after a quick start to the season, in which they were at one point considered a possible 4 seed in the playoffs, the bucks have melted into the #8 position, looking more like last year's squad with every game.  sure, injuries have had an effect on the team, with joe smith missing about 2 1/2 months, mo williams struggling with plantair fasciaitis and a sprained ankle, and charlie bell, the team's defensive stopper, also missing significant action.

i think what is really happening tho, is that they are finding out that bobby simmons is not the player they hoped he was when they signed him to a 5 year, $47 million contract last summer.  as the league's most improved player last season, his abilities were overrated going into free agency.  after signing the small forward, the bucks made the move to trade desmond mason and a 1st round pick to the hornets for jamaal magloire.  i like magloire's rebounding and defensive presence, but giving up an athlete like mason, along with a 1st rounder seemed a bit high to me.  this trade also took place shortly after bucks management told mason that he'd be "a buck for life".  to me, whenever a player, coach or GM is given such a vote of confidence, it usually means his days are numbered.   it did make sense tho, considering the bucks had simmons and toni kukoc at the SF position, and the opportunity to add another big man doesnt come along very often. 

with magloire now on the roster, along with joe smith, andrew bogut, and charlie bell, it was my thought the bucks would put more emphasis on defense, hopefully raising their blocked shots and steals statistics along the way.  however, they continue to play a ball chasing defense which, too often, leaves an opposing player wide open either for a 3 point attempt, or a drive to the basket.  i know they recently had a streak ended in which they didnt allow an opponent 100 points for 13 consecutive games, but that wasnt all due to a smothering defensive effort as much as it was the overall down-turn in scoring accross the league.

my idea to change the fortunes of this team, at least starting next year, is to try and re-acquire ray allen from the seattle sonics.  its apparent seattle is looking to dump alot of salary since they have struggled this season, and it looks as if they wont get public funding for a new arena.  by packaging bobby simmons with dan gadzurich, the bucks could get allen and another player in return. who that would be, to me, is irrelevant. teaming allen with michael redd would give the bucks one of the most feared shooting tandems in the league.  

consider the potential starting lineup for next year...PG, t.j. ford, SG, ray allen, SF, michael redd, PF, andrew bogut, C, jamaal magloire.  with mo williams, jiri welch, charlie bell, and joe smith as the 4 guys coming off the bench.  bringing allen back wont exactly help the defense any, but would add more offense, which the bucks have struggled with as of late.

unless they could pull off a trade including simmons and gadzurich for kevin garnett, this would be the most attractive possibility.  obviously there are other guys out there who i wouldnt mind seeing in a bucks jersey, but i dont think D-wade, steve nash, or dwight howard are rumored to be traded any time soon.

this is all strictly my opinion, but i think the major sports leagues need to get together and create a universal drug policy, explaining which drugs are illegal, what the consequences will be for using them, and the testing procedures.

first of all, any drug that is illegal for the every day person should automatically be banned. testing positive for such a drug should result in a 1 year suspension.  drugs included in this group would include marijuana, crack, cocaine, etc.  a second failed test should result in a lifetime ban from all the major sports, as well as the termination of any contracts, and the loss of all money not already paid out from such a contract.

2nd, any drug that is clearly used with the intent of building muscle, strength or stamina should also be banned. sterroids should only be acceptable in the rehabilitation of a major injury, and should be required to have the player apply for an exemption to use the drug, on a limited basis, for the sole purpose of aiding in the rehab of the specific injury, and not for the overall bulking up of one's body.  there has been a system in place for bulking up which creates an even playing field for everyone, and its called weighlifting. those who turn to performance enhancers are simply too lazy to put in the work to do it the right way.

another problem is painkillers. alot of athletes take them, and with good reason. but where this becomes an issue is when a player is not only taking the prescribed amount, but also begging extra pills from teammates. anyone caught sharing their allotted amount of post-game vicodin, for example, gets a half season suspension for a 1st offense, full season for a 2nd offense, and a lifetime ban for a 3rd.

for too long athletes have been getting away with this kind of thing simply because of their ability to perform, as well as put fans in the seats, sell merchandise, and pay per view subscriptions on DirecTV and Dish Network.   if the average factory worker, receptionist, construction worker or nurse gets caught doing such a thing, they are subject to much more severe punishment, including termination of employment, legal action, and the difficulty in finding anyone willing to hire them.  i'm not saying they do it because they see athletes getting away with it, but i'm guessing there would be a dramatic decrease in such activity if the people in the public eye werent allowed to continually get away with it.

ok, so less than a full day after explaining the reasons why i wouldnt do this, i'm doing it.  i'll get some things out of the way right off the bat. 1. i hate capital letters, so you probably wont see me use them often. 2. i have an opinion on just about everything, but its usually just that, and not based on alot of stats or facts. 3. i'm as close to computer illiterate as you can get, yet still manage to find my way around here. what this means is, you wont find alot of fancy stuff here, such as pictures, little smiley icons, etc.

due to the overwhelming popularity  (ok, so maybe i'm blowing it out of proportion a bit) of my comments on other's blogs, i've been convinced to start my own. as i stated a couple times in the past, i dont have any original ideas or thoughts, so be prepared to snooze through my ramblings.