The Bucks put a lot of faith in Larry Sanders this offseason in signing him to a four-year, $44 million contract extension, and since then he’s done little to show he’s deserving of that trust.
On the court, Sanders has been underwhelming in his first three games of the year, with averages of just 2.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and two blocked shots that are well below his career numbers.
The minutes are down too, and that’s perhaps more concerning since he’s supposed to be the team’s defensive anchor, and yet new Bucks head coach Larry Drew hasn’t seen that value there to keep him on the floor when he’s done essentially nothing offensively.
Off the court, Sanders was involved in an incident at a Milwaukee area nightclub that was described as a bar fight and resulted in a thumb injury that sidelined him Wednesday, and is expected to keep him from playing Saturday, as well.
Sanders appeared and gave a statement to reporters following Friday’s practice, and apologized for his role in the incident.
From Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
“I want to start by saying I put myself in a bad situation over the weekend,” Sanders said in a statement to reporters after practice Friday. “I didn’t make the best decisions down the stretch, but I would like to apologize to my fans here and Sen. Kohl, who I will talk to directly. I’ve talked to the team and apologized to them, just for shedding a negative light on our team and our organization.
“It’s not what we’re about at all; it’s not who we are. It’s not what we stand for. I offer my apologies to everyone, especially the fans. I know they put a lot on me and they count on me a lot.
“For everyone I let down, I’m going to get better, going to be better. I’m going to get better at this, on and off the court. I’m going to come back better. I just thank everyone for their concerns and being patient with me.”
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It’s worth noting that Sanders isn’t some kid out of high school; he’ll be 25 years old in a couple of weeks. We don’t know what went down in the club, and millionaire athletes can certainly become targets at times. But Sanders needs to be smart enough not to put himself in those types of situations.
