Redd injury might doom Bucks franchise
John Hammond is one of the most positive, optimistic people I've met in the NBA. But I suspect even he must be cursing his luck these days.
Hammond, formerly vice president of basketball for the Pistons, is in his first season as general manager of the Milwaukee Bucks. Just as his team began to find a groove, leading scorer MichaAlan Diaz/Associated Pressel Redd (torn knee ligaments) was lost for the season.
Hammond has to be wondering and worrying if Redd, 29, will regain his All-Star form. Redd was slow to round into shape this season after competing on Team USA in the Olympics last summer.
The injury has an economic impact, too:
? The Bucks are tied into Redd for $35 million through 2011 -- $17 million next season and an $18.3 million player option for 2010-11. Any thought of trying to trade him, to get that salary off the books, is out the window for now.
? The Bucks have one playoff appearance in the past four seasons. From purely a money standpoint, they badly need to make the playoffs.
Garry D. Howard, sports editor of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, believes this injury might not only hasten the end of Redd's career, but it could force Bucks owner Sen. Herb Kohl to sell the franchise.
"(Redd) may not know it now, but that something different will be the way he plays the game of basketball, along with the fast-fading prospect that the Bucks will remain in the city of Milwaukee and the Bradley Center, an NBA arena that has long been past its prime," Howard wrote.
Howard said Kohl has spent more than a half-billion dollars on player contracts since 1994. And the franchise continues to lose millions each season. Kohl nearly sold the Bucks to a group headed by Michael Jordan a couple years ago but pulled out when it became clear they would move the franchise out of Milwaukee.
But with the Bradley Center half-full most nights and lacking in revenue-producing suites and other amenities, how long can Kohl hold on?
"Think about it," Howard wrote. "If you were a multimillionaire with clear fiduciary responsibilities, would you want to lose money on a multimillion-dollar deal? If you purchased the Bucks from Sen. Kohl, you would begin to lose money as soon as the ink was dry on the contract because the Bradley Center would continue to be an albatross around any new owner's neck."
Not good.
Nevertheless, Hammond is laying the foundation for an exciting, young team. He got a second-round steal in Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, he has a good mix of young and established players and has assets to work with in the trade and free-agent markets.
In the short-term, though, all Hammond can do is keep his fingers crossed and hope Redd makes a full recovery.
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Redd injury might doom Bucks franchise | detnews.com | The Detroit News
