The Official Washington Basketball Thread: Wizards, Mystics etc

[Destino]

The thing that Beal lacks is his ability to beat a man with his dribble. Can't be a star without that skill because some much comes from this, including the ever important repeated trips to the free throw line. If he does that the Wizards will be Beal's team and we'll be talking about surrounding him with talent. Beal was big tonight.

Wall kept the turnovers down tonight and that's the difference in this game. The Wizards can hang with most teams and when that's the case the little things make the difference. If Wall had 6 turnovers like last night, the team loses today.

Edited February 24, 2013 by Destino

[shuler74]

GIFSoup

[nuposse87]

Did Otto Porter dunk the ball at any point during today's game? I've still not seen him dunk a basketball and I find that odd for a guy his size and length.

He did, in the first half if I recall correctly, he didn't get very high up but then again he was just trying to get the bucket it seemed, nothing highlight worthy. I'd definitely welcome him onto the team. If he measures our to have better athletic scores then people think though...he may go a little higher...and if we keep winning games...ah **** we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

[RonArtest15]

Don't care what Porter's vertical is...dude can flat out hoop. We NEED him on this squad. This guy is not raw or a project. He's NBA ready right now. I know the 2014 rankings have *Noel and Muhammad going 1/2 (possibly), and this may be an extremely bold statement...but for this Wizards squad, I'm taking Porter with our pick REGARDLESS of where we draft and he should be #1 on our draft board.

[nuposse87]

Don't care what Porter's vertical is...dude can flat out hoop. We NEED him on this squad. This guy is not raw or a project. He's NBA ready right now. I know the 2014 rankings have *Noel and Muhammad going 1/2 (possibly), and this may be an extremely bold statement...but for this Wizards squad, I'm taking Porter with our pick REGARDLESS of where we draft and he should be #1 on our draft board.

If we're picking number 1, I'd easily draft Noel, without a doubt, his upside is ridiculous. However, if we get like...the 2nd pick, i'd trade back a little, and draft porter immediately. Porter between 5-10 is better value then anyone between 2-4 IMO. He looks NBA ready, and has a tremendous feel for the game, just like Beal. I think he could be a cross of Deng and and like....Batum...with a floor of Shane Battier.

[RonArtest15]

If we're picking number 1, I'd easily draft Noel, without a doubt, his upside is ridiculous. However, if we get like...the 2nd pick, i'd trade back a little, and draft porter immediately. Porter between 5-10 is better value then anyone between 2-4 IMO. He looks NBA ready, and has a tremendous feel for the game, just like Beal. I think he could be a cross of Deng and and like....Batum...with a floor of Shane Battier.

I just don't trust the Wizards to properly develop a raw talent like Noel. I think he's got a ridiculous upside, but Porter (to me) seems to be the best fit for this team for a number of reasons, mainly due to the fact that he's NBA ready right now.

[BRAVEONAWARPATH]

I got this idea from another board: Would you be willing to give up our 2014 1st rounder in order to get a second lottery pick this season?

And with that pick we would select Otto Porter.

Personally, I wouldn't hesistate to make that move.

[RonArtest15]

I got this idea from another board: Would you be willing to give up our 2014 1st rounder in order to get a second lottery pick this season?

And with that pick we would select Otto Porter.

Personally, I wouldn't hesistate to make that move.

Yup...because I expect that 2014 pick to be in the 15-20 range.

[CrypticVillain]

I got this idea from another board: Would you be willing to give up our 2014 1st rounder in order to get a second lottery pick this season?

And with that pick we would select Otto Porter.

Personally, I wouldn't hesistate to make that move.

In a heartbeat....

I just can't get over Porter's performance today. I have seen him play a little bit, but never from start to finish. He got the Hoyas going, continued when he needed too, and finished strong. Right now based on what I have saw from the two, I wouldn't mind having Shabazz or Porter. But I would still take Noel over both for this team.

[Destino]

Don't care what Porter's vertical is...dude can flat out hoop. We NEED him on this squad. This guy is not raw or a project. He's NBA ready right now. I know the 2014 rankings have *Noel and Muhammad going 1/2 (possibly), and this may be an extremely bold statement...but for this Wizards squad, I'm taking Porter with our pick REGARDLESS of where we draft and he should be #1 on our draft board.

I care about his athleticism because we have a catch and shoot 2 and 3 at the moment. We needs someone that can beat a defender and shoot off the dribble. If he can't jump and move laterally well he'll see a major drop in production against longer, stronger, faster NBA defenders... especially at the SF position. I agree that he look great, this is really my only concern. He stays down to block shots, moves off the ball well, shoots with great arc and accuracy, and rebounds. I just want to be as sure as possible that his game will translate because he oddly plays below the rim and seems kind of slow at times.

[mmzznnxx]

I liked what Booker showed in limited minutes, looks like he's starting to get healthy, showed some touch on his shots and was getting in people's faces. Feel like he could be good inside presence and he's gotten a little better ever since we got him. If I'm not mistaken, Seraphin didn't touch the floor tonight, which has me worried he'll go cold and discontent like Crawford. He hasn't been great lately but he's improved steadily since we've had him. Also great on the turnaround shots.

Also, I love when Nene and Okafor are on the floor together. I think they're developing chemistry and both can do a little bit of everything and complement Beal and Wall well as starters, but I feel bad watching and getting excited for the future because I highly doubt the two will be here together for much longer.

Edited February 24, 2013 by mmzznnxx

[nuposse87]

I care about his athleticism because we have a catch and shoot 2 and 3 at the moment. We needs someone that can beat a defender and shoot off the dribble. If he can't jump and move laterally well he'll see a major drop in production against longer, stronger, faster NBA defenders... especially at the SF position. I agree that he look great, this is really my only concern. He stays down to block shots, moves off the ball well, shoots with great arc and accuracy, and rebounds. I just want to be as sure as possible that his game will translate because he oddly plays below the rim and seems kind of slow at times.

I don't think his lateral quickness is bad, it seems fairly standard. There are valid gripes about him as a leaper I suppose. Like Zeller, the combine could potentially move him 2-3 spots based on his results.

[Going Commando]

Yeah Porter's athleticism looks a little below average but he's 6'9 with a 7'1 wingspan supposedly. If he gets stronger he could play up at the 4 too.

He's a "ball player" which is something of a back handed compliment. Lack of athleticism will probably keep him from ever being a star but he could be a great role player like Tayshaun Prince. Though Prince definitely used to be able to get up and play above the rim.

I think his rebounding is a really appealing trait. It shows toughness and bball IQ and it was one of the things that was so appealing about Beal. Beal stood head and shoulders above all the other guards in his class at things like rebounding, steals, blocked shots. Porter gets steals and rebounds at an abnormally high rate for his position and I think that's a surefire sign of very high bball IQ.

I wouldn't take him ahead of Shabazz. But I'd maybe pass on Shabazz to trade down for Porter and pick up something else in the process.

Noel and Zeller are my top two though. I want us to get one of them.

But I'd consider making that trade back into the lottery for Porter Brave mentioned. You've got to be careful though. The 2014 class is super deep and top heavy and you never know what can happen. Looks like there might be at least four or five franchise player types in that class. We didn't expect to be in the position we are this year coming into the season...

[Skins199021]

If we got 2 picks say 4 and 7 (I don't know who we trade with to get that)

I am taking Otto Porter and Isaiah Austin. Porter is just a boss and Grinder and Austin is a freak in his combination of size and scoring abilities. If he make him hit the gym he could be a dominant 4. I just like his versatility

[Samuels]

Don't care what Porter's vertical is...dude can flat out hoop. We NEED him on this squad. This guy is not raw or a project. He's NBA ready right now. I know the 2014 rankings have *Noel and Muhammad going 1/2 (possibly), and this may be an extremely bold statement...but for this Wizards squad, I'm taking Porter with our pick REGARDLESS of where we draft and he should be #1 on our draft board.

Those 2 are the only players in this draft I take before Porter. He is a fantastic fit for this current team.

[Skins199021]

So I know this it all hypothetical **** but as a Wiz fan not much else we can do right? I like the idea of picking up another 1st round pick somewhere in the 8-12 range. I also want to clear up some cap space. I think we have to try and trade Nene. I like him but his contract is the most expensive we have in terms of money+plus years. He is a good player though so teams will have interest I think.

So if we could trade Nene, Vesely, Singleton, and our 2014 1st for a 2013 1st again in the 8-12 range I do it because 1). We shed Nene's contract and 2). We pick up a nice pick, plus if things go well the 2014 pick won't be a top pick. Don't know which team if there is one, that would do this trade with us... any thoughts?

I Resign Martell Webster. The guy is young, and he is such a nice outside threat, we have to keep him. One of the very few good moves that EG has ever made.

In FA I go after Millsap. I have no idea if he would even consider us but I want him. He is the type of player we have been missing to stretch the floor for us. Don't know how much he would cost but he just turned 28 so he isn't old

Draft If we were lucky we could get Porter and Noel (Perfect scenario). But I would settle with Porter and Isaiah Autin (kind of like a taller Millsap), with the 2 1st round picks, and in the 2nd draft a SG like Rasheed Sulaimon.

Wall/Beal/Wesbter/Millsap/Okefor

Bench:

Price?

Sulaimon

Porter

Ariza

Booker

Austin

Serpahin

Then the Contracts of Okefor and Ariza come off the books after next year (I think).

The hardest guy to replace on this team right now is Okefor. If we got really lucky and all this went down and we got Noel and Porter that would be awesome.

The chance that all this happens .000001%. But its the wizards on an off day I have to create some ways of getting my hopes up for this team since our GM kind of kills them every year

[RonArtest15]

Here's my plan...

After this year, both Ariza's contract and Okafor's become expiring and thus they become VERY attractive at the deadline. However, both guys have shown that they can be key contributors to this team, so I'm keeping both guys here through next season because once they're off the books, the Wizards will have A LOT of flexibility in 2014 to be major players in FA (assuming guys want to sign here).

I've accepted the fact that we're the Wizards and we'll probably end up drafting in the 3-5 range.

My personal big board:

Porter

Bennett

Zeller

Austin

Oladipo

Pretty much, I'm keeping the team as is with the exception of adding another player or two in the draft. With reasonable health, there is no way this team shouldn't be competing for a playoff spot next year in the 6-8 range.

2014, this team is going to look EXTREMELY different.

*edit* forgot to add that they should absolutely re-sign Martell Webster.

Edited February 24, 2013 by RonArtest15

[Skins199021]

Webster needs to be kept. If we stand pat do we have the money to keep him? He is a good shooter and a solid rebounder, and is 26 years old.

[Destino]

I think the one thing to avoid is getting younger by which I mean replacing a starter with a rookie. This team won't progress doing that. This team is winning as much because of Okafor and Nene stepping it up on both ends of the floor as they are because of Wall and Beal. Arguably moreso because Wall and Beal are still very inconsistent. That's why I wouldn't trade any starter for a draft pick unless there was a veteran replacement.

I think other than a star SF the biggest need is a quality big man. Booker is made of glass and not very good. Seraphin has regressed badly. The drop off from Nene and Okafor is monstrous. I'd love to have Noel or Zeller on the bench behind Nene and Okafor able to grow without the team depending on them for consistent production. What I want to avoid is this team continuing to be a NBA development team. Rookies that legitimately beat out a starter for minutes isn't a problem but they can't be put out there to learn on the job at the expense of everyone else on the floor.

Edited February 24, 2013 by Destino

[nuposse87]

There are a lot of things are going to factor into next year. If we somehow manage 30 wins then we should be noticed as a better FA landing spot. DC itself is becoming a better sports town as of late so it isn't like we're a small market.

What I think could be instrumental is how Nene's health is next season. Once okafor is either delt, or allowed to expire, if Nene is healthy...I think he could fill the void at Center for a year or two.

A future frontcourt of

Porter

Milsap

Nene

would be ideal IMO. The guy clearly has trouble with stretch 4s. A lot will be predicated on his health going into next season, if he's fine...just move him to center.

I do like Okafor though, its nice to have a competent center on the team.

Then we just gotta hope either one of Booker/Vesely/Singleton/Seraphin becomes worth a damn. Booker is rounding back into form, but he just needs to get healthy.

[Skins199021]

The thing with Okefor, Nene, and Ariza is that we aren't going to win with them or say win anything siginificant. I don't want to pay them just to be a 7th or 8th seed.

Hell If I thought EG was even half way intelligent I would want to try and trade all 3 of them, and Sign Millsap and Pekovic (who would be the perfect replacement for Okefor imo)

Honestly getting Nene, Okefor and Ariza was so ****ing dumb given their ages and contracts (given that we were in complete rebuild mode). We should have traded for picks and had cap space to spend on the younger (and probably superior) talents of the 2 guys I mentioned above.

We also need a backup PG and SG (better ones)

[Destino]

The thing with Okefor, Nene, and Ariza is that we aren't going to win with them or say win anything siginificant. I don't want to pay them just to be a 7th or 8th seed.

Hell If I thought EG was even half way intelligent I would want to try and trade all 3 of them, and Sign Millsap and Pekovic (who would be the perfect replacement for Okefor imo)

Honestly getting Nene, Okefor and Ariza was so ****ing dumb given their ages and contracts (given that we were in complete rebuild mode). We should have traded for picks and had cap space to spend on the younger (and probably superior) talents of the 2 guys I mentioned above.

We also need a backup PG and SG (better ones)

The thing is you can't develop the whole team at the same time. Beal is being developed now. Had we traded everything for picks we'd have another young horrible team trying to put it all together while choking in a cloud of negativity. Nene and Okafor for a short period while the guards figure their game out is a good thing. Consider what the team looked like in Wall's first year. What the front court looked like at the beginning of last year. Yikes.

[Skins199021]

Sure you can the rockets, Thunder were all extremely young. The rockets are the youngest team in the league and they are well on their way. The Thunder drafted so well and they got durant.

The Hornets had 2 1st no reason we did not get their 2nd 1st since we did them the great favor of freeing up thheir payroll. I don't know I like all of them, but their contracts are just brutal

[SuperBash]

I think he means that Wizards can't develop the whole team at the same time. We're incapable of doing so.

[Skins199021]

I think he means that Wizards can't develop the whole team at the same time. We're incapable of doing so.

yea I know, I just hate that fact.