Is Giannis the best player in the world? NBA luxury tax bills and Joe Ingles' trash talk highlight topics at Milwaukee Bucks media day
The Milwaukee Bucks kicked off the 2022-23 season with their annual media day Sunday, headlined by ownership, general manager Jon Horst, head coach Mike Budenholzer and the Big Three of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday.
Here are some highlights from the nearly four hours of availability at Fiserv Forum:
Governor Marc Lasry was not able to attend media day, so co-owners Wes Edens, Jamie Dinan and Mike Fascitelli handled the responsibilities of answering questions.
The NBA and the players association are currently in negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement, and either side can opt out of the current contract in December. Is there confidence a work stoppage will be avoided?
Edens: “I think the situation is the contract is in place right now. I think it could be opted here in the middle of the year where you’d be in a situation just like the last several where there would be a negotiation next summer. But from my standpoint I’d be surprised if there’s a work stoppage that’s for sure. In any event the contract exists for this year.”
How do you feel about the team being in the luxury tax each of the last three seasons?
Edens: “Well, one of the burdens of having a very talented and experienced team is the salary expectations are high. So we’re in the tax. Eleven of the 30 teams, I think, are in the tax, or something like that, so it’s not a unique situation for us. As a group we made a big commitment to deliver championships and do everything we can on the ownership side to be supportive of Jon and ‘Bud’ and the whole organization. So we’re obviously deeply committed to that. We think we have a special, generational talent in the form of Giannis and all the good players around him in Khris and Jrue, so we’re very committed financially to do what we can to give ourselves the best chance to win.”
How much is looking ahead to a new CBA and a media rights deal in about three years a part of the calculus for today? (For example, some players, like Khris Middleton, are extension eligible.)
Dinan: “I think it’s more in the present. We definitely think about it and have matrices and everything else. But the real world doesn’t work on your model, so to speak, and it’s a competitive marketplace. So I could say almost every decision you end up making – not all – is mostly determined by ‘the moment.’ But we do think of flexibility, we think of what our roster looks like as we look out every year for the next five, where the holes are, where the gaps are, where the opportunities are.
Fascitelli: “I do think it’s a huge opportunity for the NBA and individual teams, though, the TV contract coming up. That’s going to spill down to the teams as well as the players.”
Three times in the last eight years NBA teams in Atlanta, Los Angeles and Phoenix have gone up for sale after, in part, racist comments were made by owners. A fourth team (Dallas) was penalized for workplace misconduct. Do such instances have you self-audit, to make sure people feel safe and included either in your presence or coming to work every day?
Edens: “I think that the standards of conduct, not just in basketball organizations but across organizations broadly, have gone up – and appropriately so. And there’s no place in the world for racism, misogyny. Lack of tolerance for that is very high not just in the Bucks but every organization that we’re involved in. And, I think it just happens to be very public when it’s an NBA basketball team, but it happens in mainstream America and around the world frankly in terms of corporate life. And I think the one observation, clearly, is the tolerance for anything that is really offsides is much reduced and I think appropriately so.”
Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer discusses his right ankle replacement
Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer underwent right ankle replacement about five weeks ago. Will he be ready to be on the sidelines once games begin?
Budenholzer: “It’s a little bit to-be-determined. We play Saturday for our first preseason game and then we go to Abu Dhabi. They’ll be some version of this scooter still at that time, so I think we’ll just figure it out as we get closer to it. And I will be close to where I’m transitioning to just walking in a walking boot. I may stay planted on the seat. There’s a lot of different, variable options that we may go to but I don’t think I’m that important.”
Bucks injury updates
Khris Middleton (wrist) is out of his cast
Bucks general manager Jon Horst: “I think early in our season is really what we should expect. A little bit to-be-determined but he’s doing incredibly well. He’s out of the cast, he’s starting to do functional things, his conditioning is like peak. To say opening night, I don’t know, I think it’s too early.”
Middleton: “Got my cast off for almost two weeks now. Just trying to move it, that’s it. Trying to get the range of motion, so hopefully that comes back in the next couple weeks then we go from there.”
Joe Ingles (ACL) could be ready by December
Horst: “Joe is doing fantastic. It still is a ways out. I think some point in December is possible, I still think it’s later. More realistic (is) January. There’s so many steps kind of now and finishing rehab that will really determine that. But he’s doing fantastic.”
Ingles: “I’ve so far had six months or whatever we are of being good. I haven’t had any setbacks, I haven’t had anything lingering that’s stopped me doing anything of these kind of boxes to tick along the way. Knock on wood, so far so good.”
George Hill (neck/abdomen) back to feeling healthy
Hill: “It’s good. Last season was tough for me fighting injury and things like that. Wasn’t able to be myself. I took time over the summer and got my (cortisone) shots that I needed to, let it rest, and had a great summer. I’m back to being healthy. I feel good again and just ready to redeem myself.”
Jordan Nwora signs two-year deal
Horst said he expected something to be done with third-year wing Jordan Nwora by the end of the day in order for him to practice with the team on Monday. Nwora’s agency announced a two-year deal later in the afternoon.
Is Giannis Antetokounmpo No. 1 in the world?
Giannis Antetokounmpo on if he’s the best basketball player in the world: “Do I believe that I’m one of the best players in the league and the way I help my team be great and win games is efficient and effective? Yeah, I do believe. I’m mature enough, old enough to understand that. Do I believe I’m the best player in the world? No. I think the best player in the world is the person who is the last man standing, is the person who takes his team to the final, to the finish line and helps them win the game, win games and become champion. Two years ago when we did that, yeah. When I was sleeping in my bed I was like, ah, yeah, maybe I’m the best player in the world. But now, no. In my opinion, the way I do it, the winner is the best. The guy that wins in the best.”
Joe Ingles takes center stage
Holiday on new acquisition Ingles: “Joe is one of the ones you hate to play against. Like, he’s an (expletive) playing against him. I’m not even going to lie to you. Playing against him is the worst because he’s physical, he’s kind of dirty, and he talks trash. But now that he’s on my team I’m happy.”
Ingles: "Is that good? Is that good or bad? I don't know whether that's a compliment. I've had a lot of compliments or whatever in my life. I think for me, and kind of going back to (former Utah head coach) Quin (Snyder) a little bit, one thing for me defensively especially was to try and be as annoying as possible... Which might have some of the talk involved."
Middleton: “I think everybody knows about him – his trash talk. But maybe not.”
Ingles: "Jrue doesn’t say anything on the court. Neither does Khris. Khris doesn’t talk in general!”
Ingles on his trash talk: “I’m not going to do it anymore. I'm done. We’ve got Bobby. Bobby’s the one you guys can ask."
Bobby Portis ended his media session with an open-ended question: "Who gets more techs this season: Joe or Bobby?"
Ingles on getting No. 7 from Grayson Allen: “It was a bit of a joke and the next morning we were texting and he was kind of like I don’t really care that much about my number, kind of like you can have it if you want. And I was like really? Because I will. But as we all know the things that happen to get numbers around here so I will look after him. I’m not going to give him money, but I will get him a little gift. I’ll get my wife (Renae) to. She’s way better at buying presents. And he just got married. So we’ll get him a little something.”
Bucks' George Hill thought of retiring
George Hill on contemplating retirement after last season: “I thought about it. I thought about it hard. Sometimes you get inside of yourself sometime and for me, personally, I’m big on feeling and emotions. I felt like I let the city of Milwaukee down last year not being able to perform the way I normally perform. I let my teammate down being injured. And I thought about it. But as a competitor, I didn’t want to go out like that. So, had a great offseason for the summer, decided to come back and try to redeem myself and make myself better.”
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Does Giannis think he's best in world? Highlights from Bucks media day
