Is Joe Johnson coming to the Bucks?

The Bucks have been in the news of late. First, obtaining the first pick of the draft in the NBA Draft Lottery, then firing their coach, Terry Porter, not even two months after telling him he'd be here to finish off his contract.

I don't know which I hate worse. WHA?

No, I am serious.

First of all, I liked Terry Porter. I thought he did a miraculous job for the Bucks two years ago, taking a victory at the Palace in the playoffs against the mighty Pistons. Last year, the Bucks were admittedly atrocious. But was it really Terry Porter's fault? Think about it. Their 2003 first round draft pick and spark-plug, T.J. Ford, sat-out the whole season. In fact, after he went down in the middle of the 2003-04 season, the Bucks did too. They have not yet recovered from his absence, going 43-71 since his injury, including the playoffs. To add fuel to this tailspin, the Bucks traded two key veteran members of their rotation on February 24, in Mike James and Keith Van Horn. After those transactions, the Bucks took another noise dive, going 8-22. The Bucks lack of focus and energy at the end of the season had a lot to do with their lack of experience, depth, and maturity, while facing a playoff team in 16 of those last 30 games. Given that situation, I believe Terry did an average job, and probably deserved another chance with Ford coming back to play, money to spend, and a #1 pick in the draft.

About that #1 pick in the draft. It is scary. I mean, yes Bogut is tall and Williams is dynamic, but niether of them is LeBron James. Are we really being blessed here? What if we draft Bogut, and he turns into the next Danny Schayes? Or, we let him go, and he turns into the next Brad Miller or Vlade Divac? And then with Williams, he could be anybody. He is so young and raw. He might not be ready for the big jump to the NBA, considering he was a back-up at NC. Then again, Bogut might not be any more ready, so maybe we should look Deron Williams or Chris Paul. But do we need another 1 guard who shoots? Will Ford be back? Who will the Bucks coach be? Flip? Isn't that the name of the family cat?

Well, lots of questions in such a small space. I have no clue. But it is the NBA, and it is FAAAAAAAAAAntastic (sorry Mr. Simmons).

As far as Joe Johnson rumors, a little birdie told me the Bucks were looking to let Kukoc go, re-sign Redd, then pursue Joe Johnson as the swingman off from the bench behind Desmond Mason and Redd. I don't know how much truth there is to this rumor, but I do trust the source. Unfortunately, the Suns may have caught wind of this rumor, for it looks like they are trying to create a starting spot for Mr. Johnson in Phoenix. Stay tuned.

P.S. Game 7 starts in about an hour... go Spurs!