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BRAVEONAWARPATH

By BRAVEONAWARPATH
in The Tailgate

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Going Commando

Going Commando

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Posted

Oubre has fantastic potential on defense.  He doesn't know what he's doing yet, so all he can really do at an elite level is guard the ball.  But once he learns to play team defense, he can be elite.  I liked hearing that he studies Jimmy Butler and Kawhi Leonard in particular.  That's the kind of defender he can become with his length and lateral speed.  And like them, he has enough nascent offensive skills to not be a self check.

 

Between Wall, Beal, Otto, Oubre, and Gortat, I think we have the players to field the best defense in the NBA in a couple of seasons.  To this end, wouldn't mind prying John Henson away from Milwaukee either, but the problem there is he's on a one year deal.

 

The offseason isn't over for us yet.  We still have to figure out what to do with Seraphin.  And we have to figure out what to do with our MLE if Pierce leaves.  And we have the BAE to spend this summer too.  That's basically three important decisions to make about rotation players.  But in terms of improvement to look for the players we already have, I want to see:

 

1.) Beal make big strides and perhaps play his way into the AS game as a reserve.  I want to see him become the first option scorer on a nightly basis, and I want him to take a lot of the burden of carrying the team off Wall's shoulders.  

2.) Wall's usage rate go down a little bit by playing off the ball more, and I want to see him re-incorporate the three point shot as a result.  

3.) Otto improve his FT shooting and I want to see him shoot the three ball from the FT Line extended and the corners with confidence. 

4.) More of the same from Gortat, maybe be more consistently tough on the glass.  

5.) Humphries extend his range, but otherwise play like he did last season.

6.) Nene spend most of his minutes as the back up center without complaining.

7.) Sessions continue to get comfortable as the back up point, as well as play with Wall in small line ups.

7.) And I want to see flashes and signs of improvement over the course of the season from Oubre in spot duty.  A confident stroke from three, strong finishes in transition, and hard nosed defensive play.

 

This is a big Beal season.  We know we're going to get consistent, AS caliber play from Wall.  It's up to Beal whether or not we make the jump to a 50+ win team and a high seed.  If he plays like he did during the playoffs throughout the season, then he'll be an All Star and we should finish second in the conference behind Cleveland.  If he doesn't, then we'll feel the loss of Pierce and be in about the same spot as we were last season even though Toronto and Chicago are likely to take steps back.

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Going Commando

Going Commando

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Oubre will play if he earns minutes like he did at Kansas.  That's actually a pretty good bet if Pierce leaves.

 

I don't think GRJr is a good comparison to Oubre.  His problems weren't about inexperience or a lack of developed skills.  His were a shady off court background and fighting with the head coach.  Oubre seems like a good kid, he's just raw.

 

Kevin Seraphin was a completely raw talent when we drafted him.  Took him four years, but he eventually developed and earned his minutes in pretty deep big man rotation.

 

When we were a ****ty team, we weren't a good situation for raw young talent to develop in.  Everyone was learning on the job at the same time.  Nobody was developing.  Eventually we had to get rid of all but a few young pieces and guys that might have made it if they'd been drafted by much better teams, like JaVale, Crawford, Vesely, and Singleton, got discarded when we added better vets at their position.

 

But now that we're actually good, it's an easier and lower pressure environment to develop young players.  Give them a limited role and they can gradually grow from there.  It's worked with Beal, Porter, and Seraphin, and it should continue to work with Oubre and our future draft picks.  Should get easier too because we're soon going to be at the point where Wall and Beal are the seasoned vets leading and mentoring the team.

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method man

method man

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With vet minimum or BAE, it may be worth taking a gamble on Michael Beasley. The word is that he is still a bit of a knucklehead but he's gotten better about a lot of the issues since his first stint with the Heat.

 

He would really help our 2nd unit scoring as a stretch 4

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BRAVEONAWARPATH

BRAVEONAWARPATH

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Oubre isn't going to play. I'd be shocked if Randy gives him any burn. This is the issue with drafting guys like him as we saw with Rice Jr.

Not quite the same.

 

From various reports Rice Jr, didn't listen, mouthed off & just wasn't very coachable. 

 

Oubre otoh, is just a kid who wasn't taught aspects of basketball....but I haven't heard anything negative in regards to his work ethic or coachability.

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RonArtest15

RonArtest15

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Not quite the same.

 

From various reports Rice Jr, didn't listen, mouthed off & just wasn't very coachable. 

 

Oubre otoh, is just a kid who wasn't taught aspects of basketball....but I haven't heard anything negative in regards to his work ethic or coachability.

 

Also speaks volumes that for all the talent GRJR has, he still hasn't gotten another chance. 

 

Fine line between "wasn't taught" and "didn't show any interest". He certainly found people to teach him quickly when he wanted a chance to play ball professionally.

 

"He was able to get around people and finish around the rim in high school," Townsend said. "He had to adjust in college. That's why he's two or three years away."

Oubre was a top 15 prospect coming out of high school but didn't immediately start for Kansas coach Bill Self. He handled the hard coaching and constructing criticism well, a must for a pro who has much to learn. 

"Kelly handled it unbelievably. Just started working hard, started to listen and it ended up working out for him," Townsend said. "He’s a winner. He hates to lose. Great teammate. The guys here loved him.

 

Kansas assistant talks to CSN about Kelly Oubre

 

He wasn't really coached up until last year. 

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Skins199021

Skins199021

Posted
Posted (edited)

Beal is going to be really good. He just turned 22, so next season will be his age 22 season, he entered the league very young. He has shot over 40% from 3 2 straight years, can pass and rebound. He should naturally improve again next year.

 

Porter should improve as well, he just needs to keep adding muscle. He can shoot the 3, defend, and rebound well.

 

I really hope Pierce resigns here, leadership role, clutchness, and he can show Oubre the ropes. Plus he is still a very productive player in general.

 

FA's I hope we can resign Gooden. And also Sign Belinelli, and Biyombo. If we can get them both at fair deals. 

 

We really need a shooter like Belinelli off the bench, I think he would be great for us off the bench. Biyombo is still extremely raw offensively, but the man can rebound and defend really well, and he is not even 23 yet. If we can get him at a cheapish deal (I really don't know what his market will be) I think we should get him. Good defensive presence and rebounder off the bench.

 

Sessions/Belinelli/Porter/Humphries/Biyombo off the bench lineup I think could be very effective for us

 

Wall/Beal/Pierce/Nene/Gortat Starting and mix in Gooden/Blair/Oubre/Webster/Temple when need be 

Edited by Skins199021
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earl

earl

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My biggest concern is whether or not the team has a plan for his development and are they committed to it.  RW's statement about the league changing and inferring the GSW were the model of small ball, kind of scares me.   Only because it makes me think that we may try to take his 7'2 wingspan and make him play the 4.   I recall Blatche and even Chris Singleton flip flopping from season to season at the 3 and 4 and frankly I think it really hurt their game.   Now you could argue that those 2 clowns were going to bust anyways, but I do think it hindered them.   And you could argue that the climate of the NBA is much different now and smallish skilled 4's is the way.  But If they are set on making him switch positions then fine, commit to it, but I'd hate to see us take this talented but raw player and confuse the hell out of him.  

 

Drafting is only half of the equation.  Developing is far more important and I do believe that this team is now conducive to doing so.   I don't believe our inability to do so in the past is solely on the coaches.   Frankly I think bad teams w/ no identities can't do what proven winners can in terms of plugging in players that fit systems and developing exactly what they want.   I believe the wiz are now in a position to grow talent in house.   i'm hoping they can do so and not repeat the same mistakes in the past.

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Chachie

Chachie

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Drafting is only half of the equation.  Developing is far more important and I do believe that this team is now conducive to doing so.   I don't believe our inability to do so in the past is solely on the coaches.   Frankly I think bad teams w/ no identities can't do what proven winners can in terms of plugging in players that fit systems and developing exactly what they want.   I believe the wiz are now in a position to grow talent in house.   i'm hoping they can do so and not repeat the same mistakes in the past.

 

 

Excellent post. I do wonder, however, if they still leave too much of that effort on the veteran players. I feel like Nene and Pierce did more to "develop" JW and BB than the organization did.

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No Excuses

No Excuses

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Yeah Randy likes to tinker with line ups and playing guys out of position. Giving him a guy described as "basketball illiterate" and letting him develop him is a risky plan.

I remember at one point they were trying Vesely at the 5.

Yeah I don't have much faith in the development capabilities of this team with extremely raw players.

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Skins199021

Skins199021

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Biyombo is now an UFA. I would like to sign him. He isn't 23 yet and is already effective on the Boards and Defensive end. 

 

I think he is a very underrated FA to go after. I don't think he ever becomes a star, but I think he can be a really good big off the bench

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Destino

Destino

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I don't know about Biyombo.  He's a tiny center that's awful on the offensive side of the ball.  Bad hands, can't dribble, can't shoot, bad free throw shooter, not a great passer, and he can't even pull off straight line drives to the basket.  Remember when we used to laugh that Kevin Seraphin never dribbled the ball once and attacked the rim?  OK he's that but without the hook shots or any shots of any kind.  If he has to do more than catch and dunk, it's likely a turnover.  In fact he's not even sure to catch it because his hands are bad. 

 

He can defend the rim and defend in space, and that's it.  He can almost literally do nothing else.  Also teams are free to go very small (PF at center as the only big) with him on the floor because he's terribly undersized and as mentioned previously, is a self check on offense. 

 

If there was no one else and his asking price was 4 million a year or lower, maybe. 

 

As I've said before I'm not a fan of players that can only play on one side of the court.  Not with this team.  You can get away with that with a loaded roster or a few offensive stars that can score a ton of points but the Wizards aren't that.  This bench needs scoring and players that are more well rounded. 

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Going Commando

Going Commando

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Biyombo might be a little short for a center but he plays big. He's got a crazy 7'7" wingspan and a 9'3 1\2" standing reach. The wingspan is the same as Zo's, Shaq's, Larry Sanders's, and Hassan White side's. And the reach is the same as Dwight Howard's. Explains how he's such a good rim protector.

I agree he has no offensive game but he does a good job slipping begin the defense and getting open for entry passes that lead to dunks and he is a decent PnR finisher.

But he is a great defensive player and a very good rebounder. Classic energy big. He's probably better than Festus Ezeli, who was an important rotation player for the Warriors.

I'd be interested in signing him to replace Seraphin as the fourth big and bench C. I think he could be had for a portion of the MLE.

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Going Commando

Going Commando

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Bellinelli could be a good signing too. He's a dead eye and he would fill a position of need. I think he might command a little bit of money though, and I wouldn't want to spend the mle on him. If we could get him for the BAE though, I would do it.

I'm also interested in Al Farouq Aminu. Could be pretty cheap. Strong body who can be a small ball four off the bench. A poor man's Jeff Green, but should be way cheaper.

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