Brian Windhorst Is At It Again, This Time With His Sights Set On Giannis And The Milwaukee Bucks
Megan Briggs. Getty Images.
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We're back baby! It's been a while since we've had another Windhorst meme opportunity, and I can't lie, even after all this time and the thousands and thousands of times it's been used, it still makes me chuckle. The fact that it actually all turned out to be true is what makes it so great.
So you have to understand, even if what Windy is saying is a longshot, given his recent history you obviously have to pay attention to what he's saying. It wasn't always that way with him, but the proof is in the pudding. Not to mention, what he's saying isn't actually that crazy.
In fact, it's all true. Giannis does have the option to sign his extension early in September despite having two years and a player option left on his deal. If he doesn't, that of course is going to start a shit show, even if he has no true intention of leaving. Maybe it'll just be a way for him to keep the pressure on the team to continue to fix their roster. Or, maybe it'll be the beginning of the end. I think that's a long shot given how much Giannis has talked about wanting to stay in MIL, but as we know things change quickly in the NBA.
It's true that the new CBA is basically the result of the Warriors Dynasty. The repeater tax stuff and the new tax apron and what it does if you go way over the luxury tax, is a problem for teams like GS/BOS/MIL/LAC etc. Teams that have opened up their checkbook and paid the price for contention are going to have some tough decisions to make in the near future. Moving forward, that's going to limit your team building options in a fairly substantial way.
It's true that the Bucks have to make free agent decisions on two older key members of their core in Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez. Middleton is 31 (turns 32 in August) and while he showed flashes of being his old self, you have to wonder how that knee ages. He has a player option for $40M, so maybe he takes the decision out of the Bucks' hands and just picks it up for one last run. Brook Lopez is 35, and while he had maybe the best year of his career this past season, how does he project over the next handful of years? Is it going to be worth hamstringing yourself with the new CBA rules to keep two older players?
Sadly, this is the type of stuff that happens in basketball media when you're a title favorite and you lose in the 1st round to an 8 seed. Shit like this suddenly starts popping up. It's annoying, often times it's all just hot air, but that's the world we live in. If you don't like it, don't lose in the first round.