Previewing the Bucks

Bucks lost their final preseason game to the Pistons Friday night. The game was close all night. The Bucks had the lead going into the 4th quarter but just couldn't hold on. Scott Skiles put a lineup of, guards Roko Ukic and Ridnour, forwards Ilyasova and Charlie Bell, and center Kurt Thomas. They really didn't get anything done when they were on the court. Ben Gordon owned the Bucks with the B team on the court. They tired to make a late run but came up just short, they fell 95-93. Lets check out some highlights from the game.

* Mr. Redd showed up Friday night.He had 23 Pts, 2 Rebs, and 2 Asts. That will give him the Bucks POTG.

* Ersan had a good game off the bench. He scored 16 Pts, and 5 Rebs.

* I guess people don't think the Bucks will be very good this year. I heard that the over/under at Vegas for Wins is 28.5. I hope that we can get to at least 30 wins this year. (Winks' note: Bill Simmons had us down for 19 wins. Nineteen! Not too mention, SI picked the Bucks last in the division as well. Not a lot of hope for this Bucks squad.)

* Detroit got to the line 35 times. They only made 24, but we need to keep that under control this year.

So now we are on to the regular season. Lets look at the projected starting five.

PG- Brandon Jennings
SG- Michael Redd
SF- Luc Richard Mbah a Moute/ Hakim Warrick
PF- Kurt Thomas
C- Andrew Bogut

Lets take a look at what the keys will be this year for the Bucks to win.

* Rebound!!!!!!!!!!! This team needs to go for loose balls, and fight for rebounds. The Bucks do not have a strong enough offense to offset getting killed on the boards every night. I think this is why Kurt Thomas is going to start for this team. He will not score a lot, but he needs to hustle for rebounds.

* Injuries. They need to stay healthy. This team has no depth what so ever. If one of the starters goes down the under for 28.5 wins looks real good. This has killed the Bucks for years. It is getting old guys, grow a set and play 75 plus games.

* Turnovers. Jennings in his first year is going to have turnovers. This team being new, and not used to playing together will turn the ball over a lot. AGAIN, THE BUCKS NEED TO CREATE TURNOVERS. The Bucks have the guys to get steals, and put pressure on other teams.

* Play Together. The Bucks do not have a go to guy. They must play as a team, and work together.

* Luck?

The Bucks open Friday at Philadelphia 6:00 Central time. Delfino will be out the first game due to a suspension. Lets hope they can get off to a good start.