Fear The Deer -- Milwaukee Bucks Dynasty
 

Re: Fear The Deer -- Milwaukee Bucks Dynasty
 

Re: Fear The Deer -- Milwaukee Bucks Dynasty
 

Re: Fear The Deer -- Milwaukee Bucks Dynasty
 

Re: Fear The Deer -- Milwaukee Bucks Dynasty
 

Re: Fear The Deer -- Milwaukee Bucks Dynasty
 

<img src="http://media.operationsports.com/shots/400/31472.jpg" align="right" width="300">After putting together a franchise-worst record in 2013-14, it's cliche to say that things can only get better for the Milwaukee Bucks when 2014-15 tips off.

But, despite the 15-67 record the team turned in a season ago, that's exactly the mentality needed to turn things around. And with an abundance of young talent, it's not unreasonable to think brighter days are right around the corner.

2013-14 season in 140 characters or less:

Is it over yet?

Did the summer help at all?

Outside of the Kidd fiasco, Milwaukee’s new owners managed to avoid the usual big-splash panic moves that generally follow the sale of an NBA team, holding onto their pricier tradable contracts, avoiding another Mayo-like signing and adding a first-round pick from the Clippers, all while drafting Parker, watching the Greek Freak do Greek Freakish things on an international stage, getting Mayo and Knight to work out together in Miami and letting Sanders recover from thumb and orbital socket injuries. And even Kidd isn’t such a bad addition. Opponents won’t exactly fear the dear, but yeah, the Bucks are a little bit better, now and later, so long as they mind their assets and don’t settle for the middle.

Glaring weakness:

Along with pushing two 19-year-olds as the faces of your franchise comes a leadership void. Both Knight and Sanders professed their prowess in that regard at media day, but they boast the same combined number of career playoff victories as Laverne & Shirley. While the additions of Dudley and Bayless — a pair of stable locker room presences off the bench — should help the Bucks avoid a complete repeat implosion, this remains a young roster devoid of a commanding NBA voice, and that includes Kidd.

Contributor with something to prove:

Sandwiching an alleged bar fight and a sneakily served marijuana suspension around an injury-plagued dud of a first season after signing a four-year, $44 million extension, Sanders begins 2014-15 with a fresh slate. If the 6-foot-11 Sanders can return to the form that warranted enough votes to finish third on the NBA’s Most Improved Player ballot and seventh in the Defensive Player of the Year race in 2013, he’ll reestablish himself as either a building block for the Bucks or some awful big trade bait (cue Cavaliers chatter) — both of which would be welcome news for the future of both Milwaukee and Sanders.

Potential breakout stud:

As much as I’d like to argue Knight is primed for a breakout season, few players have warranted hysterical hype this summer quite like Antetokounmpo and his raw athleticism. Still growing at 6-foot-10, capable of covering three quarters of the court in two dribbles and floating buzzer-beating 3-pointers like it ain’t no thing — not to mention he’s plying his point guard skills under one Gary Payton — he’s indeed the freakiest of Greeks. Now, if he can just produce numbers better than his 51.8 true shooting and 1.2 assist-to-turnover ratio as a rookie, then he could really be something.

Best-case scenario:

It would require Greek Freak-like leaps from Knight, Parker and Antetokounmpo as well as a return to form from Sanders, Mayo and Ilyasova — and the health of all involved — but there's at least the possibility the Bucks can rise to the middle this year, particularly in a top-loaded Eastern Conference.

If everything falls apart:

If Sanders finds trouble at another Milwaukee brewpub, if Mayo puts down a few too many bratwursts, if Giannis remains as raw as his arms are long, if Knight still can't quite find his NBA way and if Parker doesn't fulfill his considerable promise as a rookie — all ifs that aren’t out of the realm of possibility, either — then the Bucks will find themselves right back where they started the season, at the bottom looking up, but with another high lottery pick waiting in the wings. And that's not such a bad thing.

Record Prediction:

Milwaukee will finish at 24-58, last in the Central Division.

Re: Fear The Deer -- Milwaukee Bucks Dynasty
 

Following. Do work with Giannis and Jabari.

Re: Fear The Deer -- Milwaukee Bucks Dynasty
 

Charlotte, NC -- The Milwaukee Bucks faced off against the Charlotte Hornets to kick off the 2014-15 NBA season tonight in the Hornet's Time Warner Cable Arena. In a packed house, Kemba Walker and Al Jefferson looked ready for battle.

The Bobcats started the game off with a deep 3 from Lance Stephenson, who played a decent game scoring 11, grabbing 9 boards and dishing out 4 assists. The downside to his play tonight was poor shooting (4-19). The 3-0 lead would be the Hornet's one and only lead in the game.

Milwaukee put together a nice run as the duo or Brandon Knight and OJ Mayo proved too much for the Hornets to handle in the first half. The Bucks largest lead of the game would be as high as 18.

We saw great team play out of the Bucks as they had six players in double figures. Parker and Sanders dominated the paint with 23 points and 25 rebounds between the two.

All-in-all, Milwaukee controlled this game from start to finish. It was refreshing for Bucks fans to witness great team basketball and fluidity in the offense.

The Bucks head home to take on Tony Wroten and the Philadelphia 76ers who started their season on a rough note with a 64-101 loss to the Pacers. Tune in Friday, October 31st to see the Bucks attempt to start the season 2-0.