Bradley Center Adds BMO Harris to Name

The Bradley Center will change its name for the first time in its nearly twenty-five year history. The arena will be christened the BMO Harris Bradley Center this week, after a six-year, multimillion dollar deal was reached with a number of local businesses. The new moniker will go into use immediately, already appearing outside the downtown Milwaukee stadium, on the scoreboard, and other internal locations.


BMO Harris Bank clearly made the largest donation to the newly named building, though Harley-Davidson, Kohl's, Northwest Mutual, and Rockwell Automation were all part of an effort that raised more than $18 million. Other private and public sponsorships are expected to follow the initial investment, though the majority of funds will come from the five companies already involved.
The investment is a relief of the financial pressure which had plagued the arena in the past. Marc Marotta, the Bradley Center Board chairman, said that the money will help the arena stay relevant in the future by providing for much needed renovations and advertising.

For teams which rent space from the building, however, the fix is only temporary. Especially for the Bucks, who have suffered losses in revenue and attendance, the new six-year lease extends their time in Milwaukee only that far.
The Admirals and the Marquette Golden Eagles are the other main users of the complex's space. They joined Bucks owner Herb Kohl in a call for a new facility for the trio, though that issue will now have more time to develop, thanks to the extension of guaranteed time at their current home.Despite that fact, Kohl still maintains that the time to begin finding funding for an eventual new arena is now. He told reporters that his team appreciates that the next six-years are taken care of, but they will continue to recruit sponsors for a new arena by 2018.

Herb Kohl Considers Donating Funds For New Milwaukee Sports Venue

Discussions about a new home court for the Bucks just got serious. With the Bradley Center quickly becoming outdated, and seeing its attendance numbers dropping along with revenue, Bucks owner, Herb Kohl, announced his willingness to personally finance part of a new complex. Since 2008, Herb Kohl himself has been calling for a new arena, but this is the first out-of-pocket commitment that the Senator has made.


This isn’t Kohl’s first venture into modern sport architecture. A decade ago, the seventy-seven year old donated twenty-five million dollars towards the building of Kohl Center in Madison.

The Badgers home for various sports teams came up during a press conference with Kohl. He recited the positive effects of the construction of the Center a decade ago, highlighting the community benefits likely to win over influential community leaders and businesses.

Kohl knows those individuals will be crucial to his efforts. Learning from the Packers example – the team’s ability to convince locals of the need to expand Lambeau in 2003 – Kohl must attempt the same in Milwaukee.
Kohl Has Yet to Reach Out to City Officials
At the same press conference, Kohl ducked questions about other funding sources, both public and private. He said he had not spoken to any politicians or potential business sponsors about the project, though the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce has been working for years to find funding for the Bradley Center. Those efforts will now likely be directed towards the new project.

Kohl has not met with any government officials, but many have commended him for his initiative. A spokeswoman for Tom Barrett confirmed the Mayor’s interest in discussing the matter. Marc Marotta, chairmen at the Bradley Center, called the news positive.

As far as the Bradley Center goes, Marotta and Kohl will continue to work together to find financial help for the arena. Kohl told reporters that he will try to persuade already established sponsorships to renew their contracts, and promised a short-term lease commitment from the Bucks for the next few years.

Scott Skiles Looks to Leave Milwaukee Behind

Scott Skiles is going to go down in Bucks history as their most fair-weather coach. After extending his contract following the team's 2010 playoff run, the head coach has wasted no time in announcing his intentions to seek a buyout this off-season. ESPN first reported on the subject, and Skiles seemed to back up the claim with a lackluster performance at the team's final post-game conference on Wednesday.

The coach fielded questions from reporters as usual at theBradley Center following his team's loss to Philadelphia just minutes before. The last question of the night, however, brought out an ever so subtle bleak interest in the organization's future.

When asked about his thoughts on the younger player's professional ability and attitude, Skiles took a long pause, stared ahead, and eventually uttered just three words: I don't know.
That response would have been flabbergasting a month ago. But, with the team's second consecutive near playoff-miss, the answer signals a waning optimism in the organization's structure as we've known it in the past five years.

The Brandon Jennings bridge-burning escapade, Stephen Jackson's unflattering outlook, and the Andrew Bogut trade were just pieces of a larger puzzle that seems to be coming apart.

Admittedly, this is all speculation. But, for the Bucks to have a future in Milwaukee, a lot of factors are going to have to work together. The Bradley Center needs to become profitable, the aging Herb Kohl needs to keep the team in the city, and, perhaps most importantly, general manager John Hammond needs to get people excited about this team again.

Beno Udrih Hopes to See Bucks in Playoffs

Beno Udrih has made a positive impact on the Bucks performance in the past month-and-a-half. Despite his limited playing time, the reserve has maintained a serious role in the team's bid for the playoffs. Without the guard, Milwaukee's hopes to win the race for the eighth and final postseason spot would be impossible.

Udrih has waited a long time for the chance to prove his worth. Hitting age thirty this month, the eight year veteran of the league is just a bit past his prime. After winning two championship rings with the Spurs in his first three seasons in the NBA, Udrih was traded to the Timberwolves, but then waived. Sacramento signed him, and a starting point guard spot became available after Mike Bibby was injured. Udrih averaged thirty-two minutes per game with the Kings, and had respectable numbers, but never received much attention. Now as the Bucks begin a last desperate attempt to overtake New York – or possibly the 76ers – for the final postseason position, Udrih has a chance to be a hero.

Udrih's Playing Time Increases

Milwaukee slashed the guard's average playing time in half following his arrival from Sacramento in June 2011. He made no starts for the team through its first fifty-nine games of 2012, hitting a season-low sixteen minutes-per-game in February. With the season running out,  Bucks head coach Scott Skiles turned to his bench for options in March. Udrih's time on the court went up to nearly twenty-two minutes a night, and his stats soon followed the same trajectory.

With Udrih on the floor, the Bucks improved both their defensive and offensive performance. They scored six more points per 100 possessions while the guard was in and allowed eight less to opponents. Udrih is also helping a few teammates up their games while off the bench. Both Mike Dunleavy and Brandon Jennings add ten percent to their field goal accuracy with Udrih on the court – Jennings adds a whopping twenty-three percent to his break threes with the guard.