Brew Hoop Podcast: Milwaukee Bucks news, talk and analysis

Eric Nehm and Frank Madden break down a busy first weekend of Bucks free agency, discussing the fit and future of Matthew Dellavedova and Mirza Teletovic in Milwaukee. We also consider whether Dwyane Wade would actually come to Milwaukee, including how the mechanics of a potential Wade signing could affect the Bucks' plans for Greg Monroe and restricted free agent Miles Plumlee.

With the NBA's annual free agent feeding frenzy nearly upon us, Eric Nehm and Frank Madden review the Bucks' current cap situation and discuss how the Bucks might best be able to leverage their $20+ million in cap space. We break down potential targets at every position, including rumored Bucks targets Kent Bazemore, Matthew Dellavedova, Mirza Teletovic and Joakim Noah, in addition to throwing out our personal favorites.

Following up on our discussion of Thon Maker on Tuesday, Eric Nehm and Frank Madden take a closer look at Bucks' second round pick Malcolm Brogdon and consider what kind of expectations are reasonable for the Virginia All-American, both now and in the future. We also take a broader look at what we learned from the 2016 NBA Draft, including the fluctuating nature of "value" and what we found most surprising from last Thursday.

The Milwaukee Bucks offered the first big surprise of the NBA Draft when they selected 7'1" big man/world traveler Thon Maker, and since then that decision has seemingly only grown in mystery and intrigue. In our latest podcast, Eric Nehm and Frank Madden discuss the controversy over Maker's disputed age, what it means for his potential as an NBA player, and what to watch out for when Maker debuts for the Bucks in Las Vegas Summer League next week.

With the NBA Draft fast approaching, Frank Madden and Eric Nehm welcomed SI's Andrew Sharp to the podcast on Sunday to get an outside perspective on the Bucks and the draft specifically. We discussed why Andrew's love of Giannis Antetokounmpo also makes him more skeptical of Ben Simmons, who he thinks could be interesting prospects for the Bucks at #10 and a broader discussion of where the Bucks fit in the grand scheme of the wide-open East moving forward. Be sure to check out more from Andrew at Sports Illustrated and on the Open Floor podcast. Note: we had some issues with the audio being too loud on the recording, so it probably works best to lower the volume.

In our latest podcast, Frank Madden and Eric Nehm discuss the past, present and future of the Milwaukee Bucks with a long-time friend and fellow member of Bucks media row: Bucksketball's Jeremy Schmidt. We look back at the evolution of the Bucks on and off the court in the eight years since Brew Hoop launched and ponder the potential of the current iteration led by Giannis, Jabari and Khris. Could the Bucks really become title contenders by the end of this decade? Is it OK if they fall short of really contending for a championship? And how has covering the team affected our own Bucks fandom?

Giannis Antetokounmpo is threatening triple-doubles on a nightly basis. Jabari Parker is suddenly scoring like the guy we hoped to see when he was taken #2 overall in the 2014 draft. And all of a sudden fans of the Milwaukee Bucks are pondering what it all means for the long-term hopes of a franchise that's won 50 games just once in the last two decades. In our latest podcast, Eric Nehm and Frank Madden discuss the sustainability of the young Bucks' recent success, what it suggests about their individual floors and ceilings, and how it might affect the Bucks' approach to the point guard position and their roster building overall. 

To the surprise of many, the Milwaukee Bucks stood pat at the NBA's trade deadline, though that doesn't mean the team won't consider the possibility of moving the likes of Greg Monroe and Michael Carter-Williams this summer. In our latest podcast, Eric Nehm and Frank Madden digest the Bucks' lack of trade deadline moves, and ponder if discussions around the likes of Jeff Teague and Ricky Rubio might be rekindled in June and July. We also delve into the impact of benching Greg Monroe and MCW, why Miles Plumlee is more valuable than we thought, and how all of that relates to the ongoing development of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker.

The NBA's all-star break is here, providing a chance to catch our breath and reflect on the best and worst of the Bucks' first 54 games. In this podcast, Eric Nehm and Frank Madden discuss the merits of Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greg Monroe as team MVP, the likelihood of Giannis snagging a $100+ million extension later this summer and the biggest surprises and disappointments of the season so far.

The Bucks have stumbled through the early portion of the year, losing their defensive identity and raising unexpected questions about the development of key prospects such as Jabari Parker, Michael Carter-Williams and Giannis Antetokounmpo. In this episode, Steve, Frank and Eric discuss Milwaukee basketball on a fundamental level. It's time to explore the questions of "what exactly are the Bucks trying to do?" and "what should the Bucks actually try to do?" The conversation eventually touches on what's happened to Damien Inglis and Rashad Vaughn, so be sure to stick around for those bits of insight as well.  

Why do we watch so much Milwaukee Bucks basketball? It's a simple question that invites a far more complex answer. We explore the reasons behind our love of the Bucks and the NBA in this episode of the Brew Hoop podcast. Enjoy! 

After Wednesday's 113-100 win over the Sixers, the Bucks' starting lineup boasted some curious statistics. In 126 minutes together, the spacing-challenged combination of Michael Carter-Williams, Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jabari Parker and Greg Monroe have now scored a whopping 114 points per 100 possessions -- a figure that's somehow better than Golden State Warriors' 113 points per 100 possessions.  The unfortunate worm in the apple is that a) none of this offensive brilliance feels sustainable (does it?) and b) that group has also been utterly destroyed on the defensive end, to the tune of around 116 points/100. In other words, as much as the Bucks starting five has scored freely, they've also allowed opponents to do even more damage on the other end. Building on our podcast from Wednesday, we touch on whether the Bucks' "playmaking" development plan for Giannis Antetokounmpo makes sense and whether the current lineup makes sense in the long term.

With the Milwaukee Bucks' playoff hopes increasingly dim, our attention has justifiably begun to focus more and more on the evolving roles of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jabari Parker and Michael Carter-Williams, especially after ESPN's Kevin Arnovitz hinted that Antetokounmpo's benching came as a result of "selfish" play in previous games. What does selfishness mean for a player averaging less than 12 shots per game? Does the responsibility for the struggles of Antetokounmpo and Parker, and conversely recent success of Carter-Williams, lay at the feet of a poor offensive scheme engineered by head coach Jason Kidd? Have the Bucks gone about developing Antetokounmpo and Parker correctly? Steve von Horn, Eric Nehm and Frank Madden discuss all of these questions and much more in the first part of our weekly podcast.

Fresh off the high of their historic 108-95 win over the 24-0 Golden State Warriors, the Milwaukee Bucks head back to work this week facing a difficult schedule and increasingly long playoff odds. In our latest podcast, Eric Nehm and Frank Madden discuss the Bucks' postseason chances as well as a series of listener questions related to the Bucks' point guard rotation, possible trades, and how long it will take for the Bucks to be at their best.

The Milwaukee Bucks played the role of giant-slayers on Saturday, toppling Stephen Curry and the mighty Warriors 108-95 to end Golden State's record-breaking 24-0 start to the season. Eric Nehm and Frank Madden discuss how the Bucks' defense contained the Warriors' unstoppable offense and what it tells us about the Bucks going forward.