FanHouse Milwaukee Bucks

If Arenas has gotten too big-time to be an underdog, how about Lynn Greer? The former Temple standout now has a guaranteed spot with the Bucks, but only after several years of wandering overseas leagues. After a dramatic 14-point quarter against the Spurs last month, he put up a career-high 19 against the Hornets this week. It took a while, but Greer seems to have finally realized his dream.

His story is a natural for in-depth coverage, and today the Milwaukee press has two lengthy stories on Greer. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel gives the general overview of the guard's odyssey, and is worth a read. There's also one great quote from Coach Krystkowiak on how Greer got his break:

"I started thinking, maybe (Greer) needs more of a shot," Krystkowiak said. "He's done great, he moves the ball, he hits a lot of open shots, he can run the team.

So that's the difference between being somebody and nobody in the NBA. It's as simple as a coach maybe thinking you can do the job. That makes this story all the more magical, but makes NBA fate seem like a fairly cruel mistress.

In the Racine Journal-Times, we get the more somber details of Greer's personal life. His longtime girlfriend Jillian, who had traveled throughout Europe with him, passed away this past Christmas, only months after Greer finally made the NBA. If the rags-to-riches narrative of his basketball career doesn't make you root for the guy, this one certainly will.

Charlie Villanueva and Andrew Bogut have both been shelved for the remainder of the season. Bogut sprained his left foot against the Lakers on March 7th, and played through it ... until he re-injured it in practice on Tuesday. The Bucks are shutting him down.

Villanueva, meanwhile, has developed right shoulder pain that requires surgery. The exact extent of the injury isn't known, and the surgery is exploratory in nature. If the Bucks haven't learned by now how to deal with an injured Villanueva, they're never going to.

Meanwhile, what does this leave on the depth chart for Milwaukee in terms of bigs? Well ... Brian Skinner, Dan Gadzuric (also nursing a shoulder), Ersan Ilyasova, and Jared Reiner, with Damir Markota in the D-League. Honestly, I don't even know who the hell Damir Markota is. What I can tell you, however, is that if I was his father, I'd have had two children, and I'd have named then North and South Markota.

So, yeah, I don't know if new head coach Larry Krystkowiak is a fan of playing with small line-ups, but I think he's about to get acquainted with the idea.

Should they just give the player a spring break...

Deer slay horseriders. Chew on this March Madness: last night, Lynn Greer emerged from hoops purgatory to score 14 in the fourth, leading the Bucks to a 101-90 win over the mighty Spurs. All this happened because Mo William, overcome with emotion, was ejected after his second technical. Did you know that San Antonio had thirteen in a row? Here's the difference between the NBA's three best teams: during a Suns streak, there's a buzz; a Mavs streak, an air of solem respect; and the Spurs, the longer it goes, the less we talk.

Shaq, inspiring underdog. Nobody roots for Goliath. Unless he's the lovable Shaq, his best days are behind him, and he's inspiring a team full of washed-up vets. That's eight and counting for the Wade-less Heat, as they dispensed with the Nets 93-86. O'Neal was down early with foul trouble, but came thundering back in the second half with 17 of his 19 points. Carter, Kidd, and Jefferson all had so-so nights, but really, they're nothing without Krstic.

It was nice for a quarter. 'Twas looking like a special night for the Lakers. Odom and Walton were back, the offense was flowing...and then the rest of the game happened. Denver, who should be getting good any day now, trounced L.A. 113-86, which makes seven straight disappointment for the Lakers. Linas Kleiza led the Nuggets with 29, Kobe managed 25 but little else of note came out of that roster. And all this after Phil and the team get fined 50K each for their comments about the league.

It wasn't a huge surprise that the Bucks fired head coach Terry Stotts this afternoon, but it did seem a little odd when they didn't name an interim coach right away. Well, the wait is over: Milwaukee's Sports Radio 1250 AM (WSSP) is reporting that assistant coach Larry Krystkowiak has signed a two-year deal. Krystkowiak, 42, was in his first year on Milwaukee's bench after serving as the head coach of the University of Montana from 2004-2006.

Why didn't they announce Krystkowiak's hire sooner? Perhaps because there was some competition for his services. University of Utah officials were in Milwaukee on Tuesday interviewing Krystkowiak for their vacant head coaching position. The Utes were believed to be on the verge of hiring Krystkowiak ... that is, until Milwaukee's job "coincidentally" became available.

But this can't be a coincidence, right? I mean, in hindsight it seems obvious to me like the team fired Stotts now rather than wait until the end of the season because they didn't want to risk losing their prized assistant. They must have already decided they wanted Krystkowiak, who spent four of his nine years as a player in the NBA with the Bucks, to be Stotts' successor considering they gave him a two-year contract instead of having him finish out the year wearing the "interim" tag.

And with a plush college job apparently his for the taking, Krystkowiak suddenly had the leverage to force Milwaukee's hand into making a coaching change now. It's pure conjecture, of course, and I don't intend for it to sound so devious -- it's possible that he simply wasn't comfortable having a secret agreement with the front office while ostensibly working under a lame duck boss. But either way, this had to have been in the works before Stotts got the call this afternoon.

(via Larry Brown Sports)

Well, it had to be someone ... and unfortunately, it was you, Milwaukee Bucks. For the first time since January 5th, the Boston Celtics are winners. See, Danny Ainge told you that all that braintyping stuff would pay off. Who's laughing now?

I really shouldn't do that. We all go through slumps in our life, be they on the basketball court, in our love life, in our professional lives, whatever. We're all prone to struggle, and sometimes, it seems like it can last forever. If anything, the Celtics are a reminder that struggles don't have to be permanent.

Unless you're Doc Rivers. Then, sometimes, it's permanent.

They not only beat the Bucks, they beat them by 20. Paul Pierce had a huge night, particularly in the second half, as he went for 32 total. Gerald Green was also big, putting up 21 points in just 19 minutes. Rajon Rondo had a nice line off the bench, too... 9 points, 11 assists, 2 turnovers. Solid. And Valentine's Day has always been good to Delonte West.

So congratulations, people of Boston (except for you, Bill Simmons, as Celtic wins displease you greatly). You head into the All-Star break not being as big a joke as you were yesterday.