30-year old shooting guard John Salmons was really outstanding for the Bucks after coming over at the trade deadline in a deal with the Bulls. He played in 30 games (28 starts) for the Bucks last season and he averaged 37.6 minutes, 19.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Salmons played in 81 games (56 starts) overall last season for the Bulls & Bucks in which he averaged 34.9 minutes, 15.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game. The Bucks should be careful not to get in a bidding war for Salmons who is rumored to be a target of the Hawks should they lose Joe Johnson to free agency. Salmons has played in 601 games (247 starts) in his 8 years in the NBA and he has averaged 25.9 minutes, 9.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. Committing to Salmons would be a bit of a risk for the Bucks seeing how he hasn’t been a starting player that long in his career plus he struggled with the Bulls earlier last season.

UPDATE: (6/29/2010) – John Salmons has opted out of his contract becoming a unrestricted free agent.

UPDATE II: (7/3/2010) – The Bucks have re-signed John Salmons to a 5-year, $39 million dollar deal. This was a outstanding move for the Bucks.

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.

27-year old SG/SF Carlos Delfino is playing the best basketball of his NBA career and the Bucks are benefitting from it. Delfino has played in 66 games (57 starts) for the Bucks this season and he is averaging 30.3 minutes, 11.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steal per game. Delfino has been one of the bigger surprises for the Bucks this season and they hope he can keep up the good work.

The Milwaukee Bucks finished last season with a 34-48 record, good enough for 12th place in the Eastern Conference.  They came into this season without their team leaders in points (Richard Jefferson), rebounds (Charlie Villanueva), and assists (Ramon Sessions).  That had many lead to believe that the Bucks would be taking a step back this season, and be at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.  Well, things have gone very well in Milwaukee this season thanks to center Andrew Bogut having a career year, rookie point guard Brandon Jennings playing far better than expected, and the February acquisition of John Salmons.  Bogut is averaging 16.2 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.5 blocks while shooting 52% from the field.  The rookie Jennings has been an impact player since day one for the Bucks, averaging 15.9 points, 6.1 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.3 steals.  He hasn’t shot the ball well from the field (only 37%), but he has been a good threat from three, hitting 39% from behind the arc.  Then there is Salmons, who is averaging 18.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.3 steals since joining the Bucks.  They have gone 12-2 since acquiring Salmons and they are now at the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference with a 36-30 record.  Head coach Scott Skiles has done a great job with this group, and don’t be surprised if the Bucks make a run in this year’s playoffs.

The Milwaukee Bucks have been moving up the standings in the Eastern Conference ever since returning from the All-Star break.  They have now gone 12-2 since the All-Star weekend, and the trade they made for John Salmons around that time has been paying off.  The Bucks are 10-1 with Salmons, and with the Bucks Salmons is averaging 18.9 points, 3.2 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.1 steals.  He has been shooting 44% from the field and although he is a streaky shooter, opposing teams have to cover him as a constant threat from the three point line.  With the Bucks he has been hitting 34% of his threes.  The Bucks have definitely become a better team with Salmons, and the numbers and records prove it.  Before Salmons joined the Bucks they were at the number eight spot in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.  They are now at the number five spot and they are six games behind the Boston Celtics in the fourth spot.  Salmons’ former team, the Chicago Bulls, were at the fifth spot when he left and they are now out of the top eight spots, sitting in ninth place.  Injuries have more to do with the Bulls drop-off, but they are definitely missing Salmons now that they don’t have much depth.

I’ll admit that I was scratching my head when the Bucks signed 35-year old SG/SF Jerry Stackhouse off the street but it’s proving to be a smart move. Stackhouse has played in 23 games (0 starts) for the Bucks this season and he is averaging 20.8 minutes, 8.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. Stackhouse has brought a winning attitude to Milwaukee as he’s not clamoring for more shots than what comes his way.

The Bucks are happy with the new players they acquired at the trade deadline so far. John Salmons is now in the starting lineup after playing solid ball off the bench for the Bucks. Salmons has played in 3 games (1 start) for the Bucks so far and he is averaging 37.0 minutes, 17.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game. But Salmons is only shooting 37.5% from the floor for the Bucks and they hope he will improve on that soon. Royal Ivey has played in 2 games (0 starts) for the Bucks so far and he is averaging 4.0 minutes, 1.0 point, 0.5 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. Primoz Brezec has yet to play in a game for the Bucks. The Bucks will need Salmons to keep playing well if they are going to nab one of the last spots in the Eastern Conference playoffs this season.

What you see is what you get with second year power forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. He is a good defensive player who gets his fair share of rebounds. Mbah a Moute has played in 42 games (31 starts) for the Bucks this season and he is averaging 26.8 minutes, 6.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. The area that Mbah a Moute could improve on is his offense but all that would require is him being a little more selfish with the basketball.

Veteran shooting guard/small forward Jerry Stackhouse is helping the Bucks off the bench so far. He has played in 10 games (0 starts) for the Bucks so far this season and he is averaging 19.7 minutes, 7.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. Stackhouse is giving the Bucks a spark of the bench while re-establishing himself in the NBA.

Back-up point guard Luke Ridnour is having a solid year for the Bucks. He has played in 46 games (0 starts) for the Bucks this season and he is averaging 22.3 minutes, 11.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. Ridnour is shooting well from everywhere on the court also as he is hitting 48.7% of his shots from the floor, 40.4% from three point range and 90.7% from the free-throw line. The amazing thing about Ridnour’s play this season is when you look at his per 48 minutes stats they are very close to Brandon Jennings’. Ridnour is averaging 24.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 8.6 assists and 1.7 steals per 48 minutes this season while Jennings is averaging 24.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 8.8 assists and 1.7 steals per 48 minutes. Plus when you factor in that Ridnour is a better shooter from everywhere than Jennings you can really see the kind of year he is having.