Sports

Bucks Return to Respectability with Surprise Playoff Trip

Published

10 years ago

April 21, 2015

Milwaukee Bucks coach Jason Kidd call a play against the Philadelphia 76er’s during the second half of an NBA basketball game Monday, April. 13, 2015 in Philadelphia. Bucks won 107-97. (AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr.)

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Chicago native Jabari Parker has a good idea of how challenging it might be for Milwaukee to face his hometown Bulls in the first round of the NBA playoffs, even if he’s just a rookie.

The Bucks might stand an even better chance against their Central Division rivals if their star forward wasn’t hurt.

What Milwaukee has done this year to return to respectability is noteworthy for the personnel changes made during the course of the season and just how far the franchise has had to climb to get back to the playoffs.

“Man, it was special. That’s something that I wanted to accomplish regardless of any individual accolades,” Parker said this week about watching his Bucks teammates clinch a postseason berth.

A left knee injury in December ended a promising rookie year for Parker, the second overall pick in the 2014 draft.

“I had a little hand in that,” he said about the playoff push. “I say that I accomplished one of my goals so far.”

Few — if any — NBA prognosticators thought that playoff basketball would return to Milwaukee this year. Not after a disastrous 15-67 campaign in 2013-14.

But a season of change has brought about surprising success. The new ownership group that took over the team in April in 2014 is impressed.

“The goal of the owners (was) hoping to be on the north side of 30, and we thought it was more realistic that it might take a year or two,” said New York financial firm executive Jamie Dinan, who joined the ownership group last fall. “The team has really amazed us. The players’ energy, and what they’ve done, has blown us away.”

Parker was drafted in late June. Jason Kidd was hired as coach soon afterward.

Adversity struck in December, starting with the loss of Parker on Dec. 15 in Phoenix. The team was 13-12 when Parker, who was averaging 12.3 points, got hurt.

Rim-protecting center Larry Sanders played his last game on Dec. 23. He sat out because of personal reasons and then a suspension for violating the league’s drug policy. The Bucks waived him on Feb. 21 after reaching a buyout agreement.

The team dealt guard Brandon Knight to Phoenix at the trade deadline in February and acquired Michael Carter-Williams from Philadelphia to take over the point. There was a tailspin for a few weeks as the team adjusted to the new personnel, but the young Bucks recovered to finish 7-5 over the final three weeks of the regular season.

The Bucks finished at 41-41, their best record since winning 46 games in 2009-10.

“Not only is it more than we expected, we actually think we are laying the foundation that next year we’ll have a very good club as well,” Dinan said.

Kidd’s philosophy of using a deep rotation has helped weather the personnel changes. He puts just as much emphasis on his bench as he does on his starters.

Kidd is also not afraid make healthy scratches out of key players.

Twenty-year-old Giannis Antetokounmpo is an emerging star whose athletic prowess has earned him the nickname the “Greek Freak.” He’s one of the team’s young building blocks, along with Parker and Carter-Williams.

Antetokounmpo wasn’t happy after being a healthy scratch on April 8 for a 104-99 loss to Cleveland. Whether the move was designed to be a motivational tool, Antetokounmpo the following night had 23 points and nine rebounds in a 99-91 road win over the Knicks.

All year long, Kidd has said the Bucks weren’t built around one guy, even while Parker, Knight and Antetokounmpo took turns on billboards around town.

And all year long, Kidd has stressed a defense-first mentality. The team’s length, including the 6-foot-11 Antetokounmpo and the 6-foot-6 Carter-Williams, can bother opponents.

The Bucks were fifth this season in opponent field goal percentage at 43.7 percent, and eighth in points allowed at 97.4 per game.

“I just think that it is a testament to this team’s depth and the adversity that’s come. I think different guys have gotten hot over different stretches,” said forward Jared Dudley, one of the influential veterans. “This is a true team where you’ve had 1 through 15 play throughout the season.”

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Follow Genaro Armas at http://twitter.com/GArmasAP

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AP freelance writer Joe DiGiovanni contributed to this story.

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WNBA’s Golden State Valkyries Kick Off Season with Community Programs in Oakland

“The Golden State Valkyries are more than a team—they’re a movement,” said Oakland Interim-Mayor Kevin Jenkins. “Their touchdown in Oakland marks a new era of opportunity, inspiration, and equity in sports. This partnership reflects our city’s deep commitment to uplifting women, investing in youth, and building a community where every dream has a place to grow. We’re proud to welcome the Valkyries to The Town.”

Published

2 months ago

May 18, 2025

Oakland Post

The Valkyries came to Oakland City Hall with a “Hoopbus.” Present were (from left to right): City Councilmembers Noel Gallo, Rebecca Kaplan, Zac Unger and Rowena Brown; Oakland Mayor-elect Barbara Lee, Valkyries President Jess Smith, a Valkyries team representative and Deputy Mayor LaNiece Jones. Photo courtesy Rebecca Kaplan’s office.

Team installs new nets at playgrounds, holds flag-raisings at City Halls in Oakland and S.F.

Special to The Post

The Golden State Valkyries brought the excitement of their inaugural season to every corner of the Bay Area with a full slate of community celebrations leading up to their historic home-opener against the Los Angeles Sparks at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Friday.

The week featured flag-raising ceremonies at city halls in Oakland and San Francisco, three “Violet Net” installation days at Oakland parks to encourage basketball play, fun “Hoopbus” takeovers at multiple schools presented by Kaiser Permanente, and player appearances.

In total, 90 violet nets were installed on 45 basketball courts across 34 public parks throughout Oakland this week. A list of the parks receiving violet nets can be found at Valkyries.com.

About the Golden State Valkyries

The Golden State Valkyries, the WNBA affiliate of the seven-time NBA Champion Golden State Warriors, were announced as the 13th WNBA franchise on Oct. 5, 2023. According to Norse mythology, Valkyries are a host of warrior women who are fearless and unwavering – flying through air and sea alike.

This brand is Golden State’s modern interpretation of Valkyries: strong, bold, and fierce. Tipping off during the 2025 WNBA season, the team is headquartered in Oakland and will play home games at Chase Center in San Francisco. For Golden State Valkyries’ assets, including team logos, visit valkyries.com.

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McClymonds High Names School Gym for Star Graduate, Basketball Legend Bill Russell

William “Bill” Felton Russell was born on Feb. 12, 1934, and died on July 31, 2022. He achieved fame as a U.S. professional basketball player who played center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. He was the centerpiece of the Celtics dynasty that won 11 NBA championships during his 13-year career.

Published

5 months ago

February 18, 2025

Oakland Post

Bill Russell and Brian McGhee in McClymonds High School Gym, 2011. Photo courtesy of Brian McGhee.

By Ken Epstein

West Oakland’s McClymonds High School, “the School of Champions,” this week named the school’s gymnasium in honor of one of its most famous graduates, basketball legend Bill Russell (class of ’52).

Russell is widely known as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. In 2011, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civil honor, from President Barack Obama for Russell’s contributions to basketball and the Civil Rights Movement.

The McClymonds’ naming ceremony was held on Wednesday, the same day as Russell’s birthday. Oakland leader Bill Patterson, a longtime friend of Russell’s, was scheduled to cut the ribbon at the reopening of the gym, which had been closed for several months for renovation. Russell’s daughter Karen was scheduled to attend the ribbon cutting.

Russell’s name and signature are now printed on the gymnasium floor.

Patterson was working at DeFremery Park when he met Russell. “I befriended him as a boy and during his years at University of San Francisco” said Patterson. “We stayed friends for the rest of his life.”

Said McClymonds Principal Darielle Davis, herself a McClymonds graduate, “We are excited to honor Bill Russell for his sports accolades and because he broke color barriers. He is part of our legacy, and legacy is really important at McClymonds.”

Brian McGhee, community schools manager at McClymonds and former football player at UC Berkeley, said that Russell meant a lot to him and others at the school. “He was a beacon of light and hope for West Oakland,” he said. “He did a lot for sports and for civil rights.”

Starting in 2018, Ben “Coach” Tapscott worked with Patterson and other McClymonds grads, community members, and former coaches to encourage the Oakland Board of Education to endorse the naming of the school gym, which finally happened recently.

“We worked hard to make this happen,” said Tapscott. “He’s an important part of McClymond’s history, along with a lot of other famous graduates,” he said.

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OPINION: Politics, Football and Identity in Trump’s America

If you haven’t noticed, all Americans are engaged in an even bigger game that means so much more than the Super Bowl. Our democracy is falling apart.

Published

5 months ago

February 17, 2025

Oakland Post

iStock.

By Emil Guillermo

Two Filipino American stories made headlines recently.

First, Nikko Remigio, the Filipino and African American kick returner for the Kansas City Chiefs, did not win Super Bowl LIX.

The other, Alameda’s Rob Bonta said no to running for governor. I don’t blame him. It’s not like a mass of people wanted him to run.

But I did.

Whenever there is a Filipino American in a place you don’t expect, I’m rooting for that person.

As California’s Attorney General, Bonta is probably the most active defender among Blue States pushing back against Trump’s Extreme-Right agenda.

I’d like to Bonta run for California’s top job, but he’s better off waiting in line. The Democrats need a spot for Kamala Harris, and Bonta not running obliges the hierarchy.

History can wait. Bonta’s just 52.

Harris has held off speculation of her next move, saying she just moved back to the state. But it seems governor is the path for her.

For now, Bonta needs to continue taking the fight to Trump in the courts.

Football and Identity Politics

My dad, whose birthday would have been Super Bowl weekend, came to the US in 1928 as a colonized Filipino, an “American National,” where he couldn’t be a citizen, vote, own property or even marry the person he wanted.

Not if they were White.

Still, he believed in America. He never gave up.

Sort of like Nikko Remigio.

My dad would have loved Nikko.

If you haven’t noticed, all Americans are engaged in an even bigger game that means so much more than the Super Bowl. Our democracy is falling apart.

You want to get passionate about Eagles and Chiefs?

Let’s be passionate about our Founding Fathers, too.

Nikko didn’t change the game. He touched it three times and provided more yards than all of KC’s running backs.

That’s all I needed to see.

He’s our Filipino guy.

Detractors may call it “identity politics.”

People don’t seem to understand the fight for visibility. To be recognized. To be seen. It’s all wrapped up in the big idea of Civil Rights.

I was nowhere near as good as Nikko when I played. But when you are blessed to play football, you play your hardest.

For me, that was when I was 12 and 13 playing Pop Warner football in San Francisco. I was MVP for my team as a running back.

But I was ashamed of my dad. He wasn’t like the other dads. And I remember going to the team banquet to retrieve my trophy alone.

I didn’t realize it probably meant more to him than I thought.

I wish I had shared my MVP moment with him like Nikko shared his joy with his dad, Mark, born in Seattle to two Filipino immigrants, and his mom, whose mixture of Black and White made Nikko the picture of diversity.

Filipino American and Black and White at the Super Bowl.

But don’t forget, there is one game bigger.

The Super Bowl for Democracy. We’re battling for it every day Trump pushes a cockamamie idea that shakes the foundation of our Democracy.

About the Author

Emil Guillermo is an award-winning journalist and commentator. Watch his micro-talk show “Emil Amok’s Takeout/What Does an Asian American Think?” on www.YouTube.com/emilamok1 Or join him on http://www.patreon.com/emilamok