Milwaukee Bucks kick off 46th season in Milwaukee Saturday

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- The 46th season of pro basketball in Milwaukee is just days away, and the Bucks are giving fans plenty of new reasons to come out to the BMO Harris Bradley Center this season.

After a busy summer of change, the Bucks’ many new additions will take center stage this Saturday, Nov. 2, when they host the Toronto Raptors at 7:30 p.m.

Everywhere fans look they’re likely to see something new, including the brand-new, limited-edition Home Opener T-shirts that every fan in attendance will find on their seat when they arrive.

Eleven new faces dot a Bucks opening roster that will be young, athletic and full of promise for the 2013-14 season and beyond.

They run the spectrum from a two-time All-Star and 11-year veteran in Racine-native Caron Butler to 18-year-old Giannis Antetokounmpo, the youngest player in the NBA this season who already has the league buzzing from his exhibition play.

Milwaukee also added a 21-year-old point guard with 135 career starts already under his belt in Brandon Knight, sharpshooters with playoff experience in O.J. Mayo and Gary Neal, and some familiar faces for Bucks fans in veterans Carlos Delfino, Zaza Pachulia and Luke Ridnour.

This new group of players is under the direction of a brand new coaching staff that boasts a wealth of NBA playoff and championship experience.

Larry Drew was named the 13th coach in Bucks history after reaching the playoffs in each of his three seasons at the helm in Atlanta.

His staff includes Jim Cleamons, who has been a part of 10 NBA Championship teams during his time as a player and coach in the NBA, and Bob Bender, who holds the distinction of being the only collegiate player to appear in two NCAA Championship games with two different teams.

Rounding out the staff are former NBA All-Star and Kenosha native Nick Van Exel, three-time NBA Champion and former Bucks big man Scott Williams, and skills coach Josh Oppenheimer.

With so many new faces on the floor this season, the Bucks also want to see new faces in the crowd, and are encouraging all of Milwaukee to take advantage of brand new pricing for 2013-14 ticket packages.

Over 5,000 season seats are now priced at $13 or less per game, and nearly 10,000 seats are priced at $24 or less per game. There’s never been a better (and more affordable!) time to get on board for the new Bucks season.

So what else is new, you ask?

All fans in attendance on opening night will receive a new commemorative Opening Night T-shirt, see the first official performances of the newly-renamed Milwaukee Bucks Dancers, hear the beats of DJ-O, the Bucks’ new in-arena DJ, meet new in-arena host Tiffany Ogle and, most importantly, be there at the start when a new era of Bucks basketball tips off Saturday night.

One exciting new item that unexpectedly will not be part of the season tipoff is the Bucks’ new court design.

Representatives from the Bucks, NBA officials, and flooring industry manufacturers and vendors convened in Milwaukee Tuesday to review the floor situation that occurred last Friday, preventing the Bucks’ preseason game vs. Toronto from being completed.

The NBA determined, after input from the team, the BMO Harris Bradley Center and the various flooring personnel in attendance, that the floor should be resurfaced.

The Bucks and the NBA share an unyielding commitment to player safety and agreed that the floor refinishing, which is expected to be completed in three weeks or less, is the best long-term solution.

In the interim the Bucks will play on the team’s prior court, used by the team throughout the 2012-13 regular season and playoffs.

The planned roll-out of MVP Season Ticket Holder names on the court will be delayed until the official debut of the new floor.

While there is no definitive date at this time upon which the new court will be completed, the Bucks are offering fans a unique opportunity to guarantee they’ll be in attendance when the new floor makes its regular season debut.

The team has launched a “New Floor Guaranteed” ticket offer for select upper-level seats.

As part of the offer, any fan who purchases a “New Floor Guaranteed” ticket for the home opener on Nov. 2 will receive a complimentary ticket for every subsequent game up to and including the game when the new floor makes its first appearance.

For more details or to purchase “New Floor Guaranteed” tickets, visit Bucks.com/NewFloorGuaranteed or call 414-227-0500.