The Official Washington Basketball Thread: Wizards, Mystics etc

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

As for the first pick, no matter what, you take the player who is the best all-around player, and can be a star. I wouldn't go for the player that can fulfill a hole in the front court because that player may not have as much quality as someone that plays a backcourt position. I just hope this team continues to lose so we get a higher pick lol.

So you'd take Irving with our top pick if he's BPA on our board?

[B.Lloyd]

So you'd take Irving with our top pick if he's BPA on our board?

Let me re-phrase, I would take the best all-around player to a position that does not have a potential superstar already occupying it! Irving is nice though and if we were to get the top pick it would be great to tangle that pick as trade bait and get a lot in return for a team desperate for a point guard.

[StillUnknown]

So you'd take Irving with our top pick if he's BPA on our board?

I would love it if were to:

get the 2nd or 3rd pick

draft Irving

trade him to somebody at 4 or 5 for their first this year & next season's 1st as well

Edited March 28, 2011 by StillUnknown

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

Let me re-phrase, I would take the best all-around player to a position that does not have a potential superstar already occupying it! Irving is nice though and if we were to get the top pick it would be great to tangle that pick as trade bait and get a lot in return for a team desperate for a point guard.

Some people think that Irving and Wall can play together. Which is an interesting idea. And I wonder, if Irving is by far the best player in the draft, the only franchise player and you have the #1 pick and no legitimate trade offers, what do you do?

[Skin'emAlive]

Yi is just terrible at defense. Its amazing how a 7 footer can provide zero pressure on defense.

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

I swear, there is a ref conspiracy against the Wiz.

[Gator Bait]

I think Faried will go higher than some would think. Right now he is a top 20 prospect according to Chad Ford and could be a nice player in the front court for us. Some people have gone to the length of saying he is a Dennis Rodman-esque type of player. Obviously, we already have a player that is undersized and plays good hard defense (Booker), but I think Faried is great value for a player at the 19 spot.

As for the first pick, no matter what, you take the player who is the best all-around player, and can be a star. I wouldn't go for the player that can fulfill a hole in the front court because that player may not have as much quality as someone that plays a backcourt position. I just hope this team continues to lose so we get a higher pick lol.

As for Lighty, I really like that idea. Lighty is a very good three point shooter and the Wizards don't have a bonafide, established marksman on their roster at this point.

It will be interesting to see how this offseason goes. I just wish they could have shipped out Howard for a draft pick. We need as much youth as we can get.

I agree with everything...but no one would trade a draft pick for Howard....he can't even stay healthy.

Lighty not only is a good three point shooter, he is also a good defender as well.

---------- Post added March-27th-2011 at 11:08 PM ----------

So you'd take Irving with our top pick if he's BPA on our board?

I've thought about that myself....it depends on who is available, but if Perry Jones, Derick Williams, and Harrison Barnes were all gone by the time we pick...I think I'd have to take Kyrie....almost have to take BPA in the NBA lottery...unless their is someone else very close to the same skill level that plays a position of need.

---------- Post added March-27th-2011 at 11:10 PM ----------

I've been watching season finales on showtime....is McGee really having the type of game his stats indicate?

---------- Post added March-27th-2011 at 11:15 PM ----------

Selling Wizards vs. Heat tickets for Wednesday in case anyone is interested....PM me.

[DCchillin89]

If only McGee could play against Golden State every night..

[Gator Bait]

Holy **** McGee....did the light finally turn on for him? Two really good nights in the same week.

[Skin'emAlive]

Holy **** McGee....did the light finally turn on for him? Two really good nights in the same week.

It seems with Blatche no longer on the court, Mcgee has found some passion and energy. Who would of guessed.

We need someone with solid defense and rebounding ability to pair with Mcgee badly.

[CrypticVillain]

They kept it close, but they pulled a Washington on them.

Washington- To do something good, but find a way to mess it up in the end

See Washington Redskins, Washington Capitals.

Edited March 28, 2011 by MLSKINS

[Gator Bait]

It seems with Blatche no longer on the court' date=' Mcgee has found some passion and energy. Who would of guessed.

We need someone with solid defense and rebounding ability to pair with Mcgee badly.[/quote']

I actually think that is what McGee is supposed to develop into....defense and rebounding. we need a PF that can score to pair with McGee. ****....what we really need is both of our front court players to be well rounded....score, defend, and rebound

[Going Commando]

Blatche is a cancer and at this point he is a bad contract; Nick Young has had one good year and it was still somewhat inconsistent (and it was a contract year) so yeah....no one is trading a lottery pick for these two unless we take a terrible contract back.

Blatche's contract isn't bad. Six million a year for a 24 year old who's a 17-10 guy when healthy isn't bad. I agree that he's not a good fit here. There are still teams that need a scoring 4 that would be interested in him.

Mo Williams is a former All-Star who has proven he is a starter year after year...and LA got rid of a terrible contract....so these two scenarios are completely different.

Not that I agree w/ the Clipper's decision, but it is much different than Blatche-Young.

Mo Williams is a mediocre player who got to an All Star game in a diluted eastern conference riding LeBron James's coattails with a season about as impressive as Nick Young's.

We might have to take on a bad contract back as part of a deal to get a lottery pick. Or we might have to package a late first in there. We can easily afford to do both of those things. And regardless, a Nick Young + Andray Blatche package is a hell of a lot more attractive than Mo WIlliams and Jamario Moon.

Sullinger has zero athleticism; he benefited by playing in a pretty weak conference and wouldn't even get his team to the elite 8. I think he is stupidly overrated. He will not be able to dominate players in the NBA...and please don't make the Kevin Love comparison because Kevin's basketball IQ explodes through the roof...I'm not calling Sullinger stupid, but he is no Kevin Love.

How many successful players like Jared Sullinger have to come along before you accept that his style works in the NBA? Yes a Kevin Love comparison is valid and it has been widely made. Jared Sullinger's basketball IQ is also through the roof. I agree it's not a perfect comparison though. Love was a better passer and slightly better distance shooter. Sullinger is much stronger and longer.

But the list doesn't end with Love. There's also Al Jefferson, Carlos Boozer, Luis Scola, and Paul Millsap--with Boozer and Jefferson being on the higher end and Scola and Millsap being Sullinger's floor. None of those guys were as good as Sullinger coming out either.

Williams is hands down the #1 overall pick in the draft. He does everything well....good shooter from inside and out. he is pretty much an Antawn Jamison who can play defense (which was really the only problem I had w/ Jamison...his lack of defense). The man shot 60% from three this year...that is ridiculous. Kanter didn't even play this year and I wouldn't touch anyone with history of Knee problems before they get to the NBA (See Brandon Roy)

What do you know about his knee problems though? He's 18 years old. Even if he's had a serious knee injury, it's possible he could bounce back completely. Besides, the internet rumblings about his knees could all be bull**** anyway.

Would you let Quincy Miller's torn ACL stop you from drafting him next season if you had a chance at him? I sure as hell wouldn't. You could rule out some really good players like that.

I agree Derrick Williams is the number 1 pick in this year's class. If you check my posting history, I've actually thought he'd been better and might be taken ahead of Perry Jones way back in January.

But he doesn't do everything well. He's an undersized PF who'll struggle just as much on the defensive end as Sullinger will. The difference is, Sullinger is a very good defensive rebounder while Williams is pretty average.

I don't think Williams is a great fit for us. We've already got a lot of forwards on the team who are either small or soft. It'd be nice to have Williams for a pick and roll scorer with some ability to catch and shoot from a decent range. But how does Williams help us on defense? Where is our defensive rebounding going to come from if he's on the floor?

Also, Williams is a pretty good long range shooter with a sweet shot, but his 3 point % is obviously inflated by taking a fairly small number of them. That wouldn't be a core reason for drafting him.

Terrence Jones is on a much better team ....I believe they had the #1 recruiting class the past two years...if not, damn close. Perry Jones has the highest upside of any other player in the draft. In a weak year like this year, I'd rather take the guy with a high ceiling rather than settling for ball hog shot jacking Terrence Jones....he is a selfish player...I don't want him.

I agree that Kentucky is a much better team than Baylor. I don't agree that they are a much more talented team. They're probably a bit more talented, but the difference isn't that big. Baylor recruits with the best of them.

Terrence Jones is a big reason why Kentucky is a much better team. It's not like his surrounding cast was so much more talented that it should make a substantial difference in his level of play compared to Perry Jones'. All things considered, Lacedarius Dunn was a better college player than Brandon Knight. Quincy Acy was a better college player than Darius Miller. Doron Lamb was better than A.J. Walton, but other than that, the rotations are pretty similar. I don't see what recruiting class rankings has to do with the quality of their team this year (especially since Eric Bledsoe, John Wall, and DeMarcus Cousins all went pro). They are even less relevant than preseason rankings. Kentucky was ranked 10th this preseason and Baylor was ranked 14th. There was very little disparity in talent.

If anything the talent was pretty even and Baylor was far more experienced than Kentucky across the board. But a notably big difference in their lineups was that Terrence Jones was a lot better than Perry Jones this season.

Where are you getting that Jones is a selfish player and ball hog? He wasn't even the go to offensive weapon all year long, Brandon Knight was. Jones plays hard, plays good defense, and rebounds well. It seems like you're just spitballing now.

I never really supported or trashed Barnes from what I can remember. He flat out didn't show up in the earlier part of the season...so yeah....I probably wasn't on his bandwagon, but I can't believe you are actually trying to make a "stevemcqueen - 1 Gatorbait - 0 claim......

You and RonArtest both argued against me earlier in the year about Barnes. You liked Perry Jones, I liked Barnes. When I went on and on about how I thought Barnes was no worse nor more disappointing than Perry Jones, you wrote, "I couldn't disagree more with anything you've said." It seems that, in the end, Barnes is better than Jones, a better prospect, and that I was right and you were wrong to disagree. Seems pretty simple to me.

you definitely lead the thread in stupid comments....the majority of the time I'm pretty sure you are typing out your ass. .....still can't believe you called Blatche an asset. I'll admit...I was on the Blatche wagon for WAAYYYYYY too long....but at least I hopped out at the end and didn't go off the cliff.

If my comments are stupid even though I've ended up being right about a lot of different things, then what does that make your saucy little contributions?

I'm curious as to when exactly I called Andray Blatche an asset to our team. You seem to think I like him more than I actually do. Was I calling him a trade asset? If so, then I stand by that claim because he definitely is. I'd like to trade him and have said so many many time for the past few months. Other than that, I've never been crazy about Blatche as a Washington Wizard. He has his ups and downs but he's just a slightly above average starter who isn't a great fit here.

Yeah...I just went back and looked....I said nothing negative about Harrison Barnes.....I criticized your logic in comparing the minutes played and points per game between Jones and Barnes to justify Barnes being better.

Actually you've still got it wrong. I just went back and looked too, the conversation was from January 22nd. I was responding to RonArtest who claimed Barnes had been "awful" and that Perry Jones had "lived up to his billing." I pointed out that that was a ridiculous position to take seeing as how Barnes and Jones had almost identical numbers, and that Barnes' per minute numbers were actually a good deal better. You chimed in with the typical straw man appeal to common sense that box scores were no way to tell how good a player was, as if that's what I had actually done. Meanwhile, above that on that very same page I had written about a 500 word post on how good Barnes was and that you had to actually watch him play to get a sense of it because his impact wasn't the type that showed up on a stat sheet.

I didn't claim that Barnes was better than Jones. I pointed out that if Barnes was considered a disappointment, then Jones should be as well since he wasn't having the impact he was supposed to either.

Interestingly enough, you defended Jones as a first overall lock and I pointed out that Jones wasn't even the best forward in the class, and actually mentioned Derrick Williams, Terrence Jones, and Jared Sullinger specifically as having been better. They were better and if Sullinger came out, he and Williams would be higher draft picks than Perry Jones. Maybe Terrence Jones will get picked ahead of Perry Jones, who knows? It'll be interesting to see if he does.

I also said that the top prospect (from a 5 or 6 man group) who had the best tournament would be the one who ended up being considered the consensus first overall choice. I was right because that's exactly where we are with Derrick Williams right now.

I really hate it when people use stats and box scores to fully justify if a player is better than another...you have got to watch the games. Stats can be used to compare sometimes .....especially when looking at +/- and shooting efficiency....although with shooting efficiency you have to consider how many of a players shots are layups opposed to mid-range shots. If someone looked at Rondo's box scores, they would think he is a good shooter when he is really terrible.....he just knows he is terrible, so he doesn't shoot a whole lot of shots that aren't layups.

And there you go again chasing windmills. What does that have to do with anyhing? Is this in response to something I said? Honestly, its like you only read the first few words of my paragraphs before you decide to guess at what my argument might be and ramble against it. Do you suffer from rectal-cranial inversion too? If so, then I guess I'll be more sensitive because your inability to fully read and follow logical threads in an argument wouldn't be your fault.

But I'm honestly tired of talking about Barnes and this subject and don't really feel like :beatdeadhorse:.

---------- Post added March-28th-2011 at 12:36 AM ----------

Goddamn Monta Ellis is good. I'm surprised he's not talked about more often as a top SG in the West. We couldn't figure out how to stop him.

I didn't watch the whole game, but from what I saw McGee played hard and he was cleaning up. He made his shots and pulled down an ass load of rebounds. He's still trying and it looked like he was consistently around the ball which was a nice change. Luck was on his side tonight too, he even got to the line and actually made his free throws. This game was a clear demonstration of why he is already special--finishing on the offensive end and above the rim defense. If he actually develops the rest of his game he'll be a good center.

You have to take the good with the bad though. Golden State has got to be one of the only teams out there that is actually worse defensively than we are. David Lee can score but man if he's not an even worse defender than Javale! At least Javale tries and can actually contest a shot. It was still a good game for him though and you all know Javale is my boy. But I wouldn't get too high on him after this one just like I wouldn't get too low on him after some of his bad games.

What do you all think about Maurice Evans? He looked solid to me. We're looking for low key veteran depth at the forward positions to anchor the roster moving forward. It seems like Evans has already done more for us than Rashard Lewis or Josh Howard. If we can get him to extend for cheap, I'd take him back.

Also I thought Jeffers looked decent. Where in the hell did he come from?

Yi has shown some rare signs of life the past few weeks but does he really need so many minutes each night? I understand that Javale actually plays better beside him than he does with Blatche. But why can't we actually see something from Kevin Seraphin? I hate to write him off already but Yi is just a stiff. Just how rough is Seraphin if he can't get on the floor right now? We're not really playing to win any more. Or at least we shouldn't be. Come on Flip, let's see him.

Edited March 28, 2011 by stevemcqueen1

[Gator Bait]

Blatche's contract isn't bad. Six million a year for a 24 year old who's a 17-10 guy when healthy isn't bad. I agree that he's not a good fit here. There are still teams that need a scoring 4 that would be interested in him.

Blatche's contract is terrible. He is a black whole shot jacker who shoots 43% from the field as a power forward. He also has a terrible attitude and I'm convinced he isn't coachable. I'm not surprised you sited his points-rebound numbers though (which you got incorrect anyway...his numbers are actually 15.9 pts and 7.9 rebounds, more importantly 43.5% from the field. If you aren't going to watch games and you are going to bring up stats as your arguments...at least get them right!

Mo Williams is a mediocre player who got to an All Star game in a diluted eastern conference riding LeBron James's coattails with a season about as impressive as Nick Young's.

Mo is actually much better than Nick and has proven to be on a consistent basis. Mo put up better numbers than Nick's this year 4 years in a row. Not only can he score, he can also distribute, hit the three, and is an excellent free throw shooter. You calling him mediocre is absolutely ridiculous and ignorant.

We might have to take on a bad contract back as part of a deal to get a lottery pick. Or we might have to package a late first in there. We can easily afford to do both of those things. And regardless, a Nick Young + Andray Blatche package is a hell of a lot more attractive than Mo WIlliams and Jamario Moon.

We'd have to give up a 1st just to get a team to take Andray off our hands...especially after this offseason when we have a hard cap with lower maxes.

I'd take Mo Williams (starter quality) and Jamario Moon (decent role player) over Nick (Contract year) Young and Andray (you pass me the ball, you aint gettin' it back) Blatche any day.

It is actually a shame that Dray has such a terrible work ethic and poor attitude because he has all the tools. He can knock down the mid-range jumper, has the size/frame to bulk up and become a legit low block player, is a good passer (when he wants to be) and has the athleticism to be a great rebounder and defender. What a waste of human being.

How many successful players like Jared Sullinger have to come along before you accept that his style works in the NBA? Yes a Kevin Love comparison is valid and it has been widely made.

Sullinger was compared to Love on one of those NBA mock draft sites, which was then copied and regurgitated over 50 more websites. You see, I'm on to you. You likely watch very few games, but you read all the blogs and sports websites out there, take their opinions and paste it onto extremeskins claiming it as your own.

What do you know about his knee problems though? He's 18 years old. Even if he's had a serious knee injury, it's possible he could bounce back completely. Besides, the internet rumblings about his knees could all be bull**** anyway.

I wouldn't touch anyone with history of knee issues. usually where there is smoke, there is fire. If their are rumors that he has had a history of knee injuries...he probably has had them. Gilbert/Brandon Roy are perfect examples on why not to gamble on a player with past knee injuries.

I agree Derrick Williams is the number 1 pick in this year's class. If you check my posting history, I've actually thought he'd been better and might be taken ahead of Perry Jones way back in January.

But he doesn't do everything well. He's an undersized PF who'll struggle just as much on the defensive end as Sullinger will. The difference is, Sullinger is a very good defensive rebounder while Williams is pretty average.

I don't think Williams is a great fit for us. We've already got a lot of forwards on the team who are either small or soft. It'd be nice to have Williams for a pick and roll scorer with some ability to catch and shoot from a decent range. But how does Williams help us on defense? Where is our defensive rebounding going to come from if he's on the floor?

Also, Williams is a pretty good long range shooter with a sweet shot, but his 3 point % is obviously inflated by taking a fairly small number of them. That wouldn't be a core reason for drafting him.

Derrick Williams is actually the perfect fit for us. He is very athletic and can run the break w/ Wall/McGee/Crawford, he plays excellent defense, and he can score inside and out. He is a much better fit for this team than (no athletic bone in my body) sullinger.

Where are you getting that Jones is a selfish player and ball hog? He wasn't even the go to offensive weapon all year long, Brandon Knight was. Jones plays hard, plays good defense, and rebounds well. It seems like you're just spitballing now.

I must admit, I pulled a mcqueen and regurgitated that myself. I've talked to two different Kentucky fans at work and actually seen someone else on this board call Jones a selfish player. I've probably only seen 3 or 4 Kentucky games this year; but some of the guys that watch all their games told me he is a selfish player and they wouldn't want him on their NBA team. Usually fans of teams are very homer and want those players on their pro teams....these guys don't want to touch him...must mean something.

You and RonArtest both argued against me earlier in the year about Barnes. You liked Perry Jones, I liked Barnes. When I went on and on about how I thought Barnes was no worse nor more disappointing than Perry Jones, you wrote, "I couldn't disagree more with anything you've said." It seems that, in the end, Barnes is better than Jones, a better prospect, and that I was right and you were wrong to disagree. Seems pretty simple to me.

I did argue for Perry Jones...but it was more pro Perry Jones, not anti Barnes (for me anyway). Barnes is definitely the better option for the Wizards because he can probably come in and have an impact right away (and we need that). Perry Jones is probably the better long term option because he has a much higher ceiling...but I've had enough of Ernie's "projects, high ceiling players"....I want a sure thing.

If my comments are stupid even though I've ended up being right about a lot of different things, then what does that make your saucy little contributions?

tell you what....whenever you say something stupid from now on....I'll quote with "steve, that was stupid" then all I have to do is hit up the search feature...and I got all your stupid right at my fingertips.

I'm curious as to when exactly I called Andray Blatche an asset to our team. You seem to think I like him more than I actually do. Was I calling him a trade asset? If so, then I stand by that claim because he definitely is.

how is he a trade asset? He is a poor decision maker, terrible fg%, terrible attitude....does Blatche have any positives? How is he an asset, really?

Actually you've still got it wrong. I just went back and looked too, the conversation was from January 22nd. I was responding to RonArtest who claimed Barnes had been "awful" and that Perry Jones had "lived up to his billing." I pointed out that that was a ridiculous position to take seeing as how Barnes and Jones had almost identical numbers, and that Barnes' per minute numbers were actually a good deal better. You chimed in with the typical straw man appeal to common sense that box scores were no way to tell how good a player was, as if that's what I had actually done. Meanwhile, above that on that very same page I had written about a 500 word post on how good Barnes was and that you had to actually watch him play to get a sense of it because his impact wasn't the type that showed up on a stat sheet.

you did actually site the stat sheet to try and prove your point....pointing out minutes played and points per game.

I also said that the top prospect (from a 5 or 6 man group) who had the best tournament would be the one who ended up being considered the consensus first overall choice. I was right because that's exactly where we are with Derrick Williams right now.

Kemba Walker has had a better tournament than Derrick Williams...not sure if he is in the 5-6 man group you speak of...I'm assuming not.

[Going Commando]

Blatche's contract is terrible. He is a black whole shot jacker who shoots 43% from the field as a power forward. He also has a terrible attitude and I'm convinced he isn't coachable. I'm not surprised you sited his points-rebound numbers though (which you got incorrect anyway...his numbers are actually 15.9 pts and 7.9 rebounds, more importantly 43.5% from the field. If you aren't going to watch games and you are going to bring up stats as your arguments...at least get them right!

I had no idea what Blatche's stats for the year were because I didn't look at them. You did. I was going off what I'm used to seeing from him. A typical night for him--when he's healthy--he's about a 17-10 type of guy. Do you disagree?

Mo is actually much better than Nick and has proven to be on a consistent basis. Mo put up better numbers than Nick's this year 4 years in a row. Not only can he score, he can also distribute, hit the three, and is an excellent free throw shooter. You calling him mediocre is absolutely ridiculous and ignorant.

Mo is mediocre. Lots of NBA point guards have decent passing skills and can shoot the three. If he was actually a high caliber player then the Cavs wouldn't have been a one man show. LeBron wouldn't have been so eager to leave Cleveland and they wouldn't have fallen off a cliff after he did. He got in because they always try to send more than one player from a top team to the All Star game, not because he was special.

I'd take Mo Williams (starter quality) and Jamario Moon (decent role player) over Nick (Contract year) Young and Andray (you pass me the ball, you aint gettin' it back) Blatche any day.

Then take them. I bet you'd be alone in preferring that deal to an equivalent one for Blatche and Young. It's crap that you talk about Blatche having a bad contract even though Mo Williams' is at least as bad.

Young is a decent all around player in his own right.

It is actually a shame that Dray has such a terrible work ethic and poor attitude because he has all the tools... What a waste of human being.

Yet another overly emotional comment from you. Contrary to what most sports fans think, opinions are tougher to take seriously the more emotional they sound.

Sullinger was compared to Love on one of those NBA mock draft sites, which was then copied and regurgitated over 50 more websites. You see, I'm on to you. You likely watch very few games, but you read all the blogs and sports websites out there, take their opinions and paste it onto extremeskins claiming it as your own.

Heavens to Betsy the jig's up! He's on to me folks! Quick, grab the money and skedaddle!

BTW, I watch games several nights a week, sometimes several in a day if I've got nothing to do. Interesting that you think you know me though. A little self projection?

I wouldn't touch anyone with history of knee issues. usually where there is smoke, there is fire. If their are rumors that he has had a history of knee injuries...he probably has had them. Gilbert/Brandon Roy are perfect examples on why not to gamble on a player with past knee injuries.

So you wouldn't have any interest in Quincy Jones? He's an awfully good player to be writing off.

Derrick Williams is actually the perfect fit for us. He is very athletic and can run the break w/ Wall/McGee/Crawford, he plays excellent defense, and he can score inside and out. He is a much better fit for this team than (no athletic bone in my body) sullinger.

Williams is a good scorer, but it's obvious he's going to struggle to defend the 4 in the NBA. I don't like his ability to defend the 3 either because, fast as he is for a college 4, he's not that fast. It's the same concern people have about Trevor Booker in terms of his size/speed. We could use Williams's scoring, but we've got a lot of smallish or soft forwards already. Do we need another one? That's pretty much my point.

Also, who cares about running a fast break offense? We've got a lot of fast players who can run already and it hasn't mattered. We struggle the most in the half court on both ends, specifically in the paint.

I must admit, I pulled a mcqueen and regurgitated that myself. I've talked to two different Kentucky fans at work and actually seen someone else on this board call Jones a selfish player. I've probably only seen 3 or 4 Kentucky games this year; but some of the guys that watch all their games told me he is a selfish player and they wouldn't want him on their NBA team. Usually fans of teams are very homer and want those players on their pro teams....these guys don't want to touch him...must mean something.

Hardy-har-har! You are a wit my friend! Why would I take the word of some random Kentucky fans over what I've seen from him, juxtaposed immediately alongside the performances of dozens of other forwards no less. I'd also trust Chad Ford over them.

how is he a trade asset? He is a poor decision maker, terrible fg%, terrible attitude....does Blatche have any positives? How is he an asset, really?

He's a better trade chip than Kirk Hinrich and Hilton Armstrong.

you did actually site the stat sheet to try and prove your point....pointing out minutes played and points per game.

Oh my goodness this is exhausting. Alright, I spent a ton of time before that pointing out how Barnes' impact doesn't show up on the stat sheet. The argument that was in reference to the claim that Barnes had been awful and Jones had lived up to his billing. There was no defense for that claim, either by an appeal to their stats or looking directly at their games.

Stats do have their uses. But I've never believed that they tell the whole story, even in a sport like basketball where huge sample sizes are produced.

tell you what....whenever you say something stupid from now on....I'll quote with "steve, that was stupid" then all I have to do is hit up the search feature...and I got all your stupid right at my fingertips.

Tell you what man, all joking aside, I'll leave you alone now. It seems like you came in here with a bit of a chip on your shoulder but I realize I shouldn't have provoked you. I was merely bull ****ting with you and didn't mean anything by it at all. I didn't realize I was pissing you off and I apologize for being an ass and getting a little mean-spirited. I can be obnoxious and overbearing with my opinions and it often rubs people the wrong way. We're all Wizards fans here. Can we just chalk this up to the frustration of an unbearable season?

[StillUnknown]

I was gonna suggest a cage match

[Gator Bait]

I had no idea what Blatche's stats for the year were because I didn't look at them. You did. I was going off what I'm used to seeing from him. A typical night for him--when he's healthy--he's about a 17-10 type of guy. Do you disagree?

I do disagree...Blatche isn't consistent at all...he will come out and score 30 one night on 12-15 shooting and then the next couple games he will go 4-25 from the field and score a combined 12 points. you didn't even address is atrocious FG%.....43%...really? that is pathetic for a PF.

Mo is mediocre. Lots of NBA point guards have decent passing skills and can shoot the three. If he was actually a high caliber player then the Cavs wouldn't have been a one man show. LeBron wouldn't have been so eager to leave Cleveland and they wouldn't have fallen off a cliff after he did. He got in because they always try to send more than one player from a top team to the All Star game, not because he was special.

Actually Mo made the Cavs a much better team...look at the Cavs prior to LeBron and then the Cavs once they got Mo. Not saying Mo is awesome...but he is definitely an above average player and much better than you make him sound. The "Lots of NBA point guards" you bring up don't score 16-18 points per night on average.

Then take them. I bet you'd be alone in preferring that deal to an equivalent one for Blatche and Young. It's crap that you talk about Blatche having a bad contract even though Mo Williams' is at least as bad.

I'd be willing to bet my life on this one...you are definitely wrong....95% of Wizards fans HATE Blatche

Young is a decent all around player in his own right.

no he isn't...he doesn't rebound or pass well...all he does is score...and he is streaky when it comes to that. Don't get me wrong, I acknowledge Nick had a pretty good year this year, but he definitely is nothing near and all around player, he is a one trick pony.

Yet another overly emotional comment from you. Contrary to what most sports fans think, opinions are tougher to take seriously the more emotional they sound.

he is that terrible

BTW, I watch games several nights a week, sometimes several in a day if I've got nothing to do. Interesting that you think you know me though. A little self projection?

you are an obvious box score fan....don't watch the majority of games but always check out the box score.

Williams is a good scorer, but it's obvious he's going to struggle to defend the 4 in the NBA. I don't like his ability to defend the 3 either because, fast as he is for a college 4, he's not that fast. It's the same concern people have about Trevor Booker in terms of his size/speed. We could use Williams's scoring, but we've got a lot of smallish or soft forwards already. Do we need another one? That's pretty much my point.

Williams is way more versatile and flat out a better player than any other forward we have on our team. He is also much better than your boy Sullinger.

Also, who cares about running a fast break offense? We've got a lot of fast players who can run already and it hasn't mattered. We struggle the most in the half court on both ends, specifically in the paint.

we need to play to our strengths and run more...Flip and his offense aren't right for our team.

Hardy-har-har! You are a wit my friend! Why would I take the word of some random Kentucky fans over what I've seen from him, juxtaposed immediately alongside the performances of dozens of other forwards no less. I'd also trust Chad Ford over them.

because they have probalby watched at least twice as many Kentucky fans than you have...you are a box score watcher.

He's a better trade chip than Kirk Hinrich and Hilton Armstrong.

you think a bad attitude, 43% shooting, lazy PF is a better trade chip than a veteran back up PG who actually brings value and leadership to a team?

[Warhead36]

Blatche is a loser. Plain and simple. I don't care about his stats or his athleticism or any of that. Some guys just aren't winners. Blatche will never win as long as he's relied upon to be a contributor. Last year was an illusion that we all(myself included)fell for. We should have traded him while his value was high. With that said, I wouldn't trade him now because his value is probably at an all-time low.

[Destino]

I actually think that is what McGee is supposed to develop into....defense and rebounding. we need a PF that can score to pair with McGee. ****....what we really need is both of our front court players to be well rounded....score, defend, and rebound

The Wizards are so depleted that the question is really more "what don't we need". We have exactly one starting caliber player at the moment and he's a rookie. We don't know if there will be a season next year and we have no idea who will be the head coach in 2012-2013 (we might even end up with a new GM).

The modern game is dependent on at least two stars (star used loosely). Wall being one of them, assuming (hoping) he continues to develop, the question becomes who is star number two? Based on that you can decide what role players you need but currently the wizards should be, and I believe are, focused on finding the second piece of the puzzle. They are clearing cap space and getting rid of just about everyone and I can't imagine they are doing that in hopes of landing some decent role players.

Once we get the foundation I think things will clear up but I have to imagine that the wizards are thinking they need a stud 4 or 5 soon to avoid Wall joining the trend and leaving at the end of his contract. That's not a lot of time to develop a rookie big man especially if there is no season next year.

Edited March 28, 2011 by Destino

[@DCGoldPants]

I would like to see what a coach better suited to develop younger guys can do with McGee, Blatche, Young, etc.

Saunders should have been replaced at the all-star break, but it didn't happen. Leonsis knew before the season started it wasn't going to go well. He's just setting up the organization for a lockout and rebuild around Wall.

[Warhead36]

The NBA is pretty much guaranteed to lock out next year. Whether we get a partial season or no season remains to be seen but the way contracts and FA is done in the NBA needs to be completely reworked. I actually think we'll be in really good shape afterwards. The NBA is supposed to be going to a hard cap(similar to the NFL)so teams that load up their cap on just 2-3 players(Miami, New York, etc.)are going to be screwed. Meanwhile we'll have a team full of young guys starting to blossom and lots of cap room to make a play for a big star to put us over the top(e.g. Dwight Howard).

[pjfootballer]

I swear, there is a ref conspiracy against the Wiz.

Not a consiparcy against the Wiz, because their problem is, they just plain suck. The NBA has their top 8 teams they like to see in the playoffs. With a league that has had only 8 teams win a championship in 30 years (and over half won by the Lakers and Celtics) its easy to see that Donaghy and the other refs were right.

It's weird, but when you think about it, the last 2 teams besides the Lakers, Celtics, Bulls, Spurs, Rockets, Pistons, Heat and 76ers to win the NBA championship, were the Sonics in 79 and the Bullets in 1978. I guess I can add the Blazers with 77. The Celtics won it in 76.

[Going Commando]

I was gonna suggest a cage match

Step into the octagon? Only if I get to wear those cool trunks that JBJ is sporting in your signature

[@DCGoldPants]

The NFL needs a rookie cap like the NBA, and the NBA needs a franchise tag like the NFL.

[No Excuses]

I hate the franchise tag.

What the NBA needs to get rid off is the luxury tax so teams can't sign three max contracts and then a year later have the ability to hand out MLE contracts to ring chasing veterans.

You either sacrifice depth for 3 superstars or sacrifice star power for more depth. Can't have both.