MILWAUKEE - Evidently, George Karl was not at fault last season. Neither were Sam Cassell, Ray Allen nor most of the rest of the bunch in Milwaukee. None of them had much to do with the downward spiral that culminated in the Bucks' losing 14 of their last 19 regular-season games and missing the playoffs just one season after advancing to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals against the 76ers.

According to Allen, Milwaukee's star guard, the finger, at least indirectly, can be pointed toward former teammate Glenn "Big Dog" Robinson, which strikes me as convenient now that Robinson is a member of the Atlanta Hawks.

But while everyone in Milwaukee is in an uproar over the tit-for-tat taking place between the two former teammates, someone needs to tell Allen about the position he has put himself in. Instead of his being recognized as one of the game's best pure shooters, Allen's professionalism, his leadership and his heart now will fall under heavy scrutiny.

Will the Bucks return as contenders, or be exposed as pretenders? Will Allen emerge as a superstar or simply be recognized as second-tier when facing the likes of Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady? Will the road to the NBA Finals for the East finally run through the state known for cheese, or will the Bucks resemble mice instead of men, reeling at the first sign of adversity?

A few weeks ago, we all thought the answers rested solely on the shoulders of Milwaukee's head coach. Now we know that responsibility rests elsewhere.

That's what happens when you open your mouth at the wrong time.

Asked during Milwaukee's media day what caused the team's lack of chemistry last season, Allen lit into Robinson.

"Me trying to lead Glenn Robinson wasn't going to happen," Allen told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. "Last year, there was a situation in training camp where Glenn had just had ankle surgery, and he came and practiced in all the practices, and then when we got ready to run, he sat down. I didn't like it. Nobody liked it, and I said something to him in the locker room."

Predictably, Robinson came right back at Allen.

"Don't forget, I raised (Allen) in this league," Robinson said. "He was a rookie. He was my rookie when he came in the league. Now, all of a sudden, how is he going to bite the hand that fed him? That's a coward move. I think that's pretty (weak) for a person to talk about a player when they don't have to face him every day."

"It's no secret in the league that (Allen) is soft," Robinson said. "He needs to let me live my life and finish my career instead of talking about him being glad that I'm gone. He needs to work on not being so soft and quit being a little punk on the court. Just play ball and keep his mouth closed."

Make no mistake, Robinson had every right to say what he said. There isn't a locker room in this league that wants to see dirty laundry aired in public. Robinson swears Allen never said a word to his face; Allen swears he did.

Either way, now that Robinson is gone, there was no need for Allen to speak out.

"Hey, I was just being honest," Allen said. "I was just saying the truth. A question was asked, it was answered. I'm not going to make this into a big ordeal. What's done is done."

Ah, if only matters were that simple.

With Robinson gone, so are the 20.7 points per game he consistently provided for the Bucks, along with a low-post game that many observers doubt his replacement, Tim Thomas, will ever have.

Cassell is still able but getting older. Michael Redd (assuming the Bucks match the offer sheet he signed with Dallas) is a project who can shoot, but hardly a go-to guy against the likes of Carter, McGrady and others. And there's no need for anyone in this town to rehash Toni Kukoc's resume.

Now that Allen has spoken out, his actions have to back up his words. Not just against Robinson, when Milwaukee meets up with Atlanta. And not in the regular season.

By saying Robinson was a distraction - as opposed to the plethora of injuries that decimated the Bucks last season - Allen put matters in his own hands, essentially saying now that Robinson is gone, the Bucks will be just fine.

We'll see.

Notes. Now we see why the Minnesota Timberwolves grabbed guard Troy Hudson through free agency. Point guard Terrell Brandon is not expected to return anytime soon, and may announce his retirement because of knee problems.

"We've been hopeful he'll come back, but not optimistic," Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders said. "Everyone notices he's been limping, that he's just not healthy. He's worked as hard as he can and so have the doctors. But it would be fair right now to say it just doesn't look good for him."

Although it may be difficult to tell, Kevin Garnett has put on a legitimate 12 pounds. "All muscle," Garnett said. "I've got stuff to prove this year. Again."

The Portland Trail Blazers have forward Dale Davis on the market.

Here's the word on Toronto's Carter, who played in his first game after being injured for most of last season: "He's shooting the same, he's jumping the same, he's attacking the same, and he looks great," Pistons coach Rick Carlisle said. "He's back, at least as far as I'm concerned."

Alonzo Mourning is expected to retire, although no impending announcement has been made. Why? He's contemplating taking a job with ESPN until he's healthy enough to un-retire and return to the game.