Going Commando Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 1 hour ago, Destino said: Every aspect of this team has been screaming “we’re a bad organization and we know it”. I never felt that Earnie ever believed anyone would want to play here. This is one of the things Ted needs to turn around. I’m not surprised to see him reorganizing things and hiring some recognizable names. The wizards need to be run a hell of a lot better, and I don’t mean simply picking the right players. They need to project an attitude that signals to people that they are worth taking an interest in. I think that's what the Sashi Brown hire is about. He's an impressive figurehead for the franchise when it pitches to free agents. We're trying to grow ourselves up from the dingey, hapless mom and pop to a forward thinking pro-basketball nexus for the region. I like it. It feels like we've got an original plan for the kind of franchise we want to become, and i think DC is the perfect area for this kind of thing to take root. We've always talked about how this area is basketball hotbed and the Wizards just weigh it down. Well, let's connect the Wizards to the basketball heritage of the region and make them a seamless part of it. A worthy place to watch the highest level of the sport in the region. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry.Randolphe Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 (edited) 48 minutes ago, stevemcqueen1 said: I think that's what the Sashi Brown hire is about. He's an impressive figurehead for the franchise when it pitches to free agents. We're trying to grow ourselves up from the dingey, hapless mom and pop to a forward thinking pro-basketball nexus for the region. I like it. It feels like we've got an original plan for the kind of franchise we want to become, and i think DC is the perfect area for this kind of thing to take root. We've always talked about how this area is basketball hotbed and the Wizards just weigh it down. Well, let's connect the Wizards to the basketball heritage of the region and make them a seamless part of it. A worthy place to watch the highest level of the sport in the region. You keep saying that - I don't see it. 1-31. Worst 2 years in NFL history is all I keep seeing. Yeah, I'm sure he was dealt some bad luck, but that 2016 draft class was horrible. the 2017 draft class was only marginally better because they actually hit on 1/3 first round draft picks. Jabrill got traded to the NYG along with a 1st rounder/3rd rounder. I'm not drinking the Koolaid on this one. This reeks of a last resort hire because Plan A through Batman Symbol got turned down and Ted needs to save face somehow because no one wants to come here....the best we could do is promote from within and snag a former GM/president from a ****ing football team that set a record for ineptitude. Edited July 22, 2019 by Barry.Randolphe 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StillUnknown Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 as @Burgold alluded to, whether you think this works really amounts to you believing that Leonsis is smarter than everybody else. a man dumb enough to blindly let Grunfeld run shop from the top down, is not a man i'm trusting blindly. Show and prove, then prove again before I get on board. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@DCGoldPants Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 O/U on how long before they announce the name change of the team to the Washington Monuments? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgold Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 1 hour ago, @SkinsGoldPants said: O/U on how long before they announce the name change of the team to the Washington Monuments? Nah, let's go for something more timely. The Washington Swamp. Here's the team logo 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Going Commando Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 13 hours ago, Barry.Randolphe said: You keep saying that - I don't see it. 1-31. Worst 2 years in NFL history is all I keep seeing. Yeah, I'm sure he was dealt some bad luck, but that 2016 draft class was horrible. the 2017 draft class was only marginally better because they actually hit on 1/3 first round draft picks. Jabrill got traded to the NYG along with a 1st rounder/3rd rounder. Sashi Brown is personally impressive. He just is. Anyone who becomes familiar with him recognizes it quickly. He's smart and slick and good at utilizing data and I suspect he's a genuine expert on brand development, plus he's apparently a good legal mind. You're basing your entire opinion of him on a very shallow analysis of the Browns record and pinning the failures of Hue Jackson and that organization on Sashi Brown despite the fact they set out to tank those two years and then used him as a fall guy after he did the job. He's not a personnel expert, and he wasn't hired to be a traditional GM, he took over that job coming from a different role because Farmer was a dumpster fire and his relationship with Haslam was terrible. Instead Sashi Brown's mandate when he stepped in for Farmer was to tank and load up on draft capital and future assets like an NBA team. Use data-centric approaches to team building rather than resist modernity like Farmer did. He did that successfully. But Jimmy Haslam is a bad owner and he gave up on the plan too fast because he's an NFL neophyte and also because of outside pressure and he used Sashi Brown as the fall guy for the team's failures. And John Dorsey has gotten to spend all of that draft capital that Sashi Brown got him by the way. He's gotten to build with a full cupboard and a solid organizational culture that was already taking root. Their plan worked, but Brown got scapegoated instead of being able to be a part of it's fruition. Anyway, I think he is an expert on developing weak brands and improving bad cultures from the ground up. And I like the idea of him being the face of the team when we pitch free agents. I've taken a liking to Tommy. He strikes me as an excellent scout with an encyclopedic knowledge of the prospects in basketball around the world. Listen to him speak and it's like he remembers every tournament he's gone too in every obscure corner of the world to watch someone play, and that he makes his decisions based on years of accrued evaluation and information on each player. He's a grinder who happily does the hard work of player evaluation. But Tommy is not a natural or impressive salesman. I think Sashi Brown is. That has traditionally been a big part of the GM job and Sashi Brown is good at it. Hiring a specialist to handle this makes sense and I'm kind of surprised that it's taken an NBA organization so long to explicitly try this. It speaks to how small and top down NBA front office operations have typically been, despite the fact these executives are stewarding 1 billion dollar entities. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Going Commando Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 14 hours ago, StillUnknown said: as @Burgold alluded to, whether you think this works really amounts to you believing that Leonsis is smarter than everybody else. a man dumb enough to blindly let Grunfeld run shop from the top down, is not a man i'm trusting blindly. Show and prove, then prove again before I get on board. I don't think the collaborative management and district basketball ideas were Ted Leonsis discoveries. I think they came as a result of him talking with a lot of different people. People who are very smart. I also think that the Wizards were uniquely position to try something new and to implement this specific plan. A - they don't have some long established brand of excellence to remain faithful to. They're a blank slate that can freely implement substantial changes B - the DMV is a genuine basketball hotbed region, where there is substantial support for many levels of the sport C - Ted's ownership group owns the Mystics and GoGo and probably controls some of the lower levels of the sport too. Plus he's a highly notable Georgetown alum, giving him connections to people like JT III, a face of basketball in the region. I think you need all three of those factors to be present in order to implement something like this district basketball idea. And I doubt many other franchises have them. Turning DC basketball into a selling point for the Wizards is smart. It's one of the best things about the region from a basketball perspective, and it's fertile ground to grow the Wizards' brand. What Monumental is trying to do is honestly bigger than the Wizards. But strictly from a Wizards perspective, it should benefit the team. Everything we're doing is fairly experimental, and it remains to be seen if the people we're putting into all of these new roles are actually experts in their fields. But we're making changes and building according to a good plan. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@DCGoldPants Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 If their plan is to offer Beal this 111M max whatever as soon as possible. Then what does it matter if they have this new Think-Tank that will use state-of-the-art blah blah blah? They won't have the money to do anything with their analytics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renegade7 Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this a max extension that wont kick in until the last two years of Beals current contract ends? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@DCGoldPants Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 1 minute ago, Renegade7 said: Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this a max extension that wont kick in until the last two years of Beals current contract ends? good question. I don't know. Right now he's basically on a 2 year $55M deal. When they tossed the $111M out there, I figured it replaced the current deal and make his average go to $37M over the next three years. So, he and Wall would count around $75M together this year. Then $80 next and the year after. Just for 2 guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renegade7 Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 39 minutes ago, @SkinsGoldPants said: good question. I don't know. Right now he's basically on a 2 year $55M deal. When they tossed the $111M out there, I figured it replaced the current deal and make his average go to $37M over the next three years. So, he and Wall would count around $75M together this year. Then $80 next and the year after. Just for 2 guys. Ya, if I'm not mistaken, when Wall signed the Supermax it eventually kicked in. I'd hope we wouldnt try to rush Beals money into this year, that doesnt make sense if were trying to get away from the luxury cap, ya know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Going Commando Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 3 hours ago, Renegade7 said: Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this a max extension that wont kick in until the last two years of Beals current contract ends? Yes. A team can only sign guys to five years of total team control unless they qualify for a DPVE, in which case they can get six total years. That's what happened with Wall. That means that, because Beal already has two years left on his deal, we can only offer him a three year extension. Next summer he can get a four year extension from us, unless he qualifies for the DPVE, in which case it can be a five year extension. That's part of what makes the DPVE special. Tommy Sheppard also said that we'd offer Beal a one or two year extension instead, if he didn't want to do three years. There are several reasons why Beal might want a shorter extension like this instead, but one of the big ones is because he'll have 9 years of NBA veterancy when his current deal ends. You need ten years of veterancy to sign a full 35% max contract (the Supermax). So Beal could sign a one year extension even if he plans on staying with the Wizards, so that he could sign a five year extension after year 10 that would give him a full max contract. I'm not sure that signing this kind of extension makes financial sense for Beal, even if he wants to stay with us. He's right on the fringe of being eligible for the DPVE, which would give him so much more money over the mid-late part of his career. If he bets on himself next year and qualifies for it, he gets eligibility for the 35% max an entire year early and he won't have to worry about signing an extra extension. But then you look at what happened to John and, conversely, what happened to Isaiah Thomas, and think maybe Brad will just want to take the safe money today. Injury risk is always a major factor in decisions like this, and betting on your health can end horribly. Still, what great athlete goes into a season expecting to get hurt? If I had to guess, I think he'll either turn the extension down or only sign a one year extension so that he doesn't have to put off a 35% max payday for two whole years. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Going Commando Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 2 hours ago, Renegade7 said: Ya, if I'm not mistaken, when Wall signed the Supermax it eventually kicked in. I'd hope we wouldnt try to rush Beals money into this year, that doesnt make sense if were trying to get away from the luxury cap, ya know? That's impossible. NBA contracts, when fully guaranteed, can't be altered like that. You can't tear up the old deal and renegotiate to front load a contract like in the NFL. What Beal and the team agreed to in 2016 is what he's going to be paid for the next two seasons. What they're discussing now is a three year extension to kick in after his current deal ends, so that we maintain full team control over him. I get why doing this makes sense for the Wizards from a business sense. We need Beal to be the starry face of this new district basketball initiative. It has to be a Wizards player. And maintaining full team control over Beal provides the franchise with stability and leverage in future trades, plus if it's a three year extension, then we've got two years of very team friendly salaries paying out to Beal because it'd only be 30% max money when he'd be eligible for 35%. My question is about Beal's ceiling. Is Beal good enough to lead a contender when he's making a third of the team's cap? Offensively? Yeah, probably. But if you remember my post about the three distinct and equal parts about basketball--offense, defense, rebounding--does Beal offer enough extra value as a defender and rebounder to lead a high end team? I don't think so, and what's more, I'm not sure that an off guard physically can do so. That means if we offer a third of our cap to Beal, we're going to have to find bargains who offer plus value to our defense and rebounding in order to win. That is clearly very difficult to do, as we've already failed at doing so. That's why I think it is a lot easier to build around a star forward or center. They can give you huge plus value in all three phases of the game, but at the very least, they usually give you major plus value in two. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Going Commando Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 What do you guys think about the hiring of John Thompson III and the creation of the player engagement department? I think it's kind of cool. I haven't heard of a team creating a service for players like this before, and it actually kind of reminds me of a collegiate-style athlete support system. I think we tend to forget how young NBA players are because they are so larger than life, but this kind of service could probably really help a lot of them. Especially international players who are facing a really steep cultural barrier in making the transition to the NBA. I think it's a good way to keep our players happy and minimize off court distractions, and I think it is a good step to creating a positive culture here. Hopefully it will keep guys in the building in the future and eventually be a selling point to outside free agents. I hope the department works because it's got a good mission. JTIII seems like a good pick to head it too. He is incredibly engaging and he's got a lot of experience nurturing young basketball players. And he's a charismatic face for regional basketball that links our teams to DC's rich basketball culture. He seems like a good get. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hersh Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRobi21 Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 (edited) Edited July 23, 2019 by CRobi21 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StillUnknown Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 They probably wont tell us, but i want to know how long the contracts run. This plan Ted is running out seems suited for a longer game. If he cans any of these new hires within 2 years, its like admitting defeat. What they do with Brooks will be interesting. He'll obviously see out this year without any expectations of being good and he's still owed 14 mil over the next 2 years. How this new setup approaches the next coaching hire will something to watch. Ted's penchant for liking to stay in house likely wont work as we dont have any highly regarded assistants Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Going Commando Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 Unless we're an utter dumpster fire, I think Scott will get an extension. He's as much a part of this collaborative approach as anyone, and everyone else seems to like him and like working with him. It is what it is. I think he's a weak coach who hasn't been able to install a good defensive system. This year is going to be a wash and the defense won't get any better. But let's hope he gets the support he needs to coach a better defense sooner rather than later. Definitely not sold yet on the defensive specialist hire we made. Not sold yet on the defensive talent of the player's we added. And I'm definitely not sold on the switching system in general. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooka Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 2 minutes ago, stevemcqueen1 said: And I'm definitely not sold on the switching system in general. You mean letting your man go right by you and pointing at someone else to pick him up isn't good D?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renegade7 Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 Of course the players like Scott, hes a players coach who encourages his stars to play hero ball. You know who else was a nice guy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StillUnknown Posted July 24, 2019 Share Posted July 24, 2019 (edited) 50 minutes ago, stevemcqueen1 said: Unless we're an utter dumpster fire, I think Scott will get an extension. He's as much a part of this collaborative approach as anyone, and everyone else seems to like him and like working with him. It is what it is. I think he's a weak coach who hasn't been able to install a good defensive system. This year is going to be a wash and the defense won't get any better. But let's hope he gets the support he needs to coach a better defense sooner rather than later. Definitely not sold yet on the defensive specialist hire we made. Not sold yet on the defensive talent of the player's we added. And I'm definitely not sold on the switching system in general. Barring some unforeseen massive improvement from Brooks, extending him would tell me alot about the new front office, none of it good Edited July 24, 2019 by StillUnknown 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destino Posted July 24, 2019 Share Posted July 24, 2019 Brooks hasn’t done anything on game days to prove he even belongs in the nba. All I’ve seen from him is that he’s a people pleaser. On the court his offense is a rudimentary, he can’t draw up a play when needed, and his defense has gotten worse every season. People seem to like him though. Sadly that doesn’t win us any games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abdcskins Posted July 24, 2019 Share Posted July 24, 2019 I like the changes at the top. Something has to happen. I'm not sure they are the right people, but time will only tell. Still gonna be a horrible basketball team for the next 2-3 years minimum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spjunkies Posted July 25, 2019 Share Posted July 25, 2019 I'm jealous, compare this guy to the penguin running the Bullets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonArtest15 Posted July 25, 2019 Share Posted July 25, 2019 (edited) Something to think about... Also, if Gil didn't sabotage his career, he would have been FANTASTIC on TNT. At some point, a major network has to call him, right? Dude is brilliant with his insight. I mean, if Dennis Scott can carve out a career after his "ready to die" episode at a youth b-ball camp, surely there's hope for Gil's mainstream media career. Edited July 25, 2019 by RonArtest15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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