2008 Milwaukee Bucks

Apparently the Milwaukee Bucks last place finish in the Central Division in the 2007-08 season, their 4th in a row, meant it was time to do some major restructuring of the team. GM Larry Harris has been replaced with John Hammond (former VP of basketball operations for the Detroit Pistons) and head coach Larry Krystkowiak was replaced with Scott Skiles (former head coach for the Chicago Bulls). And, it wasn’t just the management that changed – five players from last season won’t return, including Yi Jianlian, Mo Williams and Bobby Simmons, and 8 new players have been added, most notably Richard Jefferson from the New Jersey Nets. Skiles has built a reputation for himself as a somewhat combative coach, but he brings with him a proven record of turning failing teams around quickly. Whether or not he can do that with Milwaukee remains to be seen, and much will depend on how Skiles jibes with team captain and recent gold medalist Michael Redd. The Bucks are starting out the 2008-09 season as a completely different team, but will that bring them the success they’re looking for? The best way to find out is to see it all in person with tickets to the Bradley Center from Coast to Coast!

Basketball came to Milwaukee in 1955 with the NBA's Milwaukee Hawks. After just four years of sparse support, the team fled to St. Louis. In 1968, basketball returned to Milwaukee by way of the Milwaukee Bucks. They entered the NBA much like many expansion teams, but they discovered success very differently. For the Milwaukee Bucks, success came with the flip of a coin. A simple coin toss secured the franchise one of basketball's all-time greats, Lew Alcindor, who became Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. With Kareem playing center and superstar guard Oscar Robinson handling the ball, not only were tickets tough to get, the Bucks were able to win their first NBA title just three years after joining the league.

By 1975, times were changing in Milwaukee. The team said goodbye to Oscar Robinson, one of the league's greatest guards, as he hung up his sneakers in retirement. That season also saw Kareem traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. In his six seasons in Milwaukee, Abdul-Jabbar went to six all-star games, won Rookie of the Year honors, and won three MVP awards. His loss would rock the team to its very core. The Bucks have not won an NBA championship since his departure. Kareem went on to lead the Lakers to five more NBA titles before he retired.

Despite losing Abdul-Jabbar, the Bucks managed to stay competitive in the late 1970s and 1980s. They were playoff contenders every year and fared well in the Eastern Conference. The team fell on tough times, however, in the 1990s. The Bucks posted twelve straight winning records and twelve straight playoff appearances up until the 1991-1992 season. The Bucks then saw a streak of seven seasons below .500, never winning more that 36 games in a season. In 1998, the Bucks hired head coach George Karl. In his years in Seattle, Karl never once failed to make the playoffs. Milwaukee hoped that he would bring that streak with him, and he did. The duo of Ray Allen and Glenn Robinson would lead the Bucks for several years. In 2002, the face of the franchise changed dramatically as the team dealt away both Robinson and Allen.

In 2003, the Bucks hired head coach Terry Porter to run the young team. In that year's draft, the Bucks selected College Player of the Year T.J. Ford in the first round. Ford enjoyed much success in his inaugural season as one of the league's best assist men.

The Bucks play in Milwaukee, Wisconsin's Bradley Center. The center is also the home of the American Hockey League's Milwaukee Admirals and the Marquette Golden Eagle's basketball team. Miller Park is the home of Major League Baseball's Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers have struggled in the National League's Central Division for years behind the St. Louis Cardinals, the Chicago Cubs, and the Houston Astros.