I have read about and have now seen and I am ready to talk about the Bucks, even though they haven't played a game for real this season.

But doing a pre-season piece on this edition of the Bucks is not an easy task. One school of thought is that the Bucks are still a good distance away from the playoffs. People in this camp cite a rookie head coach and a history of injuries as the main problems.

Then, there is another school of thought that sees improved players, a new offense, another new emphasis on defense and a team bound for the playoffs.

Somewhere in between there lies the truth, but on balance, there's more to hope for than there is to be exasperated about.

Let's take look.

Based on his players, new coach Larry Kryskowiak has installed the famed triangle offense. For your edification, here's a good explanation I found of the famed triangle offense. Feel free to junk this if you don't care:

The triangle's primary goal is to create a mismatch or open shot (getting the ball in your best shooters hands, ideally) by keeping proper spacing and creating post, penetration and passing options. That can come in a number of ways through the offense, but for any of them to work the key is spacing and ball and player movement. In the end, if executed properly, you can create 3-on-2 or 2-on-1 situations within the half court offense.

In its basic form, the offense sets up a three-man game on one side of the court (in a triangle, for an example let's say with one player in the low post, one in the corner and one on the wing) and a two-man game on the other side (one at the top of the key, the other at the weak side elbow or wing). Out of that basic set there are seemingly countless options for cutting and player movement, but when one player moves another must as well to keep the spacing and balance, with players 15-20 feet apart."

So, if you see two Bucks players standing three feet apart this year, they are doing something wrong.

Now, let's take a look at this team.

The backcourt: Michael Redd and Mo Williams are the starters. Big time offensive firepower, but not much on defense. Williams is a better defender than Redd, but somebody has to guard Dwyane Wade and Gilbert Arenas. That would be Charlie Bell, as long as he's happy. So far he's been stupidly talking about how badly the Bucks treated him by matching Miami's offer by giving him a five-year deal at $18.5 million. Somebody on that team, either Redd or Desmond Mason, needs to take Bell out to the woodshed and slap some sense into him, tell him to shut his mouth, play the way he knows, and enjoy his millions.

Big forward: Yi Jianlian looks like the real deal. He played a veteran and good pro Juwan Howard Saturday night and Yi got the best of the deal. He runs the floor great, he can jump, he's got great hands, he appears to be tough and he's got a great shooting touch. He looks like he can play both inside and outside. His defense needs a little work but people say he's real smart and picks things up quickly. The other big forward is Charlie Viillanueva. The problem with him in the game is that it slows the Bucks down. He's like a molasses spill on the floor. He may have been a first-round pick two years ago, but Toronto gave up on him quickly and if I were the Bucks I'd consider trading him sometime for a high No. 1. Dan Gadzuric can play small forward with more speed and better rebounding and better defense.

Small forward: Bobby Simmons and Desmond Mason will split the time. Simmons is stronger and a better shooter. Mason is faster and a better defender. They both bring something to the table and Mason can add instant excitement. David Noel offers rough and tough defense from the small forward spot and can also swing over to the big forward side if needed.

Center: Maybe the biggest surprise this year is Andrew Bogut. He's got no hair and this whole new body that looks like a mature strong man's body. He still moves very well and has wonderful hands and is a great, great passer. And his new strength will be invaluable playing defense against the other centers in the conference. Bogut can also get out and run, so it's not inconceivable that the Bucks could feature a five-man fast break. If Bogut got hurt, the Bucks would be in a world of trouble.

Good health is vital for the Bucks and if they have it, they could easily make the playoffs and move fairly deep in them. They are a ways away from a title, but they are creeping up on it and their season should be at least as exciting as the Brewers was and as it looks like the Packers will.

Three more things...

Krystkowiak is a rookie NBA coach. Although he coached in the minors, this is a whole new deal. It's easy to coach when things are going good. We'll see how good this guy is when they go through a bad stretch.

Secondly, I ran into Herb Kohl the other night at Solly's. He seems very excited and pretty happy, both slightly rare emotions for the senator. That bodes well.

Finally, there is the Bucks' dance troupe, Energee, which is better than it's ever been. In their early days I called them Emergency. But they have come a long way. They don't pretend to be cheerleaders. They are dancers. My only criticism is that when they sit along the baseline they have this phony pose with their elbows out that is silly looking and obviously very uncomfortable. They've do have a former Miss Wisconsin and lots of very cute dancers along with very cute costumes.

So toss up the ball, get your beer and let's get this thing going.