Exit Interviews
Hey everyone, the exit interviews are up on WashingtonWizards.com. You can check them out here.
Posted: May 4th, 2008 under Wizards.
Comments
Comment from SportzWiz
Time May 4, 2008 at 10:20 PM
Obviously im not tawn, so this is purely my guess. I think antawn didn’t want to answer all the questions about free agency at least not at this point. Its tough, as someone that covers the team when the season ends its like you just cant believe the seasons over and you wake up and there’s no more games really there’s nothimg, and i can imagine at this point that tawn just isnt ready to deal with 30 media members all asking him about what is oging to happen this summer
It is also my guess that you will see him and gil in a wizards uniform next year.
Comment from Jason C
Time May 5, 2008 at 1:02 AM
Thanks for the response sportzwiz, yeah that makes sense.
Comment from SportzWiz
Time May 5, 2008 at 11:21 AM
aznzero, than you should be smiling because I think you are going to get your wish, but that’s just my guess.
Comment from aznzero
Time May 5, 2008 at 11:35 AM
haha i guess you have a “reliable source” too SportzWiz?
Comment from SportzWiz
Time May 5, 2008 at 11:53 AM
I would say I have the same sources as you, Ernie Grunfeld, Eddie Jordan and Caron Butler have all been very adamant about wanting to keep the “Big 3″ intact. We will see, but it seems that everyone is on the same page, so that is where my belief comes from.
Comment from gbkdc
Time May 5, 2008 at 1:17 PM
Does anyone know when Ernie Grunfeld will be holding a press conference? It’s supposed to be soon, right?
Comment from SportzWiz
Time May 5, 2008 at 1:55 PM
wednesday or thursday gbkdc
Comment from Wizards4Life
Time May 5, 2008 at 2:02 PM
i know we dont have the money but i wish we could bring AI in to help Gil in the back court he can rip a D apart with his speed and we got so many shooters we could be alot better
Comment from Beeb
Time May 5, 2008 at 2:07 PM
In Ernie we trust. I am assuming that he saw what was clear to all. This team needs some size. We got killed on the boards and having Etan back will give some bench help but not the bruiser we need. You can’t expect Twan,Haywood and Butler to match up with the big men that we will normally see in the playoffs. Obviously, Eddie did not think that going big with Blatche and Haywood was the answer. Gil’s game depends on speed. After 2 surgeries, you can hope at best that he will be full strength by 2009. Let’s hope he’s silly enough to opt out of 12m
Comment from Phemy
Time May 5, 2008 at 2:21 PM
‘aight, just wanna write a litte something about the season…
First of all, I mainly became fan of the wizards (this season, shame on me) because of the golden jersey. I saw them “by accident” and was like “WOW, GIMME THAT, WHO IS THIS”. I played basketball in a team, but stopped ~5-7years ago, and didn’t really follow the nba any further. But somehow, and with my dad beeing an huge dirk fan i kinda came back. So i watched some wizards clips on youtube, some gilbert arenas clips (and immediately bought his jersey), and slowly became a fan of the ‘zards.
Then i found this blog, where I was mainly readying only for the first few weeks, but then started to write for myself, and thanks to lilGil (my cheese-chocolate-buddy from swiss, just messing with ya) i was finally able to watch the games, and became a “full” blogger ;>
Also HUGE thanks to the blogging-team, the actuallity of the blog is amazing, with all the inside-information etc, simply awesum.
Thanks to all you guys sticking together in good as in bad times (sounds like a wedding speech), and…yeah, just thanks for the fun! And ofc thanks to the wizards, great season!
After gil was out I thought “damn, whats gonna happen”, but they stayed cool and kept winning – and other players like (esp.) haywood stepped up.
Let’s hope, like caron said, that we are all healthy (players and bloggers 
) next year, the team stays (nearly? you know what i mean) the same, we maybe get a good draftpick, and sweep cleveland in the season
Greetings,
Phemy – RISE UP DC!
Comment from SportzWiz
Time May 5, 2008 at 2:22 PM
I think you underestimate the cavs size, yes we got outrebounded, but there was a reason Cleveland was the best rebounding team statistically in the league this year. They have four experienced big’s and you combine that with LeBron and its a very big front line. Hopefully with Etan returning and Andray having another year of maturity we can match that depth inside.
Comment from r55
Time May 5, 2008 at 2:52 PM
I just hope gilbert can get healthy this summer I would hate to see this injury ruin his career because its clear how much he loves basketball
Comment from Wizfan4life
Time May 5, 2008 at 4:04 PM
we should try and get a bloggers party formed over the summer…….where dave and glenn r there and the wizards team is there 2….plus all of the bloggers of course lol. we should try and have it somewhere between august and september when the team is just starting 2 get ready for the season, but doesnt have much going on with the draft, trades, etc
Comment from Bridge
Time May 5, 2008 at 4:47 PM
YEAH!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(ok, let me get ready for class now…..) But, YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Comment from neal
Time May 5, 2008 at 6:39 PM
Count me in.
Comment from neal
Time May 5, 2008 at 9:01 PM
That is if old farts are invited.
Comment from neal
Time May 5, 2008 at 9:28 PM
Anyone know if there’s any easy way of comparing us to the other teams in such things as shooting %, defense, rebounds, etc?
Comment from GrifonRacing
Time May 5, 2008 at 9:29 PM
I’m In.
Neal? you an old fart too? I didn’t realize that lol.
Comment from Tom Mandel
Time May 6, 2008 at 6:14 AM
I’m older than either of you — I guarantee it!
Off-season thoughts:
the draft —- the top few players might be very good, but there is no way for us to trade to the top (all rebuilding teams). We might get Hibbert, who could be ok. Anyone know anything about Speights or any of the other bigs in the draft? Draftexpress projects us to get Nicolas Batum, who is supposed to be a fantastic talent out of France. A while ago, he was projected at the top of the draft. The site projects us to get Pat Calathes in the 2d round (I like 2d round choices), but who knows.
unrestricted free agents —- who’s going to be available? Anyone tracking this?
trades —- do you think anyone wants Nick Young? Andray Blatche? Let it be said that Andray is *still* very young; he doesn’t turn 22 until August. *Maybe* he will develop. Nick is a lost cause in my opinion.
Comment from FLOYDBT
Time May 6, 2008 at 6:26 AM
No way we cant trade nick young after one year plus he showed at least to me to be a good offensive weapon. id rather draft roy hibbert for size and try to keep the team together along with mason……
The only move i see the wizards doing is releasing PECH
Comment from aznzero
Time May 6, 2008 at 7:15 AM
im a big nick the kid young fan. we cant get rid of nick! he can create any shot he wants. he just needs minutes.
Comment from Bridge
Time May 6, 2008 at 7:51 AM
I hope that the Bulls acquire Mike D’Antoni! We already have Scott Skiles over here – I might just become a Bucks fan just because he’s coaching…oh, and because of R. Sessions – he’s a good player.
I hate to say this, but I agree with FLOYDBT about Pech. I love the guy (and would love to see him stay) but they just don’t give him a lot of minutes.
Phemy – I’m kinda in your boat; I’ve been a Wizards fan for about a year and a half now. Maybe I’ll share my story like you did later. I hope to see everyone back next season (players/bloggers)…
Comment from SportzWiz
Time May 6, 2008 at 8:09 AM
Im going to say this, I think certain people on this blog give up on players WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY too quickly!!!!!
I wish all of you could see pech in practice, I dont think he ever got comfortable out there this season with his ankle injury, I would expect different things from him next year.
As far as free agency, we will have a breakdown later after players announce whether they are opting out or staying.
Comment from Bridge
Time May 6, 2008 at 8:42 AM
Don’t get me wrong SportzWiz, I don’t agree as in me wanting them to release Pech because I REALLY like his game – I’m just a little worried because we don’t see him out there a lot.
But hell no, Pech (if up to me) wouldn’t go!! 
Comment from Tom Mandel
Time May 6, 2008 at 8:57 AM
Pecherov is an unknown. So far, he has shown nothing (and, again, let me mention that Rajon Rondo, Marcus Williams, Reynaldo Balkman and Josh Boone — *all* regular nba rotation players — were taken right after him in the ’06 draft). When he shows something, then we can say something positive about him.
Nick Young — I’d be happy to be wrong, but he had minutes and contributed next to nothing. Is he a gifted athlete? Sure. A really nice kid? Uh huh. Does he look good w/ the ball in his hands? Yeah. Does he occasionally do something spectacular? Of course. So what? He fouls, turns it over, gets few assists, doesn’t rebound, and shoots a low percentage. When the ball gets into his hands, he dribbles around, stifles the offense, gets in trouble, then usually does something like turn it over or throw up a low % shot. He has little understanding of the game.
Comment from millie mill
Time May 6, 2008 at 8:58 AM
Party sounds good to me. Just let me know when. I suggest we meet at the ESPN Zone near Metro Center on draft night.
Thanks to the Wizards for a good season and for the Washington Wizards Blog. I know I haven’t been blogging much this year but I have been reading the blog.
My thoughts for next season:
1. Sign Jamison and Mason. Then maybe Gil.
2. Draft Roy Hibbert in the first round Draft the best Power forward left second round.
3. Find away to get rid of Etan Thomas. Maybe sign and trade Gil and make the other team take Thomas.
4. Continue to work on Defense.
5. Make Young, Blachte, Pech and McGuire hit the weight room.
6. Make Pech work on his speed.
7. McGuire and Pech can stand to go see a shooting coach.
Don’t beat me up too bad on my comment about maybe signing Gil or trading him with Thomas. I just thank this team need a pass first PG that can hit shots and defend. Gil to me is a shoot first, pass second PG that has no defense, but wants the max pay.
Here is a list of Free Agents 2008:
http://www.sportscity.com/NBA/NBA-Free-Agents-2008/
Comment from Tom Mandel
Time May 6, 2008 at 8:59 AM
On the other hand, I like McGuire. His faults are all in being a little raw. You can see his up-side.
Comment from SportzWiz
Time May 6, 2008 at 9:05 AM
Renaldo Balkman? I dont know calling players busts after one season in which each guy plays under 10 minutes per game is a little extreme to me.
Comment from Tom Mandel
Time May 6, 2008 at 9:27 AM
The best free agent match for the Wizards that I see right now is Jose Calderon, who is an *elite* point guard.
Bonzi Wells is also unrestricted, I think. He is a very efficient player. Dunno about his ‘citizenship’ problems.
Chuck Hayes (Houston) is unrestricted. He is a very efficient “lunch-bucket” style player. Kurt Thomas is also unrestricted but probably too expensive.
Andris Biedrins is going into his last year w/ Golden State. I doubt they’d trade him, but he one of the most productive centers in the league.
Comment from wiz-skins07
Time May 6, 2008 at 10:12 AM
Some one on washingtonpost.com suggested…
Let Jamison walk….Pick Up Josh Smith and AK47…
what do you guys think??
Comment from wiz-skins07
Time May 6, 2008 at 10:17 AM
Tommy,
i would go for Jose Calderon…i may even consider droping Arenas to pick him up..if we drop Arenas and get him we can retain Mason, and get a couple good veterans for the bench…that would give us a lot of cap space…Jose Calderon was nearly voted to the All-Star team this year..he can shoot the ball not as well as Arenas but he can also pass and play defense..he makes his teamates better i think..
Comment from wiz-skins07
Time May 6, 2008 at 10:19 AM
yes i kno Gil can score..but what else does he do other than score in bunches..he plays no defense.with Jose Calderon he can score 15 or 20 a game and get assists in bunches..he would get more easy lay-ups for Haywood Butler..and the guys has SPEED..hes like Tony Parker when he drives…
Comment from wiz-skins07
Time May 6, 2008 at 10:19 AM
but i still dont see him with us…i think we will hold Jamison and Arenas for next year..
Comment from wiz-skins07
Time May 6, 2008 at 10:32 AM
My View for Wizards Off-Season 08:
1.) Resign Jamison for 8-10 mil for 3 more seasons..if not able to try to get Josh Smith ot Andrie Kirilinko (AK47)
2.) Try to get Gil back for 13 mil a season at the max..the man is coming off (2) devastating knee-injuries..if not able to sign him sign Jose Calderon..he would be much cheaper and is much more productive…
3.) Re-Sign Mason….thats going to be tough with all they money we are going to have flying around to these guys..Oh how i WISH Danny Snyder was the Wizards owner..lol..if this doesnt happen then try to get Juan Dixon..or Jarvis Hayes back..
4.) Hope for a good player falls to us in the draft…
1st Option for Next Season:
PG- Gilbert Arenas
SG- DeShawn Stevenson
SF- Caron Butler
PF- Antawn Jamison
C- Brendan Haywood
2nd Option:
PG- Jose Calderon
SG- DeShawn Stevenson
SF- Caron Butler
PF- Antawn Jamison
C- Brendan Haywood
3rd Option:
PG- Jose Calderon
SG- DeShawn Stevenson
SF- Caron Butler
PF- Josh Smith or AK47
C- Brendan Haywood
Comment from gbkdc
Time May 6, 2008 at 10:50 AM
SPORTZWIZ: I volunteer to plan the party! If you are serious about it, let me know. I can do almost everything EXCEPT get the players to attend!
And I could make it to the draft party, too. That would be fun. ESPN Zone is a good idea.
Comment from wizards_fusion
Time May 6, 2008 at 11:36 AM
I’m sorry, but you can’t disrespect Jamison by giving him only 8 million per year. In addition to being a consumate professional, he’s also a co-captain of the team. I’m thinking 4 years, 40 to 44 million MINIMUM. Grunfeld could low-ball Larry Hughes’ value because he isn’t consistent, but Jamison has demonstrated he’s got a complete offensive repertoire.
The biggest thing with Roger Mason, imo, is a choice between financial stability versus being close to home/family. Mason took a massive paycut and denied the Spurs offer this past season to stay with the Wizards. The thing is – if the team was healthy for much of the season, Mason would not have gotten all the playing time and resultantly, his stats wouldn’t be as “career year-ish”. However, Mason proved Tom M. wrong by being a solid contributor off the bench and he’s a crowd favorite. It’ll be sad to see “Mason’s Madness” leave the Verizon Center, but he’s got to do what’s best for himself and his family.
Jose Calderon has shown he’s a very good traditional point guard. However, Calderon struggled once TJ Ford came back because his minutes reduced. Unless Jose gets starter minutes in Washington (i.e., ~ 32 mpg), he’s just not going to be as effective. The Wiz doesn’t need Calderon if Arenas, Daniels, and Mason are healthy. Besides, I think Bryan Colangelo is going to resign Calderon because it appears that the PG combo works in Toronto. Calderon may walk because of money and minutes.
Roy Hibbert isn’t coming to Washington unless the team somehow gets a top 7 draft pick. I’m not that high on Hibbert because it appears he’s either maxed out his potential in college or that he’s just still so raw. Besides, Haywood has shown this year that he’s a top 5 center in the league.
I’m glad SportzWiz expressed my sentiment for the last 2-3 years I’ve been blogging/posting here. People either jump the gun way too quickly or have no patience on player development. Many times, Tom M. references players that have produced better than the drafted Washington players and were taken later in the draft order. The thing is that those players were NOT needed by the team. I personally don’t think the team should draft “best available” and should stick with the “draft by need” philosophy. Washington isn’t rebuilding, so why do you want to stack up talent? We’re not evaluating rookies to see who’ll be the cornerstone of the franchise. Washington is supposed to be contending for the Eastern Conference; thus, you only need to tweak weak areas in case of injury.
When I heard about Nick Young’s selection last year for the Wizards, I was confused. I thought Washington wanted to target a front court player that’ll add size. However, after draft experts said N. Young should have been projected higher, I sensed that Grunfeld saw a talent slip, so he had to pick him up. I also wasn’t looking ahead with the Nick Young selection – and that’s why I’m not a GM. Nick could very well start for the team one day. He does have an effortless jumpshot and he’s very athletic. The more I saw Nick’s game this season, he reminds of me the Raptors version of T-Mac. I completely disagree with people saying Nick Young is a “lost cause” because if he does turn into T-Mac Part 2, you’ll be very sorry for letting him go. Besides, I think he’s better than T-Mac because his jumper is more consistent. Now, I hope Nick Young haters don’t call him “overrated” …
Comment from gee wiz
Time May 6, 2008 at 11:43 AM
we need a new look. offensively we dont have a dominate offensive player. we have productive players but not dominate. we need solidity on d and durability. i like a josh smith. hes athletic and can defend. let twan be our sixth man. im serious! and let gil go grab a distibuting point, that can also shoot and defend. well he does not fit this, but what about jason terry, and jason williams. it will save money compared to gils contract. and go after josh smith or elton brand. just a thought
Comment from gee wiz
Time May 6, 2008 at 11:44 AM
what about jameer nelson????
Comment from wiz-skins07
Time May 6, 2008 at 11:54 AM
gee wiz thats what im saying,
get Josh Smith and let Gil walk on one-leg….we would save a bunch of money..get jose Calderon..Josh Smith is a terrific atchletic young man that is a defender…we could even try to put Caron at the SG so that Josh Smith and Jamison are in the starting line-up and if it doesnt work than…let Jamison be our sixth man..
Comment from wiz-skins07
Time May 6, 2008 at 11:55 AM
but if we let Gil walk..we should at least get something for him..maybe trade him for a 1st Round draft pick a late one b/c his value isnt that good now..
Comment from r55
Time May 6, 2008 at 12:11 PM
you do realize that both jose calderon and josh smith are restricted free agents which basically means that the raptors and hawks can and will match any offer they recieve and call me stupid but i would take gilbert over jason terry, jason williams or jameer nelson any day of the week
Comment from SportzWiz
Time May 6, 2008 at 12:13 PM
Here are the list of restricted and unrestricted FA’s according to ESPN.com
Comment from Bridge
Time May 6, 2008 at 12:20 PM
gbkdc –
I’ll help you out; maybe I can take care of the player thing .
Hell, with all this trade/sign/whatever talk, y’all gonna mess up this lil “party” opportunity. I know that the players respect honesty, but if I were a player, I probably wouldn’t want to meet the people who said “trade” me. You know, I stopped watching basketball for A LOT of years when Jordan left Chicago and everyone left thereafter. I know that this is a business, but why it gotta be like this?? I want ALL my boys back…yeah…even Nick and Stevenson – not my two favorite players, but I would like them all back. You know, there is room for improvement. Man, I wouldn’t want to be on any of you guys’ team if I were a player – I’d be worried about getting my butt traded!!
Tom, you stated that Arenas was “streaky”….wow. Not trying to point the finger, but if anyone, I would say that Stevenson is streaky (for his position). That man more “streaky” than my hair. I don’t care what anybody say and what Arenas might think, but that man [Arenas] is a SG…not SG/PG, just SG – Stevenson is NOT a SG in my opinion. They need to switch some titles or something.
Oh, I better watch out for I get traded off this blog for…uh…using too many of those little smiley faces.
I hope that we all just not wasting our time and imagination on wanting/requesting this bloggers party. PARRRTY PARRRTY!!!
Comment from Tom Mandel
Time May 6, 2008 at 1:03 PM
Ok, we can blog-trade Bridge — but not for that pesky Cavs fan that was hanging out here bugging us!!
Lets not get into the meaningless trade stuff, guys. Learn the league rules for trades (e.g. you *can’t* trade Arenas for a draft pick, and so forth).
I didn’t get into the Deshawn/streaky thing, because everyone loves DS’s heart (even though he is an average NBA player at best).
Comment from wiz123
Time May 6, 2008 at 1:06 PM
if my memory serves me correctly, before the start of the season, we wanted to trade jamison cause he cant play D. look at what he did this year. i believe when gil is all healthy again, coach ayers could help him out defensively. im not sure…could it be possible that gil just dont understand the new defensive scheme???
last year we played practically no D. this year, the D comes occasionally, and the team have shown that they could do it, if they put their minds to it.
i honestly think we need gil back, he is the face of the organisation. and i think his poor performance since returning is partially because the team has changed its style of play. caron tends to defer the offensive load to gilbert. also, Gil too has shown that he could pass if he wants to. we definitely should resign gil.
Comment from wizards_fusion
Time May 6, 2008 at 2:12 PM
wiz123 – people wanted to trade Jamison because he can’t play D AND because of his ongoing knee problems. It seems like he’s the most durable Big 3 and he’s done a solid job with getting double digit rebounds.
Comment from gbkdc
Time May 6, 2008 at 3:23 PM
BRIDGE, how you gonna get the players’ contact info? You don’t have to tell me, but I’m impressed if you can do it!
I just LOVE planning parties!!
Comment from gbkdc
Time May 6, 2008 at 3:25 PM
RE-SIGN GIL. There, I’ve said it. I think he can learn defense. Why couldn’t he???? And this year showed us nothing of his real abilities. He is not healthy yet! Give him a chance!!!!!
Comment from Bridge
Time May 6, 2008 at 3:47 PM
I don’t have no contact info or anything, but I could be very determined at times. Really, I don’t know but in life I’ve always approached things with that attitude, but with my determination I get things done – not to say that I’m unsure all the time. It doesn’t hurt to try…Don’t test me girl lol . If I say I’m gonna do it, I’m gonna do it….
Comment from Bridge
Time May 6, 2008 at 3:48 PM
TRADE ME THEN TOM – TRADE ME!!! lol
Comment from Wizards4Life
Time May 6, 2008 at 8:49 PM
you know how many times people have said to trade AJ and then had to eat the words that is one guy that never gets respect but is always better than the last year the guy is getting old and he can still tug the shorts and blast people i for one love the guy and CB3 is my Fav.. player has been the day he got here i don’t know about Gil any more i like the guy but its not about him its about his game i know he can change it up but i dont know if we got the people to make him do that and i would never Dump EJ because i think he is a good season coach but he needs to get some post season game plans going because 1 more first round exit and he will be a free agent
Comment from neal
Time May 6, 2008 at 9:29 PM
I was one of the ones who would have been happy to trade AJ. I have changed my mind. He went from being a lousy defensive player to probably an above average one. I never thought that would happen at this stage in his career. Another thing that he did, probably at the request of the coaches, is to work primarily at posting up, rather than jump shots, which is mostly what he shot last year. I like that. Let the back court guys shoot from the perimeter. They do it better.
I don’t think Jamison is naturally the kind of player for the “move” offense. He’s more a 1 on 1 type of guy. But it’s hard to say, because it’s obvious to me that his 1 on 1 is a planned part of the offense. When he gets the ball within 20′ of the basket the rest of the team clears out and lets him do his thing.
One thing you get from Jamison, even after hard years in the league, is a full year. He’s our most durable player, I think.
And, of course, he’s a stand-up guy committed to giving his best every night. An outstanding example for the whole team.
My only knock on Jamison is that he often whines to the refs when he thinks he was fouled but there was no call. Meanwhile, the other 9 players are racing to the other end. Not a good example.
I hope he’s resigned, and since he said he’s looking for about $10M, I think he will be.
Comment from GrifonRacing
Time May 6, 2008 at 10:12 PM
Aside from Caronimo…. I don’t think there is one player on the team that somebody hasn’t wanted traded at some point lol. That’s what blogs are all about. expressing opinions, having fun, and developing comaradarie. If the team remained “exactly” the same as it is right now there isn’t a one of us that would be upset.
I Knew It. It was never said publicly, but, I thought Pesh’s ankle was the reason he was such a slow start this season. Thanks Sportzwiz. EG has an eye for talent and I figured he still has a lot to show us. (they mentioned his ankle, but, I thought that it might have “lingered” just a little longer than they admitted).
Nick is a “Glider”. Those are rare. He is raw, turns the ball over a lot, is out of position on offense and defense a lot, commits a lot of silly fouls, and plays like a rookie. BUT, Gliders in this league have done quite well. Dr. J, Dominique, Gervin, and MJ were gliders. Our “kid” has that kind of potential. Mark my words.
RESIGN MASON! nuff said there.
I wouldn’t trade Bridge for anything less than 2 top notch bloggers from the Lakers site, 1 from the Hornets, 2 from the Celtics, and free hot dogs in any of their areanas!
Comment from GrifonRacing
Time May 6, 2008 at 10:23 PM
Oh and Tom…. I’ve gone through my day today with a smile on my face You are guaranteed the “oldest”. And I was sooooo afraid that I would be. I know I’ve got socks as old as Bridge? hehehe …. love ya Bud!
Comment from Tom Mandel
Time May 7, 2008 at 6:15 AM
I *never* wanted to trade Antawn.
Here is the question: are we talking in this blog about contending for a championship? Because our current personnel (supplemented by annual draft choices *not* at the top of the draft) will not get us there. Not going to happen. NBA players don’t “improve” in that way. Except maybe for FT shooting. Even Brendan, who had a terrific season, mostly just did more because he got more minutes.
Miami is likely going to draft a future superstar (beasley) and pick up at least one top-rank free agent. Atlanta is a very young, still-developing team. The Bulls *have* to be better next year. Philadelphia was a strong team the last half of the season.
In other words, I’m worried.
Comment from Bridge
Time May 7, 2008 at 7:14 AM
Awww that’s so sweet GR…Well, at least you guys could say that y’all ACT you guys’ age…right? I act sooo immature for my age, so y’all better get used to it . I’m a childish hellraiser…hey, ya gotta have fun sometimes lol. You guys know that you love me for that…
Comment from novers12
Time May 7, 2008 at 7:40 AM
Does Gilbert have to wait until after the postseason ends to “officially” opt out of his contract. Is it still guaranteed after what happened in the playoffs that he will opt out? I’m assuming that he will still opt out, because he wants to lock in as many years as he can in case his career really was damaged by this injury.
Also, when can we begin negotiating with Jamison?
Comment from gee wiz
Time May 7, 2008 at 8:48 AM
aww lord. bridge u know what i thought u was cool until now! lol! TOM u know i couldnt let this slide. first of all deshawn is inconsistent, and so is caron, antwan, blatche, and everybody else on this team. if they all were consistent we wouldnt be out of the playoffs first of all. secondly deshawn had a terrible playoffs last year and u guys dogged him. offensively he was way better and on defense he did his thing. he had one bad game offensively this year in the playoffs. his stats was consistent with his season average and actually scoring was up. he is 6’4 at best some say 6’5 gaurding a 6’8 or 6’9 man, deshawn played out of his position. and know this people superstars cannot be stopped, they can only be slowed. now tell me lebron wouldnt light it up on anyone else for an entire game against anyone else on this roster. and lebron is overrated all he does is take it to the rim everything else is inconsistent. thirdly deshawn and roger mason was in the top 50 this season in 3′s. now deshawn has improved every season. and im sorry but 38% is a good percentage. almost 40%. roger shot 39% ooohh big difference. u know who didnt make the top 50 lebron, and kobe! and u know what stands out on this lists, besides deshawn there are only three other players that can actually play d, bruce bowen, danny granger, raja bell! deshawn is hitting 3′s and playing d! that is rare. just like twan getting 20 n 10 every night. what more can deshawn do. the top 5 players were shooting 48% and less. deshawn is not that far back at 38% give him some props people. he plays every night, he is a role player not a star, and his role is defense. bridge i luv u girl……. but pick on gil right now mr franchise who has done nothing but hurt this franchise this year. pick on caron who takes too many jumpers. pick on blatche who is turnover prone. roger mason who jacks up every shot he can. they have to beg deshawn to shoot. ne way they all have flaws. deshawn didnt lose in the playoffs, the wizards did. COLLECTIVELY!
Comment from gee wiz
Time May 7, 2008 at 8:59 AM
as far as trades go, i mentioned jason terry , jason williams, jameer nelson, and jose calderon, not as replacements cause neither of them compares to gil but as far as solidity and money saved. spend less get more names on this roster, depth is needed in order to stay in the game at all times. go young with smith, have jamison come off the bench and light it up. maybe even go after brand which is my favorite. gil im just not sure he will ever be the same. and 2 years of waiting for him to come back is nagging me. we need production. if u tell me that keeping the big three is legit then ur telling me that just making the playoffs is okay. cause the first round is all we have accomplished its obivious we need a change. or keep the big three and bring in another two. we may need a big 5! but if it were’nt for the role players……. deshawn, haywood, mason, blatch at times, songaila, AD we wouldnt be as good. of course twan. but hey tom i didnt say songaila! lol
Comment from Bridge
Time May 7, 2008 at 9:26 AM
We could still be cool while at a disagreement – it don’t gotta be like that. You know, I’ve said before that I’m pretty hard on Deshawn. I just HATED the fact that he did so much talking and didn’t really back that up – instead, his other teammates had to pick-up all the slack that he caused. That’s all I’m sayin. I KNOW that he’s your favorite player, but at a time when he REALLY needed to prove himself (with his game) he didn’t. Yes, every player has their bad nights, but sometimes, I feel like Deshawn either stops himself or gets too comfortable. For example, when he exceeds one career high for a night, he’s done – he stops shooting and/or goes to sit on the bench. I’m just sayin – why stop there; instead of exceeding that career high by like 2-3 points, how about by 10 points? I hope you get me – but I notice this while watching him.
Comment from gee wiz
Time May 7, 2008 at 10:39 AM
i agree with the playoffs as far as stopping lebron…. he did not stop him, but lebron didnt have a ughh… how can i say it? a kick ur @%$ type game. like kobe when ruben patterson called himself the kobe stopper kobe lit him up, lebron just did his usual. but deshawn had some pretty good stops on him. like i said before lebron does have a size advantage, and deshawn was playing out of position. his comments were not as bad ass the media overblowing it. they made it that way. but yes it was a distraction. but maybe deshawn was trying to light a fire under his team…. give us some confidence against the cavs u know… but we all have our favorites bridge ur opinion is valid and valued like everyone else. u dont care for deshawn i like deshawn. but i have followed him since high school so….. and bumped into him like 10 times in orlando. but ne way thats what this blog is for……. this may make u guys mad and im sure it will come back n bite me n tha butt…. but trade arenas!
Comment from gee wiz
Time May 7, 2008 at 10:47 AM
ok imma take that back….. im talking to much like deshawn! lol. i dont want to be the one who looks stupid about arenas. so im taking back! one last thing before i go…. if deshawn was like imma shut down michael redd or someone his size i would be more content with that. but lebron towers him. but im not gonna make excuses for deshawn (as if i already haven’t) cause deshawn didnt back it up….. but he didnt back down. his toughness along with caron and haywood makes us stronger n gives us swag!
Comment from SportzWiz
Time May 7, 2008 at 11:22 AM
Just a heads up, Ernie Grunfeld will speak tomorrow, we’ll have full coverage on it including video and transcript.
Comment from Bridge
Time May 7, 2008 at 1:13 PM
I wouldn’t say that I don’t care about him because if I didn’t, I’d be like “trade Deshawn”…No it’s not like that. I guess that I just want him to prove himself; if you don’t appear to have confidence out there on the court, then why should I have confidence in you myself? I hope you get what I’m saying.
But I hope we’re still cool though…
Just like with Caronimo – he used to “second-guess” (hesitate with) his shots a lot, and I’ll be like “why is he doing that, just shoot; why is he doubting himself?” Now, I don’t see that a lot with Caron; he has more confidence in his shots.
Comment from millie mill
Time May 7, 2008 at 1:15 PM
Who said trade Nick Young? Look at Nick’s Rookie numbers and Kobe’s rookie numbers.
TM G GS MIN FG% 3P% FT% STL BLK TO PF OFF DEF TOT AST PTS
Was 75 2 15.4 .439 .400 .815 0.5 0.1 1.3 1.7 0.3 1.2 1.5 0.8 7.5
Lal 71 6 15.5 .417 .375 .819 0.7 0.3 1.6 1.4 0.7 1.2 1.9 1.3 7.6
Comment from FLOYDBT
Time May 7, 2008 at 3:47 PM
first of all Gil said he would take a pay cut to resign jamison so test that theory. second im sorry but we have to figure out a way to get rid of etan, sure hes been through alot but brendan plays better with out him and with his contract gone we could use that money to resign roger and a extra defensive weapon in free agency…
Comment from wizards_fusion
Time May 7, 2008 at 4:02 PM
Is it really true that Nick Young got 15.4 mpg? That’s odd since I feel like he hasn’t even played at all in the month before the postseason.
FLOYDBT – getting rid of Etan Thomas sounds like the easy way out, but I ask is that really the best thing? Etan, although undersized, has shown he can play against the big boys at center. Just like what some bloggers have said about DeShawn playing against bigger players (like LeBron), Etan holds his ground and doesn’t back down from anyone (and this includes Shaq). Etan is a legitimate center backup to Haywood, but I can’t say the same for Blatche, Pecherov, and gulp! Jamison. Besides, keeping Etan around means I may get to see his gorgeous and talented wife again … hmmm … I wish she’ll sing the national anthem again … hmmm …
Comment from Tom Mandel
Time May 7, 2008 at 4:09 PM
Bottom line: DeShawn is an ok nba player, and no better than that. By the way, that is pretty good! And he does play hard defense.
Comment from Tom Mandel
Time May 7, 2008 at 4:36 PM
Etan has a big contract; he will be hard to trade (we tried last off season).
Comment from wiz-skins07
Time May 7, 2008 at 4:40 PM
hey Tom Mandel…what do you think about that…(Nicks Rookie number compared to Kobe’s)…i think they are quite interesting..if he is anything near what Kobe is i will be extremely happy…
Comment from neal
Time May 7, 2008 at 5:40 PM
OK Tom and GrifonRacing. I’m 69. Your turn.
Gee wiz if you think DeShawn was playing out of position what do you think his position should be? I think he is playing his best position by far. I think he’s become a solid NBA SG.
Hard to believe Young played that many minutes per game, but that’s what the team has posted.
I don’t think we’ll be able to trade Thomas. No one will want to trade a player making $6.9M for him. He would be worth that if we could get a full season out of him. But neither we nor Dallas ever has. We still have enough to resign Mason, however.
I’m not convinced that we have to get worse to get better. That theory says we have to be able to draft a franchise player near the top of the draft. I would like to know how many past champions have done that. I think it’s possible to do it gradually. That means that we keep drafting in the middle. Sooner or later EG will steal someone else like Butler in a trade, or we’ll draft a sleeper who will become an all-star, or Arenas will have a catharsis.
Comment from wiz-skins07
Time May 7, 2008 at 5:58 PM
IM JUST POSTING THIS UP FROM THE OTHER THREAD BUT HAVE A LOOK:
Look at this:
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2008/05/gil_wont_return_without_jamiso.html
Thats great…NOT…really but if you look on the bright side of things if this does happen in which Gil and Antawn doesnt return…say hello 30 mil in caps space and welcome Allen Iverson…and a couple of other stud free-agents…we may not be the same team but this gives us a rall chance to see what Andray Blatche and Nick Young are all about..and Dominic..we arent gonna win a championship with our current big three..let both of them
P.S. Maybe we can say Hello, Allen Iverson, welcome back to your home, and Welcome Josh Smith, welcome to your NEW home…
DANG it, im getting a little bit ahead of myself but oh well…just a though that pops into my head…
Comment from GrifonRacing
Time May 8, 2008 at 12:27 AM
Neal… You old Fart You! Smiling ear to ear now. Tom is a Grandpa so I’m hoping I come in a “…distant..” third LOL. I’m 29…. (just can’t remember how many times, now, I’ve been 29?).
Let’s note the positive.. we played like a team this year for maybe the first time in quite a while. We actually played defense? We have 3 perenial All Stars. Mason and Deshawn (big mouth and all) really solidified their niche on the roster. Pesh was “verified” hurt with the ankle… and I think we can expect better things from him this coming season. With a season under their belts now Nick and Dominick know what they have to work on, and, I have doubt they will do just that as both can be very “big” in this league. Andray better get his head staight into basketball! nuff said. At the end of the season Songaila came up big. Arenas knows what Ayers expects of him… Gil is smart… if he comes back healthy (and acepts a contract worthy of himself and Antawn) … they resign Mason (which it seems they intend doing)…. Healthy we can beat all of them.
Comment from Tom Mandel
Time May 8, 2008 at 6:25 AM
neal – you got me beat by a few, man. I’m 65.
Allen Iverson? — I love his strength as a person, but he is *not* a truly productive basketball player. You do notice that Phila. is better w/o him and Denver just got swept.
Kobe’s rookie stats were a revelation to me wiz-skins; maybe there *is* hope for Nick. On the other hand, Kobe was 18 as a rookie. He also radiates intelligence and determination, whereas Nick is full of goofy charm. Still… we’ll see.
It’s interesting to me that Andray wants to play in the summer league even tho he is going into his 4th year. That’s a good sign. He was no better this year, by the numbers, than he was last year. But, I think he clearly played against better players and in tougher situations, and he didn’t go backwards. Next year, he has to improve or he is a lost cause.
Comment from Tom Mandel
Time May 8, 2008 at 6:30 AM
Hey fellow bloggers, do you know Basketball Reference? A great site!
Looking at Roger Mason’s numbers there, he clearly did improve this year. DeShawn had a similar year to last year and to his last year in Orlando. Interestingly, Haywood – on a per-minute basis – was the same player this year as last except for his FT% improvement. He should have gotten the minutes all along.
Comment from millie mill
Time May 8, 2008 at 6:56 AM
I like both Gil and Jamison but I don’t think its right for Gil to say to the Washington Post that he will not return if Jamison doesn’t. My god man, let that man make is own decision. If Gil wants to return than shut up and sign the papers if not shut up and don’t sign. I think Gil wants the fans to look at Jamison as the person that broke up the Big Three in Washington.
Wiz-skins07, I like the idea of getting Josh Smith (1) because he can score (2) plays better defense than Jamison (3) can wake up a crowd with his high flying dunks (4) will come at a cheaper price. Things I don’t like about Smith comparing to Jamison (1) Jamison is a leader (2) Jamison shoots the three better in our offense.
4-2 I think Smith wins my vote too if we were to lose Jamison. The team captains can be Butler and Daniels.
Really, I would like to see Jamison play (SF) coming off the bench along with AD for a second unit. With that line-up our second unit can run with most of the league’s first unit. I would like to start Blatche at (PF) most of the time when he got a good amount of minutes he got a double-double.
Point guard I don’t like the idea of going after Iverson his game is similar to Gil. Can score a lot, but not much else. Look at the power house team that Denver has but barley made to the playoffs and got swept out because they play no defense. I believe the leader of a team sets the pace on team defense. Plus Iverson will cost a lot of money.
If we don’t sign Gil (really don’t care) we really need to go after a point guard like Jose
Calderon or Andre Miller.
Comment from wiz-skins07
Time May 8, 2008 at 7:24 AM
I will agre to signing Jose Calderon and Josh Smith..if we cant sign Jamison…which means Gil wont sign either…if you think Gil can get the crown started..look at Josh Smith with his Hair Raising DUNKS…him along with Nick can keep the crown energiezed..but then again its not my choice….just to let you guys kno Andrei Kirinlinko is going to be a free-agent and im pretty sure Utah doesnt want him…they’ve been trying to move him
Comment from wiz-skins07
Time May 8, 2008 at 7:41 AM
Hey did you guys know that LeBron can opt out of his contract this summer?..
Man, CRYBABY and all i would still consider giving him 20 mil a year…he is arguablly the second best player in the NBA…Caron Being the first and LeBron and Kobe in a tight race for second…i KNOW i KNOW..we hate him..he probably would even consider us by the way we treated him…
at least give it consideration…i know…i get player happy when off-season comes around….
P.S. Do you guys think there is anyway we can get Amare Stoudamire in a Wizards Uni for next season….
Comment from millie mill
Time May 8, 2008 at 8:18 AM
Lebron James, that will never happen. Plus I don’t think they will let him wear #23 in Washington. No, Stoudamire unless we sign and trade Jamison but I don’t think the Suns would ever go for that.
I think Lebron will go to the Nets to be on the same team that Jay-Z owns.
Comment from neal
Time May 8, 2008 at 8:27 AM
In answer to what someone asked, I’m virtually certain there’s no restriction as to when we can negotiate with Jamison and Arenas. We could sign them to long-term contracts tomorrow if we want. I couldn’t find anything in the collective bargaining agreement re. exercise dates for options. Presumably the contract between the team and Arenas has a date by which he has to exercise his option.
Tom, I have 3 & 7/9 grandchildren. You?
Comment from wiz-skins07
Time May 8, 2008 at 9:18 AM
millie mill, I KNOW…lol…just wanted to see what you guys said…but that is a great possibility the LeBron goes to NJ Nets..i think we will be seeing a whole new team next year..
Comment from wiz-skins07
Time May 8, 2008 at 9:26 AM
but remember it looks like the Suns may want to start all over again…they are getting a little to old to compete with the Hornets and Lakers…but i do think that Jose Calderon and Josh Smith are a big possibility if we cant get it done with AJ and GA..even AK47 has a chance…
Some one on here said that the once thought of Gilbert highly..he waws thier favorite play…but what has been going on during the last 3 weeks he was lost most of his respect for him…i THINK im getting to that point as well…
Comment from SportzWiz
Time May 8, 2008 at 9:35 AM
Wiz-skins, fyi LeBron is bound to cleveland for two more seasons. But then he will be in brooklyn.
Comment from millie mill
Time May 8, 2008 at 9:52 AM
How do you guys feel about starting Blatche at PF season if everything dosen’t work out with Jamison?
Comment from novers12
Time May 8, 2008 at 10:30 AM
comparing nick young’s rookie stats to kobe’s is like comparing apples to oranges. What does that even show??…..There are hundreds of rookies who have had better numbers than that in their first year, does that mean any of those guys turned out better than kobe bryant. I really have no clue what you were trying to prove by making that comparison….they both had sub-par rookie years…..and your point is………………
Comment from Tom Mandel
Time May 8, 2008 at 10:35 AM
Blatche as a starter would mean about 7 fewer wins a season, assuming no other changes.
Didn’t someone say that Calderon is restricted? Toronto will keep him in that case. He is one of the best guards in the league.
No, we are not going to get Amare Stoudamire. If we get into this “lets trade a pile of spare parts for a new Corvette” stuff, like we did last off-season, I don’t think I can take it.
neal — I’ve got 4 grandkids: a pair of 6 year old twins in Chicago and a 4- and 2-year old in SF.
Comment from Tom Mandel
Time May 8, 2008 at 10:37 AM
Nick just doesn’t look like an NBA player to me — or rather, he doesn’t look like an outstanding one. I’ll be surprised if he ever starts, in DC or anywhere.
Comment from millie mill
Time May 8, 2008 at 10:49 AM
novers12 The comparison to me just shows that there is still a chance for this kid. Hopefully with more playing time he can produce more.
Comment from Tom Mandel
Time May 8, 2008 at 10:52 AM
You mean an unproductive season shows that there is hope for him — well, maybe. But not because Kobe had an unproductive rookie season too. Not because of these stats, and there is no comparison to make.
Comment from gee wiz
Time May 8, 2008 at 10:52 AM
nick young has talent…. but defensively he looks scared and nervous. he cannot play d. pech has few skills but on d he is terrible. mcguire has the biggest upside he has great d, and a decent shot. blatche plays in streaks, one night he lighten em up the other nights he is mr turnover. on d he is a great helper but not great individually except on KG for some reason. earlier i was not saying deshawn is not a sg he definitley is, i was saying he is playing out of his position by gaurding a sf who is 6’9! i would like to see jamison come off the bench as a sixth man, bring in josh smith or elton brand, or if we get ak47 bring him off the bench. we need defense, we need offense in the post, and d in the post. we need hustle, consistency and durabilty. this is my imaginary lineup
pg AD
sg stevenson
sf butler
pf brand/ smith
c haywood
bench
pg jameer nelson
sg nick young/ roger mason
sf blatch or mcguire
pf jamison
c etan thomas
haywood n brand in the block would be killer, jamison and nelson will be awesome. josh smith n haywood means block city baby and many dunks. either way smith or brand means a force down there
Comment from gee wiz
Time May 8, 2008 at 10:56 AM
i think eddie is on the hot seat…… he is the best coach hands down. but its not what he did, its what he didnt do. he has never taken us there. i pray he stays one more season. if not give me avery! grunfield must make moves with this roster, the big 3 is offense with one ok defender. like the celtics n u see they barely beat the hawks, but they WON
Comment from SportzWiz
Time May 8, 2008 at 10:58 AM
i would say with nick and dray you’ve seen it in spurts, it’s now about consistency.
Nick’s game against LAL was great, he carried Washington offensively down the stretch. He also was a big go to guy earlier in the march when Caron was out. Sure he had his tough games but that’s EVERY rookie in the NBA
As for Dray he’s shown he can play vat a high level, but as Coach Jordan has said a million times it’s about consistency with him. When he started in February he had several very strong outings. But then he would have a couple games where you wouldn’t hear from him. With him it’s all about energy, when he’s active on defense and on the glass, his offensie game picks up.
He also needs to work on that mid range 15-18 foot jumper. If he can consistently knock that down he’s going to be very difficult to guard, but as the year went on that shot became less reliable and his FT% went down as well.
Comment from gee wiz
Time May 8, 2008 at 11:01 AM
on gil, once again he is trying to control management. he did it last summer with deshawn, which was a good deal right bridge! LOL im just playing we’re cool. but ne way i would take him for 3mil. but he is over stepping his boundaries telling grunfield if there is no jamison there is no me. he stated jamison made him well lets be honest it has gotten u no where, there are no championships, only many points and many losses. let eddie do his job. he sat on the sidelines so much he should have been coaching, but ne way gil i love u man, but in the words of stevenson “u need to chill”
Comment from millie mill
Time May 8, 2008 at 11:12 AM
gee wiz, I think if the Wizards lose both Jamison and Gil then maybe they will get rid of EJ, only because from what I heard the Princeton offense is hard to learn and to work in two brand new starters into a new-to-them offense will be also hard.
I wonder when Blacthe is going come completely out of the shell. We see a little light here and there but with only spots of playing time how is he going to develop, in practice?
Comment from gee wiz
Time May 8, 2008 at 11:43 AM
laugh if u wanna but i know tha sixers have alot of money that might look a little tempting for big name players, so hey y not go after andre miller?????? im sure their coming after gil
Comment from muvbch28
Time May 21, 2008 at 8:57 PM
I have to agree with Wizards_Fusion. Etan does hold his own in the paint. He has the size (width and mass) Brendan does not. Also, Etan has in my opinon (working @ verizon for 9 yrs) has more heart and passion for the game. Yea, Brendan had a good year, but hell, how long has he been here? It takes Etan to be out for the season and no REAL threat off the bench for him to act like he has some game! Please, I’m not buying it! Get rid of him ASAP! I have watched him numerous times from vantage points that most cant see, and he seems like he has A.D.D. He can’t keep focus from one transistion to another! Sorry, he has to go.
As for Young, you have to get the young boy in the game! Think about it, he played more when Arenas was out, and was a threat. (not to mention the entire team played like a team) Yea, he is going to make rookie mistakes…HELLO HE’S A ROOKIE! You can’t get rid of a rookie when, 1. he is a possible threat everytime he touches the ball and 2. he creates opportunities b/c he is a possible threat. That would be a mistake (which the Wiz have made before) that could cost the team. Give the boy a chance to prove himself, then if he doesn’t produce trade him.
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Comment from Jason C
Time May 4, 2008 at 9:48 PM
I noticed twan didn’t do an interview, was there any particular reason why?