State of the Cap: Milwaukee BucksBy:

2010/11 Milwaukee Bucks Payroll: $55.2 million
2010/11 NBA Salary Cap: $56.1 million
Roughly: $0.9 million under cap

The Good: The fortunes of the Milwaukee Bucks took a turn for the better this season, thanks in no small part to Brandon Jennings.  The team took a chance with the 10th pick in the draft on the only player left with star potential and it paid off quite handsomely.  Jennings averaged 15.5 points, 5.7 assists, and shot 37% from the three point line.  He also had a flair for the dramatic, occasionally finishing a jaw-dropping play on a fast break or blowing up for a big scoring night (55 points ring a bell?).  Jennings’s only problem was his horrid 37% shooting overall from the field, which ironically didn’t come from his long range shots but from his short game.  He had trouble finishing around the rim due to his small frame and general inexperience.  Once he figures that out, the Bucks could have a multi-time all-star at the point for many years to come.

Unlike many teams, the Bucks are set at both the point guard and center positions for the foreseeable future.  Andrew Bogut garnered a lot of attention with his play this season.  Not only did he get more aggressive on offense and scored a career high 15.9 points per game, he also became one of the best defensive big men in the league, averaging 2.5 blocks, second only to Dwight Howard.  On top of that, Bogut pulled down 10.2 boards per game, giving him a double-double season average for the second straight year.  With four years and $50.5 million coming his way, this kind of production is a welcome sign for the Bucks.  They just need to hope Bogut can avoid the kind of serious injuries that have plagued him the past two seasons.

One of the biggest reasons for Milwaukee’s success can be attributed to their efficient and low-paid role players.  Carlos Delfino and Ersan Ilyasova are two forwards from overseas who have contracts that pay them just $2.5 to $3.5 million each of the next two years.  Both averaged over 10 points a game, contributed well on the glass, and could stretch the floor with their three point shooting.  An even bigger bargain is the team’s defensive specialist, Luc Mbah a Moute.  His stats won’t wow you, but he has the job of trying to shut down the other team’s best scorer every night, and he is pretty good at it.  Luc is an important player, yet he’ll be paid just $850,000 next season.  Retaining key role players at low prices is critical to fielding a good team under the salary cap.

The Bad: The Michael Redd era in Milwaukee ended as soon as he re-tore the ACL and MCL in his knee in a game against the Lakers on January 10th.  It was the same knee that had the same thing happen to it the previous year, which means he won’t be coming back anywhere near the Michael Redd of old.  Even before this second knee injury, he was a shell of his former self, averaging just 11.9 points on horrendous 35% shooting from the field.  Redd is owed a whopping $18.3 million next season despite the fact that he probably won’t play a minute for the Bucks and may not play at all.  It’s the final year of his contract, so Redd is certainly a tradable asset, but his value has been greatly reduced because of his knee troubles.  It’s unfortunate to see the sweet shooting lefty’s career come to a close like this.

Another overpriced and expiring contract that will be tradable mid-season belongs to Dan Gadzuric.  He was never able to find enough playing time to warrant his bloated paycheck.  Gadzuric only appeared in 32 games this season and he didn’t play much when he did.  He’ll receive $7.2 million next year for his brief appearances.  This team won’t be sorry to see his cap number disappear.

The Future: It was very sad to see Andrew Bogut go down when he did, which crippled the chances of a team who was one of the biggest stories in the second half of last season.  Many people thought that, with a healthy Bogut, the Bucks could have gotten out of the first round and possibly played the spoiler in the second round as well. Even with a disappointing end to an exciting season, the Bucks can feel wonderful about the future of their franchise, something they haven’t been able to say for a long time.

They have a point guard and center to build around, a great coach who gets the most out of his players, especially on the defensive end, and by next summer they will have tons of cap space to spend on free agents.  Milwaukee isn’t normally a coveted destination for free agents, but with the pieces they have in place and a winning atmosphere, they are bound to be taken seriously.  Their most important move this summer will be trying to retain John Salmons, who averaged nearly 20 points a game as a Buck and shot the ball very well.  The key here is that they need to keep him for the right price.  Salmons would be nice to have next year, but at 30 years old he isn’t the long-term answer at shooting guard.

With huge expiring contracts in Redd and Gadzuric, Milwaukee could pull off a big trade or simply sit on them and be a major player in the market next summer.  Either way, this team’s talent pool will be improving soon.  If Jennings can continue to develop and Bogut can avoid any more serious injuries, then the Bucks will be a force in the Eastern Conference for a long time.

Grade: B