The Bucks have just announced their new D-League team based in Oshkosh.
The team does not yet have a name, but I personally will be upset if they do not call themselves the Young Bucks. It may not exactly be a thinker, but it’s the obvious move here.
Anyways, this move is a smart one by the Bucks. The team has never been able to match the popularity of the Packers in Wisconsin (though that is quite a tall order), but this D-League team is a big step in the right direction.
Consider that in mid-November, Rashad Vaughn was assigned to the D-League and had to spend a few games playing for the Westchester Knicks. If any Bucks fans wanted to see Vaughn in action, they had to go watch an unfamiliar team in the Westchester Knicks. Vaughn gained some D-League experience, but not with any players he could expect to play with in the future on the Bucks.
Now consider the same thing happening next season. If a player is assigned to the D-League, fans can go watch them in Oshkosh with a group of players they are familiar with. Furthermore, that player will gain some experience with teammates they might expect to be suiting up with again in the future with Milwaukee. This kind of consistency within the organization helps everyone.
Most importantly, this extends the Bucks brand further across Wisconsin and should boost the team’s popularity. This is well-timed, considering the Bucks have a great young core that is looking to experience some playoff success in the near future. It would be even better to have a D-League team based further west in Wisconsin to try capturing Madison (by stepping into Badger territory) a bit more, but Oshkosh is a great location too.
At any rate, I look forward to seeing some D-League basketball in Wisconsin, and the Young Bucks (see? It’s already spreading) should excite you too. I can already imagine a player having a great career with the Badgers, signing on with the Young Bucks, and not long after putting up numbers for the big league Bucks. The Fox Valley team (whatever they end up actually being called) already has a lifelong fan in me, and I hope you join me when they start playing in a few months.