Giannis Antetokounmpo once again vented his frustrations in the aftermath of the Bucks’ loss to the Knicks the other day. He had reason to be angry, to be sure; after having come off what seemed to be a statement victory against the admittedly overmatched Jazz, the green and cream started — and stayed — flat at the Garden for yet another disappointing outcome. The 22-point setback in which they failed to claim a single quarter put them at an atrocious 2-7 for the season, second-worst thus far in the so-called Leastern Conference.
To argue that Antetokounmpo has had far better post-match pressers than that which followed the Bucks’ poor showing would be to understate the obvious. He was most definitely in a foul mood; in fact, he even called out a scribe who caught his attention while he was in the midst of replying to a query. “Did we compete today? No,” he contended. “If you don’t compete your ass off, you’re not going to win the game.” And the numbers underscore his point: the Knicks had seven more rebounds, six more steals, and five less turnovers en route to the blowout.
It bears noting that Bucks head coach Doc Rivers hasn’t looked fazed by the turn of events. Their travails notwithstanding, he has all but guaranteed that they would make the playoffs. That said, there can be no discounting the tumult that has visited — and threatened to remain in — the locker room. And when Antetokounmpo is disgruntled, it pays to consider changes to the status quo if for nothing else than to appease him. Which is why the front office has begun making calls around the National Basketball Association to gauge interest in trade deals that can improve the roster for immediate impact.
Exploration is all well and good under any circumstance, and especially in times of duress; after all, no limits can be imposed on excellence. Unfortunately, the Bucks are skirting the second apron, and thus cannot green-light any accord in contravention of salary cap rules. Given the extremely limited options, they are faced with little choice but to make the best of what they have. Needless to say, everything depends on a happy Antetokounmpo. And for as long as he’s not, they have no chance of success.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
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