It's fitting, really, that the Milwaukee Bucks ended up with the eighth and final playoff spot in Eastern Conference. In fact, it's more than fitting, its justice at its best.
For nearly a year, Bucks fans and talk-radio "experts" have proclaimed that this team was way too talented to not finish .500 or better in the weak and diluted Eastern Conference. There was talk of 50 victories. There was speculation of getting home-court advantage in at leas the first round.
But reality eventually reared its ugly head.
This team was supposed to be among the most talented in the conference. It boasted the top overall pick in the NBA draft last summer, an up-and-coming star resigned to a long-term contract, and the return of a lottery pick point guard whose speed was supposed to create an up-tempo style of basketball.
Yet, Andrew Bogut was almost a non-factor in the offense because a majority of the shots went to Michael Redd. Getting T.J. Ford in the lineup after an 18-month injury recovery was supposed to be like having two top-five draft picks, but his desire to prove himself as one of the game's best point guards -- a goal which is a long way off in the future -- led to sloppy and often times, careless play.
These Bucks were a let down. In fact, this team probably doesn't deserve to be in the post season, even in the lethargic East. They started out with some hope and promise, but you can't consider yourself a real contender if you blow double-digit leads late, and if you spend many nights trying to erase double-digit deficits in the final minutes.
A victory over the woeful Atlanta Hawks last weekend at the Bradley Center could have solidified the fifth seed and a date with the Cleveland Cavaliers. So could a season-ending victory at Washington. But, as has been the case all season, the Bucks failed to live up to their hype.
Bringing in Bobby Simmons as a free agent would have worked had Redd not been given the bulk of Milwaukee's offense. Andrew Bogut was reduced to cleaning up Redd, Ford, and the other jump-shooters' off-center shots and had little offensive impact.
It's been said before that this mess starts at the top. General Manager Larry Harris was following Sen. Herb Kohl's orders when he brought in Terry Stotts as head coach, and Stotts has done little but show why he has been a career assistant.
This team lacked motivation, it lacked organization, and it lacked dedication. And because of that, the Bucks lacked victories.
There is little reason to believe that the Bucks will not get swept when they open their best-of-seven series with the top seeded Detroit Pistons tonight at the Palace of Auburn Hills. There is little reason to expect anything than another half-hearted and uninspired performance that will result in the Pistons shooting over 60 percent from the field with the Bucks scurrying at the end to make it look entertaining.
This team was a mess from the get-go. The firing of Terry Porter was bungled; the hiring of Stotts was questionable. Signing Michael Redd for $90 million was ridiculous, and leaving Bogut out of the offensive scheme was atrocious.
Kohl, Harris, and Stotts wanted to build a team around its young nucleus, but instead of building a team, they were saddled with yet another "Big Three".
Throw backup Mo Williams into the mix and this is just another jump-shooting team that can't play defense. The last time a team like that played in the purple and green, the Bucks got within a game of the NBA finals, but quickly disintegrated.
The plan hasn't worked. A 40-42 record is a 10-game improvement from a year ago, but there is little reason to be optimistic as the NBA's second season gets underway. Changes need to come -- on the court and off -- if the Bucks plan on salvaging any sense of pride during the playoffs and heading into next season.
