Deer Diaries: A Milwaukee Bucks Podcast

With the Milwaukee Bucks active at the trade deadline yet again, Riley dials in for a special solo podcast to talk through the arrival of Patrick Beverley. How will Milwaukee's newest guard fit in with the rotation, and can he be the perimeter defender that can drag the team towards a viable playoff defense? We say bon voyage to Cam Payne and Robin Lopez, consider the state of the Bucks youth,...

With Doc Rivers officially taking the reins as head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, the games are coming thick and fast. Notching a 1-3 record since the handover from Joe Prunty, the Bucks gave Riley, Kyle, and Adam plenty to talk about. Namely, a veteran-only rotation, the travails of trade candidates, a continually excellent season for Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the new direction Milwaukee may be...

The Milwaukee Bucks have parted ways with head coach Adrian Griffin after 43 games and a 30-13 record. Kyle, Adam, and Riley talk through their spit take reactions to the news, look back on the (brief) Griffin era, and where it all went wrong. With news that Doc Rivers is a favorite to take over the job, they discuss his fit with Milwaukee's roster, his past successes (and numerous failures) a...

Trade season is heating up while the Milwaukee Bucks continue to deliver bang-average results on the court. Riley, Kyle, and their Brew Hoop compatriot Michael get together to divine anything of meaning from a short week of play for Milwaukee. Then, they kick off the pod's trade coverage with fake trades of their own. The cherry on top? Kyle's mega deal that will have you wondering what al...

Just when Kyle and Riley had declared them on the brink of something negative, the Milwaukee Bucks turned things around (again) to bring their record to .500 in the new year. Adam returns and they talk about whether this latest surge is meaningfully different from previous ones, the sustainability of team performances against top-tier competition, and whether there actually is a flip to be switche...

Deer Diaries is back after an extended holiday break, and Kyle/Riley have plenty to talk about. The Milwaukee Bucks are 1-3 since the start of 2024 and have looked all out of sorts. Team defense remains a travesty while the offense has now started to tank as well. They talk through those issues, wave goodbye to Lindell Wigginton and Marques Bolden, wonder whether a mid-season fix is even feasible,...

Turns out Bobby Portis was the secret ingredient all along. Kyle, Adam, and Riley gathered to talk about a week full of wins, GameBall-Gate, just how bad the Pistons are, and a very encouraging team performance over the Houston Rockets. Is Andre Jackson Jr.'s stock going to the Moon? Can we learn to love winning via offense? Is this the best Giannis Antetokounmpo has ever looked in his career?...

With the NBA's In-Season Tournament finished, Kyle, Adam, and Riley gather to recap the Milwaukee Bucks participation. They talk about the wing rotation, ways to touch grass in the depths of a Midwestern winter, determine the cooked-ness of Khris Middleton's defense, and Riley "passionately challenges" the accepted post-IST media consensus. Then, it is on to holiday drinks, Paw P...

With the Bucks having played their 20th game of the season, Kyle, Riley, and Van get together to take stock. The offense is near-elite (especially in competitive fourth quarters), the defense has plateaued at firmly below-average, and Adrian Griffin's points of emphasis appear to have gradually shifted. What's real, and where is there realistic room for improvement? They tackle that, plus...

From average to unbeatable, the Milwaukee Bucks needed just a week to turn this early season on its head. Kyle and Riley talk about Milwaukee's four straight wins, the clear emergence of Damian Lillard (and Malik Beasley!) as an offensive orchestrator, and signs of marked improvement in the defense. Then, they preview the upcoming matchup against the Boston Celtics. What are they most looking...

The Milwaukee Bucks continue to keep their heads just above .500 water, but the defense remains a mess and the offense isn't much better. Kyle, Riley, and Morgan sift through the debris of another mediocre week for the Bucks to diagnose just what ails the team. Can Adrian Griffin survive the season? If you could fix one thing about the defense, what would it be? Was Brandon Jennings-Monta Elli...

With the Bucks defense sputtering, coach Adrian Griffin made his first meaningful strategic change to stop the bleeding. How well did it work, and is it a sign of things to come? Riley, Adam, and Brew Hoop's managing editor Van Fayaz chat about that, plus the general learning curve rookie head coaches go through, continuing Giannis struggles, "Rasputin" by Boney M., and much more!

With the Bucks sitting at .500 after their first two games of the season, Kyle, Riley, and Jackson chat about the early pick & roll struggles, easing Khris Middleton back into the rotation, a defensive scheme that gives as much as it takes, long-term title forecasts, Halloween, "Nope", Star Wars Lego sets, and much more!

On this first episode of Deer Diaries (post-rebrand), Riley, Kyle, and Adam gather around their microphones to talk Giannis's three-year, $186 million extension, the drama around Terry Stotts's departure from the team, confidence levels in the Milwaukee Bucks offense and defense, preseason observations, plus Rapid Fire questions, an ink review, Kyle's recap of "The Menu" and...

It's an EMERGENCY POD!!! Kyle, Van, and Michael go through the blockbuster deal which brings All-Pro Guard Damian Lillard to Milwaukee. They break down why it made sense, what he can potentially bring to Milwaukee, and what the Bucks can provide to him. They give Jrue his flowers and figure out if this is a super team.

Back together again, and it feels so good; and we're not talking about the Milwaukee Bucks' roster! Adam, Kyle, and Riley reunite to touch on Summer League triumphs and failures, ask themselves if there was anything about Milwaukee's free agency to get excited about, whether the core + Robin Lopez will be enough to win another title anyhow, grocery store impulse buys, Donte DiVincenzo&...

With rumors swirling that the Bucks are looking to acquire a higher pick in this week's NBA Draft, Riley and first-time guests/new BH staffers Jackson and Michael get together to review some prospects worth keeping an eye on. They chat about 10 players Bucks fans may want to keep an eye out for, their strengths, weaknesses, possible fit on a contending Bucks roster, some honorable mentions (AK...

In today’s episode, Riley, Kyle and Adam gather to discuss the ins and outs of how the Milwaukee Bucks landed on Adrian Griffin as their next head coach. From the other candidates to the many, many reports coming out after and how Giannis factored into the decision, we break down everything swirling at the moment. Then, a brief touch on how the playoffs have played out, the coaching carousel and d...

The Milwaukee Bucks crashed out of the 2023 NBA Playoffs in depressing fashion, so Kyle and Riley get together to assess the damage. Coach Mike Budenholzer's job remains on the line, Jrue Holiday's post-season track record gets a little more bleak, Khris Middleton is another year older/more beat up, and Giannis Antetokounmpo's play style is starting to show its long-term limitations. T...

The Milwaukee Bucks giveth and the Milwaukee Bucks taketh as Kyle and Riley get together to recap games two and three of the Bucks-Heat series. With Milwaukee down 2-1, they wonder whether Giannis Antetokounmpo will return come hell or high water, just how much worse Jrue Holiday can play, how much looser Khris Middleton's handles could be, and where in the world Jae Crowder will be playing pr...

In today’s episode, Adam and Riley break down Giannis getting injured during game one against the Miami Heat, and why they’re not panicking yet in this series.

In today’s episode, Riley and Adam dissect every angle of the loss to Boston, including how it changes our perception of how Milwaukee will approach this team should they meet up in the Playoffs. Then, they talk about the much more upbeat Sixers victory, touch on the MVP discussion and the final chase for the one seed. Note: this was recorded during the Wiz game.

In today’s episode, Riley, Kyle and Adam dissect Milwaukee’s loss to the Nuggets and whether there were any concerning trends to take away. Then, they discuss a pair of blowout wins before talking about the importance of securing the one seed and the MVP race.

Kyle and Riley chat about the Bucks finally losing in a 130-133 weekend matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers. Then, they run through the results against Orlando and Brooklyn, bid Sandro Mamukelashvili a fond farewell, talk about how far the team could go if Khris Middleton isn't able to reach 100% this season, and Kyle quizzes Riley about the recently-concluded 16 wins. Learn more about your ad cho...

In today's episode, Adam and Riley break down Milwaukee's win over the Phoenix Suns, including Jrue Holiday's monster game, Brook picking up the scoring slack and Jae Crowder continuing to fit in seamlessly. It was one of the most exciting games of the season, even without Giannis on the court. Then, they touch briefly on the decimation of the Miami Heat before discussing the All-Star Break, Khris...