The Official Washington Basketball Thread: Wizards, Mystics etc

[StillUnknown]

I'm proud of the effort given by all our young'urns yesterday. But 51 minutes from Javale is not an ideal situation. Doesn't he have serious asthma or something? How does Seraphin rack up 5 fouls in 8 minutes? Couldn't we have seen a little more of Ndiaye? Bizarre as it is to say, I think we missed Hilton Armstrong that game.

For what its worth, I don't remember him running out of gas last night. He had a few mistakes you could nitpick at, but I don't think they were energy related.

I'm more concerned about McGee's contract extension. I was reading Nate McMillian's quotes about McGee post game and he was just gushing about how awesome McGee is. I wonder how many other coaches/GM's feel that way and what his market value will be set at. I could really see him getting close to 10 million which is one of the reasons I'm open to trading him.

The big man tax will probably get him double what he's actually worth. Some GM or coach will see the size and athleticism and talk themselves into a bad contract

Edited March 24, 2011 by StillUnknown

[pjfootballer]

It's just our luck that we stink in a year where the draft is the weakest its been in years.

Kwame Brown Part II.

[Going Commando]

I'd only bring NY back if he understood he wasn't going to be handed the starting job and might have to settle for coming off the bench. I really like Crawford and his potential and I want him to be my long term starter. I'm a little afraid of tossing Young back into that mix and stunting Crawford's minutes or his development alongside John Wall.

If Young can accept being a role player rather than a go to guy, then I would bring him back and I don't think 5-7 million per year for a top level 6th man is bad at all. Jason Terry makes about 10 million per year and Young could have a similar potential scoring impact. Ben Gordon also makes about 10 million per year (although his contract is less deserved). Unlike Terry and Gordon, Young can get on the floor at the 3 as well. So even if it's 7 million, that's still a bargain (although the new cap situation might change that statement).

Luckily for us (or unluckily if you look at it a different way), the only max deal we're probably ever going to have to give to keep our players is Wall's eventual extension. By then, we'll have hopefully moved Blatche and Rashard's contract will be off the books. Hopefully, modest extensions for Crawford, Booker, Seraphin, and McGee will probably be in order in the next couple of years. Finally, I'm hoping that we'll be thinking about an extension for this upcoming lottery pick in four year's time. So thinking long term for like four years or so, that team is probably pretty good and has a very affordable core to the roster that should leave us enough room to keep our own--Young deal included. We really did ourselves some favors by moving Arenas and Hinrich (astonishingly good deals when you think about them now). Move Blatche and we'll be golden on cap space for when our window is set to begin.

I think Young is an asset if he doesn't get an ego about his place on the team. Like Vishal said, he's the third peg in a pretty good guard rotation--lets us defend lots of different situations and put offensive mismatches on the floor to handle lots of different teams. Young gives us something we otherwise entirely lack when we have to play 2s like Wade and Kobe.

The problem with Blatche's extension is that he knew he'd keep his starting job no matter what he did. I think he's selfish and he stopped putting in any work and lost his hunger for anything other than late night donuts. If Young can avoid that mentality and be a team first, competitive guy, then matching Blatche's numbers shouldn't be an issue. It'd be extremely hard to find an outsider to replace Young's production at that kind of price.

[StillUnknown]

Kwame Brown Part II.

Gasol was in that draft as well

there will be some good talent in this draft as well, we just have to pick the right one

[pjfootballer]

LOL I feel fortunate to have witnessed Redskins, Bullets, and Orioles championships in my lifetime

I have also, but I was under 25 years old when they happened. I'm 43.

---------- Post added March-24th-2011 at 11:58 AM ----------

I wish I remembered the championship, but my earliest memories are of guys like the second set that you mentioned from the early 80's. Gus Williams, Jeff Ruland, Tom McMillen. Man, I loved Jeff Malone. What a great shooter. He hit what is probably my favorite shot of all time:

Wow, I forgot about Ruland and Mahorn. The original Bash Brothers before McGuire and Canseco.

---------- Post added March-24th-2011 at 12:01 PM ----------

Gasol was in that draft as well

there will be some good talent in this draft as well, we just have to pick the right one

There was good talent in that draft, just not a Shaq, Ewing, Olajuwan, James type player. I think Shane Battier was considered the best all around guy. Nobody knew Gasol would be as good as he is, but he didn't play this well until he went to the Lakers. I think there is some good talent in this draft, just nothing to go "wow, he'll turn our fortunes around" type player

Edited March 24, 2011 by pjfootballer

[Going Commando]

Gasol was in that draft as well

there will be some good talent in this draft as well, we just have to pick the right one

That's my thinking. We'll need some luck to have the right players fall to us if we pick outside the top 3 (or top 2 if Irving isn't one of those players taken). I like (in order):

- Sullinger

- Barnes

- Terrence Jones

I'd add Kanter to the list too if we get some better information about the status of his knees. I think any one of those players can be extremely valuable for us. I'd also like Perry Jones if I was a little more confident in our ability to develop extremely raw, low IQ bigs but that's not the case.

This is a decent draft class if you're picking the top four or five picks. Beyond that, it pretty much sucks. Worst of the decade though? I'd be surprised if any draft class was worse than 2006. LaMarcus Aldridge's slow but eventual development is the only thing keeping that class from looking like utter crap. Who's the second best player from that class, Brandon Roy? Rudy Gay? Bargnani was a pretty weak first overall pick and the rest of your top five was rounded out by such gems as Adam Morrison, Tyrus Thomas, and Shelden Williams. J.J. Redick and Hilton Armstrong were lottery picks.

2007 is also a surprisingly ****ty draft class if you remove Horford and Durant. Basically two or three teams got really good players from that lottery. Noah has also been good, but everyone else ranges from meh to bust. I think more than that will come from this year's bunch... barely. But I also think (and pray) we'll be drafting high enough to get one of those few good players.

Edited March 24, 2011 by stevemcqueen1

[StillUnknown]

There was good talent in that draft, just not a Shaq, Ewing, Olajuwan, James type player. I think Shane Battier was considered the best all around guy. Nobody knew Gasol would be as good as he is, but he didn't play this well until he went to the Lakers. I think there is some good talent in this draft, just nothing to go "wow, he'll turn our fortunes around" type player

we're fortunate that we already have the "wow, he'll turn our fortunes around" kind of player in Wall. Now the focus is finding his running mate. The Thunder got their franchise player in Durant, then backed him up with Westbrook (who was considered a reach when they drafted him, good scouting on their part)

we don't necessarily need another "franchise" player from this draft (of course it would be great if the player we select turns into such), we just need to find Wall his running mate for the next few years.

my hopes for this draft are (in order):

Sullinger

Barnes

Kanter (Kanter is #2, if he checks out medically)

Edited March 24, 2011 by StillUnknown

[Going Commando]

I think Kanter and Sullinger give us the most potential value as replacements for Blatche. We don't already have the kind of rebounding and low post offense they'd bring. At his absolute best case scenario, Sullinger is a Kevin Love. Worst case? Al Jefferson? That wouldn't be bad at all.

Barnes has been something else the past few weeks and he's started to unleash his full offensive arsenal. I love how smart the kid is, he's a natural winner and limits his mistakes. He could be a true #2 scoring option on a great team (I'm assuming Crawford/Young would be our first) and a superb outlet for Wall's playmaking abilities. I really hope he comes out early.

If he doesn't though, how sick will UNC's team be next season. Especially if Tyler Zeller goes back. Kendall Marshall + Zeller + Barnes + James McAdoo would be unstoppable. Unless Kyrie Irving goes back for his sophomore season. Irving and Austin Rivers would be a disgusting backcourt.

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

The big man tax will probably get him double what he's actually worth. Some GM or coach will see the size and athleticism and talk themselves into a bad contract

The Jim McIlvaine Tax

There was good talent in that draft, just not a Shaq, Ewing, Olajuwan, James type player. I think Shane Battier was considered the best all around guy. Nobody knew Gasol would be as good as he is, but he didn't play this well until he went to the Lakers. I think there is some good talent in this draft, just nothing to go "wow, he'll turn our fortunes around" type player

The thing with Gasol too was that foreign players were still considered iffy at best at that point. Dirk had just started blowing up and before that the top international guys were the Schrempfs, Smits, Sabonis, Petrovics and Kukocs. Solid to very good players but not really franchise guys (though Petrovic might have become that if he hadn't of died and I think Sabonis would've been a top ten center of all time if he had gotten here before he lost his knees.) The Euro's especially were still considered soft too. I always heard that Jordan took Kwame over Gasol because he ****ing hated Kukoc.

Oh and my hesitation with NY isn't about the money really. It's about giving another long term deal to a guy who didn't really show up until he got into his contract year. But, as I've said before, I really don't get the same vibe from NY that I ALWAYS got from Blatche.

[BRAVEONAWARPATH]

Gasol was in that draft as well

there will be some good talent in this draft as well, we just have to pick the right one

Richard Jefferson, Jason Richardson, Tony Parker and Gilbert Arenas were also in that draft.

Edited March 24, 2011 by BRAVEONAWARPATH

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

Richard Jefferson, Jason Richardson, Tony Parker and Gilbert Arenas were also in that draft.

Parker was another Euro. And if the best a draft has to offer is Richardson and Jefferson then eh. Gilbert just came out too early to get an accurate read on him.

[BRAVEONAWARPATH]

Oh and my hesitation with NY isn't about the money really. It's about giving another long term deal to a guy who didn't really show up until he got into his contract year.

Personally, I don't think of NY as someone who is just playing well in a contract year. I think of him as a young guy who is finally getting consistent minutes. :2cents:

Edited March 24, 2011 by BRAVEONAWARPATH

[No Excuses]

I think this upcoming draft will be fine enough for us to land a promising front court player. None of the guys are really franchise changes but all of them have a skill set this team badly needs.

Ultimately, the move that puts this team over the top will have to come through trade or FA, as is the case for most championship teams. The model of drafting a whole lot of young players and letting them grow together to the point they become championship caliber isn't possible in the NBA. Even Ted has admitted to this.

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

Personally, I don't think of NY as someone who is just playing well in a contract year. I think of him as a young guy who is finally getting consistent minutes. :2cents:

I definitely can see that. And if Blatche never happened I'd probably not feel any anxiety over the issue.

[BRAVEONAWARPATH]

Parker was another Euro. And if the best a draft has to offer is Richardson and Jefferson then eh. Gilbert just came out too early to get an accurate read on him.

Personally, I think this draft is going to be just like 2001.

I (and many scouts agree) think that Sullinger is going to be solid/good but not great.

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

One of the top Euro's will be the best player to come out of this draft. But I don't think anyone has an idea which one it'll be and the other's will probably bust.

[BRAVEONAWARPATH]

One of the top Euro's will be the best player to come out of this draft. But I don't think anyone has an idea which one it'll be and the other's will probably bust.

Let's pray that EG hits a home run.

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

Safe pick with a Sullinger or a high risk/high reward pick like a Kanter?

[Going Commando]

Personally, I think this draft is going to be just like 2001.

I (and many scouts agree) think that Sullinger is going to be solid/good but not great.

Everyone felt the same way about Kevin Love though. They are slightly different players, but they've got a similar mental makeup. I like how Sullinger always wins. He's not the most exciting player on the court, but the dude always comes through and his teams have never been bad before.

Kevin Love was a better passer coming out of college. He was also probably a better long range shooter (although I can't remember for sure if Love had quality 3 point range in college). But I think Sullinger is physically stronger and longer-armed than Love and I have a hard time believing Love was as polished in the post as Sullinger is at a similar age.

I never expected Love to be special but he's a key cog to build a really good team around. That what Sullinger is for me. Plus he's a good element to add to the locker room--especially when we sign DeMarcus Cousins in four years .

What do you all think about Kawhi Leonard? I wish I could get a chance to watch him today but I don't know if it's in the cards. I basically haven't seen anything of him so far. The game starts at 7:15 on CBS if anyone is interested. I'd be glad to hear other people's impressions of him.

---------- Post added March-24th-2011 at 01:17 PM ----------

One of the top Euro's will be the best player to come out of this draft. But I don't think anyone has an idea which one it'll be and the other's will probably bust.

Yeah some of the Euros are good but all of them have a finesse label attached. If its going to be anyone, it'll be that kid who is only 18, Valanciunas or whatever his name is.

I like Kanter the best as far as the foreign players go. I don't know what his situation is like in Turkey or if it's as competitive as the Euroleagues are. But he's got a skillset that definitely works in the NBA. Maybe he won't be a star, but if he stays healthy and can adjust to America, I doubt he'll have many problems being a very productive starter.

I think the best player in the class will be Kyrie Irving when all is said and done. He's a good pure PG without serious weaknesses and those guys have really thrived in the NBA the past several years. In three years or so they'll be comparing him to Chris Paul.

---------- Post added March-24th-2011 at 01:21 PM ----------

Safe pick with a Sullinger or a high risk/high reward pick like a Kanter?

Sullinger over Kanter for me. Best case scenario for each, who do you prefer: Kevin Love (Sullinger) or Al Horford (Kanter)? I'd be happy with either. So the ceilings aren't that different but if a health label gets attached to Kanter, the floors definitely are.

---------- Post added March-24th-2011 at 01:24 PM ----------

Although... Kanter does give you minutes at center whereas I'd be worried about that kind of a situation for Sullinger. They're both 1992 birthdays so they've each still got an assload of upside left.

I wish we could get them both. I really hope we can make a move for another lottery pick like Cleveland did.

Edited March 24, 2011 by stevemcqueen1

[BRAVEONAWARPATH]

What do you all think about Kawhi Leonard? I wish I could get a chance to watch him today but I don't know if it's in the cards. I basically haven't seen anything of him so far. The game starts at 7:15 on CBS if anyone is interested. I'd be glad to hear other people's impressions of him.

I'm a big Leonard fan. He's about 6-7 and very athletic. He can get to basket and has a decent midrange jump shout.

He might be a someone to look at with our second 1st rd pick.

[Warhead36]

I don't know about Barnes, he seems like the type that will never really live up to all that talent.

[DCchillin89]

My draft:

1; Derrick Williams (don't know why anyone hasn't mentioned him yet. Dude is a STUD) Sullenger/Barnes/Jones

2. Either Morris Twin/ Preferably Marcus. (Ernie did quite well to get this pick)

I'd be a happpy man

---------- Post added March-25th-2011 at 09:22 AM ----------

I dunno if you guys have insider:

Here is the who should each rookie study:

John Wall: Chris Paul

Wall has physical gifts that Paul could only dream of -- he's faster, taller and longer. Imagine Paul, the world's best point guard, in Wall's body. Frightening. Which is why the Wizards rook needs to study Paul, who is the master of the "slow is better" dribble game.

Nobody reads the game like Paul, who goes fast only when the moment calls for it, as opposed to Wall, who plays at the same supersonic speed most of the game, which gets him into trouble frequently. Wall has "world's best point guard" talent, but he'll need to play a lot more like CP3 to get there.

Jordan Crawford: Jason Terry

Crawford has been unleashed in Washington and is proving to be a scorer we should follow. I don't expect him to be the team's long-term answer as the starting 2, but a sixth-man role with the green light to score is a good bet.

He also has some passing talent, although he doesn't often employ it. Over time, he'll have to, and that's where Terry fits in. The 2008-09 Sixth Man of the Year balances the act of scoring, passing and leading off the bench better than anyone else, and everyone likes playing with him. Even when he has to shoot a lot, his teammates know he's making the best reads available. He's a very cerebral player who handles the ball extremely well.

Crawford is longer than Terry and should be tough to guard off the dribble, but knowing who and when to attack is key

If Crawford can be our sixth man Terry-esque scorer, Nick Young is expendable and Ernie looks a lot smarter for getting him and a pick.

I'm really starting to like the direction of this team: Wall, Crawford, Seraphim, Booker, Two first rounders this year.

[JustAfan47]

Living in AZ I've seen plenty of U of A games. Dude is a baller and with lastnights win over duke!!. Man it would be so sweet if he were to become a Wiz!!!!.

[TGI Jef]

i dont want to overreact to a single game, but John Wall + Derrick Williams on the high pick and roll would be about as devestating as any set in the nba.

Williams can hit the 20 footer and dunk on anyone in the world not named Dwight Howard or Blake Griffin, and Wall can turn the corner and get to the basket against anyone.

IF the Wizards somehow snagged Williams and IF John Wall can make the Rose/Westbrook leap in the nex 1-2 years, they could be on track in a serious, serious way.

[Warhead36]

Williams might have secured the #1 overall pick status though after last night, I doubt we'll be lucky enough to win the lottery two years in a row.