Brandon Jennings, the Milwaukee Bucks, and the law of averages

The law of averages states that probability will influence all outcomes in the long-term. Too bad for the Milwaukee Bucks, all flukes come to an end.

For a while, it seemed as if the Bucks were a true contender, Brandon Jennings was the next Allen Iverson (except he shot a better percentage from the field), and Dan Gadzuric was the next Mikki Moore.

Now, the Bucks can’t win a game, Jennings can’t buy a bucket, and Gadzuric, well, he’s not even at Moore’s level.

I can’t exactly say I didn’t see it coming. How could the Bucks continue their torrid pace from an 8-3 start when they start players named Ersan Ilyasova, Charlie Bell, and Carlos Delfino? That hot start was bound to dissipate, as soon as that little thing called the law of averages caught up to them.

And what about Jennings? Granted, he’s been far better than advertised. He’s carried the Bucks to the record they have, taking the league by storm and showing many executives they were flat-out wrong to pass him up. (As well as bringing up the questions, “Why the hell couldn’t Jennings earn playing time in Europe last season? Was his coach blind as a bat? Dumb as dirt? Both?”) But this is a guy whose biggest knock was his ability to hit outside jumpers, yet all of a sudden he was torching the league like a miniature version of Steve Kerr, only if Kerr was left-handed, black, quick as lightning, and had participated in a ridiculous, profanity-laced interview with rapper Joe Budden. Just like the Bucks were bound to start losing, Jennings was bound to start missing. He is still shooting 44.8% from threes, but his shooting percentage has dropped from about 50% to its current 41.4% clip.

That damn law of averages, I guess. Anyways, despite his plummeting shooting percentages, despite the fact that Jennings has only scored 20 points or more once in the last eight games, he still remains one of the league’s biggest attractions so far this season. Who wants to miss the electric young left-hander, already proclaimed as one of the league’s rising stars? Not me. Especially when he’s matched up with our incumbent rising star PG, Rajon Rondo, another super-quick lead guard with the ability to single-handedly change the outcome of a game.

Even though we’ll also be subject to watching the likes of Ilyasova, Bell, Gadzuric, Delfino, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and Luke Ridnour, this one should be worth the price of admission just to see Jennings in action. (Milwaukee fans, save the emails, I know Ilyasova is having a good season, I know Luke Ridnour isn’t that bad, and I know Mbah a Moute is a tough defender. But, for the love of God, they’re Ersan Ilyasova, Luke Ridnour, and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute! Not even their mothers would pay to watch them play basketball.), During his short time in the league, Jennings has put everyone on notice that he’s a potential force for years to come, a rare blend of speed, basketball IQ, and shot-making abilities. And you can be sure Rondo, who always seems to rise to the occasion in games against other elite point guards, will be ready to try to bring the rook down a notch or two.

But enough about Jennings, and back to the law of averages. If the Celtics and Bucks were to play ten times, the C’s would probably win nine of those games.

But who knows? Maybe tonight will be Milwaukee’s night. To quote Jay-Z, even a broken clock is right at least two times a day.