Kevin Seraphin

[fishercob]

Mike Prada's breakdown of Kevin Seraphin's season, it's a good read.
http://www.bulletsforever.com/2011/7/21 ... n-seraphin

Hollingers Player Efficiency Rating link from the article.
http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/hollinge ... ition%3dpf

This article is below that standard of what I've come to expect from Prada. The depth of the analysis seems to have been that Seraphin had a very low PER. Well, okay. Any of us could have told you that.It also mentions him as a power forward, but lists him as a center. Overall, it's just comes of as a slapdash, cursory piece.

Seraphin needs to impact the game on the boards and on defense; he's never going to be an offensive star. I'd expect the defense piece to take some time. The rebounding is alarming though, and he needs to improve it immediately to stay on the court.

The hope with Seraphin is that the combo of the injury and culture shock depressed his production, and now that he's healthy and more acclimated we'll see if he can spike his production. He seems to have a good mentality, but I have no true sense for how smart he is or his work ethic. One would think/hope that he rates well in these areas, given when he was drafted and what our front office's stated priorities were.

As of now, there doesn't seem to be an impact player behind Seraphin that we missed on. The lost opportunity may have been LAC's future first that they traded to OKC for the next pick (Bledsoe).

[Dat2U]

I don't like how we've handled Seraphin. How does he earn enough time to truly develop if he's so far away from contributing? He just came in the league incredibly raw. He really needed to stay overseas. And not just for one season. He should have been a draft & stash guy. Leave him overseas for 2-3 years and see what you have down the road.

Personally I wasn't a fan of the pick but admittedly there's not a lot about the guys we passed on that I can really point to and say we blew it. Still Seraphin was arguably one of the worst players in the league last year and regardless of the excuses about his injury & shape that's something to be very concerned about.

Probably the most disturbing point is the fact that Seraphin didn't show any real improvement over the course of the year. I know it may sound like I'm jumping the gun but the kid has bust written all over him. I'd deal him at a drop of a hat if it got us anything of value. Could a Blatche/Seraphin combo get us anything decent in a trade?

[fishercob]

I don't like how we've handled Seraphin. How does he earn enough time to truly develop if he's so far away from contributing? He just came in the league incredibly raw. He really needed to stay overseas. And not just for one season. He should have been a draft & stash guy. Leave him overseas for 2-3 years and see what you have down the road.

I was discussing this with someone who told me -- but wasn't 100% certain (we'd have to check the larry Coon FAQ) -- that the CBA holds that first round picks must be offered contracts. You can't pick a guy and squat on his rights and not offer him a contract. So the fact that Seraphin wanted to come to the NBA (which he stated) meant the Wiz's hands were likely tied, even if they may have preferred he stay overseas.

Probably the most disturbing point is the fact that Seraphin didn't show any real improvement over the course of the year. I know it may sound like I'm jumping the gun but the kid has bust written all over him. I'd deal him at a drop of a hat if it got us anything of value. Could a Blatche/Seraphin combo get us anything decent in a trade?

It's so hard for me (and I think anyone) to judge. The team was an absolute mess and in constant flux, and he really didn't get that much PT. I'd definitely move Kevin in the right deal, but I'm not ready to call him worthless yet.

[7-Day Dray]

I think some people are jumping the gun. Everyone knew he was raw like sushi. Whoever was a expecting a dominant offensive bull in the paint and a defensive force out the gate had expectations that were too high for him.

And we can't forget the injury. We all talk about Dray's injury but not Seraphin's. He injured his knee last year, and it was serious enough for him to consider pulling of of the draft, and it kept him for playing in the summer league. It caused him to be out of shape. This year was the fattest I've ever seen him. Just look at this pic from when he was overseas.



I would like him to get back to that physique. I think I heard somwhere that the coaching staff wanted him to bulk up, but he added fat instead of muscle.

And he was still learning the ropes of the NBA. He still doesn't peak English very well. He's still getting used to America and communicating with his teammates.

I think the "No D-League" agreement was absurd though. I he couldn't play in the D-League, I would have just let him stay overseas for at least one year.

But we gotta be patient with him. Sure, he I guess he didn't play up to his draft position, barely anyone picked after him in the 1st round make an impact. And we didn't draft him to be a star. We drafted him to be a solid backup. He said he's working on keeping his body fat down, so he should looker quicker and more athletic next season. I hope he plays for the French national team at Eurobasket. It would be great for his development.

[Nivek]

I was discussing this with someone who told me -- but wasn't 100% certain (we'd have to check the larry Coon FAQ) -- that the CBA holds that first round picks must be offered contracts. You can't pick a guy and squat on his rights and not offer him a contract. So the fact that Seraphin wanted to come to the NBA (which he stated) meant the Wiz's hands were likely tied, even if they may have preferred he stay overseas.

"Someone" was correct. From Larry Coon:

A contract offer, called a “Required Tender” is required for a team to retain its draft rights. If the team doesn’t submit a Required Tender by the deadline (July 15 for first round picks, September 5 for a second round pick) he becomes a free agent. Once a Required Tender is submitted, the player is free to accept it, as a player is with any other contract offer.

So, even if the Wizards wanted Seraphin to play overseas, they were required to make a contract offer, which Seraphin was free to accept. If the Wizards failed to make the offer, they would have lost the draft rights to Seraphin and he would have become a free agent.

[fishercob]

I was discussing this with someone who told me -- but wasn't 100% certain (we'd have to check the larry Coon FAQ) -- that the CBA holds that first round picks must be offered contracts. You can't pick a guy and squat on his rights and not offer him a contract. So the fact that Seraphin wanted to come to the NBA (which he stated) meant the Wiz's hands were likely tied, even if they may have preferred he stay overseas.

"Someone" was correct.

I'd just as soon people not know we communicate off line. I have a rep to uphold.

[Dat2U]

I was discussing this with someone who told me -- but wasn't 100% certain (we'd have to check the larry Coon FAQ) -- that the CBA holds that first round picks must be offered contracts. You can't pick a guy and squat on his rights and not offer him a contract. So the fact that Seraphin wanted to come to the NBA (which he stated) meant the Wiz's hands were likely tied, even if they may have preferred he stay overseas.

"Someone" was correct. From Larry Coon:

A contract offer, called a “Required Tender” is required for a team to retain its draft rights. If the team doesn’t submit a Required Tender by the deadline (July 15 for first round picks, September 5 for a second round pick) he becomes a free agent. Once a Required Tender is submitted, the player is free to accept it, as a player is with any other contract offer.

So, even if the Wizards wanted Seraphin to play overseas, they were required to make a contract offer, which Seraphin was free to accept. If the Wizards failed to make the offer, they would have lost the draft rights to Seraphin and he would have become a free agent.

Wow. I didn't know that. So a draft & stash only works if the player is willing to go overseas.

Either way Seraphin has a long way to go. Just going off my own eyes I didn't see anything in his game that would indicate he's going to have staying power in this league. He showed me nothing. Yes he's got physicality in spades but so does Joey Dorsey. He can set a hard pick but so can Shelden Williams. Unfortunately there's very little skill & awareness there. Being an undersized C there's just so much for him to overcome.

[Nivek]

I was discussing this with someone who told me -- but wasn't 100% certain (we'd have to check the larry Coon FAQ) -- that the CBA holds that first round picks must be offered contracts. You can't pick a guy and squat on his rights and not offer him a contract. So the fact that Seraphin wanted to come to the NBA (which he stated) meant the Wiz's hands were likely tied, even if they may have preferred he stay overseas.

"Someone" was correct.

I'd just as soon people not know we communicate off line. I have a rep to uphold.

You've just become the new miller. Except, you snitched on yourself.

[Zonkerbl]

Draft and stash therefore only works for players who you know have a big buyout. You offer them the standard rookie contract with the standard contribution to the buyout and the player decides whether to play for essentially nothing or stay overseas.

I still can't believe that clubs in Europe are permitted to blackmail young players into these ridiculous buyout clauses. Don't they sign these contracts as teenagers? Don't they have child labor laws to protect teens from precisely this sort of exploitation? It's deplorable.

[fishercob]

or for 2nd rounders

[Roddy]

10 points and 6 rebounds for him last night :

http://www.fibalivestats.com/matches/3886/03/79/56/10JWCLymE0QU/

[Nivek]

Stellar competition too.

[nate33]

On a per minute basis, he outplayed every big man on the French roster, a roster that included Boris Diaw and Ronny Turiaf. That's somewhat encouraging.

[closg00]

Stellar competition too.

The entire game was garbage time, it was essentially a live practice. Still, Kevin is getting some game-time and coaching, hopefully one of the French bigs drops-out or something and Kevin becomes part of the rotation.

[TheBlackCzar]

Closgg, main difference is visiting downtown DC/Verizon Center....seeing the subway etc...DC is actually the only city in the US with a true european vibe. DC itself and its architecture was actually modeled very closely after Paris by Thomas Jefferson L'Enfant and Latrobe.

This trend actually continues today. I can see why Seraphin fell in love, many of DC's monuments are near copies of Parisian antiquities due to Jefferson's obsession with Paris during his time there, and his insistence on hiring French (more specifically Parisian) architects. Jefferson actually had the south portion and dome of the Capitol modeled after the Halles Des Bleds in Paris. The reason? It's where he met his favorite Parisian lover......many didn't agree but he insisted. The entire city was modeled after Paris in many ways, or at the very least french architecture.

The area between the White house and the Capitol is a salute to Parisian architecture. Explains why Seraphin was so impressed at first. Now he's in Reston by all accounts......that has to be a shock.

Nawlinz' (N.O.) would like to disagree with you for $500 Alex......

[closg00]

Here's an article (Google translated) from a French Yahoo columnist advocating adding Kevin to the National team, it appears closer to happening due to team injuries.

http://translate.google.com/translate?j ... sraphin%2F

[fishercob]

I'm hoping Google isn't banking much of the company's future on that translator. Eesh...

[closg00]

PARIS -- Injured Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah should be ready to join his France teammates later this week, the French Basketball Federation said.

Oh-well, Kevin gets to be a reserve if he's lucky. However, there's a friendly match against Spain on Tuesday so Kevin might get some burn then.
http://espn.go.com/chicago/nba/story/_/ ... lay-france

[closg00]

Another report of that KS is close to returning to his old team, this would be great news.
http://www.catch-and-shoot.com/seraphin ... -5936.html

[closg00]

Considered a longshot when he was invited to try out for the French national team last month, Wizards forward Kevin Seraphin made the final 12-man roster for Eurobasket in Lithuania. He will join a roster that includes fellow NBA players Tony Parker, Joakim Noah, Boris Diaw, Nicolas Batum and Ronny Turiaf.

France Coach Vincent Collet made his final cuts after the French team was routed by Spain, 77-53, in a friendly on Wednesday. Serpahin was a surprising selection since Collet had originally brought him along as an alternate as the team prepared for the Olympic qualifying tournament, which will run from Aug. 31 to Sept. 18. Collet was forced to make some adjustments to the roster, especially after Phoenix Suns swingman Mickael Pietrus was forced to leave the team after having surgery on his injured right knee. But Collet added that Seraphin earned his spot based on his performance during training camp and exhibitions.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wizards-insider

Kevin didn't even play in the Spain blow-out game, but makes the team anyway. The lock-out has been good for Wizard rooks.

Edit: Hows this quote for getting our hopes up about the future:

Collet said in a statement released by the French Basketball Federation. “We had no idea that Kevin could be at this level and even if the decision is cruel to Ali, the interest of the France team must come first.”