So, Sen. Herb Kohl, you're in a tough spot. Your Milwaukee Bucks missed advancing to the NBA Finals by just a game, and the team clearly has enough talent to get back to that spot. Despite having the No. 2 scoring team, you need a power forward. You need free agent Anthony Mason. But there's also this new league monster called the luxury tax. Do you wanna pay? Do you need to pay? Do you take your chances?

	Allen and Cassell are two-thirds of a dominant threesome.

So as we continue our 2001 Summer Spotlight Series, here's the deal with the Bucks.

The good: There are two schools of thought for Milwaukee's best: First, why mess with a good thing. Sure, the team really has one gaping hole, a rebounding power forward who can score, and one can be acquired without giving much value back. But aren't the Bucks capable of an NBA Finals berth based on what is already in place? There have been no major moves yet this offseason, and chemistry is generally cool. By contrast, do you not worry about paying a luxury tax if you truly believe the talented Mason can help? The Bucks clearly, despite success, have been exposed for their weaknesses. Why not solve them?

The perimeter-heavy Bucks won 52 games -- their most since 1985-86 -- and didn't relinquish first place after Jan. 16. Sure, it was a bit of a roller coaster ride early, as the team was 3-9 out of the gates, better than only Chicago and Atlanta. But after Thanksgiving, no team won more games. And don't assume the Lakers would have rolled over every East team; the Bucks were 8-0 against the Lakers, Spurs, Kings and Jazz.

Despite a void at one starting spot -- many would argue at power forward and center -- the Bucks scored more than 100 points a game. Glenn Robinson, Ray Allen and Sam Cassell combined for more than 62 percent of that total. Robinson silenced rumors that he wasn't a good enough all-around player and couldn't get enough shots in the offense with arguably his best season. Allen is a 3-point monster who is still getting better. Cassell is still whining about his contract -- more than half this team makes more money than the All-Star point guard -- but on the court he delivered numbers.

When you look at the big three, as well as standout sixth man Tim Thomas, who may or may not have been promised Robinson's starting role but responded to his new contract anyway with good numbers, you wonder why the Bucks don't get some big men and start dominating the league. Thomas is 6-10, but he's not a rebounder or defender of people his size, rather he's the new breed of athletic swingmen that fly and shoot and just happen to be tall.

	THE FACTS
	2000-01 record: 52-30, 1st in Central, 2nd in East Playoffs: lost in East finals Team leaders: Robinson/Allen 22.0 ppg; Johnson 7.5 rpg, Cassell 7.6 apg Team stats (NBA rank): Points, 100.7 (2nd); Rebs, 42.4 (15th); FG %, .458 (7th) Current rotation: Johnson C; Williams PF; Robinson SF; Allen SG; Cassell PG; Thomas 6th man Spot in Summer Power Rankings: No. 6

The bad: Jason Caffey started 33 times. Scott Williams was in the opening lineup 31 times, Mark Pope 45, Ervin Johnson 19 and Joel Przybilla 13. Considering these are the main power forwards and centers -- a combined 141 starts (out of 164) and very little production -- you might ask how the Bucks managed to win as much as they did. George Karl deserves credit for managing this group. Pope, a 6-10 journeyman with scant NBA experience, got 29 starts at center. That's still hard to believe. Darvin Ham, a Karl favorite who missed most of the season with a foot injury, even made a start at center. He's 6-7.

Johnson played a much bigger role in the playoffs, as did Williams, whose Game 7 suspension has been used as a reason why the Bucks didn't win their final game. But improvements on each guy would help, as both are better suited as reserves. Przybilla enters his second year with some promise, but more as a defender. Caffey was supposed to be the power forward, but in his third league stop in four years it's obvious he's not a 15-8 guy.

Mason surely is. He's a team guy who plays defense and passes like a point guard. He's also earned a ragged image over the years, and the clean cut Bucks might be shying away for that reason as well. Mason wants Milwaukee's $4.5 million mid-class exception, at least. Kohl refuses to pay a tax and adding Mase -- even at a reduced cost -- would likely push the payroll to taxable margins. Looks like Karl will have to mix and match a lot this year. The only addition to the frontcourt this summer is Greg Foster, acquired from the Lakers for doghouse occupant Lindsey Hunter. That's not gonna solve the problem.

The ugly: Things are pretty good in Milwaukee, where the well-run Bucks have arguably the league's top trio of stars (Shaq, Kobe and ... who?) and a good chance for advancement in future postseasons. Nobody complains about Kohl, and GM Ernie Grunfeld is respected and sorely missed in New York. Remember, this is a franchise that finished sixth or seventh in the Central seven straight years in the 1990's. Fans are showing up, as only the Warriors and Mavs had a larger increase in attendance.

Sure, Cassell has made much noise about his contract, but he still plays every night. Karl has a different way than most of dealing with his troops, often questioning their motivation and creating controversy where there is none, but look where he took the team. He did lead the conspiracy theory brigade in the Philly series, accusing the league of rooting for Philly to represent the East, but in retrospect it looked a lot like a motivational tool. This team is talented and has no real chemistry problems.

The future: The Bucks have shopped Robinson around in the past, that has been confirmed. The reason would be that Thomas is a logical replacement at small forward and Big Dog should be able to fetch a scoring/rebounding fool who stands taller than 6-7. Assuming there are no trades and Mason can't find outside work and crawls back to Miami, the Bucks' future remains bright enough to make them a title contender.

Sure, the frontcourt has issues, the team is too reliant on outside shooting and it isn't exactly the toughest or meanest group around. Ervin Johnson scares nobody, except Karl, but the way the Bucks play it might not be a big deal. There's plenty of offense without a talented widebody. Karl uses his big men more for defensive purposes, and what was thought to be a soft team really wasn't, as the Bucks actually permitted fewer points than Shaq's team.

The East is there to be won, and the Bucks feel they have as good a shot as any other team. It's hard to argue.

So we asked you this question about the Bucks: If this team looks the same as last year, can it advance to the NBA Finals?

Check the file to the right for selected responses.

Eric Karabell is ESPN.com's NBA editor.