How The Bucks Can Get Better Than The 8th Seed---In 2013

The Milwaukee Bucks right now stand at 28-30 and it doesn't look like they are getting into the playoffs this year. It is a little disheartening to a lot of Bucks fans with all the hype with the ever so talented, newly acquired Monta Ellis. The good news is that since Monta's debut, Milwaukee is 9-6 and in the month of April have started off pretty good with a 4-2 record. This does look promising and the future is looking bright in Milwaukee with the now lightening fast backcourt duo of Brandon Jennings and Monta. Unfortunately for Bucks fans the future isn't now or this year's playoffs. You will have to wait for next year to see them in the playoffs.

I've been letting people know and understand that the Milwaukee Bucks and Monta Ellis are in an integration period. Some games they look really confused on what is going on. It seems Ellis can and wants to take over the game and put up 30 points when he's hot. By all means if you feel it and it is working go for it! It's just not the way the offense is designed at the moment, having an all-star, and Ellis wants to be a team player. He does look for the pass and sets up plenty scoring opportunities for his teammates. At one point in late March they had a four game 30+ assist streak. That is an incredible feat for a team that ranked 27th last season. When the ball is in Monta's hands things will happen, he needs to made the dominant 1 position. This brings me to my next point.

As I agreed with Rob Schimke (Bleacher Report), Brandon Jennings is a shooting guard, he only averages 5.5 assists a game and has a shoot first mentality. Ellis isn't too far off (6.0 APG) but is more willing to pass around and get points however way possible. Let Ellis be the one and Jennings the two and the Bucks scoring problems will diminish. When the Bucks are hot and scoring they get on fire, and these two need to get a feel how each other play. After a year together and Skiles, or a new coach, restructuring the gameplan to actually play his players strengths.

Scott Skiles

Coaching is the main issue with the Bucks. We've seen that it is possible for the Bucks to win and at least compete against better teams but there is no consistency. When it comes to the game you don't know how players' minutes will be distributed. Jennings being benched until the final minutes of a game, what seems to be random minutes from the bench, are issues with this team. Skiles needs a gameplan that's set so the play is more organized on the court. How can someone off the bench be consistent if they play five minutes one game and twenty another? Skiles needs a plan, his defense can work but the players look lost at times, and have shown frustration on the court and in their play.

The final piece of getting the Bucks into the post-season next year and beyond the 7th or 8th seed is this years NBA draft. Where is the big man? Andrew Bogut was the only real center on the roster and was part of the trade that brought Ellis here. The Bucks have plenty of PFs to go around but they need a true presence under the rim. In Maxwell Ogden's article, http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1135982-2012-nba-draft-milwaukee-bucks-realistic-draft-targets/page/2 , he explains the most realistic picks for the Bucks. I believe we will draft either Cody Zeller from the Indiana Hoosiers or Jared Sullinger from Ohio State. Cody Zeller brings such hustle, discipline, and work ethic which is what the Bucks need on the court. They need to feed off that energy. If they decide to go with Sullinger he'll bring a big physical body on the floor. The Bucks lack in the rebounding category and this 6'9 220lb. man can help fix that. Getting more rebounds will bring more touches to Jennings and Ellis which will bring more points. The Bucks need that big defensive physical threat to take the ball and give it to the strength and future of the team.

In closing, The Bucks need Skiles, or anyone that may takeover for this team, to coach and plan to each players strengths. Switching positions for the guards is number one and will see an immediate offensive impact.We now know they can score and move the ball around so the goal is to get that backcourt the ball. A simple draft selection of a true big man, a team player willing to compete can solve that issue. All the kinks will be out the way and Ellis and everyone will have a feel of what is going on. Ellis will be more comfortable taking the game to his level when needed and it won't be frowned upon by Milwaukee or their fans.

Brewers Shutout Cardinals--Bats Open Up

Spring, warm weather, and baseball are all finally here. The Milwaukee Brewers opening day was Friday and so far what I expected from the beginning of the season is happening. Corey Hart is off to a hot start, Greinke continues his dominance, Braun is going to be awkward for a bit, Aramis isn't comfortable yet, and the Brew Crew still is having troubles against the Cards. Milwaukee ends the weekend and the first home series against the Cardinals at 1-2. Quick predictions are that Hart stays hot until June, Greinke is Greinke, Braun returns to full form by the end of April/beginning of May and Aramis gets comfortable and gets on pace for his usual 30 HR 100 RBI season. Last thing is Yo is nothing to worry about, he'll still have a great season.

Now a positive note, lets talk about that Brewers win on Saturday.Greinke continued his undefeated streak at home for the Brewers. He was off to a great start striking out three batters in the first two innings. He didn't slow down and finished the game with seven strikeouts in seven innings and only allowing four hits. A much needed fantastic outing by a Brewers pitcher. After that Friday loss, they needed a bounce back win and show how strong their starting rotation is. Roenicke, not seeing a reason to risk Greinke this early in the season, pulled the ace out in the seventh and allowed Rodriquez and Veras to close out the game and give Greinke himself and the team their first win of the season. 

Courtesy of Yahoo Sports
Corey Hart

Greinke led the shutout but Brewers' bats finally started to show life.Right fielder Corey Hart blasted a home run to left field in the second inning putting the Brewers up nice and early. A few innings later a series of hits brought in a few more RBIs for the Brewers. Aramis finally showed why Melvin brought him in with a huge double a big double that brought in Weeks. Hart hit his second HR of the day to bring in Aramis.Not long after in the eighth Weeks hit a solo shot in left center and Gomez doubled to bring in Braun. Braun hit two doubles after going 0 for 5 on Friday. This brought much relief to Brewers fans I'm sure.

With solid defense and an excellent show by Greinke the Brewers shutout the Cardinals 6-0. Greinke will continue to have much success this year and lead the Brewers to a Division Championship. The bats are opening up for the Brewers and fans need to relax and enjoy another great season of MLB.

Raiders Mock Draft----Who They Should Draft

The 2012 NFL draft is right around the corner, and I'm going to tell you who the Oakland Raiders should draft to help them reload for the upcoming season.

Round 3--Overall Pick 95
Mike Martin--DT--Michigan


Mike Martin would be a great pick for the Oakland Raiders for their first pick. At 6'1" and fluctuating at 300 lbs. Martin is an extremely athletic defensive tackle.Martin as a true Freshman was thrown into the starting role at the University of Michigan. He ended the season as a freshman all-american and led all Michigan freshman with 20 tackles.He continued to dominate for the Wolverines on and off the field.In the weight room, according to ESPN.com, he benched 505 lbs.and had a 700 lb. squat even after a shoulder surgery. He is a freak athlete and will provide depth at first and be potential monster in between a potentially great defensive end duo.He ran a 4.88 40 yard dash and has great explosiveness. He'll bring overall balance in the middle to help Shaughnessy and Houston get around the edges. He can definitely handle the workload, as he played a little under 700 plays last season. He was right around 60 snaps a game, a much more athletic BJ Raji in that aspect.Overall this is a great pick up for the Raiders and potentially help the Raiders for a few seasons.

Round 4--Overall Pick 129
Nate Potter--OT--Boise State

Potter will possible be around for Oakland to pick him up in the 4th round. He is a bit undersized and lacks some strength but relies on quickness, technique, and taking great angles on his blocks. With some experience and around the NFL vets in Oakland he will provide good depth on the offensive line. He's perfect (physically) for the zone blocking scheme that Oakland is implementing this year. He should pick up on it quickly and be ready to sub in whenever he's needed. He was the focal point of an offensive line that only allowed .67 sacks a game (tied for first nationally and was voted 2011 All Mountain West First Team after his dominate senior season. He's a great quality pick, not a must need but you can never have too many good offensive linemen on your team.

Round 5--Overall Pick 148
DeQuan Menzie--CB--Alabama


With Cassel, Rivers, and now Manning in the AFC West, the Oakland Raiders need a pass rush and quality defensive backs. They've been covering both in free agency but what about one player who can do both? Oakland needs one of their young corners to step up and hopefully drafting another will do so. They have the veterans who can start right now to help develop and help the 'reload' not 'rebuild' process. By drafting Menzie you are getting a solid cornerback who was the starting number two at Alabama. According to scouts he does lack some of the abilities he would need to be in man on man coverage against elite receivers.I am ok with this. I like him in the slot, where he has played in college, doing a little more zone which would be his strength in coverage. Alabama loved blitzing him off the edge which would be great against the very good tier of quarterbacks in the West. DeQuan is very strong and will help bump the slots off their routes but can help the run game as well. In the open field he may struggle but expect tackles for loss from him.They'll use him mainly on blitzes to throw off the qbs as well as nickel and dime situations. He's not the greatest CB but as all-around skills for a corner that are just enough to have a role on this team. A solid and versatile pick.If he isn't playing corner he can play safety (most recentyly at the Senior Bowl) and is willing to play there full time if it benefits the team. I like this pick because no matter where in the secondary, Menzie will provide depth right away.

Round 5--Overall Pick 168
Brett Roy--DT--Nevada


Brett Roy is one of my favorite players in this draft and absolutely is my favorite sleeper pick.He's a workhorse, constantly wanting (and catching) the ball carrier. With a 4.86 40 yard dash at around 270 lbs he's very athletic for a defensive tackle. Some will say he's undersized to be an NFL DT and that's ok.There are other options for him in the NFL. He participated in defensive end and outside linebacker drills for scouts this year. His athleticism showed during the drills with his great quickness and foot speed but he would need to work on that some more if he were to move to a full-time OLB.He's showed that he has the intelligence to learn the game inside and outside with both the run stopping and pass rushing skills. He didn't start until his junior year but amassed 50 tackles and 8 sacks. In his senior season he was named to the All-Western Athletic Conference First Team. He had 66 tackles and 10 sacks that year. Really the only weaknesses I can find and scouts have seen is the lack of size. He has the explosiveness to get off the ball but when it's a running play he can be blown back at times. I still really like him being drafted by Oakland (since they have scouted him now) and moving him around. He's too smart and athletic to pass up. This man needs to be on Allen's defense.

Round 6--Overall Pick 189
Russell Wilson--QB--Wisconsin


Now the Raiders need someone to groom for the future. Carson is a good now quarterback and maybe in the 2013-14 season we can see him leading the Raiders back into the playoffs. I don't know if Pryor is the answer for the future, great athlete but just can't see him as the field general the Raiders need. Wilson is yes short, but too short? (Please see Barry Sanders and Drew Brees) Big name comparisons,yes, but you get the point. Some boards have him going 3-4 round some have him sliding out of the draft, if he is here you have to take him. I have seen almost every game of his at Wisconsin and this man wants to win. He is extremely accurate even on the run.He was more accurate than projected 1st overall pick Andrew Luck with a 191.78 QB rating (22 points more than Luck). On Wilson's pro day:

"For him to come out there and make over 60 throws and only miss a couple - and the ones he missed were good throws - proved that not only does he have the arm strength, but he's got great feet and his accuracy is impeccable."
--Chris Weinke, director of IMG Madden Football Academy in Bradenton, Fla


Wilson is a great steal for the Raiders and will open up the offense even more with the fantastic athletes the Raiders' offense already has. Roy and Wilson are my top two sleeper picks in this year's NFL draft and it's possible for the Raiders to pick both of them up.

Well those are my draft predictions for the 2012 NFL Draft for the Oakland Raiders. By adding these players you will receive great depth and possibly a few future starters. If Wilson does slide up the draft board it would be difficult to find someone later in the draft. I would take Wilson and Roy in the fifth round and find a sleeper corner later. Right now though as it stands this would be a positive draft for the Raiders and cover needs for the now and future.