ImageImageImageImageImage

Our Projected Depth Chart

Moderators: nate33, montestewart, LyricalRico

User avatar
nate33
Forum Mod - Wizards
Forum Mod - Wizards
Posts: 66,783
And1: 19,069
Joined: Oct 28, 2002

Re: Our Projected Depth Chart 

Post#461 » by nate33 » Fri Jan 25, 2013 5:10 pm

Nivek wrote:I understand what you're saying. But, coaches -- hell, all of us -- are prone to recognizing patterns where they don't exist and to being overly attuned to perceived hot streaks. I don't want my coach searching for a hot hand to leave in the game. I want him playing the percentages, which means keeping the best players on the floor. There are going to be a few exceptions based on matchups -- your example about Seraphin against Faried is a good one.

But those are exceptions. And, the matchup advantage needs to be big enough to offset what you're giving up in other areas.

I agree. The intensity of the hotstreak/matchup advantage must dramatically outweigh the production disparity between starter and reserve. For example, I see no scenario where Price should stay in the game ahead of Wall. And it's going to be pretty freakin rare for it to be wise to leave Seraphin in the game in place of Nene. But I don't think Beal is that much better than Crawford right now for example, so you ought to just ride the hot hand in that matchup. Likewise, as you mentioned with respect to our small forwards, you play whichever guy gives you what you need at the time (stopper or floor spacing on offense).

The only player pair where I think these decisions get difficult is with Seraphin versus Okafor. When Seraphin is playing well, I think he becomes roughly equal to Okafor on an overall basis, and it boils down to an offense/defense preference a la Webster/Ariza. The numbers say to trust Okafor in virtually all circumstances, but my fallible "gut" tells me that you sometimes ride Seraphin.
Zonkerbl
Retired Mod
Retired Mod
Posts: 8,187
And1: 4,154
Joined: Mar 24, 2010
       

Re: Our Projected Depth Chart 

Post#462 » by Zonkerbl » Fri Jan 25, 2013 5:21 pm

But I've seen lots of instances on here where so and so had a hot hand and Wittman took him out and people were calling for his head then. You can't win that game.

As a pro statistician I agree with Kevin except that I think there is some merit to tweaking lineups according to matchup. If you're playing a team with a lot of beefy post players, don't play Ves. If you're playing a team with the new stringbean outside shooting frontcourt you play Ves more, because he won't get destroyed by them and can use his quickness and court savvy to his advantage.
I've been taught all my life to value service to the weak and powerless.
User avatar
Nivek
Head Coach
Posts: 7,406
And1: 959
Joined: Sep 29, 2010
Contact:
         

Re: Our Projected Depth Chart 

Post#463 » by Nivek » Fri Jan 25, 2013 5:26 pm

I'm not saying don't play the matchup game (although, that's often a sucker bet too because virtually any time Vesely or Singleton is on the floor, your team is worse off). I'm saying that Crawford making three shots in a row isn't a reason to keep him in the game beyond his normal rotation.

Exploiting a matchup advantage IS playing the percentages. Leaving a guy in because he's 4-5 from the floor is not.
"A lot of what we call talent is the desire to practice."
-- Malcolm Gladwell

Check out my blog about the Wizards, movies, writing, music, TV, sports, and whatever else comes to mind.
User avatar
nate33
Forum Mod - Wizards
Forum Mod - Wizards
Posts: 66,783
And1: 19,069
Joined: Oct 28, 2002

Re: Our Projected Depth Chart 

Post#464 » by nate33 » Fri Jan 25, 2013 6:21 pm

Nivek wrote:I'm not saying don't play the matchup game (although, that's often a sucker bet too because virtually any time Vesely or Singleton is on the floor, your team is worse off). I'm saying that Crawford making three shots in a row isn't a reason to keep him in the game beyond his normal rotation.

Exploiting a matchup advantage IS playing the percentages. Leaving a guy in because he's 4-5 from the floor is not.

What if he is 4-5 because he is exploiting a matchup advantage? How do you tell?
User avatar
AFM
General Manager
Posts: 9,836
And1: 6,112
Joined: May 25, 2012
   

Re: Our Projected Depth Chart 

Post#465 » by AFM » Fri Jan 25, 2013 6:25 pm

Can anyone think of a big man who started his career as a jump shooter and later learned to be aggressive?
Zonkerbl
Retired Mod
Retired Mod
Posts: 8,187
And1: 4,154
Joined: Mar 24, 2010
       

Re: Our Projected Depth Chart 

Post#466 » by Zonkerbl » Fri Jan 25, 2013 6:25 pm

I understood him to mean a matchup advantage is where you've examined the relevant statistics and conclude that he does well in that particular matchup. Not to use in game performance to determine your rotations.
I've been taught all my life to value service to the weak and powerless.
hands11
Banned User
Posts: 31,171
And1: 2,444
Joined: May 16, 2005

Re: Our Projected Depth Chart 

Post#467 » by hands11 » Sat Jan 26, 2013 10:57 am

http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400278352

Thats all I was asking for.

Now that may well have been one of Randys best games regarding rotations. Hopefully starting Wall makes things easier for him to figure out. Price is finally where he should be, back up, not starting. Price is looking like a nice little find. Over the last 10 games he is shooting .439 and over the last 5 he is .400 from 3. And only .0.4 TO in 21 min at PG. Pretty impressive.

Wall starting clearly helped Crawford since he was out their with Price so he can do a little more of his thing and get a feel for his game. 19 pts 3 assists in 23 min.

And Beal is a much better pairing for Wall. The spacing on offense looked good for the starters. Those pieces seem to compliment each other well. Web in the corner 3 and some drive drunks, Nene in the post scoring and passing from the post, and Okafor focused on rebounding. Beal doing a little outside shooting and some driving.

As for riding the hot hand, I'm not suggesting you evaluation every position on the team that way. We are talking about Booker vs Ves and when one works better over the other. Neither of these two are being leaned on to shoot very much. I see no reason why they can't be flexible at that one position regarding who is playing these back up minutes. This is an end of the bench decision.

As I outlined in the Jazz game thread. It should come down to who is helping Kevin be effective. Kevin is the one that is doing the post scoring in the second line up. Booker or Ves are scrap pt players at this point.

Booker is the better banger. Ves is the better passer and is longer. Both can be useful in different situations. Both need minutes to develop their games.

Last night Ves was first off the bench and that seemed to work well. He came in and got an alley opp dunk right of the bat. Passed it around some. He made on really nice pass to Kevin who couldn't handle it. He is still fouling to much though. Ves even grabbed some boards.
User avatar
SUPERBALLMAN
Assistant Coach
Posts: 3,817
And1: 862
Joined: Aug 08, 2006
     

Re: Our Projected Depth Chart 

Post#468 » by SUPERBALLMAN » Sun Jan 27, 2013 7:43 am

Center: Gotta love the way Okafor has been playing. For all the complaining and outright bashing of this guy, he has done everything you could hope for. He is a legit starting center, and has been an almost automatic double double lately. Him and Nene play very well together, and he has proven to show why he is a perfect mentor for Seraphin (setting picks, boxing out, rebounding). And he has displayed nothing but class since coming here.

Seraphin is fine for now and solid as the backup center and understudy to Okafor. He can come in and get some buckets and make some plays to give the team a spark when he fills in for the solid Okafor.

PF: Nene is finally starting to look decent. I think an offseason of rest, getting fully healthy and 100%, followed by a progressive workout program and weight loss could see return to form. I reasonably expect somewhere around the halfway point between where he is now and Nene at his peak next season.

Booker is solid as backup PF, and capable of coming in and getting some boards and adding some physicality off the bench. Vesely can add a different look with his length, heady passes, and highlight dunks.

SF: Ariza seems to be coming around finally also. His presence on the defensive end is effective. Until a better alternative comes around, I'm fine with a 1-2 combo of Ariza/Webster at SF.

G: Wall has been a revelation to this team since his return. Beal is truly the real deal. A perfect compliment to Wall in the backcourt. Crawford is a scorer and spark-plug off the bench. Price is a solid backup pg who can come in and hit some 3's off the bench.

That's going with a consistant 11-man rotation... 10 man if leaving out Vesely who I'd have as the least minutes out of them all.
"I love it when a plan comes together" - Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith
deneem4
Lead Assistant
Posts: 5,695
And1: 1,197
Joined: Dec 26, 2012

Re: Our Projected Depth Chart 

Post#469 » by deneem4 » Sun Jan 27, 2013 12:06 pm

Vesley backup center....singleton back up pf....when vesley fouls catch up then we put in booker....I also like to see beal run a few mins at pg when wall is out...booker(sorta) and seraphin try to outplay they self and start **** up....and seraphin is no center...
Pay your beals....or its lights out!!!
Bron, Bosh, Wade is like Mike, Hakeem, barkley...3 top 5 picks from same draft
mike, hakeem and Barkley on the same team!!!!
User avatar
nate33
Forum Mod - Wizards
Forum Mod - Wizards
Posts: 66,783
And1: 19,069
Joined: Oct 28, 2002

Re: Our Projected Depth Chart 

Post#470 » by nate33 » Sun Jan 27, 2013 3:53 pm

deneem4 wrote:Vesley backup center....singleton back up pf....when vesley fouls catch up then we put in booker....I also like to see beal run a few mins at pg when wall is out...booker(sorta) and seraphin try to outplay they self and start **** up....and seraphin is no center...

But Vesely is?
User avatar
nate33
Forum Mod - Wizards
Forum Mod - Wizards
Posts: 66,783
And1: 19,069
Joined: Oct 28, 2002

Re: Our Projected Depth Chart 

Post#471 » by nate33 » Sun Jan 27, 2013 4:07 pm

SUPERBALLMAN wrote:Center: Gotta love the way Okafor has been playing. For all the complaining and outright bashing of this guy, he has done everything you could hope for. He is a legit starting center, and has been an almost automatic double double lately. Him and Nene play very well together, and he has proven to show why he is a perfect mentor for Seraphin (setting picks, boxing out, rebounding). And he has displayed nothing but class since coming here.

Seraphin is fine for now and solid as the backup center and understudy to Okafor. He can come in and get some buckets and make some plays to give the team a spark when he fills in for the solid Okafor.

PF: Nene is finally starting to look decent. I think an offseason of rest, getting fully healthy and 100%, followed by a progressive workout program and weight loss could see return to form. I reasonably expect somewhere around the halfway point between where he is now and Nene at his peak next season.

Booker is solid as backup PF, and capable of coming in and getting some boards and adding some physicality off the bench. Vesely can add a different look with his length, heady passes, and highlight dunks.

SF: Ariza seems to be coming around finally also. His presence on the defensive end is effective. Until a better alternative comes around, I'm fine with a 1-2 combo of Ariza/Webster at SF.

G: Wall has been a revelation to this team since his return. Beal is truly the real deal. A perfect compliment to Wall in the backcourt. Crawford is a scorer and spark-plug off the bench. Price is a solid backup pg who can come in and hit some 3's off the bench.

That's going with a consistant 11-man rotation... 10 man if leaving out Vesely who I'd have as the least minutes out of them all.

The roster is pretty well balanced right now except we need a little more out of our backup bigs, and they need to have the talent base to eventually take over for Nene and Okafor as they age.

If we end up drafting Nerlens Noel, things could pan out pretty well. Noel will become Okafor's understudy. Nene and Seraphin would each slim down a bit and focus on becoming full time PF's and primary scoring options.

Our lineup would look like this:

PG Wall/Price
SG Beal/Crawford
SF Webster/Ariza
PF Nene/Seraphin
C Okafor/Noel
hands11
Banned User
Posts: 31,171
And1: 2,444
Joined: May 16, 2005

Re: Our Projected Depth Chart 

Post#472 » by hands11 » Sun Jan 27, 2013 5:54 pm

SUPERBALLMAN wrote:Center: Gotta love the way Okafor has been playing. For all the complaining and outright bashing of this guy, he has done everything you could hope for. He is a legit starting center, and has been an almost automatic double double lately. Him and Nene play very well together, and he has proven to show why he is a perfect mentor for Seraphin (setting picks, boxing out, rebounding). And he has displayed nothing but class since coming here.

Seraphin is fine for now and solid as the backup center and understudy to Okafor. He can come in and get some buckets and make some plays to give the team a spark when he fills in for the solid Okafor.

PF: Nene is finally starting to look decent. I think an offseason of rest, getting fully healthy and 100%, followed by a progressive workout program and weight loss could see return to form. I reasonably expect somewhere around the halfway point between where he is now and Nene at his peak next season.

Booker is solid as backup PF, and capable of coming in and getting some boards and adding some physicality off the bench. Vesely can add a different look with his length, heady passes, and highlight dunks.

SF: Ariza seems to be coming around finally also. His presence on the defensive end is effective. Until a better alternative comes around, I'm fine with a 1-2 combo of Ariza/Webster at SF.

G: Wall has been a revelation to this team since his return. Beal is truly the real deal. A perfect compliment to Wall in the backcourt. Crawford is a scorer and spark-plug off the bench. Price is a solid backup pg who can come in and hit some 3's off the bench.

That's going with a consistant 11-man rotation... 10 man if leaving out Vesely who I'd have as the least minutes out of them all.


That's about it.

But Okafor....WOW. When we got him, it was all about him coming off the knee injury and getting old. We were just worried if he would be healthy. This is Okafor at pretty much his best. Who expected that when we got him? But I think the reason we are seeing this from him is not only he is healthy, but its having Nene next to him. With Nene's post moves, mid range and passing, Okafor can focus on just being Okafor.

That is ending up to be pretty much a perfect pairing.

The back up PF and C combinations are still not idea though. There isn't really a player who can replace what either Nene or Okafor do. That is where they need to focus moving forward. If Kevin is supposed to be the Nene longer term replacement... well I can see the potential there. But they have no Okafor replacement.

There are lots of tall players in the draft but not a lot of them that I really think will be that good as starters. At least not where the Wizards are likely to be picking. As is, I like the idea of them keeping Okafor and eventually him becoming the back up. I like that continuity. But how do you do that and still get someone like Gortat. Not sure how they get this done. Clearly it is easier to use Okafor in a trade but if they can live through one more year of his contract then resign him cheaper and they can find that future center, that would be my preference.

Lots will depend on how much game Nene and Okafor have left in their legs. At 30, neither is old by todays NBA standards. But man would this team be tough if they just had a little more from the post. Hell, even bringing Barron back would help. As is, they would need to come from Kevin and Ves developing. Should be fun to watch the rest of the year to see how the team grows.

Right now, Kevin, Ves and Booker all need to really step up their games. Either to keep or trade.
hands11
Banned User
Posts: 31,171
And1: 2,444
Joined: May 16, 2005

Re: Our Projected Depth Chart 

Post#473 » by hands11 » Sun Jan 27, 2013 6:34 pm

deneem4 wrote:Vesley backup center....singleton back up pf....when vesley fouls catch up then we put in booker....I also like to see beal run a few mins at pg when wall is out...booker(sorta) and seraphin try to outplay they self and start **** up....and seraphin is no center...


Yeah, its a little messy right now. Kevin is really more a PF then Center. Mostly he is bad at center for the same reason McGee is bad at center. They just don't see the entire court, box out well, and they panic to quickly with the ball in their hands.

Okafor is pretty much what I think of a center in todays league. Strong, defensive minded, good rebounder. Can block shots. Hold position. Smart. Boxes out well. They don't have to be amazing scoring machines. That is why you have the other 4 positions. Okafor is both physically and mentally a center. Neither Kevin or Ves are that.

It would take a lot for Ves to transform into that player. At least at a starting level. He might be able to do it physically, but I worry if he is able to develop the mental part. He has good court awareness and he is great passer. But first and foremost, he has to want to be that player. I wonder what they are telling him and what he is thinking.

I still think Ves is a really interesting player. His court awareness is really interesting to watch. And he is still a really young man. He is only 22. He made some nice moves around the basket against Min. One was a soft little 4 footer that he put in. And he already has the alley opp game worked out.

Of the two, Ves is more court aware. He could make for a decent passing center. And he would be a nightmare to keep up with running the floor. He is also someone who could be good at blocking shots. But to be that player, he is going to have to get a lot stronger, hold position and rebound a lot better. He will also have to develop a little mid range like Okafor has and some around the basket game ( which he already has a little off ) Now that the team is more stable and winning, I think we will see Ves start to shoot that mid range a little more. If he can get that going, that will change things a lot.

Neither Kevin or Ves is that player right now. But if they are planning on Kevin being a PF, they better get busy developing Ves as a center. And either way, Kevin still needs to be more physical. Even if it is a PF. He is no Nene right now. Hopefully the coaches are working hard with both those two. At least they have the vets here to help them learn what they need to do.
User avatar
doclinkin
RealGM
Posts: 13,125
And1: 5,271
Joined: Jul 26, 2004
Location: .wizuds.

Re: Our Projected Depth Chart 

Post#474 » by doclinkin » Sun Jan 27, 2013 6:56 pm

hands11 wrote: Okafor....WOW. When we got him, it was all about him coming off the knee injury and getting old. We were just worried if he would be healthy. This is Okafor at pretty much his best. Who expected that when we got him? But I think the reason we are seeing this from him is not only he is healthy, but its having Nene next to him. With Nene's post moves, mid range and passing, Okafor can focus on just being Okafor.

That is ending up to be pretty much a perfect pairing.


Um, me.

And for exactly that reason. Neither player had ever played with another physically dominant frontcourt player, each had been expected to carry the load as a slightly undersized center, and Nene's range and passing ability from the top of the key was likely to free up Oke to run rampant underneath. Oke had shown an ability even to occasionally hit a shortrange jumper as well (which we haven't seen much of yet, but it's not his role I guess) so I had an inkling that we wouldn't have spacing issues despite reputed 'redundancy'. Essentially Nene is being used in the (Flip Saunders influenced) Kevin McHale/Kevin Garnett role as a first-touch big who can facilitate and make decisions from the midrange while guards can go in motion to free up options. Oke plays the garbageman role of rebounder and screen setter etc. but he just happens to be a #1 overall pick playing that role. A superior roleplayer, with ideal synergy next to Nene. And it helps that he's smart enough to know how to make it work, and hardworking enough to get it done.
hands11
Banned User
Posts: 31,171
And1: 2,444
Joined: May 16, 2005

Re: Our Projected Depth Chart 

Post#475 » by hands11 » Sun Jan 27, 2013 8:13 pm

doclinkin wrote:
hands11 wrote: Okafor....WOW. When we got him, it was all about him coming off the knee injury and getting old. We were just worried if he would be healthy. This is Okafor at pretty much his best. Who expected that when we got him? But I think the reason we are seeing this from him is not only he is healthy, but its having Nene next to him. With Nene's post moves, mid range and passing, Okafor can focus on just being Okafor.

That is ending up to be pretty much a perfect pairing.


Um, me.

And for exactly that reason. Neither player had ever played with another physically dominant frontcourt player, each had been expected to carry the load as a slightly undersized center, and Nene's range and passing ability from the top of the key was likely to free up Oke to run rampant underneath. Oke had shown an ability even to occasionally hit a shortrange jumper as well (which we haven't seen much of yet, but it's not his role I guess) so I had an inkling that we wouldn't have spacing issues despite reputed 'redundancy'. Essentially Nene is being used in the (Flip Saunders influenced) Kevin McHale/Kevin Garnett role as a first-touch big who can facilitate and make decisions from the midrange while guards can go in motion to free up options. Oke plays the garbageman role of rebounder and screen setter etc. but he just happens to be a #1 overall pick playing that role. A superior roleplayer, with ideal synergy next to Nene. And it helps that he's smart enough to know how to make it work, and hardworking enough to get it done.


I did go back to read that thread and found several posters who got why the trade would be good. Your post on the 26th included.

I do recall this kind of thing posted as well. Both Nene and Okafor needed each other in order to play better then they had separately. Some posters didn't believe it would work and were strongly against it but now they seem to be coming along for the ride.

My comment about Okafor health was just based on lack of information about his health at the time. Until you see a player recover its always a big question.

There were some other good post from back there I found.

viewtopic.php?f=35&t=1188356
LyricalRico on Wed Jun 20, 2012 1:26 pm

Exactly the type of move I've been calling for. Maybe not the exact guys I currently want (I'm more interested in guys like Ben Gordon and Marvin Williams at the moment) but I still support adding overpaid veterans on short-term deals

viewtopic.php?f=35&t=1188356&start=45
Rafael122 on Wed Jun 20, 2012 1:52 pm

I may be in the minority but I like the move. Add Beal, and you've probably got a 35-40 win team here guys. This team is STACKED in the front court, almost to the point that another move might be made between now and draft night.

We got better defensively, especially on the inside. Add Beal, and your starting 5 will probably be this:

Wall/Beal/Ariza/Seraphin/Nene
Bench: Crawford, Mack, Okafor, Booker, Vesely, Singleton.
I think this team should add another outside shooter for the vet minimum or close to it and go from there.

viewtopic.php?f=35&t=1188356&start=60
Halcyon on Wed Jun 20, 2012 2:06 pm

This is yet another move to make this team semi-competitive in the short term, hopefully to keep Wall happy. I never really thought we were going to land a FA, so this isn't all too bad of a move I think.

Roster will probably look like this:

Wall/Mack
Beal/Crawford/#32 pick
Ariza/Crawford/Singleton
Nene/Seraphin/Booker/Vesely
Okafor/Seraphin

That's a lengthy, defensive team. I might consider packaging #32 + Booker to get a sparkplug scorer off the bench as the 6th man, move Crawford to backup PG.
hands11
Banned User
Posts: 31,171
And1: 2,444
Joined: May 16, 2005

Re: Our Projected Depth Chart 

Post#476 » by hands11 » Sun Jan 27, 2013 8:17 pm

viewtopic.php?f=35&t=1188356&start=60
queridiculo on Wed Jun 20, 2012 2:09 pm

I don't get the over the top hate for this trade.
Who are the 2013 free agents that Washington had a realistic shot to sign?
I was all for making a hard push for Harden, but it seems like the collective consensus on that front was that there was absolutely no way we'd have a shot at him. That leaves whom out there to make a huge franchise changing splash exactly?

Both of the guys that were added can make a significant contribution for a potential playoff push, and may net some assets/picks in the 2013 season as expiring contracts.
Part of changing the culture is to actually, you know, win some games.

viewtopic.php?f=35&t=1188356&start=390
SUPERBALLMAN on Wed Jun 20, 2012 9:04 pm

I'm still looking at this deal as a positive. Beyond on the court, I think alot of people are missing the benefits these two bring in terms of being vets, smart players, and real professionals. On the court I like the potential of an Okafor/Nene combination and feel it will give us an advantageous matchup up front most nights. They are perfect vets for guy like Seraphin and Booker to learn from. Ariza too is a solid vet and experienced 3 and D SF to help tutor a young player like Chris Singleton.

viewtopic.php?f=35&t=1188356&start=450
WallToWall on Thu Jun 21, 2012 12:03 am

I dont understand the overwhelming negative response. We got rid of Shard, a player who did nothing but warm the bench. Heck, he didnt even do that! He took Ted's money and ran. In return, we get two serviceable players. They may both be 2nd string players, but the point is they can play minutes and not suck as bad a Shard, who was a waste. Yes, it cost us cap room. But, dont you think the front office went around the league to find out what they could do with that cap room? EG weighed the pros and cons and this is the best he could do right now: 2 defensive players for our trash. We got rid of trash and got 2 defensive players. I repeat, we got rid of wastage on our bench and got 2 defensive players who can play and teach! This is a good trade. What do you think we're going to get for our cap room? Durant? Kobe?

viewtopic.php?f=35&t=1188356&start=840
veji1 on Fri Jun 22, 2012 3:57 am

reading all the differents comments is very, how to phrase that, enlightening.. Lots of guys complaining that the Wiz just threw away the OKC blueprint... Excuse me ? How many teams in the last 10 years have managed to pull off the OKC blueprint ? just one : OKC. For various reasons the Blazers rebuild through draft failed.. the Heat rebuilt as much through FA (Shaq than Bron and Bosh) than through the draft (Wade) in the meanwhile Orlando, Toronto, Wash, the Cavs, have had varied fortunes and even the Bulls with Rose were not rebuilt through the draft, it was a solid team that through a mediocre season lucked on the 1st pick... more to read if you click the link.
hands11
Banned User
Posts: 31,171
And1: 2,444
Joined: May 16, 2005

Re: Our Projected Depth Chart 

Post#477 » by hands11 » Sun Jan 27, 2013 8:22 pm

viewtopic.php?f=35&t=1188356&start=525
hands11 on Thu Jun 21, 2012 8:51 am

(Granted, this was pre draft, pre Webster and pre Dray. Also, no one know if Okafor was healthy.)

Nene showed us a very nice mid range game last year. And Okafor is a solid rebounder. Something we needed. Oka will be 30 by the time the season starts and he is coming off the knee injury. No one says he is going to start. Kevin will not concede his minutes. Ves neither. Those two have something to fight for now. It also give C Singleton something to fight for. That is not a bad thing. If these younger players really want it, they have to fight for it. Chris with an outside shoot could even still win the starting role.

Wall/Mack
Crawford/Beal/Mason - until Beal wins the starting job
Trevor/C Singleton - now Chris has someone to beat out.
Nene/Booker/Dray
Ves/Kevin/Okafor

They could end up starting the same line up they ended with last year except with Beal eventually starting at SG instead of Crawford. Who doesn't like that ? They played well to end the year. The defense was good and they won at a good clip. Now they just have more depth and no Lewis 21M dead contract.

That team is going to be good defensively which is a good place to start. They are still plenty young and athletic still. They didn't lose any young talent. Beal adds the outside shooting they needed at SG at 18 years old. Mason can spot up and spread the floor still as a back up and Beal tutor. Crawford can scrap and drive. He can still improve his game and value. They are outfitted pretty well at guard. Wall is a stud PG who showed sign of being a good court manager to end the year and I expect his shot will only get better. And they are all kind of loaded in the front court. Basically they just added vet depth and broke up one useless huge contract of Lewis for two smaller ones that could be used in a trade if needed. They have plenty of power in Nene, Kevin and Oka. Booker and Ves are energy guys. Book is a beast and Ves was adding strenth. And they still have Dray who is 6-11 who will return in better shape. Plus now they added a vet who can rebound and defend in Oka.

Wall and the other young players need playoff experience to grow. Its hard for me to see how that team doesn't make the playoffs the next two years. Then Oka, Trevor and Mason drop off and the young player can keep it going. It is a different design then Gil, CB and AJ. We have legit post defense now and a lot more younger players to keep it going. I would take this front court over AJ, Haywood and Dray any day. On the other side after two playoff runs we still have Wall, Beal, Chris, Kevin and Ves all in the 24/25 range with Booker 26. That is very different. And no longer term contract your stuck with.

viewtopic.php?f=35&t=1188356&start=630
LyricalRico on Thu Jun 21, 2012 11:40 am

DCZards wrote:I don't believe Ted sees this as straying from or delaying his rebuild plans. In fact, he probably sees it as advancing those plans. The idea of having a worse record over the next 2 years with the HOPE (and hope is the key word) of adding pieces along the way may appeal to you, but I think Ted (and most of the Zards fanbase) are tired of losing. I think the Zards ownership believes, and I do as well, think that you can rebuild the team over the next 2-3 years while winning 40 or so games (and making the playoffs), rather than 25 games.
:nod:

Assuming that Ted/Ernie see our core as being pretty much set (presumably Wall, Serphin, our #3 pick this year, and maybe one of Booker/Vesely/Crawford) then giving those players the chance to learn how to win is the logical next step. Adding tough, veteran players with playoff (and in Ariza's case, championship) experience is a good step in that direction IMO. And if they didn't believe that other perhaps better deals (such as ideas suggested on this board) were or would become avaialble, then I absolutely support them pulling the trigger. Let's see how this thing plays out.
User avatar
nate33
Forum Mod - Wizards
Forum Mod - Wizards
Posts: 66,783
And1: 19,069
Joined: Oct 28, 2002

Re: Our Projected Depth Chart 

Post#478 » by nate33 » Mon Jan 28, 2013 12:17 am

Let's not forget that we very well might have traded for Harden if we had the necessary cap flexibility. And we still would have had enough cap room to sign Ryan Anderson, or at least a stopgap like Elton Brand.
hands11
Banned User
Posts: 31,171
And1: 2,444
Joined: May 16, 2005

Re: Our Projected Depth Chart 

Post#479 » by hands11 » Mon Jan 28, 2013 1:35 am

nate33 wrote:Let's not forget that we very well might have traded for Harden if we had the necessary cap flexibility. And we still would have had enough cap room to sign Ryan Anderson, or at least a stopgap like Elton Brand.


But would Harden and Wall really work well together? We don't know that.

What we do know is that Beal is a really good fit for him. And the right age to grow with him. And cheaper.
And Beal is a nice young man to market. Beal is a rookie. We still don't know how good he can be. Before he hurt his wrist, he was really nailing the 3 ball. Can't compare half a year of rookie Beal who was on an injured team were he was the starting SG to Harden who was groomed at OKC for 3 years.

I know. Harden is just to good to not have. He is a known. Hard to argue against that.

But we don't know what Beal is yet. We only have 1/2 a year of sample.
hands11
Banned User
Posts: 31,171
And1: 2,444
Joined: May 16, 2005

Re: Our Projected Depth Chart 

Post#480 » by hands11 » Sat Feb 9, 2013 11:50 pm

Well, we are just moments away from a completely healthy roster finally.

Two more games for Beal to get back in the grove and then the ASB. On the other side of that, they should be completely healthy.

Should be fun to see what kind of damage they can do. Playoffs my be lost for this year but they can make a name for themselves and change how the franchise is viewed by other teams and players.

Return to Washington Wizards