As the Bucks took on the Atlanta Hawks in their first round playoff series, Bango decided he would entertain the crowd by, quite frankly, doing something completely crazy. Watch the video, as the mascot completes a reverse dunk from a 20 foot high ladder.

Marc Gasol

Trying to “hook” into the MIP race

Even though including a sophomore is unusual, Marc Gasol has increased his numbers across all major categories and is in the top five in the league in FG% (58%). His scoring has gone from just 12ppg to almost 15ppg (21% increase) , his rebounding from 7.4rpg to 9.4rpg (21%), and his minutes played from 30 to 36 per game. And all this within an offense that has gone from bottom five in the league in scoring to top five (and league leader in offensive rebounding). Besides the scoring and rebounding numbers, at 7’3″ he is a good defensive center who also is a great passer out of the post.

Andrew Bogut

“Hey, Brandon, have you heard I’m second in MIP… no offense, 2nd-place ROY?”

The Milwaukee Bucks are not all about the John Salmons trade, as they have been a playoff contender thanks to Andrew Bogut. His scoring has improved by 4.2 per game to 15.9 PPG (24% increase), and his blocks are at 2.5 after just 1 per game last year, a huge 150% increase. And this is despite the main scoring threat Michael Redd being down with a season-ending injury.

Joakim Noah

Pointing towards rebounding as important in the MIP.

The Chicago Bulls improved last season with Derrick Rose, but this year’s inside game has been the “Arc of Noah“. That has him improving from 7.6 rebounds per game to 11 RPG, making him in the top 5 of the NBA’s bounders in only his second season. And unlike others like M. Gasol and A. Bogut, he is the “sole provider” of rebounds (10.7 RPG, a 35% increase) down-low as Chicago is comparably weak inside. The scoring has gone up (10.3 PPG, a 35% increase) as well, and the Bulls are still a playoff contender. Noah this year makes a strong run as a young, third-year player who averages a double-double.

Monta Ellis

“Charging” towards a strong MIP finish

Almost 26 PPG? Seriously, those numbers are MVP-type. So it’s no surprise he should be in the Most-Improved-Race. Last year 19.0, this year 25.5 PPG (21%); not to mention assists up almost 2 a game to 5.4 APG(38%).   Even with a team that’s crazy-wild with offense, that’s still an improvement (Golden State Warriors were wide-open last year, too, so the numbers are a valid comparison).

Aaron Brooks

Strong drive towards the finish..

The speedy “Mr. Brooks” has compiled great numbers on an injury-decimated team that was supposed to be a basement-dweller this year. With Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, both perennial all-stars, hurt this year the Rockets needed more punch and Brooks delivered. His assists numbers through the roof (5.2 APG, a 42% increase) and his scoring numbers a career high (19.7 from last years’ 11.1, 43% increase) With his speed to the hoop and great talent for finding teammates in a good spot to score, Brooks can almost single-handedly take credit for Houston’s unexpected run towards a playoff spot. He’s my choice from the combination of huge statistical increases, a depleted supporting staff, and a good record which at least contended for the playoffs.

What do you think? Do you have another candidate for Most Improved Player attention? Let us know in the comments!

All Statistics through Sunday’s (March 28) games.

Marc Gasol photo courtesy of NBA.com; Aaron Brooks, photo Copyright 2010 NBAE (Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images); Monta Ellis,Copyright 2010 NBAE (Photo by Danny Bollinger/NBAE via Getty Images); Joakim Noah Copyright 2010 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images); Andrew Bogut,Copyright 2010 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images)

Best in the East : Last Four In

Milwaukee Bucks (Waylon/Brandon Jennings “Trouble Man”, Highwayman Tour edition)

Thanks to the Salmons trade with the Bulls, they now have a finisher in the paint besides the rookie Jennings. They will be a threat for an older, slower team (don’t pretend you’re not listening, Boston)

Toronto Raptors (From the Great White North, the Bob & Doug & Hedo and Demar mix)

With Turkoglu and a now-veteran Bosh, expect these guys to “Take Off” if the shooting holds up.

Chicago Bulls (“Avenged Sevenfold”)

Chicago (Because the Chicago that is better than Boston, right now, is not the Bulls)

Charlotte Bobcats (Good Charlotte “I Just Want to Live”)

I Just Want to Live… to play in the playoffs

Best of the East: Last Four Out

Miami Heat (Eva Cassidy “Wade in the Water”, NBA All-star mix)

Besides the fact the schedule is not favorable, D Wade is their strength, and not re-signed for a long-term deal… just don’t see him “amping it up” to pull out an 8 seed.

New York Knicks (“Just not Enough” Barry White)

Talent… just not enough.

Philadelphia 76ers (Young Love video, Thaddeus Young mix)

Working-class town, the team clocked out a long time ago. If Elton Brand experiment had worked, maybe this group could have made some noise.

Washington Wizards (Wizards of Speed and Time remix)

C’mon, give me a break, you find something that rhymes with Blatche. Blew up the team, got their cap space… are they going to use it?

Overall, it’s mainly jockeying for position among the top 5, and I think youth will be served. These last three will not be tanking, though, there’s a lot of guys on short-term contracts — plus the lottery system thankfully makes that counter-productive. So, still a lot of good basketball left in the East. Meanwhile, search your teams’ website for discount ticket offers if you’re one of the odd teams out.

Don’t forget, you can check out the Western Conference playoff predictions here.

He took the unconventional route, opting to play overseas instead of college hoops. His stock fell as his inconsistent minutes led many critics to believe he couldn’t hang in the Euroleague, much less the NBA. Many felt he would’ve been a top 5 pick in 2008 draft and yet he fell all the way to 10th in the weaker, PG-heavy draft. Then the season started and he absolutely blew everyone away. Bandwagons were being jumped, tweets were being tweeted, and Jennings was being touted as the next big thing. Some were quick to point out that his widely popularized failure in Italy was actually not all that bad. He learned the rigors of traveling and practicing for a hard-nosed coach all while living thousands of miles away from his family. It wasn’t long before he was the frontrunner for ROY after his near triple-double debut and his double nickel against the Warriors. Then December happened. Then January and February. Now March.

So who is the real Brandon Jennings? The brilliant, electric guard that was leading the bucks to an impressive 8-3 start? Or is he hitting the mythical rookie wall (albeit a rather large one)? His splits for each month are as follows:

November: 42.0 FG%, 49.3 3PT%, 78.5 FT%, 22.1ppg, 3.8rpg, 5.6apg, 1.1stls, 3.3tos
December: 37.6 FG%, 32.4 3PT%, 84.8 FT%, 16.7ppg, 3.4rpg, 6.5apg, 0.9stls, 2.2tos
January: 32.4 FG%, 35.2 3PT%, 84.0 FT%, 14.2ppg, 3.3rpg, 6.6apg, 1.5stls, 2.2tos
February: 30.7 FG%, 31.1 3PT%, 79.1 FT%, 10.7ppg, 3.6rpg, 5.5apg, 1.5stls, 1.9tos
March: 37.3 FG%, 41.7 3PT%, 84.2 FT%, 14.0ppg, 3.2rpg, 6.0apg, 1.2stls, 3.0tos

From this we can see a consistent downward trend in his FG%, 3PT%, and ppg while everything else has either remained unchanged or improved (stls, TOs). While a drought in scoring may not be the end of the world for most, Jennings has always been a scorer in a point guard’s body.

Let’s take a look at some advanced shooting statistics by the wonderfully resourceful Hoopdata. Here I’ll sort among point guards who play meaningful minutes (25+mpg) to put things into a more insightful perspective. Just for fun let’s throw in a few mystery players to spice things up.

Player A: 40.5% At Rim, 36.8% <10ft, 30.1% 10-15ft, 35% 16-23ft, 57.5 eFG% 3PT
Player B: 37.8% At Rim, 40% <10ft, 20% 10-15ft, 27% 16-23ft, 55.5 eFG% 3PT
Player C: 50.5% At Rim, 42.7% <10ft, 48.9% 10-15ft, 40% 16-23ft, 57.3 eFG% 3PT

Naturally, I wouldn’t expect you to discern from these stats who each player is, but rather use it as a comparison point for undersized point guards. The players are as follows: Brandon Jennings, Rafer Alston, Aaron Brooks. Fist pounds to anyone who legitimately guessed that.

After the initial trust he established with Skiles, Jennings has been benched lately during critical stretches late in the game. Throughout his rookie campaign, two things have stuck out, his inability to finish around the rim and his propensity to shoot threes. These two shots alone account for more than half of his attempts, as they should, however the problem lies with his ability to finish at an efficient rate. Interestingly, Jennings’ shot was the biggest complaint from critics prior to the season, and now his three-point shooting is keeping him afloat, barely.

Each of the guards I selected are generally undersized, weight and/or height, and compensate with their speed. They all shoot below the league average for a point guard around the rim, 56.9%, and around average for threes, 54.6%. While Alston has had a decent career, he is certainly not HoF material, much less all-star caliber. Alternately, Brooks is currently taking reservations to his own all-star party in 2011. Like Jennings, he’s lightning quick and can hit from deep. Although he’s listed at a generous 6’0”(seriously he looks like nate out there) he finishes markedly better around the basket.

If Jennings hopes to live up to any of the hype he’ll need to evolve his inside-outside game. Initially, he relied on his change of speeds and quickness to get to the hole, but defenses have slowly begun to pick up on his nuances. So how is a small, quick guard supposed to compete with the giants of the NBA? Cue Tony Parker Mix.

If you watch the video you’ll see that Parker, a similarly small, quick guard, not only finishes well, but quite fluidly, too. Here’s how he does it:

Angles: Parker may be among the best in the league in utilizing angles to put the ball in the basket. Necessity breeds success, and TP is successful 64.3% of the time. He’ll shoot over you, under you and right by you. He’ll spin the ball, arc it over, and scoop it under. Any way he sees fit, he can and will put the ball in the hole. A few times in the highlight mix you can see two or three players going up to block the shot only to have it softly cascade over their fingertips. His greatest success probably stems from his lack of dependency on the glass. By developing his mini teardrop he keeps the defenses off-balance and unsure of when and where he’ll shoot.

Double Clutch: Perhaps the skill TP relies on the least, but nevertheless an important one. One of the first things you realize in the NBA is that someone is always in your way, and because of that you need to be able to put up a clean shot after the initial roadblock. To some double clutching may seem like forcing a shot that isn’t there, but Parker shows virtually the opposite. If the shot isn’t initially there because of a defender’s anticipation or timing, double clutching can often forego forcing a shot for a second look at a better one.

Body Control: None of this would be possible without amazing balance and body control. Being among the smaller, lighter populace of the NBA this isn’t always an easy feat. TP, however, has mastered this skill that affords him tremendous consistency. He regularly absorbs blows from bigger players and instead of relying on the whistle he regains his balance to put up one his patented teardrops. He controrts himself, readjusts, and sacrifices his body just to square himself up for a good look. One of his greatest assets is his complete disregard for his well-being. Often times you’ll find him on the floor after a tough lay-up not because he’s selling a foul, but because there was simply no way for him to land on his feet. Even when Parker blows past both his defender and the help defender it’s essential that he maintains control so that he can capitalize on an open lay-up.

Luckily, Jennings is, or was, comfortable using his teardrop, but he’ll have to find greater consistency for it to be a threat. The Bucks have now won 11 of their past 12 games with their three most recent coming against a Lebron-less Cleveland, Boston, and Utah. Coincidentally, Jennings has picked up his play over the last three games, but their recent run has largely been due to their defense. His success in Milwaukee, and the NBA, is predicated on more than just developing his finishing around the rim, but if he can replicate Parker’s success on the inside to any degree the Bucks will be scary good for years to come.

Here are my top ten winners at the NBA trade deadline.  The first five are Talent Winners; they upgraded their squad for the stretch run.  The second five are the Cap Winners, they downgraded talent or mortgaged their future via deals which lowered their payroll and will help with the pursuit of Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, or other top-tier free agents.

Talent Winners

10.  Sacramento Kings. They probably gave up MORE talent than they received, but still a composite upgrade because their traded player (Kevin Martin) played the same position as their other good player (Tyreke Evans).  Thus a slight upgrade now while allowing the young man a chance to become a star, while they added Carl Landry as the fierce inside player they needed.

9.    Memphis Grizzlies. Only a marginal upgrade for their bench, but at a very low cost.  One of the worst benches ever, or maybe just in contrast to the “Big Four” that leads them (only 3-player combo averaging 18+ a game, plus a very tough and savvy Marc Gasol).  Brewer embodies all the qualities that were missing from the Griz’s “second wave”.

8.   Milwaukee Bucks. So many players involved it’s tough to peg.  But Salmons provides needed scoring, and Ivey and Pizmo are at least equal to the talent given up.

7.  Cleveland Cavaliers. Picked up Antawn Jamison.  He can make his own shot, doesn’t require plays run for him, and basically fits in.  Low-cost, low-risk veteran acquisition.

6.  Houston Rockets. Lose: Tracy McGrady — often-injured this year — and Carl Landry, their top inside guy.  Gain: a high-scoring player in Kevin Martin and Jordan Hill (a lottery pick).  Rockets are strong inside so Scola should slide over and take up most of that scoring slack.

Cap Winners

5.  Washington Wizards.

Sure, they blew up the whole team.  But what they had, minus Gilbert Arenas, was not going to be able to compete regularly.  But they lost some salary and set themselves up to spend some next year.  It seemed like they were odd man out in every deal they were involved in.

4.  Utah Jazz.

Don’t get out of the luxury tax, but they are close.  Not taking on a large salary for at least three years, and lose a good veteran player, but one who has two worthy replacements.  Basically saving $3.7 million next year in exchange for a protected first-round draft choice.

3.  Chicago Bulls.

Two major trades, Salmons for Warrick/Alexander, and Tyrus Thomas for Flip Murray/Law.  Got rid of the Tyrus Thomas contract, as well as Salmons.  Save $1 million on Thomas contract, and may not keep both Law and Murray.  Salmons was also more expensive than Warrick/Alexander, and may not re-sign both. Everyone talks about the Knick’s freeing up cap space; but only DRose, Noah, Hinrich, and Luol Deng are locked in among the top-dollar stars.  Astoundingly well-done on the flexibility for this high-profile franchise.

2.   Dallas Mavericks.

Not much cap relief, despite losing a lot of salary in Josh Howard (whilst taking on Caron Butler’s salary). Josh Howard was redundant for them, plus he was by all acounts unhappy whilst Caron Butler gives them the a greater inside presence.  The net effect should be $1 million less in salary, but an enthusiastic player in Caron instead of Howard who was unhappy with his role in Dallas.

1.  New York Knicks.

The Knicks gave up a lot of draft picks in trading Jared Jefferies and his large contract (estimates of $9.5 million dropped). They have put them in a prime position to make some noise this Summer. By all accounts (Dan Coons, Capology Website, etc.) they will be able to afford two max-money contracts if they drop McGrady, which gives them a great shot at King James.

Here’s hoping your team did well.  When you think about the “Free-Agent Class of 2010″ being overrated, consider this: top scorers at this year’s All-Star game James, Wade, Bosh, all are going to be available to highest bidder after this off-season.  And most likely King James will influence where all three end up.

Editor’s Note: All cap figures shaved come from news estimates (some are approximate). Cap figures committed for next year are based upon HoopsWorld salary info. LeBron James image photoshop and pie charts, credit @ASternWarning.

The Father of the Sky Hook, The NBA’s All Time points leader, and the owner of one UGLY stache! Beard’s look cool unkempt.  Staches have to be maintained.

Each day we describe the days stache in one word.

Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s mustache = Scraggly

Brandon Jennings is special.
Hat tip Sports By Brooks

KG’s shot did not count, but who cares?
Hat tip Dime Mag.

LeBron is unconscious
Hat tip Baller Blogger, and Ball Don’t Lie.