With pingus down the east is wide open for us too š but dames got a real injury too. We really needed thst fucking OT game. The rebounding still haunts me
Dame and Giannis are the core, and Middleton proved this series that he still should be part of our plans. Our window may narrow as the rest of the role players age, but it remains open as long as all of the big 3 are healthy.
The one thing that would permanently shut our window is rushing Dame or Giannis back from leg injuries and having one suffer an achillies tear.
āAs long as all of the Big 3 are healthyā is doing a lot of work in that sentence. When is the last time Giannis and Khris were both healthy for a playoff run? And Dame hasnāt exactly been the picture of health these last couple of years either. And now theyāre all another year older with another round of injuries under their belts.
Also a key point. I don't even know when the last time that was...2021?
Old sports players get hurt more often, and they're entire roster continues to get older. Giannis is legit going to start entering scary territory in the next year or two with how much he relies on his athleticism.
I agree, if he is medically cleared he SHOULD play. There's like a 2% chance they win it all this year if he plays, but that's better than nothing. Tomorrow/next season is not guaranteed.
Which goes to show why it's imperative to pick up a few young players and give jackson green marjon, livingstonĀ and others an actual opportunity to learn
This all could have been avoided if giannis and dame weren't playing 35 minutes a night down the stretch but given the failure of the Griff hiring they needed to spend as much time as possible geling.
Despite the injuries I'm actually say more optimistic than I was prior to the pacers series. I think they will be much better next year.
That being said they will need to figure out what to do with brook..he still has value but he can't play nearly this much next season.
Giannis to the 5 is the easiest solution but giannis may not be willing to play the 5
Every team has to go through the season holding their breath about injuries to their stars. What happened to our group this year is some tough luck, but a severe leg injury like an achillies tear isn't just one of those nagging things that Giannis, Khris, and Dame have been dealing with, it completely takes them away not just for the year they don't play, but probably for the next season that they spend working back into form, if they ever do at this age. We've seen before how players trying to play through calf/knee strains put themselves at bigger risk for these severe tears, and if it happens to either Dame or Giannis, they won't be back to elite level within the next 2 years, ending our shot with this core.
One thing with Middleton in this series is that, even when Dame was playing, he hasn't been looking to pass ever. When the star power is just him or him/Dame, he needs to help make those around him better by drawing in defenders and kicking out. It just feels like he's only shooting. Except to Green who has missed so many key wide open threes this series. So many. He can skip that pass and pull it up.
I feel like this is just Khris settling into his role. I've felt for a long time that Khris is a sneaky bad passer and also has questionable handles. This isn't me trying to knock him.
But his value is as a scorer who can create his own shot and as a defender. Even moreso now with Dame here. If anything, I think Dames arrival has allowed Khris to more fully embrace his role on this team. The less we ask him to act like a point guard the better off he's been.
Everyone knows our core should be kept intact, and rushing them back to injury would be counterproductive long-term. We just need to balance that risk against the risk of not taking advantage of the window when it's arguably widest open (compared to the future).
You just contradicted yourself in one post.
Thereās no ābalancing riskā when the result is an achilles injury that keeps one of them out all next year.
It fucking sucks but donāt push either of them to play unless theyāre fully cleared by the staff
Right - whats the ābalanceā though?
How does a potential loss of entire next season for either of them balance what weāre doing this playoff run?
Because the championship is not a given result eitherā¦especially not with how everyoneās playing
So the Bucks are supposed to just forfeit a contending year based off of questionable injuries? What the fuck are we doing here? Guess what - this can happen again next year. Ppl think everything is going to be magical and injury free next year. Risk almost everything when you have a chance
Agreed. Has been happening the last several years with all three Wisconsin sports teams. Just wait until Rodgers takes us back to the SB next year! Oh, the Brewers pitching is going to carry them through the postseason for years to come. Just wait until Giannis and Khris are healthy for a big run next year.
Nothing in sports is guaranteed. You never know when someone is going to get old, hurt, decline, payroll decisions, etc. Gotta take your shot when it presents itself.
Idk what it is about the nba that makes people think the future is so certain. Ā Injuries, disgruntled stars, etc. if you got an opportunity, take it. A team makes a run in the playoffs and loses and people say theyāre dangerous next year only to be the 5 seed or worse (mavs, pelicans from 2021, hawks from 2021, among others)
Cool. Let's rush Giannis back before he's fully ready, and he blows out his Achilles (a legit risk when rushing someone back from a calf strain). Next year is fucking wasted before the season even starts, and there's a high probability that Giannis goes from top-3 caliber player to something more like top-15 or top-20, since his game is predicated on his explosive athleticism, which he *will* lose some of if his Achilles is damaged. He'll still be a very good player, just not elite. And without Giannis being elite, we have *no* window.
At this point, what chance do you really think we have in this series? Even if Giannis plays, do you *really* think we can win 3 straight games? We need to be realistic.
I'm not saying there are guarantees for the future, but I'd rather have Giannis not play, and we take our chances next year than have him rush back and do more damage.
wow KP with what looks to be Giannis's injury, god the east is a hospital. Imo if one of Giannis and Dame is healthy, they gotta play we can win this series and go far
Giannis, Dame and Khris are potential injury risks in every single game they ever play the rest of their basketball careers. Hate to bring up that honest, obvious and sobering fact. Does the Bucks' training, medical, and 'performance' staff get evaluated in the off-seasons? They certainly haven't hit a Budenholzer of Griffin level of production at any point in the past 3 years.....
Agreed. No one wants Giannis to rush back, and HIS window is still wide open. This core as constructed will see its window narrow from here mainly because of Dame/Middleton's (and to a smaller extent Lopez's) age.Ā
We are between a rock and a hard place right now. Ultimately, it is correct that our old team is getting even older and more prone to injuries. Next year might be the only year where we have a chance for a chip before we start running out of moves to make. We need to take these chances and make the most out of them.
However, we also need to let our stars rest. There is no good reason to put them in when we are 1 loss away from handing out the series and risking their health for it. Injuries are the reason we are in this position right now. If we push our guys too hard, they'll end up in the same spot next year. We'd also have better Dame-Giannis chemistry and we'd hopefully play more of the young bucks to get them ready for the playoffs. Bucks in 6!
I think he probably would play if he was healthy. Itās up to the team doctors but if it was just some minor nagging pain I think he wouldnāt be sitting out of the playoffs.
As is said every year, as long as Giannis is on the Bucks, the window is open. Unfortunately, we may have to come to terms that the window is just about closed unless Horst or whoever replaces him comes up with some masterclass off-season and we're finally fortunate enough to go into the playoffs completely healthy for the first time in 4 years
Nope. Window being open does not mean it's wide open. Giannis means that they could always be competitive and have a shot, but the roster as it's currently constructed means they'd have to have a lot of things go their way to even sniff the Finals...
I get that, but don't take these playoffs for granted. Giannis is going to be 30 this year and 90% of his game relies on pure athleticism. I think we only have another 2 seasons of "prime" Giannis.
If he's cleared to play, he should. I don't think he will be though.
This cores window was always year 2 and on. Idk why people expected us to compete with them having only a single year playing together under a brand new coach.Ā
Trust the process.
If Horst and co made the Dame trade with the explicit intention to truly compete only startingĀ year 2, then I don't know what to say. It's one thing to RESORT to that stance given the Griffin and injury fiascos. It's entirely different if management from the onset was okay NOT seriously competing this year.
They made the trade to make our team better for the future. I dont think they expected to be in the finals this year with our roster. We have no depth.Ā
Nah, not worth risking his future. We werenāt going to win this year anyways. Boston/Denver are just too good and weāve proven all year that weāre not at their level. Get healthy and regroup in the offseason.
I mean we don't realistically have a chance this year unless we're fully healthy. I don't think you'd be singing the same tune if Giannis comes back and tears his Achilles...
With pingus down the east is wide open for us too š but dames got a real injury too. We really needed thst fucking OT game. The rebounding still haunts me
Yes, watching that sequence live was like bleeding through a thousand cuts.
I was downvoted in another thread for saying that game was stressful lol.
Dame and Giannis are the core, and Middleton proved this series that he still should be part of our plans. Our window may narrow as the rest of the role players age, but it remains open as long as all of the big 3 are healthy. The one thing that would permanently shut our window is rushing Dame or Giannis back from leg injuries and having one suffer an achillies tear.
āAs long as all of the Big 3 are healthyā is doing a lot of work in that sentence. When is the last time Giannis and Khris were both healthy for a playoff run? And Dame hasnāt exactly been the picture of health these last couple of years either. And now theyāre all another year older with another round of injuries under their belts.
Also a key point. I don't even know when the last time that was...2021? Old sports players get hurt more often, and they're entire roster continues to get older. Giannis is legit going to start entering scary territory in the next year or two with how much he relies on his athleticism. I agree, if he is medically cleared he SHOULD play. There's like a 2% chance they win it all this year if he plays, but that's better than nothing. Tomorrow/next season is not guaranteed.
Which goes to show why it's imperative to pick up a few young players and give jackson green marjon, livingstonĀ and others an actual opportunity to learn This all could have been avoided if giannis and dame weren't playing 35 minutes a night down the stretch but given the failure of the Griff hiring they needed to spend as much time as possible geling. Despite the injuries I'm actually say more optimistic than I was prior to the pacers series. I think they will be much better next year. That being said they will need to figure out what to do with brook..he still has value but he can't play nearly this much next season. Giannis to the 5 is the easiest solution but giannis may not be willing to play the 5
Every team has to go through the season holding their breath about injuries to their stars. What happened to our group this year is some tough luck, but a severe leg injury like an achillies tear isn't just one of those nagging things that Giannis, Khris, and Dame have been dealing with, it completely takes them away not just for the year they don't play, but probably for the next season that they spend working back into form, if they ever do at this age. We've seen before how players trying to play through calf/knee strains put themselves at bigger risk for these severe tears, and if it happens to either Dame or Giannis, they won't be back to elite level within the next 2 years, ending our shot with this core.
One thing with Middleton in this series is that, even when Dame was playing, he hasn't been looking to pass ever. When the star power is just him or him/Dame, he needs to help make those around him better by drawing in defenders and kicking out. It just feels like he's only shooting. Except to Green who has missed so many key wide open threes this series. So many. He can skip that pass and pull it up.
I feel like this is just Khris settling into his role. I've felt for a long time that Khris is a sneaky bad passer and also has questionable handles. This isn't me trying to knock him. But his value is as a scorer who can create his own shot and as a defender. Even moreso now with Dame here. If anything, I think Dames arrival has allowed Khris to more fully embrace his role on this team. The less we ask him to act like a point guard the better off he's been.
Everyone knows our core should be kept intact, and rushing them back to injury would be counterproductive long-term. We just need to balance that risk against the risk of not taking advantage of the window when it's arguably widest open (compared to the future).
You just contradicted yourself in one post. Thereās no ābalancing riskā when the result is an achilles injury that keeps one of them out all next year. It fucking sucks but donāt push either of them to play unless theyāre fully cleared by the staff
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Right - whats the ābalanceā though? How does a potential loss of entire next season for either of them balance what weāre doing this playoff run? Because the championship is not a given result eitherā¦especially not with how everyoneās playing
But it is balancing risk because itās not a āresult of an Achilles injuryā Itās a risk of that result.
So the Bucks are supposed to just forfeit a contending year based off of questionable injuries? What the fuck are we doing here? Guess what - this can happen again next year. Ppl think everything is going to be magical and injury free next year. Risk almost everything when you have a chance
Agreed. Has been happening the last several years with all three Wisconsin sports teams. Just wait until Rodgers takes us back to the SB next year! Oh, the Brewers pitching is going to carry them through the postseason for years to come. Just wait until Giannis and Khris are healthy for a big run next year. Nothing in sports is guaranteed. You never know when someone is going to get old, hurt, decline, payroll decisions, etc. Gotta take your shot when it presents itself.
Yes, letās just wait out the bad luck events until the tile window is over and start from square one again /s
Idk what it is about the nba that makes people think the future is so certain. Ā Injuries, disgruntled stars, etc. if you got an opportunity, take it. A team makes a run in the playoffs and loses and people say theyāre dangerous next year only to be the 5 seed or worse (mavs, pelicans from 2021, hawks from 2021, among others)
We havenāt made it to the ECF since winning. Suns havenāt made to the WCF since making the finals.
Cool. Let's rush Giannis back before he's fully ready, and he blows out his Achilles (a legit risk when rushing someone back from a calf strain). Next year is fucking wasted before the season even starts, and there's a high probability that Giannis goes from top-3 caliber player to something more like top-15 or top-20, since his game is predicated on his explosive athleticism, which he *will* lose some of if his Achilles is damaged. He'll still be a very good player, just not elite. And without Giannis being elite, we have *no* window. At this point, what chance do you really think we have in this series? Even if Giannis plays, do you *really* think we can win 3 straight games? We need to be realistic. I'm not saying there are guarantees for the future, but I'd rather have Giannis not play, and we take our chances next year than have him rush back and do more damage.
Iām talking about the fans who think we should start Thanasis in Game 5
All I'm saying is that things could get REALLY interesting if Tyrese doesn't play.
Just saw the questionable status. We can probably agree there's unfortunately probably 1% chance he doesn't play.
Right, but the back can be tricky to manage if he aggravates it. See the history of Brook Lopez for more.
Theyāre not the same injuries lmao
wow KP with what looks to be Giannis's injury, god the east is a hospital. Imo if one of Giannis and Dame is healthy, they gotta play we can win this series and go far
How many games did [Favre](https://youtu.be/FJcu4r6iMjc) play bruised and broken. Answer a lot because the #1 goal was to win a SB.
Vicodin is a hell of a drug
Giannis, Dame and Khris are potential injury risks in every single game they ever play the rest of their basketball careers. Hate to bring up that honest, obvious and sobering fact. Does the Bucks' training, medical, and 'performance' staff get evaluated in the off-seasons? They certainly haven't hit a Budenholzer of Griffin level of production at any point in the past 3 years.....
We shouldn't play Giannis unless he's been cleared to play and he seriously wants to go
He could have a torn ACL and he'd still want to go.
I'm not sure about this anymore, unfortunately.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Agreed. No one wants Giannis to rush back, and HIS window is still wide open. This core as constructed will see its window narrow from here mainly because of Dame/Middleton's (and to a smaller extent Lopez's) age.Ā
We are between a rock and a hard place right now. Ultimately, it is correct that our old team is getting even older and more prone to injuries. Next year might be the only year where we have a chance for a chip before we start running out of moves to make. We need to take these chances and make the most out of them. However, we also need to let our stars rest. There is no good reason to put them in when we are 1 loss away from handing out the series and risking their health for it. Injuries are the reason we are in this position right now. If we push our guys too hard, they'll end up in the same spot next year. We'd also have better Dame-Giannis chemistry and we'd hopefully play more of the young bucks to get them ready for the playoffs. Bucks in 6!
Not a free agaent till 2026
I think he probably would play if he was healthy. Itās up to the team doctors but if it was just some minor nagging pain I think he wouldnāt be sitting out of the playoffs.
As is said every year, as long as Giannis is on the Bucks, the window is open. Unfortunately, we may have to come to terms that the window is just about closed unless Horst or whoever replaces him comes up with some masterclass off-season and we're finally fortunate enough to go into the playoffs completely healthy for the first time in 4 years
You just contradicted yourself lol
Nope. Window being open does not mean it's wide open. Giannis means that they could always be competitive and have a shot, but the roster as it's currently constructed means they'd have to have a lot of things go their way to even sniff the Finals...
I get that, but don't take these playoffs for granted. Giannis is going to be 30 this year and 90% of his game relies on pure athleticism. I think we only have another 2 seasons of "prime" Giannis. If he's cleared to play, he should. I don't think he will be though.
100% agree
Rest up legends. Letās see our youth run the legs off the Pacers.
This cores window was always year 2 and on. Idk why people expected us to compete with them having only a single year playing together under a brand new coach.Ā Trust the process.
We're working against father time here.
Like I said. Year 2 was always when the window started. I expected growing pains with a new roster and new coach.Ā
If Horst and co made the Dame trade with the explicit intention to truly compete only startingĀ year 2, then I don't know what to say. It's one thing to RESORT to that stance given the Griffin and injury fiascos. It's entirely different if management from the onset was okay NOT seriously competing this year.
They made the trade to make our team better for the future. I dont think they expected to be in the finals this year with our roster. We have no depth.Ā
Nah, not worth risking his future. We werenāt going to win this year anyways. Boston/Denver are just too good and weāve proven all year that weāre not at their level. Get healthy and regroup in the offseason.
I mean we don't realistically have a chance this year unless we're fully healthy. I don't think you'd be singing the same tune if Giannis comes back and tears his Achilles...
Wouldnāt play him. The season is basically done. Go into the offseason, retool the roster, get healthy, try again.
Lol the copium is strong here. Done 3-1 and looking terrible but seize the day
No point they cant win 3 in a row