#NBAVineRank: 6: Milwaukee Bucks
By Ian Levy
Welcome back to #NBAVineRank, our latest project here at The Friendly Bounce. We’ve ranked all 30 teams in terms of Vineability, and are counting them down as we kill time in the offseason. Today we check in on the Milwaukee Bucks, who have come in at six.
25-21: Hey look, there are the Pacers
19-16: This is the Lake Show, but don’t drown though
15-11: Miami Heat just miss the top 10
10-9: Wizards and Spurs crack the top 10
7: Rockets and Timberwolves tie for seventh
6 Milwaukee Bucks (8.125)
How pumped are you guys for MUSCLE GIANNIS?
Eric (@ericbuenning): I am equal parts excited and afraid. Before we know it, Giannis will be 35 feet tall and will only find sustenance from eating medium-sized trees and buildings.
Ryne (@ryneprinz): On a scale of 1-10, I would say that my excitement is at 13. This is a huge step in his transition to “Dark Giannis”.
Wesley S (@wshareNBA): I’m cautiously convulsive. Once he grows to 7-foot-9 and (hopefully) learns more about how to play basketball, I’ll call game.
Donnie (@DonnieBuckets): I’m just thankful this didn’t happen a year earlier, or Mike Dunleavy would still be in the hospital.
Taylor (@TaylorBojangles): “Dark Giannis”! I like it. But does this help him, ya know, learn how to hit a jump shot?
Zach (@ZachOliverNBA): Well, my bomb shelter is being built as I type this.
Matt (@Matt_Cianfrone): About as half as excited as I will be when he morphs into a carbon copy of Anthony Davis.
Jack (@jackhaveitall): I’m extremely pumped, especially since Muscle Giannis is probably just his first evolution. This is like Machop evolving into Machoke. It’s awesome, and will be even more so once he evolves into Machamp.
What is the most impressive aspect of Giannis’ Vine game? Dunking, Gyro-stepping from the three-point line, off-the-court moments?
Eric: It’s probably the amount of ground he can cover when he uncoils his body, whether through the air or as he glides across the court.The off-the-court stuff is a close second, and will probably surpass it once Giannis drops a mixtape or two.
Ryne: I love me some Giannis dunks. His length allows him to dunk on people 5 feet from the bucket and throw down fadeaway windmills.
Wesley S: His smoothie tweet is up there with Boogie’s snakes in the grass as one of the best NBA tweets of all time. That being said, gyro-stepping from the three-point arc to nearly the free-throw line is….guys, that’s 7-9 feet. In one step.That vine is being held in a lab in the bowels of Area 51.
Donnie: It’s his gyro-stepping. It’s got a cool, appropriate name, it’s insane to watch and it fits perfectly in a vine. There are about 10 phrases that I could get in a text to make me look up a vine ASAP, and Giannis gyro-step!!!! is one of them.
Taylor: Definitely the Gyro-stepping, mostly because there doesn’t seem to be another player in the league capable of such shenanigans. Marauding from midcourt to the rim in, like, two steps is just absurd.
Zach: I mean, pretty much anything he does. His dunks, his Gyro-steps, his plays on defense. Everything is very, very impressive.
Matt: The fluidity of all his movements. I was in the building for the block/behind the back/dunk sequence against the Knicks last year and I’m certain that there are only like three players in the world who could do that including Giannis. There are just no wasted movements. Combine that with the length and athleticism and you get something special.
Jack: Man, his off-court stuff is hilarious, but I have to go with dunking. His smash on Bosh and the windmill against the Blazers were two of the league’s best dunks last season.
We all love Giannis of course, but who else on the Bucks do you see blessing us with some high quality Vines?
Eric: The easy answer would be Jabari, but I’m not sure exactly when he’s coming back, so I won’t count him even though I want to. I’ll go with OJ or Gravy Baskets (Greivis Vasquez) because I’m not sure whether those Vines will be good, bad, or confusing.
Ryne: Khris Middleton nailed a couple Vineable buzzer beaters for them last year, but I’m going to go with big man John Henson. He’s a skilled shot-blocker and is good for an alley-oop off the pick-and-roll every once in a while.
Wesley S: MCW blessed us with some unfortunate vines on the back nine of this past season, but that starting lineup (with Jabari at full strength) is going to be so wacky and strange – and I mean that lovingly – that anyone’s fair game to step up. Giannis is obviously the reason they even sniffed the top tier, though.
Donnie: Jabari is the answer, because of how much he can do with the ball. If he’s healthy, he’s incredibly fun to watch. Let’s not sleep on General Greivis though. It’s easy to see him taking a lot of big shots for this team.
Taylor: I love the Bucks and all, but should they really be this high? It’s pretty much all Giannis, right? Other than Jabari and (maybe) John Henson, there’s not a ton of exciting Vine talent here. Though I will say the fact that all of their players have 10-foot wingspans means we could be in for fun times.
Zach: Jabari, obviously, but I like John Henson and Greivis some as well. The Bucks are an all-around fun team that play the basketballs well.
Matt: Henson is the answer here. Between dunks and blocks he should put up plenty of vines. Jabari could but I want to see him on the floor and back to normal first.
Jack: I really want it to be O.J. Mayo, but I think John Henson or Jabari get the Vine Silver Medal for the Bucks.