As Sen. Herb Kohl gets started on the search for the Milwaukee Bucks' next general manager, let's get a few things straight:
Bill Simmons will not -- repeat will NOT -- get the job, and nor should he. The ESPN.com columnist's little joke of a campaign is humorous, but the repeated calls for his hiring need to come to a halt soon, lest this organization -- with a penchant for ridiculous hires and signings -- make some sort of fatal mistake based on public sentiment.
Sen. Kohl will not sell the team anytime soon, lest a magical individual with an endless cash flow and unimaginable ties to the Milwaukee area surface in the next few months. Kohl has no intention of being charged with letting the franchise leave Milwaukee and, despite the annual loss of money and the unattractive lease situation with the Bradley Center, he's keeping the team around for awhile.
But if the Senator was serious yesterday when he told a press conference that winning is the No. 1 priority for the organization, he will take whatever amount of time is necessary to find a strong, experienced ad talented basketball person to not only assemble the team, but also to run the day-to-day basketball operations of the organization.
The popular and fashionable name being thrown around town these days is Doug Collins, former TNT / NBC broadcaster and former head coach of the Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards.
Collins, admittedly, has the requisite experience necessary for the job, but jumping the gun and anointing him the savior of the franchise would be a dangerous proposition for a team that has come close to sniffing a championship just once in the past two decades.
Other names tossed into the mix have included Indiana Pacers' CEO Donnie Walsh, who is now rumored to be a candidate to replace Isiah Thomas with the New York Knicks. Former Seattle Sonics GM Rick Sund, who began his career with the Bucks and still has ties with members of the front office, has also been previously linked to the post.
If decades of Wisconsin sports history has taught us anything, it's time to wipe the slate clean. The Packers didn't return to glory until they completely cleaned house and stopped trying to latch on to the Glory Years of Vince Lombardi and Bart Starr. The Brewers, despite their repeated efforts to force the overplayed "retro" look down our throats, got good once they brought in new people with fresh perspectives to build a franchise from the ground up.
The same holds true for the Bucks, who need to look beyond the "circle of trust" to start the process of creating a viable, vibrant and relevant organization.
Kohl has been burned in the past by handing over too much power to the likes of Mike Dunleavy, George Karl and Ernie Grunfeld, but if he truly expects to finally field a consistently competitive and contending team, he needs to learn to keep his hands off and put his trust in somebody to get the job done.
After decades of broken promise, false hopes and lackluster efforts, the last few remaining fans of the organization deserve nothing less.
