Early September is usually when basketball takes a backseat to football. Here at The Hoops Manifesto, the hardwood bests the grid iron. In the past Missner’s Manifestoes, I’ve looked into the depressing future, so maybe it is time to look into the depressing past. I have been listening to Red Rock Fantasy Basketball Podcast. Aussie Josh Lloyd has been doing comprehensive team previews with a variety of basketball fans and writers. While the podcasts tend to be a little dry (depending on the guest), Lloyd finishes each show by asking the guest who is their favorite current player on the team, and who is their favorite player of all time. I began to think of my favorite Milwaukee Buck of all time. There were so many that I decided to make a list! Apologies to Tyrone Hill, Paul Mokeski, and Randy Breuer, who came up as honorable mention. By the way, my two least favorite Bucks will always be Tim Thomas and Mo Williams. Let’s start at the bottom and work our way up.
In 1997-98 while going to library school at UW-Milwaukee, I bought a 10-pack of tickets. I saw a lot of interesting players, including Ray Allen as a rookie, the aforementioned Hill, and Terrell Brandon. My favorite player among this team was Honeycutt, a second round pick from Tulane. I watched the 6-9, 245 lb power forward in shootaround and became convinced that he would be terrific if he ever got a chance. He never got a chance and I learned that being able to do amazing things in shootaround means diddily poo. Honeycutt did have back-to-back 20-point games in April as the Bucks were playing out the string. The following season he was traded to Philadelphia with Hill for Thomas (yech) and never heard from again.
CHICAGO, IL – DECEMBER 28: Andrew Bogut #6 of the Milwaukee Bucks waits for a member of the Chicago Bulls to shoot a free-throw at the United Center on December 28, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois. The Bulls defeated the Bucks 90-77. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
While Bogut never had the transformational impact of a number one pick, he was a very solid Buck before injuries ruined his effectiveness. Prior to the 2005 draft, I actually advocated the Bucks to take Marvin Williams on the belief that he had superstar potential. That didn’t work out. Neither did the fact that the Bucks passed up Chris Paul because they had T.J. Ford. Bogut topped out in 2009-10 with 15.9 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks for a team that won 46 games under Scott Skiles. I was sad when Milwaukee shipped Bogut to Golden State for Monta Ellis, and was even sadder when Bogut became a thug with diminished skills. Maybe he was always a thug, but he was my thug.
When the Bucks drafted Bogut, they had two centers on the roster: Pachulia and Dan Gadzuric. They had signed Pachulia off of the Magic roster after the battling Georgian had one big game against them in 2003-04. That was a Larry Harris special. Harris, then the GM, thought Pachulia and Bogut were too similar, so they held onto Gadzuric with a ridiculous contract. Zaza would help the Hawks reach the playoffs in four straight seasons and even averaged 12.2 points and 6.9 rebounds in 2005-06. To my shock, he returned to Milwaukee in 2013 and started 98 games before getting traded in the offseason to Dallas. I wish the Bucks could have kept him, but his slot was filled by Greg Monroe. Good luck with the Mavs, Zaza!
I spent my formative years with Pressey, the league’s first point forward. While I am sure there were plenty of frontcourt players who could pass, Pressey was the first designated as such. The Bucks had talented shooters such as Sidney Moncrief, Ricky Pierce, and Craig Hodges in the backcourt, but none of them was a natural passer. Coach Don Nelson made lemonade by using the 6-5 swingman to facilitate the offense. He averaged 6.6 assists or more for five straight seasons. Pressey was never a good outside shooter, but he could glide to the basket. It may have been the late 80s Buck teams that led by to eventually write this.
1992: Eric Murdock of the Milwaukee Bucks dribbles the ball around the perimeter during a game. Mandatory Credit: Layne Murdoch /Allsport
The 1991 Big East tournament happened to coincide with spring break at university, so I watched almost the entire tournament. Murdock was sensational as the Friars upended St. John’s and did his damnedest against Georgetown. I was enthralled by the 6-1 guard and was over the moon when the Bucks suckered the Jazz into trading him with Blue Edwards for Jay Humphries and Larry Krystkowiak. Murdock was great for Milwaukee for three seasons in which he averaged at least 13.0 points and 6.4 assists. Then the Bucks brought in Sherman Douglas and Lee Mayberry, so Murdock was sent to Vancouver for Benoit Benjamin, the Joe Barry Carroll of his era.
In high school and college, I was big on posters. I had plenty of posters from the ’85 Bears, but I also had plenty of Bucks posters, including Moncrief. While Pressey was a passing forward, Moncrief was a rebounding, scoring guard. He was the best player on a team that won more than 50 games for seven straight seasons. Moncrief averaged at least 20 points in four of those seasons and was a five-time All-Star. Like Pressey, he wasn’t much of an outside shooter, but used strength and skill to score within the arc (which wasn’t used extensively like it is today). He won Defensive Player of the Year in consecutive season and was emblematic of the excellence in Milwaukee under Nelson.
Conlon was a three-year teammate of Murdock and only spent two seasons in Milwaukee, but he quickly became a personal hero for his Howdy Doody looks. He actually bounced around the league and played with eight teams, including the expansion Hornets and Heat. It may go without saying that Basketball Reference indicates that his best comp is Mark Madsen. Conlon was on the Bucks from 1994 to 1996 and played in 156 games. He averaged 9.9 points and 5.2 rebounds in 1994-95, but I liked him because he was funny looking.
When I was growing up, it was important to me that Winters’ birthday was the same as mine. The 6-4 guard became the main player that the Bucks got in return for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in addition to Junior Bridgeman and Dave Meyers. Maybe that trade didn’t work out so well for Milwaukee. Winters would go on to be a two-time All-Star who specialized in outside shooting before there was a 3-point arc. He averaged at least 18.2 points for the Bucks over four seasons and would spend his final eight seasons as a Buck. I liked his beard.
I was more excited about the Robinson draft pick more than any other. For years after, I disliked Grant Hill and Jason Kidd because they dared to take the Big Dog’s Rookie of the Year trophy. While Robinson did not live up to the hype as a pro, he was one of the most dominant players in recent college history. It seems somewhat unbelievable that he averaged 30.3 points and 10.1 boards as a junior at Purdue. Robinson’s loose handle caused him to be a turnover machine in the pros. When the Big Dog got the ball in the mid-range and he didn’t think about things, he was automatic. Robinson did average at least 20 points in seven of his eight seasons in Milwaukee, but he was another top pick who was not transformational.
I am not sure how it happened, but in the original NBA Jams the Bucks were represented by Blue Edwards and Lohaus. Boom shakalaka, Lohaus! Like Conlon, Lohaus made his way around the NBA and played for seven different teams, but he had his best seasons for the Bucks. Lohaus averaged 10.0 points for the 1989-90 Bucks in his career year. To my mind, there would be no Dirk Nowitzki without Lohaus opening the possibility of a tall, perimeter guy. Despite standing 6-11, Lohaus only averaged as many as five boards once in his career. I mirrored his inability to board. Bucks may come and go, but no one will ever replace Lohaus as my favorite.
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