WizBlog RSS FeedErnie Grunfeld Press Conference at 2:00pm
Hey everyone, lots of real good discussion going on but I wanted to bring all the summer/Free agency talks to this thread. Ernie will be speaking at 2:00 today and if you have any questions please let me know, I will do my best to answer the questions I can and at the same time if Ernie talks about your specific question I will let you know.
We will have a transcript and video of the presser as soon as possible.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:25 AM
I’m a little mad that Gil would say in his blog yesterday that if Antwan isn’t signed back then he’s not coming back either. He said it atleast 7 times in one paragraph.
If Antwan wasn’t on this team and went to another team what makes him think he would be signed to that same team too.
May 8th, 2008 at 11:27 AM
I don’t think I’ll be commenting for a while or even ever; I might just trade myself to another blog; it’s hard reading some of these comments sometimes. I’m not about to be a fan that bash players based on a couple of bad performances…Bottom line, all players have something that they need to improve on - I’m about allowing them this time (letting them prove me wrong) instead of just disowning them to another team. I know that around this time, trade/deal talks are very common, but I guess that this part really isn’t my style.
Y’all have a great summer…
May 8th, 2008 at 12:03 PM
Dont leave bridge!!!!!
May 8th, 2008 at 12:29 PM
People just need to calm down with Gilbert’s latest comments to the media via his blog. He’s just using LEVERAGE with the Jamison issue. Arenas pulled the same thing last year with Eddie Jordan’s contract extension issue.
Gilbert’s pretty good with deflecting his own situation by talking about Antawn’s situation. Hmm, the only person that should be talking about Antawn’s situation is Antawn himself; and likewise Gilbert should only be talking about his situation and no one else’s. You don’t hear Roger Mason talking about Antawn and Gilbert’s contract status … because that’s not his business.
Besides, do Wiz fans really want the team to lose 2 of the Big 3? Gil is at his prime. Caron and Brendan are near the end of their prime. Antawn and AD are still milking it, so they’ve got a couple more years of solid production. This team is still pretty loaded if everyone comes back and I expect the GM to make the right moves for it to happen.
Lastly, it doesn’t make any sense to me why the team should pursue Calderon and Josh Smith if the team can retain Arenas and Jamison? Calderon isn’t as offensively consistent as you think (he’s like a smaller version of AD with a better 3pt shot) and Josh Smith has thrown his own coach under the bus a couple of times - and he has a semi-bad attitude when things don’t go well (i.e., lack of maturity). Elton Brand is the only non-Washington free agent I would want in a Wizards uniform only if Jamison and Arenas don’t come back.
May 8th, 2008 at 12:55 PM
bridge ur right this is how the typical off season summer goes simply cause there is nothing else to talk about. ur graduating go party, were in the same boat, cause lifes about to slap us in the face, there will be nothing but work, family, and the only thing that can occupy our time…… the wizards! with that being said some changes are necessary. the wizards have been here 4 yrs straight, time is of the essence. but if ur that confident that this team will work, stick to it….. prove us all wrong and u will get the last laugh. i said this earlier in the season, that with gil at his best we are still a 5th or 4th seed in the east, we just have to get better whether thats keeping the big three and getting better role players, or making big moves. winning is nothing unless ur putting on tha ring. dont mean to get personal…… but ladies a man can do this and do that for ya… but until u get that ring its all talk right? well, there it is
May 8th, 2008 at 1:06 PM
I just think we should go over the salary cap and ADD people. Like, that power forward with great rebounding and defensive skills that we desperately need and keep talking about. Keep everyone else. Yeah, yeah, I know… not realistic. So what???
May 8th, 2008 at 1:06 PM
Where is the press conference being aired? CSN?
May 8th, 2008 at 1:49 PM
We’ll have the press conference up later this afternoon on the blog and washingtonwizards.com Working on the transcript now. A few highlihgts
Ernie and the organization want to resign gil and tawn (as said 100 thousand times)
Etan will be ready to go by Trarining camp and could be full go by 3 or 4 weeks
Ernie said he will take the best available player in the draft or they might trade the pick
Andray will play in summer league along with the other three rookies
veeremenko might play summer league but he still is under contract with his team in europe
The team can’t talk contracts with the players until July 1st,
Any questions please let me know!
May 8th, 2008 at 2:02 PM
I’m not sure how Summer League is going to improve Andray’s consistency. Here are the reasons why:
1) If anyone has seen Summer League on NBATV before, it is basically a mad sprint-ala WNBA style.
2) Summer League doesn’t preach defense. Jumpshots aren’t a high priority either unless you’re a pure shooter or a 3 point specialist. Most plays seem to be fast break layups and dunks.
3) Summer League, in my opinion, is a training camp for rookies and first year players from Europe. Guys learn about the speed of the NBA game. Andray’s been through the real thing already, so I don’t know how helpful it’ll be to him.
4) Last year, I think Blatche averaged like 32 points per game during the Rocky Mountain Revue or the Vegas Showcase. Even Pecherov had a good outing during Summer League. Knowing these guys can play isn’t what I’m looking for this offseason.
I don’t know, but I think Andray should practice with his own individual shooting coach at the Verizon Center. But if Andray can get something out of Summer League that’ll help the Wizards next season, then more power to it.
May 8th, 2008 at 2:06 PM
It’s a good sign that he wants to put in the extra work. Also the Wizards’ coaches run the summer league team so it’s a good opportunity for him to get more work in on that front. He will also be going through their practices. It’s also a chance for him to step up his leadership since he has been with the team for a couple years now.
May 8th, 2008 at 2:35 PM
I disagree that it doesn’t mean anything until/unless we get the ring. I’ll enjoy it as long as I like the players and coaches involved and they’re working hard and competing and there’s hope of improving.
I’m glad Blatche is willing to get more experience. He still needs it. Maybe it will improve his “basketball IQ”.
Good point jonesa. I take Gil’s comments with a grain of salt. Maybe two.
From what sportzwiz says, ain’t nothing gonna happen until 7/1.
So we can keep on speculating or talk about the Nationals.
May 8th, 2008 at 2:46 PM
you got it neal, however we will have draft info coming in early june which is when the predraft camp stuff starts. And of course we’ll try to always give you teh best info we can on who the wizards might be interested in.
May 8th, 2008 at 5:08 PM
Stay with us bridge.
You wouldn’t want a site where everyone agreed. Booooring.
You’re an important part of this thing.
May 8th, 2008 at 7:13 PM
whats up with the bird rights for Gil an AJ would that kick in and how would that work?
May 8th, 2008 at 7:37 PM
This is certainly not a HOMER comment, but I strongly believe Antawn Jamison was snubbed for at least a spot on the All-NBA team. The teams were announced today and they are:
First Team
Chris Paul
Kobe Bryant
LeBron James
Kevin Garnett
Dwight Howard
Second Team
Steve Nash
Deron Williams
Dirk Nowitzki
Tim Duncan
Amare Stoudemire
Third Team
Manu Ginobili
Tracy McGrady
Paul Pierce
Carlos Boozer
Yao Ming
I would pick Antawn over Yao. Yao missing 22 games should not have garnered him a spot. As I mentioned in another posting awhile back, Boozer cooled off in the second half of the season. Jamison has been so consistent and he’s far more deserving than Boozer.
May 8th, 2008 at 8:53 PM
Well, Ernie didn’t exactly unload a lot of info in his press conference — but that’s no surprise.
As to ‘the ring’, please remember that of 30 teams, 29 go home unhappy every year judged by that standard. If you don’t like basketball *itself* and the team *itself* then you are going to be disappointed, because t he Wizards aren’t contending for a championship any time soon. We don’t have the players, and nobody is going to give them to us.
I’m looking forward to the predraft camp in Orlando later this month, to the draft, and then to the free agency period, summer league, training camp, and the first tip off of the ‘98-09 season.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:50 PM
Our team has been to the playoffs four times in a row now. It’s been a very long time since that happened last. I’m thrilled! It all started with Ernie, Eddie, Gil, Antawn, and Larry. We still have four of those five and I see no reason to let another member of the founding fathers go unless money becomes an issue. Gil is a lot of things, but, at the end of the day we are where we are now as a team because of him. Not just wins and losses. The media never gave us the time of day until Gil arrived.
May 9th, 2008 at 3:20 AM
can you imagine the summer league team, young, d-mac, pech, blatche…..perhaps we could get a rookie PG….looks like a nice team…a glimpse into the future…interesting…
May 9th, 2008 at 6:33 AM
Agree w/ everything you say, GrifonRacing, but got to give Antonio more credit — much more.
May 9th, 2008 at 6:34 AM
This does look like a draft w/ some depth at point guard. We definitely need one.
May 9th, 2008 at 6:52 AM
The Raptors will have a conflict about starting point guard (read about it here); maybe we can acquire T.J. Ford — anyone like him?
May 9th, 2008 at 9:59 AM
Agreed Tom, Antonio is an unbelievably hard worker, and the pain he played through this year can not be understated.
As far as the draft, i was talkin to a bunch of the beat reporters yesterday and local media, and most of them would not be surprised to see the Wizards trade out if the right situation came up. The Wizards have four guys under the age of 22.
Ernie even brought it up yesterday unprovoked. They also have that memphis pick so they could package them together.
As far as TJ Ford is concerned he has a lot of guaranteed money left on the table if you want to trade for him. He’s getting 8 mill a year for the next two years and than has an 8.5 million player option which he would most likely take unless he jumps up his level of play he wont see near that much money on the open market.
May 9th, 2008 at 10:34 AM
The timing of all this facinates me.
Free agents can’t be negotiated until after July 1.
NBA Draft is on June 26.
So, let’s say the Wiz deals the picks and then the coveted free agents don’t sign with the team. Well, the team would be in a pickle, wouldn’t it?
May 9th, 2008 at 11:19 AM
Its why you should be glad the Wizards have a VERY smart collective group in the front office.
May 9th, 2008 at 1:09 PM
What is conceivable is the Wizards deal a couple of second level players for a bona-fide star making the same money and even the deal by including a pick or two.
May 9th, 2008 at 1:26 PM
It has been been a while since I have been on line. I was into the NFL draft thing and curious to what moves the Skins were going to make with all the draft picks they had. For the most part I was happy with their moves.
Now I am curious about where the Wiz go from here.
3 times straight we have lost ot the Cavs in the first round. Considering the injuries and everything I feel we had a good season. Personally I wish DMAC could have received more playing time. Hopefully DMAC, Nick, OP and AB will work hard on their games.
AB really needs to get serious about the game . I know AJ and Gil and CB have tried to encourage hime to put the work in. I definitely like to see OP get in the weight room and work on the weight gain and strength.
I would love to have Gil and AJ back. I have a lot of respect and admiration for AJ for the stellar season he had. He is a class guy. What can you say about Tough Juice.
If he had not missed a number of games he certainly would have contended for a all NBA 2nd or 3rd team spot. BH had a career year but I still am not satisfied enough with his production. Deshawn needs to shut his mouth and become more consistent if he is to keep Nick on the bench. Roger Mason should be resigned.
Like Tom said we need a point guard. I like TJ Ford. Just concerned if he could fit in our Princeton O. There is some good talent in the draft. Even Hibbert might be there for us if he fits in with us and our chemistry.
Also we have enought talent to maybe make some trades to get better. Just dont get rid of Tough Juice. AB maybe could be packaged to bring us a point guard or a PF.
I would not have a problem going after Chris Wilcox if for some reason we don’t resign AJ or Gil.
I heard a rumor that Gil may want to go to the Clippers so he can challenge Kobe for the best player in LA. Also I heard if that happens the we could possibly sign E.Brand.
I guess that why they call it rumors. Hey Tom, Kwame is a free agent!!
Peace
May 9th, 2008 at 1:39 PM
FYI Pech added 10 lbs of muscle this season. but yes he still ahs a ways to go to fill out the frame. Went from 233 to 243.
May 9th, 2008 at 2:52 PM
Pech for Kwame — I’m all over it
Gil for Elton Brand — that one I *would* do. But I don’t think it’ll happen, and it’s not an indication that I don’t like Gil or want to trade him.
No, I don’t know that Ford is worth that kind of $$. As to our having too many young players to add to them via the draft, maybe we’d trade one or more of them.
Big question is whether Ernie is right that when healthy we are one of the best teams in the East. Or, as he said the previous year, “a 50 win team.” I don’t think so, and it’s not our starters that I doubt. It’s our bench. Now, our bench improves once Gil is back starting, because Antonio moves to the bench.
Draftexpress is running a series scouting all NBA teams. The Wizards are covered in this post.
May 9th, 2008 at 3:01 PM
By the numbers, our starters are almost as productive as Boston’s. But, our bench most definitely is not. James Posey, Leon Powe, and Eddie House have been very productive. Oh, and then there are P.J. Brown and Sam Cassell. Glen “Big Baby” Davis has had his moments too.
I *wanted* us to sign James Posey in the off-season; he is a very under-rated player. Leon Powe is one of those over-achieving 2d round choices that I wish we could get — like Millsap, like Carl Landry, like Craig Smith, etc.
May 9th, 2008 at 3:04 PM
Tom, last night I was thinking how perfect James Posey would be for our team. He had a great game last night.
May 9th, 2008 at 3:06 PM
I’m away most of this weekend, so carry on the speculation without me.
I’d like to trade AB and Songaila for a strong veteran wing man (someone as much like Posey as possible). Note that Posey makes *less* than Darius. He can opt out at the end of the season too….
Mebbe draft Hibbert — will he fall to us? DraftExpress thinks he will…
May 9th, 2008 at 3:27 PM
If the Wizards draft Roy Hibbert, I’m going to revolt and change my name to knicks_fusion. I don’t see any upside with this kid. Roy seems like he’s a lazy dude. Barack Obama has more game and versatility than Roy Hibbert any day.
Tom M. - strong, veteran wingman … how about Reggie Miller? I heard he’s available for a price.
May 9th, 2008 at 3:38 PM
I hope we get Mason back. But he’s the kind of middle ability veteran that a lot of teams can afford and their price often gets unreasonable - like what happened with Thomas, Hughes and Jeffries. Fortunately, we only made one mistake out of three on those three.
May 9th, 2008 at 3:48 PM
wiz_fusion i wouldn’t hate on Hibbert. I would agree that he didnt live up to expectations this year, but i think that’s part of the college game which has increased the focus on guard play over big men. He also didn’t have jeff green this year to help keep attention off of him.
Here’s an idea of what he did his junior year against some of the nations best
OSU-Oden - 19 points 6 rebounds
UNC-B. Wright and Hasbrough- 13 points 11 rebound 6 blocks
BC-Dudley- 17 points and 12 rebounds
Senior year
Conn. Thabeet- 20 points, 8 rebounds
May 9th, 2008 at 7:01 PM
yeah i would say he has more of a NBA game than a collage one because its more one on one low post and slowed down a little but i want to know if anyone could tell me if we can use bird rights on Gil or AJ if we could that would keep us from jumping the cap
May 9th, 2008 at 9:38 PM
I love Antonio Tom. He just wasn’t a member of the “founding fathers”.
May 10th, 2008 at 1:39 PM
…btw, you guys heard that the celtic fans in boston started to yell “OVERRATED” at lebron james? haha, i really had to laugh when i heard them ;>
May 10th, 2008 at 4:28 PM
Sure, we can use the Larry Bird exception TO THE SALARY CAP to sign any free agent that has been with us at least 3 years (such as Arenas or Jamison). But with us the issue is not the salary cap. Like all but 3-4 teams, we are way over the salary cap. The issue is the luxury tax limit, from which there are virtually no exceptions. I think about 60% of the teams are over the luxury tax limit. It’s clear by now that the Wiz will not be one of them.
But I’m sure we will be able to sign Arenas and Jamison w/o going over the luxury tax limit. Whether we will also be able to sign Mason (or someone like him) depends on what Arenas signs for. And we certainly won’t be in the market for a high profile FA unless by trade.
May 10th, 2008 at 6:55 PM
thanks neal thats what i wanted to know
May 10th, 2008 at 10:41 PM
Does ANYONE know how we can get team stats? Shooting percentage, TO’s, steals, rebounds, compared by team?
SportsWiz?
May 10th, 2008 at 10:42 PM
Thanks Neal. You are my guru on such things. I hope we can also resign Mason.
Did you see in Ernie’s press conferance he said he wouldn’t mind going over the luxury tax to sign Arenas and Jamison? What? Does Abe know of this?
May 10th, 2008 at 10:44 PM
Tom is out of town over the weekend. He might know of a site?
May 11th, 2008 at 8:16 AM
That’s really news GrifonRacing. The Wizards going over the luxury tax limit? Hard to believe. Abe, are you there? Speak to me!
May 11th, 2008 at 12:33 PM
I think we should go over the luxury tax so that we can become a stronger team(if we add some good players). I dont know how we do it but I would really like to get Michael Beasley or an other strong big rookie like him. Maybe someone like Brook Lopez, DeAndre Jordan, Joey Dorsey,or Robert Dozier might be good.
May 11th, 2008 at 12:56 PM
hey guys, just posting thoughts on the first week of the offseason. here’s what i think needs to happen for the wizards:
In order to maintain continuity, they definitely need to resign Antawn Jamison and Roger Mason Jr. Jamison is by far the rock of the team since he came here before 2004-05, and Mason was the spark off the bench we had been lacking in seasons past. But to be honest with you, do we really need Gilbert Arenas? He missed a total of 71 games this year including the playoffs, and you saw not only the success we had without him for most of the season, but also a new established identity. Last season when Arenas poured in high-scoring games like 60 against the Lakers, 54 against the Suns, and 51 against the Jazz, that’s all we were: a high-scoring, non-defending team. With a point guard like Antonio Daniels directing the offense this year, guys like Mason, DeShawn Stevenson, and Brendan Haywood had career years (okay, Etan Thomas was out the whole season but you have to give Haywood some love). We were a much-improved defensive team this season thanks to coach Randy Ayers. Stevenson and Mason made over 100 3-pointers, Haywood increased his free-throw percentage by 19 percentage points (credit to shooting coach Dave Hopla). But you look at the whole of the season, the 69 games that we played without Arenas (and a good portion of them without Caron Butler as well), we went 39-32 with Arenas hurt, and only 6-7 with him in the lineup during the regular season. You look at some of the games we lost this season when Gilbert was playing.. we got blown out at home by Denver; 20-point loss at Boston when he predicted a win; a last-second loss at New Jersey, and especially the Ramon Sessions heartbreaker. And even during the playoffs we won both games without Arenas (okay, Game 3 he played 10 minutes but we won by 36). So if we are able to re-sign Jamison and Mason this offseason but let Arenas sign elsewhere, I don’t think it will be the end of the world. To answer the question, “are the Wizards better without Gilbert Arenas?” the answer is yes. We saw that this season in several team and individual statistical categories. Arenas may be that bona fide superstar Washington hasn’t seen since Wes Unseld (Michael Jordan doesn’t count), but as a team with the way we played this year, we don’t need him for the future.
On the contrary, if we do sign all three for next year, I still think we will be a good team, as long as we don’t get bit by the injury bug again.
May 11th, 2008 at 2:22 PM
The Wizards had a great season.. i think next season is all gonna depend on what the wizards do in the summer in terms of draft/trades/free agents/etc. Like Tom Mandel said, i dont think its our starters, its the depth of our bench. Personally i like everyone on the wizards team as a person, but i personally think we need to look to get rid of 1. mcguire 2. songaila 3. etan thomas (yeah i know he was out the whole season but hes been with the wizards for many years and hasnt proven to be more than a guy that averages 6 points and 5 rebounds). i think they are great guys but 1. mcguire just doesnt seem nba calliber player 2. songaila is too inconsistent to gamble having a player on ur bench making as much money as he does if he isnt going to be consistent, and 3. the same with songaila (but its been going on longer). Some 6th man calliber players/bench players i would like 2 see the wizards get by getting rid of those 3 players are:
1. Ben Gordon, 2. Carlos Arroyo, 3. Ricky Davis, 4. Chris Mihm, 5.Corey Maggette (to do so possibly trade nick young/pech or a combo of the 3 i mentioned + our first or 2nd round pick), 6. Elton Brand (now this is a long shot but i mean it could work if we did what i said we would do for magette but throw in cash considerations, and have brendan haywood on the bench (imagine how productive that would be?), 7. Monata Ellis, 8. JR Smith (now that would be really nice considering how young he is, but still a powerful 6th man), 9. Juan Dixon, 10. Daniel Gibson (that would be awesome if we had a bench player like him!), 11. James Posey, or even emeka okafor (BUT ONLY IF WE COULD AFFORD IT, could get haywood 2 be willing 2 come off the bench, and if we wouldnt lose a whole lot by getting him). anybody got any opinions on those free agents?
May 11th, 2008 at 3:28 PM
i say if we are going over we get A.I. no need to be shy if you want a ship i think he could get us to the edge with Gil an AJ and Caron an haywood playing the way he has you would have a strong 5
May 11th, 2008 at 3:53 PM
Iverson? Is he a SG? How big is he?
May 11th, 2008 at 4:47 PM
Wiz4life Iverson’s contract is for about 19 mil the Wizards are about 12 mil under the salary cap if we signed him we would be 7 mil over we would probably have to let go of someone or trade for future draft picks. Maybe we could trade Veremeeenko and others for cash?
May 11th, 2008 at 4:48 PM
neal, Iverson is a 6 foot SG
May 11th, 2008 at 5:05 PM
AI is quick and can drive and dish the ball to people like AJ and Gil,CB3 Mason if we keep him and not only that he takes the double off every one you got 4 people that can shoot and AJ would be able to work down low alot more with the Rebound and Haywood should be able to clean up if he plays in the right spots
May 11th, 2008 at 7:08 PM
Here is a good source of team and individual stats:
http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/WAS/2008.html
May 11th, 2008 at 7:25 PM
AI — ????? He is *not* a player we need. Not in the slightest. There is only one ball and only so many shots. We don’t need someone who has to have a lot of them, and who btw is *not* an efficient scorer. We already have the closest thing in the league to AI, and that is Gil.
Michael Beasley is likely to be a great NBA player, but no we are not going to get him. The team w/ the first choice in the upcoming draft is going to get him.
I don’t see any likelihood that we will trade up to get one of the ’sure thing’ players — it just isn’t that easy to do. We will get the best player at 18, or we will trade the pick (and something else) for a veteran. In the draft, we do have some shot at Roy Hibbert.
Management has made it clear they want Gilbert and Antawn back. Obviously, Caron and Brendan aren’t going anywhere, and we *need* Antonio. DeShawn has a secure spot on the roster too. Etan would be impossible to trade even if we wanted to. It seems like Songaila too would be hard to deal.
That’s 8 guys. Then there is Mason, whom we will want back but may lose if someone makes a ridiculous offer. That leaves Blatche and Young, who might have *some* trade value, and McGuire and Pecherov who don’t have any trade value at this point.
That’s 13 guys. If Mason leaves, we’ll sign another FA to replace him. But, we would be better off w/ one more guy. Hence, there is room for our first round draft choice. If we are lucky enough to get a good 2d round guy, there’s likely to be room for him too, as 2d rounders are cheap and you don’t need to guarantee them beyond one year.
May 11th, 2008 at 7:31 PM
Given all that, what do I think is the best thing for us to do?
If we could trade Blatche or Young, and our 1st round pick, for a *solid* veteran wing man, I might be inclined to do that. Neither DeShawn nor Mason is really all that, and we need a backup for Caron. Someone like James Posey would be perfect in that role. Nick might be good some day, but he hasn’t shown that yet. Ditto Blatche.
The *problem* with such a move is that it isn’t going to turn us into a championship contender. I don’t have any *realistic* suggestions that would accomplish that, unfortunately.
May 11th, 2008 at 7:32 PM
That’s a really informative site, Tom.
Here’s what stood out to me:
Our offensive rating was 12th out of 30. Our defensive rating was 24th out of 30. WE STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO.
We scored 8104 points. Our opponents actually scored more than we did: 8131.
The three biggest gaps between our production and that of our opponents was:
1. 3 point percentage - 35.6% compared to 38.6%
2. Assists - 1607 compared to 1958
3. Field goal percentage - 44.6% compared to 46.1%
Surprisingly, we had more rebounds and fewer turnovers and personal fouls than our opponents. Not surprisingly, we had more steals and blocks than our opponents.
So…..it seems to me we need:
1. Even more Princeton offense and less 1 on 1
2. More adherance to Mr. Ayer’s defense
3. More work with Mr. Hopla
May 11th, 2008 at 7:45 PM
For comparison, here are our offensive and defensive rankings for last year and the previous 4 years:
2007-2008 12th, 24th
2006-2007 5th, 28th
2005-2006 12th, 22nd
2004-2005 17th, 19th
2003-2004 27th, 20th (out of 29)
Are we making progress?
May 11th, 2008 at 10:15 PM
Also, our FT% was 78.2. That of our opponents was 75.4.
So we can shoot. Seems to me we just need to improve our offense.
May 12th, 2008 at 12:13 AM
Welcome back Tom.
I’ve got a “numbers” question. If we resign Gil, Antawn, and Mason….. what are the chances we package our draft picks, all 3 of them, and trade for a good backup 5? Tom, Neal, Sportzwiz, et al.
May 12th, 2008 at 12:17 AM
Or wait and see if Hibbert (not quite sold on him yet) falls to us?
May 12th, 2008 at 7:01 AM
No one seems to think that Hibbert is going to be a top-flight NBA center. Yet, I will remind us, making predictions is a fool’s game.
I will also remind us that only about 3 players a year come into the league via the draft and make a difference.
I think Etan is adequate as a backup 5. On the numbers, he is as productive a player as Brendan. It’s hard to get better at Center in the NBA.
I wonder whether our draft picks are worth very much as a package. A #18, a #48, and god knows what from the Griz? I’d rather see us trade that #18 and the Griz pick for 2 high 2d-round picks. But, then, I don’t like the bottom of the first round, where you pay real $$ and have to guarantee, and don’t know what you are getting.
May 12th, 2008 at 7:03 AM
For a Center, Brendan shoots a low FG%, and he doesn’t rebound well for a Center either. Still, he is a solid player, is defensively sound, plays with passion and is big.
May 12th, 2008 at 7:28 AM
We are the 12th most efficient team in the league offensively, but only the 19th most efficient defensively. Given that our starters aren’t going to change next year, it should be obvious that we need defense off the bench.
May 12th, 2008 at 8:40 AM
Tom, the problem with 2nd rounders is that while they aren’t guaranteed money you have to give up, if they turn out to be good you don’t have rights to them like first rounders.
That’s how the Wizards got Arenas and the Jazz got Boozer.
Say the last pick in the first round turns out to be a steal like Tony Parker was, well you can lock him up for longer (i believe four years) and than when they become a free agent you can offer them more money than anyone else.
If you draft in round 2 and they become good after the 2nd year they are restricted, but you can’t necessarily afford them.
Also, late first rounders don’t get paid nearly that much when your talking about NBA terms.
Look at Nick Young’s deal for instance.
http://hoopshype.com/salaries/washington.htm
May 12th, 2008 at 8:41 AM
As far as the draft is concerned I would not be surprised to see this team package a couple picks for a veteran. However, if the right player falls or the right deal doesn’t come along, I’m sure the front office will be ready.
May 12th, 2008 at 8:43 AM
I think we’re OK at center since Haywood has gotten in better shape and is playing more minutes with energy. With Thomas, Songaila and Blatche we’re OK for backups. Of course, if we get the chance to get a steal, sure.
But I’m more concerned with PG. If Arenas doesn’t come back healthy and ready to play team ball, that’s our biggest concern.
I actually had a dream last night. Both Arenas and Jamison left for unreasonable contracts elsewhere. Instead of replacing them with veterans Grunfeld went with a youth movement. We drafted an excellent PG prospect. Young made the regular rotation and blossumed as a “go to” replacement for Arenas. Blatche blossumed too and we ended up winning as many games next year as last year.
The Nationals did it. Why not the Wiz?
May 12th, 2008 at 9:40 AM
Blatche needs to be a backup 3; that’s a role where he can flourish. He doesn’t have the strength for 4 or 5 duty. Songaila is marginal at best.
neal, I love your dream! But, w/o Jamison or a very good replacement off the FA market, we don’t win 43 games next year.
You guys know that I want us to find a young point guard. That’s why I gnash my teeth every time I think of our taking Pecherov when Rajon Rondo, Marcus Williams and Kyle Lowry were all available. I don’t know whether someone w/ a future as a starter is likely to fall to us in the draft, however.
The best we can hope from Gilbert is that he return to ‘06-07 form, and that would be a big help!
May 12th, 2008 at 10:17 AM
Tom,
Had we drafted Rondo, Williams or Lowry and Gilbert had been healthy none of those guys would have seen the floor.
I definitely see Blatche as a 4. I would say he needs to continue to get stronger. There are few 6′11 250 lb 3’s in the NBA today.
Agreed on the fact that it would be very hard to win 43 games if we lost jamison and or gil, however that would depend on the replacements.
I also hear your comments on our depth although when healthy your 2nd unit would have been
Daniels
Mason
Songaila
Blatche
Thomas
No team in the NBA had to shuffle lineups like the Wizards did this year.
May 12th, 2008 at 11:07 AM
SportzWiz, surely Miami had more injuries. And it seems to me there were a couple of others that were even more decimated than the Wiz. Sure, we had more than our share, but we ought to assume that at least one starter is going to be out for a big part of every season. We can’t always use the excuse that we didn’t have all our pieces in place for the whole season. That would be abnormal, rather than the norm.
May 12th, 2008 at 11:12 AM
Gilbert, Etan, and Caron… I’m sorry I dont see who had more important injuries than that.
Imagine San Antonio without Duncan for the year, Parker fighting through injuries for the entire 2nd half of the season and no oberto.
That’s basically what you are talking about.
May 12th, 2008 at 12:20 PM
SportzWiz, I agree that Blatche is naturally a 4. But we’ve got three other PF’s and we’re thin at SF. Why don’t you think he can play SF?
Someone on this site said Arenas wants a $100M contract. That would make my decision easy if I were Grunfeld.
May 12th, 2008 at 1:28 PM
I dont see many 6′11 250lb small forwards in this league.
I also think if he works hard in the gym that could be 260-265lbs.
He’s 22 and is not done filling out.
A big thing with Andray will be to continue to get better, he has a ton of potential. He’s athletic, he’s got a very long wingspan and when his mid range jumper is going he is scary good on offense.
If he continues to improve a combination of him and Etan would be a big defensive presence off the bench. Also right now when Darius is in the game you need someone next to him that can block shots and protect the rim and Dray has the athleticism to be a great shot blocker.
May 12th, 2008 at 1:49 PM
OK. I’m just wondering who’s going to back up Butler. Wasn’t it normally Blatche this year?
If McGuire is our SF off the bench I guess we’ll still have enough fire power on the second unit.
May 12th, 2008 at 1:51 PM
Antawn can play the three. So if Blatche came in and or darius he moved to that spot to replace caron. This happened when Caron went down with his injury. Caron moved to the 3 and Dray or Darius started at the four.
May 12th, 2008 at 2:09 PM
Sportswiz — there are guys 6′7″/220 playing the 3 in the league. I don’t think those guys are necessarily quicker than Dray. Still, if he does put on another 10 lbs of muscle, he would be imposing at the 4 as well.
As you say, with him it’s all about ‘potential.’ In fact, he is not even 22 — won’t be until August. He is 4 months older than Roy Hibbert, who people call a “young” college senior.
But, will he reach that potential? Does he have the level of commitment and discipline? We’re still waiting, and in the meantime the numbers say that he has not been very productive.
May 12th, 2008 at 2:10 PM
i just had another comment that didn’t appear… sigh…
May 12th, 2008 at 2:12 PM
Andray Blatche is 99% question marks right now. He has a rare combination of attributes, which he really hasn’t put to any good use yet. When he does, great — but, really I mean *if* he does.
May 12th, 2008 at 2:12 PM
As you said he’s young. I think it was a great deal by ernie to get him locked up for five years when he did last season.
We will see. Ernie and Eddie have said it, it’s a very important off-season for him, which is true for most young guys in the league.
May 12th, 2008 at 2:19 PM
I imagine that if Nick Young were to develop — another *big* if — that he would be a good backup at either wing position, either 2 or 3. He won’t be starting in the nba until he becomes a genuinely good defender.
I am higher on Dominic than on Nick right now. He doesn’t have the skills on offense (except sometimes for passing), but he understands the offense and is going to be a terrific defender.
Sportswiz, the point about having a solid backup point guard is that we *did* have injuries. And, like every team, we will have injuries in the future. I’m not dinging Pecherov, he may turn out fine. But, it is obvious that he was picked because we could stash him for a year. Take a look at Josh Boone’s numbers this season, and he was no surprise - he came off a championship team.
May 12th, 2008 at 2:32 PM
Tom, im very high on dom as well. I think he could develop into a bruce bowen type player. He’s developed a nice 20 foot baseline jumper over the year and defensively he’s very good and plays to his strengths of rebounding and shot blocking.
I would say nick is more of a 2, but could play the three if you went a little smaller. Again I would say he would need to add weight to be a three.
As far as injuries. When pech was drafted, Gil had just been averaging 29.5 points per game as the starting point guard and AD had just played 80 games at 30 minutes per game, i dont know how much time you would have had to play a rondo or marcus williams.
This is not the easiest system for rookies to pick up. I remember talking to Mike Wilks when he came in this season for a 10 day contract and he talked about how difficult the offense was to learn and this was a guy that played for 10 different teams in the NBA and knows offenses very well. For rookies its a big learning curve, and for Pech a player that is just learning english it’s even more difficult.
May 12th, 2008 at 2:34 PM
I’m not being critical of Ernie or management — that’s not my style. They are managing a business, not just a competitive team. They have good reasons for what they do, and we have an exciting and competitive team.
But, there is no point in thinking about this kind of thing, unless you can say “what if” and “I told you so” and that kind of thing.
For example, in round 2 of the ‘06 draft, was I hoping we might get Paul Millsap? Yes, I was. He led the ncaa in rebounding. We missed a chance at him *by one pick* and nabbed Vereemenko. European 2d rounders rarely wind up playing in the league (they get much better $$ in Europe), and I don’t expect to see the guy in a Wizards uniform.
Now, would we have taken Millsap if he’d been there? Obviously, I wouldn’t know. I wish we’d gotten him, that’s all. Oh, by the way, Leon Powe — playing 20 minutes a night for the Celtics — was chosen *right after* Veremeenko. I love the 2d round.
May 12th, 2008 at 2:38 PM
I also just looked at josh boone’s numbers from last year (not this year) 4.2 points per game and 2.9 rebounds in 11 minutes of action.
This year his stats improved, but that also had to do with the fact that NJ has NOOO inside game i mean who else could they play. This team lost mikki moore to free agency and krstic to injury for half the year
Also, despite his numbers, a team that had jason kidd (for most of the season), Richard Jefferson, and Vince Carter didnt reach 35 wins so obviously he didnt help that much.
May 12th, 2008 at 2:42 PM
Dominic is much longer and more athletic than Bowen too — he rebounds and blocks shots.
Again, I’m not critical of Pecherov; he works hard, and maybe he’ll be a player. The draft is largely a crapshoot. Pretty much every team in the league passed on Powe and Millsap in the 2d round of ‘06! It’d be great to know in advance who was going to work out, wouldn’t it?
But, I think you are mistaken about Rondo, etc. in round 1 ‘06. There had been plenty of talk about needing a back up point guard. We took Pech so that we could stash him. I do’t know what the business reason was, but there was one - of that I’m pretty sure.
May 12th, 2008 at 2:46 PM
Im sure Manu Ginobili wouldn’t have gone with the 2nd last pick if everyone knew what they knew now :).
Personally I don’t believe in the whole business decision thinjg when it comes to the draft. The Wizards were very high on what they saw out of him and hopefully everyone we will get to see why next year.
May 12th, 2008 at 2:51 PM
Would there have been minutes for another point guard, you ask, and then give an argument that there wouldn’t have been.
But, on the same numbers - w/ gil playing 30 minutes, antonio playing 20 minutes, and DeShawn playing 30 minutes - there are only 16 minutes for Mason *and* Nick Young. In other words, the same argument says don’t draft Nick in ‘07.
Can’t think that way. Gotta draft the guy you think is the best player. Or trade for a veteran wing player, strong on D and efficient on O.
May 12th, 2008 at 2:58 PM
I think this team has bigger thoughts for Nick Young than you do :).
And as I stated, i believe this organization drafted what they thought was and will be the best player in that spot with Pech.
May 12th, 2008 at 3:36 PM
SportzWiz, what league is Veeremenko playing in? Is it a top one? How’s he doing? He’s Russian, isn’t he? Do you know when he becomes a FA?
May 12th, 2008 at 3:37 PM
Hope so. I do like the guy a lot!
May 12th, 2008 at 3:57 PM
Ok so i tried to find out what I could about Veeremenko. Realize I got this from a rusian site and needless to say my russian isnt so good, and if you try to go through their official site some of it translates to english other parts dont, the stats dont obviously!
I think he averages 6.6 points 3.5 rebounds per game. His minutes are not listed.
He plays for BC Khimki which looks to be the 2nd best team in russia behind CKSA moscow that won the euroleague. Their site has them listed as 22-2 this season fwiw.
The big problem will be his contract, its pretty lucratiive and the buyout is tough.
At this point i wouldnt hold my breath on him helping this team next season. However, we should get a better idea of his type of game this sumemr if he comes to summer league which at this point sounds about 50/50
May 12th, 2008 at 4:34 PM
Not sure why people are so excited by the draft for the Wizards, but this franchise hasn’t had one first rounder pan out with the team for more than 6 years before bolting. In other words, since 1988, no lottery or first round pick became a franchise type guy for Washington. In review (Bullets & Wizards):
1988 - Harvey Grant
1989 - Tom Hammonds
1991 - LaBradford Smith
1992 - Tom Gugliotta
1993 - Calbert Cheaney
1994 - Juwan Howard
1995 - Rasheed Wallace
1999 - Richard Hamilton
2001 - Kwame Brown
2002 - Jared Jefffries + Juan Dixon
2003 - Jarvis Hayes
2004 - Devin Harris (traded to Dallas for Jamison)
So, if Blatche, Young, and Pecherov all don’t work out for the Wizards, then it is just a continuation of the draft drought.
Neal - Arenas wanting a max, which equates to 6 years, 100 million, sounds about right to me. 100/6 = 16.7 million per year and I think he’s worth that. He is not making more money than Kobe. I don’t think his knee is going to be a problem if he doesn’t jump the gun anymore during his rehab.
Besides the consensus top 2 picks of the NBA draft, the only international player we should be aware of is Danilo Gallinari (Italy). He’s been compared as the next Tony Kukoc. He’s far more athletic than Nowitzki, Bargnani, Yi, and Kukoc. He’s 6-9′ and can certainly be a backup to Butler. Gallinari reminds me of a physically weaker Danny Granger. It doesn’t appear the Wizards will move up on the draft boards this year, but I would take a big gamble on Gallinari.
May 12th, 2008 at 6:41 PM
I’m not looking for Veeremenko this year. Just wondering if he was NBA quality. With those stats I don’t think we’ll be paying a buyout. We’ll have to wait for him to decide he can make it here and play out his contract. However, for the foreseeable future we have a logjam at his position.
Well, in my book Harvey Grant, Tom Gugliotta, Juwan Howard, Rasheed Wallace and Richard Hamilton were all good first round picks, and we got comparable value for Devin Harris. That’s about half. Isn’t that about par for the course? It seems to me our problem was bad trades in the Unseld era, rather than not drafting well.
Wizards_fusion, we just don’t see Arenas in the same light.
Gallinari sounds good. Any other opinions on him? Will he be there when we pick?
May 12th, 2008 at 7:07 PM
By the way, Tom, how would you feel if I dissed your dream?
May 12th, 2008 at 8:45 PM
ok i think we need 2 find a way 2 get rid of songaila and etan…….not trying 2 diss etan, but since he missed the whole season, he basically got paid about 6.5 mil to not even play a game. and hes lookin 2 make almost 7 next year, songaila is looking 2 make 4 mil something next year…….i think songaila is too inconsistent with his points and rebounding to gamble with that much money, and i think we could use that ~ 7 mil that etan will make on a better free agent…..he just hasnt proved 2 be anything more than a guy that can average 5 points and 5 rebounds.
May 12th, 2008 at 9:34 PM
Hey everyone,
I have to say, reading all this speculation is amazing. I just want to add these things to the mix:
1.) Brendan. I think that in the off season if he continues to work on that little outside shot of his, you may see an even better year from him. I also wouldn’t totally dis his rebounding. He isn’t kidding when he says that Antwan takes them.
2.) Songaila. Oddly, the guy plays pretty darn well at times and rarely gets any respect. He started playing back to where he was before injury about 1/3 of the way through the year. I think he has a lot of value and will continue to prove it next year. (Even if he does get packaged and plays someplace else!)
3.) Etan. Now, don’t get hysterical on me, but with a defense that funnels guys toward the clogged up middle, Etan can block some big-time shots. He is an above average shot blocker. With a better defense around him, he can do some real work in the middle. I think that SpotsWiz was right-on… Andray and Etan will be better at 4/5 than Andray/Darius.
4.) Nick Young. Ask Gilbert about him. Gil doesn’t make things up about players, he calls them like he sees them. NY can score, and probably, with a healthy Gil on the court, the opposing team would probably hate to see Gil and Nick on offense at the same time. (Of course, on Defense…)
5.) My previous post. Again, the best thing we have on our side is Coach Ayers. This team in year two of that defense will get better. I am sure that stopping the three will be a clear goal of the coach’s next season. We get better on defense, we will win more games. I may be out of my mind, but believe that Gil can become a super-star if he can combine his ability to create, his ability to just blow by anyone at any time and his ability to basically spot up from nearly half court and drain a three. If he were to dedicate himself to getting 10 assists a game he would become more than an All-Star…Do I think that is doable by Gil? Yes. I think he learned a ton by just being able to pass and making an impact.
6.) Last, I agree with Tom. We should concentrate on drafting a PG and letting him learn how to manage the ball while we still have AD to teach.
… Now, back to you major-league bloggers slugging it out…
May 12th, 2008 at 9:50 PM
Wizfan4life Etan has a very large buy-out clause in his rather healthy contract that makes trading him unlikely. I must be the only one on this blog that likes Songaila? He has a very fluid offensive game, moves well to the open spot, passes well to the cutters, is a fair to partly cloudy rebounder, and plays very good position defense. What I don’t like, and this isn’t his fault, is when he is put in at center when we go to a small ball lineup. when that happens the other team licks their chops and , like Pesh, makes buckets.
Andray has the raw potential of a basketball God. He will determine how good he becomes. If he dedicates himself to the game I wouldn’t trade him at this stage of his career for Garnett at this stage in his career.
It will be interesting to see which Gilbert hits the floor next season. Will it be the Gil that jacks up shots and drops 60 on the Lakers? Will be a semi-injured Gil again? Or will it be a whole new Gil that has been watching intently from the sidelines and knows Coach Ayers concept? Next season should be an interesting one on the Gil front.
Neal, Antawn and Gil leaving is no dream…. more of a nightmare lol.
May 12th, 2008 at 9:58 PM
Ernie will, no doubt, draft the best player at the 18 if we keep it. With any luck a good PG will be there to catch Ernie’s eye. Maybe Chris Paul will quit basketball to finish up the 3 credits he is short of his degree…. re-enter the NBA draft after graduation… and the Wizards draft him? Hey Neal… Now there is a dream LOL.
May 12th, 2008 at 10:34 PM
My point with the draft thing is this - no matter if the Wizards had a Number 1 pick, a lower order lottery pick, or just someone in the first round, that player didn’t turn into a franchise player for Washington - like a LeBron, MJ; basically a great player. I understand that poor decisions were made by management in the past for letting RIP, Sheed, etc. go, but 16+ years of bad history from multiple sources are beyond levels of frustration for followers like W4L, Neal, GR, etc.
Years ago, I made 2 bold predictions with my friends that Amare Stoudemire and Jason Kidd were done with the NBA after their microfracture surgeries. Well, both are still in the league and are multi-year all-stars after their injuries. With medical advances today, I have very little doubt that Arenas will only be 75% or less for the rest of his career. For this, I’m willing to gamble with big money.
Even if Arenas no longer has explosiveness, he’ll still play in the league because he can shoot. He joked about being a spot shooter, but this will be reality if he screws up his knee(s) one more time. I never thought Grant Hill would walk again, but he proved me wrong by playing great basketball for the first 50 games of this season in Phoenix.
I hope you NBA fans saw the Celtics-Cavaliers game tonight. Even LeBron’s mom got involved when Posey grabbed LeBron going full speed and KG got into a shouting match with Gloria James. LeBron’s like “yo mom, chill - I’m a grown man, I can take it”. LMAO!
May 12th, 2008 at 11:01 PM
yeah i just got on here to say that…. it was funny if you did not see it watch Sports center or youtube
May 13th, 2008 at 6:04 AM
My turn.
Haywood. I always thought part of his problem was physical rather than attitude. When he got in better shape he played more minutes and with more energy. It must really require a lot of effort for a guy that big to get in the same shape as the guards. In fact, we may not have seen the best of him.
Songaila. I still like him. For the same reasons wizfan does. He’s a good fit for this system. Moves the ball well and moves well w/o the ball. Hustles. However, I hated to hear that he’s going to play for Lithuania again this summer. Last year he came in flat and didn’t get it together till half the season was gone.
Thomas. His career numbers show him to be our highest percentage shooter and best rebounder and shot blocker per minute played. Hopla needs to teach him to shoot free throws, but I think he will be a big boost at back-up center. The biggest knock on him is that he misses a big part of every year with injuries. He’s under contract for two more years at $6.9 and $7.4 million. He ain’t goin anywhere.
Young. I love to watch him go 1 on 1. He’s silky smooth. But that’s not the main focus of this system. And I certainly don’t want him playing much opposite Arenas unless Gil becomes a different player or they allow two basketballs in the game. Hasn’t yet gotten the defense down, it seems.
May 13th, 2008 at 6:34 AM
From DraftExpress: “Next year’s salary cap is currently being estimated at 58.5 million dollars, up from 55.63 million dollars. The luxury tax threshold is projected to rise to 71 million dollars, up from 67.865 million this year, and the Mid-Level Exception is expected to rise to 5.55 million dollars, up from 5.36 million. These are not final or official numbers at this point, but rather the NBPA’s estimations, as they were told to us.”
May 13th, 2008 at 6:47 AM
neal — I didn’t mean to diss your dream, sorry. It’s hard for tone to come through in these little text boxes. I thought your dream was terrific, in fact — and I’m jealous that you dream about the Wizards!
May 13th, 2008 at 7:07 AM
Gallinari is projected to go in the lottery, btw — I don’t expect him to be there when we draft.
Ty Lawson and Mario Chalmers — both point guards — will probably be available, however. They both shoot a high percentage and dish very well.
May 13th, 2008 at 7:15 AM
Let’s hear it for Ty and Mario.
OK, Tom I had a fun dream, but you have twin grandkids. Jealousy all around.
May 13th, 2008 at 7:16 AM
Here is the current DraftExpress mock draft, which projects us picking Javale McGee. That is something I am sure we will NOT do, as he is yet another pure potential project.
Note that there are some pretty highly-regarded players that are still available to us in this mock: Hibbert being one of them. I like Joe Alexander too.
May 13th, 2008 at 8:18 AM
Just a couple things after a bunch of posts on a ton of topics from yesterday…
1. Songaila- Two things on him. A, he really knwos the offense and as we have discussed the way he cuts to the basket and his passing ability really open up our offense. B. As far as playing for Lithuania, the games will end a month before they ended last year. Its one of the reasons he said ok this year, because they end early enough where he can recover before training camp.
2. Haywood- People were asking about him being in shape. He is a workout warrior, the guy hits the gym like crazy. So i wouldnt worry about his conditioning. He has definitely developed a more physical game and a lot of that has to do with his free throw shooting. he actually made the comment when he was asked about why he is more attacking on offense. He was more hesitant before because he didnt want to go to the line. Now that he thinks he’s going to make them he’s more aggressive because he knows good things will happen at the line.
May 13th, 2008 at 8:18 AM
Tom, have I got a deal for you. My older daughter has three kids, all of which are teenagers at present. I’ll trade you the two boys for your twins. And I’ll throw in your choice of the following:
1. A draft pick, such pick to be determined by how well the teenagers behave in a new setting, OR
2. GrifonRacing
You’re probably better off with the draft pick. I’ve heard GrifonRacing is really ugly and doesn’t own a shirt with buttons.
Deal or no deal?
May 13th, 2008 at 8:38 AM
neal - don’t we have to wait until the free agent season starts on July 1?
Sportswiz - that’s the way Haywood looks to me too. He has seemed in *top shape* for the last 2 seasons. He also played a lot better in ‘06-07 than he was credited for. He complained about playing time, that’s true, and he feuded w/ Etan stupidly. But on a per-minute basis, he was very productive. The only statistical improvement this year was in his FT%. Brendan Haywood is a good NBA player.
As far as Songaila goes, yes he is a good professional basketball player. He prepares well, and so forth. Everyone in the NBA can play ball; you don’t get in if you can’t play ball. On the numbers, however, Darius isn’t all that great however. He fouls too much, rebounds too little, shoots too low a percentage.
Still, why should we expect more from him? He is a backup on a middle of the pack team; he isn’t overpaid. He is a valuable team member, but there is no need to make more of him than he is.
May 13th, 2008 at 8:42 AM
DraftExpress projects us to choose Pat Calathes of St. Josephs on the 2d round. Watch that name; I think that guy is an incredible steal — a 6′10″ wing player w/ good handles and a shooting touch. He has potential to start in the league. He may climb the Board before draft day, however, and not be available to us.
May 13th, 2008 at 8:58 AM
Neal, that one wasnt for you, their are people that believe on this blog that songaila is worthless and should be cut, i dont agree on that theory.
Tom I’m holding you to that :). In fact that’s what I’m posting right now in a new discussion…. 2nd round sleepers.
May 13th, 2008 at 1:41 PM
Tom, I guess we do have to wait until 7/1.
I disagree with you on Songaila’s shooting. He shot 46% this year, which is just OK. Before this year his career average was 50%. His FT% is highest on the team.
May 13th, 2008 at 9:24 PM
Hey Tom…. if you pick me my wife said she would also throw in a half eaten bologna sandwich?
LOL Neal!
May 14th, 2008 at 1:26 PM
Tom, take the pick. There must be good reason someone didn’t want the rest of that sandwich.
May 14th, 2008 at 6:33 PM
Some random thoughts on the passing basketball scene…
1) Commissioner Stern is absolutely right to complain that the noise level in these arenas is too high. I blogged about this when I saw the Wiz play the Nets here in Jersey. I hope things change.
2) On the other hand, the trouble that OJ Mayo is in is due to this dumb rule of Stern’s to raise the age of entry into the NBA to 19. Anyone should have the opportunity to work whatever the age. I think that rule should be legally challenged as age discrimination. That rule really makes me angry.
3) Lots of great posts on the Wizard’s season and where we go from here. It doesn’t look like the Wiz will be making any drastic changes - nor should they. When healthy, they can compete with anyone. A Wiz team with a healthy Arenas would have beaten the Cavs.
4) Here are a few of suggetions: Assign a personal trainer to Blatche to improve his conditioning, upper body strength and standing jump ability. IF he comes back next year with an additional 10 pounds of muscle - look out! Draft a speedy point guard, but not one under 6′1″. Sack the medical staff. I don’t know if they are to blame for the slow injury recovery time, but at least it will change the karma around the team for a healthy year next year.
May 14th, 2008 at 8:09 PM
I agree that anyone should be draftable. A lot of kids have no business going to college. On the other hand, a change is needed such that a team doesn’t lose a player’s draft rights if he is not on the NBA roster. Some kids could be drafted and spend a couple of years in the CBA or Europe.
An interesting idea about the medical staff. I’m not sure I would do it but I see your point.
May 15th, 2008 at 2:13 PM
Hi Ernie.it might be too late by the time you get this,but I am sending it anyway.I know that you have tough decisions to make.This is just my suggestions.Remember that Lebron James isn’t going anywhere no time soon.And so isn’t Dwight Howard.I think teams overpay players and don’t get their money’s worth.I know injuries is also part of the game.Remember that you are trying to win a championship and you have to spend your money wisely.I like Jamison and Arenas,but trying to win a championship,you have to find the right nucleus of players.I think they should take a pay cut and get help from free-agency and the draft.I think James Gist would be good for that team because he can block shots and rebound.I think Jamison and Arenas are salary cap busters.They are good players,but if they want a championship,they have to take a tremendous pay cut.(atleast 75% for one year).You ought to talk them in to it.I don’t see them winning one unless they take a pay cut.They would get maximum contracts but no results if they were to sign with someone else.If I can’t get them to take pay cuts,I would just let them go.I also think resigning Roger Mason wouldn’t be bad.But don’t over do it.One of the best overall teams I ever saw was the 1990 Detroit Pistons.They really only had one good player but they had defense.They rebounded and they won ugly.Try to put together a team similar to them.Also,they were physical.Overall get 3 centers,6guards,and 6 forwards. GOOD LUCK!!!
May 16th, 2008 at 7:18 PM
Way off topic but lets go back to being the Bullets lol idk im just not feeling the “wizards”
Anyways idk why ppl are hating on songaila i for one dont think hes being over payed unlike the Jared Jeffries’s pf the league because hes a solid rotation player…second im all for drafting a point guard in the draft… third if we resign Antawn I think we should have him coming off the bench (to be our manu ginobili) and maybe win the sixthman award again. Then start andray who seems to play well when starting and i think thats the only way hes ever going to blossom into a good player like kevin garnet lol…
May 19th, 2008 at 6:53 AM
Anybody see the George Michael show this past Saturday? George had Michael Wilbon, James Brown and David Dupree on the show. They were discussing the Wiz and whether it is in the best interest for the team to re-sign Gilbert. They all agreed that the Wiz are probably the only team that will offer or give him a max contract (100-105 million). Michael Wilbon said he would not resign Gilbert. Then the the group tossed out the possibility of trading Gilbert, a player on the roster and the first pick for Carmelo and Camby.
Then they tossed out the possibility of sending Gilbert back home to Golden State with maybe another player for Baron Davis and Andris Biedrins.
I know some of you are sold on keeping Gil. If I were Ernie G. I would at least have to consider the possibility of Baron Davis and Andris Biedrins for Gil and maybe Andray Blatche.
With Baron Davis you have an explosive scorer and playmaker who would fit in well with the Wiz. Also with Biedrins you have a rebounder and shot blocker to pair with BH unless he is included in the deal with Gil.
I know there are some of you who are satisfied with keeping the big three in tact.
For me I want to see us bid for the championship. I am not satisfied with just making the playoffs. Our team is a couple of key veteran players away from winning the East next year. Whether we want to realize it or not dealing Gil may be the key to improving the team and winning the East next year.