Myles Turner Is Done Making Excuses for Bucks After 1-5 Start

Six games into the season, center Myles Turner is out of patience with the talk that the Milwaukee Bucks are still a new team figuring things out.

Milwaukee is 1-5 and sits near the bottom of the Eastern Conference, and Turner does not want anyone in the locker room hiding behind the calendar anymore.

The Bucks' latest loss came on Saturday at Fiserv Forum, where the Cleveland Cavaliers beat them 136-111.

Cleveland scored 48 points in the second quarter alone and took a 72-46 lead into halftime, so the game was mostly decided before the third quarter started.

Turner finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and two blocks in just under 24 minutes.

Center Kel'el Ware led Milwaukee with 19 points and 10 rebounds off the bench, while guard Tyler Herro scored 15 points but needed 18 shots to get there.

It was the second straight loss for the Bucks, and head coach Taylor Jenkins pointed to lineup consistency as one of the things this group still needs.

After the game, Turner spoke to reporters in a postgame session posted by the team, and HoopsHype passed along his answer.

"You can't keep using the excuse that it's early, that we're a new team. This league moves fast, and it's easy to be forgotten in this league. No one's going to feel sorry for us, so for us in general, you just got to keep working through the mistakes," Turner said.

He also said fans do not want to keep hearing about hard work, but that the team has to show up every day for a shared goal, and he added that he still has faith in the system and the people around him.

Turner is not calling anyone out by name, and he is not saying the plan is wrong.

He is saying the Bucks have run out of time to treat losses like part of a warmup period, and I agree with him.

A 1-5 start is not the end of a season, but it can turn into a deep hole fast if the Bucks keep losing games like Saturday's.

Turner also has to be part of the fix.

He is averaging 7.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game while shooting 36.2% from the field and 19.2% from three, according to Basketball Reference.

Milwaukee brought him in to be a big part of this group, so the Bucks need more than rim protection from him.

He named a big flaw for this team after the opening loss in Washington, and the problems have not gone away since.

The next test comes Monday night at Minnesota.

The Timberwolves are 4-3 and will be without guard Anthony Edwards, who is out after right knee arthroscopy, and guard Donte DiVincenzo, who is out after right Achilles tendon surgery.

Milwaukee then plays at Boston on Wednesday and hosts Toronto on Friday.

There are clear ways for this team to improve, and I want Turner to set the tone against a shorthanded Wolves team.