Hoppin' happy about Mad Ants. (fortwaynereader.com)

• The Fort Wayne Mad Ants are the new Bucks NBDL affiliate. The potential of a Luc Richard Mbah a Moute Mad Ants jersey is just the type of splendor that powers this blog.
  
• Tired of typical school or work? Tryouts for the D-League club take place on September 27 and 28 at Wambsganss Gymnasium. Naturally. Where else would you go to become a Mad Ant but Wambsganss Gymnasium, you know? The story also notes a pretty cool fact: the team hailing from the Hoosier state led the NBDL in attendance last season.
• Matt from Ridiculous Upside says three affiliates is a crowd. The Mad Ants are also the affiliate for the Pacers and Pistons.
• According to Hardwood Paroxysm's brilliant NBA Blogger Table of Elements, BrewHoop is... 74 - Bh. That makes us the blogging equivalent of either Tungsten (74) or Bohrium (Bh) on the real table. Ridiculous, Matt.
• Truman Reed, writing for Bucks.com, reports that John Hammond and Scott Skiles are on the same page.
• The "Bucks" finish 25th in nickname rankings according to The Oklahoman. (link-tip: The Arsenalist)
• Jon Mladic at HoopsWorld debates whether the Bucks or Pacers improved more this offseason.
• OnMilwaukee.com, curiously if I may editorialize, ranks Joe Alexander as Milwaukee's 46th most beautiful thing.
• Ballerblogger profiles Sidney Moncrief as part of their regular Baller of the Day feature.
• Bethlehem Shoals at the Sporting News reveals what an NBA fan can do during early fall downtime. 

  Get into advanced stats: We all know the knock on statistics: They offer up a pale reflection of the game, either making it too complex, or, in the case of basketball, have problems accounting for the sport's group dynamics. But with executives like the Rockets' Daryl Morey trying to run his team according to these principles, now's as good a time as ever to get acquainted with this vast, sometimes tedious, and often fascinating realm of discourse.

• ESPN.com forecasts MVP, ROY, best, and worst newcomers. No current Buck mentions, though Mo Williams got one vote for both best and worst newcomer, and Yi Jianlian received two worst newcomer votes.
• My Team USA roster thoughts going forward.

As linked to in Wednesday's Notes, Henry Abbott wrote a terrific piece about the future of Team USA. If you think it's too early to consider such things, well, it's quite simply not. The 2010 World Championships are just around the corner, and building a team, as we've learned, takes time.

The thought, competition, and scrutiny that goes into creating national soccer teams is incredible. Basketball is following that path.

There are plentiful questions, like whether the LeBron/Kobe/Wade troika will sign on again. James already said he'll only play if Kidd does, and Kidd should not and will not. Kobe, while not old, might want to save energy to win the NBA title without Shaq he wants so badly. Wade's all-out style also might not agree with four more years of intense summer ball.

Plus, they already accomplished the mission of restoring order in the basketball world with the gold in Beijing. There is a lot to lose in the next two tournaments, and only a little to gain.

That said, here are my roster thoughts going forward.

Return, pretty please

LeBron James: Some are holding off on anointing him the greatest player in the world. Not I. In 2010 and 2012, he'll absolutely be the most dominant basketball force, and the most important player to Team USA success.

Kobe Bryant: Recruited to save USA Basketball, and did just that against Spain in the fourth quarter of the gold medal match.

Chris Paul: Best point guard on the planet will be 25 and 27 years old in the next two major competitions.

Dwyane Wade: Leaped back into the forefront of stardom. Wade played pressure defense and ignited transition offense, the places where Team USA differentiated itself in Biejing.

Deron Williams: Formed a dynamite two-headed point guard attack off the bench with Paul, and showed nice chemistry on the court with CP3 as well. Only will improve in next four years.

Chris Bosh: A relative unknown among superstars, Bosh established himself as the team's best post player on both ends of the court in Beijing. His 77.4 % field goal percentage was absurd, but his 86.2 % free-throw percentage was perhaps even more comforting.

Dwight Howard: Mobility makes him a nice fit on team that plays at breakneck speed. Strength separates him from competition.

Continue reading this post »

• Bucks.com releases the team's preseason schedule, highlighted by a trip to China, where Milwaukee will play the Golden St. Warriors twice. They tip off at the Bradley Center against Timberwolves on October 6.
• An ESPN.com panel of 25 collectively ranks the Bucks 11th in the East, with a projected 35 wins.
  
• SI.com's Chris Mannix gives the Central Division teams a summer report card. The Bucks are top of the class with an A-.

  Hammond still has some things to do (figuring out if Michael Redd is in the team's long-term plans, for one) and his decision to draft Joe Alexander after trading for Jefferson was a little puzzling. But Hammond has Milwaukee back on the right track.

• Chris Colston at USA Today tabs the Bucks 18th in a first version of preseason power rankings. That places them ninth in the East.
• Michael Redd is the NBA's 46th best player according to Tom Ziller at FanHouse. The always keen Ziller is in the process of counting down the league's top 50 players.

  What the Hades in wrong with being one-dimensional if you're among the best in the world at that one dimension? Redd is an elite scorer: he's unstoppable 80% of the time, he's efficient. He never turns over the ball in score mode, a real special quality given how much offense he creates on his own. Scoring is a pretty important part of basketball -- we act like Redd did the equivalent of tiddlywinks in 2006-07, just because the Bucks were awful.

• Brett at The Bratwurst is a little underwhelmed looking at the offseason moves.
• JS Online's Don Walker reports Charlie Villanueva is working with SolesUnited, a shoe donation program. Great stuff, CV.
• Brian Hood, writing for Fox Sports, devises an All-NBA Football team and slots Richard Jefferson at tight end.
• The Bob Boozers Jinx's J.D. Mo again questions Michael Redd's Olympic performance, as well as local media coverage. Redd certainly was underwhelming on the court. He only played 73 minutes, and for good reason. The glut of guards in front of him (Kobe, Paul, Williams etc.) played better in Beijing, which isn't surprising because they are, well, better players. Redd isn't a good defender, and was cold shooting the ball (32.3 FG% and 27.8 3PT%), rendering him not terribly useful on a team of the most polished players on the planet. Of course, he didn't really have a chance to work his way into a groove, and he's not suddenly a bad shooter. He was simply off for what amounted to about two NBA games worth of minutes. That happens. Recall the heroic Kobe Bryant's first 45 minutes for Team USA in the Olympics? Went like this: 37.0 FG% and 6.7 3PT% with four assist and four turnovers. When you look at the big picture though, Kobe fulfilled his role. Redd? He obviously didn't contribute anywhere near the level of Kobe or most others, but I can't say "he was not a factor in winning the gold." Remember the FIBA's last summer? The tournament that qualified Team USA for the Olympics? Redd hit 53.0 FG% and 45.3 3PT%. That came against lesser competition, and for smaller stakes, but it was a necessary step toward gold. Glen Davis shot 58.3 FG% and played an important role in the first round against the Hawks, but notched 15 minutes total in the Finals. Sure, Atlanta isn't Los Angeles, just as the FIBA's aren't the Olympics. No one is crowning Redd or Davis as the vital player on a champion. But don't tell Davis he didn't earn a ring. And don't say Michael didn't factor in winning gold.

Milwaukee's best. (NBA.com)

• Hoops Analyst's Harlan Schreiber picks the 1970-71 Bucks as the best team in franchise history, as part of an ongoing examination of each franchise's all-time top team. I tend to agree.
• Michael Hunt of JS Online reports the Bucks are flying under the radar this summer, with the Brewers delighting and the Brett Favre dramatics.
• Dennis Krause, writing for SportsBubbler.com, profiles the roles of a pair of local athletes who played for Team USA in 1952, Frank McCabe and Ron Bontemps.

  McCabe remembers "the strain of such a change of pace and the closeness of the score for three quarters. It was only 17-15 at the half. One of their players actually sat on the floor during the early part of the game. That kind of stressed the idea of a real slow down. But their coach got him back on his feet in a hurry. The best memory was stepping up to receive the box holding the Gold medal along with the small bunch of flowers."

• TrueHoop's Henry Abbott writes the article I've been meaning to write since Sunday: the future of Team USA. Abbott does an excellent job of explaining the overall picture of Team USA going forward, noting the vast importance of the 2010 World Championships. He makes roster picks too, and Al Horford and Shane Battier are the only questionable ones to me. Kevin Martin? Yes, please.
  
• David Friedman of 20 Second Timeout delivers an Olympic report card to each Team USA player. Redd scores an "I" for incomplete. A sample of Friedman's notes on Redd:

  Last year, I did a post titled Team USA Needs Bruce Bowen More Than it Needs Michael Redd and I have consistently and repeatedly stated that Redd--who is a very good NBA player--would be nothing more than a spare part on this squad for the following reasons: Team USA's primary focus has to be defense, Team USA has several players who are better perimeter defenders than Redd who can also make the shorter FIBA three point shot and it is much more important for Team USA to defend opposing three point shooters than it is for Team USA to make three pointers.

• Matt Watson at Fan House comments on Felipe Reyes saying Spain deserved gold. Next time you want to blame officials, Felipe, please, please try not losing to the team you claim superiority over by 48 points in 80 minutes beforehand. By... 48 points... in 80... minutes. Promise it'll benefit your case.
• A Stern Warning adds that Jose Calderon says Spain would have won under FIBA rules. Umm, again. Maybe we should just make the gold medal a series rather than a single game, to make sure the better team wins, and to avoid flukes. Might not be as fun to take away all hope of anyone ever beating Team USA though.
• Ryan Schwan of Hornets247 unveils Team USA as ancient Chinese historical figures. Michael Redd, apparently, is Peng Yue:
  

  Peng Yue was a General of the Chu-Han Conflict who eventually became a King.  He was a quiet general who would only sporadically involve himself in battle.  When he was on the field, he was good in certain situations, but when the battles began in earnest, he was usually forced off the field and his position taken by a tougher, more aggressive General.  Still, his loyalty earned him a Kingship under Liu Bang, the First Emperor of the Han Empire.  Redd was used sparingly, couldn't really stay on the floor when the pressure was raised. Still, he was a good teammate, and got himself the gold. 

• Kelly Dwyer breaks down Larry Brown's messy maneuvers as Team USA's coach in Athens in 2004. This article follows Brown quotes that can be easily construed as excuse-making for the team's three-loss, bronze medal showing in the Olympics that year.
• Dwyer also writes in memoriam of Kevin Duckworth, who passed away on Monday at the far too young age of 44. Duckworth played in eight games for the Bucks in 1995-96 and 684 games in his NBA career.
  
• J.D. Mo at the Bob Boozer Jinx reflects on a disappointing run for individual Bucks players in the Olympics. True, Redd didn't factor heavily in Team USA's success, but the team badly needed highly capable players willing to play a reduced role and Redd fulfilled that need.
• Dime debates, bracket-style, the best three-point shooters of the past 20 years. No Michael Redd mention, but Ray Allen nabs a top seed.
• From Bucks.com, pick five Energee finalists for a chance to win four tickets to the home opener against the Raptors, and more.
  

• Kelly Dwyer reflects on Team USA's gold medal triumph and win over Spain.

  Nobody whined about minutes. Nobody was caught on the bench, barely hiding their frustrations at not being able to crack double-figure minutes in a 37-point win. Nobody whined about who started (except this guy), and nobody was caught moping in the face of the lineup that finished the lone close game against Spain.

• SI.com breaks down the inevitable debate: Dream Team or Redeem Team?
• WhaIfSports simulates a seven-game series pitting the 1992 and 2008 Team USA's.
• Jim Paschke thoughtfully considers the "redemption" aspect of Team USA.
• Charley Rosen of FoxSports.com hands out individual grades to American players.
• J.E. Skeets at Ball Don't Lie captures more internet reaction following Team USA's win in Part I and Part II.
• My five thoughts after Michael Redd and Team USA won gold.
• Frank serves on the panel for Hardwood Paroxysm's highly pertinent NBA Blogger Roundtable: The Role Of Small Markets In The League, Part I.
• Posted last Thursday, JS Online's Charles Gardner reports encouraging news on Bogut's ankle.
• Gardner also previews the Bucks' upcoming trip to China, where they will play two games, including one against the Warriors the week of October 12.
  
• Truman Reed of Bucks.com takes a closer look Luke Ridnour's point guard pedigree.

  Luke grew up tagging along to practices and games with his father, Rob, then played for him from 1996 through 2000. Together, they led Blaine High’s Borderites to a four-year record of 97-11, highlighted by Washington class AA state championships in 1999 and 2000.

  The coach’s son averaged 23 points and seven assists over the course of his prep career. He was a three-time AA state player of the year as well as a 2000 McDonald’s and Parade All-American, and he still holds Washington AA tournament records for career points and assists.

• Who should start at point guard? Vote for Ramon Sessions or Luke Ridnour (or Tyronn Lue) if you haven't already. Here's the tally at the time of posting: Sessions 171, Ridnour 139, Lue 3.
  
• The Bratwurst notes Scott Williams joined the Phoenix Suns as a color analyst. Always was enjoyable on the Bucks broadcasts. Good luck, congrats on the new gig, and enjoy the dessert warmth, Scott.
  
• The 540 ESPN audio library has archived interviews with John Hammond and Luke Ridnour.
• Dime reminisces about Michael Redd's 57-point burst against the Jazz on Nov. 11, 2006.
• SI.com's Steve Aschburner writes about Desmond Mason's latest moving experience.
• Bethlehem Shoals' exit interviews installment of Portraits in Patriotism is up at SLAM Online.

Redd, with a golden tint. (FIBA.com)

Team USA is golden again after toppling Spain 118-107 (recap/quotes) in the early hours this morning.

Five thoughts after the win:

• Despite the up-and-down performance, Team USA won each quarter, if ever so narrowly. It went 38-31, 31-30, 22-21, and 27-25 for the Americans, who never could create a commanding lead against the same team they knocked around by 37 points the week prior. Spain played wonderfully in the gold medal match, but let's not suddenly delude ourselves and pretend Team USA didn't thoroughly dominate this tournament. They finished 8-0, and won every game by double-digits. Against the top contenders? A 23-point win over Greece, 20-point victory over Argentina, and two wins against Spain by an average of 24 points. Not at all bad showings against the last team to beat Team USA, the defending Olympic champs, and the defending World champs.
• Kobe's four-point play and ensuing "shhh" easily overtook Wade's falling-out-of-bounds lob to Bryant as the signature play of the tournament. The entire game was classic Bryant, who just wrote another thick chapter in his legacy, and went a long way to redeeming (redeeming!) himself following the NBA Finals disaster.
• Speaking of memorable moments, Rudy Fernandez, oh my. The dunk on Howard, the showy step-back three-pointers, everything he touched turned into shiny gold silver. Dude was on, he just couldn't stay on the court. He fouled out (on Kobe's four-pointer) in 18 minutes, but packed 22 points and a lot of highlights in his brief time on court.
  
• If Dwyane Wade was the perfect sixth man (and he most certainly was) then Tayshaun Prince was also the ideal tenth man, something missing from previous versions of Team USA. You just felt at ease whenever Prince was on the court throughout the tournament. And his 3-3 effort in eight minutes against Spain sure didn't hurt in the 11-point win, right? Let's just say I wouldn't mind seeing him, at 32, in London in 2012.
• Michael Redd didn't play in the final game, marking his first DNP of the Olympics. only got the final minute on the floor against Spain, his briefest appearance in the Olympics. That's fine with me, and it's cool with the birthday boy too, apparently. Happy 29th, Mike, and congrats. From the quotes:

  You want to cry, you want to laugh, you want to smile. It was amazing to see our flag raised and to know that you are the best team in the world.

• Team USA shoot for Olympic gold against Spain at 1:30 a.m. central time Saturday night/Sunday morning on NBC.
• Kelly Dwyer of Ball Don't Lie looks behind the boxscore at Team USA/Argentina.
  
• SLAM Online's Lang Whitaker also recaps Team USA's latest win.
• FoxSports.com's Charley Rosen predicts gold for Team USA.
• My five observations following Team USA's win over Argentina.
• ESPN.com's Chris Sheridan writes about Team USA winning over the hearts and minds in China.

  Michael Redd described an endless stream of fans following him through a mall as he went shopping: people asking him to stop and pose for a quick picture, or thrusting a piece of paper and a pen toward him for an autograph. "They know all our stats, they know where we come from, they know everything about us. It's amazing -- it really is -- just how popular basketball has gotten. It really has gone global."

• Sheridan also says Team USA's performance against Argentina may have given Spanish coach Aito Garcia Reneses hope in the gold medal game.
• Dime notes it's gold medal time for Team USA.
• Slate considers the marketing genius of the Redeem Team. (Link-tip: TrueHoop)
• SI.com's Alexander Wolff says Team USA won't settle for silver.
• SI.com's Steve Aschburner looks at the tough NBA road ahead for the Redeem Teamers.

  Basically a shooting specialist in Beijing, Redd will be the Bucks' ringleader again, trying to create some instant chemistry on offense with Richard Jefferson and Luke Ridnour. Meanwhile, Mo Williams is gone and Andrew Bogut might be hobbled from his Olympic ankle injury. So Redd, the most flattered of the players invited to play for Team USA, could end up as the hardest-working among them once this is over.

Team USA topped reigning Olympic champion Argentina 101-81 (recap/quotes) on Friday morning. That result, coupled with Spain's 91-86 win over Lithuania, sets up a Team USA versus Spain gold medal game on Sunday at 1:30 a.m. central time.

Five observations following the game:

• A 20-point win over the defending champs has largely been met with mixed reviews for Team USA. And that's a loud sign of wonderful progress made in a remarkably short time by the American team. The fact is, people are once again expecting not just wins, but thorough blowouts against even the strongest competition. So while the latest effort may not have satisfied critics, it satisfied the oddsmakers, who pegged Team USA as 19.5 point favorites. They won comfortably, just as expected. The fashion they did so was atypical, sure. A 19-point first quarter lead multiplied by four quarters calls for a 76-point final margin, but that's really not realistic, gang. We were destined for a letdown, you know. Let's just keep things in perspective. A 20-point win in a 40-minute game against one of the elite basketball-playing nations isn't the shabbiest result.
  
• In the middle of Argentina's nightmare first quarter, they lost Manu Ginobili to a left foot injury. He's absolutely the team's best player, and staying healthy would have benefited the Argentines, though they played admirably in his absence. Andres Nocioni wasn't at full-strength either. Team USA is fortunate to have flown free of the injury bug thus far. Then again, its depth would allow them to withstand an injury to Kobe Bryant and a hobbled Carmelo Anthony, I'm really quite confident. For Argentina, life isn't that easy. And that makes me comfortable from a Team USA perspective. Even more comfortable than the comfortable margin of victory this morning.
• Carmelo's a touch on the feisty side on this day, and there's not much wrong with that. I'm happy with Anthony living at the line, where he nailed all 13 free throws against Argentina. That perfection offset his 3-14 mark from the field, and kept him on the floor for all but 10 minutes of the game. Deemed as the team's most important player in previous competitions, he had been relatively quiet until this game.
  
• Without Ginobili on the court, Luis Scola and Carlos Delfino were forced to carry a heavy load. The inside-outside duo attempted 39 of Argentina's 68 shots and scored 45 of the team's 81 points. That's more than half of each. Both had their moments too, particularly Scola, who looks primed and ready to rock it for the Rockets this season. He gave Team USA defenders fits, and finished with nifty numbers: 28 points and 11 boards along with a couple blocks and steals.
• He's Chris Bosh, vote him for top player of the tournament? Just another day at the Olympic office: 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 5-5 at the line in 20 minutes. The power forward is 23-29 (.793) from the field and 19/23 (.826) from the line. Yes, that's 82.6 % for the 6'10" power forward, if you're reading, Kobe (44.4 %), LeBron (50.0 %), and Wade (61.8 %).

• Team USA defeated Australia 116-85 (recap/quotes) on Wednesday morning. After a sluggish start, the Americans pulled away during a convincing 34-18 third quarter. Australia forced more turnovers (13-11) than the Americans, but were killed on the glass, as Team USA had almost as many offensive boards (19) as Australia had total rebounds (28). Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 25 and LeBron James added 16 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and four steals. Oddly, the two superstars hit just 1-4 at the line each, and the Americans converted 18-31 (.581) at the line total. In spite of that, Team USA came out with yet another convincing, 31-point win. It's a bit strange that its closest Olympic game thus far was a 97-76 win over Angola, easily one of the weakest teams in the Olympic field.
  
• Andrew Bogut lasted only 11 minutes before departing the game with an ankle injury. Thankfully, reports indicate the injury is not serious.
• Neither Bogut nor Michael Redd made much of an impact in the game. Bogut was quiet in Australia's impressive start, scoring four points and turning the ball over a couple times. As usual, Redd didn't get on the court until later in the game, and finished with five points in nine minutes.
• ESPN.com's Chris Sheridan recaps Team USA's quarterfinal victory over the Boomers.
• The Australian's Luke McIlveen writes that Australia's "Rocky" wish turned into more of a "Texas Chainsaw Massacre"  against Team USA. Ouch.
• TheWest.com reports speedster point guard Patrick Mills, who gave Team USA fits in the the team's pre-Olympic matchup, says the Americans sledged him physically and psychologically in the rematch on Wednesday.
  
• Bob Wolfley of JS Online reports that GM John Hammond is impressed with Team USA's Olympic performance.
  
• Kelly Dwyer of Ball Don't Lie examines how a leader has emerged for Team USA.
• Meanwhile, TrueHoop's Henry Abbott is happy to report that Team USA has no King.
• Up next: Team USA versus Argentina at 9:15 a.m. central time on Friday morning. It was curious to see that many experts weren't so high on Argentina prior to the tournament, with many deeming at least Spain and Greece superior. But with Manu Ginobili surrounded by a stable of familiar teammates, the Argentines remain highly dangerous, and it's difficult to imagine they won't give the Americans a good game.
• On that note, FoxSports.com's Charley Rosen warns that Team USA must take Argentina seriously.
• The victor will advance to the Gold Medal game against the winner of Spain versus LIthuania, which precedes Team USA against Argentina. That games begins at 7:00 a.m. central time. Charlie liveblogged Spain's 72-59 quarterfinal win over Croatia that got them to the semis.
• Sheridan previews Team USA's showdown with rival Argentina.

  Argentina prefers to play man-to-man defense, and Scola said his team has not played one single second of zone during the tournament. That could change if Argentina adapts one of the few defensive styles that have been effective -- to use that word loosely -- against Team USA, but it's likely the teams will go at each other straight up as the game goes through its early stages.

• SI.com's Alexander Wolff pinpoints Argentina's problem: depth.
• Bryan Armen Graham of FanNation makes semifinal predictions.
• USA Basketball has a ton of pre-semifinal quotes from Team USA players.
• Dime is wondering who will be on Team USA in 2012. And who wouldn't want to be?
  
• Bethlehem Shoals at the Sporting News says the Olympics are proving that the NBA's style of play still rules the hardwood.

  Dunking at will, wreaking havoc on defense and spending about two-thirds of each game in transition -- and covering up their weaknesses with raw ability and invention -- it's some of the most exhilarating basketball in recent memory.

  Sounds a lot like the NBA, doesn't it? Or -- even worse -- an idealized version of the All-Star Game.

Breathe a sigh of relief, Bucks fans: Australia's The West reports that an MRI has cleared Andrew Bogut of any major ankle damage.  Though Bogut thought he might have damaged a ligament after the game, a team spokesman delivered good news following a scan of the ankle.

"He had an MRI and it looks pretty good," the spokesman told AAP.

"It looks nothing more than a sprain.

"He's heading back to Australia tonight and has already left the (Athletes') Village.

"He'll have further assessment in Melbourne but it doesn't look as bad as initially feared."

Bogut will now have about a month off before training camp, which would at least appear to be more than enough time to fully heal.