The Milwaukee Bucks -- as of deadline -- hold the seventh of eight Eastern Conference playoff spots, trailing by just one game for the fifth slot.
Granted, it is an improvement from a year ago when the team sat out the NBA's post-season extravaganza, but this team has not delivered as advertised.
How is it possible that a team featuring the first overall selection in last summer's draft, as well as one of the league's emerging young stars, and a point guard who was a lottery pick and a possible rookie of the year candidate before injury sidelined him possibly be capable of playing such lethargic basketball?
The answer is simple. It starts at the top.
Terry Stotts has been a disappointment. After Terry Porter was let go, the rumors started flying. Flip Saunders looked to be the ideal candidate, not to mention the one preferred by general manager Larry Harris. When Saunders finally went to Detroit, suddenly, the job became Stotts'.
Nobody can argue his credentials. He's been a very well-respected and highly-regarded assistant in the league for many years. He knows and understands the game of basketball. But he just doesn't have that mentality that a team like the Bucks need right now.
Watching Stotts work the sideline is a practice in patience. His pained expressions and blank stares leave fans wondering just what is going on. If you go to a game at the Bradley Center, you can bank on one of two things; the Bucks are going to fall behind really big, really fast or they will let a really big lead slip away really fast.
All the while, Stotts stands there almost stoically.
Where is the passion, where is the anger? How many times can you say you're proud of the way your team played, when you should be livid at their performance?
The time has come to show some emotion. There is little reason -- aside from injuries -- that this team doesn't hold a sold grip on the fifth playoff spot.
It's also time to change the game plan a bit. Watching the perimeter play of Michael Redd, T.J. Ford, and Mo Williams is mind-numbing at times.
On the rare occasion where Stotts allowed the offense to run through rookie Andrew Bogut and his partners in the paint like Jamaal Magloire and even Joe Smith, the team has been tough to stop.
Terry Stotts is a great assistant, but he's starting to look heavily overmatched in the coaching box. Running an NBA team requires patience, but as Stotts' longtime mentor also showed, it also requires some emotion, and accountability.
