Tuesday, January 15, 2008

    A prediction: Milwaukee will make the Eastern Conference playoffs.

    I watched the Bucks lose to the Lakers and Jazz during their just-completed mini-swing through the Western Conference and I'm convinced they are one of the best eight teams in the East.

    At this point, I believe Boston, Toronto, Detroit, Cleveland, Orlando and Washington are better. That leaves New Jersey, Indiana, Chicago, Atlanta, Charlotte and the Bucks fighting for the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds.

    New Jersey seems like an obvious playoff team, but the Nets are so perimeter-oriented that even Jason Kidd might not be able to get them to the playoffs.

    Did you notice the box score from Portland's 99-73 win at New Jersey on Monday night? Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson and Kidd were a combined 7-for-33 from the field.

    On paper, Chicago also looks like a playoff team. In fact, I predicted in October that the Bulls would win the East.

    Brilliant.

    The Bulls have been in turmoil since the start of the season. Coach Scott Skiles has been fired and an underachieving roster could be shuffled before the trade deadline. Without some kind of major turnaround, I can't see pulling out of its tailspin and making the playoffs.

    Milwaukee?

    Andrew Bogut is emerging as one of the East's top centers, while the three-guard rotation of Michael Redd, Mo Williams and Charlie Bell is hard to beat.

    When Redd completely recovers from a thigh contusion and small forward Desmond Mason returns from a thumb injury in a couple of weeks, I think the Bucks will start a run that carries them into the playoffs.

    If it happens, I'll be happy for Larry Krystkowiak, the former Jazz player and successful college coach who is in his first full season with the Bucks.

    Larry played the game like a couple of his ex-teammates, John Stockton and Karl Malone. Talking to Bogut, I get the idea he also coaches a little bit like Jerry Sloan.

    When I asked what he remembered about Krystkowiak during his one season with the Jazz, Sloan said, "Larry was a wonderful teammate and a good team guy - an intelligent basketball player. He understood team basketball, he understood passing the basketball. When he played here, he complemented our team very well. He was a great guy to coach. You didn't have to go over and over and over stuff for him. He just went out there and did what he was told to do."

    As you would expect, Krystkowiak was disappointed after the Bucks' 98-87 loss to Utah on Monday night.

    Asked about the Jazz's 43-18 advantage in free-throw attempts, he didn't rant. At the same time, he made his point when asked about the play of Utah's "young" point guard Deron Williams, who shot more free throws (20) than Krystkowiak's entire team.

    "I like the kid a lot," he said. ". . . [But] I don't think of him as being young anymore. I think of him as kind of a cagey old veteran."

    Krystkowiak smiled, knowing his message had subtly-but-unmistakably been smoothly delivered: young point guards don't shoot 20 free throws, only cagey old veterans do.

    ---

    Thanks to Ross' blog, I checked out deadspin.com for the first time in my life this morning.

    My reaction: Larry Miller, Jerry Sloan and Kevin O'Connor must be so proud.

    -- Steve Luhm