Karl relies on bigger three
Associated Press
ST. FRANCIS, Wis. -- The Milwaukee Bucks paused in their
preparation for the NBA playoffs to see if Scott Williams and Ervin
Johnson would seriously harm one another.
The Bucks were engaged in a brisk five-on-five drill Friday with
the scout team emulating the Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee's
first-round playoff opponent Sunday night.
|  | | Ham broke into the starting lineup late in the season |
While Rafer Alston brought the ball upcourt, Williams and
Johnson tried to take a position on the same low block.
Neither would give an inch, even in practice.
They shoved. They pulled. They muscled their way into position
while their teammates watched and laughed.
Eventually, the 6-foot-11 Johnson wrapped the 6-10 Williams in a
massive bear hug, lifted him in the air and threw him to the
baseline.
It was all in fun but Johnson, Williams and forward Darvin Ham --
three journeymen enjoying the best seasons of their careers -- have
been all business this season.
Coach George Karl calls the trio "my energy guys."
They are the people who do the dirty work on one of the NBA's
more finesse-oriented teams.
"They give us that spark, that energy," Karl said. "They know
their role. They embrace it and they maximize it."
While Milwaukee's "big three" stars Sam Cassell, Glenn
Robinson and Ray Allen get the publicity, Williams, Johnson and Ham get the most credit from Karl for the Bucks' success.
All three are playing at the peak of their admittedly limited
abilities as the playoffs approach.
"We have a role on this team and we love it," Williams said.
"We're about getting things intense in practice, working hard in
the weight room and then going all-out in every game. Darvin, Ervin
and myself try to set the example that way."
The Bucks' defense all starts with Johnson, whom Karl calls the
team's most valuable player. Johnson emerged this season as a
roaming shot-blocker and a remarkably canny defender who spends
much of his time under the basket covering for mistakes by the Big
Three.
Johnson, who spent his first three years in the league with Karl
in Seattle before a stopover in Denver, also has become a veteran
leader on a young team.
"I try to lead by example, especially on defense," Johnson
said. "If I'm working hard underneath, maybe the guys up top will
get in somebody's face just a little bit more. I just try to play
my role, like Scotty and Darvin."
Most league observers thought Williams, who won three
championships in Chicago, was broken-down and washed up when the
Bucks acquired him last year. But after a strong training camp,
Williams bumped Robert Traylor from the lineup just 15 games into
the season.
Though he went back to the bench late last month, Williams set
career-highs with 7.6 points 6.6 rebounds per game -- and most
importantly, he stayed injury-free, scoring a season-high 19 points
in the Bucks' last game.
Ham moved into the starting lineup for the season's last 15
games, when the Bucks went 11-4 and streaked past Orlando into the
final playoff spot. Though he's listed at 6-7 and is probably two
inches shorter, Ham usually guards the opponent's power forward,
relying on his chiseled physique and acrobatic leaping ability.
After he was cut by Denver, Indiana and Washington during his
first two NBA seasons, Ham spent last year in Spain. He made the
Bucks' roster during training camp with his frenetic work ethic,
and after 39 games hiding on the injured list, he got the first
consistent playing time of his career.
"Just getting to show somebody what I could do was the biggest
thing this year," Ham said. "I've never been comfortable in the
NBA before this season, but I found a team where I fit in pretty
well."
Besides his status as a defensive stopper, Ham posted career
bests in every statistical category this year. Sunday's game at
Conseco Fieldhouse will be the first playoff experience of his
career.
Bucks general manager Ernie Grunfeld said Karl's ability to get
maximalperformances out of Johnson, Williams and Ham might be his
best coaching achievement this season. As for Karl, he wonders
where his up-and-down team would be without the energy guys.
"I shudder to think," Karl said.
|
