The Split Decision

First time blogging in a long time. I’ll chalk it up to the boredom of a Thursday night with nothing better to do.

Last night was great. L.E.X, Kazik and I opened for Matisyahu at the Rave in Milwaukee, put on an awesome show and then headed backstage afterward to try and meet the reggae/rapper superstar. 

We spent a good amount of time on the back patio with Tyler, drummer of the band Moon Taxi who’s on tour with Matis. He gave us some great advice about getting noticed in the local scene, expanding outwards, etc. Was awesome to have an extended conversation with someone who is slowly realizing their dream.

After our conversation with Tyler, we headed into the backstage area and sat in a room that was giving off a very weird vibe with tons of lava lamps and animal print curtains hanging everywhere. Pretty soon Matisyahu himself came in and sat on the couch next to us. I introduced myself and we had a conversation about Milwaukee, New York, touring and the like. It was probably about half an hour before his set, so I didn’t want to bother him too much with lots of questions, but to be hanging out with Matisyahu backstage before his set in front of thousands of screaming fans was pretty surreal.

Once he started his set, we watched a bit from the backstage area then headed home for the evening. 

A few major things came from last night. 1- I’m set to open for Kendrick Lamar in September, I also met a guy who might set me up with a show in Chicago, and I now have a manager.

More importantly, 2- I’m starting to think that I can succeed with this music stuff. Nobody will believe in you if you don’t first believe in yourself. And I’m starting to really believe in myself.

I’m chasing two dreams at once here with broadcasting and rapping, with the hopes that I might catch one of them. 

Check me out on Twitter: @drewduman

And check out my music here: www.reverbnation.com/drewduman 

The Milwaukee Bucks fell to the Denver Nuggets Tuesday night, 105-95. The loss marked Milwaukee’s 9th of the season, and 1st at home. But the most startling realization of my evening wasn’t that the Bucks played their worst half of the season Tuesday night, down 19 headed into the break, but that this team doesn’t resemble a team at all. It is any five given individuals happening to be on the court at the same time, all playing the same game.

Repeatedly, the Bucks were beaten down the floor after an made basket, wrapping points with a bow-tie and sitting back to watch the Nuggets score uncontested lay-ups Head Coach Scott Skiles had no explanation for the breakdown, saying “They just ran right by us…we just stood there and kind of let them right by us”. 

For almost the entire first half the Bucks look disjointed at best. There was no clear leader, and no player seemed to be holding teammates accountable for their shortcomings, leading to a general lack of energy the entire night.

Nuggets guard Corey Brewer was consistently left open beyond the arc, as was Al Harrington and Arron Afflalo. The Nuggets made the Bucks pay, hitting 48% of their three-point shots. Coupled with 29 made free throws, the Bucks didn’t have a fighting chance.

Not that they would have thrown punches if given the opportunity. 

Stephen Jackson, who has emerged as a scoring leader for the Bucks, didn’t see the court in the second half. He ended with two points. Andrew Bogut chipped in a pair as well. Skiles cited fatigue as the reason Jackson saw no second half playing time, but asked after the game if he felt fatigue, Jackson said “I felt great.” He continued to say “If they want to put the blame on me, it’s my fault. I’ll take the blame.”

Correct me if I’m wrong, but last time I checked, there is no “they” in “team”. Viewing your coaching staff as a foreign entity and not a part of the team is a recipe for disaster in any professional sport.

Jackson did acknowledge a lack of team unity, saying “We don’t have an identity right now”. Someone needs to step up into a leadership role and start forming one, or the Bucks are headed for a cellar season in the Central Division.

Brett Bielema called the worst timeout since Chris Webber and it cost the Badgers a shot at the Rose Bowl.

It didn’t come without a scare, but the Milwaukee Bucks won their home-opener and evened their record at 1-1 Tuesday night at the Bradley Center, in front of an energetic crowd of over 17,000 fans. Each win carries more importance with the lockout-shortened 66-game season, and the Bucks managed to avoid letting a big lead slip away for the second consecutive night en route to a 98-95 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves (0-2).

The victory was a true team effort for the Bucks, who were without Carlos Delfino, Drew Gooden, Darington Hobson, and Luc Richard Mbah A Moute. Everyone else on the Bucks roster scored at least a bucket, and four Bucks players scored in double digits.

Badger state favorite Jon Leuer played an integral part in the Bucks win, scoring fourteen points including a crucial put-back bucket plus the foul late in the game. It was unsure how much time Leuer would see this season, but he made good use of his 20 minutes and Coach Scott Skiles assured that he earned more Tuesday night. Brandon Jennings was impressed with Leuer’s performance saying “he can definitely play”.

Jennings himself led the Bucks in scoring at 24, coupled with 7 assists, and was 7-14 from the floor. Andrew Bogut chipped in 15 points and for the first time since his gruesome injury two seasons ago seemed confident with the use of his elbow. “I think it was the first time that I had made two jump shots since the injury” Bogut said.

Stephen Jackson, playing in his first home game as a Buck, got in on the action as well. Jackson scored fifteen points and when asked how this game differed from the season opener joked “I didn’t score six points and foul out.” 

The victory shows signs of improvement from a Bucks team that suffered a heartbreaking loss on opening night, and needed a big bounce-back victory in the home opener. Skiles will be giving the Bucks a day off tomorrow, and then back to preparation on Thursday as the Bucks will host the Washington Wizards on Friday. If they Bucks play like the team that scored 60 points in the first half Tuesday night, no one can stop them.