The team's culture was one element that Bucks officials evaluated in determining what sort of progress was made in their 34-48 season, the first under coach Scott Skiles and general manager John Hammond.

"What would I like to see after Year One?" Hammond said. "It's people saying that there's a winning culture here. That you can feel a winning culture. I think the players realize it, that we're very serious about this and we're only going to take one thing and that's winning and success. I think that mind-set has maybe started to change a little bit."

Culture and accountability were two themes that came up frequently in the exit interviews that were held with the players before they scattered for the summer.

"From our standpoint, we just kind of hope that they feel the culture changing and would feel that there was accountability this year and there will continue to be accountability," Hammond said. "In our minds, that the only way we're going to be successful is to keep people accountable and continue to push people and drive people to work."

The merits and significance of an eight-victory improvement this season over one of the lesser seasons in team history can be debated, but team officials do sense a significant upgrade in the team's culture, which they think is very important to the future.

A phrase such as "culture" is sometimes just one of those vague terms that gets tossed around haphazardly in the world of professional sports but to the Bucks' brain trust, it has a specific meaning.

What exactly is this culture that the Bucks' officials talk about?

"It's everything," Hammond said. "All of the above. When you talk about the culture, the culture is everything. From the way you practice, the way you prepare to practice, the way you prepare to play a game, the way you play the game, the way you handle yourself after a game, the way you travel. Everything. All of the above. Everything."

One sentiment that was heard often from players after the season was that they thought the team's chemistry - another important element to the team's culture - had improved over the previous season, when the Bucks were badly lacking in that area.

Veteran forward Malik Allen knew Skiles and his methods as well as anyone in the locker room because he played for Skiles for two seasons in Chicago and has played against him with other teams. At season's end, Allen expressed confidence that when Skiles and Hammond went about adding players to the roster through the draft and other avenues, intangibles such as the team's culture and chemistry would be major factors in the decision-making process.

"Obviously, Coach Skiles and John look for talent No. 1," Allen said. "But I also think they have the right idea about trying to go about having a good mix of guys. People that are going to play and compete and understand how to play the game.

"And just the overall feel here, I think it feels positive that the organization is headed in the right direction. You can just kind of tell, feedback from fans and stuff like that, they seem to be happy and optimistic about the future because they've had tough years here."

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