The Official Washington Basketball Thread: Wizards, Mystics etc

[Samuels]

That's similar to how I have it ranked right now Samuels. Noel and McLemore are the tier one, then a whole bunch of guys about even for the second tier.

I'd probably go like this though:

3.) Bennett

4.) Zeller

5.) Porter

6.) Muhammad

7.) Burke

8.) Oladipo

9.) Len

I like Bennett because he can already score inside and out and he could be a deadly pick and roll weapon. He can pop out and score and he could be a beast of a finisher. He can shoot threes. Plus he can face up and create his own offense off the dribble, so he'd be a big threat to a spaced out defense from the perimeter. He's very passionate and aggressive like a star player. I think he's going to be a 20 PPG scorer in the NBA.

I like Zeller a lot more than most people too. To me, he's an extremely rare player as a 20 year old legit seven footer with great skills and an elite feel for the game. I hope he's the one that drops to us.

Everyone likes Porter, not a whole that needs to be said about him.

I'm pretty torn on Shabazz. I don't like all of the off court stuff surrounding him at all, plus he looks heavier and less explosive than he used to. And his ball handling isn't as good as I though it was. His off hand isn't very good and he's not a great passer. Lying about his age all this time is a big red flag for me. But I love his motor and aggressiveness and I love how versatile he is as a scorer. He can post up and score in the lane and he is a great finisher. And he showed he was a much better jump shooter from range than people thought. I think there is a lot of James Harden in him.

I like Burke, but not a whole lot for the Wizards. He's a great ball handler and shooter off the bounce. He's poised and he could come in and replace AJ Price as the back up point and the perimeter shooter in lineups with Wall. But he'll never be a starter for us. And he's kind of slow and he's short and he had a tendency to get very streaky with his shot and force the issue against defensive pressure.

I like Len some, but not nearly as much as Zeller. He's a great athlete and has a gigantic frame and he can already shoot from mid range. But he doesn't have strong hands and he had a hard time holding position against much smaller players like James McAdoo. He's pretty passive. He had a lot of games where he did nothing. I don't totally trust him.

I also want to say I'm not in love with either Noel or McLemore. I'm glad we probably won't be in a position to have to draft them. Noel is a great athlete who will be a great defender. He's got good looking handles and the ability to get around big men plus he's a good passer that sees the floor well. But he just doesn't have good shooting touch IMO. His finishes are pretty wild when he can't dunk it and he's a lousy shooter.

McLemore scares me because he's already 21 and didn't do anything at all before this year. I learned my lesson with TRob last year, and I think there are a lot of the same things going on. Like TRob, he's got one really elite skill (spot up shooting for McLemore, rebounding for TRob). I think that skill paired with freakish athleticism is what has gotten them overrated as prospects. McLemore isn't a very good ball handler and he isn't as good a finisher as you would think given how high flying he is. Too often he doesn't take the ball all of the way to the rim and get himself to the FT line, and instead he just settles for these floaters. He doesn't break guys down or consistently get himself space. And I don't like how passive he gets, especially when he's not shooting well. I think he'll be good, he's got a perfect looking shot and he's a freak athlete, but I don't think he's going to be a franchise player and I think he is going to disappoint the team that takes him second. I get an OJ Mayo vibe from him.

McLemore just turned 20 he is a freshman. TRob was a junior he had all the bust signs early on limited min.

Zeller scares me as well he struggled both years againest legit size like he will face in the Nba.

And to the other poster I love CJ McCollum but not at 8.

[StillUnknown]

Grunfeld scheduled to speak to the media at 2pm.

[Destino]

I could see Bennett getting buried in Wittman's doghouse just as easily as I could see him succeeding.

It's a safe bet he and Wittman would never get along. He's got a problem with effort on defense and being that he's undersized I'd say the odds of him ever being a good defender at the 4 are slim. Wittman will go insane unless he can turn his defense around completely.

I have a concern about him being the type of player that doesn't spend time doing things he doesn't like. That's the vibe I get from guys that are out of shape and lack effort on defense but at the same time are polished on offense. I have no first hand info however so this is just a thought, not a statement of fact. I hope the scouts look closely at it because that attitude is hard to turn around after you make a guy a millionaire.

[Going Commando]

McLemore just turned 20 he is a freshman. TRob was a junior he had all the bust signs early on limited min.

Zeller scares me as well he struggled both years againest legit size like he will face in the Nba.

And to the other poster I love CJ McCollum but not at 8.

McLemore just turned 21 in February. He's about a year and a half older than Beal. He's really old for a freshman.

Zeller dominated Mitch McGary. He'll have more space to operate in the NBA and he won't get doubled every possession like he does at Indiana. I have no concerns about his offense beyond him developing a jumper. He'll never be an elite rebounder or defender though. But he can at least be good in these areas when he gets stronger. Like Nene. He's changed his body a lot since his freshman season already, I think he'll get to be fairly strong eventually.

---------- Post added April-23rd-2013 at 04:20 PM ----------

I could see Bennett getting buried in Wittman's doghouse just as easily as I could see him succeeding.

Yeah I could see that happening too.

[Samuels]

McLemore just turned 21 in February. He's about a year and a half older than Beal. He's really old for a freshman.

Zeller dominated Mitch McGary. He'll have more space to operate in the NBA and he won't get doubled every possession like he does at Indiana. I have no concerns about his offense beyond him developing a jumper. He'll never be an elite rebounder or defender though. But he can at least be good in these areas when he gets stronger. Like Nene. He's changed his body a lot since his freshman season already, I think he'll get to be fairly strong eventually.

---------- Post added April-23rd-2013 at 04:20 PM ----------

Yeah I could see that happening too.

He just turned 20 Steve he is younger then Muhammed unless you have inside info he was born feb. 93

Not that it matters to the Wiz.

Zeller i'd draft but I have severe reservations on him. He struggles with size bigtime. To be honest i'd take Len over him because I think he has alot of athletic upside for his size and age. He will have true center size with great mobility when all is said and done.

But i'd go crazy if Porter fell to us.

[SuperBash]

Porter isn't getting by Cleveland unless they are in a position to draft Noel

[StillUnknown]

http://instagram.com/p/YdShM2hIAt/

the comments

Ted might really be his only supporter.

[Going Commando]

He just turned 20 Steve he is younger then Muhammed unless you have inside info he was born feb. 93

Not that it matters to the Wiz.

Zeller i'd draft but I have severe reservations on him. He struggles with size bigtime. To be honest i'd take Len over him because I think he has alot of athletic upside for his size and age. He will have true center size with great mobility when all is said and done.

But i'd go crazy if Porter fell to us.

No I just typed in Ben McLemore birthday into google. There it said he was born in 1992 but it could be wrong. It doesn't say his DoB on his profile on the Kansas website so I don't know which year is right. He red shirted last year, If he's 21, he must have been held back at some point.

But yeah, it shouldn't make a big difference to us. It makes more sense for us to try and trade him if we're in position to draft him.

Len has a better frame and better physical upside than Zeller no doubt. But Zeller is a lot better than him right now. Len is going to have to make major strides just to get to Zeller's current level. He doesn't have the feel for the game and the skill level that Zeller does. I don't totally trust Len. I think, whatever happens, Zeller will end up at least as good as Nene. Nene doesn't have a good standing reach either and he's not a glass eater or shot blocker but he does everything else pretty well. Just going by his nice shooting mechanics and his FT shooting ability, I think Zeller can be a better jump shooter than Nene too. Floor of Nene, ceiling of somewhere in the neighborhood of LaMarcus Aldridge--a finesse power forward with skills.

I like Porter a lot too, but I'd actually take Zeller one pick ahead of him.

---------- Post added April-23rd-2013 at 09:40 PM ----------

http://instagram.com/p/YdShM2hIAt/

the comments

Ted might really be his only supporter.

Well, to be fair, we're a GREAT team in games where a healthy Wes Unseld played.

[Samuels]

Yeah Steve he was transcripts from HS made him ineligible. He just turned 20 though he was born feb 93 according to wikapedia,nbadraft.net and draftexpress.com

I don't see Zeller becoming anywhere close to as good as a healthy Nene. And I highly doubt you find many people who would take him over Porter.

[StillUnknown]

Based on all the noise since the season ended, I'm assuming the pick is dealt.

Just praying we get more than a couple of 1 year rentals.

[SuperBash]

If we draft a SF this year and find a stretch four somewhere, then we'll kinda be a year behind the GSW. They got their star guard in 09, we did in 2010. They get their future SG in 2011, we get ours in 2012. They trade a player that didn't fit on their team and got injury prone but a really solid low post player in Bogut while we get Nene. If we draft an Otto Porter, we'll get our SF a year after GSW did. Now we just need to find a David Lee type player or at least a stretch four. So if all of that holds up, Wall should really break out for a full year like Steph did this year and we'll be heading to the playoffs.

Random thought over/

[Skin'emAlive]

If we draft a SF this year and find a stretch four somewhere, then we'll kinda be a year behind the GSW. They got their star guard in 09, we did in 2010. They get their future SG in 2011, we get ours in 2012. They trade a player that didn't fit on their team and got injury prone but a really solid low post player in Bogut while we get Nene. If we draft an Otto Porter, we'll get our SF a year after GSW did. Now we just need to find a David Lee type player or at least a stretch four. So if all of that holds up, Wall should really break out for a full year like Steph did this year and we'll be heading to the playoffs.

Random thought over/

Porter would be the best choice to be that guy. But he will certainly not fall that far. We could only hope for Shabazz to fall to us.

Edited April 24, 2013 by Skin'emAlive

[pjfootballer]

Sad. Here we are again, with the only thing to talk about is the draft lottery after April 1st.

[Destino]

Sad. Here we are again, with the only thing to talk about is the draft lottery after April 1st.

we've been talking about the lottery since the allstar break.

[pjfootballer]

we've been talking about the lottery since the allstar break.

So true.

[Hersh]

we've been talking about the lottery since the allstar break.

I was gonna say that draft talk started five games into the season if not sooner. The only way the pick gets moved is if it's coupled with an expiring contract since the Wiz have no cap room. Maybe Okafor has some trade value since it's an expiring deal.

[Skins199021]

We better not trade the pick unless its for a lottery pick in the 2014 draft.

I really like Len, UMD lacked any kind of good pg play and that killed Len. Lucky for us we have a really good PG that is good at creating for others. Len is Vesely, but bigger, stronger, smarter, better shooter, and better moves. He would be great because he can hit down a mid-range jumper, which can clear up the post defense for a driver like Wall

[Destino]

We better not trade the pick unless its for a lottery pick in the 2014 draft.

I really like Len, UMD lacked any kind of good pg play and that killed Len. Lucky for us we have a really good PG that is good at creating for others. Len is Vesely, but bigger, stronger, smarter, better shooter, and better moves. He would be great because he can hit down a mid-range jumper, which can clear up the post defense for a driver like Wall

Len and Vesely shouldn't be compared at all. Vesely is a ridiculously athletic big with virtually no basketball skill and questionable hands. How many 6'11 players match his speed and leaping ability? Not many. Damn shame Wittman and Grunfeld haven't been able to figure out how to develop this kid because as an athlete he's terrific. He should have spent the last two season in the D league.

Len doesn't strike me as a particularly amazing athlete. He's not terribly fast, though among centers he'd be considered mobile, and doesn't jump explosively. What he is however is a legit 7 footer that a modest amount of skill in his game already. Some low post moves and a decent midrange shot. That makes him valuable in the NBA. I don't think he's an elite upside prospect like Drummond was last year but he's got potential to be a solid rotation big quickly and perhaps a long time starter after that. He's also not a bad free throw shooter (compared to other 7 footers).

Edited April 25, 2013 by Destino

[RonArtest15]

Len and Vesely shouldn't be compared at all. Vesely is a ridiculously athletic big with virtually no basketball skill and questionable hands. How many 6'11 players match his speed and leaping ability? Not many. Damn shame Wittman and Grunfeld haven't been able to figure out how to develop this kid because as an athlete he's terrific.

Len doesn't strike me as a particularly amazing athlete. He's not terribly fast, though among centers he'd be considered mobile, and doesn't jump explosively. What he is however is a legit 7 footer that has a great deal of skill in his game already. Some low post moves and a decent midrange shot. That makes him valuable in the NBA. He will need to add a great deal of muscle mass if he wants to succeed at the 5 in the NBA however.

I think Ves is a lost cause. It's a shame because it was an absolutely abysmal pick. Think about the names being floated by people in the FANBASE before the selection was made...Faried/Leonard come to mind.

I'll give Wittman the benefit of the doubt because it's not his fault that Ves has had such difficulty adjusting to the pro game here in the US. I'm sure his reasons for not playing him are valid, seeing that he observes Ves on a day-to-day basis in practice etc.

That being said, if there is something there, why wasn't Ves ever optioned to the D-League? If anything, he could get game-time experience and work on his flaws. Shoot, the Grizzlies sent Thabeet to the D-League, so it's not like it's unprecedented for such a high pick to be demoted.

Ves is trash. Whoever scouted him botched his draft position. Hopefully, we have better luck with our pick this year.

*I am kind of warming up to Len.

If we're in that 8-13 range, here's my top-5

Bennett

Muhammad

Len

Olynyk

McCollum

[Skin'emAlive]

Nobody mismanaged Ves. He is terrible and brings nothing more to the court than fresh sneakers.

At this point i will wait and see which pick we land. Either way, i would just go bpa. Now with one of our second picks i would grab Seth Curry. He is a dead-eye shooter, and if he stayed at Davidson he probably would be a first round pick. We need another shooter on the cheap, i dont see why he wouldnt be a steal in the second round.

[Destino]

I'll give Wittman the benefit of the doubt because it's not his fault that Ves has had such difficulty adjusting to the pro game here in the US. I'm sure his reasons for not playing him are valid, seeing that he observes Ves on a day-to-day basis in practice etc.

My question for Wittman is "how did Vesely get worse?" Even his FT% is down.

[RonArtest15]

My question for Wittman is "how did Vesely get worse?" Even his FT% is down.

Did you see AJ Price's quote on Ves?

Dan SteinbergVerified account ‏@dcsportsbog

A.J. Price on Jan Vesely: "He doesn’t like to go to the free-throw line, because everybody’s watching.

That's not on Wittman. Grunfeld drafted a kid with no business being the 6th pick. He's got confidence issues. He'll be back in Europe after this year.

[SuperBash]

I really think McCollumn is a very safe pick for us. He's a sure thing as a combo scoring guard off the bench. Too many times we saw the offense come to a dead halt when Wall or Beal left the game. Temple and Price wont cut it if we want to go to the playoffs and cause a ruckus

Edited April 25, 2013 by SuperBash

[Going Commando]

Did you see AJ Price's quote on Ves?

That's not on Wittman. Grunfeld drafted a kid with no business being the 6th pick. He's got confidence issues. He'll be back in Europe after this year.

Wittman is a moron. Part of his job is to make sure every young player develops the confidence they need to succeed by giving them clearly defined and realistic roles that get them PT and experience and something to be confident about. He's utterly failed. Because he's a horrible coach. He can only coach veterans and young players who are stud can't miss draft picks that are already well developed and command tons of minutes early on.

---------- Post added April-25th-2013 at 04:42 PM ----------

I think Ves is a lost cause. It's a shame because it was an absolutely abysmal pick. Think about the names being floated by people in the FANBASE before the selection was made...Faried/Leonard come to mind.

I'll give Wittman the benefit of the doubt because it's not his fault that Ves has had such difficulty adjusting to the pro game here in the US. I'm sure his reasons for not playing him are valid, seeing that he observes Ves on a day-to-day basis in practice etc.

That being said, if there is something there, why wasn't Ves ever optioned to the D-League? If anything, he could get game-time experience and work on his flaws. Shoot, the Grizzlies sent Thabeet to the D-League, so it's not like it's unprecedented for such a high pick to be demoted.

Ves is trash. Whoever scouted him botched his draft position. Hopefully, we have better luck with our pick this year.

*I am kind of warming up to Len.

If we're in that 8-13 range, here's my top-5

Bennett

Muhammad

Len

Olynyk

McCollum

Vesely probably is a loss cause. It's a shame. Because an athletic seven footer with a good motor and BBall IQ should be something that a good organization could have done something with.

NOBODY said anything about picking Faried 6th. That's some crap.

And why on Earth would you give Wittman the benefit of the doubt? He and his career .336 win percentage have earned that? He's an awful head coach. He's just not bright enough for the job.

[RonArtest15]

Wittman is a moron. Part of his job is to make sure every young player develops the confidence they need to succeed by giving them clearly defined and realistic roles that get them PT and experience and something to be confident about. He's utterly failed. Because he's a horrible coach. He can only coach veterans and young players who are stud can't miss draft picks that are already well developed and command tons of minutes early on.

---------- Post added April-25th-2013 at 04:42 PM ----------

Vesely probably is a loss cause. It's a shame. Because an athletic seven footer with a good motor and BBall IQ should be something that a good organization could have done something with.

NOBODY said anything about picking Faried 6th. That's some crap.

And why on Earth would you give Wittman the benefit of the doubt? He and his career .336 win percentage have earned that? He's an awful head coach. He's just not bright enough for the job.

So, we need to coddle him? Sorry, but things don't work that way unless you are a superstar in the league. If you're a rookie or a young player, you have to show you belong. Other players have accepted his challenges and also risen to the occasion. Vesely has had ample opportunities to prove himself, but somehow because he's a mental-midget, it's Wittman's fault? I'm not following. It was an awful pick that should have NEVER been made. The dude sucks.

I'm only judging Wittman for what he's done with the Wizards, and he has done a good job. I highly doubt you'll find anyone other than you who is in the Vesely camp on this one.

In dealing with Vesely, Wittman gets the benefit of the doubt 10x out of 10.

Regarding Faried/Leonard, I wasn't talking about media pundits....I should have clarified. NUMEROUS people on RealGM were singing Faried's praises before the draft and said they wouldn't mind if he was our guy.