Remembering RJ: June 26, 2008 - June 23, 2009

Thanks for the memories RJ, I barely knew you.

While one TBDS writer is making a mockery of the NBA Draft and the other is wishing big wishes for a former Saluki (in an excellent written blog may I add), I am left in a state of shock and confusion.

It didn't have to end this way for Richard Jefferson and the Milwaukee Bucks. But on June 23, the Bucks once again prove they are scared to win now. A team always set on looking to the future completely ignored they had the future on their team already.

Jefferson played all 82 games for the Bucks, connected on a career-high 39 percent of his 3-point attempts and averaged close to 20 points per game. He took leadership in the locker room and demanded accountability from his teammates. And while the club did not make the postseason, it was a refreshing change of pace from the 2007-08 Milwaukee Bucks.

I had faith in John Hammond to take the reigns of this team and make the necessary moves to put a competitive squad on the floor. On Tuesday, my faith was shaken when he shipped out RJ to San Antonio for Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas and Fabricio Oberto.

While I realize Jefferson had a rich contract, he was worth every penny. He played great defense, great offense and was a great team player. Oh yeah, by the way ... he is 28. Last time I checked, 28 was a great age for an NBA player. How the Bucks did not realize Jefferson could be the star player they have been looking for is beyond me.

Instead, they picked up three expiring contracts in hopes of signing a star in the 2010 offseason just like every other team wants to do. But Jefferson is a star, and he was a Buck.

As a Milwaukee Buck fan, there is usually little to cheer about and not much of an arsenal when it comes to debating fans of other teams, but being able to say Richard Jefferson was a Buck was a point of pride last season. I am sad to see him go as I was looking very much forward to being a big fan of his for years to come.

But my life as a Bucks fan must go on and that means it's time to take a look at what the team has.

Bowen, 38, is a defensive specialist and good three-point shooter. It will be nice to see the team have a little more energy on the defensive end. Kurt Thomas will also be a nice addition defensively as well. But the problem is they are all going to be 35 or older next season and Thomas and Oberto average about 5 points per game.

With the likely departure of Ramon Sessions and Charlie Villanueva this offseason, that leaves Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut as the team's lone source of offense. The Bucks are going to need to lean a lot more on Charlie Bell and hope Mbah a Moute adds a jumpshot to his game while Alexander comes back with a chip on his shoulder.

While I am examining the severe lack of offense, now would be a good time to say the Portland Trailblazers offered some sort of package involving Travis Outlaw, Rudy Fernandez or a first round pick for Jefferson at the trade deadline. While that also would have been heartbreaking, it would have been better than what the Bucks settled for.

Normally I don't like to dedicate a full blog to the team I cheer for, but in this case, it was the biggest news in the NBA today and a sad day in this basketball fan's life. The one nice thing about this is that Bowen, Thomas and Oberto are all "Skiles-made" players. They are tough, defensive minded veterans. But tough defensive-minded veterans are supposed to be the supporting cast for young, athletic game changers. And the Bucks just lost one.

I was hoping to write about the major trades that could and should happen on draft night. And now more than ever, the Bucks need to have a great draft night. So while I spend the rest of the night being sad for the Bucks, I will be back tomorrow, proud to be a Milwaukee fan and ready to give some last minute advice to general managers for draft night.

I just hope John Hammond is reading.

Daily Dosage: Love Lockdown D

When I was a child the love of my life was Topanga Lawrence. With those looks and a name like Topanga, how could you go wrong?

You couldn't.

She's all grown up now and I think she's married to some hockey player. What's with hockey players and pretty girls? It makes me wish I could skate.

But then making fun of those kids who tried showing off and ended up making a fool of themselves at Rockefeller Plaza when I was in NYC two weeks ago wouldn't have been as fun.

Enough of that. On to the Dosage.

Jeff's revenge. Hoops expert Jeff has won this round, but beware of the killer Derrick Rose crossover.

His Milwaukee Bucks beat my Chicago Bulls 97-90 behind a stupendous bench effort from Charlie Villanueva who scored 23 points off the bench (Jim Calhoun wonders where that effort was at UConn) and Dan Gadzuric (he's still in the league) who scored 11 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. Ridiculous!

D-Rose notched a near double-double with 18 points and 9 assists in a losing effort.

Quality Linkage:

• Closing the book on my trip to New York City with Currents. [Daily Egyptian]
• SIU loses its top receiver to graduation, USC receiver looks for a transfer. Call me a homer, but I see a fit. [LA Times]
• Layla Kiffin ... Yes! [Hugging Harold Reynolds]
• Journalists and Twitter. [Columbia Journalism Review]
• Athletes who blog [Sign on San Diego]

NBA Predictions: Midwest Money

Welcome to volume 1 of my breakdown of every NBA division going in to the season. Many claim to be experts, but I promise that The Big Dead Sidebar is the place where you will find the most accurate and boldest predictions on the Interweb.

To start things off I chose my personal favorite division — the Central. I refer to this division as Midwest Money because it is a gamble. The division could send anywhere from two to four teams to the playoffs depending on what version of each team shows up on a nightly basis. I will start with the top and work my way down.

1. Detroit Pistons

I have little doubt the Pistons will remain the kings of the midwest. They are the deepest team in the central, followed by the Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers respectively. They can score from the outside and they will absolutely punish teams in the post — something no other team in the central can come close to doing. The starters are aging, which can be a little scary at times, but the young guns are more than promising. New coach Michael Curry should keep the team focused and energized most of the way through. Will they finally get that second ring they have been good enough to get the last few years? I would say no, but there is a chance.

Team MVP: Tayshaun Prince - The scorer, defender, shooter and slasher. He is everything.

The Rising Star: Amir Johnson - How does a blocked shot every nine minutes sound? That's what Johnson did last year and I expect even more this year. I love Jason Maxiell, but I think Johnson is the heir to McDyess' throne.

The Falling Star: Chauncey Billups - "Big Shot" Billups has started to lose a step and it is beginning to show. He knows at 32 time is running out for him, so he could be even more focused on getting a ring this season. The Pistons wont have to lose too much sleep as the great Rodney Stuckey and defensive stalwart Arron Afflalo wait in the wings.

2. Cleveland Cavaliers

There are only two reasons why Cleveland will get second place. LeBron and James. He is the best player in the Eastern Conference and is great enough to get event the most mediocre teams to the top. The addition of former Buck Mo Williams will help space the floor and I expect Wally World and Big Z to give enough effort to keep the team in second. They have nice role players with Delonte West, Booby Gibson and Anderson Varejao. If you don't watch the Cavs because of King James, than watch them for Varejao's hair, it's awesome.

Team MVP: LeBron James - This one is self-explanatory

Rising Star: Delonte West - He could sneak up on a lot of teams this year if they don't pay attention. He only averaged a little more than 8 points per game, but I expect around 12 from him this year with 4 or 5 assists per game as well.

Falling Star: Ben Wallace - Remember when I said Billups could use his age as motivation? Yeah, well that isn't going to happen with Big Ben. The once dominant defender is done...I mean totally done. He is worse on offense (which I thought was impossible) and he is slower and he doesn't defend as well. He is not much help at all.

3. Milwaukee Bucks

So here is one of those bold predictions I was talking about. Let me just say, the Milwaukee Bucks are my favorite sports franchise so I am somewhat biased, but this team has talent. Richard Jefferson, Michael Redd, Andrew Bogut and Charlie V are all offensive weapons. No other front court in the central has the ball handling or passing touch of Charlie V and Bogut. There are HUGE questions on defense but the addition of Scott Skiles along with Malik Allen and Luc Richard Mbah-A-Moute should help.

Team MVP: Richard Jefferson - This is a tight call with Bogut being a close second, but I expect Jefferson to bring speed and defense to the perimeter. His willingness and desire to throw down should be of great help since Michael Redd has never been a slasher.

Rising Star: Ramon Sessions - No doubt about it this kid is going to be really good. He reminds me a lot of Andre Miller and his final four games all ended with double-digit assists including a 24-assist game. Keep an eye out for him, he will surprise you.

Falling Star: Dan Gadzuric - The once solid defender and rebounder has become a shadow of his former self. He was never great, but he used to give you an honest night's work every time out, but the athleticism of today's game has passed him. He did have a tremendous block against the Utah Jazz in a game at the Bradley Center I went to last year though.

4. Chicago Bulls

I had to be talked into this one, but at the end of the day, I believe it too. The fact is they are deeper and have a better front court than the Indiana Pacers. Derrick Rose of course will the be the face of the team all season, but the other players will be the ones deciding the fate of the team. Can Tyrus Thomas reach his potential? Can Luol Deng reach his potential? Can Thabo Sefolosha reach his potential? You see the pattern here. If they can all click, then watch out, but I have my concerns about Vinny Del Negro leading this team.

Team MVP: Luol Deng - This has to be the year for the highly-touted forward because, A) If it's not, then the Bulls wont go very far. B) If he doesn't lead this team, then he will have proven to be overrated and a strong mid-level player, but not the star as expected.

Rising Star: Thabo Sefolosha - I am a sucker for defense and this guy plays it very well. Aside from that, he is one of the only backcourt players on the Bulls with any size, save Rose. I expect him to be the "seventh man," which is really the sixth man on this team since Air Gordon puts up starter minutes.

Falling Star: Larry Hughes - Honestly he is just along for the ride. I am sure he thinks he still can be a vital part of this team, but with Rose, Hinrich, Gordon and Sefolosha all expected to get big minutes, he will probably ride the bench for the majority of the time.

5. Indiana Pacers

Let me just say I really like this team's front court. I think Danny Granger is awesome, Mike Dunleavy is good and TJ Ford is a highly intelligent point guard. Then you have the addition of Jarrett Jack and Brandon Rush and this team is ready for some perimeter damage. The front court is beyond terrible. Jeff Foster, Troy Murphy, Rasho Nesterovic, Josh McRoberts and Roy Hibbert combine for a whole bunch of nothing. This team does not have depth either and does anyone even know who the coach is? Oh yeah, Jim O'Brien.

Team MVP: Danny Granger - He came out of nowhere the past two seasons and has just kept flying under the radar. Without this guy, the Pacers suffer tremendously. He can fill it up and he can take it to the rim. If he continues to improve defensively he will be a legit star.

Rising Star: Brandon Rush - As you can see I must resort to a rookie because this team simply doesn't have good, young players. I know Rush will continue to be better and should be great. He has already shown real leadership and coolness in the exhibition games.

Falling Star: Rasho Nesterovic - I'm not saying he was ever a star but he is being paid $7.8 million this season. Huge waste of money for someone who will do a good job of blocking some shots but that is it.

This should be an interesting division to watch this season and if I am right in my predictions I think I will be the only one as many people don't have Milwaukee and Indiana where I have them. But like I said, TBDS is offering you the gospel of basketball so make sure to check out the next division...the southeast.