect more than those numbers this season out of Bogut. 33-year old Francisco Elson will back up Bogut again this season but he doesn’t have much of an offensive game. He played in 59 games for the Bucks last season and he averaged 16.6 minutes, 3.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. 31-year old Dan Gazduric is the #3 center for the Bucks once again in 2009-2010. He played in 67 games for the Bucks last season and he averaged 14.0 minutes, 4.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CENTERS IN 2009-2010: B-

That is not a joke, the Bucks will be starting 37-year old power forward Kurt Thomas this season. He played in 79 games for the Spurs last season and he averaged 17.8 minutes, 4.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. The Bucks better watch Thomas’ minutes so that he doesn’t wear down during the year. He should be able to give them defense and rebounding but that’s about it at his age. 22-year old Ersan Ilyasvoa will back up Thomas this season. He has played the last couple of years in Europe. He last played in the NBA during his rookie year for the Bucks in 2006-07 when he appeared in 66 games and averaged 14.7 minutes, 6.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. 23-year old Walter Sharpe will be the #3 guy at power forward this season for the Bucks. He played in 8 games as a rookie last season for the Pistons and he averaged 2.5 minutes, 1.0 point and 0.4 rebounds per game. Don’t expect much out of him.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE POWER FORWARDS IN 2009-2010: D-

27-year old Hakim Warrick will likely hold off 23-year old Luc Richard Mbah a Moute for the starting job at small forward. Warrick is a good offensive player and a decent defender. He played in 82 games for the Grizzlies last season and he averaged 24.7 minutes, 11.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. Mbah a Moute is also a very skilled player who has a nice upside. He played in all 82 games for the Bucks last season and he averaged 25.8 minutes, 7.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He could push Warrick for minutes at some point this season. Joe Alexander will be #3 in line for the Bucks here. He played in 59 games last season for the Bucks and he averaged 12.1 minutes, 4.7 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SHOOTING GUARDS IN 2009-2010: C-