It has been nearly three weeks since the Bucks dealt Ray Allen, Kevin Ollie and Ronald Murray to the Sonics for Gary Payton and Desmond Mason. In the 10 games since, Milwaukee has won five, lost five and continued to play the same type of exasperating basketball that has typified the last two seasons.

Payton and Mason didn't play in the first game -- a humbling 30-point blowout to Seattle -- and have combined to help the Bucks win five of nine since. But the same old problems seem to persist in the Bradley Center, with no true signs of effective change on the horizon.

Acquiring Payton seemed paradoxical since Sam Cassell was already the starting point guard, the Glove's longtime position. But both guards shrugged off the overlap, and George Karl seemed thrilled at the possibility of their combined forces.

Truthfully, the offensive end of things has worked out splendidly. In their nine games together, Payton and Cassell have combined to average 43.6 points and an impressive 15.1 assists. The two-headed point has been a success, no more so than Saturday at the Bradley Center, when Cassell scored 28 and dished out 13 assists against Golden State, while GP chipped in with another 28 -- including the tying three-pointer in the waning seconds of regulation -- and 10.

Overall, the offense has hummed, pouring in 106.6 points per game; only Dallas, Sacramento and Minnesota average more than 100 this season. The Bucks are fourth at just over 99.

But the defense has belched, surrendering (sometimes literally.) 104.7 over the same stretch. Cleveland ranks dead-last in defensive scoring on the season at 102.0. The Bucks are fourth-to-last at just over 99.

Not coincidentally, the Bucks have continued to rebound poorly since acquiring Payton -- not that it's his fault. Only once has a Buck grabbed at least 10 boards with Payton in tow -- Desmond (not Anthony) Mason in the 107-98 loss to Indiana; he finished with exactly 10. In the other eight games, the leading rebounder had 5, 9, 7, 7, 8, 8, 8 and 9 boards.

Even worse, Cassell led the team in rebounds in more games (two) than Anthony Mason (one). As play-by-play man Ted Davis so succinctly states, when you don't rebound, you don't win.

Let's review: the team is an offensive dynamo, rarely stops anyone defensively, and can't grab a loose rebound when they do. Does anything ever change at the Bradley Center?

So, as exciting as Payton and Cassell have been together, what greater good does their pairing ultimately bring?

Payton and Cassell certainly make for some exciting highlights, but the team is no better than last season. With fewer than 20 games remaining, a new cast of characters is still getting adjusted to each other defensively, and the Bucks continually get torched by the league's better players -- Tracy McGrady, Kevin Garnett, Stephon Marbury and Antawn Jamison have flogged them in the last few weeks. Tim Duncan, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant visit this week.

Frontcourt minutes are haphazard, with only Anthony Mason guaranteed any real time -- Jason Caffey, Dan Gadzuric and Ervin Johnson have all had to sacrifice minutes with Desmond Mason now inserted into an already crowded backcourt.

And even if the team can overcome its fundamental flaws and ride a killer offensive stretch into the Eastern Conference semifinals or beyond, it's a short-term proposition. Payton is almost certainly not coming back, and if he does, it will leave the team with little money to pursue what they truly need, a defensive and/or rebounding presence inside. Karl will be forced to make good with Gadzuric, Marcus Haislip and whatever veterans are left come November.

When you watch Payton and Cassell at their offensive finest, you want to believe the Bucks flash can will them to victory. But the results don't lie, and time for the defensive parts to mesh runs thin.

There are always built-in excuses from the Milwaukee locker room. This week, Karl cited the difficult schedule the Bucks have faced since the trade -- and, sure, Minnesota, Indiana and Portland are all formidable. Then again, Atlanta, Miami and Golden State were on the docket as well -- in other words, it was a typical three-week stretch in the NBA.

The Bucks reacted typically; they won half and lost half. No surprise, there -- that's what .500 teams do. And since the start of the 2001-02 season, that's exactly what the Bucks have been. The surprise will come if that trend changes over the remaining 19 games.