When the Bucks unveiled their 2008-2009 marketing slogan, "Ready to Rise," many - those in the media, included - raised an eyebrow. In some ways, though, it seems that the team's marketing department may have known more than they were letting on.

Just two games away from the mathematical halfway point of the season, the Bucks -- as strange as it may sound -- hold the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot.

Not that many have noticed, judging from the Bradley Center attendance figures, but that's another story.

Toiling in almost near-anonymity, the Bucks, under new head coach Scott Skiles and first-year general manager John Hammond have quietly been shedding the baggage brought on the franchise by years of poor player moves, revolving-doors of coaches and a lack of any sort of defensive effort.

Let's not get carried away; the Bucks still aren't really good. But they are ever so quietly getting better, more and more each day. And another watered-down Eastern Conference, that just might be good enough to play basketball in the late spring.

Hovering near the .500 mark isn't anything to write home about and you certainly won't see Skiles, Hammond or any players celebrating.

Could it be that the Bucks are for real? It's too early to come to any sort of conclusion, but the evidence thus far suggests that after years of false hope and empty promises, the franchise might actually be ready to turn a corner.

Example: Friday night against the Nets, a team the Bucks can expect to battle for a playoff spot down the stretch, Milwaukee let a 13-point lead slip away in the final six minutes before Luke Ridnour saved the day with a bloop game-winner with five-tenths of a second left on the clock for a 104-102 victory. All that without an injured Andrew Bogut and Michael Redd being held scoreless for more than a half-hour.

That's progress.

This was the kind of game that previous Bucks teams, even those in the fabled-George Karl era, would have struggled to save. It's the type of game that more recent Bucks teams would have given up on.

Not these guys, and that's a direct reflection of Skiles, the hard-nosed, intense ringleader. He's demanded commitment and he's accepted no less than 100 percent effort. Nobody, he's proven, is bigger than the team.

Michael Redd, he of the questionable maximum contract, has started to show signs of being a better-rounded player. He's been more willing to defer to his teammates, especially important considering the perception of selfishness he was slapped with in the past and the arrival of Richard Jefferson as another scoring threat.

Charlie Villanueva has struggled to find his groove in three years in Milwaukee, but is starting to look more like a lottery pick than ever before. Joe Alexander is getting a lot of press in an effort to participate in the All-Star Game Slam Dunk Contest, but its second-round pick Luc Richard Mbah A Moute that's getting the playing time - and making the most of the opportunity.

The Bucks are scoring, which shouldn't be a surprise to anybody. What is surprising is their rebounding (42.7 per game, 7th in the NBA) and their growing commitment to defense; something unheard in recent memory.

Nobody expects them to be mentioned in the same breath as the Celtics or Cavaliers, but the Bucks' continued improvement could make for some captivating entertainment in the second half of the season.

A few months ago - heck, a few weeks ago - it would have been laughable to suggest the Bucks would even be within sniffing distance of the NBA's postseason spectacle. Yet, Skiles has made them somewhat relevant again in the basketball world; so much so that they could move into the seventh position in the near future.

What's it mean? Well, nothing, for now. But the odds are in the Bucks' favor. The team has been riddled with early-season injuries and played 22 of their first 39 games away from the Bradley Center, where they've gone a respectable 11-6. After January, the Bucks play just 12 more road games.

Whether or not these victories parlay into a playoff spot - or less empty seats at the Bradley Center - remains to be seen. But even without postseason games, it's obvious that Hammond, Skiles and the Bucks are serious about turning this thing around.

Ready to rise ... maybe they hit it right on the head.