USA Today

Larry Sanders' first season as the franchise face of the Milwaukee Bucks has had its ups and downs, and now teammate Gary Neal is the latest to question Sanders' dedication to the game and his team.

Milwaukee handed Sanders a four-year, $44 million contract extension in the 2013 offseason to be the star it built around.

After Sanders tore a ligament in his thumb in an incident stemming from a bar fight, there were questions regarding his maturity and leadership.

Surveillance video below was released by the Milwaukee Police Department, courtesy of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Those questions most certainly won't go away after the latest incident involving Sanders.

After the Bucks lost 116-100 to the Phoenix Suns on Jan. 4, Neal and Sanders got into a "confrontation" that resulted in the two having to be separated.

Even more notable than the fact that teammates had to be separated, Neal openly questioned Sanders' passion for basketball on his way out of the locker room.

Many believe the Bucks paid Sanders too soon due to inconsistencies in his game. While extensions should reflect the pay for future performances, Sanders' initial start as the lead man of the rebuilding Bucks has not exactly gone according to plan.

As B/R's Adam Fromal previously noted, Sanders' game is a work in progress:

It only took him a few games into the season before he complained to NBA.com's Steve Aschburner, saying, "I feel like I'm capable of being in the game at the end and helping my team win, coming up with blocks and rebounds. I haven’t been able to get my rhythm out there." Ascburner referred to the troubled big man as, "the opposite of smooth, offensively, looking at times like he’s wrestling a lawn chair." Unfortunately, it's true.

The Bucks seek a sense of direction and are sorely lacking one.

Milwaukee and Sanders both need to stop making headlines for the wrong reasons in order for anyone to take the future of the franchise seriously.