The Bucks have acquired 30-year old SG/SF Corey Maggette and the 44th overall pick (2nd round) in the NBA Draft Thursday Night from the Golden State Warriors for 31-year old SG Charlie Bell and 32-year old C Dan Gadzuric. Maggette played in 70 games (49 starts) for the Warriors last season and he averaged 29.7 minutes, 19.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. He has now played in 710 games (432 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 29.3 minutes, 16.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists. Maggette will give the Bucks another weapon on offense which they so sorely need. Charlie Bell played in 71 games (39 starts) for the Bucks last season and he averaged 22.7 minutes, 6.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. Dan Gadzuric played in 32 games (6 starts) for the Bucks last season and he averaged 9.8 minutes, 2.8 points, 2.9 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. The Bucks’ GM probably had a ski mask on when he made this trade as he stole Maggette from the Warriors.

The Bucks have 7 unrestricted free agents and they probably would like to bring back at least a couple of them. John Salmons has a early termination option on his contract and I’m positive that he is going to opt out and chase the big bucks. The Bucks probably have a limit they are willing to spend on him and he can likely get more money than they are willing to offer. Michael Redd also has a early termination option but he’s not going anywhere as he will make way more money with the Bucks than he could get from someone else. Point guard Luke Ridnour was outstanding for the Bucks last season but he is one of the best point guards on the open market which means he will likely leave. Jerry Stackhouse and Kurt Thomas might be offered a contract by the Bucks as they both played decent for them last season but only at the teams’ price. Primoz Brezec and Royal Ivey are likely goners for the Bucks.

There weren’t too many people that predicted the Milwaukee Bucks would make the playoffs this year, but with a breakout season by Andrew Bogut, the stellar play of rookie Brandon Jennings, and the late season acquisition of John Salmon, coach Scott Skiles was able to win 12 more games this season compared to last.  That gave them a regular season record of 46-36, good enough for the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.  The Bucks were one of the biggest surprises in the NBA this season, but after Andrew Bogut went down with a gruesome elbow injury very late in the season everyone was writing off the Bucks once again.  Their first round matchup against the Atlanta Hawks was supposed to be an easy sweep for the Hawks, but Skiles got his Bucks to play inspired basketball and they fought the Hawks hard all series before falling short in game seven.  Although Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Scott Brooks one this year’s NBA Coach of the Year award, Skiles definitely deserved some consideration for the award.  It’s hard to argue against Brooks and the Thunder’s 27 game improvement though, but Skiles did a fantastic job for the Bucks this season.  Skiles is one of the most underrated coaches in the NBA, as he routinely has his team’s overachieving.  The tough, hard-nosed Skiles overachieved as a player too, and has brought that same intensity and work ethic he had as a player to the Bucks.  Milwaukee Bucks fans should be proud of Skiles and the Bucks season this year, and the future is bright with Skiles tutoring the up-and-coming star point guard, Brandon Jennings.

Brandon Jennings had a very good rookie season for the Milwaukee Bucks and finished in the top three for the Rookie of the Year Award.  Jennings made a major impact for the Bucks and some have argued that he was the best rookie this year.  The award was announced earlier today and Jennings came in third behind Golden State Warriors’ guard Stephen Curry, and Rookie of the Year winner Tyreke Evans of the Sacramento Kings.  Jennings proved he belonged as a starting guard in this league early, erupting for 55 points in just the seventh game of the season.  Jennings struggled from the field for most of the season though, as the size and strength of NBA players gave Jennings a difficult time finishing around the hole.  His shot selection was questionable at times, but adjusting to the size and speed of the NBA was the main reason Jennings shot just 37% from the field.  He still averaged 15.5 points, 5.7 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.3 steals.  His three-point shooting was pretty good though, as he shot the same as his overall field goal percentage, hitting 37% from behind the arc.

Jennings did have a little bit of an inconsistent year, but overall it was a good rookie campaign.  Also, he could explode for a big scoring game on any given night and his quickness proved to be a valuable asset when setting up his teammates.  The most impressive thing about Jennings so far is that he has stepped his game up big-time in the postseason.  He has helped the Bucks take a 3-2 series lead on the Atlanta Hawks, whom many expected to sweep the Andrew Bogut-less Bucks.  He opened the series with 34 points in game one and he has had only one off night in game two, where he had only 9 points and 3 assists on 3-15 shooting.  Other than that, Jennings has been pretty spectacular, especially when you consider the fact that he is still a 20-year-old rookie.  In five games so far, he is averaging 20.8 points, 3.8 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.2 steals, while shooting a much improved 45% from the field and 36% from three.  Jennings is having a great postseason run to cap off his solid rookie season, and look for him to continue to improve for the Milwaukee Bucks as he and his game matures.

The Milwaukee Bucks clinched a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs after their 79-74 road win over the Chicago Bulls.  The Bogut-less Bucks were led by former Bull, John Salmons.  Salmons lit up his former team for 26 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists in an otherwise offensively challenged game.  The Bucks also got a great game from Ersa Ilyasova, who gave them 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 1 block off the bench.  The Bucks responded well without their star player Andrew Bogut, who is out for the year after his gruesome elbow injury the other night.  The Bucks are currently in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, but the red-hot Miami Heat are right on their tails so they need to finish the season strong.