Category: Milwaukee Bucks Blog

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (Michael Hunt) reports: A tad more than $16 million, or almost 30% of the Bucks’ payroll, is committed this season to Bobby Simmons and Dan Gadzuric. To unload those contracts, the Bucks would have to take back roughly $16 million in salaries of players who have most likely been likewise financial drains on their franchises in hopes that the changes might do somebody good. Michael Redd and Mo Williams do not represent dead-money contracts, but they are scheduled to make almost $24 million between them this season. That’s about 40% of the payroll wrapped up in a backcourt that does not work well together. So you can see how creative Hammond is going to have to be to dig the Bucks out of this financial hole, and that’s not even to mention a resolution of the Yi Jianlian-Charlie Villanueva overlap, mostly because Villanueva’s rookie contract against his production would make him easy to move, should the Bucks opt to go that way.

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (Michael Hunt) writes: The Bucks also erred in bestowing a maximum contract on Michael Redd. Do that, and the player had better be able to carry a team. Redd is one of the league’s premier scorers – mitigated by the fact the points have to come from somewhere on a bad team – but he could not lift the Bucks to even mediocrity. For the $17 million a year they pay him, the Bucks could’ve finished last without Redd. Eighty games below .500 and one playoff victory. Of course, you can’t pin all that on Redd, who was stuck here while Glenn Robinson got a ring in San Antonio, and while Allen and Sam Cassell might get one in Boston. Management failed miserably to surround Redd with a supporting cast once the decision was made five years ago to dismantle one of the NBA’s better teams.

New Milwaukee bucks coach Scott Skiles, the head coach most resembling a bulldog, has named officially hired his assistant coaches.

Jim Boylan, Lionel Hollins, Kelvin Sampson and Joe Wolf will join Scott Skiles’ coaching staff as assistants. Skiles’ staff for the 2008-09 season also includes Bill Peterson, assistant coach/player development, who joined the Bucks prior to the 2007-08 season.

More info about each guy is here.

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (Charles F. Gardner) blogged the following: Andrew Bogut is enjoying some vacation time in Croatia, where he is visiting family and friends after the long National Basketball Association season. But it’s fair to say the Bucks center is keeping up with current events. Bogut had this reaction to the hiring of former Chicago Bulls coach Scott Skiles as the Bucks’ new coach: “I’m very excited about coach; I know he will be tough,” the Australian wrote in an e-mail response. “I think he will be the leader we need to set things straight and hold everyone accountable.” … “My second half of the year was great,” Bogut said in a season-ending interview. “My first half was definitely disappointing. I think my second half, I forgot about all the off-court distractions and all the things that were bothering me my first two years. “I just went out there and played hard. Obviously, you’re going to have bad games. You probably have five or 10 bad games in an NBA season. If I can limit it to five next year, I’ll be very happy with that. These last 20 games, it was tough going out there, knowing the games were kind of pointless in a way. I used these as motivation to prove myself, that I could definitely be a focal point of the offense and be a team guy first.”

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (Tom Enlund) on Friday reported: None of the Milwaukee Bucks assistant coaches from this past season will be a part of new coach Scott Skiles’ staff next season. Skiles confirmed Friday that Tony Brown, Brian James, Jim Todd, and Jarinn Akana – all assistant coaches under Larry Krystowiak – had been informed that they would not be retained for next season. This was James’ third season with the Bucks while Brown and Akana were in the first season. Todd was in the first season of his third tenure with the team.

The Milwaukee Bucks have named Jeff Weltman to the position of Assistant General Manager, General Manager John Hammond announced today.  Weltman comes to the Bucks after spending the 2007-08 season with the Detroit Pistons where he worked along side Hammond as the director of basketball administration.

“Jeff is a hard-working and respected NBA front office executive,” said Hammond.  “He has a keen eye for talent, a tireless work ethic and a strong knowledge of the league’s salary cap structure.  I value his input and look forward to continuing our relationship in Milwaukee.”

Weltman spent one season in Detroit and was responsible for coordinating the team’s draft preparation, scouting efforts, scouting schedules, and free agent visits.  He joined the Pistons after spending five seasons as the assistant general manager with the Denver Nuggets where he helped develop the Nuggets into a team that ended an eight-year play-off drought in 2003-04 and won 49 games in 2004-05.

“I’m excited to join the Milwaukee Bucks organization and grateful to Senator Kohl and John Hammond for the opportunity,” said Weltman.

The 43-year-old began his NBA career in 1988 as a video coordinator with the Los Angeles Clippers.  He quickly rose through the organization’s ranks and served as the club’s Director of Player Personnel from 1994-2001.  He worked closely with Hammond during the 1990-93 and 2000-01 seasons when the Bucks General Manager was an assistant coach for the Clippers (under Larry Brown from ’90-93 and under Alvin Gentry from ’00-01).  In all, the New York native owns 19 years of NBA experience.

Weltman graduated from Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio in 1987.

The Milwaukee Bucks today relieved Larry Krystkowiak of his head coaching duties, General Manager John Hammond announced.  The decision was made after Hammond met with Krystkowiak Thursday morning at the Bucks Training Center in St. Francis, WI.  The search for the Bucks new head coach begins immediately. 

“Larry Krystkowiak is a good man who worked very hard for the Milwaukee Bucks,” said Hammond.  “Sometimes despite even the best efforts, the results don’t end up how we want them.  At this time, I feel it is in the best interest of our franchise to make a change at the head coaching position.  I want to thank Larry for his hard work and dedication to our team, and our entire organization wishes him and his family well.”

In less than two seasons as head coach of the Bucks, Krystkowiak compiled a 31-69 record (.310).  He was named head coach on March 14, 2007, replacing Terry Stotts.

Krystkowiak was originally hired by the Bucks on June 22, 2006, as an assistant coach to Stotts.  He came to Milwaukee following two seasons as the head coach at his alma mater, the University of Montana.  He led the Grizzlies to a 42-20 record during those two campaigns and won back-to-back Big Sky Conference Tournaments.  He also guided his Montana squad to two straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including a first-round upset over Nevada in the 2006 NCAA Tournament. 
Krystkowiak’s coaching resume also includes a one-year stint as head coach of the Idaho Stampede (CBA), where he guided his team to a franchise-best 37-16 record during the 2003-04 season. 

He has also spent time as an assistant coach at Norfolk Collegiate High School in Virginia (2002-03), at Old Dominion (2001-02), and at Montana (1998-2000).

Drafted by Chicago in 1986, Krystkowiak played in nine NBA seasons, including four with the Milwaukee Bucks (he spent five seasons in Milwaukee from 1987-92, but was injured during the 1990-91 season).  He averaged 9.8 points and 6.0 rebounds in 225 career games with Milwaukee.  He also played for San Antonio, Utah, Orlando, Chicago and the Los Angeles Lakers, averaging 8.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 420 career NBA games.
He remains Montana’s all-time leader in points (2,017) and rebounds (1,105) after playing four years for the Grizzlies from 1982-86.  In 1989, he became the only player in men’s basketball history at Montana to have his number (42) retired.