Behind The Buck Pass

3 days ago | behindthebuckpass.com | Franco Luna

Giannis is staying, and the franchise clearly believes it. In a season as tumultuous as this one was for Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, it's simply the kind of revelation that brings to mind Leonardo DiCaprio's legendary "I'm not leaving!" speech in 2013's The Wolf of Wall Street. Bill Simmons, speaking on The Bill Simmons Podcast with Ryen Russillo, stated, "Everyone in Milwaukee thinks he's coming back." He added, "Granted, the weeks pass, and you never know.

4 days ago | behindthebuckpass.com | Franco Luna

The typical offseason formula for keeping Giannis happy is dead, and the Bucks front office should be scrambling to find a way forward from here. For nearly a decade, the Milwaukee Bucks have operated with one very simple guiding principle: keep Giannis Antetokounmpo happy. The mission of keeping Giannis loyal to the small market became their north star for practically this entire era of Bucks basketball. They gave him the max. They gave him the keys.

4 days ago | behindthebuckpass.com | Franco Luna

Milwaukee can't digging themselves into the same hole over and over again. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different outcome. And for years now, the Milwaukee Bucks have done just that. Offseason after offseason, they find themselves enticed by the latest veterans on the free agency market. Whether it's Rodney Hood, Jae Crowder or Delon Wright, the Bucks go after the biggest, most established names, only for those moves not to pan out.

5 days ago | behindthebuckpass.com | Franco Luna

Jrue Holiday's offensive struggles in the playoffs are rearing their ugly heads yet again. No matter how bad the situation with Damian Lillard looks, and regardless of what the outcome for the Bucks or the Celtics might look like, Milwaukee's decision to trade Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers still looks better by the day. Once again, Holiday's 3-point shooting is dipping in the postseason compared to the regular season.

5 days ago | behindthebuckpass.com | Franco Luna

The Bucks dug themselves into a hole in these playoffs. Post-elimination, they're still digging. The nightmare isn’t just losing Giannis Antetokounmpo. It’s keeping Doc Rivers. And if current trends hold up, it's safe to say the nightmare is here. Keeping Rivers for another season when it seemed so likely they would let him go may secure the downfall of the Milwaukee Bucks for another year in a row, before next season even starts.