Fear the Deer

When it comes to the NBA, I'm a Lakers fan through and through. Have been for as long as I can remember. The Lakers are, of course, one of the favorites this year. For the past few seasons, I haven't really had a "second" team. That is, an underdog team which features some players I like, and I enjoy watching. I'd prefer this team to be from the eastern conference. Think of the Lakers as being my significant other, and the "second" team to be my pet. Well, I hadn't had a "pet" for awhile in the NBA, but I now find myself with a pet deer. And by that I mean I have developed a real liking for the Milwaukee Bucks.

So when did I really start pulling for the Bucks? It all began with Brandon Jennings. This guy quickly became my favorite rookie, and has now blossomed into one of my favorite players to watch in the league. I can't stress how miffed I am at the Timberpups for passing on this guy AND Stephen Curry in the same draft, a draft in which we drafted two point guards in a row. Only the Timberpups could draft two point guards in a row and still miss two of the most talented players in the draft. I could write a whole essay on how the T-pups have pissed me off, but I'll be brief. I feel like the T-pups have to earn my fandom. They have shown no signs of doing so which means I will remain a hater. You simply can't trade Brandon Roy for Randy Foye without alienating the fan base. You could absolutely sell me on a Jennings-Curry-Roy-Love-Jefferson line-up. That's a line-up that would draw me to at least 5 games a year. Heck I might even buy those cheap season ticket packages for next season if they rolled that line. Of course we messed it up though. Enough of that. Back to the Bucks. Jennings is likeable for a variety of reasons.

1. He went against the grain. People bashed him for going to Europe, they bashed him when he wasn't putting up big numbers over there. Now? Jennings is the one laughing. He's come out of his pioneering experience with a chip on his shoulder, and a readiness to achieve at this level. He went against the grain and proved the naysayers wrong.

2. He didn't mope around when he got picked by Milwaukee. A lot of people wouldn't be happy with a Wisconsin adventure (like Yi Jianlian, who didn't have anywhere near the talent that BJ has), but Jennings did what a rookie should do. And that's be thankful no matter where you go. Jennings truly didn't care where he got picked, he just wanted to play. That's the right attitude.

3. He reminds me of a left-handed Allen Iverson. This fact is as exciting as it is scary. On one hand, Jennings ability to score and quickness remind me of a young AI. On the other, his shooting percentage makes me wonder if his career will go the same route that AI's went. I'm hoping BJ can morph into a willing distributor. He shows flashes, but he chucks up shots a little too often at this point in time. Still, that 55 point game was really something.

4. For what it's worth, I'm a fan of his on facebook, and his updates never cease to impress me. Almost every one is a positive, optimistic comment on recent or upcoming events. When the Bucks went down 2-0 to the Hawks, he said, "Game 3 at Home...... Let's GO!!!!! I still believe we can win this. Bradley Center Is about to be CRAZY!!!!". When the Bucks won both home games he said, "Were not a good playoff team, till we win on the road!!!!". Then there's the updates in which he talks about how much he loves the supporters, or how he's working with the boys and girls club of Milwaukee. Just an overrall likeable athlete who seems to have his head on straight. It's gotten to the point where I would be seriously disappointed if he ever did something majorly out of line.

Though my crush of the Bucks was spurred by this dynamic rookie, he is nowhere near the only Buck I have taken a real liking to.

Andrew Bogut: I remember watching Bogut as a Ute in college and he was such a great passer. I always enjoyed watching him because he was the best passing big man I'd seen in a long time. The fact that he's lived up to that number 1 pick stigma speaks volumes. Bogut has become one of the top 5 centers in the league. On top of all that, what really endeared me to him was when he bought all those seats every home game and gave them to rowdy fans who would create an atmosphere at every home game. Bogut set in motion the "Fear the Deer" movement and made Milwaukee a tough place to play. What other NBA star would do this? Perhaps plenty others, but Bogut thought of it first. It is beyond unfortunate that this guy went down for the season in early April. I would've loved the see where this team could've gone with a healthy Bogut.

John Salmons: Or as I like to call him, instant offense. The Bucks got this guy for peanuts from the Bulls, and what a move it was. Salmons thrives come playoff time and if he's on, is one of the top scorers in the league. I loved watching him with the Bulls last year, and was ecstatic to see the Bucks make a move like this. He also has a really killer beard.

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute: Or as I like to call him LRMAM. What can I say? It's an awesome name and he's pretty good.

Ersan Ilyasova: One of the NBA's best kept rookie secrets. Averaged over 10 points and 6 rebounds per game. Not bad for the 22 year old Turk who was drafted in the 2nd round 36th overall. The perfect young role player for this team.

Stackhouse, Delfino, and Ridnour: All great acquisitions over the last couple years. Delfino especially has come in and contributed in a way that few thought he would.

Just an overall likeable team that I found myself really pulling for. Now they find themselves up 3-2 to the favored Hawks. Hoping they can get as far as possible. They can certainly use the experience being a fairly young team. It seems the Bucks will be a force for years to come. I can't wait to make it to a game of theirs one of these days. I'm glad I've found another team I can pull for besides my Lakers. Good luck to the Bucks the rest of the way, if nothing else, you've earned one more fan.

PS. Scott Skiles was robbed of coach of the year. Ya the Thunder were great, but Skiles has done a tremendous job with this team and deserved the award.