Having built a reputation for defying conventional basketball logic, the Milwaukee Bucks floundering into the playoffs could be construed as the bluebird of postseason magnificence alighting upon coach George Karl’s gibraltar of a forehead. If only defying convention were still their stock in trade.

The truth is, the Bucks aren’t sure what they are now -- and a confused team, no matter how talented, makes for a team going nowhere. Don’t be the least bit surprised if they fall out of the postseason picture, because they doubt if what ails them can be fixed between now and their April 17 regular-season finale.

"You can’t solve it now," says center Ervin Johnson. "We’re in bits and pieces. You’ve got to figure it out this summer."

Their method of operation last season was simple: Ray Allen, Sam Cassell, Glenn Robinson and Tim Thomas scored, the supporting cast defended, no one complained. They beat opponents into submission with their combination of perimeter and transition offenses. They won close games because their clutch shooting created a pressure that supplemented their shaky D. And they stayed remarkably healthy -- none of the Big Four missed more than six games, and Allen played in all 82.

If they had any weaknesses, it was their post defense, post scoring and a chemistry deemed too sweet. Karl’s most successful teams had a surly Gary Payton stirring up the locker room -- he believed that wasn’t coincidental. Anthony Mason, a free agent and fresh off his first-ever All-Star selection, seemed to be the answer on all counts.

The mistake? Thinking that Mason could mold himself around what the Bucks already had. Mase isn’t an IV drip, he’s a tranfusion. It’s all or none. That’s the way he’s always been. "You know my game," he said in early January. "If they don’t want to play that way, then why am I here?"

Maybe all this could have been sorted out earlier, but Mason was signed less than a week before the regular season started. Since then, the team’s top five scorers -- add Michael Redd -- have all been injured and played hurt. Mason, in turn, hasn’t been out a day. The result is that the team has become a mutation of last year’s memory and this year’s reality.

"It’s important to realize this is not last year’s team, and we have to play accordingly," said Allen, who had this revelation last week while sidelined by his chronically sore knee. "Last year we got our defense out of our offense. We’d play up-tempo and intimidate a lot of teams offensively and it would just pour over to our defense. Now that our team isn’t scoring a lot of points, we’re frustrated and it carries over to defense and the little mistakes in our game really stand out. Everybody on the team plays hard and wants to win. They want to figure it out. We just haven’t."

AND ONES: Add Allen to the list of players felled by anti-inflammatory drugs. What was reported as a stomach virus two weeks ago was actually a stomach irritation from the drugs that forced his hospitalization … A lot of names are being tossed around as the NBA draft approaches, but my talent experts list five players as clearly a cut above the rest currently expected to be available: Jason Williams, Yao Ming, Drew Gooden, Chris Wilcox and Mike Dunleavy Jr. (Duke sources say no on Dunleavy, but NBA sources say yes.) ... Look for the Bucks to go after Nuggets forward/center Scott Williams, dealt to create cap room for Mason. Williams will be a free agent this summer and both sides have expressed interest in a reunion … Most disruptive Blazer? Bonzi Wells has taken over the title from Rasheed Wallace with his tantrums in recent practices, which is why Wells is expected to be back on the trading block this summer … Two contributing factors to the Pacers’ swoon: Reggie Miller is front-rimming his shots in the clutch and coach Isiah Thomas has been forced to use point guard Kevin Ollie in his closing lineup.

Ric Bucher covers the NBA for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at ric.bucher@espnmag.com.