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Giannis Antetokounmpo wins 2016-17 NBA Most Improved Player award

Giannis Antetokounmpo wins 2016-17 NBA Most Improved Player award

Giannis Antetokounmpo was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player, the league announced tonight at the inaugural NBA Awards show. Antetokounmpo is the first player in Bucks history to be named Most Improved Player.

“I’m honored and humbled to be named the NBA’s Most Improved Player and grateful to so many people for helping me reach this point in my young career,” said Antetokounmpo. “Thank you to my family whose love and support means the world to me. Thank you to my teammates, coaches and staff with the Bucks who push me to succeed every day. Thank you to our fans who never stop cheering for us. Thank you.”

A full thank you video from Antetokounmpo can be found here: http://on.nba.com/2rVfVTb

In his fourth season, Antetokounmpo set career highs in scoring (22.9 ppg), rebounding (8.8 rpg), assists (5.4 apg), blocks (1.9 bpg) and steals (1.6 spg), as well as field goal percentage (.521). He became just the fifth player in NBA history to lead his team in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks for a season, and was the first player in NBA history to rank in the top-20 for total points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. Despite playing nearly the same number of minutes per game in 2016-17 (35.6) as he did in 2015-16 (35.3), Antetokounmpo increased his scoring average from 16.9 points per game, to 22.9 points per game this season.

Antetokounmpo earned his first All-Star appearance when he was selected as a starter for the Eastern Conference in the 66th NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans in February. He was the Bucks’ first All-Star since Michael Redd in 2004 and the first All-Star starter since Sidney Moncrief in 1986. Antetokounmpo scored an Eastern Conference-high 30 points on 14-for-17 shooting.

“Giannis wants to be the best and this is a terrific achievement for him and for our organization,” said Bucks head coach Jason Kidd. “No one puts in more work than Giannis and we’re thrilled for him to receive this honor.”

During the 2016-17 season, Antetokounmpo recorded three triple-doubles to give him eight for his career, which tied him with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most in team history. He was also one of just five players in the NBA this season to average over 20 points per game while shooting 50 percent or better. In May, Antetokounmpo was named Second Team All-NBA, the highest All-NBA Team selection for the Bucks since Moncrief in 1986.

Malcolm Brogdon wins NBA Rookie of the Year

Malcolm Brogdon wins NBA Rookie of the Year award

Malcolm Brogdon was named the NBA’s Rookie of the Year, the league announced tonight at its inaugural NBA Awards show. Brogdon joins Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1969-70) as the only players in team history to win Rookie of the Year. He is the first player not drafted in the first round to win Rookie of the Year since 1966.

“I am both humbled and honored to win this award,” said Brogdon. “As the oldest rookie to win this award in decades, I know it is the culmination of many special people who believed in me, starting with my mother, and continuing with my owners, my teammates, Coach Kidd and the entire Bucks’ staff. My five years at Virginia truly prepared me for the NBA and for life after the NBA. Thanks to Coach Bennett for a great education in basketball and for making me better. Thanks to the great fans of Milwaukee. Their work ethic truly inspires me every night.”

A second round pick (36th overall) from Virginia, Brogdon played in 75 games (28 starts) during a stellar rookie season that saw him lead all rookies in assists (4.2) and steals (1.1) per game, while ranking second in 3-point field goal percentage (.404) and free-throw percentage (.865). He also ranked third in field goal percentage (.457) and fourth in points per game (10.2) among rookies, and became one of just five rookies in NBA history to shoot over 40 percent from beyond the arc while averaging at least four assists per game. Brogdon recorded the first rookie triple-double in team history when he scored 15 points with 12 assists and 10 rebounds at Chicago on Dec. 31.

Brogdon started all six playoff games for the Bucks in 2017, and ranked first among rookies in the playoffs with 3.5 assists per game, and was second in points (9.0) and rebounds (4.3) per game.

“Malcolm worked tirelessly to improve his game and became a valuable contributor,” said Bucks Head Coach Jason Kidd, who won co-Rookie of the Year honors with Grant Hill in 1995. “In fact, he was so reliable it was easy to forget that he was a rookie. Malcolm has a boundless future and we want to congratulate him on winning this well-earned award.”

Earlier today, Brogdon was unanimously selected to the NBA’s All-Rookie First Team, joining Joel Embiid (Philadelphia), Willy Hernangomez (New York), Buddy Hield (Sacramento) and Dario Saric (Philadelphia). Brogdon is the 13th Buck to be named to an All-Rookie Team, and is the team’s first All-Rookie First Team selection since Brandon Jennings in 2009-10.

Raptors eliminate Bucks from NBA Playoffs

Thursday night in Milwaukee, the Raptors beat the Bucks 92-89 to win Game 6 and the first round playoff series. Toronto will now play the Cavs, with Game 1 scheduled for Monday in Cleveland. Here’s the Toronto Sun reporting on tonight’s series-clinching victory:

The real test came in the second half when the Raptors had built the lead up to 25 and looked home and cooled out only to watch the Bucks chip away at the lead as the Raptors offence, which had been running so efficiently bogged down like it never has before. The ball wasn’t just sticking. It was stuck and it stayed that way for the final half of the third quarter and the first eight or nine minutes of the fourth.

The run was 34-7 and if panic didn’t set in it was moments away from doing so.

“I don’t know what happened, but all of a sudden they woke up, made a great run and took over the game, had the momentum, had the crowd behind them,” Patrick Patterson said. “We were just discombobulated. A little too selfish on the offensive end, not communicating on the defensive side and they took advantage of that.”

Keeping the panic from overtaking the entire Raptors team was no easy feat and took just about every voice on the bench.

The team leaders, DeRozan and Lowry, were getting plenty of credit for that but so too was Cory Joseph, the only guy outside of Serge Ibaka who has taken an NBA playoff run all the way to its final game.

Bucks need to play loose

Here’s the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel with an update on the Bucks, who probably should have clinched a playoff spot by now yet, through Thursday’s games, still haven’t done so:

It’s tightening up time for the Milwaukee Bucks.

That may be part of the problem in the team’s current three-game slide.

The Bucks are so close to their goal of reaching the playoffs that they aren’t playing as freely as they did while winning 14 of 17 games and vaulting into the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference race.

Now they have slipped to sixth and the danger is they could slide out of the playoffs if they can’t cure what has been ailing them in the last week.

Bucks sign Gary Payton II

The Milwaukee Bucks have signed guard Gary Payton II to a multi-year contract, General Manager John Hammond announced today.

Payton, 24, appeared in 49 games (all starts) with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA D-League this season, and averaged 14.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.0 steals in 32.7 minutes per game while shooting 49.8 percent from the field.

A 6-3 guard, Payton went undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft after playing two seasons at Oregon State. Payton averaged 14.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.8 steals in 63 games with the Beavers and became the first player to be voted Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year two times. He was also an All-Pac-12 First Team selection during both of his seasons at Oregon State.

Payton is the son of NBA All-Star Gary Payton who played 28 games for the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2002-03 season. Payton will wear uniform number 0. Milwaukee’s roster now stands at 15 players.

Malcolm Brogdon having good NBA rookie season

Here’s the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporting on a promising young member of the Bucks:

He does not fit the profile of an NBA rookie of the year candidate.

He was a second-round pick, a five-year player at the University of Virginia. He’s 24 years old, considered ancient for a rookie in this one-and-done era.

But the numbers tell a different story.

Milwaukee Bucks point guard Malcolm Brogdon indeed is a very serious candidate for the league’s rookie of the year honor.

He leads all rookies in win shares (2.9), a statistic that calculates the number of wins a player produces for his team. He is shooting 42.8% from three-point range, leading all rookies and ranking seventh in the league. And he averages 10.0 points and 4.1 assists, modest numbers but good enough to rank third in scoring and first in assists among rookies.

Bucks sign Terrence Jones

The Milwaukee Bucks have signed forward Terrence Jones to a contract for the remainder of the season, General Manager John Hammond announced today. In a related move, Axel Toupane has been released from his 10-day contract.

Jones, 25, appeared in 51 games (12 starts) with the New Orleans Pelicans this season and posted averages of 11.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.0 blocks in 24.8 minutes per game. He was waived by the Pelicans on Feb. 23.

Currently in his fifth NBA season, Jones has played in 229 games and averaged 10.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 24.8 minutes per contest. He spent his first four NBA seasons with the Houston Rockets and also played with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the D-League.

Toupane was signed to a 10-day contract on Feb. 25 and saw action in two games with the Bucks.

Jones will wear uniform number 6. Milwaukee’s roster now stands at 15 players.

Bucks sign Axel Toupane to 10-day contract

The Milwaukee Bucks have signed guard Axel Toupane (tu-PON) to a 10-day contract, General Manager John Hammond announced today.

Toupane, 24, has appeared in 28 games with Raptors 905 of the NBA D-League this season and has posted averages of 16.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.2 steals in 27.6 minutes per game.

A native of France, Toupane also played with Raptors 905 for 32 games during the 2015-16 season and averaged 14.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists before signing a 10-day contract with the Denver Nuggets on March 3, 2016. He signed a second 10-day contract with the Nuggets on March 14 and then signed a multi-year contract on March 25. Toupane played in 21 games with Denver and averaged 3.6 points and 1.5 rebounds in 14.5 minutes per game. He was waived by the Nuggets on Oct. 15.

Toupane played professionally for Strasbourg IG of the French Pro National Basketball League A from 2011 to 2015. He went undrafted in the 2014 NBA Draft.

Toupane will wear uniform number 6.

Milwaukee’s roster now stands at 15 players.

Bucks trade Roy Hibbert to Nuggets

Bucks trade Roy Hibbert to Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets have acquired center Roy Hibbert from the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for a protected 2019 second round draft pick, General Manager and Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly announced today.

Hibbert, 7-2, 270, was acquired by Milwaukee from Charlotte in a trade on Feb. 2, 2017, and had yet to appear in a game for the Bucks. He played in 42 games (13 starts) for the Hornets this season, averaging 5.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.10 blocks in 16.0 minutes per game. Overall, the big man has appeared in 656 career games (586 starts) over nine seasons with Indiana, L.A. Lakers and Charlotte, averaging 10.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.75 blocks in 25.0 minutes per game.

Hibbert, 30, is a two-time former Eastern Conference All-Star, having been named as a reserve for the Pacers in both 2012 and 2014. He was also named to the All-NBA Defensive Second Team in 2014. The Georgetown University product was originally selected with the 17th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors before being traded to Indiana on July 9, 2008.

He will wear #34 and the Nuggets roster currently stands at 15 players.