A few months ago, this column discussed the Bucks and proclaimed that whatever happened to the team this season would dictate the fate of general manager Larry Harris.
Prior to the season, Harris revamped the roster. The T.J. Ford era came to an end when the speedy point guard was shipped to Toronto in exchange for Charlie Villanueva. Harris dealt Joe Smith to Denver for Ruben Patterson. That deal has worked out surprisingly well, as Patterson has contributed defensively and become a top scoring threat.
Of course, Patterson is in that position because fate hasn't sided with Harris this season. The Bucks' roster has been decimated by injuries to Michael Redd, Mo Williams, Villanueva, and Bobby Simmons.
Harris, to his credit, has done what he could. He didn't break the bank or destroy team chemistry by trying to land Allen Iverson or Chris Webber; both of whom grew disenchanted in Philadelphia. Pursuing either player would have been a tragic case of overcompensation.
Instead, Harris has tried to bolster his lineup with the small spitfire known as Earl Boykins. Nobody is expecting the 5-foot-5-inch guard to contend for Most Valuable Player honors, but for this team, he seems like an appropriate fit.
Just two games shy of the season's mathematical halfway point, the Bucks are 17-22. While nobody is expecting a run for the championship, thanks to the disaster that is the Eastern Conference, the Bucks are just barley out of the playoff race and with the exception of Simmons, could have most of their missing pieces back in time for the stretch run.
So what then, does this say for Harris? Is he some sort of clairvoyant genius, or just a guy who's had his fair share of luck?
At the very least, Harris has made many fans want to rip their hair out over the course of the last 3 ½ seasons. Discussing his success will have the same result as the perpetually-aggravating half-full-or-empty glass of water.
Signing Redd to the long-term extension was a no-brainer, but signing Simmons to top-flight money was perplexing, considering the lack of production thus far. Drafting Bogut No. 1 was the right move, bringing in Jamaal Magloire to play Bogut's natural position seemed odd.
And that's to say nothing about the coaching. It's not even worth discussing the Terry Swap if 2006 any further. That one will cause mankind to wonder for years. Still, what does one make of Stotts? Was he the wise hire for Harris?
Yes, the Bucks improved from the year before, but if the roster still had to be blown up, just how successful a year was it? Should Stotts be commended for being 17-22 without his best players, or should he be on the hot seat for not having enough of an offensive plan to keep the Bucks higher in the watered-down eastern playoff race.
Many want to give everybody involved in the organization a free pass just because Redd - who, by the way, has been named an All-Star just once - is out for several more weeks. That is not only a terrible excuse, but also a pretty good barometer of where a team is in terms of development.
If a team can't overcome the loss of its best player, than the coaching staff isn't doing its job and management didn't do its job in providing the right personnel.
It's not too late for the Bucks, who still have a chance to advance to the post-season. But if the franchise plans on doing that by treading water until the roster is back to full strength, it's time to make some more changes ... this time, at the top.
