The Roberts Roundball Report

Is Brandon Jennings Already Calling the Shots in Milwaukee?

The solution, or a new problem?

With the 10th overall selection in last Thursday’s NBA Draft, the Milwaukee Bucks either took a strong step forward to becoming an elite team, or they added a cancerous locker room presence.

Truth be told, Brandon Jennings has ran his mouth quite a bit leading up to the draft, while also letting his opinion be known in interviews since being taken by Milwaukee in the first round.

He’s referred to Luke Ridnour as a back-up. He down-talks the Knicks, Chris Duhon, and even Ricky Rubio.

He says they don’t have a chance.

He said before he came to Milwaukee, he thought the city was boring, simply based off of what a few other people had said.

Simply put; he’s a teenager.

Brandon Jennings has an electric handle, superstar athleticism, and all the potential in the world.

The only problem is, he’s ultra raw, and his attitude already has bust written all over him.

Still, character concerns or not, is his talent so good that it won’t matter how he acts, or what he says?

Probably not.

We’ve seen it before, and quite frankly, it won’t be going away anytime soon.

This is a kid who has exceptional ability, no doubt, but where do you draw the line?

When is he still a young kid that has a lot to learn and needs to be put in his place by his new team; and when is he a rising star that can do whatever he wants?

While he clearly should be somewhere in the middle, it’s unfortunately obvious that he’s above everyone else in the league, at least in his mind.

Without a lot of rationale or discretion, it’s going to be interesting to see if Jennings can handle Scott Skile’s system.

Yes, he’s athletic, but can he lock-down the opposing point guard? Can he play defense for 48 minutes? And can he effectively lead an offense?

Jennings was half-right when he said Luke Ridnour would be a back-up. The truth is, with Milwaukee trying to retain Ramon Sessions, Ridnour may have simply served a one-year stint like Richard Jefferson.

His days are likely numbered if Sessions returns.

So, as long as the money invested in Sessions isn’t ridiculous, Jennings could be the likely starter for the coming season.

But how do you know whether to get excited or not?

Jennings himself said that Rubio wasn’t good enough to be a star in the NBA-yet it’s extremely arguable that Rubio is a better point guard (and maybe even overall talent) than Jennings.

If that’s even close to being true, wouldn’t Jennings be a high-risk player?

The answer is a resounding yes.

With the draft only less than a week old, we could still be looking at a lot of change for both Milwaukee, as well as Jennings.

Considering the Bucks originally had Jonny Flynn pegged as “their guy”, and Minnesota has an interesting duo of both Ricky Rubio and Flynn, a trade wouldn’t be out of the question.

In fact, a three-team trade involving the Knicks is a real possibility that few people are looking into. Rubio could win up where he is “meant” to play-on a big stage, in a fast-paced offense.

Jennings would take over and be the immediate star at either guard spot, and Flynn would come in to Milwaukee as Skiles’ perfect combo point guard.

That, or Jennings already has a stronghold on the Bucks front office, and they’re too enamored with him to change anything.

But for the sake of the franchise, they should at least think about shaking things up again.