Year in… sliding door of keeping Dame or what happened

[maradro]

Weird that they weren't better even when Giannis was healthy. On paper, that looked like perfect pairing

I remember tons of people declaring them the most lethal PnR ever before they even played a game... Turns out it's not just a matter of combining shooting and finishing

[shi-woo]

If Dame legit wanted out then it was time to let him walk. I also don't think he was the problem this year, and i'm sure over the offseason we're going to find out a little more about what happened behind the scenes in MIL. For a team that was cruising they sure had a bunch of negativity, and the vibe all year was like the 03 Lakers going through the Kobe situation.

I think the Bucks are legit contenders next year, and the "too old" narrative hasbeen overblown this year. Giannis Dame, and Mids are all still in or at the end of their primes, and still high level players as all 3 showed when healthy this year.

Dame from what posters on this forum has said was going through a divorce, moved teams for th first time, and probably had to take a mental break re-calibrating that he isn't the guy or man in a town or city. From the games I watched this year he was very lethargic, and didn't really look to be playing freely, but I'll let Bucks fans chime in on that.

Dame and Giannis is still the best duo out East outside of maybe Tatum and Brown. They just need to have a solid healthy offseason, and come into camp ready. Doc is good for that, and will have this team in better spirits to start the year, and it won't be a game of catch up. Celtics in 18 never recovered from the drama to start the year, MIL couldn't do it this year either. Boston came out the year after focused, I expect the same from the Bucks.

Dame, Giannis, and Middleton is still a solid group. Jackson, Pat, Green, and Marjon are decent guys on the bench. Lopez can be moved, but if not he still can play the Big Al roll to perfection. All they need to do is find a few more guys in the mold of Hart/Dante and they could easily win the title next year.

The Dame trade wasn't a 1 year window, they are going to have more chances as long as they are focused.

[Asianiac_24]

Milwaukee is a championship contender when Giannis is healthy. They probably need to get a better 2 instead of Malik Beasley (eg someone like Divencenzo, Hart, Grayson Allen, etc) would be amazing next to Dame.

[xchange55]

Dame has no history of playing on or leading title contending teams. He got his first chance with MIL and well the outcome is the same as for him in POR. And to be fair MIL went down a notch.

When Dame catches fire, it's quite a show, but it's all individual. What does he do to help the team? He's an undersized defense liablity. That's probably the main reason why he was not a top college recruit. Assist to TO ratio is not great. There are plenty of players in the league who can shoot the lights out and with high usage they'll pile up the stats. I thought maybe he could be more effective in the team game as a #2 to Giannis. But he adds nothing when off the ball.

I guess it's hard to know what's going on behind the doors in MIL as well - so not all Dame. You don't see 2 coaches dismissed so quickly when the team is competitive.

[JasonStern]

When Dame catches fire, it's quite a show, but it's all individual. What does he do to help the team?

You answered your own question. He's arguably the third best shooter the league has seen behind only Steph Curry and Ray Allen. Don't misinterpret that as the third best point guard the league has ever seen. But third best shooter - especially in clutch moments. Strong argument can be made.

[OfficialRef]

Even when healthy the Bucks superteam was pretty underwhelming. Dame had a good situation there too with a stacked team of arguably the best player in the world, an all star and great role players. Looks like hes more of a high stats on a treadmill team kind of guy. Ridiculous he was considered a top 75 player of all time.