The Official Washington Basketball Thread: Wizards, Mystics etc

[BRAVEONAWARPATH]

Be interested to see if we move back into the first then.

I think it could make sense for us to do so if the right guy falls. I wouldn't mind seeing us move back into the first if a guy like Quincy Miller or Terrence Jones falls into the late teens or early twenties. TRob and Quincy Miller could be a nasty draft class.

TRob and Quincy Miller works for me.

[Going Commando]

TRob and Quincy Miller works for me.

Yeah I like that combo. Nice mix of upside and ready contribution there. We could stash Miller and let him develop over a long term and it seems like he might be had for really cheap.

[AsiaticSkinsFan]

thats a really good comparison. He reminds me of Glen Rice. I think he is the guy who gets knocked like Pierce and Gay did and some team will get a steal. The wide open NBA style fits his skillset alot better then the slowed down methodical college sets teams run. Barnes is gonna be really good spotting up on the break.

nah, Barnes is nothing like Pierce or Gay coming out of college. Not even same plane.

Both of those guys can create their own shot, Barnes couldnt at a college level. He has a slow first step too, altho he has a lot of bounce.

Also, UNC played faster than most college teams so I dont know what you mean by "wide open NBA."

Harrison Barnes is the next Sean Elliott

If he is fortunate.

I think he is the next Calbert Cheany

Edited June 6, 2012 by AsiaticSkinsFan

[SuperBash]

Barnes reminds me a bit of Michael Finely

[BRAVEONAWARPATH]

Barnes reminds me a bit of Michael Finely

Finley could beat people off the dribble while Barnes struggles in that aspect of the game.

Barnes (so far) has shown only one skill: shooting.

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

Man, I just realized that you used to be Vishal. :doh:

I have sigs turned off (better for the phone) so I had no idea either. Lol, I seriously thought something had happened to Vishal. I just texted skinfan2k to ask about him.

Good to see you're alive buddy

---------- Post added June-5th-2012 at 10:27 PM ----------

Came into the league as a HSer...played sparringly. He then bounced around from team to team until he was out of the league. I think he either played in Poland or Russia before this past season and REALLY started to figure out how to hoop. Came back to the NBA w/ the Nets and had a hell of a season.

Didn't he spend half of the year in the D League?

[Going Commando]

Finley could beat people off the dribble while Barnes struggles in that aspect of the game.

Barnes (so far) has shown only one skill: shooting.

Barnes isn't a good ball handler. But I think the negativity has swung too far with him.

Barnes is probably the best mid range shooter in the class. In this area, I definitely see some Paul Pierce shot making ability.

Barnes is NBA ready. His body is NBA ready and he has scoring tools which will help him contribute right away. He also projects as a very good defensive player because of his smarts, athleticism, strength, and length. He'll be a good starting small forward for just about any team that doesn't have any liabilities--be able to guard anyone at his position and get his shots off against anyone.

For a guy who doesn't have elite first step or handles and doesn't get to the line a ton, Barnes is still one of the best scorers in the class and matched the scoring production of guys like Sully, TRob, and Lamb.

A couple of things to keep in mind about Barnes are that he's still only 19, and that his perimeter game is still very much a work in progress. He was a big in High School, basically until his final year. He's still very much learning the fundamentals of perimeter play, including shot selection and ball handling. He's got a lot of upside left. Shooting 36% from three without having a great grip on shot selection is impressive. I think he projects to be a deadly ranged shooter as his comfort level and experience increase. Plus he's shot pretty well in some clutch situations, there was one game in the tourney where he drained a pair of threes at the end of the game that were just cold blooded.

His ball handling and speed certainly limit his upside at this point, but aside from that, Barnes would come in and help us from day one. If you make a move in the front court like adding Pau Gasol, Dwight, or maybe Bosh, drafting Barnes into the front court would make us really, really good there. I'm not going to complain about a Barnes pick. He's like Sully. I see virtually no chance that those guys aren't successful, productive NBA players. They both know how to play the game.

[Samuels]

nah, Barnes is nothing like Pierce or Gay coming out of college. Not even same plane.

Both of those guys can create their own shot, Barnes couldnt at a college level. He has a slow first step too, altho he has a lot of bounce.

Also, UNC played faster than most college teams so I dont know what you mean by "wide open NBA."

If he is fortunate.

I think he is the next Calbert Cheany

I said he gets knocked and nitpicked to much and drops lower then he shoulda been like Pierce and Gay. I never said he plays like either. And college sets are are alot different then Nba sets.The game is faster more wide open with way more spacing.

Edited June 6, 2012 by Samuels

[BRAVEONAWARPATH]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/sam_amick/06/06/harrison-barnes-2012-nba-draft-cleveland-cavaliers/index.html

Kansas forward Thomas Robinson could be a good fit alongside third-year center DeMarcus Cousins, but the buzz that Washington will take him at No. 3 remains strong (that is, of course, if Charlotte opts for Kentucky small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist at No. 2).

Cleveland eyeing UNC's Barnes at No. 4

Sources say the Cavaliers are very high on the 20-year-old small forward and appear unlikely to let him slip past them at the No. 4 slot in the June 28 draft. While this week's predraft combine in Chicago (June 6-7), and the team workouts thereafter, could always change things, rival executives are planning for Barnes to be off the board by the time the fifth pick (Sacramento) rolls around.

"He's a pretty big deal to them," one such executive said.

Edited June 6, 2012 by BRAVEONAWARPATH

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

Barnes is NBA ready. His body is NBA ready and he has scoring tools which will help him contribute right away.

His shot is NBA ready. I think. He is shockingly unathletic though. Seriously, the hype coming out of high school made him sound like Durant and it turns out he is more like Steph Curry.

He projects to be a good defensive player unless you've ever actually seen him play defense.

[Going Commando]

I said he gets knocked and nitpicked to much and drops lower then he shoulda been like Pierce and Gay. I never said he plays like either. And college sets are are alot different then college. The game is faster more wide open with way more spacing.

I agree that Barnes is getting nitpicked. I also agree with what you've said previously that Barnes would be a really nice fit for our team. He's a good shot maker and has nice scoring ability overall with no major weaknesses to his game.

Let's say TRob goes second overall, who do you like for us at three? Who do you like better for us, Barnes or Beal?

[BRAVEONAWARPATH]

Chicago Draft Combine invitees. (June 7-8)

Quincy Acy, Baylor

Harrison Barnes, North Carolina

Will Barton, Memphis

Bradley Beal, Florida

J'Covan Brown, Texas

William Buford, Ohio State

Jae Crowder, Marquette

Jared Cunningham, Oregon State

Anthony Davis, Kentucky

Marcus Denmon, Missouri

Andre Drummond, UConn

Kim English, Missouri

Festus Ezeli, Vanderbilt

Evan Fournier, France

Drew Gordon, New Mexico

Draymond Green, Michigan State

JaMychal Green, Alabama

Moe Harkless, St. John's

John Henson, North Carolina

Tu Holloway, Xavier

Robbie Hummel, Purdue

Bernard James, Florida State

John Jenkins, Vanderbilt

Orlando Johnson, UC Santa Barbara

Darius Johnson-Odom, Marquette

Kevin Jones, West Virginia

Perry Jones III, Baylor

Terrence Jones, Kentucky

Kris Joseph, Syracuse

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kentucky

Doron Lamb, Kentucky

Jeremy Lamb, UConn

Meyers Leonard, Illinois

Damian Lillard, Weber State

Scott Machado, Iona

Kendall Marshall, North Carolina

Fab Melo, Syracuse

Khris Middleton, Texas A&M

Darius Miller, Kentucky

Quincy Miller, Baylor

Tony Mitchell, Alabama

Arnett Moultrie, Mississippi State

Kevin Murphy, Tennessee Tech

Andrew Nicholson, St. Bonaventure

Kyle O'Quinn, Norfolk State

Miles Plumlee, Duke

Austin Rivers, Duke

Thomas Robinson, Kansas

Terrence Ross, Washington

Mike Scott, Virginia

Henry Sims, Georgetown

Jared Sullinger, Ohio State

Jeff Taylor, Vanderbilt

Tyshawn Taylor, Kansas

Marquis Teague, Kentucky

Hollis Thompson, Georgetown

Dion Waiters, Syracuse

Royce White, Iowa State

Tony Wroten, Washington

Tyler Zeller, North Carolina

Edited June 6, 2012 by BRAVEONAWARPATH

[TaylorPickSix]

My ideal draft would be TRob and Mike Scott in the 2nd round, but obviously I'm biased.

I like what Scott brings to the table, and he showed last year how much he can improve his range. I like him a lot as a 3, pending he can add an extra 2 ft to his range in order to consistently hit threes. His post-up game on smaller SFs in the league would be nasty. Defensively he can cover a 3 or a 4.

[RonArtest15]

Makes me feel good reading the rumors that it's either MKG or Robinson for us. Both guys would help immensely.

[Going Commando]

His shot is NBA ready. I think. He is shockingly unathletic though. Seriously' date=' the hype coming out of high school made him sound like Durant and it turns out he is more like Steph Curry.[/quote'] Barnes isn't quick, but he isn't slow. He runs the floor well and he has no trouble creating space for himself when he shoots. Plus he's big and strong and he can jump. He's like Danny Granger.

He projects to be a good defensive player unless you've ever actually seen him play defense.

Barnes will be fine defensively. He's strong and he's got good length.

---------- Post added June-6th-2012 at 11:19 AM ----------

Honestly, I don't understand all of the worry about Barnes. He's the most projectable player in the class.

[Samuels]

I agree that Barnes is getting nitpicked. I also agree with what you've said previously that Barnes would be a really nice fit for our team. He's a good shot maker and has nice scoring ability overall with no major weaknesses to his game.

Let's say TRob goes second overall, who do you like for us at three? Who do you like better for us, Barnes or Beal?

Barnes over Beal without hesitation. I'd try to trade back though regardless of who is there.

If we plan on Wall being our Pg for the next 10 years you can't draft MKG and i love his intangibles. You can't have 2 guys like Wall and Mkg playing 35mpg unless you had a legit stretch big like Kevin Love. Coaches are smart and will just pack it in forcing jumpers. Who will hit wide open shots on the break?

Not only that but our last couple first rounders Wall,Vesely, Singleton cant shoot a lick either. But people who advocate MKG think the solution can be found in rd 2 lol. Even signing a high priced player would'nt solve a team wide issue. In this league you gotta hit shots.

Barnes is a above average defender already.

Edited June 6, 2012 by Samuels

[RonArtest15]

Barnes over Beal without hesitation. I'd try to trade back though regardless of who is there.

If we plan on Wall being our Pg for the next 10 years you can't draft MKG and i love his intangibles. You can't have 2 guys like Wall and Mkg playing 35mpg unless you had a legit stretch big like Kevin Love. Coaches are smart and will just pack it in forcing jumpers. Who will hit wide open shots on the break?

Not only that but our last couple first rounders Wall,Vesely, Singleton cant shoot a lick either. But people who advocate MKG think the solution can be found in rd 2 lol. Even signing a high priced player would'nt solve a team wide issue. In this league you gotta hit shots.

Barnes is a above average defender already.

Samuels...if we draft MKG, that won't be the only roster move the team makes this offseason. No one is expecting MKG to transcend our offense. He's just a PIECE to the puzzle.

[Going Commando]

There are some games where Barnes played really well. As you all can see, his scoring tools are fantastic. Good size and strength. Tremendously good footwork to create space for himself. Good shooting mechanics, elevates and releases at the same point every time. Very savvy with the ball in his hands, gotta love his shot fakes. Understands spacing on the floor, generally knows where he needs to be, gets a surprising amount of offensive rebounds and absolutely knows how to score after he does. Terrific array of shots, high proficiency on all of the runners and floaters and tear drops. Nice little dribble pull up when he's balanced, and has always demonstrated good catch and shoot ability.

Has the makings of a seriously interesting post game, great footwork and quickness paired with legit strength and a really soft touch on his shot.

Also, he's a cold blooded player that shoots well in crunch time. He's made a lot of game winners and game sealers at UNC.

Anyway, he's an offensively gifted player with a scorer's mentality. He looks like a 17-20 PPG scorer in the NBA and a legit #2 scoring option/fringe #1 scoring option in a ball movement heavy offense. I think he'd be a tremendous outlet for a transition heavy team and subsequently, a great fit here. He's also got a reputation for good character and being a good teammate. If what we want most is shooters and to add perimeter scoring, Barnes is our man. He'd be ready to come in and contribute immediately.

---------- Post added June-6th-2012 at 12:06 PM ----------

I also like that Barnes will finish strong in traffic. Quincy Miller is a similar jump shooting wing with good length, but he has nowhere near Barnes' ability to finish hard through contact.

---------- Post added June-6th-2012 at 12:16 PM ----------

Barnes over Beal without hesitation. I'd try to trade back though regardless of who is there.


If we plan on Wall being our Pg for the next 10 years you can't draft MKG and i love his intangibles. You can't have 2 guys like Wall and Mkg playing 35mpg unless you had a legit stretch big like Kevin Love. Coaches are smart and will just pack it in forcing jumpers. Who will hit wide open shots on the break?

Not only that but our last couple first rounders Wall,Vesely, Singleton cant shoot a lick either. But people who advocate MKG think the solution can be found in rd 2 lol. Even signing a high priced player would'nt solve a team wide issue. In this league you gotta hit shots.

Barnes is a above average defender already.

I hear you and I understand and agree with your point about shooting. But it's real hard to pass on MKG's total set of tools just because of his shooting. It seems like we could take him and then start trading some of these other guys who can't shoot.

I'm warming up to Barnes because of his scoring ability. It'd be real nice to have a true SF with a complete set of tools. We could take him and then we wouldn't have to go searching for shooters to fit into the roster somehow. And if you take him, then you wouldn't necessarily need to trade anyone to get everyone on the floor and run well balanced sets. You could play Singleton or Vesely at PF. Heck, Singleton is fast enough to play SG and cover smaller perimeter players.

I think Singleton could become a decent shooter that can nail corner threes in transition in time. You're right, he didn't shoot well last season, but I think he'll get there eventually.

We'd still need a true PF though. We'd need Vesely to gain weight and strength and start figuring out a few go to moves because he'd be our best bet. I also think Vesely is a better rebounder than you do. I think if he eventually started at PF, he could pile up rebounds.

I like TRob over Barnes. But if TRob were to go second, I'd be alright biting the bullet and taking Barnes over MKG at three. I don't think Barnes makes it out of the top five.

[Samuels]

Samuels...if we draft MKG, that won't be the only roster move the team makes this offseason. No one is expecting MKG to transcend our offense. He's just a PIECE to the puzzle.

It does'nt matter who we sign. The fact is Wall and Mkg would play 35+mpg and defintely be in during crunch time. Thats 4 positions right there that are' nt any real threat outside. Teams will pack it in and force jumpshots our fastbreak will be limited to dunks and layups. EG has done horribly assembling this team. If we would have drafted Klay Thompson we would be in good shape right now.

[Warhead36]

Yeah I like MKG but the fact that he can't shoot is a big concern for me. We have enough guys who can't shoot. We are building a basketball team after all not a track and field squad...

[RonArtest15]

It does'nt matter who we sign. The fact is Wall and Mkg would play 35+mpg and defintely be in during crunch time. Thats 4 positions right there that are' nt any real threat outside. Teams will pack it in and force jumpshots our fastbreak will be limited to dunks and layups. EG has done horribly assembling this team. If we would have drafted Klay Thompson we would be in good shape right now.

I agree with the fact that EG has done a terrible job with the roster. However, I refuse to believe we're going into the season with only MKG (and our 2nd rounders) as the only roster moves. I like MKG under the premise that we acquire another 1st round pick and get a shooter or try to upgrade the position via FA.

Same deal w. Thomas Robinson. I'm fine w. a front court of Nene, Robinson, and Ves. However there needs to be a shooter plugged in over Crawford (Gerald Green/Gordon). He should not be the starter.

Now, if we draft Beal (who seems like he may go 5th or 6th at this point) we'd still need to upgrade our front court and get someone who's good at defensive rebounding (Kris Humphries/Ilyasova) or get a better 3 (Batum/J.Green). Honestly, I think Batum is a pipe dream because the Trail Blazers will probably match. Same can be said of Gordon.

Here are the potential lineups:

Nene

Seraphin

MKG

Green/Gordon

Wall

Nene

Robinson

Vesely

Green/Gordon

Wall

Nene

Robinson

J.Green/Batum

G.Green/Gordon

Wall

Nene

Ilyasova/Humphries

J.Green/Batum

Beal

Wall

Any of those lineups is CONSIDERABLY better than what we have and should have us in contention for a playoff spot.

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

See, I predicate everything on trading Vesely. I don't think he can play in the NBA.

[RonArtest15]

See' date=' I predicate everything on trading Vesely. I don't think he can play in the NBA.[/quote']

Would you move him on draft night to secure another 1st round pick?

If we took Robinson, would you object to taking a mid-round pick (15-25 range) on a guy like Royce White? Of course on the hinges that we'll be targeting a SG in FA.

[Clutch03]

See' date=' I predicate everything on trading Vesely. I don't think he can play in the NBA.[/quote']

What's funny is that earlier in the season someone said the same thing about Seraphin.

I think people are too hung up on shooting right now and they don't look at anythine else a player brings to the table. In the last 10 games of the season Vessley showed that he could play in the league. He was more aggressive to the the basket and he had a couple of double digit rebounding games. I think writing a player off after having one season (a shortened season at that) in the NBA is very premature.

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

Would you move him on draft night to secure another 1st round pick?

I would trade him for pretty much anything.

I like MKG, and Vesely is basically MKG with less NBA ready skills and a much worse shot. I don't want to develop the same player twice.

I think this team is dangerously close to too young. I would trade him for a first rounder next year.

I may being hard on Veseley, but let's be honest: He's years away from being an NBA player. Wall still needs to develop. The pick this year will need to develop. Half the roster needs to develop.

The Wizards have way too many young dudes with incomplete games. They need to start clearing out some space. And Veseley just seems so far away.

I can live with him being a good six man on the Kings in 2017.

---------- Post added June-6th-2012 at 01:03 PM ----------

What's funny is that earlier in the season someone said the same thing about Seraphin.

I'd trade him too.

As far as I'm concerned, this is a three man team - Wall, Nene (just because I don't think he is tradeable and I kind of dig him), and the pick. Everyone else is fair game.

I am strongly - STRONGLY - of the opinion that an NBA team can't really develop more than three young talents at one time. I mean, I guess you can argue that the Thunder did it, but Westbrook and Durant needed to make incremental improvements to their games. Veseley needs to develop an entire offensive game. Wall has nothing resembling a jumper. There is dramatic work that needs to be done to the Wizards' kids.

Edited June 6, 2012 by Lombardi's_kid_brother