No Buzz About the Bucks

The Bucks hit rock bottom last season after putting up a pathetic 26 wins. So, Senator Herb Kohl cleaned house. In came a new GM, a new coach, some new players. The result up to this point is a team that is 4-5. A team that can beat teams without as much talent as they have (and San Antonio, with Tim Duncan and nothing else because of injury would qualify as being less talented than the Bucks), but can't compete with those that have more talent (in other words, every team they lost to). Still, it's a step up from where they were a year ago, when teams like the 76ers (before they got hot) slapped the Bucks around by nearly 50 points. This current team competes every night, which is something last year's team did not do.

Still, no one in Milwaukee is talking about the team's improvement. The Packers get more attention. The Brewers Hot Stove is getting more attention. The Badgers and their struggles this season get more attention. There's no buzz about the city's pro basketball team.

Do you want proof? Well, last night just a little over 14,000 showed up to the Bradley Center to see the Spurs. Actually, that's not accurate. Fourteen thousand paid for the right to show up, but the building had - maybe - 10,000 in attendance. Granted, the Spurs were 2-4 coming into the game. Granted Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker are out because of injury. But, Tim Duncan is still alive and kicking, and judging by the amount of Spurs jerseys I saw in the crowd last night on television, the Spurs had a good amount of fans in enemy territory.

So, what's going on here? Why is there no love for a Bucks team that is clearly improving (but faces arena issues which has their long term future in Milwaukee in doubt)? Well, there are a few reasons.

Firstly, this team hasn't won since 2001, when they got to Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Finals. It's a moment that Bucks fans still talk about. The team has not come close to getting back to that point. Last year was the low point, with 26 wins. Seven years ago, the Bucks were the hottest ticket in Milwaukee because the Brewers were bad, Marquette was rebuilding, and UWM had not become a big national player. Over the last seven years, roles have changed. The Brewers are where the Bucks used to be. Marquette's now a national power. And UWM has - as far as mid majors are concerned - made more than its share of noise. The Bucks have gone backwards, and may be where the Brewers were in 2001. When you don't win for a while, you lose popularity in the community, and that's what happened with the Bucks.

Then there's the economy. People just don't have the disposable income to spend on the NBA anymore, especially here in Milwaukee where jobs are being cut left and right (and some businesses are leaving for other cities). Add to that the fact the Bucks are now making noise about a new arena (NBA Commissioner David Stern has gotten into it as well, saying Milwaukee needs a new building), and fans just get turned off.

But the biggest reason the Bucks don't generate any buzz is because they don't have a marquee star. Michael Redd, Richard Jefferson, and Andrew Bogut are nice players and nice guys. But, are they on the same level as Kobe, Lebron, and KG? No, not by a long shot. The Bucks don't have that player that you have to go out and see. They haven't had that player for as long as I can remember. Even now, they are still marketing other team's stars (Come see Dwayne Wade and the Miami Heat take on the Bucks!) as opposed to marketing their own.

And considering they don't have the cumulative pieces that Detroit has had over the years (and until the Iverson they didn't have a bona fide superstar on their roster), they are rebuilding. And it's going to take a while before the rebuilding effort comes to a head with a playoff/championship contender. Until then, the Bucks will continue to fly under the radar in Milwaukee.