Bogut Released by the Lakers

Expected to be signed by a playoff-bound team

The Los Angeles Lakers have just lost their 9-straight game after beating the Houston Rockets. After sticking around within the top 10 in the Western Conference for most of the current season, the no-longer mighty Lakers have stumbled to the bottom of the West as they currently hold an 11-27 record. While injuries to Lonzo Ball and other players plus the Julius Randle problem have led to this struggle of the Purple and Gold, their inconsistencies on both ends of the court are to be blamed why the Lakers are this bad.

The Lakers have also become known as a team who makes bad signings, something that they have done so consistently during the past few seasons. And it appears that they haven’t learned anything at all.

Andrew Bogut is believed by many as one of the greatest players Australia has ever produced. After all, he was picked by the Milwaukee Bucks as the top pick back in 2005. But he hadn’t made a crack this season with the Lakers this season as he only averaged 1.5 points and 3.3 rebounds per game in 24 games which included 5 starts. Bogut was signed by the Lakers believing that Bogut could bring some veteran presence to a young core. And now, they are finalizing things out to release him.

What’s next for Andrew Bogut?

For a player of Andrew Bogut’s caliber who has been averaging 9 points and 8 rebounds per game throughout his career, it will not be difficult for him to get signed by a potentially-playoff bound team. Teams like the Boston Celtics, the San Antonio Spurs and the Cleveland Cavaliers could utilize Bogut’s defensive skills on top of being one of league’s best passing big men. 

But of course, Bogut could make a return to the Bucks to play alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and Eric Bledsoe. After all, the Bucks are in deep need of a big man as they have been losing tons of games ever since they played the “Barney song” against the Toronto Raptors. Who knows? Bogut might be the answer to the Bucks’ losing streak. 

Conclusion

While there’s no doubt that Bogut will choose to sign with a championship-contending team, there’s also a big risk. After all, Bogut’s career has been mired with injuries. While there’s no denying that Bogut remains as one of the league’s defensive-minded big men, signing him is definitely a big gamble for any team. But then, who knows? 

DeAndre Jordan to the Bucks: How DJ Could Make Milwaukee a Contender?

The Bucks need a legitimate center to back up the Greek Freak and Eric Bledsoe

Giannis Antetokounmpo will benefit the most if DeAndre Jordan goes to Milwaukee. 

With the talents that DeAndre Jordan has, his rebounding abilities plus his defensive expertise, it shouldn’t be a surprise if many teams, especially from the Eastern Conference, are trying to acquire Jordan via a trade. 

You see, a center of DJ’s caliber is now a rare thing in this league that is now dominated by guards. While we have seen multiple players who can play the center position, the true strength of a good team lies behind how strong its frontline is- particularly the one who is playing the center position because that guy will be the team’s anchor on defense.

DeAndre Jordan has been among the players who are likely to be traded this season. Why? With the Los Angeles Clippers miserably struggling this season as evident by their 9-15 record, plus the mere fact that 4 of their starters have been down for quite some time now due to injuries, trading away Jordan who is averaging 10 points and 14 rebounds per game, seems like the best choice the Clippers have as of the moment if they are to salvage what is left of this ugly season. 

The question is: which team will benefit if they acquire DeAndre Jordan?

The truth is, any team will benefit from getting DeAndre Jordan’s services and among those teams is the Milwaukee Bucks- a team that is interested in getting DJ- according to reports. Now, to get DeAndre Jordan, the Bucks can send John Henson, Malcolm Brogdon, and Khris Middleton in exchange for DJ. Why? The Clippers are rumored to be interested in acquiring at least TWO of the mentioned players.

Now, assuming that this trade will materialize, this deal will enable the Bucks to become a stronger team than they were during early stages of the season. Rebounding-wise, they will become a better rebounding team because aside from Giannis Antetokounmpo who is currently leading the team with 10 rebounds per game, DJ’s rebounding numbers will be a big boost for the Bucks. This alone will make the Bucks a better team overall.

Conclusion

While there’s no assurance as of now that this trade will happen anytime soon, we can be assured that there will be more teams who will become interested in DeAndre Jordan’s services. After all, he’s among the league’s elite centers. 

By the Numbers: Bucks Win in Bledsoe’s Debut

Having Bledsoe around makes life easier especially for Giannis Antetokuonmpo

Giannis Antetokuonmpo had another stellar performance against an elite team in the West.

After starting the season with an impressive record, the Milwaukee Bucks stumbled anew as they dropped 4 straight games. Fortunately, Eric Bledsoe, who was traded from the Phoenix Suns, made life brighter and easier for the Bucks despite not participating in any of the Bucks’ practices right after the deal aside from the morning shootaround heading into their game against the San Antonio Spurs.

In a game that was relatively close all throughout, the Milwaukee Bucks came out victorious as they beat the inconsistent San Antonio Spurs, 94-87- thanks to another MVP-like performance from the Greek Freak and a stellar performance from the Bucks’ newest point guard, Eric Bledsoe.

As mentioned, the game between the Spurs and Bucks was close but below are the numbers that won the game for the Bucks:

58 Rebounds

Now, the Bucks are only averaging 38 rebounds per game heading into the game against the Spurs- and they are 38th in the league in rebounds. Against San Antonio who is 9th in the league with 45 rebounds per game, the Bucks grabbed 58 rebounds- 11 of those came from the offensive ends. Aside from his 28 points to lead all scorers, Giannis Antetokuonmpo also grabbed 12 rebounds. Now that’s all-around performance, folks.

https://lap.lazada.com/banner/dynamic.php?banner_id=59f0ad8bbc320&theme=2&p=3

The Bledsoe Effect

Make no mistake, folks. Eric Bledsoe is still among the exciting guards we have in the NBA where everyone was talking about Steph Curry, Russell Westbrook, Kyrie Irving, among others. In his much-awaited debut for the Bucks, Bledsoe scored 13 points and dished out 7 assists in 29 minutes of action. With Bledsoe at the point guard position, the Bucks just earned a dynamic duo which includes Bledsoe and the Greek Freak. The future looks brighter for these Bucks, right?

Aggressiveness: Worked Both Ways

Like it or not, the Bucks were the more aggressive team last night as they pounded on the points especially in the shaded area where they were able to outscore the Spurs, 52-44. Also, the wards of Coach Jason Kidd were able to run on the break, outscoring San Antonio, 19-8 in fastbreak points. Aside from attacking the inside defense of the Spurs which allowed the Bucks to get 13 fouls, it was Milwaukee’s aggressive defense that made the difference. The Bucks had 7 blocks- 4 from Antetokuonmpo alone. 

Conclusion

Eric Bledsoe’s numbers during his Milwaukee debut may be a small thing but give him and Giannis Antetokuonmpo time to blend in, they might become the next best 1-2 punch not just in the East but, in the entire NBA. 

By the Numbers: The Greek Freak’s Numbers are Freakingly Awesome

Don’t get surprised if he will be included in the top candidates for this season’s MVP

The Greek Freak is already seasoned to become one of the dominant players in the NBA. 

In February of this year, Giannis Antetokunmpo made his debut in the All-Star Game as he started for the East All-Stars, the first Milwaukee Buck to enter the All-Star Game since Micheal Redd did it in 2004. Then, he was named as one of the members of the All-NBA Second Team for the 2016-2017 season which saw Antetokunmpo averaged 22 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, a steal and 2 blocks. 

Ever since the All-Star Game, this basketball pundit on wheels has been saying that the Greek Freak will achieve greater heights this season and beyond and, this basketball pundit is right, at least by looking at the numbers. 

The numbers? Oh yes, folks, if you want to freak yourselves out, then take a look at the numbers below:

https://lap.lazada.com/banner/dynamic.php?banner_id=59eff149d7c83&theme=2&p=3

36 Points per Game

4 games into the new season Giannis Antetokunmpo has been literally and figuratively tearing it off on offense as he has been norming 36 points a night in those 4 games which include a 37-point performance in the Bucks’ opening night win against the Boston Celtics. He then scored 44 points against the Portland Trail Blazers but it was his block at the end that sealed the win. Giannis Antetokunmpo is the league’s leading scorer, folks, and second among small forwards in field goal shooting with 65%. No wonder why the Bucks are 3-1 at the very moment.

10 Rebounds per Game

This is another leap from what Antetokunmpo did last season. Even though he is not the leading rebounder among all players just yet, his 10 boards per outing in those 4 games is enough to put the Greek Freak on the top two of the leaderboard among all small forwards. Overall, Antetokunmpo already had 43 rebounds in just 4 games- the first player to grab that many rebounds.

5 Assists per Game

One reason why Antetokunmpo may be the next thing in the NBA after LeBron James and Kevin Durant is his passing ability. Even though he is not a flashy passer as Lonzo Ball, Russell Westbrook or even Stephen Curry, don’t count the Greek Freak’s passing game just yet. In fact, he is only second to LeBron James among small forwards in assists per game, dishing 5 dimes per night. But his 21 assists combined from those 4 games? That’s entirely something else.

2 Steals and a Block: A Complete Game

If you still think that Giannis Antetokunmpo is merely an offensive player, then you haven’t seen him play at all. He is averaging 2 steals and a block per game- ranking himself 3rd among all small forwards in both categories. If these defense-related numbers don’t freak you out, then nothing will.

Conclusion

Kobe Bryant challenged Giannis Antetokunmpo to win the MVP this season and if we are to look at the numbers, don’t be surprised. Giannis Antetokunmpo is taking the Black Mamba’s challenge seriously and his numbers don’t lie either. 

MVP or not, the Greek Freak will wreak havoc this season and the rest of the NBA should watch out. 

MILWAUKEE BUCKS Put an END to Golden State’s Run! 108-95!

Yes. Ladies and gentlemen you are not mistaken. The struggling Bucks found a way for the entire league to feel the force as they beat a team that has been invisible from the start of the season. The Bucks led from the start but got beaten on the 3rd quarter but came bouncing back to seal the victory making them the team to beat the rampage of the Warriors. 

It was a collective effort but we can give the credit to Giannis Antetokounmpo. He gave them his first triple double. 11 pts, 12 rebs, and 10 assist might as well add in 2 blocks and a nightmare to Klay Thompson who only scored 12 points with a 4-14 shooting from the field. 

Monroe also displayed how to exhaust the small line up of the Warriors. He is too big for Draymond Green. Monroe scored 28 pts, collected 11 rebounds and 5 assists. Curry led the Warriors with 28pts, 7 rebs and 5 assists. The Warriors looked conquerable even before this game as they hardly escaped against the Celtics the other night. 

Will this win give boost to the Bucks? It should. We will see because right now they are 10-15. A poor start compared to last season. 

Will this loss be the light for other teams to pick apart the weakness of the Dubs? 

We are almost halfway there and we will all witness what is about to happen to both teams. So stay tuned @ powcast.net for your favorite basketball and other sports articles. 

Here is the epic highlight from NBAclip:

Written by:

Aldrin

Team Powcast

EuroBasket: Pau Gasol leads Spain past Greece

Chicago Bulls All-Star Pau Gasol scored 27 points and teammate Nikola Mirotic added 18 to book Spain’s place in the semifinals with a 73-71 victory over Greece.

Spain guard Sergio Rodriguez contributed three points from free throws down the stretch as the two teams stayed close together throughout the match.

Previously undefeated in six games, Greece had 12 points and 17 rebounds from Giannis Antetokounmpo, who also had a pair of late turnovers.

Spain has never finished lower than fourth in the past eight Eurobasket tournaments and won the title in 2009 and 2011, before finishing third in 2013.

“We managed the tempo for most of the game,” Spain coach Sergio Scariolo said. “I am very pleased with how we came back”