The Official Washington Basketball Thread: Wizards, Mystics etc

[Going Commando]

We need to find another player with the last name "Mahinmi" so that we can try and pawn Ian off on someone in a three team trade like this.

[Metalhead]

It's being reported that Mem and Phx had been discussing Dillon Brooks for the last week, even going as far as Phx requesting his medical records.

 

Guys, I'm sad to say this might not have been Ernie's fault. It's looking like Memphis got cold feet.

Edited December 15, 2018 by Metalhead
typos

[Going Commando]

This was a real meeting of the minds.

[Spaceman Spiff]

1 hour ago, Metalhead said:

It's being reported that Mem and Phx had been discussing Dillon Brooks for the last week, even going as far as Phx requesting his medical records.

 

Guys, I'm sad to say this might not have been Ernie's fault. It's looking like Memphis got cold feet.

 

The narrative of Ernie ****ing up is more fun though.

[Warhead36]

Its more hilarious to blame Ernie.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Ariza for Rivers and Oubre? 

Can't really get into that trade.  Oh well.

[StillUnknown]

 

[Going Commando]

I knew it.  I knew we were the ones who were going to have to eat **** on this deal and give up the incentives we wanted.  Especially because you can't bring Oubre and Rivers back into the locker room after the failed trade leaked.

 

Memphis ****ed us.

[@DCGoldPants]

[Going Commando]

Ass saving trade complete.  Poor Oubre.  One of the only teams in the league where he could go that's actually worse than us and he ends up there.

 

At least the weather will be nicer.

[Hersh]

I feel for you diehard Wizards fans. Ernie is so terrible. It’s so odd that an owner could be good for one team they own and so blind about another team they own. 

[Popeman38]

So we send a young wing and a SG to Phoenix for an old wing? No 2nd round pick now. Literally ****ed up his annual save my ass trade...

[Going Commando]

I think there are some interesting implications from this trade:

 

- The attempt to placate the Wall/Brooks divide by bringing in a vet leader who was good for Wall last time he was here.  This suggests to me that they aren't going to trade Wall this year.

- Ernie and Brooks will definitely be here at least until the offseason.  Their jobs are likely on the line though.

- They gave up on Oubre.  He was one of the worst performers on the team so far this season, and they must have felt he wasn't going to get better here.  They had no plans of resigning him.

 

We got better from this trade in the short term, but derived absolutely no long term value from it whatsoever.  And we only dropped like 800K in payroll.

[Skin'emAlive]

What an absolutely incredibly stupid trade. Everything about it is awful. Just when you think Ernie cant **** it up worse than he already has, here we are. Lets take a look at the ramifications:

 

1. Ariza is let go so Otto and Oubre grow into their own. They thrive when on the court together up until the Allstar break last year when Oubre lost his shot. This was the right play. However, the offseason offensive philosophy of everyone be aggressive and get their shots has been incredibly obtuse. Good teams get up shots by moving the ball, and moving off-ball. Bad teams get up shots by putting the ball on the floor, and going Kobe. Is everyone on the roster supposed to aggressively drive to the basket? God.

2. Gortat is traded 3 years too late but manages to scoop a serviceable guard somehow. ( obviously, Rivers is not a good fit in the "Brooks offense" however).

3. We draft another 1st round small forward after getting shredded on the boards for 3 years.

4. We trade the second of 2 healthy bigs plus a draft pick for another small forward. ( That means Otto, Oubre, Brown, Dekker, Green, Satoransky )

5. We trade the second best trade asset we have on the team in Kelly Oubre 4 months prior to the trade deadline for 1 year of Ariza... who still doesnt solve the biggest 2 problems on the roster: The Center and Scott Brooks. So now instead of letting Brown get minutes on a team that has no hope of contention, we are going to trade away youth and assets away for a 1 year rental.

 

I dont want to ever hear about how the Redskins are dysfunctional when we have Ernie ****ing Grunfield sitting on a golden throne for 15 years.

[No Excuses]

Ernie having the green light to trade for a veteran player means he’s here for a while. 

[Chachie]

45 minutes ago, Skin'emAlive said:

What an absolutely incredibly stupid trade. Everything about it is awful. Just when you think Ernie cant **** it up worse than he already has, here we are. Lets take a look at the ramifications:

 

1. Ariza is let go so Otto and Oubre grow into their own. They thrive when on the court together up until the Allstar break last year when Oubre lost his shot. This was the right play. However, the offseason offensive philosophy of everyone be aggressive and get their shots has been incredibly obtuse. Good teams get up shots by moving the ball, and moving off-ball. Bad teams get up shots by putting the ball on the floor, and going Kobe. Is everyone on the roster supposed to aggressively drive to the basket? God.

2. Gortat is traded 3 years too late but manages to scoop a serviceable guard somehow. ( obviously, Rivers is not a good fit in the "Brooks offense" however).

3. We draft another 1st round small forward after getting shredded on the boards for 3 years.

4. We trade the second of 2 healthy bigs plus a draft pick for another small forward. ( That means Otto, Oubre, Brown, Dekker, Green, Satoransky )

5. We trade the second best trade asset we have on the team in Kelly Oubre 4 months prior to the trade deadline for 1 year of Ariza... who still doesnt solve the biggest 2 problems on the roster: The Center and Scott Brooks. So now instead of letting Brown get minutes on a team that has no hope of contention, we are going to trade away youth and assets away for a 1 year rental.

 

I dont want to ever hear about how the Redskins are dysfunctional when we have Ernie ****ing Grunfield sitting on a golden throne for 15 years.

 

 

Everything you said is inarguably true AND the Redskins are dysfunctional.

[CRobi21]

So the trade isn't official until Monday, so I guess there's no way Rivers and Oubre play tomorrow vs LA. Otto still hurt. 

 

Bring up Brown and Robinson to play. Finally.

[Going Commando]

2 hours ago, No Excuses said:

Ernie having the green light to trade for a veteran player means he’s here for a while. 

 

He essentially traded two expirings for another expiring.  Didn't take on long term money or give up picks.

 

He'll get to finish the season, but I think he might actually be on the hot seat this year.  Otherwise I think he would have been empowered to find a more consequential deal.

[Warhead36]

Have barely watched five minutes of Wiz action this season and I don't see that going up at all as long as Grunfeld remains employed.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Maybe you guys are thinking too much into this trade.  Ariza doesn't move the needle for this club.  I mean, he's a good player but he doesn't transform this team and make them a playoff caliber club.

 

If they don't raise the white flag and trade Wall and/or Beal and stay the course for the year and miss the playoffs, I think (hope) Ernie is on the hotseat for sure.

 

 

[Going Commando]

3 hours ago, Skin'emAlive said:

5. We trade the second best trade asset we have on the team in Kelly Oubre 4 months prior to the trade deadline for 1 year of Ariza... who still doesnt solve the biggest 2 problems on the roster: The Center and Scott Brooks. So now instead of letting Brown get minutes on a team that has no hope of contention, we are going to trade away youth and assets away for a 1 year rental. 

 

I love Kelly Oubre the person.  I am legitimately going to miss him.  Such a sweet kid and great representative for the organization.  I wish him the best where ever he goes, and I hope he comes back to DC at some point in his journey.

 

But we weren't going to get good value in return for him any more.  His lack of development is the reason we dealt him in the first place and there is no hiding it.  He wasn't a good asset.  In two and a half of his three and a half seasons he's had a negative VORP.  In his only one positive season (last year), it was just a 0.4.  He's been below replacement level for most of his career here and that three and D bull dog who we could use in small lineups of death just wasn't materializing.  As Zach Lowe wrote about Rudy Gay in his recent column, Kelly Oubre (and Jeff Green for that matter) comes from the school of forwards who look good as volume scorers but don't shoot or pass or defend well and don't help you win at all.

 

Ariza is a better player than both Rivers and Oubre.  Probably more valuable than both combined.  Plus he's actually a good locker room guy and we needed that.  Rivers was so bad in pretty much every respect.  ****ing airballed a free throw bad last night and nobody even raised an eyebrow.  Plus most people think he was the one talking **** about Wall.  It's a good trade in that we transferred two expiring contracts who belonged to the two worst rotation players on the team (the only ones with negative VORPs) for an expiring rotation player who is substantially better.  That's right, somehow even Mahinmi has managed to have a VORP of zero.

 

I don't think Ariza blocks Troy Brown.  He's going to take Kelly's minutes, fill in for Otto while he's hurt, and then hopefully take Jeff Green's minutes after Otto comes back.  We only have three rotation guards on the roster now.  Sato will probably move to the backcourt full time to make up for the loss of Rivers.  There will be open minutes at SF and SG now that Troy Brown will probably fill.  Unless Jordan McRae takes them instead...

[Going Commando]

LOL Chris Wallace is in damage control and desperately trying to pretend they didn't get cold feet and back out.  Trying to pretend like it was a mistake and repair his locker room and reputation.  This is the gift that keeps on giving.  Quite possibly the three biggest idiots in the league got together and gave us the most entertaining story of the season.

 

I love how, with the exception of like 8 guys, NBA GMs are literally the dumbest people in the sport.  This league is such a farce.

[Renegade7]

Oubre was my second favorite player after Wall, so lets be clear, we ruined his development and screwed ourselves out of being able to resign him anyway because of the Ian contract.  I'm sure there's some good that can come from this, but I find no joy at all in these developments. 

 

Ariza will help this season, but like has been mentioned, this was another "save my own ass, not what's best for the team" trade, and Ted just keeps letting Ernie do it.  Maybe I need to pay more attention to national perspective, because I'm used to them ignoring Ernie's place in this situation, but I've now seen twice in one week some kind of insinuation that Ernie may be on the hot seat.  I think that's totally speculation, but something I have noticed.

[@DCGoldPants]

 

 

 

[Going Commando]

So in conclusion, Ernie has never drafted a player whose become a contributor for this franchise beyond their rookie deal after the third overall pick.  That's actually incredible.

 

Here's hoping Sato and Brown break the streak.