The Bucks through yesterday have the NBA's worst record and are "nearly at the bottom" of the league in attendance, as they rank 29th and are "averaging 13,954 fans through the first 18 home dates," according to Charles Gardner of the MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL. That number "is down more than 1,000 per game from last season's average." A "truly frightful sight was the crowd at the last home game" on Jan. 15. Attendance "was listed at 11,379, but at the start of the game, the crowd was not half that number." It "hasn't helped the Bucks that a cold, snowy winter and icy roads are keeping some people home," and traditionally, the team "does not draw well in the first two months of the season while the Packers are still playing." Hanging over the Bucks "is the unsettled situation" about whether to renovate BMO Harris Bradley Center or build a new downtown arena, as well as the "search for additional ownership" to join team Owner Herb Kohl. In addition, Bucks C Larry Sanders earlier this season "was lost for six weeks after becoming involved in a downtown bar brawl and tearing a ligament in his right thumb." That was a "damaging public relations blow after the team had spent much of the summer promoting Sanders as a key to the future" and signed him to a four-year, $44M contract extension. The Bucks are "in line to get one of the top picks in the June draft, possibly the No. 1 pick," and that player "should bring added excitement -- and fans -- to the home court." But for now, it is a "tough sell in the remaining three months of the season" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 1/22).
EYEING A NEW ARENA: In Milwaukee, Don Walker notes the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce has "hired the sports and entertainment arm of the Hammes Co. to provide advice on whether a new, multipurpose sports arena should be built, or whether the BMO Harris Bradley Center should be renovated." The move "represents a major step toward consideration of a new arena in Milwaukee." The NBA "has made it clear" to the Bucks that a new arena is "needed to meet today's league standards" and has set a '17 deadline, when the Bucks' current lease with the BMO Harris Bradley Center expires. MMAC Chair Ted Kellner said that Hammes "would provide financial strategy and a plan to guide future discussions" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 1/22).
