On June 26th, 2014, a promising future was being painted for the city of Milwaukee as they selected Duke star Jabari Parker with the 2nd overall pick. The excitement surrounding the Bucks organization had not been felt in a decade or so and with a top lottery pick in hand, many believed that Parker would be the savior of this NBA Franchise. Four years later, the tide has turned and Bucks fans are now left with mixed feelings on how we should feel about Parker exiting Milwaukee for a new home only 90 miles south in Chicago.
Two ACL Tears Later, Fans Wonder What Could Have Been
As the 2014 season began, fans noticed something special with the new number 12 on the court. What seemed like an obvious Rookie of the Year candidate for the Bucks was ultimately cut short due to the first tear of Parker’s ACL. As dread took over, a sense of hope also loomed over the organization as we all believed that Jabari would come back stronger than ever.
Waiting a whole year for his return was eclipsed by the Greek Freak effect that Giannis Antetokounmpo showcased as his rise to stardom took place right in front of our eyes. Not only did Milwaukee realize that they had something special brewing in the beer capital, but so did the rest of the world. Eagerness to get Parker back on the court to see what these two players could do increased immensely as time went on.
Back To The Beginning
When Jabari returned from his first ACL tear, we understood that it would take time and patience to see him back at the top of his game. Knee injuries are nothing to play with and Milwaukee was kind to wait as long as Parker needed. Going back to the basics of what Parker needed and the fans being supportive is all we could do. When it came to the 2016-2017 season, the NBA finally got to see what Parker brought offensively to the game.
With an average of 20.1 points per game, we knew we had someone on the court to help Giannis rack up the points. Unfortunately, the string of bad luck continued as Jabari tore his ACL once again. It is hard to have hope for a player who could be a star in the making when bad luck keeps taking them out of the game. Hence why his return the following season would be do or die.
The Return…..Again
This past season seemed bright as Giannis once again proved he is an MVP caliber player. The anticipation of Parker’s return increased and the push for a top five seed in the playoffs seemed possible. What came of his return though was what Milwaukee and its fans feared the most.
There were some sparks of excitement, but ultimately poor defense and suddenly a poor attitude spoke louder than what Jabari could provide scoring wise. It was clear as day to see now that this is Giannis’s team and Parker could not gel for some unknown reason. As the off-season began, many believed the Bucks organization would do whatever it takes to keep Parker in the 414, but as time passed, that conclusion shrunk more and more.
Moving Forward
The Milwaukee Bucks decided today that they would send Parker on his way to find a new franchise to call home and that is where he ended up, back home in Chicago. The Bulls signed Jabari today to a two year/$40 million dollar contract with the 2nd year as a team option.
As much as Milwaukee and the fans loved Parker and all that he has done for our community, we know deep down that signing a risky player to that kind of contract isn’t worth it. We already have several poor contracts on our team, we do not need to add another one.
The conversations have started among fans of the Bucks, either upset that we just let him walk for nothing in return, or with the fact that he is no longer a Buck. Whats done is done and now we must look back with fondness at what Jabari brought to the city of Milwaukee and wish him the best of luck going forward.
To move forward, we must not forget that we have one of the best players in the league with Antetokounmpo and a new coach who brings promise. A final thank you is in order to Parker for bringing in the excitement that now surrounds the Bucks and that is solely on him. Moving on is bittersweet, we will miss Jabari Parker, but to succeed in this league we need to make hard decisions, and deep down we all know this is the right one.
