2012-13 NBA Sleepers: Milwaukee Bucks

(Left: Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis)

4. Milwaukee Bucks (Central Division)

Division Rivals: Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers, Detroit Pistons, and Cleveland Cavaliers

After listing both the Houston Rockets and Washington Wizards as sleeper teams I thought would not make the playoffs, we’ve finally come to the top 4 that I believe do in fact have a chance at making the postseason, starting with the Milwaukee Bucks.

For a small market team like Milwaukee which received next to no attention last year, they were only 4 games behind the 8^th seeded Philadelphia 76ers who went on to beat the 1^st place Chicago Bulls in a first round upset of the 2012 playoffs, only to lose later on to the Boston Celtics. With the loss of Andre Igoudala, the 76ers are sure to lose a step, however if you consider the acquisition of Andrew Bynum who will be surrounded by Nick Young, Jrue Holdiay, Thadeus Young and veteran Jason Richardson all combining for an average of 60 points per game, the Bucks will have to take that 8^th spot by force and with a little luck.

Even though the Bucks have lost big man Andrew Bogut, they still have a cast of characters, although seemingly just thrown together; they are still a pretty decent team. Mike Dunleavey, Ersan Ilyasova and Brandon Jennings are all career double-digit scorers. Longtime personal favorite Monta Ellis who was traded from the Golden State Warriors, will have no problem putting up points, and may rely primarily on transition baskets like he did in Golden State as opposed to half court strategies that worked well with Bogut in the Milwaukee.

The best chance this team has for success is also its biggest chance for failure. Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis both average about 20 points per 35 minutes a game, with both players needing the ball in their hands often for their style of play. As chliche as that sounds it’s true. Both can go on long scoring runs without involving other teammates and the results can vary. Watching how coach Scott Skiles decides to manage their minutes, both players ability to share the ball when needed and decide who will be the one to take over a game in a close 4^th quarter will be nothing short of interesting. If both stars can agree on who is Batman and who is Robin much like Miami has, who knows, a 1^st round playoff upset could be in their future. This being based on my belief that teams like Orlando and Chicago will fall from grace with the loss of Dwight Howard and an injured Derrick Rose.