No Regard Presidential Previews: Milwaukee Bucks (James Monroe)

Oh the season. Oh the season! Election or NBA, both are upon us. We're getting into the spirit by bringing you our season previews (with a little help from the presidents). One per day for the next 30 days—which will bring us to the Day of Reckoning. So please join us on the campaign trail as we shake hands, kiss babies and sink jumpers.

“It is only when the people become ignorant and corrupt, when they degenerate into a populace, that they are incapable of exercising their sovereignty.” - James Monroe


James Monroe was a Founding Father of the United States. A great patriot, he was elected in a landslide in 1816 after serving as a U.S. Senator, Governor of Virginia and Ambassador to France. His diplomacy skills would be needed domestically during his time in office, as the sectional dispute over Missouri's admittance to the union threatened to rip the country apart. A great compromise was reached, allowing the delicate balance of the nation to continue for a few more decades before the South seceded. 

The Milwaukee Bucks, by all accounts, have been a below average franchise over the past decade or so. Since the departures of Ray Allen and George Karl in 2003, the Bucks have mired in mediocrity. As Monroe's most important moments arguably came before his Presidency in keeping European interests out of the new nation and participating in the founding of the United States, the Bucks' greatest moments came decades ago, when a squad led by legends Oscar Robertson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then Lew Alcindor) swept the Baltimore Bullets for the title in the Bucks' third year of existence. The past several seasons in Milwaukee have been more reflective of Monroe's post-presidential years, which were marred by personal financial problems and the sale of his plantation, but his name remains among the most influential of his time.

As previously mentioned, the fifth President of the United States had the momentous task of reconciling the admission of Missouri as a slave state to the union without losing control of the senate by adding two more slave-state members. To hedge against this, Monroe admitted Maine (then a satellite region of Massachusetts) as a free state, thus maintaining the balance of power in the country. The new-look Bucks face a balancing act of their own, with shoot-first backcourt mates Monta Ellis and No Regard Favorite Brandon Jennings lending new meaning to "not enough basketballs." Ellis was acquired in exchange for former #1 overall pick Andrew Bogut, his disfigured arms and all-time headcase Stephen Jackson, who has a large tattoo of a handgun on his chest and a brand new track out with Kevin Durant. Coach Scott Skiles will have to find enough touches for Ellis and Jennings while keeping them happy, or it's another season where nobody Fears the Deer. 

The Monroe Doctrine announced America's intent to stay neutral in European affairs, intending to let the new country develop on its own rather than asserting influence on the rest of the world. Ellis, Jennings, Ekpe Udoh and rookie John Henson will need to grow together quickly to assert themselves into the affairs of the rest of the Eastern Conference and become relevant again. This team has the look of a squad that will hover just below .500, but get a random 12-point win in Boston or Miami and temporarily scare the croup out of the rest of the conference. Can the young Bucks (too easy) grow together and contend for the 8th seed in the East, becoming the Team You Don't Want to Face? Will Ellis and Jennings be able to share the ball and remain effective? Why is Beno Udrih making $7 million for this team?

Rushed Pull-Up Jumpers

Pokemon who the team should adopt as its new mascot: Doduo



Headline we'll be most sick of reading: "Dalembert Provides Quiet Leadership"

Headline we're most looking forward to: "Alien vs. Marquis Daniels Flops at Box Office"

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you enter the pearly gates?: "Oh yeah you guys took the Hawks to seven games a couple years ago. I forgot about you guys!"

Forgetting Brandon Jennings

Three years ago I watched the NBA draft—as I always do—with one player at the top of my radar, one guy who got me so excited that I knew I'd have reached as much as necessary to get him if I were a GM. This year, that player was Royce White. In 2011, it was Kemba Walker. 2010, Xavier Henry (my bad). And in 2009, it was Brandon Jennings. I didn't know a ton about Jennings—I had heard his name come up a bit during his senior year of high school and I had seen him in Gunnin' For That #1 Spot—but I knew more than most friends I talked to. A few months before the draft, someone tipped me off to one of his YouTube mixes, and I would end up watching that video (below) and other similar ones dozens of times before the big night rolled around.

Dude had the kind of game that I drool over. The dunks, the crossover, the Spidey Sense passing, and the style. Oh the style. That kind of fade-plus-shades combination doesn't swagger its way across your computer screen every day. I also read about his decision to get around the NBA's college-encouraging eligibility rules by going to play in Italy for a year, and despite the hardships he faced, I admired his choice to take a draft position risk in order to get professional experience and make a little money. I was, it's fair to say, all in on Brandon Jennings.

On that draft night, when the Milwaukee Bucks selected him with the 10th pick (too late, if you had asked me), I jumped out of my chair and declared to everyone I was with that he was going to be one of the best and most exciting players in the league. I saw him as the future of point guards in the league, and I insisted that he was going to enter the stratus of elite playmakers who would change the way offenses were run. I expected that by 2012, we would all be talking about Brandon Jennings, all the time.

But we're not. In fact, we barely ever talk about him, do we? We don't pick him for All-Star teams. We don't mention his name as part of the Westbrook-Rose-Wall point guard revolution conversation. And we sure as shit don't consider him for an Olympic spot. It seems that many of us have forgotten about Brandon Jennings altogether.

This, despite his 55-point game during his rookie season (perhaps the one moment in the past three years when the basketball world has focused on him for an evening). This, despite continued flashy, rewind-worthy plays. Most egregiously, this, despite a 2011-2012 season in which he put up 19.1 points, 5.5 assists and 1.6 steals per game (and improved his previously sub-40% field goal percentage to a moderately more respectable .418). Jennings was thiiiiiis close to being a top 20 scorer this past season, but you’d never know it from his ghost status in water cooler conversations and his lack of any major accolades.

Recently came news that Jennings, who had previously indicated that he would like to explore major-market teams when he becomes a free agent after the 2012-2013 season, would now be entirely open to staying in Milwaukee if they put together the right offer. Many will see this as the good guy move, the thing that a player like Jennings—young, with sometimes questionable on-court decisions—should say as he tries to become a better player and more marketable star. But based on the numbers and the eyeballs, Jennings is already a very, very good player who should be counting endorsement stacks all offseason long. He’s not though, and along with his occasional sloppiness and his team’s injury woes, you have to acknowledge that playing in the city of Milwaukee has something to do with that. The Bucks are not only a small market team, they are a small market team that has been pretty much middling for as long as I can remember. They are not an old team in a new, sports-starved city with several fantastic management decisions, draft picks and coaching assignments. No, they are not the Oklahoma City Thunder.

This is not me stating, a year in advance, that Jennings should jump ship on The Deer for a more cosmopolitan climate. This is me absolutely understanding some frustration on the part of a young man who has done pretty incredible work, but has lived in the shadows of other uber-athletic point guards who have entered the league in the past five years. This is me reminding all of us—you, me and everyone we know—that there’s a talent up in the North Midwest who deserves our attention during the upcoming season. Let’s all remember not to forget Brandon Jennings, and come this time next year, hopefully whatever we say and write about him—whatever he decides—will be on the tail of many previous words and much previous ink.

Monday Morning Dance Therapy: Dontcha Know? Edition

Monday mornings are tough. As the work week starts, we often need something to pick us up and remind us that things are going to be okay. That something is NBA players and other hoops figures dancing. This weekly column celebrates one of the finest things in life and gives you the kickstart you need to get the week started on the right foot.

Everything's coming up Wisco!

Houston, we Have a Dunk Contest

Wowzers, do we ever! According to the LA Times, this year's dunk contest will field the following four competitors: Blake Griffin, Serge Ibaka, JaVale McGee, and Brandon Jennings. Which means we have, respectively, the most exciting dunker to come along in years; the biggest dreamboat in the NBA; the man who dominated this past summer league's highlight reel, and the league's cult star du jour.

I can't begin to tell you how excited I am about this lineup. Another Dwight/Nate showdown would have literally made me vomit up my heart. Literally.

But this...whew. A chance for legit creativity. The promise of at least two players becoming household names. No gimmicks, just sheer, awe-inspiring athleticism.

Good look, dunk contest. This one's for you:

No Regard Daily Preview: Happy Hour 11-12-10

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you may remember a feature we started this offseason, NBA Happy Hour. This Friday feature gave readers the opportunity to get drunk while, let's say, watching the FIBA championship game, by giving them certain things to look for and celebrate. We are now carrying this idea over to our weekend previews, in which we will tell you one game we'll be watching over the next three days, one game we won't be watching, and ways one could creatively reach Blackout City while enjoying either one. So without further ado: Grab a beer, follow the rules, and start the weekend with a Don Nelson-level buzz.

One Game We Will Definitely Watch This Weekend: Golden State Warriors vs. Milwaukee Bucks


Drink every time:

If You See Something, Say Something

[Photo Credit: Kristyna Wentz-Graff]

IYSSSS is our semi-regular Internet intelligence report, a liberal arts approach to following the NBA on the Web. E-mail us at jewsforjesusshuttlesworth@gmail.com if you've got any suggestions.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel [via NBA Off-Season]: I promise that two of those feet in that picture above belong to a mascot, and the other two belong to Brandon Jennings. And, I promise that if you click this link, you will see pictures of the two of them engaging in silly string warfare. Pinky swear.

ESPN's "SportsNation": No doubt that Simmons is a polarizing figure, and for good reason. But there's no denying that when he hits—whether in writing, podcasting, whatever—it's normally thunderous. His spoof of "The Decision" is no different. And anything with Michelle Beadle is the best.

Advertising Age: An inside baseball look at how "The Decision" came to be. Interesting for sure, but you've got to admit it's a little creepy just how excited Ari Emanuel is about the whole affair.

NBA Off-Season: A kind suggestion to LeBron that the journey to restoring his image should begin with entering the Dunk Contest. Which I fully co-sign, since his act of backing out of last year's contest was when the evil began creeping in anyway.

TrueHoop: And now, for me at least, away from LeBron and back to Summer League. If you didn't catch the T-Wolves game yesterday, John Krolik (of the classy Cavs: The Blog) breaks down Wesely Johnson's debut. Sounds like the kid's got patience, already knows his role and carries a few wows in his back pocket. Basically his play mirrors his appearance.

Slam Online: I'll take any excuse to post this video, because it's an era-defining moment. Young Iverson making the world tremble, setting history books ablaze.

We Got Now

As a fan of the NBA during the inception of the WNBA, I specifically remember one of their earliest advertising slogans, "We got next." Fair enough. Whose got now then? The golden-era of current point guards in the NBA, that's who.

Question of the Day

This post was going to be a joke referring to Drew Gooden's freshly inked 5-year/$32 million deal with the Bucks as "the largest piece of the free agency puzzle," but then while browsing the Google image results for "drew gooden" there was an epiphany: He's now teammates with Brandon Jennings, the NBA's latest haircut wunderkind.

Will Drew Gooden, purveyor of the neckstache and numerous other hairstyles of ill repute, be an unforgivably bad influence on Jennings' style, or will he open the young point guard's mind like a tab of LSD?