Milwaukee Bucks Blog – Page 17 – NBA Blog

Bucks trade Michael Carter-Williams to Bulls

The Chicago Bulls have acquired guard Michael Carter-Williams from the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for guard Tony Snell.

“We’re excited to add Michael to our roster,” said Chicago Bulls General Manager Gar Forman. “He is a two-way player who adds versatility and depth to our backcourt rotation.”

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “the Bucks continue to try to shore up the shooting guard position after the loss of Khris Middleton, who had surgery for a torn hamstring and is out at least six months. The Bulls wanted a reliable backup for Rajon Rondo.”

And according to the Chicago Sun-Times, “Carter-Williams has declined steadily, going from NBA Rookie of the Year with the 76ers to a bench player with the Bucks. So how does he fit with the Bulls? He doesn’t give them the outside shooting they crave. He’s a career 25.5 percent shooter from three-point range. What he gives coach Fred Hoiberg is on-the-ball defense off the bench, as well as a point guard who can play with pace.”

Carter-Williams (6-6, 190) was the 11th-overall selection by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2013 NBA Draft. He tipped off his professional career by being named the 2013-14 Kia Rookie of the Year and a unanimous All-Rookie First Team selection. Carter-Williams was traded to Milwaukee in 2014-15, and by averaging at least 15.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists through his first two NBA seasons, he joined Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, Grant Hill, Steve Francis and LeBron James as the only players to post such numbers during their first two years. He currently owns career averages of 14.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 6.1 assists in 190 games (170 starts) over three seasons.

The Syracuse product competed in the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge and Taco Bell Skills Challenge at 2014 NBA All-Star Weekend. He was selected to the 2015 BBVA Rising Stars Challenge team but did not play due to injury. Carter-Williams was also invited to participate in the 2015 USA Basketball Men’s National Team minicamp in Las Vegas.

In three games to date during the 2016 preseason, Snell, 24, has averaged 9.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 16.0 minutes. He appeared in 64 games (33 starts) for the Bulls last season and averaged 5.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 20.3 minutes per contest. The 20th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft out of the University of New Mexico, Snell has played in 213 career games (67 starts) for the Bulls, and averaged 5.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.9 assists. In his last two seasons, Snell has shot 37.1 percent (2014-15) and 36.1 percent (2015-16) from the three-point arc.

Bucks waive Jabari Brown

The Bucks have guard Jabari Brown, General Manager John Hammond announced today.

Signed to a contract on Sept. 23, Brown did not play in Milwaukee’s preseason game at Chicago on Oct. 3.

The Bucks roster now stands at 18 players.

As preseason continues, all teams will keep waiving players until they are down to 15 or fewer players.

Khris Middleton out six months after hamstring surgery

Bucks guard Khris Middleton underwent successful surgery yesterday to repair his ruptured left hamstring. The surgery was performed at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York by Dr. David Altchek.

Middleton is expected to be sidelined for approximately six months. A timeline for his return to basketball activity will be established at a later date.

Middleton suffered the injury during preseason workouts on Sept. 20.

Middleton, 25, averaged a career-high 18.2 points, 4.2 assists and 1.7 steals last season along with 3.8 rebounds in 79 games. Originally selected by Detroit (39th overall) in the 2012 NBA Draft, Middleton has career averages of 13.2 points, 2.7 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 267 career games (201 starts).

Rockets trade Michael Beasley to Bucks for Tyler Ennis

Milwaukee Bucks General Manager John Hammond announced today that the team has acquired forward Michael Beasley from the Houston Rockets in exchange for guard Tyler Ennis.

“We’re excited to add a player with Michael’s skill set to our team,” said Hammond. “He’s someone that we’ve kept our eye on the last few seasons and we’re looking forward to watching him compete throughout training camp and the season.”

Beasley, 27, appeared in 20 games for the Rockets last season and averaged 12.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. Prior to signing with Houston, Beasley played in China with the Shandong Golden Stars and averaged 31.9 points, 13.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.3 blocks per game, earning the CBA’s Foreign MVP Award for the 2015-16 season. While playing for Shandong, Beasley tallied games of 48 and 49 points and was named MVP of the CBA All-Star Game for the second straight year after recording 63 points, 19 rebounds and 13 assists for the South team.

The No. 2 overall pick by Miami in the 2008 NBA Draft, Beasley has career NBA averages of 13.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 453 games (200 starts) for Miami, Minnesota, Phoenix and Houston.

Ennis (6-3, 194) was an early entry candidate for the 2014 NBA Draft following his freshman season at Syracuse and was selected 18th overall by Phoenix. He was acquired by the Bucks midway through his rookie season. Ennis was born in Brampton, Ontario outside of Toronto and is a member of the Canadian National Team.

Last season, Ennis appeared in 46 games with seven starts for the Bucks. Over the final 18 games, he averaged 7.6 points, 3.7 assists and 2.8 rebounds in just 23.6 minutes per game while shooting 48.3% from the floor. For the season, Ennis ranked fourth in assists per 48 minutes played among players 21 or younger.

Following his freshman season with the Orange, Ennis was named USA Today All-America Second Team. He ranked sixth in the nation, and first among freshman, with a 3.60 assist-to-turnover ratio, and led the ACC in both assists and steals.

“We wish Tyler the best and thank him for his contributions to the Bucks, both on and off the court,” Hammond added.

Khris Middleton suffers hamstring injury, needs surgery

Milwaukee Bucks guard Khris Middleton suffered a left hamstring injury in preseason workouts that will require surgery, General Manager John Hammond announced Wednesday. Middleton is expected to be sidelined for approximately six months, with surgery planned in the next week.

“We’re obviously disappointed for Khris and our team, but injuries are an unfortunate part of the game,” said Hammond. “We’ll rely on our overall roster depth to help us while Khris is out for a significant period of the season.”

The Bucks were a disappointment last season, finishing with a 33-49 record and not living up to expectations that came with being a young but talented roster. Losing Middleton for the next six months certainly hurts their quest to rise up in the East.

2016 Bucks Fan Fest info

The fourth annual Bucks Fan Fest will return to the BMO Harris Bradley Center on Sunday, Oct. 2, from 12:30 – 4 p.m. The Fan Fest will once again be highlighted by the team’s annual open practice, which will take place from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. The event is open to the public and FREE! (tickets are required, but can be downloaded and printed for free at www.bucks.com/fanfest).

The Bucks’ annual open practice provides a rare peek into the inner-workings of an NBA team, including a first look at the new faces on the Bucks squad including Bucks rookies Thon Maker and Malcolm Brogdon, and free agents Matthew Dellavedova, Mirza Teletovic and Jason Terry. The practice will take place on the BMO Harris Bradley Center court and last for approximately one hour. General admission seating in the lower bowl will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. All fans that download tickets at www.bucks.com/fanfest before the event will be entered to win a pair of courtside seats to watch the open practice.

Following the team’s open practice, the arena will be transformed into a festival celebrating the new season of Bucks basketball. Fan Fest will run from 2-4 p.m. and include opportunities for autographs and photos with current players, coaches and broadcasters, the chance to shoot a free throw on the Bucks court, appearances by Bucks game night entertainment crews, the opportunity to purchase Bucks gear and memorabilia, and “Bango’s Backyard” with interactive games.

Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo agree to contract extension

The Bucks today reached an agreement with Giannis Antetokounmpo on a contract extension, General Manager John Hammond announced today.

The team is betting their future on Giannis. According to multiple reports, the deal is for four years for a total of $100 million.

The contract will be finalized tomorrow afternoon at a press conference to be held at the recently-launched Wisconsin Entertainment and Sports Center (WESC) Preview Center.

Antetokounmpo, 21, appeared in 80 games (79 starts) last season and averaged career highs in points (16.9), rebounds (7.7), assists (4.3), blocks (1.4) and minutes (35.3). He became the first player in franchise history to record five triple-doubles in a season, and now ranks third on the Bucks’ all-time list for career triple-doubles.

Selected by the Bucks with the 15th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, Antetokounmpo has career averages of 12.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 238 games (173 starts). He has improved his averages in points, rebounds, assists, blocks, field goal percentage and minutes over each season he has played in the NBA.

Bucks sign Xavier Henry to training camp roster

The Bucks on Monday signed free agent guard/forward Xavier Henry to their training camp roster.

Henry, 25, most recently spent time in the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers, appearing in nine games during the 2014-15 season, averaging 2.2 points in 9.6 minutes per contest. In 2015-16, Henry played in nine games with Santa Cruz of the NBA D-League where he averaged 15.6 points and 2.9 rebounds in 18.8 minutes per game.

Originally from Gent, Belgium, the 6-6 guard/forward was drafted out of Kansas by the Memphis Grizzlies with the 12th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft and has played in 185 career games (23 starts) over five seasons with Memphis, New Orleans and Los Angeles. He is averaging 5.7 points and 1.9 rebounds per game for his career.

Bucks sign Jason Terry

The Bucks today signed veteran guard Jason Terry.

Terry, 38, is a 17-year NBA veteran who spent the last two seasons playing for the Houston Rockets. In 2015-16, Terry played in 72 games (seven starts) with the Rockets and averaged 5.9 points, 1.4 assists and 1.1 rebounds in 17.5 minutes per game.

The Bucks backcourt is built around Matthew Dellavedova, Michael Carter-Williams, Khris Middleton, and they also may use forward-sized Giannis Antetokounmpo as a point guard. Terry will add depth to that group.

“Jason is a true professional who understands what it takes to be successful in this league,” Bucks General Manager John Hammond said. “He’ll be an invaluable resource for our young group as we continue to develop into a championship-caliber team on and off the court, and he’s still one of the best shooters in the game who can help stretch the floor for us. We’re thrilled to welcome him to Milwaukee.”

The 6-2 guard was selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the 10th overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft and spent the first five seasons of his career with the Hawks. Terry then moved to Dallas where he played with the Mavericks for eight seasons, including the Mavs’ 2011 NBA Championship team, before playing with the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets for one season each prior to his stint in Houston.

Bucks hire Craig Robinson as VP of Player and Organizational Development

The Bucks have hired Craig Robinson as the team’s new Vice President of Player and Organizational Development. He will serve as a mentor and advisor to the Bucks roster – the youngest in the NBA.

“Player development is instrumental to the success of our players on the court and their valuable impact in the community,” said Bucks co-owner Wes Edens. “We strive to equip every member of our organization with the tools they need to find personal success beyond basketball. As we continue to build a world-class franchise, we’re thrilled to have someone with Craig’s experience and character join our team and help our players reach their full potential on and off the court.”

Robinson will oversee the development and implementation of programs that support the professional and personal growth of players through education, mentorship, business and community efforts that align with the mission and goals of the Bucks organization.

“It’s so important to surround our young players with talented and experienced people that can help mentor and guide them through the different stages of their careers,” said General Manager John Hammond. “Craig has an impressive set of qualifications that we feel will be beneficial to our players and our entire organization. We couldn’t be more excited to welcome him to the Bucks family.”

A Chicago native, Robinson was a two-time Ivy League Player of the Year at Princeton University where he graduated with a degree in sociology. After a brief professional basketball career overseas, Robinson returned to his hometown to get his first experience as an assistant coach at the Illinois Institute of Technology. He left the sidelines to pursue a graduate degree in finance (M.B.A.) from the University of Chicago and went on to a career in finance and banking.

Robinson returned to the hardwood in 1999, joining Northwestern University as an assistant coach until he was named head coach at Brown University in 2006. After a two-year stint at Brown, he was named head coach at Oregon State University (2008-14) where his 93 wins made him the fourth-winningest coach in program history.

Robinson and his wife, Kelly, were married in 2006. He is the father of four children: sons Austin, Aaron and Avery, and daughter Leslie. Robinson is also the older brother of First Lady Michelle Obama.