AboveLegit

Many are upset over Ernie's extension, but I honestly think a lot of the heat he takes is unwarranted. Ted Leonsis clearly stated that Ernie will be evaluated based on what he’s done since Ted took over as owner. The shrewd trades he’s executed (namely the Hinrich deal in which he played the cap situation), the way he has changed the culture of the team by bringing in high motor big men (remember when that was such a problem?), and the way he has set us up for the future has been rather impressive.

I wrote about this more extensively on Wiz of Awes, highly suggest you guys check it out.

http://wizofawes.com/2012/04/24/supporting-ernie-grunfelds-extension/

Is it offense they are worried about when deciding where to put him on the floor or defense? He has to develop post moves certainly but the problem day 1 is that he doesn't match up defensively on an NBA team. Can't stay with a 3 and will get eaten inside by a 4. He needs time to grow as a player but he won't stay on the floor long as a major defensive mismatch. Hopefully he's working on his defense some during the extended offseason.

Not sure where this is coming from, but Jan has terrific lateral quickness, he will definitely be able to keep up with NBA SF's. He may not be a great individual defender, I'm sure he will struggle alongside the perimeter and in the paint, but as for team defense, he will be great because of his motor and athleticism. Not to mention, he has the speed, size and length to close out on shooters, and can block shots as a help defender, which is great in Flip's zone schemes.

Offensively, he moves well without the ball, is great in transition, and doesn't need the ball to be effective. That is all I need to know in order to feel optimistic about his potential in the league.

My draft board for the Wiz:

1. Anthony Davis

2. Andre Drummond

3. Jared Sullinger

4. Harrison Barnes

5. Perry Jones

Say what you want about Anthony Davis' lack of bulk, he is the real deal. He moves his feet extremely well, plays excellent help defense, and understands how to get positioning down in the paint. He's essentially JaVale McGee with brains, I'll take that any day of the week.

I'm really intrigued by Sullinger though, I figure we'll have a legitimate shot at him in the draft, and wouldn't mind Grunfeld drafting him. He's a good fit in the front court, Vesely and McGee can compensate for his lack of athleticism. Fact is, we need rebounders, and Sullinger is the best one in the nation. He showed glimpses of an improved jumper, but obviously the verdict isn't out on that as the season has just started.

Barnes would be an ideal fit next to Wall, he needs a great passing PG in order to maximize his talent, just look at what he was able to do once Kendall Marshall got the nod as the starter. He has a great jumpshot, albeit a streaky one. He knows how to play within an offense, and isn't a high usage player like most guys on our roster. Problem is, we don't know whether or not Vesely is a SF or PF, my guess is SF, but we have yet to see him play.

Anyone that has insider care to post this article here?

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story?id=7084295&_slug_=nba-why-john-wall-jason-kidd&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fnba%2fstory%3fid%3d7084295%26_slug_%3dnba-why-john-wall-jason-kidd

Would be greatly appreciated

As I've said a dozen times now, Wall will be the NBA's best PG since Zeke.

Chris Paul is still in the league, and I believe he's more talented than Zeke ever was. He may not find the same success as Zeke, but he's better.

Having said that, I agree that Wall will be great. It's really just a matter of time before he hits super-stardom. Not sure why people think he won't fix his jumper, his mechanics are almost on point, he just needs more elevation on it. He finally has his athleticism that he showcased in college, there's no more injury concerns for him right now, he's going to be lethal in this league. He's already a top 5 passer in this league, he's right there with Nash, Paul, Kidd, and Williams.

Great post, but here's my problem with this whole scenario... No GM in this league will give up anything significant for Blatche, so we'd have to deal one of our young assets for Cousins. Instead of doing that, why not go after Anthony Davis, Andre Drummond, or even Jared Sullinger (although I'm not a fan of him, wouldn't be a good fit on our team).

I think the risks (attitude issues, giving up multiple young talent) outweigh the reward (him being a star big man), we're better off seeking a PF through a very strong 2012 draft class.

Cousins also needs to be better conditioned. I constantly saw him wearing down late in games (particularly the fourth quarter), which obviously effected his performance because he was shooting more outside the post and was being more and more passive.

Yeah a frontcourt of Cousins/McGee wouldn't work. Bringing him in goes against what we're trying to do, which is building through the draft. Not to mention it defeats the purpose of shipping out all of the headcases (Blatche), Cousins is arguably more of a problem.

2012 has a good crop of PF's we can go after, no point in trading for Cousins.

Hypothetical situation here: If the Wizards extend JaVale and then acquire DeMarcus Cousins, how do you play them?

Keep in mind this will probably be two to three years into the development of each.

Do you play Cousins at PF and JaVale at center?

Personally I don't know how hypothetical this situation really is. We'll probably try and keep JaVale if he puts up similar numbers from last year and I think it's only a matter of time before DeMarcus Cousins is here. I'd put the odds a little better than even that he comes to D.C. when his rookie deal is up (if not sooner).

Why would we go after Cousins?

Grading all of the NBA head coaches.

http://blogs.hoopshype.com/blogs/rosen/2011/07/25/grading-the-coaches/

A little too harsh on Spo, he's better than his grade suggests. Good defensive minded coach who understands the importance of team chemistry.