NBA Rumors: The Milwaukee Bucks, as expected, will bring Jabari Parker along with extreme caution as he continues to rehab from ACL surgery
If you were impressed with the Milwaukee Bucks last season, you’re going to want to see what they have the potential to do this year.
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After a season in which they took the NBA by surprised and made the playoffs as a sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, the Bucks might even be better this season.
Overlooked in Milwaukee’s resurgence is the fact that they accomplished all that last season without their first-round draft pick, Jabari Parker. He played 25 games and then was lost for the season due to a knee (ACL) injury. He was supposed to be one of Milwaukee’s centerpieces, and they didn’t even need him last season.
But they will this year. And as he continues to rehab back to full strength, the Bucks will take every precaution with their prized second-year pro.
"[Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel]General manager John Hammond said Tuesday at the team’s annual golf outing that Parker will be able to participate in training camp, which opens next week in Madison.But the extent of his participation is to be determined and it’s clear the Bucks will handle Parker, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2014 draft, with extreme care.“We’ve never had a target date, per se,” Hammond said at the River Club of Mequon, site of the team’s event to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Wisconsin. “We’ve always said he’s making progress.“Wherever he’s at, if we think he can play 30 minutes, we’ll probably have him play 15. Wherever it might be, I think we’re always going to be cautious with him.”"
This is exactly the way to do it. Parker is a huge part of the Bucks’ future, despite what they accomplished las season without him.
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If they handle his rehab wrong – see Derrick Rose – and can’t return to form, that could put a quick end to the Bucks’ bright, promising future.
Parker averaged 12.3 points and 5.5 rebounds last season in the 25 games before his injury. The return of Parker, in addition to the signing of Greg Monroe, and the Milwaukee Bucks could turn even more heads this season. If nothing else, in the the Eastern Conference.
While everyone focuses on the Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks, the Bucks shouldn’t be overlooked. They have as much talent as the next team, even if it is young.
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