By Adam Roberts – 12/15/2020

While it’s still the presesason, the Milwaukee Bucks have a number of things to shore up before the start of the season. Poor three-point shooting and ball security were on display last night in the team’s 128-112 loss to Dallas at Fiserv Forum.

Giannis as usual led things with 24 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 assists, but also turned the ball over 3 times and was not great overall shooting. The Greek Freak finished 1-4 from 3, 1-7 at the line, and shot just over 50% overall. As a team, 3-point shots were not common, either; 12-33 from beyond the arc won’t win you many NBA basketball games. The only player to make more than two was new bench acquisition Bryn Forbes who went 3-4 from three and 4-5 from the field.

Conversely, the Mavericks were 22-46 from distance, with Luca Doncic hitting three long shots for nine of his 27 points.

“Ultimately, it was a good test tonight” head coach Mike Budenholzer said afterwards. “And we’ll have plenty of film to go over and use to improve.”

Which, at the end of the day, is what the preseason’s purpose really is: gathering film and reviewing problem points with players of all talent tiers.

Milwaukee wraps up the preseason Friday night against New Orleans.

By Adam Roberts – 12/10/2020

It’s fun to pretend sometimes. I think we all are taught that as kids, and sometimes even into adulthood, it can be fun to use your imagination and play out fantasy scenarios in our heads.

For instance, the idea of James Harden coming to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Earlier today, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that James Harden has added the Bucks and Miami Heat to his list of preferred trade destinations, along with the presumed favorites in Brooklyn, and the 76ers. This comes a day after Harden joined the Rockets for preseason practices, which he is currently not participating in while waiting for six straight negative COVID-19 tests.

This news also comes at a time when Bucks fans and media are apprehensive about Giannis Antetokoumnpo’s long-term future in Milwaukee, due in part to his non-committal statements yesterday when asked about his super max. Currently, the Bucks are hoping Jrue Holiday will provide an extra spark to the Giannis-Khris Middleton duo, but some on Twitter especially have wondered aloud about the idea of the Giannis-Harden duo.

Personally, there’s just to much personality that accompanies Harden for me to ever see that working out in Milwaukee, not to mention that at the first sign of things heading south he will probably want out immediately. Still, it’s fun to play out all the different scenarios, and until Giannis signs that super max, pretty much anything is on the table for discussion.

By Adam Roberts – 12/10/2020

In a nice bounce back from a less-than-stellar performance against Marquette, Brad Davison posted 23 points to lead Wisconsin to a 73-62 win over Rhode Island at the Kohl Center yesterday afternoon. Those 23 points included a perfect 12-12 day at the free throw line, along with three rebounds and two steals.

Overall, shooting was a little off for Wisconsin, who ended the day 31.8% from 3 and 38.5% from the field. Defensively, though, the Badgers forced 14 Ram turnovers. Micah Potter added 13 points and seven boards, while La Crosse’s Johnny Davis played 17 minutes and scored six to go with three rebounds and two blocked shots.

4-1 Wisconsin continues the season next Wednesday against a struggling Northern Iowa, who lost last night to #19 Richmond 78-68.

By Adam Roberts – 12/9/2020

While the big news earlier today surrounding the Big Ten and Ohio State football is dominating headlines for obvious reasons, today has also been a busy day in minor league baseball. Today the 30 major league teams announced their list of 120 minor league teams to be chosen to become full-season affiliates in 2021, knowing that 42 teams would lose their Player Development Contracts. The longtime Midwest League charter member Clinton Lumberkings surprisingly lost their PDC today, while the Beloit Snappers reached an agreement with the Miami Marlins.

The Brewers meanwhile are welcoming back an old Triple-A friend. We reported earlier this year that the team was ending its relationship with the San Antonio Missions, and now the Crew have aligned themselves with the Nashville Sounds once again. Nashville had been Milwaukee’s Triple-A affiliate from 2005-2014, but the Sounds chose to end that relationship and switch to the Oakland A’s as they got set to move into a new downtown ballpark. This decision left a sour taste in the Brewers’ mouths, but a return to Nashville should provide a much better development environment than Colorado Springs/San Antonio.

At the other levels, the Brewers will work once again with the Biloxi Shuckers (AA), Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (High A), and Carolina Mudcats (Low A).

By Adam Roberts – 12/8/2020

It isn’t too often that we get to see record-setting opportunities with Wisconsin basketball. Not for lack of talent, but because those records are often pretty tall orders to overcome. But we could have a chance tomorrow afternoon.

When #13 Wisconsin tips off against Rhode Island, forward Nate Reuvers will begin the contest tied with Ethan Happ at 154 blocked shots; one swat will give him the all-time school record. Through just four games this season, Reuvers already has 10 blocked shots, and while there won’t be any fans to celebrate the feat if he can do so, setting the record on the Kohl Center floor will likely carry more weight than doing so on the road.

Reuvers had his best defensive season against shot attempts during the 18-19 season, where he had 60 blocks. Compare that to Happ, who never had more than 44 in a single season.

Coverage from Madison begins at 2:30pm tomorrow afternoon on ESPN La Crosse 105.5 and streaming in the Coulee Region at espnlacrosse.com!