Frank: The Bucks sure won'tfall short of high expectations from the national media. A power ranking onESPN.com puts them 29th in the NBA, above only Sacramento.
Artie:The Sporting News has them at No. 24. That's Willie Mays! Gotta bea good sign.
Frank: How many EasternConference teams are below them?
Artie: Indiana,New York and New Jersey. Of course, the Nets might surgeonce that Russian zillionaire buys the team. He'll put the fear of Stalin in’em. Win or head for the Gulag!
Frank: Unfortunately,12th-best in the conference would be four spots from the playoffs.
Artie: I'm not so gloomy. Reddand Bogut missed almost 50 games apiece last season, but the team improved byeight games. If they'd been healthy it might have meant 40 wins and the eighthseeding.
Frank: And a first-roundhammering by Cleveland or Boston.
Artie: They've got to startsomewhere. I think it's possible this time if Redd and Bogut stay in one piece.Redd's a born scorer and Bogut was averaging a double-double when his back gaveout.
Frank: Bogut worries me; backtrouble can pop up again anytime. Besides that, aren't the Bucks back at SquareOne?
Artie: True, it's essentiallyan entirely new team. Skiles will be mixing and matching to find the rightcombinations.
Frank: Traveling in the Eastfor two weeks has kept me out of the loop. What have the exhibition gamesshown?
Artie: I like the addition ofHakim Warrick at strong forward. He's scoring well, making free throws andrebounding.
Frank: How about young Mr.Jennings at the point?
Artie: He's shown, what is theexpression, "flashes of brilliance," but not as a shooter.
Frank: I noticed he did have12 assists in a game. And Luke Ridnour provides some shooting from thatposition.
Artie: But Ridnour's alwaysgetting banged up. At small forward they've got some options with thesenewcomers from European teams, Carlos Delfino and Ersan Ilyasova. And thesecond-year guy from UCLA, Luc Mbah a Moute, should build on a pretty goodrookie year. He was a solid defender and rebounder before hitting the rookiefatigue "wall."
Frank: The Bucks sure didn'tget much from last year's No. 1 choice, Joe Alexander.
Artie: That hasn't changed. Ahamstring injury has kept him out of all the exhibition games.
Frank: I saw a recent headlinesaying, "Skiles Emphasizes Defense." Just change the coach's name andwe've seen that for years, with few results.
Artie: In Skiles' first yearthey improved on the "D" side. In 2007-'08 their opponents made awhopping 48% of their shots, almost the highest in the league. Under Skilesthey cut it to just below 46%.
Frank: That's only about twoor three fewer field goals per game, but it's the difference in tight games.
Artie: If Bogut stays healthythey have a true shot-blocker in the middle, and Mbah a Moute and Warrick canbe strong defenders. The improvement could continue.
Frank: And on offense?
Artie: I think they have apotential star in the second-round pick, Jodie Meeks out of Kentucky. He set a school record with a54-point game and shot about 40% from three-point land. He could become a realnice shooting guard.
Frank: One thing that shouldhelp the Bucks is their early-season schedule.
Artie: It's gotta be betterthan a year ago, when they had only 13 of their first 33 games at home, andthat stretch included 11 sets of games on back-to-back nights—EEE-LEVEN!
Frank: The Bucks did prettywell to go 15-18 through December 2008. But this season they play 30 gamesbefore 2010 arrives, with 16 at home.
Artie: And those brutalback-to-backs?
Frank: Only six of themthrough December. There's a six-game homestand in November that includes verybeatable teams—New York, New Jersey, Golden State, Charlotte.On the other hand, in the first two months they play Clevelandtwice, San Antonio twice, Orlandotwice, plus Bostonand the champion Lakers.
Artie: As with any team,everything depends on the Bucks staying healthy. But I think they'll be aninteresting team.
Frank: Scrappy if notnecessarily successful?
Artie: Certainly no titlecontender, but maybe good enough to surprise people and get to that eighthspot.
The Best-Laid Plans…
Frank: I didn't see the Packergame here in the East, but I guess they handled the Lions as easily as the 26-0score indicated, huh?
Artie: As usual, I cite MikeMcCarthy, man of coaching cliches...
Frank: As in, "We'll getthat fixed" in regard to the penalties, offensive line, whatever?
Artie: "Fixed," or"corrected," or "cleaned up." And what better time to cleanup than last week, when they had their bye?
Frank: So they came out Sundayand...
Artie: Finished the game witha mere 13 penalties.
Frank:Thirteen?
Artie: If McCarthy hadn't hadthe bye to “fix,” “correct” and “clean up” things, I guess they might have had30. For crying out loud, they had eight in the first quarter alone! And inevery shape and form—personal foul, offside, unnecessary roughness, falsestarts. Oh, and by the way, Aaron Rodgers got sacked another five times.
Frank: Sounds like they didn'tget around to fixing the O-line problems either.
Artie: And it was the Lions!It's a good thing they weren't playing a good team, or even a mediocre one.
Frank: Meanwhile, Mr. Favreand the Vikings almost gagged against the Ravens, which would have put thePackers only one loss behind in the NFC North.
Artie: That sucked, plain andsimple. As the Baltimorekicker lined it up in the last seconds I just knew he'd miss it.
Frank: Never fear, the Vikescould still be fit to be tied in the loss column when they hit Lambeau Field onNov. 1. They play in Pittsburgh this weekendwhile the Packers face another weakling in Cleveland. So on Nov. 2 we could well see thePack at 5-2 and the Vikes only a half-game up at 6-2.
Artie: Meanwhile, our masterplan for the Badgers took a hit when UW lost at home to Iowa, ain’a?
Frank: Ohio Stateplayed right into the Badgers' hands by choking at Purdue. If Bucky had beatenthe Hawkeyes, there would have been five Big Ten teams with only one conferenceloss, and UW facing the easiest closing schedule.
Artie: The Badgers were up10-3 at halftime but Iowatorched 'em after that. Scott Tolzien seems to have the yips, forcing the balland throwing interceptions that just kill them. And he got sacked four times.
Frank: With two losses, andtwo games behind Iowa,it looks like UW won't find a way to the Big Ten title.
Artie: But it could stillfinish 10-2 and make a decent bowl game. That'd sure be progress from lastyear.
