With the holidays barely in the rear-view mirror, the Packers preparing for the playoffs, the bowl season continuing and college basketball inching into the conference season, not a lot of people are paying attention to the Bucks.

That's probably a good thing.

Many of those who are watching are frustrated, disappointed and screaming for the dismissal of Larry Harris.

That's certainly understandable.

For the first two months of the season, the Bucks have been inconsistent and often disappointing. A humiliating 101-77 loss to Washington Friday night at the Bradley Center, on the heels of a few other deplorable performances, makes you wonder if the team has reached rock bottom.

Attendance is down. Interest is down. The team is playing listlessly. In some cases, the next order of business would be to change coaches. That seems unlikely in this instance because Larry Krystkowiak, a favorite of owner Herb Kohl, is still in his honeymoon phase.

The drums are beating for Harris and one can make a strong case that, as the architect of the roster, he should be held accountable.

But, will firing him now solve anything?

The Bucks have some major problems. They play atrocious defense. They don't have a second star to go with Michael Redd. The team lacks an identity to get it through tough times.

What does that mean?

Most of the teams in the NBA are mediocre. When teams come in to play them on a given night, they say: "OK, this is a good outside shooting team ... " Or, "We have to rebound to beat these guys ..." or something tangible like that.

When the Bucks play, nobody in either locker room knows which team is going to show up: the one that shares the ball, plays hard at both ends of the floor and can upset Dallas or Los Angeles; or, the one that doesn't break a sweat on defense, falls behind by 20 in the second quarter and mails in the second half.

Krystkowiak seems like a sharp, hard-working guy who wants to emphasize selfless offensive play and intense defensive effort. Harris has handed him a roster full of players who seem interested in neither.

Though it probably will run contrary to his personal philosophy, Krystkowiak may simply have to accept the hand dealt him, let his players run and gun and try to win games by scores of 120-115. He doesn't seem ready to do that yet.

If he doesn't, the Bucks' only chance at respectability may lie with Harris. If the GM can pull off a major trade that upgrades the talent and changes the chemistry, that would make life easier for the coach.

Harris dug himself a hole by giving big contracts to non-contributors like Bobby Simmons and Dan Gadzuric. That's going to make his task harder. In fact, the situation already may be unfixable.

But, Harris has to try. He has to do something bold to save his job.

A lot of fans may feel better if Harris is fired now, but given Krystkowiak's standing that move would put the Bucks in the unenviable position of bringing in a new GM who would then have to wait until the owner gives the OK for him to bring in his own coach.

That's not exactly an ideal start for a new regime, is it?

The clock is running out on Harris' tenure at the helm. (Rumors already are circulating that veteran NBA man Rick Sund will replace him). Bucks fans are looking for something positive to happen to this team. If it doesn't, they'll be looking elsewhere for winter entertainment.

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