The Official Washington Basketball Thread: Wizards, Mystics etc

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

Booker averaged 16 and 9.7 his junior year. In a surperior conference. I'm not saying they're the exactt same, but they bring the same things. Energy and hustle. They're the same size, Booker is just as fast, they said they're moving him to the 3. If you think Leonard has a refined offensive game in anyway, I can't help you. Booker has a better shot.

Leonard is a waste of a high pick. Period.

[Thinking Skins]

So if we don't take Leonard then either we take a slow 3 and accept that they can't defend some guys, an undersized 4 and hope they're willing to put on muscle, or we take a center who's the same size as Josh Smith and hope he hits a growth spur. Sounds like an exciting set of choices we've got.

[StillUnknown]

Booker averaged 16 and 9.7 his junior year. In a surperior conference. I'm not saying they're the exactt same, but they bring the same things. Energy and hustle. They're the same size, Booker is just as fast, they said they're moving him to the 3. If you think Leonard has a refined offensive game in anyway, I can't help you. Booker has a better shot.

Leonard is a waste of a high pick. Period.

I don't think Book has Leonard's lateral quickness

i'm still on the fence about Leonard because I'd rather wait until next years draft to lockdown the 3 spot

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

If we get 3 I'd rather get someone has a a nice offensive skillset to build upon or can even already score. Seriously, who's a scorer on this team? Javale can't do it, who knows what happens with Blatche, will NY resign, Crawford is nice but his efficiency is still in its rookie stages plus he's a combo guard, Wall is a pass-first PG (and we want him to stay like that), etc. I guess go through Rashard Lewis?

Everyone is so stuck on getting a defender, who the hell is gonna score? This dude is Javale McGee offensively minus six inches and the horrible decision making. He can't create his own shot, he can't shoot and a drop step isn't a "post game".

Does anyone know where I can watch entire games of past college seasons? Like I say I wanted to watch Leonard's best and worst game (statistically) from last year, is there a site for that?

---------- Post added May-20th-2011 at 04:01 AM ----------

I don't think Book has Leonard's lateral quickness

i'm still on the fence about Leonard because I'd rather wait until next years draft to lockdown the 3 spot

He brings the same thing.

You know what, I can almost guarantee they don't go Leonard.

Edited May 20, 2011 by G.A.C.O.L.B.

[Thinking Skins]

Everyone is so stuck on getting a defender, who the hell is gonna score? This dude is Javale McGee offensively minus six inches and the horrible decision making. He can't create his own shot, he can't shoot and a drop step isn't a "post game".

One thing I read about Leonard that I don't read about McGee is his basketball IQ. Leonard's is supposedly pretty high. Leonard can grab boards and has done so consistently throughout college. The other thing is that even if he does have the same skill set that Booker has, its kinda like someone said about Seraphin being a similar player to Biyambo. Is Seraphin that good that we would ignore another player who could help this team in that same position? I'd ask the same about Booker. I feel like Leonard has a much higher ceiling than Booker and much more potential to improve his shot selection.

From what I remember, wasn't Booker playing the 4 last year anyway?

[Going Commando]

Booker averaged 16 and 9.7 his junior year. In a surperior conference. I'm not saying they're the exactt same, but they bring the same things. Energy and hustle. They're the same size, Booker is just as fast, they said they're moving him to the 3. If you think Leonard has a refined offensive game in anyway, I can't help you. Booker has a better shot.

Leonard is a waste of a high pick. Period.

I agree here. I think people here are really overrating Leonard's speed when I didn't think he looked that quick from the highlights I watched and I see it consistently mentioned as a negative. There is no way I want him guarding a 1 or 2, let's be realistic here. He can defend the forward positions because he has really long arms and good leaping ability but big 4s are still going to get their shots off against him. He's not anywhere near as explosive a defender as Chris Singleton, so if that's what we want, why not target Singleton a bit later instead?

IMO we should take Bismack if the choice is between the two. He's a lot faster than Leonard and he's longer and bigger with higher potential as a front court defender/rebounder/shot blocker. Bismack also has rare intangibles and has just as much motor as Leonard does. We're basically talking about two of the same type of players here, why not take the guy who's 6'9 over the guy who's 6'7?

Leonard isn't bad, but I like Vesely a lot more at the 3 than Leonard. He may not be a stopper but he has loads more potential than Leonard and was being talked about as a potential top 5 pick last year when the class was actually decent.

---------- Post added May-20th-2011 at 10:52 AM ----------

I don't think Book has Leonard's lateral quickness

i'm still on the fence about Leonard because I'd rather wait until next years draft to lockdown the 3 spot

Chad Ford specifically lists Leonard's lateral quickness as a weakness. I think GACOLB is right that Booker is just as fast.

---------- Post added May-20th-2011 at 11:10 AM ----------

He brings the same thing.

You know what, I can almost guarantee they don't go Leonard.

You raise some excellent points. Scoring is more important from your 3 than defense. Defensive stoppers are backups most of the time, and guys you get a bit later in the draft (Luc Richard Mbah-a-Moute). We do need scoring, but I'm not sure we can get it at 6. Our only bet is Kanter or Vesely really and Kanter probably won't be there at 6. This is going to be a position we're much better off filling in 2012 when guys like Quincy Miller and Michael Gilchrist might be available.

I agree we're probably not seriously considering Leonard at 6 because of the presence of Booker. But I also think that same line of reasoning can be used for arguing against Bismack due to the presence of Seraphin. Seraphin is raw as hell but is Bismack really that much of an upgrade? Maybe, but we were pretty high on Seraphin last year.

If I were a betting man I would bet on us either moving up to draft Kanter or drafting Vesely. I don't really think Valanciunas is in play because of his age and his contract status. Montiejunas might be in play but he seems like a reach at 6.

If worse comes to worst and both Kanter and Vesely/Bismack are gone by 6, we should probably just trade down and pick a bunch of backups and upside types like Chris Singleton, Marshon Brooks, and Klay Thompson.

---------- Post added May-20th-2011 at 11:21 AM ----------

Moving up for Kanter is the best move for us IMO but I think it's unquestionably the riskiest.

The other top international players all played on Euroleague teams and most produced. Bismack played in the best league in Europe and lit it up on a per minute basis. He's a safer pick than Kanter because you know, whatever else, he can come in and play defense day 1. Vesely has put up pretty good numbers for a 19 and 20 year old two years in a row on one of the best teams in Europe. Montiejunas has produced pretty well and Valanciunas looks like he might have started to break out in Europe. Bojan Bogdanovic has been one of the best players in his league despite playing on a bad team and he's only 21.

Kanter's body of work pretty much consists of the under 18 basketball tournaments and the Nike Hoops Summit. He's only got four Euroleague games on his resume. He was supposed to get a lot more basketball in this year with Kentucky but obviously that didn't work out.

Plus there are still those rumors about his knees (although nobody has mentioned them recently).

The NCAA's loss is our gain though. I have a suspicion if Kanter had played at Kentucky this year he'd be a lock for the #1 overall pick in this class.

And teams have drafted high school players very high in the past with about the same resume as Kanter so you can't focus too much on it.

Kanter is the swing for the fences pick IMO. This is a weak class where the upside for settling on a safe pick is very low all things considered. Really, why the hell not go for it with Kanter? Is missing out on a guy who will likely be a backup a good reason not to?

Put me in the camp as wanting to move up for Kanter. Doing so is good for us on so many levels, not the least of which is we can finally feel free to move Blatche should the right offer come along.

Edited May 20, 2011 by stevemcqueen1

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

They've been showing the NBA Draft Combine on NBATV if anyone is interested. You can't tell too much from the drills imo, but the conversations between the analysts are great.

[RonArtest15]

Kanter stood up the Jazz, Raptors, and Bucks for interviews...

dude is trying his hardest to end up a Wizard LOL

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

Kanter was just doing 2-2 drills. They were saying that he's killing it in interviews, that he's boosting his stock by working out, highly skilled offensively, BUT "he's getting victimized defensively." He also measured out as the third tallest player at the combine, 3/4 of an inch under 7 feet.

Lol, Kawhi Leonard (who pussied out of work outs) strengths: athlete and length, weakness: shooting. Damn they're killing Leonard on his measurables (vertical, bench, etc). Dude tried to argue that Durant sucked too but the other guy dismissed it: "with all due respect to Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant was the absolute best player in college basketball at 18."

---------- Post added May-20th-2011 at 03:17 PM ----------

Just had a discussion about the fastest player in the NBA: "with the ball, John Wall."

I'm not sure people realize yet how big Wall is going to be on getting other players here. EVERYONE wants to play with a great PG.

---------- Post added May-20th-2011 at 03:29 PM ----------

Man, I love Tyler Honeycutt and his skills but his weight is ridiculous. 187. That's how much I weigh. And I'm 6+ inches shorter. I still think his upside is huge. Especially as a scorer.

Btw, Kyrie Irving is a *****. John Wall went to the combine last year and absolutelyy killed it. Remember that article where he said that he was disappointed in one of the drills and he decided to put on a show? That's what champions do. Irving on the other hand skipped all of it. I think that says that he's not confident in his abilities and isn't competitive. Shocker Lebron is his mentor.

Jeremy Tyler is looking real good. 7'5" wingspan and 9' standing reach, 262 lbs and athletic as hell. They're saying that had he gone to college he would be a potential lottery pick. I don't think he's an option for us though. Javale-lite. But maybe you take a shot at him in the 2nd round and let him spend a couple of years in the D League.

Edited May 20, 2011 by G.A.C.O.L.B.

[StillUnknown]

Kanter stood up the Jazz, Raptors, and Bucks for interviews...

dude is trying his hardest to end up a Wizard LOL

dude is becoming a favorite of mine

get it done Ernie

Edited May 20, 2011 by StillUnknown

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

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNNgJsDrA34

---------- Post added May-20th-2011 at 03:42 PM ----------

There's also a trade rumor floating around between the T Wolves and Pacers involving the #2 pick, Beasley, Rubio and Danny Granger.

[Dukes and Skins]

Very good interview from Kanter there just shows you the kind of guy that he is would love to see him here

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

They were just hypiing Vesely. I'm with BOAW, if Kanter isn't an option I'm in the Vesely camp. "Vesely is a freak athlete. Tom Chambers type athlete. If he played in the NCAA he'd be the talk of college basketball. He played at a higher level in the Euro League. Etc etc etc."

---------- Post added May-20th-2011 at 04:18 PM ----------

Kanter is so big. Thick. He stands out from everyone else.

[No Excuses]

I don't know anything about any of these guys, but if reports on Leonard not being a good shooter are true, then why draft him? This team will have horrible floor spacing with Wall, Leonard, Blatche and McGee starting.

The only consistent outside shooters on this team are Young and Lewis. Everyone else chucks bricks from 15 feet and out. This includes Crawford as well who needs to drastically improve his outside game to improve efficiency.

Edited May 20, 2011 by No Excuses

[Skin'emAlive]

I don't know anything about any of these guys, but if reports on Leonard not being a good shooter are true, then why draft him? This team will have horrible floor spacing with Wall, Leonard, Blatche and McGee starting.

The only consistent outside shooters on this team are Young and Lewis. Everyone else chucks bricks from 15 feet and out. This includes Crawford as well who needs to drastically improve his outside game to improve efficiency.

I agree with this completely. We need a PF who can put up some numbers, or a spot up shooter who isnt afraid to pass the ball if the shot isnt there. I anticipate Crawford will only get better form here on out. The sky is the limit for this kid.

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

Tyler Honeycutt is the answer at 18. If his handles were better he'd be a point forward. He has that kind of passing ability. I'm not saying he's a lock but I think his potential is worth taking a chance on at 18.

Btw, the blogs and message boards are filled with talk of Kanter being absolutely determined to come to Washington and Calipari has him wanting John Wall or bust.

[Destino]

I agree with this completely. We need a PF who can put up some numbers' date=' or a spot up shooter who isnt afraid to pass the ball if the shot isnt there. I anticipate Crawford will only get better form here on out. The sky is the limit for this kid.[/quote']

We NEED:

- NBA caliber backup Power Forward.

- NBA caliber backup Center

- NBA caliber backup Wing (that can play the 2 or 3)

- NBA caliber starting shooting guard.

We'd like:

- An upgrade at power forward. (Blatche off the bench would be fantastic)

- An upgrade at Center. (McGee off the bench would be good)

- A starting very good small forward in terms of scoring.

Currently my question for the wizards is who is going to score the points? Blatche is the best offensive player we know we have next year and people want him traded away. Lewis is injury prone and old. Booker is learning the 3 and hasn't proven himself a consistent scoring threat. McGee is a horribly unreliable offensive player. We have no signed shooting guard. Take a look at the conference finals: and notice how many great scoring threats you see and how many capable scoring threat compliment them starting and on the bench. Then look at the wizards roster.

What we have to find to become a team with playoff aspirations:

- PLAYERS THAT CAN SCORE THE DAMN BASKETBALL!!!!!

Remember when we were a playoff team? We went 4 seasons in a row 2004-2007. Let's look at scoring options:

2004: Arenas 25ppg Hughes 22ppg Jamison 19ppg

2005: Arenas 29 Jamison 20 Butler 17

2006: Arenas28 Jamison 19 Butler 19

2007: Arenas injured Jamison 21 Butler 20

Who is the scoring threat on the wizards?

Edited May 20, 2011 by Destino

[Thinking Skins]

Btw, the blogs and message boards are filled with talk of Kanter being absolutely determined to come to Washington and Calipari has him wanting John Wall or bust.

If this is the case, then I'd be in favor of trading up to get him over Leonard. This is such a weak draft class that I kinda want to play it safe with Leonard, but if we can get Kanter and if Kanter wants to come here then EG needs to make it happen.

[killerbee99]

watching the draft combine with Kanter in drills

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

watching the draft combine with Kanter in drills

Did you enjoy it? The production isn't as refined as the NFL Combine, but I enjoy listen to the analysts and some of the drills are interesting--particularly the 2-on-2 drills.

So Kyrie Irving vs John Wall

With shoes:

Irving - 6'3"

Wall - 6'4"

Body fat:

Irving - 11%

Wall - 5%

Wingspan (my fav):

Irving - 6'4"

Wall - 6'9.5"!

Sick. Wish I could compare things like 40 time but Irving is a ***** and skipped all that.

The most ridiculous thing though? Reggie Jackson PG out of BC, 6'3" with a 7-foot!! wingspan. That is absolutely absurd. Going just on measurables, I wouldn't mind getting him in the 2nd as a backup. But he's really just another tweener combo guard. And he has no shot. No thank you.

Lastly, have you all ever heard that the bigger the hands the worse the shooter? I vaugely remember hearing that in the past but nott too much. I was reading a piece on it yesterday. It's why Rondo can't shoot for ****.

P.S. If someone can find me Isiah Thomas' (the old one) wingspan measurement, I'll rock a sig of your choosing for two weeks. Can't find it to save my life.

[BRAVEONAWARPATH]

Not to change the subject but you guys do know that Calipari will be coaching the Wiz at some point?

---------- Post added May-22nd-2011 at 07:56 PM ----------

Overheard at the combine

Top rumors making the rounds at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago this week:

• Players whose stock seemed to be improving Friday included Kawhi Leonard of San Diego State, Trey Thompkins of Georgia, Malcolm Thomas of San Diego State, Chris Singleton of Florida State and Tobias Harris of Tennessee, who reportedly has a promise that he will be taken in the top 15 picks.

• The New York Knicks are showing a lot of interest in Duke guard Nolan Smith and have scheduled an interview. Smith is rooming with fellow Dukie Kyrie Irving here. Said Irving, "When I walk around with him, I was Nolan Smith's friend. He's a superstar on campus."

• At least one observer thought Enes Kanter's stock fell between Thursday's workouts and Friday's. Kanter was supposed to meet with the Toronto Raptors on Thursday night but didn't show. The Raptors, by the way, will meet with head coach Jay Triano next week about picking up the one-year option on his contract.

• The Milwaukee Bucks reportedly would be open to listening to offers for guard Brandon Jennings.

---------- Post added May-22nd-2011 at 07:59 PM ----------

Apparently, the Cavaliers like Jonas Valanciunas more than Enes Kanter.

[Destino]

Enes Kanter "stood up" Toronto, Milwaukee, Utah for interviews. Guess he won't interview with them at all.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Enes-Kanter-skips-out-on-three-pre-draft-intervi;_ylt=AqQHJKyz7ZuyPO4GMe727Hi8vLYF?urn=nba-wp3627

The man knows what he wants!

[Going Commando]

Kanter FTMFingW!

---------- Post added May-22nd-2011 at 08:23 PM ----------

Kanter's measurements:

Height w/o Shoes - 6' 9.75"

Height w/shoes - 6' 11.25"

Weight - 259

Wingspan - 7' 1.5"

Standing Reach - 9' 1.5"

Body Fat - 5.9!

From DraftExpress.com http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Enes-Kanter-5168/#ixzz1N87e3E6R

http://www.draftexpress.com

The height and weight are good. The body fat % is absurdly low, he's probably a better athlete than people realize. Points of comparison on body fat %:

DeMarcus Cousisn - 16.4%

Al Horford - 9.1%

Javale - 5.3%

Kanter is taller and 20 pounds heavier than Dwight Howard when he measured at the combine and I think he's only a year older than Dwight was.

---------- Post added May-22nd-2011 at 08:28 PM ----------

http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-pre-draft-measurements/?page=&year=All&source=All&sort2=DESC&draft=15&pos=5&sort=2

[Going Commando]

This isn't specifically Wizards related but Wilbon just posted an article about the construction flaws of the Bulls: http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/nba/columns/story?columnist=wilbon_michael&id=6577394

I think it's interesting because a lot of posters, myself included, have noted similarities in the construction of our roster with the Bulls. Basically, we're both teams with superstar caliber PGs and a whole bunch of defensive players (except for Blatche). Neither of us feature enough offensive threats, with our deficiency coming at the 3 and their deficiency at the 2.

Reading it makes you think twice about giving away Blatche without bringing in another 4 who can score.

Reading it also makes me think about how important Jordan Crawford is going to be. Read this passage:

Pippen said that day he understood completely the decision not to trade one of the young big men for a quick-fix scorer who might not be the answer, but there was still a reality the Bulls would have to confront: the offensive talent isn't there. Not yet. Of course, Pippen is dead-on; it's not even debatable. Against a defense as creative and as athletic as Miami's, the Bulls need another wing player who can create his own shot off the dribble. They need a player who can make a defense pay dearly for double-teaming Rose, a player who when he sees his teammate doubled begins to drool at the prospect of a 25-point night.

I think this playoffs have demonstrated that the best teams need more than one capable ball handler. I think Wilbon is right that there are too many quality perimeter defenses out there like Miami that can shut down a team whose offense is run entirely through a single point guard every play.

Versatility is King. You've got to have another guard who can handle the ball and get his own shots so you can crush a defense that decides to double Wall (Crawford is this). Wall has to develop his shot (which he will) so he can play off the ball occasionally or force the defense to play him tight and create space for the interior guys to work.

Basically, the best teams are the ones where both of your guards can do it all. Actually, I can't really think of any team with a backcourt like that, it must be pretty hard to achieve. Atlanta might be the only other one and that's only if Teague becomes a really good player.

We're lucky to have both Wall and Crawford. Another nice thing about Wall and Crawford is that we're not susceptible to some of the same vulnerabilities the Bulls are because Wall and Crawford are so much better passers than Rose and Bogans/Korver/Brewer. They pass comfortably out of double teams and facilitate their teammates better IMO.

[Dave25]

So the rumor out right now is that the T-Wolves are listening to offers for the 2nd pick. I say we trade up and give the 6th and 18th and maybe throw in a future 2nd round pick or something to sweeten the deal to pick Derrick Williams.

I know a lot of people are high on Kanter and I wouldn't mind trading up to the Jazz to get him either. I just think you have to get one of these guys anyone else I really don't think anyone else from this draft is really going to help all that much going forward.

Edited May 23, 2011 by Dave25