Sen. Herb Kohl was sitting in his usual seat as the Bucks played host to the New Jersey Nets Saturday night at the Bradley Center.

The Senator can't be a very happy camper these days. His team is abysmal on the road (2-14), a disgrace on the defensive end of the court and accordingly has been has mired near last place in the National Basketball Association's Central Division.

The Bucks are a troubled basketball team. There are some individual bright spots, but in the long run, this team is not very good.

Fans were promised much better. First-year head coach Larry Krystkowiak emphasized defensive improvement from the first day of training camp. General manager Larry Harris talked with gleeful excitement about the young team's offensive possibilities. For whatever reason, neither has panned out.

It's easy to blame the players and it's easier to blame the coach. But in the end, the burden of guilt lies squarely at Harris' feet.

In his four-plus seasons as the team's top dog, he's raised more eyebrows than expectations. He's on his third coach. He's made some questionable personnel moves. And, he's in the last year of his contract.

If anybody should be held accountable for the quagmire that is the 2007-'08 edition of the Bucks, it's Harris. While he should be credited with drafting Andrew Bogut first overall in the 2005 draft, it was the rest of that off-season that has doomed the franchise to another era of mediocrity.

Just a few months after making the Bogut pick, Harris signed Bobby Simmons to a $47 million dollar deal. Days after that announcement, Dan Gadzuric inked an unfathomable six-year deal worth $36 million. To top it all off, he traded Desmond Mason -- the last link to the disastrous Ray Allen-Gary Payton deal that signaled the end of the George Karl era -- to New Orleans for Jamaal Magloire before the '05 season opener.

In the span of one month, Harris made three moves that have proven to be disastrous for the franchise.

Gadzuric has been less than impressive in often limited action since getting his extension. The Magloire trade proved to be a failure and he was gone a year later; traded to Portland for Brian Skinner and Steve Blake.

Then there's Simmons, who was signed to a five-year, $47 million contract in 2005. The forward was named the NBA's Most Improved Player in 2004-'05 after averaging 16.4 points and 5.9 rebounds in 75 games with the Clippers.

He scored roughly 14 points a game his first year in Milwaukee but was hindered by injuries much of last season. Simmons has done little to impress in present, and is shooting just over 40 percent from the field.

Yes, Harris did find a way to re-sign Michael Redd. He did bring in Bogut and he was able to bring Yi Jianlian to Milwaukee. But it's a team's supporting cast that leads to success and Harris has not been successful in building a playoff-caliber team to support his young stars.

Kohl has shown that he's willing to spend money to make this team a success. He's been willing to take some pretty hefty financial losses in an effort to make the Bucks a contender. Harris, though, has not spent that money wisely.

There has been little talk, if any, about Harris receiving any sort of contract extension. He knows the senator is watching the team's performance closely. He also knows his fate will be tied to that of the team.