The Milwaukee Bucks have come a long way since the Larry Harris era.
Current GM John Hammond issued a statement Friday afternoon confirming the rumors we all knew were anything but talk:
“We are engaged in free agent negotiations with John Salmons and Drew Gooden. We intend to enter into a player contract with John and Drew once the moratorium period has ended.”
By Jake McCormick
Just a day after open season was declared on the most anticipated free agent courtship in NBA history, the Bucks are one move away from a complete roster upgrade from the 2009-10 season. After trading for physical wings Corey Maggette and Chris Douglas-Roberts, re-signing Salmons and Carlos Delfino, inking the big man Gooden, drafting bigs Larry Sanders and Tiny Gallon as well as versatile wing in Darington Hobson, Hammond is faced the with task of finding a backup to his quarterback, Brandon Jennings.
Unfortunately, it would be hard to envision the Bucks re-signing Luke Ridnour, given the amount of interest other teams with much more money have shown in him. That leaves the next best options of Chris Duhon or Earl Watson, and I’m firmly in the camp of Duhon simply because of his low turnover rates and unselfish qualities.
I’ll expand on the discussion over having two 30-year-old wings and a close to 30-year-old big in long term deals on July 8 (when Salmons and Gooden can officially ink their place onto the Bucks’ roster). But for now Bucks fans should rejoice in the fact that the organization is making a commitment to winning now while still developing players for the future.
Also keep in mind that it could be worse; we could be fans of teams that hold delusional sentiments towards Darko Milicic, Joe Johnson, or Rudy Gay.
Look for a full on-the-court and financial evaluation of the Bucks’ offseason, as well as a preview of the team’s Summer League, at various points throughout next week. Until then, enjoy the fact that the Fear the Deer movement should remain alive and well next year.
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