Bucks Defeat Kaman, Clippers

Milwaukee Bucks Win 107-89

The Milwaukee Bucks moved 1.5 games ahead of the Miami Heat for the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference with a win over the Clippers on Tuesday night. The Bucks were lead by Ersan Ilyasova who had 20 points and 8 rebounds off the bench.

NBA Rookie Of The Year candidate Brandon Jennings had 17 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists. Jennings may have fallen in the rookie award standings, but he is the only candidate who is in position to make the playoffs. I’m sure he wouldn’t trade places with potential winners Tyreke Evans or Stephen Curry.

Chris Kaman Scores 17 Points In Loss

Chris Kaman had his first double-double in a while with 17 points and 10 rebounds. It is the fifth game in a row that Kaman has had at least 9 rebounds. It is the only area of his play that hasn’t suffered over the last couple of months. His scoring has declined each of the last three months, possibly due to fatigue.

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Bucks Should Have Easy Game Tonight Vs Clippers

Milwaukee may have an easy game tonight against the Clippers, but maybe that should worry them. The Bucks are now only a game ahead of the Miami Heat for the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. That means they would face either the Boston Celtics or the Atlanta Hawks in the first round.

The problem is that if they win their opening round series, then they would get the team with the best record in the NBA in the second round. That of course would be Cleveland and it would most certainly spell doom for the Bucks.

If Milwaukee falls to the number six seed, where they would face either Boston or Atlanta, and they won that series; then they would most likely play Orlando in the second round. That still wouldn’t be a cakewalk, but at least they wouldn’t face Lebron James so early.

So maybe they should lose to the Los Angeles Clippers tonight. Perhaps they should let Chris Kaman run wild and throw together a 20 point, 10 rebound game.

That of course won’t happen. Baron Davis is out for the Clippers and even with him they are not a very good team right now. Plus the Bucks players need the momentum of playing well way more than they need to worry about playoff positioning. With one of the top rookies in the NBA (Brandon Jennings) running the show, these last few games are very important to build confidence.

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Marc Gasol Returns From Injury Against Bucks

Marc Gasol had missed five games due a neck strain. He returned on Sunday afternoon during a loss by the Memphis Grizzlies to the Milwaukee Bucks. Gasol ended up with 11 points, 6 rebounds and 5 blocks.

Gasol fouled out of the game and also committed 5 turnovers. The blocks were nice, but the rest of his numbers were a little disappointing for one of the best centers in the NBA.

It isn’t too surprising that he would have an off game after coming off an injury and it wouldn’t be shocking if he bounced back on Wednesday against Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks. Either way it is nice to see the Spaniard back in action for the Grizzlies.

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NBA Player Profile: Yi Jianlian

Yi Jianlian was the sixth player chosen in the 2007 NBA draft. He is currently considered a bust, but he has shown promise this season. At 22 years old he still has time to prove that the Milwaukee Bucks were wise in drafting him and that the New Jersey Nets were wise in trading for him.

Strengths: He has good shooting touch for a seven-footer and is very athletic. His free throw percentage is around 80 percent which is also very good for a guy his size. He has had stretches where he looks like a future star. He is still young and has time to develop.

Weaknesses: He has been very inconsistent so far in his career and has shown an inability to stay healthy. His rebounding is sub-par for a seven foot power forward, but then again he plays a lot on the perimeter. His shot selection is very questionable, which shows in his career field goal percentage (just over 40%).

Our Opinions

James: I’m really pulling for this guy. He has so much global appeal and means a lot to the growth of the NBA in China. I think that if he ever gets healthy that he could average twenty points a game and get close to double digit rebounding every night. I think he can become a poor man’s                     Dirk Nowitzki, though he does need to improve his post play.

George: Bust, bust, bust, bust, bust. How can you say it any other way. He is a streaky shooter who couldn’t tell a good shot from a bad one if they were labeled. James’ fascination for foreign players is the only reason Yi is even one of his favorite NBA players. He may be able to become a 15 point scorer in the league, but he was the sixth pick, he should be able to do better.

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