“Dame Time” may not apply to Milwaukee Bucks that makes a deep after -year period.
Bucks is in a virtual tie for fifth place with Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference with 11 matches left in the regular season.
The pistons that are bound with Milwaukee are a sign of a huge increase for Detroit. But the dollars attached to the pistons are a sign of decline for Milwaukee.
The latest signal that things will be tough for Milwaukee is the news that Damian Lillard was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in her right calf.
Having a blood clot anywhere is a serious medical issue.
Lillard takes blood -thinning medication in the hope of solving the problem, but there is no clear timetable for his return. Bucks has not announced an expected return date for Lillard.
So far, Lillard has missed three matches for Bucks (40-31), which was expected to fight for the top spot in the Eastern Conference this season.
Instead, Milwaukee is 17 1/2 matches behind the eastern leading Cleveland Cavaliers.
With Giannis Antetokounmpo and Lillard as a star combination, a 50-victory’s campaign seemed likely.
But right now, Milwaukee looks like a squad that can meet a third straight first round.
The odds for an early exit increase if Lillard does not recover his health.
San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama was diagnosed with a blood clot in the shoulder shortly after the All-Star break in mid-February and was immediately closed for the season.
Perhaps the most dazzling case of blood clots in the NBA involved Chris Bosh, who played his last game at the age of 31 due to several sections. Bosh, a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer, would certainly have preferred to retire on its own terms.
When it comes to Milwauke’s fight, don’t forget that Bucks won the NBA title during the 2020-21 season under coach Mike Budenholzer.
Two seasons later, Budenholzer was fired after a season of 58 wins where top seeds Milwaukee lost to the eighth seed Miami Heat in the first round.
The following season, Milwaukee coach Adrian Griffin fired with a 30-13 record and installed Doc Rivers as head coach.
Bucks seemed to regress under the rivers and went 17-19 in the regular season. Then they went down in the first round again and fell to Indiana Pacers in six matches.
Rivers had a full season to implement his plan, so there should be no excuses. He has Antetokounmpo and Lillard on his list. Both players are nine-time all-stars, and every coach wants such a duo.
It is safe to say that Giannis is not the problem. The twice MVP is an average of 30.2 points, 12.0 returns and 5.9 assists while they always give a first -class effort.
Lillard is cut from the same cloth. He is on average 24.9 points, 7.1 assists and 4.7 returns.
But much more is at stake for Lillard. Giannis has his ring.
Lillard forced himself out of Portland after 11 seasons when Trail Blazers switched to a younger list. He requested a trade after Portland used the third overall election in the 2023 draft at Scoot Henderson instead of trading it for a veteran.
Lillard’s biggest goal is to win an NBA title. He has earned lots of money and awards. He will forever remember for his 36-foot, summary 3-pointer who eliminated Oklahoma City Thunder from the playoffs in 2019. He got 50 points that night.
Portland was eventually eliminated in the Western Conference Finals – Lillard -erana’s longest progress.
Lillard turns 35 in July, and playing 35 plus minutes per match will not last forever.
He certainly does not want to make another move. He is in a team with Antetokounmpo, a player who complements his style.
For some reason, money doesn’t click. Maybe Rivers are not the right buttons with the rest of the guard list.
Maybe things are improving in the next few weeks. Maybe Lillard returns to full health. You never know.
But right now it doesn’t look like “Dame Time” in Milwaukee this season.
