What do the Bucks need to do?

[IWB]

The Bucks are trending downward. The team is not performing well. Of their two stars, one is often injured, the other wants a big market. Attendance is low because of a combination of ticket prices and the economy.

Seriously, what do the Bucks need to do to turn it around?

[Markedman]

Time to blow it up. Sadly I doubt anything changes as long as Herb owns the team.

Skiles starts a guy one day and then doesn't play him the next. Players just going through the motions and no real talent to speak of.

Fans don't care anymore........

Other then that things are pretty good......:D

[mufansince72]

Sadly, I don't think there is much interest in the Bucks anymore! They need to suck bad enough in a year that there is a team changing player available at the top of the draft and hope they win the lottery. Other than that, I don't see much hope for them.

[IWB]

That is the problem - the years they have had that pick, the #1 guys has been Bogut and Big Dog. Don't get me wrong, those two are/were great players, but not "franchise changing players". They have also gone with guys like Yi Jianlian (6), Joe Alexander (8), TJ Ford (8), Tractor Traylor (6 - Dirk)

In each one of those drafts, the Bucks passed on better players, but there have been other years where those slots were strong, some they are not. They need to get lucky, they just haven't.

[Goose85]

The NBA is all about the have and have not teams. You need a star or two to have any real shot to win games and draw fans.

You need a high lottery pick (LeBron, Durant, Wade, CP, etc) and then somehow stay healthy to have any chance in the NBA. Either that or be in NY, LA, Miami, Boston, or Chi as that seems to be where the free agents go.

For the Bucks to win and be successful in the future they need to tank the rest of the year. Get a cornerstone player in the draft (Anthony Davis type in this draft), keep Bogut healthy for a whole year, get lucky on a foreign players and put together some exicting basketball (for fan interest). Skiles and exciting basketball may not mix.

As IWB pointed out, we have had draft issues, but outside of the top 5 or so guys, the NBA draft ususally seems like a crap shoot. Also appears that by even starting Leuer, fans still don't care enough to show up.

[IWB]

It is a crap shoot - that is why I said they need to get lucky. As for fans not showing up to see Leuer, look at their tickets....

Lower level range from $52-$236, upper $15-$63. So when they say tickets as low as $15, that is the corner of the upper level. Does a Badger fan take his wife and kids and blow $100 on a game for a glimpse of John Leuer? Probably not. If you are a fanatic Bucks fan, or a fanatic Kobe or LeBron fan, you will buy those tickets. Just to go to a game to see someone that used to play for the Badgers - just don't know.

The Bucks as well as the entire NBA blew it years ago during the mid '90s when the ticket prices went through the roof. The entire lower bowl became corporate seats, with it the prices went up and the player salaries skyrocketed. With that, the hard core blue collar Bucks fans were all but cut out of the mix. And once you start charging those prices, you start paying those players, you just can't come back down.

I can honestly say that during those years, in the height of the Big Three years, the prices were going up each year, and I told people at that time, that those were the increases that would eventually kill the Bucks long term. Going up $1 or $2 is one thing, but the lower bowl tickets those years were going up quickly.

[mufansince72]

Just got a mailer from the Bucks. 22 bucks for lower level seats and a Brandon Jennings T-shirt. Even at those low prices, I have no interest in watching the Bucks play.

[Goose85]

The Bucks need to stretch out Bogut's injury for the rest of the year. Tank the season as this should actually be a decent draft where you could land an extra piece to go along with Bogut and Jennings.

Lose, lose, lose - that is the only way the Bucks will win going forward.

[MayorBeluga]

Today (March 1) is the anniversary of the day in 1985 when Herbie bought the Bucks. Looks like a great job, as they were so unsuccessful before he took over and have been so incredibly good since he bought the team. Wait, did I have that switched?

[Spirit of Bruce]

I've paid as little as $2 a piece for lower level tickets on Stubhub. That was for the game against New Orleans. After that game, I won't even pay $2 to watch that bunch of clowns. The Washington Generals have a better chance of success.

[Goose85]

Keep losing and get a pick. That is all they need to do.

[Goose85]

What's with all this winning the Bucks are doing? If the season ended now they would be in the playoffs.

They are on a nice roll right now and when Bogut is healthy (if ever) they have some core players. Really need that next level player in the NBA to go from that under .500 borderline playoff team to an actual decent playoff team. The draft lottery or get lucky on foreign players is the only way to do it.