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Heat Central: Giannis on switching his number from 34, to 7 when he joined Miami: “Had to get closure. It was a huge chapter in my life. Now, I want to move on and the reason I’m not wearing 34 is out of respect. Not just the organization, but the people that was there with me. 34 will only be worn in Milwaukee. — But I’m human. I might change my mind. Maybe next year I might put 34 on. We’ll see.” (@ThanalysisShow)
K.C. Johnson: Isaac Okoro didn’t practice but may play Weds in Milwaukee. Tobe Awaka banged his knee vs. Memphis and, after not playing in Denver, also didn’t practice. Zach Collins and Nic Claxton remain out, all per Tiago Splitter. Collins is progressing. Claxton will be “out awhile”
However, that wasn't the same approach that he saw in Milwaukee. Thus, Giannis never pushed his Bucks' teammates to work as hard as he did and allowed them to be themselves. As a result, when Antetokounmpo was explaining the primarydifference between Milwaukee and Miami, his comments did seemingly throw the likes of Brook Lopez, Khris Middleton and Holiday under the bus. "Brook (Lopez) is not showing up a month early. Khris (Middleton) is not showing up a month early. Jrue (Holiday) is not showing up a month early," Antetokounmpo said. "Like, we knew what the deal was."
Caris LeVert: “I was just training. I got a call maybe a week before that said it might be a possibility. Obviously with what they had going on over in Detroit, they had signed a few guys, so just doing the math, you knew something was going on. But coming here, I was super excited. I played many battles against Taylor in Memphis when I was in Brooklyn and Indiana. We had a couple overtime games, a lot of good battles, so I was really looking forward to playing for him as opposed to playing against him.”
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Heat Central: Bobby Portis says going from Milwaukee to the Miami Heat is a breath of fresh air: “It suddenly hit me not playing with Milwaukee no more after playing with them for 6 years, felt like a breath of fresh air coming to an organization that’s all about the right things, that has a winning culture, a winning mentality, that’s what I want to be apart of. I’ve been a winner my whole life so coming to this franchise was a blessing” (@5ReasonsSports / open.spotify.com/episode/4J24cm)
After a 17-point loss at home to lowly Dallas on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the vibes were at their lowest. Towns’ name was starting to circulate in trade rumors, most notably involving Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo. “We were on Zillow looking at Milwaukee,” Towns said, smiling and mimicking his conversations with Jordyn about checking out real estate. “Like, ‘Hey, babe, I went around town, and it’s not that bad. This could be a good spot right here.’”
Jim Owczarski: In downtown Milwaukee, Ryan Rollins is the face of the Bucks digitial billboard promoting ticket plans. (No photo because I’m a responsible driver.)
During their time together in Milwaukee, Antetokounmpo built a strong connection with Baker and expressed admiration for Baker’s winding NBA journey and his successful battle with alcoholism and substance abuse. “I took on a mentoring role before anything else, and we just became really close personally,” Baker said of becoming a confidant for Antetokounmpo. “Like I’m the one player development coach who he has that’s officiated his wedding. So he’s like a son to me, and I think he would share the same sentiments. We just have a special bond that goes beyond basketball. “When I played, we share a lot of things in common on the court. He’s obviously at a different level than I was as a player. But being an All-Star and being an Olympian and an All-NBA player, I do see some of the things that he sees on the court. And I try to help him see those things as well, especially post-ups and double-teams and things like that. But, again, our relationship goes beyond basketball. I’m just very fortunate to be here, part of this journey with him. And hopefully win another championship at some point.”
Eric Nehm: Personal update: After getting the opportunity to cover the Milwaukee Bucks for the last decade, I am moving to Miami for a new role covering the Miami Heat at @TheAthletic. Leaving Milwaukee is going to be incredibly difficult, but I am excited for the new opportunity.
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Giannis Antetokounmpo: "The city of Milwaukee, I love the city of Milwaukee. I will love it until I die. I bleed purple and green. It's very simple. They made me who I am today. I have loved my family, and when I walk on the road, they leave me, and I do, I mean, I have a physiological life, I go to the supermarket, and they don't bother me, people. They see me on the road and they greet me, that is, they don't bother me, they don't bombard me with photos, with autographs, and all that. And, anyway, and basketball-wise, I passed very beautifully. And that will always be in my heart. It will never, it doesn't matter if I play in Mars. It will always be in my heart, and, luckily, when I finish this cycle with Miami, which I don't know when it will end, and if, I will definitely return to Milwaukee, and I don't know if they want me then."
Giannis Antetokounmpo: "The easy thing would be to stay in Milwaukee, but I don't want to be comfortable, from a small child, I want always to have new, new challenges. And for me, this is a challenge, that I go somewhere where I don't know, I don't have experience, I don't have a home, I don't have found school for my children, I don't know where the parks are, I don't know who the manager is, I don't know who I play with. I will go there and I will try to make it happen, as I went to Milwaukee and I made it happen. And for that, for me, it excites me, it likes me, that is, from a small child, I always liked the challenge."
Heat Central: Tyrese Haliburton says Giannis is one of the TOUGHEST players for the Pacers to scheme against: “We’ve just had so many different battles with Milwaukee that it’s hard not to say Giannis because we’ve played him so many times. Whatever scheme, he averaged I think like 50. We won, I think 4 out of 5. But it’s like, you can do whatever you want but sometimes it’s nothing” (Via @notbpod)
Following his college career, McQueen was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in the fourth round of the 1985 NBA Draft. He was waived before playing in a game with Milwaukee. He signed with the Detroit Pistons in 1987 and appeared in three games with the Pistons. In just seven total minutes across those games, he scored six points and grabbed eight rebounds.
