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"Me and Monta talked about [how] at the end of the day, everything is going to fall back on us, the good and the bad," Jennings told reporters recently. "So it's going to be up to us to set the tone for team and leave it out there every night on the floor. We just can't take days off." SI.com

Milwaukee Bucks, Monta Ellis, Brandon Jennings 

Said an Eastern Conference scout: "When Jennings was a rookie, this wouldn't have worked. I think he matured some. He understands how to play off of people a little better." SI.com

Milwaukee Bucks, Monta Ellis, Brandon Jennings 

Entering a showdown with Western Conference powerhouse Memphis on Wednesday, the Bucks still have plenty of doubters. SI.com polled five advance scouts on whether Milwaukee could win a playoff series with this roster. Each said no. "I don't see how that combination can be a consistently winning team," the East scout said. "When you are a purely jump-shooting team, you are not going to go very far. And they don't have a post presence they can consistently get the ball to." SI.com

Milwaukee Bucks, Monta Ellis, Brandon Jennings 

Other names that dribbled out this week as likely candidates to be dealt this trade season include Milwaukee's expiring-contract backcourt duo of Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings, based on the premise that the Bucks, if they start drifting out of playoff contention, won't want to risk losing their smallish scorers for nothing in free agency. Also mentioned frequently is the Minnesota trio of Derrick Williams, Luke Ridnour and J.J. Barea, given that Wolves coach Rick Adelman appears to have no use for Williams and with the Wolves now boasting a surplus of point guards with Ricky Rubio poised to return from his knee tear. ESPN.com

Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Trade, Monta Ellis, Brandon Jennings, Luke Ridnour, Jose Juan Barea, Derrick Williams 

Gery Woelfel: Ilyasova, at least, met with media. Jennings and Ellis bolted locker room before media arrived. Twitter @GeryWoelfel

Milwaukee Bucks, Monta Ellis, Brandon Jennings, Ersan Ilyasova 

Through the better part of 20 games last year, all offseason, and into the early stages of this campaign, the trio were peppered with the question of whether or not the combination of Jennings and Ellis "could work" for the Bucks. People were drawn to their height, to their scoring mentality, to whether they would buy into Skiles' defensive-minded approach. Why? "Just the fact that everybody doesn't want it to work, everybody thinks it can't work," Jennings said. "But I think we came to an agreement that we'll sacrifice just whatever to win." OnMilwaukee.com

Milwaukee Bucks, Monta Ellis, Brandon Jennings 

So far, it's working. Through nine games, the Bucks sit at 6-3 and atop the Central Division. Ellis is scoring 21.4 points per game and Jennings is at 16.7. The two have combined to average nearly five steals per game. Tonight though, the Bucks travel to Miami where reigning MVP LeBron James and former NBA Finals MVP Dwyane Wade await. This is the Bucks first test of the season, the first real opportunity to push the narrative in a different direction. Skiles, from day one, never understood why it was there to begin with. "I don't know what people were saying last year," Skiles said. "I really don't know what everybody was saying about his transition here but I thought (Ellis) was comfortable last year. He and Ekpe (Udoh) both just kind of hit the ground running, you know? There hasn't been many times I haven't been pleased. I thought they played well together last year. There are issues there of course, but they both pass the ball, they can both score the ball. They play pretty well together." OnMilwaukee.com

Milwaukee Bucks, Monta Ellis, Brandon Jennings 

"That's going to be the biggest shock to the world is when we get out there and we play the defense and have those big guys back there all on the same page," he said. "Then, we just let it speak for ourselves. We don't have to talk. We don't have to prove nothing wrong. The only thing we have to do is just play our game and don't try to do too much." Despite the differences in approach to speaking about "the question", they are all on the same page where it matters most – the court. Skiles has done a good job in diversifying their minutes between having them together and apart. Jennings is playing at an extremely efficient rate while Ellis is just being, well, Ellis. "Me and Monta talked about that at the end of the day, everything is going to fall back on us, the good and the bad," Jennings said. "So it's going to be up to us to set the tone for team and leave it out there every night on the floor. We just can't take days off." OnMilwaukee.com

Milwaukee Bucks, Monta Ellis, Brandon Jennings 

People were drawn to their height, to their scoring mentality, to whether they would buy into Skiles' defensive-minded approach. Why? "Just the fact that everybody doesn't want it to work, everybody thinks it can't work," Jennings said. "But I think we came to an agreement that we'll sacrifice just whatever to win." OnMilwaukee.com

Milwaukee Bucks, Monta Ellis, Brandon Jennings 

The veteran coach just sort of shrugs his shoulders. Ellis fights it, insists he hasn't heard any negative talk about the pairing. Then there's Jennings, who freely acknowledges it, talks about it, and puts it out there publicly that he wants to prove such doubters wrong. "I don't get into all that," Ellis said. "The only thing we can do at the end of the day is go out and play hard and leave it all on the court and try to get wins. I'm not here trying to prove nobody wrong. The only thing here is to help this team win. That's it. Proving everybody wrong really don't matter. The only thing we can do is prove it to ourselves and this locker room." Ellis breathed in, pushing out his chest. "That's going to be the biggest shock to the world is when we get out there and we play the defense and have those big guys back there all on the same page," he said. "Then, we just let it speak for ourselves. We don't have to talk. We don't have to prove nothing wrong. The only thing we have to do is just play our game and don't try to do too much." OnMilwaukee.com

Milwaukee Bucks, Monta Ellis, Brandon Jennings 

Skiles has done a good job in diversifying their minutes between having them together and apart. Jennings is playing at an extremely efficient rate while Ellis is just being, well, Ellis. "Me and Monta talked about that at the end of the day, everything is going to fall back on us, the good and the bad," Jennings said. "So it's going to be up to us to set the tone for team and leave it out there every night on the floor. We just can't take days off." OnMilwaukee.com

Milwaukee Bucks, Monta Ellis, Brandon Jennings 

Bradley Beal was shoved to the floor by Brandon Jennings and ejected by the referees, but there were no further repercussions for his hard foul on Milwaukee Bucks guard Monta Ellis with 23.7 seconds remaining of the Wizards’ 101-91 loss on Friday at Verizon Center. After reviewing the incident on Saturday, the NBA downgraded Beal’s infraction to a flagrant foul penalty one. Under league bylaws, Beal was eligible to get suspended and receive a fine of up to $50,000 after he was assessed a flagrant foul penalty two – unsportsmanlike contact defined as “unnecessary and excessive” – and an automatic ejection in the loss to Milwaukee. But he didn’t get a suspension and his punishment has been reduced. A player receives two points for a penalty two flagrant foul and one point for a penalty one flagrant foul. Exceeding five points during the season will lead to an automatic one-game suspension and further suspensions for each additional flagrant foul. Washington Post

Milwaukee Bucks, Washington Wizards, Monta Ellis, Brandon Jennings, Bradley Beal 

In the final minute of the Wizards’ 101-91 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, though, Beal tried to block a shot by Monta Ellis and wound up with a flagrant-two foul that sparked a minor fracas. (Check out the replay here.) NBA rules stipulate that a player charged with a flagrant-two foul can receive a fine not exceeding $50,000 and/or a suspension by the commissioner. It’s also possible the league can reduce the call to a flagrant-one, which doesn’t come with additional punishment, when it reviews the play. “It was just a foul. I went for the ball but I got a flagrant-two, so it is what it is,” Beal said. “I guess [Brandon Jennings was] defending his teammate, came up and pushed me but it’s just all a part of basketball. It’s physical but it is what it is. I just have to deal with it.” Washington Post

Milwaukee Bucks, Washington Wizards, Monta Ellis, Brandon Jennings, Referees, Bradley Beal 

Jennings took exception to the play and as Beal and Booker tried to help Ellis up, Jennings ran over and with a two-handed shove pushed the Wizards rookie into the camera crews. Booker quickly got Jennings away from Beal, who got up and confronted his opponent but the situation resolved itself quickly as referees separated players. Jennings received a technical foul and was ejected. “He fouled me hard and my teammate reacted,” Ellis said. “To be honest, they never showed the replay – but when somebody is up that high, if you can’t block the shot I don’t think that you should try to make a basketball play at the end of the game like that.” Washington Post

Milwaukee Bucks, Washington Wizards, Monta Ellis, Brandon Jennings, Referees, Bradley Beal 

Matt Steinmetz: Monta Ellis and Mike Dunleavy, two former Warriors, were voted captains by Milwaukee Bucks teammates for 2012-13. Twitter @MSteinmetzCSN

Milwaukee Bucks, Monta Ellis, Mike Dunleavy 

Evans Clinchy: Skiles on Monta/Jennings: "They get along, they pass the ball to each other, they move it to their teammates. I don't see any issues." Twitter @evansclinchy

Milwaukee Bucks, Monta Ellis, Brandon Jennings 

Mike Dunleavy and Monta Ellis were named captains of the 2012-'13 Bucks in a team vote taken Wednesday, coach Scott Skiles said after Thursday's practice. The Bucks practiced before heading to Boston for Friday's regular-season opener. Dunleavy said he had been a captain before with Golden State and Indiana but never had been chosen by his teammates. "When your teammates select you for something, it means a lot," Dunleavy said. "Being in the league my 11th year now, I've seen a lot and been around a lot. Hopefully I can provide some leadership for our guys and we can have a great season." Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

Milwaukee Bucks, Monta Ellis, Mike Dunleavy 

Monta Ellis, Milwaukee Bucks – The general consensus around the league is that Ellis is going to exercise his Early Termination Option after this season, leaving $11,000,000 on the table to become an unrestricted free agent. In recent years, Ellis has expressed interest in joining a contender. After all, Ellis has been to the playoffs just once in his career, and it was during the 2006-07 season when he was still coming off of the bench for the Golden State Warriors. He has had plenty of individual success, but he wants to experience the postseason and have the opportunity to perform on that big stage. Milwaukee missed the playoffs last year and enters this season as bubble team in the Eastern Conference, so Ellis may be eyeing greener pastures. If the Bucks aren’t confident that they can retain Ellis, they may decide to trade him prior to the deadline. After parting ways with Andrew Bogut to land the 26-year-old guard, they can’t afford to lose him for nothing. HoopsWorld

Milwaukee Bucks, Monta Ellis 

Monta Ellis: “My approach this year is, ‘Just win.’ That’s something we all have to come together as a team to do. It’s not an individual guy. It’s not Monta Ellis. This is the Milwaukee Bucks. We all line up as the Milwaukee Bucks. At the end of the day, that’s what we’re accountable for. So I want to lead by example, address issues when they need to be addressed and just play basketball.” NBA.com

Milwaukee Bucks, Monta Ellis 

“We just have to work off each other,” Ellis said. “There may be one night that he has it going. We just have to continue to go with that. Some nights, I might have it going. But my thing with Brandon is to keep the press, the media, out of his ear and not let him feed into it. That’s the biggest thing with me and Brandon. All he has to do is play basketball. I don’t really have to tell him too much. All I have to do is keep his mind focused. NBA.com

Milwaukee Bucks, Monta Ellis, Brandon Jennings