The Official Washington Basketball Thread: Wizards, Mystics etc

[No Excuses]

There is no way you max Otto. Just flat out no.

[BatteredFanSyndrome]

The thing about Otto is he's not going to sell tickets, thus I can't see some lowly team breaking the bank and making him a max player.  I'm sure he's going to get paid, but nothing about his second half and postseason says Max player.

[TradeTheBeal!]

Yeah, the market will set the price for Otto and it's highly unlikely that means a max deal.

[justice98]

The bench was good for about 10-15 games, then it went back to being trash.  
The bench got outscored 48-5.  Hell, the bench only took 5 shots the whole game.  Had more fouls than points.  Brooks knew they stunk, so he barely played them.
   
Celtics averaged 119 a game in regulation at home in the series.  Can't win if you can't stop anybody.  Non-competitive defense. 
 

[justice98]

12 minutes ago, TryTheBeal! said:

Yeah, the market will set the price for Otto and it's highly unlikely that means a max deal.

 

I don't know, if Harrison Barnes and Chandler Parsons got one, Otto had a better year than either of them when they hit free agency.  It only takes one sucker.

 

And it's monopoly money now.  There's plenty of it and they're gonna spend it on somebody.

Edited May 16, 2017 by justice98

[justice98]

9 hours ago, stevemcqueen1 said:

 

Gortat has been trash since the AS break.  He's done as a starting caliber center.  He should be getting like 22 minutes a night.  Mahinmi was supposed to pick up the slack but he was a bust.

 

I tried to tell people back when he was out with injury early in the year to not get their hopes up.  

[BatteredFanSyndrome]

12 minutes ago, justice98 said:

 

I don't know, if Harrison Barnes and Chandler Parsons got one, Otto had a better year than either of them when they hit free agency.  It only takes one sucker.

 

And it's monopoly money now.  There's plenty of it and they're gonna spend it on somebody.

Perhaps that will help provide some caution, but maybe you're right.

 

If the choice boils down to maxing Otto or loading up on reserves, we must wave goodbye.

[TradeTheBeal!]

I'm still kinda shocked that Oubre didn't log a single minute last night.  Seems odd...

[BatteredFanSyndrome]

6 minutes ago, TryTheBeal! said:

I'm still kinda shocked that Oubre didn't log a single minute last night.  Seems odd...

Brooks was asked about this and didn't answer the question, simply stating that Oubre was a young kid, that works hard, etc. without ever saying why he didn't play.  Odd response to say the least, definitely felt like something else was in play.

[Going Commando]

Guys, there is no "loading up on bench players" by letting Otto walk.  Again, letting Otto walk only clears up 10 million in cap space, which is about a million more than the MLE.  You'd be giving yourself a million dollars in extra spending money by doing it.  Letting Otto walk gains you nothing, loses a significant asset, and makes the starting five significantly worse.  Extending Otto is a no brainer.  We should see if he'll take an annual discount in order to get a five year deal (which only we can offer), but ultimately, we'll be fine just matching whatever offer he gets.

 

And also, this is the NBA.  You never, ever, EVER, EVER let a good starter go for the purposes of acquiring bench players.

[justice98]

29 minutes ago, BatteredFanSyndrome said:

Perhaps that will help provide some caution, but maybe you're right.

 

If the choice boils down to maxing Otto or loading up on reserves, we must wave goodbye.

 

I would agree with that.  Sub out Otto and Bogs for a couple cheap and competent guys off the bench.  Burke is outta there too.

 

Maybe Muhammad on the offensive end, somebody like Sefolosha on the defensive end, maybe Collison would be willing to be the backup PG for cheap.  Just throwing out random names off the top of my head without thinking it though, none of them may work for various reasons.

Edited May 16, 2017 by justice98

[TradeTheBeal!]

Yeah, No chance we let Otto walk.  He's a perfect fit for what we do and his game is still improving.  I could envision him as part of a big trade for the right piece, though.  

 

Hint....Boogie...hint

[Going Commando]

A couple of other points on Otto, without even considering the cap implications:

 

- Otto is 23 and has made a significant leap each year.  He probably will continue to do so for two or three more.

 

- Otto fits perfectly in playing style and temperament in a Wall/Beal construction.  There are probably only about five SFs in the NBA who would be better options for us than him.

 

- Otto is a good player who could add value to any team in the league.  He'll be a valuable trade asset down the road should a superstar (Paul George, DeMarcus Cousins) become available.  Realistically, he's who you would have to structure the deal around.

 

- Otto was a 9 win share player this season.  Letting that go to pinch pennies is exactly how you lose John Wall to San Antonio or New Orleans in 2019.

 

Again, extending Otto is a 100% no brainer.  There is not even a debate to be had here.  It must and will happen.

[Bozo the kKklown]

50 minutes ago, justice98 said:

 

I don't know, if Harrison Barnes and Chandler Parsons got one, Otto had a better year than either of them when they hit free agency.  It only takes one sucker.

 

And it's monopoly money now.  There's plenty of it and they're gonna spend it on somebody.

there isnt as much cap space this year versus last year.

 

Otto could very well get a max contract, but last year it was 100%

[Renegade7]

If Otto asks for Max, I'd rather go after Gordon Hayward once he opts out.

[Popeman38]

2 minutes ago, Renegade7 said:

If Otto asks for Max, I'd rather go after Gordon Hayward once he opts out.

Gordon Hayward falls into the same category as Paul George for me - they want the ball in their hands.  Wall and Beal will dominate the ball.  We need a dominant PF who plays off the guards we have. 

[RonArtest15]

All in all, Grunfeld HAS to be fired.  The roster construction (outside of the starters) is on him.  Having a sub-par bench would have been the difference between winning and losing last night.  Yes, sub-par.  That's how low the bar is for the bench he put together.  Inexplicable to only have 5 points total from the bench unit.  That Bojan trade looks worse and worse as the days go on. 

 

Not sure where we go from here....but there need to be some changes made. 

 

*edit*

 

What's also going to stink is that we're at the point where I don't know if we'll ever get past Cleveland or Boston.  Reason I say Boston is that they will probably package that #1 overall pick for Paul George.  Wizards need something...like Boogie. 

Edited May 16, 2017 by RonArtest15

[BatteredFanSyndrome]

27 minutes ago, stevemcqueen1 said:

Guys, there is no "loading up on bench players" by letting Otto walk.  

Not to mention there is not a plethora of role players at our disposal in free agency nor do I trust Ernie to make those calls.

 

It's just hard to wrap my head around locking up that kind of money on Otto.  You clearly know more about the NBA salary cap than I so I will certainly defer to you.  It would just seem to me that even while Otto is on an upward trajectory, it could hamper our ability to make another step roster wise.

[RonArtest15]

If you let Otto walk, who fills that role?  Oubre, for as high as his upside is, is nowhere close to being ready to fill that void.  Also, there won't be money to throw around at another player who can give you Otto's shooting % #'s and give you 13/7.  He's a polarizing talent, but he's going to get his max from us.  All that being said, that doesn't mean he can't be traded before the contract expires. 

 

Speaking of trades...Gortat?  Yup. 

[BRAVEONAWARPATH]

TROY WEAVER. NOW.

 

Make it so Ted. 

[Mooka]

#1 priority is finding a backup PG.   Or at least only thing we can realistically do besides re-sign Otto. 

 

Never replaced Sessions, but also never thought we'd be in a playoff run this season where a vet. point guard is so important. Burke was a bust and Jennings was a desperate move that obviously didn't work. 

 

 

That Mahinmi contract is looking worse and worse now with Gortat falling off. 

 

Edited May 16, 2017 by Mooka

[TradeTheBeal!]

7 minutes ago, Mooka said:

#1 priority is finding a backup PG.   Or at least only thing we can realistically do besides re-sign Otto. 

 

Never replaced Sessions, but also never thought we'd be in a playoff run this season where a vet. point guard is so important. Burke was a bust and Jennings was a desperate move that obviously didn't work. 

 

 

That Mahinmi contract is looking worse and worse now with Gortat falling off. 

 

 

Meh, the cap is projected to go up $15 million between now and the end of Mahinmi's deal.  It's hardly a poison pill.

 

Backup PG is a major priority, tho.  Maybe Tomas is ready to make that leap?

[Mooka]

Just now, TryTheBeal! said:

 

Meh, the cap is projected to go up $15 million between now and the end of Mahinmi's deal.  It's hardly a poison pill.

 

Good to know. That was such a head scratcher last year when our only move was to sign.... Ian Mahinmi....

 

I wonder how much we'll need to rely on Mahimi next season. 

[TradeTheBeal!]

3 minutes ago, Mooka said:

 

Good to know. That was such a head scratcher last year when our only move was to sign.... Ian Mahinmi....

 

I wonder how much we'll need to rely on Mahimi next season. 

 

Ideally, I'd think about 15-20 minutes a game.  

Edited May 16, 2017 by TryTheBeal!

[bearrock]

If Ted is willing to go over the luxury tax during Wall and Beal's prime, resigning Otto, even at max, is a no brainer.  If he is not, then signing Otto locks us in.  Then we have to rely on Otto leap plus good drafting.  Without a very good GM and coach, there is a very real risk that Wall, Beal, Otto becomes Hibachi and Co. 2.0.; very good,  but not good enough.