Milwaukee Bucks fire head coach, no one notices

Jim BoylanThe Milwaukee Bucks fired their interim coach on Wednesday.  His name was Jim Boylan.

Boylan took over for Scott Skiles when Skiles left the team in early January.  In his absence, Boylan and the Bucks made the playoffs but were summarily swept by the heavily favored Miami Heat.

Now, let’s get a few things straight.  I’ve never been to Milwaukee, I don’t ever plan on going to Milwaukee and I haven’t watched a Bucks game in its entirety in years.  Here’s what I do know.  The Bucks, despite a rich history, are currently, tragically irrelevant.  So, I ask you, what does it matter who coaches them?

They haven’t won a division title in twelve years and before that, they hadn’t won one since 1986.  That’s not exactly carrying on a winning tradition.  Once upon a time, the Bucks had both Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson on their roster.  That must have been fun to watch.  Those two led Milwaukee to their only NBA championship in 1971.

Since then, no amount of beer has been able to quench Milwaukee’s forty-year drought.

Don’t get me wrong.  They haven’t been totally bad since then.  In the early 1980s, coached by Don Nelson and led by Sidney Moncrief, Paul Pressey, Terry Cummings, Ricky Pierce and Jack Sikma, the Bucks rattled off seven, straight seasons of fifty-plus wins.  They reached the Eastern Conference Finals three times during that stretch.  They just had the misfortune of running into either the Boston Celtics or Philadelphia 76ers.

They made the Eastern Conference Finals again in 2001 with Ray Allen, Sam Cassell and Glenn Robinson.  But that’s been pretty much it.  In the past 22 years, they’ve made the playoffs eight times, making it out of the first round only once.  Like I said, irrelevant.

Which begs the question, what must the Bucks do to become relevant once again?  It’s been so long, they might not even know.  Their star backcourt of Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings can shoot the lights out of the ball on any given night but they also shoot only 40% from the floor, neither of them ranking in the top twenty in field goal percentage in their respective positions.  The way the league is currently comprised, that frontcourt duo, combined with the rest of their roster is not going to win any championships any time soon.

So my next questions are, and this is coming from an impartial observer some 1300 miles away, who do the Bucks think they are and what coach do they think might make contenders out of that team?  (Stan Van Gundy anyone?)  I’m not saying Boylan shouldn’t have been fired.  I’m saying Milwaukee is a hell of a lot more than just a coach away from once again being a threat in this league.

I feel for the Milwaukee fan.  What exactly do they have to be excited about, other than the occasional night where either Ellis or Jennings scores fifty?  They’d have better luck selling tickets to two-on-two tournaments between Ellis, Jennings, Jimmer Fredette and J.J. Reddick and yes, all four of them are on that roster.

Big O Kareem BucksThe NBA is a player’s league.  When’s the last time you heard a top player in the Association say he was taking his talents to Wisconsin?  Heck, even Yi Lianjian, their top draft pick in 2007, refused to play for them and he was coming from China.  Apparently Milwaukee’s irrelevance knows no boundaries.

The days of Kareem and the Big O, or even those great 80s teams, are distant memories for Milwaukee and their fans know it.  This year, the Bucks once again ranked near the bottom of the league in attendance.

In the end, maybe the Bucks did Boylan a favor.  Change is always good as long as we embrace it.  Milwaukee might want to think about changing things back to the way they were a long time ago.

Please follow and like us:
Pin Share

33 Replies to “Milwaukee Bucks fire head coach, no one notices”

  1. Pingback: Milwaukee Bucks fire head coach, no one notices - BallHyped Blog Network, NBA | BallHyped Sports Blogs

  2. No matter what sport we’re talking about, I’ve almost never been in favor of firing the coach for a bad season. The coach can only succeed when given the talent to do it with. Want to fire someone? How about the GM who gave the coach that team. Or the GM for hiring that coach in the first place. Closer to home, the situation in Orlando was played out all wrong. Instead of Stan Van Gundy getting the ax, it should have been Otis Smith first and then trading Dwight Howard. At least then, the Magic would have a high quality coach right now. Lawrence Frank just got the pink slip in Detroit. The guy can flat out coach. Not his fault that Joe Dumars gave him a shitty roster. On the positive side, Frank should be happy to be out of that shit hole called Detroit. Maybe Doc Rivers will take him back. I know it would make me happy.

  3. Hey, here’s a good idea. The Bucks have a shitty team. The fans are apathetic and attendance in way down. They play in a 25 year old arena that gives the Bucks a disadvantage over other NBA teams. Move the team to SEATTLE where the people there are starving for a team to support. Call Herr Stern now and let’s get this done.

  4. I know it`s the players` league and the fans go to see them and not the coaches . Mike Dunlap was shown the door by the Bobcats after one season , no big surprise there . Now Boylan , is the first casualty of the postseason , but here`s the idiocy of it all , there`s talk that Clip joint (Clippers) will fire Vinny Del Negro . That`s how fuc#ed up the NBA is to begin with, from a quality and economic standpoint .

    Clippers` owner Donald Sterling is he dead from the neck up or from the waste down ? The guy is and still remains a frigging douche-bag and cheap ba$tard !

    Tophatal

  5. Snake…

    I think Milwaukee just hired a new GM but what’s the lease on life on these guys?

    Everybody wants to find the next Presti but I have news for the league. Until LeBron slows down, which ain’t gonna be any time soon, every other team in the league is going to be playing second fiddle.

  6. Al…

    I would imagine all that Vinny Del Negro talk was created to woo the Zen Master to that “other” L.A. team, and while I know it’s only gossip, I must admit, the possibility of that happening is quite intriguing.

  7. It’s funny because they only notice once Stan Van Gundy is rumoured to be up for the job. I can’t imagine he goes there though. This team is built with nothing. I wouldn’t want to build a team around either Jennings or Ellis. They have some nice pieces like Ilyasova and Sanders, but really they are lacking and are built for a lot more first round sweeps. Gonna be a tough go for Milwaukee like it is for a lot of other small market teams.

  8. The Bucks real problem is they are a basketball team in a hockey town. What the NBA and the NHL ought to do swap the Bucks for the Tampa Bay Lighting…the Bucks move to Tampa, and the Lightning move to Milwaukee. This solves the problem both leagues have about having team in bad cities. This also would be the reason for the Magic to move to New Jersey or to the Sears Arena in the northwest Chicago suburbs. Both those markets could support another franchise and that one less for the “small market” problem. Nobody has to build an arena, and nor big realignment would have to be done.

    As far as the Seattle thing is concerned, riddle me this: When did Seattle become a “great” basketball town? The Sonics didn’t draw fans for years and the city wouldn’t build an arena. Face it, there was a reason the Sonics left a world-class city like Seattle for an overgrown cowtown like OKC.

  9. Chris, the stars you mentioned will be free agents next year. The franchise is in turmoil and prolly with move. The team really didn’t fire Boylan other than telling him your interim status is no longer valid. LOL. SVG? hell why would he want that crap job? Also talk of Kelvin Sampson. You gotta do something to prep up the fans in October. IOW false hope.

  10. Dub…

    You had me at basketball team in Tampa.

    Where do I sign?

    And yes, even after everything I wrote, I would still take the Bucks.

    I mean, heck, they’re already called the Bucks, right? We can just drop the K.

  11. Bets….

    First of all, best of luck in your Derby wagers.

    But Kelvin Sampson? Really?

    I mean, how does this guy continue to land jobs? What incriminating photos does he have of whom?

  12. Chris

    Remember our discussion concerning Phil Jackson ? Well , he`s now joining the Pistons courtesy of team owner Tom Gores , who as offered Jackson a minority stake in the franchise , as well as a hands on approach concerning all roster personnel decisions .

    No truth to the rumor that Broussard turned tricks as a youngster by sucking many di#ks . LOL,LOL,LOL !!!!

    Tophatal ………

  13. Yea, I read that, Al. That move was kind of odd. He’s gonna have his hands full in Detroit. That roster has been devoid of talent for years.

    And where does that leave Joe Dumars? What if they butt heads? Who is who’s boss? And how much is Phil getting paid to take that gig?

    I hope it’s enough.

  14. Phil Jackson was hired by the owner of the Pistons, Tom Gores, “in an advisory capacity in the franchise’s search for a head coach.” It doesn’t sound like Phil’s looking for the coaching job. However, don’t forget that in 2000, Dick Cheney was hired by George W Bush to help him find a vice president and we know how that worked out. Stay tuned.

  15. Chris

    Dumars will be OK , as he`s not lacking for money . Gores is likely to show Joe Dumars the door and thank him for is services for the franchise .

    Floyd collects $35 million for is troubles , for beating Roberto Guerrero like pimp bi##h slapping one of is @#ores . Now what ?

    Rays lose again , Can they do anyting right ?

    In the land of milk and honey

    Tophatal ……………….

  16. Chris

    With the Nets bowing out the way they did , where do they go from here ? Williams to my mind remains overrated , as allegedly being an elite point guard in the NBA . Fans and journalists alike here use the word superstar nonchalantly , as if it is something worth using , especially, when it comes to the ordinary , rather than the extraordinary . They tend tend to put style over substance , more than anything else .

    Tophatal ……………

  17. We surely didn’t notice. No offense to Jim Boylan. Nonetheless, any other person that would’ve coached the Bucks this year against Miami would’ve probably gotten the “boot” anyway. 10 out of 10, Heat would’ve swept the Bucks.

  18. So PJ Carlisimo just got fired. Unbelievable. He was the coach that got the Nets to where they finished. It hardly ever makes sense to fire the coach.

  19. I was just watching those 4 asshats on ABC after the Pacers-Knicks game. They were talking about why Lebron James with 4 MVPs doesn’t do any commercials. The best player in the world? Why not? They just couldn’t bring themselves to say that the reason didn’t have anything to do with his talent, but that there are millions of people who just don’t like the guy. Truth is, he’s not a very likable guy. Certainly not in the same class as Durant, Paul and Griffin.

  20. Shlameel, shlamozzel – basketball irrelevance incorporated…

    How bout we make Lenny & Squiggy GM and head coach?

  21. Chris

    PJ Carlisimo is out as coach of the Nets . LOL, LOL LOL !!!!

    Brooklyn Nets news

    Did someone say the Knicks are riding on the crest of a wave ? I ope they`re not traveling on the Titanic . The Pacers ##cked them up big time in game one of their Eastern Conference semis`-series . LOL, ,LOL ,LOL !!!!

    Flip Saunders will become the new GM of Timberwolves ? Why do I get the feeling that could all go , so horribly wrong ?

    Mayweather is mulling retirement in 2014 or 2016 . He should retire sooner as it will take him that much time to count the million he`s defrauded the public of over the last four years at least .

    Tophatal ………………..

  22. Snake…

    I’m assuming Phil’s taking that job means he doesn’t want to patrol the sidelines anymore? That’s understandable.

    Although there are some pretty tasty jobs opening up.

    And don’t think for one second the Clips wouldn’t fire Del Negro to bring in a little Zen.

  23. Al…

    I didn’t check out the fight. Any word on the Pay-Per-View numbers?

    And the Rays did okay in Colorado. They just need to shore up that starting pitching and bullpen. Getting to above .500 would be nice as well.

    Re: the Nets, I think they have the talent, minus a few bits and pieces. They just don’t have the toughness. The depleted Bulls showed that firsthand in a seven-game series.

  24. Agreed, BS.

    Do you realize the Heat have lost only two games in three months?

    Only Oscar Robertson and Kareem in their prime would have helped Milwaukee in that one.

  25. Snake…

    I heard PJ on Cowherd this morning. He took the firing awfully well.

    I’m not sure what the Nets are thinking there, unless they’re going to make a play for Phil.
    Van Gundy would actually be a good fit there too.

    I’m just thinking whoever takes that job will have to be willing to deal with Prohkorov’s bullshit.

    Carlessimo said today that only a title will save that next coach their job. I’m not sure those expectations are legitimate.

  26. Bleed…

    I was trying to figure out how to work in a Happy Days/Laverne and Shirley reference in the post.

    Thanks for helping me out.

    Like Stockton to Malone, brother.

  27. PPV numbers were big and ` Money walks away with a cool $35 million . `nough said !

    The Rays need to shore up the pitching ? Any chance of them being more competitive in terms of defense , as well putting up more numbers ….. offensively ?

    Now there`s talk that the Nets still want to talk to Jackson . Tell me there`s some common sense to be found in the Nets` front office ? When you have an estimated fortune of M $14 billion you had better show that you`ve got an ounce of f##king sense . Mikhail Prokhorov must have s#it for brains .

    Phil Jackson declines overture to coach Brooklyn Nets

    Chris Mannix , Sports Illustrated

    NEW YORK — Phil Jackson has informed the Brooklyn Nets that he is not interested in the team’s head coaching position, an NBA source confirmed to SI.com. Jackson, 67, is not believed to be interested in coaching again. A source familiar with Jackson’s thinking said he is focused on securing a front office job that would give him total control of a franchise.

    Jackson’s decision to decline the Nets overtures was first reported by The New York Post.

    It was no secret that the Nets intended to approach Jackson, the longtime coach of the Bulls and Lakers, once they severed ties with interim coach P.J. Carlesimo. In an interview with WFAN on Tuesday, King made it clear that Jackson was the team’s top target.

    “I just want to talk to Phil and get an idea what he’s looking to do,” King said. “And then from there, if he’s looking to go in a different direction and not coach, then I’ll say, ‘OK, then I’ll move on.’ But it sounds like I’ve got to talk to him, got to look at it and say, ‘You’ve got 11 rings, you’re sitting on the sidelines.’ So, before you do anything, you’ve got to talk to him and just see does he want to coach.”

    With Jackson out, it is expected that the Nets will conduct an extended search for a new head coach. Brooklyn won 49 games this season, its most since the 2005-06 season, before losing to Chicago in the first round of the playoffs. Owner Mikhail Prokhorov rewarded King, the team’s GM since ’10, with a multi-year contract extension last month. King told reporters that the team wasn’t necessarily looking for “a high-profile guy, they’re looking for the right guy.”

    “I won’t rule anybody out at this point in time,” King said. “We’re going to look everywhere.”

    ==========================

    ===========================

    Billy King not the brightest spark on a Christmas tree .

    Tophatal ………………..

  28. Pingback: Jump shots and coffee shops: Vin Baker’s tale of loss and redemption | Sports Chump

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*