Coming Back for Mo
By Cory Elfrink
The Bucks continued to move-on despite the Yi Jianlian controversies by signing their own free agent, PG Mo Williams, to a six-year $52 million deal this week. Williams was widely regarded as the 5th best free agent in a thin class, but it’s debatable how much value the shoot-first PG brings to his team.
Still just 24 years-old, Williams turned in by-far his best season last year in Mi lwaukee.
He upped his points per game from 12.1 to 17.3 while shooting 15+ shots per game. His shooting has improved dramatically from his days at Alabama and he should continue to get good looks next to Michael Redd, Charlie Villanueva and Andrew Bogut.
He is one of the slightest starters in the league and would be a defensive liability if not for his quickness and long arms. Still, he is very inconsistent in his effort to stop dribble penetration and to hold his own on the post. After signing his deal, it was revealed he intends to address this concern. GM Larry Harris said Williams has vowed to improve his defense, and expects the player to become a "very acceptable" defender.
MO WILLIAMS
Yr |
Team |
G |
MIN |
FG% |
3P% |
FT% |
STL |
BLK |
TO |
REB |
AST |
PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
03-04 |
UTH |
57 |
13.5 |
.380 |
.256 |
.786 |
0.5 |
0.0 |
0.9 |
1.3 |
1.3 |
5.0 |
04-05 |
MIL |
80 |
28.2 |
.438 |
.323 |
.850 |
0.9 |
0.1 |
2.5 |
3.0 |
6.0 |
10.2 |
05-06 |
MIL |
58 |
26.4 |
.424 |
.382 |
.850 |
0.9 |
0.1 |
1.8 |
2.4 |
4.0 |
12.1 |
06-07 |
MIL |
68 |
36.4 |
.446 |
.346 |
.855 |
1.3 |
0.1 |
3.0 |
4.8 |
6.1 |
17.3 |
The 2nd best PG available was most heavily courted by Pat Riley and the Miami Heat who had considerable less money than the Bucks had available.
"Being here in Milwaukee is different from going to a new team," Williams said. "I mean, we all see Miami from the outside looking in and say, 'OK, they've got Pat Riley in Miami.' But people don't know, everything that looks good on the outside, everything is not peaches and cream on the other side of the field. So I felt like at the same time, I know what to expect here."
In Milwaukee he’ll be expected to lead and he seems eager to do just that.
"Basically in my mind, it's my team," Williams said. "Things don't go right, I'm the point guard. I'm the leader on the floor, an extension of the coach."
Williams' six-year contract includes player options for the final two seasons which is a big drawback to the value of this deal. Essentially, if the Association goes through another PG drought, Williams will be just 28 and have the option to go out and get a new contract. Milwaukee will want to keep that in mind when looking for Williams’ back up.
The other Bucks’ draft pick was Ramon Sessions out of Nevada. He is sleeper due to his comfortable NBA landing. Sessions is eerily similar to Williams and may flourish in the system.
Other possible backups include free agent Charlie Bell, 28, who has been rumored to be returning to Milwaukee but his PG skills leave a lot to be desired. The next best available options are Earl Boykins, who apparently does not want to go back to Milwaukee, Smush Parker and Jannero Pargo.
Mo Williams did well to bring respect to a tattered Bucks’ roster last year even though they won just 28 games. The star trio of Redd, Villanueva and Bogut combined to miss 84 games. This year they will all be ready to go and should make a strong run at the playoffs despite a very competitive Central Division. With or without Yi is the big question.
Yi is still the story on people’s minds. Bucks owner Sen. Herb Kohl figures that if Yi’s family accepts an invitation to Milwaukee that he recently offered than he’ll be able to sign him. He has proven this true by resigning Williams and by convincing former Buck, Desmond Mason, to come back to Beer City.
"Once I can get a player here, they'll stay," Harris said. "I really believe that."
At $8.5 million per year, Williams got a rich deal for a 6’1” PG and the dealmakers are banking that he will not see a decline over the course of his deal.
GRADE: B
Photo Courtesy of sports.gearlive.com
The Milwaukee Bucks’ demoralizing start to the summer got a much needed breeze of cool air on Monday when they announced inking a former Buck, Desmond Mason, to a 2-year deal worth nearly $11 million.
The modest-yet-important signing was the best news all summer for Bucks owner and U.S. Senator Herb Kohl, general manager Larry Harris and rookie NBA head coach, Larry Krystowiak. Until now, the (non)negotiations with Yi have held a dark cloud of embarrassment over Beer City.
On Monday, a ray of light burst through those clouds. Throughout his career, Des, as Krystowiak referred to him, has been a hard-nosed defensive gym capable of guarding the exceptionally athletic stars of today’s NBA such as Richard Hamilton, Ben Gordon and even Kobe Bryant.
Des was happy to be back.
“(My family) put our roots in the ground here, and we were happy being here and our daughter was born here,” the cowboy from Oklahoma State University recalled. “We had so many friends, and we enjoyed being here. It was tough for us to leave.”
The 6’5” swingman started all 75 games he appeared played with the Hornets last season. He averaged 13.7 points and 4.6 rebounds and was the competitive Southwest Division’s best defender under 6’8” (due respect to Pig Pen…ahem…Bruce Bown).
DESMOND MASON
Yr |
Team |
G |
MIN |
FG% |
3P% |
FT% |
STL |
BLK |
TO |
REB |
AST |
PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
04-05 |
MIL |
80 |
36.2 |
.443 |
.125 |
.802 |
0.7 |
0.3 |
2.0 |
3.9 |
2.7 |
17.2 |
05-06 |
NOH |
70 |
30.1 |
.399 |
.167 |
.682 |
0.6 |
0.2 |
1.6 |
4.2 |
0.9 |
10.8 |
06-07 |
NOH |
75 |
34.3 |
.452 |
.000 |
.663 |
0.7 |
0.3 |
2.6 |
4.6 |
1.5 |
13.7 |
Career |
540 |
31.1 |
.446 |
.263 |
.754 |
0.7 |
0.3 |
1.6 |
4.5 |
1.6 |
12.6 |
He is a 29 year-old veteran of high character. In March of 2000, his artistic accomplishments were featured in Sports Illustrated. Not only was he one of the most explosive NCAA dunkers while in Norman, but he was also a devoted and talented painter.
In 2001, he was crowned the Slam Dunk champion while playing with the Seattle Supersonics.
Looking Up
“It was an interesting free agency summer…A lot of teams had their money locked up,” he told Doug Gottlieb on ESPN Radio.
This year, he will provide a new element to the Bucks roster: explosive depth. The Bucks had to find a player better than Lynn Greer andDavid Noel to back up Michael Redd and Bobby Simmons on the wings. With Des, Krystowiak can give a combination of looks on both ends of the floor.
Redd finished last season 6th in the league in scoring, dropping in 26.7 ppg. The former All-Star remains one of the best shooting guards in the game and one that is capable of a 50-point storm.
The accurate-shooting Simmons underwent numerous surgeries on his foot and sat out all of last year. When we last saw him, he was playing at a high level for the 2nd consecutive season.
BOBBY SIMMONS
YR |
Team |
G |
MIN |
FG% |
3P% |
FT% |
STL |
BLK |
TO |
REB |
AST |
PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
04-05 |
LAC |
75 |
37.3 |
.466 |
.435 |
.846 |
1.4 |
0.2 |
1.8 |
5.9 |
2.7 |
16.4 |
05-06 |
MIL |
75 |
33.8 |
.453 |
.420 |
.825 |
1.1 |
0.3 |
1.6 |
4.4 |
2.3 |
13.4 |
Last week Mo Williams’ agent told us his client would also return to Milwaukee. Adding Mason and center Jake Voskuhl to this summer’s signings, makes a fading roster look threatening again. This decade he Bucks have been a steady, promising team but has not seen the 2nd round of the playoffs since 2000 when George Karl orchestrated magic with the Cassell-Shuttlesworth-Big Dog trio and took a well-balanced roster to the Eastern Conference Finals.
This summer many of the Badger State’s sports fans have been showing great support for an emerging, yet powerful Brewer’s baseball team. Maybe the Yi talk has kept them interested long enough to notice the less-heralded roster moves. Even bad news such as Yi is good press, right? That may be questionable but this bit of talk from GM Larry Harris is not.
“When Desmond agreed to come back,” Harris told reporters, “I called Michael (Redd), who was ecstatic. Michael said he got his 'road dog' back. When I told Mo, he said, 'I got my lob guy back.' The electricity in the building will be back. Ruben (Patterson) did a tremendous job for us last year, but I think we've upgraded our situation. We're bringing back a guy who was a leader in his short amount of time with us…What you see is what you get, and it's pretty good."
It should be noted that in October, 2005, this same GM unexpectedly traded Mason along with a 2006 first-round draft pick to the Hornets in exchange for C Jamaal Magloire.
Said Harris, “He was a fan favorite during his first stay and we know our fans are going to love having him back on the team.”
That they will, Larry.
Next up for Milwaukee is completing the 6-year deal with PG Mo Williams, 24, and to do their best to get some value for that 6th pick they dreamt away in June’s draft..
GRADE: A-
Photos Courtesy of chez.com and hoopsvibe.com, respectively
#
|
Name
|
POS
|
Ht
|
Wt
|
From
|
Yrs
|
FA Year
|
DOB
|
Pos. Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
42 |
Charlie Bell |
SG |
6'3" |
200 |
Michigan State |
4 |
2012 |
03/12/1979 |
|
6 |
Andrew Bogut |
C |
7'0" |
245 |
Utah |
3 |
2009 (r) |
11/28/1984 |
|
50 |
Dan Gadzuric |
C |
6'11" |
240 |
UCLA |
6 |
2011 |
02/02/1978 |
|
24 |
Richard Jefferson |
SF |
6'7" |
230 |
Arizona |
7 |
2011 |
06/21/1980 |
|
24 |
Desmond Mason |
SG |
6'5" |
222 |
Oklahoma State |
8 |
2009 |
10/11/1977 |
|
22 |
Michael Redd |
SG |
6'6" |
215 |
Ohio State |
8 |
2010 (p) |
08/24/1979 |
|
7 |
Ramon Sessions |
PG |
6'3" |
190 |
Nevada-Reno |
R |
N/A |
04/11/1986 |
|
31 |
Charlie Villanueva |
PF |
6'11" |
240 |
Connecticut |
3 |
2009 (r) |
08/24/1984 |
|
25 |
Maurice Williams |
PG |
6'1" |
185 |
Alabama |
5 |
2013 |
12/19/1982 |
Average Age:
Average Position Ranking:
Head Coach:
Scott Skiles
Assistant Coaches:
Jim Boylan
Lionel Hollins
Kelvin Sampson
Joe Wolf
General Manager :
John Hammond
Depth Chart
Positions |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Point Guard |
Maurice Williams |
Tyronn Lue |
Ramon Sessions |
X |
X |
Shooting Guard |
Michael Redd |
Desmond Mason |
Charlie Bell |
X |
X |
Small Forward |
Richard Jefferson |
Joe Alexander |
Luc Mbah a Moute |
X |
X |
Power Forward |
Charlie Villanueva |
Malik Allen |
X |
X |
X |
Center |
Andrew Bogut |
Dan Gadzuric |
X |
X |
X |
Retired Numbers:
Oscar Roberston - #1
Junior Bridgeman - #2
Sidney Moncrief - #4
Jon McGlocklin - #14
Bob Lanier - #16
Brian Winters - #32
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - #33
