Wizards in the Media Thread

[closg00]

Who put this group together? Who so much for such high draft picks? Who is the main person who couldn’t evaluate accurately or didn’t even see what roles various players were suited to play? I’d start by pointing the finger at Ernie. Flip Saunders doesn’t seem to fit this group. But he had seven 50-win seasons in Minny and Detroit. The Wiz have not had a team with more than 45 wins since ‘79. Pretty tough to even think about firing a coach who’s had 58, 59 and 64-win teams since ‘04 when you’ve been the 2nd worst franchise in the NBA for a third of a season. If anything “Free Flip” might be the merciful point of view. He may have had good players in other towns, but he’s also PROVED he can coach.

Could anybody coach this team of players who don’t understand their own games and don’t fit together?

Thanks for the link Monte

[Severn Hoos]

"such high draft picks"?

I'll give Boz a pass in that it was a chat, but what, exactly, did he mean by "such high draft picks"?

We've had 3 high draft picks in the past 8 or so years (from the beginning of the Gil era). We get that the Minny trade was a failure. The second was John Wall. And the third is still a rookie, who has played all of 6 minutes, and was the result of an unfortunate Lotto ball drop in one of the weakest drafts in recent history.

There was a discussion at the beginning of the season about how the Wiz have possibly the fewest Lottery picks in the league (2) on their roster. I guarantee they lead the league in this entirely made-up stat:

Total years of experience by former Lottery picks on the roster.

Because the Wiz have a total of 1.

Talent + Experience wins championships. And the 1 year of experience that John Wall brought into this season represents the sum total of that intersection of elite talent plus seasoning that makes for a good basketball team.

Want a counter-example? How about the Celtics? They have the following former Lotto picks, with the spot taken and years of experience:

Ray Allen (#5, 15 years)
Kevin Garnett (#5, 16 years)
Paul Pierce (#10, 13 years)
Mickael Pietrus (#11, 8 years)
Chris Wilcox (#8, 9 years)
Keyon Dooling (#11, 10 years)

Even their scrubs were at one time considered talented enough to be Lottery picks, and have proven - if nothing else - their worth in longevity, even if some of them never lived up to the expectations of their respective Draft days. Then, most of their other players (Rondo, Bradley, Pavlovic, O'Neal) were taken in the next 5-10 slots after the Lottery, roughly the range where the heart of the current Wiz lineup was taken - McGee, Young, Singleton, Seraphin, Crawford, Booker. (And outside of Seraphin and maybe Crawford, the rest actually represent very good value for the slot they were drafted, IMO.)

So back to the made-up stat: The Celtics lead the Wiz in experience among former Lotto players by a total of 74 to 1. Who do you think is going to win the matchup? More to the point, which team will play smarter, more team-oriented ball?

The Wiz lineup is a collection of mid-1st guys, castoffs, and one potentially electric but still raw dynamo. Even the high-paid guys (Lewis & Blatche) were 2nd rounders who should have been 1st rounders but had "questions" that caused them to fall on Draft Day. So again, are we surprised when the guys are either physically limited, or - shall we say - cognitively limited? If they weren't one or the other, they'd have been Lottery picks themselves, and wouldn't have been available to the Wiz.

Look, EG has put together a roster that could challenge for the worst single-season collection in history. No argument here, and he probably should be shown the door, if only to send the message that losing - and a losing attitude - won't be tolerated.

But we should keep the facts straight in doing so. The Wiz have not squandered a bunch of high draft picks to get where they are today. There are other reasons & explanations for why they are where they are today, but that isn't one of them.

[Mickstix]

"We've had 3 high draft picks in the past 8 or so years (from the beginning of the Gil era).

Asking because I honestly dont know, but how can a team that's been so bad for so long, only have 3 good picks in 8 years? Shouldnt we have been a lottery team each of those years? If it's due to bad trades and poor talent eval, then the GM needs to answer for ir.. (not sure how long the current guy, Ernie, has been around DC, but if it's anything like McPhee with the Caps, their way overdue for a change..) Unfortunately I dont think Ted has the nads to give anyone their walking papers..

[Dat2U]

"such high draft picks"?

I'll give Boz a pass in that it was a chat, but what, exactly, did he mean by "such high draft picks"?

We've had 3 high draft picks in the past 8 or so years (from the beginning of the Gil era). We get that the Minny trade was a failure. The second was John Wall. And the third is still a rookie, who has played all of 6 minutes, and was the result of an unfortunate Lotto ball drop in one of the weakest drafts in recent history.

There was a discussion at the beginning of the season about how the Wiz have possibly the fewest Lottery picks in the league (2) on their roster. I guarantee they lead the league in this entirely made-up stat:

Total years of experience by former Lottery picks on the roster.

Because the Wiz have a total of 1.

Talent + Experience wins championships. And the 1 year of experience that John Wall brought into this season represents the sum total of that intersection of elite talent plus seasoning that makes for a good basketball team.

Want a counter-example? How about the Celtics? They have the following former Lotto picks, with the spot taken and years of experience:

Ray Allen (#5, 15 years)
Kevin Garnett (#5, 16 years)
Paul Pierce (#10, 13 years)
Mickael Pietrus (#11, 8 years)
Chris Wilcox (#8, 9 years)
Keyon Dooling (#11, 10 years)

Even their scrubs were at one time considered talented enough to be Lottery picks, and have proven - if nothing else - their worth in longevity, even if some of them never lived up to the expectations of their respective Draft days. Then, most of their other players (Rondo, Bradley, Pavlovic, O'Neal) were taken in the next 5-10 slots after the Lottery, roughly the range where the heart of the current Wiz lineup was taken - McGee, Young, Singleton, Seraphin, Crawford, Booker. (And outside of Seraphin and maybe Crawford, the rest actually represent very good value for the slot they were drafted, IMO.)

So back to the made-up stat: The Celtics lead the Wiz in experience among former Lotto players by a total of 74 to 1. Who do you think is going to win the matchup? More to the point, which team will play smarter, more team-oriented ball?

The Wiz lineup is a collection of mid-1st guys, castoffs, and one potentially electric but still raw dynamo. Even the high-paid guys (Lewis & Blatche) were 2nd rounders who should have been 1st rounders but had "questions" that caused them to fall on Draft Day. So again, are we surprised when the guys are either physically limited, or - shall we say - cognitively limited? If they weren't one or the other, they'd have been Lottery picks themselves, and wouldn't have been available to the Wiz.

Look, EG has put together a roster that could challenge for the worst single-season collection in history. No argument here, and he probably should be shown the door, if only to send the message that losing - and a losing attitude - won't be tolerated.

But we should keep the facts straight in doing so. The Wiz have not squandered a bunch of high draft picks to get where they are today. There are other reasons & explanations for why they are where they are today, but that isn't one of them.

Good stuff Sev. The problem isn't going after young players, it's the lack of quality youngsters that's hurting us. I brought up the point of rebuilding with all these middle & low first round draft picks. It's rare to find a real difference maker late in the draft. Certainly, you can get quality role players such as Booker & potentially Singleton but these aren't guys you build a foundation on. But EG seemed mistakenly focused on quantity as opposed to quality.

David Aldridge alluded to it in an interview, we need a young stud. Not a project. Not someone we should take a flier on, but a young stud.

Whatever you think of Wall, if your a real Wizard fan, you better hope he lives up the hype. I'm honestly not worried about him yet, but he definitely needs help and he can't do it by himself.

[Illuminaire]

I'm not sure whether our roster imbalance is for the sake of getting that stud player, or because Grunfield is a complete idiot.

Given than he's looked halfway competent since Abe passed, I'm hoping it's the latter. I won't cry any tears if we hire someone else to finish the rebuild though.

[montestewart]

"We've had 3 high draft picks in the past 8 or so years (from the beginning of the Gil era).

Asking because I honestly dont know, but how can a team that's been so bad for so long, only have 3 good picks in 8 years? Shouldnt we have been a lottery team each of those years? If it's due to bad trades and poor talent eval, then the GM needs to answer for ir.. (not sure how long the current guy, Ernie, has been around DC, but if it's anything like McPhee with the Caps, their way overdue for a change..) Unfortunately I dont think Ted has the nads to give anyone their walking papers..

It's actually four in eight years. Jamison came to DC in exchange for the 5th pick in 2004. Wizards made playoffs the next four years and were out of the lottery. Then three straight lotteries. And surely a fourth.

Boswell could be much more on target, but I'm happy to see the Wizards held to the fire by hometown writers, and I hope it happens more.

[Jimmy Recard]

Courtesy of truthaboutit.net:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-i8jsat7tIY&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

[ST21]

*dead* @ vesley

[queridiculo]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/wi ... ory_1.html

An Eastern Conference assistant general manager echoed that the Wizards need to establish a culture of accountability and high character to deliver a successful rebuild. “No team in the league, if the environment was good, would be 0-for-the-season,” he said. “Whatever the optimum each guy has, it’ll never be realized when it’s dysfunctional. The talent on that roster can’t win. You can’t win with Andray Blatche. I don’t care what anybody says. He has talent. He has some talent. But tell me where he’s won. . . . John Wall is a young player. Where’s the veteran leadership for those guys? Gilbert [Arenas] was the former example. What kind of example was that?”

It's there for everybody to see, but Leonsis seems to have his head buried in the sand.

[hands11]

I'm glad the band aid is getting pulled off.

I think this is going to be good for several players. I see signs that McGee, Nick and Dray get it.

But the ones I most want to hear this stuff is Wall and Crawford.



Neither of them has the skills of a Kobe to take over a game. Time they stop playing like they can.

And that Wall interview made me want to throw up. The way he says he just runs the plays and gets the ball to his teammates is total BS. I have heard him say this a few times now. He has not been accountable yet for what part his terrible play is having on the team.

I just wish this team had a vet PG they could turn to because when Wall and Crawford and playing hero ball, there is no other good option to turn to. I mean all they have behind them in Mack.

I also wish they had Mo so they had another option at SG behind Nick.

These article are point out exactly what the situation is. The guard play is now worse then the front court.

[The Consiglieri]

Antonio Daniels - 6 yr deal (about 2 years too long)

5 years actually. Still too long, of course. Then he dealt him in the deal that brought Mike "Delusional" James and Javaris Crittenton.

Darius Songaila - 4 yr deal. Couldn't rebound to save his life. Gave us basically nothing.

Yep. Songaila rode basically one good season to a lucrative career. Wiz signed him to be a pick-and-pop partner with Daniels.

DeShawn Stevenson - Gave us two of worst playoff performances in recent memory.

The initial deal -- the one for the league minimum -- was good. The follow-up deal wasn't good. I tried to defend it for awhile, but it was a deal for the wrong reasons. It was a "show everyone we'll reward good play" contract, not a "this guy is really good and will be a quality player for us" contract.

He also re-signed many of his own free agents.

Gilbert Arenas - Nothing needs to be said

I think this one is defensible. Arenas was a flake, but he was also a serious baller -- one of the elite offensive threats in the league. He had a knee injury from which thousands of athletes make full recoveries. There just was no reason to think Arenas would be constantly injured and then would shoot himself in the foot.

Antawn Jamison - "aka lets 'go all in' on mediocrity", aka "The Leader of Men"

Classic NBA deal -- one of the "this is what's wrong with how these guys do business" contracts. Jamison never should have been a max salary guy in the first place, but he got the phat deal because of per game scoring and rebounding. The re-sign the Wizards did was essentially based on his previous deal, and it was a bad move when considering the combination of Jamison's age and production.

Andray Blatche - if we could only go back in time, lol

Yep.

As for filling out the roster with picks in the 15-25 range, what exactly does that accomplish? How's that a solid strategy for building a contending team? We need stars not a bunch of future role players or future Spain ACB League all-stars. We've already loaded up on low first rounders. I really think that strategy has run it's course. It's the top 5 draft picks that make the difference, with these late 1st rounders your basically just shopping for shiny pennies.

Adding future picks is a fine strategy, but again, with $30+ mil in cap room your talking about overkill. It shouldn't cost $10 million in cap space to buy a pick. I'm afraid jettisoning Lewis and leaving Ernie with all that cap room in a weak free agency pool could lead to some very bad choices. I'd rather keep the sorry roster as is, waive Nick bye bye, stink up the joint in an abbreviated season if there is one and enjoy the benefits of a large number of lottery balls in a game changing draft. Any cap room available from losing Nick could be used towards acquiring future picks but otherwise I'd avoid doing anything that might artificially inflate our win total.

I agree -- the Wiz don't need more role players and bench guys. They need some elite talent. Everyone on the roster except Wall is expendable and replaceable. No one is worth worrying about if they depart. Keep 'em if it's a low price -- otherwise find someone else.

Wall looks like he's a building block. "Could-Be's" include McGee and Blatche. I don't think Blatche will be, but I'd be willing to give him another 20 games before dumping him. McGee probably won't be either, but I'd give him another season.

Just a note on Blatche, for as pissed as people are with the deal remember, it would have been 10x as bad if he hadn't been stupid enough to proposition a cal/girl who was a cop that late winter/spring. He actually got much below what people were expecting because it was such epic bad press, it's the exact same scenario we have with Fred Davis and the redskins, we are getting Davis on a cheaper deal if we want him because he got caught being an idiot 3x (and has that year long ban over his head).

An extra note on Arenas. At the time of the deal a lot of fans and mediots celebrated the fact that Arenas signed a deal below the max by about 15-20 mill to give us some flexibility to sign guys, it was specifically mentioned in the press, what wasn't mentioned is that the savings he gave us were just about exactly what he would have had to pay an agent out of his max deal if he hadn't arranged the deal himself. We shouldn't have signed him to such a crazy deal coming off that injury period, it was nutty as hell to do so when he hadnt proved he could play a whole season healthy, so what if Golden State signed him back.

The other deals speak for themselves as insanity.

[doclinkin]

Just a note on Blatche, for as pissed as people are with the deal remember, it would have been 10x as bad if he hadn't been stupid enough to proposition a cal/girl who was a cop that late winter/spring. He actually got much below what people were expecting because it was such epic bad press,

Uhh, no. Remember Ernie renegotiated the deal after the fact to give Blatche a bigger and longer term deal. No satisfying explanation was given on why he did that. I guess he didn't want Blatche to sulk? Or maybe he wanted to ensure we tacked on an additional year or two to the deal? I'm not clear on that part. But yeah, no again this was a deal where Ernie negotiated against himself again.

[fishercob]

Hi doc.

[fishercob]

Hey!

This is depressing!

Woo!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wiz ... ds-insider

[Nivek]

^ ^ ^ Boo hoo.

Way it goes when you're on a team that sucks. Fans come out and support a winner, or they come out to see the other team's best players. They aren't going to cheer madly for a bad team.

[fishercob]

^ ^ ^ Boo hoo.

Way it goes when you're on a team that sucks. Fans come out and support a winner, or they come out to see the other team's best players. They aren't going to cheer madly for a bad team.

It's magnified here because it's so transient and cynical. Bad teams have enjoyed much better support in Sacramento, Utah, OKC, Portland.

I'm not saying the Wizards deserve any better than they're getting, I'm just saying it sucks that this article exists as a result of the phenomenon existing.

[Zonkerbl]

This is a good basketball town. Provide a good product and the crowd will rawk. But you have to overcome the apathy brought on by more than two decades of suckiness.

[keynote]

^ ^ ^ Boo hoo.

Way it goes when you're on a team that sucks. Fans come out and support a winner, or they come out to see the other team's best players. They aren't going to cheer madly for a bad team.

It's magnified here because it's so transient and cynical. Bad teams have enjoyed much better support in Sacramento, Utah, OKC, Portland.

I'm not saying the Wizards deserve any better than they're getting, I'm just saying it sucks that this article exists as a result of the phenomenon existing.

Do you mean cynical or "cyclical"? I dunno if DC is any more cynical than any other city; hope certainly springs eternal for the Skins.

I think another key difference is that SAC, UTA, and POR have all had relatively recent extended periods of excellence. OKC enjoyed a very brief "we're just happy the team is here" honeymoon; since then, they've been able to put a great product on the floor.

The Wizards have stunk since the 80s, other than three brief periods of relative excitement around Webber, Jordan, and Arenas, respectively.

[fishercob]

I know I'm fairly alone in this, but I can't wait for the day that Buckhantz gets replaced.

It was embarrassing to hear him mangle the name "Nene" over and over and over and over last night. By the end of the game it was actually making my wife and me giggle.

Phil could say it from the outset. Buck, through the entire first half, called him NAY-nay, like mayday or payday. Then, the producers clearly talked to him at halftime. Through the third quarter he called him "neh-NEH," with like a harsh ending to the second syllable. It sounded ridiculous and they clearly got in his ear and just told him to go back to what he was saying. So we got NAY-nay for most of the 4Q -- even with Phil repeatedly pronouncing it properly: "neh-NAY."

Buck remembers a decent amount, but he doesn't know very much for someone who has been watching basketball for so many years. Hes not very insightful and does a mediocre job describing the action; every non-dunk is a "jumper" -- no "floaters" or anything descriptive. He's an unabashed homer and wobn't even be respectfully critical. Except for the fact that he hates Jordan Crawford, which I find amusing...

[Nivek]

You're not alone fish. I've never gotten Buckhantz's appeal. I started kinda feeling okay about him a couple years ago, but that feeling wore off. His Nene pronunciation was bad. How about Anderson VaraJOHN ??? Not sure where the N comes from.

Plus, (though this one might be just me) his persistent use of pointless stats bugs me. I don't need to know that Player X just hit his 32nd 3pt shot of the season -- the 322nd of his career -- the 157th in a Spurs uniform. I was watching a game with my son, and Buck kept breaking out stats like the Wizards have the 2nd most offensive rebounds in the league or the 3rd most blocked shots. My son says, "If they're at the top of so many stat categories, why do they suck?" Answer: Because Buckhantz (and the broadcast team) are misleading the viewers with useless stats that don't mean a thing when it comes to winning games.

I miss Mel Proctor.