Wizards Sign Martell Webster

[nate33]

I might be wrong but I think Martell is slowly starting to round into form.

He did look a bit better in his few minutes in the LA game. That said, it also looks like he's a bit thinner and less muscular than last year. I don't know how much the back surgery impacted his weightlifting and conditioning, but whatever the reason, he's not quite the same physical specimen he was 2 years ago.

[hands11]

I might be wrong but I think Martell is slowly starting to round into form.

He did look a bit better in his few minutes in the LA game. That said, it also looks like he's a bit thinner and less muscular than last year. I don't know how much the back surgery impacted his weightlifting and conditioning, but whatever the reason, he's not quite the same physical specimen he was 2 years ago.

I hadn't really noticed but good point. One thing I like about Webster is that he isn't afraid to get physical out there. He runs off screen really well and draws fouls forcing the contact. And remember the and 1s he gets on his 3 balls. Those are not only great for pts but they really give the team a lift.

[Dat2U]

What I said about him two months ago remains true to me now...

He's okay, I'm happy for him, I hope he can snag a long term deal with someone else.

Last thing the Wizards should do is throw long term money at marginal guys. He's done well but if were re-signing Webster why not work on the extensions for Okafor & Ariza too? And while were at it, lets give Trevor Booker $20 million when he's a free agent.

Why not give Garrett Temple a 3 year deal on the cheap if were being so generous.

I don't think you can reward every player that plays less than terrible for us by keeping them long term.

We always regret these deals, I said the above back in January of 2013. At least we didn't give Booker $20 million.

[hands11]

What I said about him two months ago remains true to me now...

He's okay, I'm happy for him, I hope he can snag a long term deal with someone else.

Last thing the Wizards should do is throw long term money at marginal guys. He's done well but if were re-signing Webster why not work on the extensions for Okafor & Ariza too? And while were at it, lets give Trevor Booker $20 million when he's a free agent.

Why not give Garrett Temple a 3 year deal on the cheap if were being so generous.

I don't think you can reward every player that plays less than terrible for us by keeping them long term.

We always regret these deals, I said the above back in January of 2013. At least we didn't give Booker $20 million.

Okafor wasn't extended
TA wasn't resigned
Booker wasn't resigned
Temple got two years vet min

And they have an escape clause on Webster that looks reachable.

Their cap looks solid and the cap is going up.

[pcbothwel]

Update: 42 games missed (14/15 - 38, 13/14 - 4)

[closg00]

Update: 42 games missed (14/15 - 38, 13/14 - 4)

What a sad countdown. The search continues for a fully healthy contributor.

[wizfactor94]

[closg00]

Ernie Grunfelded himself with Webster....is that a contradiction?

[TheSecretWeapon]

Ernie Grunfelded himself with Webster....is that a contradiction?

I think the word you're looking for here is "inevitability".

[queridiculo]

Songaila, Daniels, Stevenson, Webster, did I miss any other too long too high MLE signings by Grunfail?

[pcbothwel]

On a more positive note, Im relieved to see that physically Martell looks pretty good and he just needs time for his shot to fall. I'd be more concerned if he was making shots, but physically he looked done. Because what happens when his shot doesnt go in?

I think he could be a solid piece after the break

[LyricalRico]

Songaila, Daniels, Stevenson, Webster, did I miss any other too long too high MLE signings by Grunfail?

IIRC, Ernie's only true full MLE signings were Etan Thomas and Antonio Daniels. Etan was a match that you could certainly justify at the time, and I absolutely think Daniels was a good signing.

The others were sub MLE on a per year basis, and most folks seemed to have more issues with the 4th year rather than the annual salary. That said, I never had an issue with the Songaila or Stevenson contracts. Songaila was a guy I liked that EFJ insisted on playing out of position most of the time, and the DeShawn signing was in the middle of a run where they were specifically trying to keep a team together that seemed like it was on the rise.

[LyricalRico]

On a more positive note, Im relieved to see that physically Martell looks pretty good and he just needs time for his shot to fall. I'd be more concerned if he was making shots, but physically he looked done. Because what happens when his shot doesnt go in?

I think he could be a solid piece after the break

Agreed. Hopefully he can get in a rhythm with the guys during the break (not sure how much actual practice time they have when playing games) and then hit the ground running after that.

[nate33]

Songaila, Daniels, Stevenson, Webster, did I miss any other too long too high MLE signings by Grunfail?

IIRC, Ernie's only true full MLE signings were Etan Thomas and Antonio Daniels. Etan was a match that you could certainly justify at the time, and I absolutely think Daniels was a good signing.

The others were sub MLE on a per year basis, and most folks seemed to have more issues with the 4th year rather than the annual salary. That said, I never had an issue with the Songaila or Stevenson contracts. Songaila was a guy I liked that EFJ insisted on playing out of position most of the time, and the DeShawn signing was in the middle of a run where they were specifically trying to keep a team together that seemed like it was on the rise.

Etan was a horrible signing and I said so before the ink dried. I agree that Songaila and Stevenson weren't all that bad, except they were a year too long. Daniels was fine.

[TheSecretWeapon]

Songaila was kind-of-a meh signing. Less than the MLE, but he was a less than average player. Even in his best season, he rated a little below average. And he was coming off a bad season with Chicago. And he got to the league old (25 year old rookie). And the Wizards knew he had a back problem before they signed him.

Coaching was an issue with Songaila. Eddie Jordan used him at times as a small-ball center. And, the front office signed him to be a pick-and-pop partner with Daniels, but the coaching staff was slow to add that to their offense as a regular feature.

The Daniels signing was good. He was brought in to be a quality backup and occasional running buddy for/with Arenas, and then Arenas got hurt and Daniels was asked to do a lot more. Again, coaching was an issue. I was tracking defense at that time, and while the coaches were praising him as the team's best defender, he was literally the worst. I've never gotten an adequate explanation for the disconnect between my tracking and their observations.

Gotta agree with nate that the Etan Thomas signing (well, match) was bad. Thomas had been a sub-par player throughout his career to that point. He got hurt a lot, and while rebounding and defense were supposed to be his forte, he wasn't good on defense.

[Ruzious]

Imagine if Ernie was fired back when Flip Saunders was coaching here - and Flip humbly volunteered himself to be the GM. It could be the Wizards today trading a future 1st rounder to Atlanta for a 24 year old rookie who didn't do well in the D League. Flip literally brought Payne to Minnesota. Let us count our blessings.

[closg00]

Waive him already

[nate33]

Waive him already

I wonder what could be negotiated with respect to a buyout. Word is that Martell Webster plans to retire after his contract is up. Maybe he is sick and tired of going through the constant back pain. If that's the case, can an agreement be struck now between Webster and management?

Right now, the Wizards owe Webster $5.6M next year, and $5.85M the year after. If Webster misses another 22 games, he'll be owed $5.6M next year and a $2.5M buyout the year after. The Wizards have control regarding those 22 games so they can ensure that he can be bought out for $2.5M simply by benching him. So effectively, they owe him $8.1M.

What if EG says to Webster: "Look Martell, you're done as an NBA player. You know it, and I know it. Why not take a modest pay cut from your future salary in exchange for not having to endure the grueling rigors of training? We owe you $8.1M over the next two years, but you're going to have to train for the next 14 months to get it. How about we just give you $6M right now and you walk away? You can go make rap videos or pursue a career in broadcasting."

The Wizards wouldn't actually cut him until another 22 games have taken place so that his official salary obligation drops from $11.46M to $8.1M. The Wizards then buy out his remaining $8.1M for $6M, which is a 26% reduction. As I understand it, his salary cap hit would drop a proportional 26%, so his cap hit would be $4.15M next year and $1.85M the following year.

[closg00]

Waive him already

I wonder what could be negotiated with respect to a buyout. Word is that Martell Webster plans to retire after his contract is up. Maybe he is sick and tired of going through the constant back pain. If that's the case, can an agreement be struck now between Webster and management?

Right now, the Wizards owe Webster $5.6M next year, and $5.85M the year after. If Webster misses another 22 games, he'll be owed $5.6M next year and a $2.5M buyout the year after. The Wizards have control regarding those 22 games so they can ensure that he can be bought out for $2.5M simply by benching him. So effectively, they owe him $8.1M.

What if EG says to Webster: "Look Martell, you're done as an NBA player. You know it, and I know it. Why not take a modest pay cut from your future salary in exchange for not having to endure the grueling rigors of training? We owe you $8.1M over the next two years, but you're going to have to train for the next 14 months to get it. How about we just give you $6M right now and you walk away? You can go make rap videos or pursue a career in broadcasting."

The Wizards wouldn't actually cut him until another 22 games have taken place so that his official salary obligation drops from $11.46M to $8.1M. The Wizards then buy out his remaining $8.1M for $6M, which is a 26% reduction. As I understand it, his salary cap hit would drop a proportional 26%, so his cap hit would be $4.15M next year and $1.85M the following year.

Good points, a buyout would be the best for everyone. Unfortunately, EG's ass-covering move will be the missed 22 games route after he has secured another contract extension from Ted.

Still hoping for a surprise, but this teams big pre-playoff move was to swap Miller for Sessions, very disappointing.

[dckingsfan]

Kind of like Blatche mistake leads to no Harden, leads to Webster, toss in a Maynor here and there and you have another mess... (and yes, the timeline isn't right, but you get the drift)