Clutch03

I really agree with this statement. The NBA is for grown men so if you are not one stay in school or stay overseas until you mature. You can't cry foul when a coach or team treats you like a man and it hurts your feelings. Man up this is a big boys league and you are making top dollar. How many pats on the back do you need?

Just read Otto will not play the rest of the game with a sore hamstring. Seems like that injury is lingering.

Any efficient scorer at the 4 is going to be too expensive for the Wiz in this offseason. There will be no starters acquired in this offseason except for Otto unless some type of trade gets worked out. I doubt any trades happen until closer to the trade deadline. Efficient scorers at the 4 are a premium in this league if you want one you will have to pay a lot of money. A lot of money that the Wiz just don't have right now. That's why Jamison would be a good depth guy to have on the roster. He won't be expensive and he offers skills that the Wiz can use coming off the bench. He wouldn't come to save the day but just be a small piece to what they already have.

If it shapes up that way I will really like this roster going into this season. Jamison isn't what he used to be but he can give you points in spots and get boards. He'll be another good guy to have in the locker room and provide some stability to the PF position until we can find a young big to man the spot. Plus the Wiz can not afford any starter this offseason. So getting good depth will help them make a playoff push.

Monk - Like Destino said PF/C is the hardest position in the NBA to fill by far. My point is EVERY team is trying to bolster those positions. So how do the Wizards compete to get one? The problem in the draft is that when your a team like the Wiz you have to add talent when it presents itself. Think about Portland when they drafted Oden over Durant or when the Pistons drafted Darko over Melo. Look how that turned out. You can't just zone in on one position and forsake getting a game changing talent. I think by trade or next year's free agency is the only possible way the Wiz get a good PF/C in the mix. I doubt they'll get a "dominate" one like you are looking for because there are very few of them so teams likely won't let those guys go if they already have them on the roster.

That sounds like every team's plan every offseason. A whole lot easier said then done. I think a trade for a big could/will happen next offseason or at the trade deadline just because there will be teams trying to dump salary because of next year's big free agency class.

My optimism for Rice is that he would be a replacement for Cartier. What more can you expect out of a 2nd round pick these days? If you look at the last 5 years the 2nd round has about 5 starters total. The second round consists of two types of players. The first is seniors who weren't good enough to come out before their senior year. The second is euro players who will probably never come over to the NBA. The second round is equivalent to the last round of the NFL draft. With all that being said I still think Rice was a really good pick because he looks like he'll be a better/younger version of Cartier.

This video game me a pretty good idea of Glen Rice Jr's game. I'm liking the pick a whole lot better now. He'll probably replace Cartier Martin on the roster. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5E_IpKjowQ Whoops didn't see it already posted above.

Very good post Steve. When I look at Wall, Beal and Porter I can think of a more hardworking, proffesional trio of young players. All that want to win and play the game the right way. All of them are unselfish and are willing teammates. You combine that with the great locker room guys like Webster, Okafur and Nene you have a HUGE turnaround in culture from the Arenas, Blatche, Young and McGee days. If this team makes the playoffs next year I guarantee a big free agent signing next offseason because players will WANT to play here in DC.

Makes perfect sense to me, and just to elaborate look at the team we had back in 1999. That team had Webber and Howard and if we'd have played it right - either by keeping them or finding a more legit trade - we could have actually been a part of building a franchise. That's the thing about having a legit team. Atlanta can have trade talks with other teams because they have something to start with. When your team is filled with D-Leaguer's, you don't get many trade opportunities because nobody wants them (Hint: that's why they were D-Leaguer's). Look at the Denver Nuggets and how they got rid of Anthony after getting bounced in the first round year after year. Given, it hasn't helped much but they were able to put together a 57 win team instead of the mid 40s teams they had before.I mean, we're coming up with fictional trades for Seraphin, Vesely, Singleton and Booker who are four guys who most NBA fans have never heard of. They don't have any weight in a trade. They're the also includes that you throw in to balance a trade, not the main content. But they're getting major run for us because we're that bad. And back to my main point though, I want to have a reason to watch games in March. I don't want to be aiming for a .300 record. This isn't a hitter in Baseball. I want to be in the conversation for the playoffs post-all star break. People talk about purgatory, well is that better than hell? Being a Wizards fan for the past 25 years of my life has been horrific. To the point where I could barely watch games because they were such a comedic show getting blown out just about every night in the 90s. I swear I think it and you type it. Exactly how I feel about the Wiz situation.

Makes perfect sense to me. I agree completely. I just hate the losing, so I can deal with with being bumped out of the 1st and 2nd round of the playoffs. That's not purgatory for me. THIS is purgatory! I'm barely audible when I tell people I am a Wizards fan. I would love to have the problem where just getting to the playoffs was old to me. Those are my type of problems.

Agree with the first part of your post. Been saying that we need someone to contribute right away. Back when we took Kwame Brown, it was a weak draft, but Battier would have been my pick. Even though he wasn't the "Superstar" guy you need, he was well rounded and solid. Same for this draft. Take what will help the team. Disagree with your 2nd paragraph. I lived the 80s. A virtual 41-41 team year in and year out with no chance to advance in the playoffs. That is just as bad as not making the playoffs year after year. Look at the Capitals. Fans are already numb when it comes to their playoff appearances. I'd take a couple of years as a low seed, but after a while, they would need to compete for a championship. That's why you play the games. Not just to "be there." So your saying it's worse being a Caps fan then being a Wiz fan? I disagree completely. I understand you wanting to compete for a championship but if I'm not competing for a championship I'd much rather be in the conversation (in the playoffs) then irrelevant all together. Like the Arenas, Butler and Jamison years were great when we were going to the playoffs. What we are going through now sucks.

Amen. People that knock the Hawks and Bucks about just being low playoff seeds year after year kill me. I'd take that 10 times out of 10 over what we've been going through. I'm a lot more tired of being irrelevant than being mediocre. I'd love to be mediocre team atleast there is hope in that. Atleast tease me that the team has a chance.

I completely understand. The good news is that EG isn't all bad. He's made some mistakes but I think adding Wall, Beal, Webster, Ariza, Okafur and Nene to the roster were all good moves and they seem to play well together. If he hits on this trade pick then this team has a chance to be in the playoffs.

I get it I'm not high on EG either but I'm only going to beat him up over the bad decision he does make and not rumors. It just doesn't make sense to get all worked up and mad at EG for a bad deal he never even considered or executed. That's why I said "if". If he's allowed to make the trade then I'm done because it proves that there is simply no hope left. It's like going back to the same female who cheats on you over and over again hoping things will be different this time around. At some point you've just got to throw in the towel. Right but at the point you first made that statement the trade rumor had already been debunked. It wasn't even about "allowing" EG to make the trade. EG never considered it so what is the point in getting all worked up and renouncing your fanship? Like I said before I'm in it for the long haul, I don't renounce my fanship for anything. Shoot I've been a Skins fans through THE WORST of times. So I guess I just don't understand the "throw in the towel" mentality. But I guess we are just different in how we look at it and that's fine. I've been a Bullets/Wizards fan my whole life and honestly I know absolutely no one else personally who is... The reality is I'm just done with Grunfeld. I'm done with trading picks for cash when Dejuan Blair is still on the board or drafting European players to stash overseas when we can't even field a .500 team. We have an owner who doesn't care and an GM who just has no clue what he's doing with absolutely no change in sight. The reality is my love for the Redskins is a lot different than any other sports team I follow but I've stuck it out quite a bit with the Wizards,it's just getting very hard to continue to do so with Grunfeld in charge. I get being fed up with EG. But in this case he actually did the right thing. The Bulls offered that ridiculous deal and EG said No. So like I said before no reason to get worked up. If EG is as bad as you believe he is then its only a matter of time before he does something worthy of you getting fed up to quit the team.

I get it I'm not high on EG either but I'm only going to beat him up over the bad decision he does make and not rumors. It just doesn't make sense to get all worked up and mad at EG for a bad deal he never even considered or executed. That's why I said "if". If he's allowed to make the trade then I'm done because it proves that there is simply no hope left. It's like going back to the same female who cheats on you over and over again hoping things will be different this time around. At some point you've just got to throw in the towel. Right but at the point you first made that statement the trade rumor had already been debunked. It wasn't even about "allowing" EG to make the trade. EG never considered it so what is the point in getting all worked up and renouncing your fanship? Like I said before I'm in it for the long haul, I don't renounce my fanship for anything. Shoot I've been a Skins fans through THE WORST of times. So I guess I just don't understand the "throw in the towel" mentality. But I guess we are just different in how we look at it and that's fine.

I get it I'm not high on EG either but I'm only going to beat him up over the bad decision he does make and not rumors. It just doesn't make sense to get all worked up and mad at EG for a bad deal he never even considered or executed.

Good idea. I hear the Bulls are now negotiating an extension with Deng. Seems like they put this trade out there as leverage in a deal with Deng. "Sign this deal or get traded to the Wiz"

It's funny to read the responses. Especially when the trade has been debunked my several sources. The Bulls want to get rid of Deng so they called the Wiz asking for the 3rd pick and Okafer. The Wiz said No. And that's all that happened. There wasn't even a consideration. How do you threaten to stop being a fan over a trade the Wiz never even considered? It might be funny to you but it's not to me. Wizards fans are a very loyal bunch and deserve better. Why should I continue to root for them if Ernie is allowed to continue destroying things? What hope would I actually have of a turn-around? And while the Wizards may have said no to this trade it's the principle of the matter. The Bulls offered it up because they know Grunfeld is foolish enough to consider it, which should tell you all you need to know right there.... Huh?!?! GMs call each other all the time with trade offers to test the waters. Who do you think leaked the information about the trade in the first place? It was the Bulls to see if any other team would pony up. The sources I trust like David Aldridge and Michael Lee said the trade was never even considered by the Wiz. That's why it's funny to get all worked up over something that was never anything in the first place. I've followed this team my whole life and I'v seen a lot more downs than ups but I'm in it forever. So I'm just not gonna cry over a ridiculous trade rumor that will never happen. Sorry.

It's funny to read the responses. Especially when the trade has been debunked my several sources. The Bulls want to get rid of Deng so they called the Wiz asking for the 3rd pick and Okafer. The Wiz said No. And that's all that happened. There wasn't even a consideration. How do you threaten to stop being a fan over a trade the Wiz never even considered?

Hilarious that you threw that out there and hit it right out the park.

Good pickup IMO. He can shoot and play the 2 and 3 positions so he has versatilty. He's a willing defender and it gives the Wiz depth at the 2 position where they were lacking. I like the fact that he is young too at 26 if he plays well it will be worth keeping him around.

:silly: A great thing. I've been watching Summer League play and Beal gets it. You keep hearing how his mature his game is and then when you see it yourself you understand what people mean by that. There are some players in Summer League that are putting up big numbers but it seems more in an effort to show off their skills then it is within the team concept. As the 3rd pick in the draft I'm sure he has the green light to jack up a lot of shots but he's taken very good shots within the offense. Even though he hasn't shot well he has done everything else including playing defense, gathering assists, rebounding and driving to the basket. He's really going to be a great addition to this team. He'll fit right in.

To quote Sam Cassell "Bradley Beal is the least of my worries"

That's been my assessment of Beal's game so far. The guy that wrote the article just explained it a lot better than I ever could. After watching the three summer league games I've noticed that Beal has never disrupted the flow of the offense. There were a couple of one-on-one opportunities he's had and the defender really stayed in front of him. Instead of him attempting a very difficult shot he swung the ball around so his teammates could get touches and possible a better look. He really does have a very mature look to this game. His points have come so quietly. I still don't know how 2 of the 3 games he has been the highest scorer. When you watch the games you swear someone else was the highest scorer.