Andrew Bogut has developed into one of the leagues most promising big men.

Scottie Skiles, the recently deposed head coach of the Chicago Bulls, has landed feet first in possibly one of the worst scenarios that a coach can ever dream of. The Bucks have literally thrown caution to the wind this season by revamping their front office personnel from last season, hoping a new start will be blowing in the wind in Milwaukee.

After a horrific, 26-56 record last season, the Bucks have done anything and everything to return to the ranks of mediocrity (at best) this season. The biggest acquisition was grabbing New Jersey Nets standout Richard Jefferson at the small forward position in exchange for a disgruntled Yi Jianlian, who made it clear that he never wanted to play for the Bucks’.

Jefferson scored a career-high 22.6 ppg last year, but his once-stellar defense and rebounding have dropped off noticeably the past couple seasons with the Nets.  Jefferson is an extremely athletic player that can run the floor and ignite a crowd with his offensive ability. The Arizona product is neither the best rebounder (5.1 rpg) nor defender, but gives the Bucks their best second scoring option is years.

The other major deal of the offseason saw mercurial point guard Mo Williams shipped to Cleveland for the talent-challenged but cap-friendly package of Luke Ridnour, Adrian Griffin and Damon Jones.  Williams was never lacking in ability but his shoot-first, defend-last partnership with Michael Redd was a disaster the past two seasons, so the Bucks will be hoping that the deal will represent addition by subtraction.  In spite of Ridnour's less than stellar credentials, it is somehow difficult to imagine the Bucks being worse with Ridnour than they were under Williams, which speaks to just how hapless the Bucks were in Williams' two years as starting point guard.

While they haven't played a minute of regular season ball together, Jefferson and Redd should provide loads of wing scoring, something the Bucks could use following a season in which they ranked a disappointing 21st in offensive efficiency and were among the league's worst at both getting to the line and connecting from distance.  In recent years, Redd has been the only Buck capable of getting to the line with regularity (6.8 fta/g), so Jefferson's ability to draw fouls should bring a little more self-sufficiency to the Bucks' attack. 

At center, Andrew Bogut continued his development in 2007-08, averaging 16.3 ppg and 11.6 rpg after the all-star while also adding a shot-blocking element to his game.  Bogut's unlikely to ever be a number one offensive option, especially with Redd and Jefferson on the court, but Skiles appears optimistic that he will see plenty of post touches to better balance the Bucks' attack. 

Still, how far Bogut develops from here will be more up to him than his coaches or teammates.  Improving his accuracy from the line (58.7%) and adding a vaguely reliable 12-15 footer would do wonders for his game, though even without those skills he's developed into one of the league's most promising young bigs.  He shot threes with surprising accuracy for Australia at the Olympics in Beijing, so Bucks fans can once again hold out some hope that Bogut will finally rediscover the shooting touch that he actually showed a fair bit of in college.

Frontcourt depth was a problem last season and swapping Michael Ruffin for Malik Allen and Francisco Elson should not do anything to change that.  Meanwhile, Dan Gadzuric has gone from a highly productive role player to a vastly overpaid bench warmer that is not likely to turn things around with his 30th birthday now in the rearview mirror. At the very least Bucks fans can hope that Skiles will scare him away from shooting the turnaround jump shot that he has developed a startling affinity for in recent years.

Aside from Bogut, Charlie Villanueva is the only other legit talent in the rotation and will have every opportunity to win major minutes following a disappointing season.  His inconsistency and defensive lapses could also land him in Skiles' doghouse. But the 6’11” forward entered camp healthy and should be hungry, as restricted free agency beckons next summer.     

The point guard position could be a bit of an adventure, as the Bucks will likely start Luke Ridnour ahead of veteran Tyronn Lue and one-month wonder Ramon Sessions.  Ridnour struggled mightily in Seattle a season ago, so the Bucks will have to hope that a return to good health and a better supporting cast will aid the 27-year old in recapturing the form that helped Seattle win 52 games in 2005.  Despite the gaudy stats he put up in April 2008, Sessions could find minutes hard to come by if Skiles opts for the veteran Lue as the primary backup.  Either way, the Bucks as of now have three backup-quality point guards.

On paper, the Bucks would appear to at least have the talent to compete with teams like the Wizards, Hawks, Bulls, Heat, Wizards and Pacers for the final East playoff spots. That is not an overwhelming endorsement considering none of those teams is close to legitimate contention, but the Bucks can at least consider themselves in the mix.  Then again, you could have made the same argument in previous seasons, when various combinations of injuries, coaching, inexperience, and terrible chemistry doomed the Bucks to mid-lottery purgatory.  

 If Redd and Jefferson can stay healthy and develop well-defined roles while Bogut puts together an entire season similar to his last few months of 07/08, the Bucks should at least be respectable for a change.  A lot will also come down to Skiles' ability to bring his new team together, while x-factors Villanueva and Sessions will also be worth keeping an eye on.  

 Predicted Record: 37-45