The Bucks destroyed the Wizards last night as they raced to a 65-41 lead at the half and they never looked back.  The Bucks shot 53.4% from the floor as the offense was purring last night.  They also outrebounded the Wizards 50-35 and they held them to 35.3% shooting from the floor, which helps explain the ease of the victory.  Brandon Jennings led the way for the Bucks last night with 22 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 blocked shot.  Ersan Ilyasova (16 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal), Carlos Delfino (15 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal) and Andrew Bogut (13 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 blocked shots) also had solid games for the Bucks last night.  Mike Dunleavy pitched in with 13 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal in this game.  The Bucks are now 2-1 on the year.

The biggest key to the success or lack of, will be the health of 27-year old center Andrew Bogut.  He is the one player the Bucks couldn’t replace as he is a force in the paint.  He has played in 2 games (both starts) so far this year for the Bucks and he is averaging 34.0 minutes, 16.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game.  The Bucks really hope that Bogut can stay in one piece this year, but that hasn’t been the norm for him.  Most of his injuries have been of the serious nature,  so it’s hard to call him injury prone.

The Bucks got outrebounded last night 54-45, but they stepped up and made it a moot point.  Brandon Jennings led the way for the Bucks last night with 24 points, 3 rebounds and 7 assists.  Stephen Jackson only shot 7 of 20 from the floor, but he still finished up with 16 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals.  Andrew Bogut also only shot 7 of 20 from the floor, but he finished up with 15 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.  Rookie forward Jon Leuer pitched in with 14 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and 2 blocked shots in only 20 minutes on the floor.  The Bucks are now 1-1 on the year.

The Bucks were outscored 55-43 in the 2nd half tonight and they were outrebounded 52-39, which were the two biggest reasons for the loss tonight.  Brandon Jennings (22 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists) and Andrew Bogut (17 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 blocked shot) led the way for the Bucks in this game.  Shaun Livingston had a solid game off the bench with 14 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 steal in 35 minutes.  Beno Udrih (13 points, 1 rebound and 3 assists in 23 minutes) and Mike Dunleavy (13 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists on 3 of 12 shooting from the floor) also pitched in for the Bucks in this game.  The Bucks are now 0-1 on the year.

The Bucks have re-signed 24-year old forward Darington Hobson to a 2-year, partially guaranteed contract.  Hobson didn’t play in any games as a rookie for the Bucks  last year due to injury.  He had multiple hip surgeries last year, so the Bucks will probably take things slow with him going forward.  I don’t expect that he will get much P.T. for the Bucks in 2011-12.

The Bucks have matched the 4-year, $19 million dollar offer sheet that the Denver Nuggets gave to 25-year old forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute.  Mbah a Moute played in 79 games (52 starts) for the Bucks last year and he averaged 26.5 minutes, 6.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game.  He has now played in 234 games (166 starts) in his first three years with the Bucks and he is averaging 26.0 minutes, 6.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game.  The Bucks really like how Mbah a Moute does the dirty work by playing sold defense and rebounding.  This was a good move for the Bucks.

The Bucks have sent 31-year old guard Keyon Dooling and a protected 2012 2nd round pick to the Boston Celtics for a draft rights to 29-year old Albert Miralles.  Dooling played in 80 games (22 starts) for the Bucks last year and he averaged 22.0 minutes, 7.1 points, 1.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.  This was essentially a salary dump deal for the Bucks and little more.

The Milwaukee Bucks have signed 31-year old small forward Mike Dunleavy to a 2-year, $7.5 million dollar contract.  Dunleavy played in 61 games (44 starts) for the Pacers last year and he averaged 27.6 minutes, 11.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.  He shot 40.2% from three point range last year for the Pacers, which is outstanding for a big man.  Dunleavy has now played in 627 games (423 starts) in his NBA career so far and he is averaging 28.7 minutes, 12.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.  He will likely beat out Carlos Delfino and start at small forward for the Bucks.

The Bucks hope that this is the year that 27-year old center Andrew Bogut finally stays healthy.  He played in 65 games (all starts) for the Bucks last year and he averaged 35.3 minutes, 12.8 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.6 blocked shots per game.  He has now played in 396 games (388 starts) in his first six years in the NBA and he is averaging 32.8 minutes, 12.7 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.6 blocked shots per game.  Bogut is quite simply, the best player on the Bucks.  23-year old Larry Sanders will be Bogut’s primary backup in 2011-12.  Sanders played in 60 games (12 starts) as a rookie for the Bucks last year and he averaged 14.5 minutes, 4.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.  He has a nice upside.  24-year old Jon Brockman will be #3 in line at likely both center and power forward for the Bucks this year.  He played in 63 games (6 starts) for the Bucks last year and he averaged 10.7 points, 2.2 points, 2.9 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.  Brockman has now played in 115 games (10 starts) in his first two years in the NBA and he is averaging 11.6 minutes, 2.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.

30-year old Drew Gooden is healthy right now and the Bucks hope he stays that way.  He only played in 35 games (18 starts) for the Bucks last year and he averaged 24.6 minutes, 11.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.  Gooden has now played in 615 games (447 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 27.5 minutes, 11.9 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.  24-year old Ersan Ilyasova wants to stay in Turkey, where he is currently playing, but the Bucks want him back.  He played in 60 games (34 starts) for the Bucks last year and he averaged 25.1 minutes, 9.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game.  Ilyasova has now played in 207 games (79 starts) in his first three years in the NBA and he is averaging 21.1 minutes, 8.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game.  22-year old rookie Jon Leuer out of Wisconsin will likely be brought along slowly.