Tracking Former Wizards 3.0

[nate33]

If they had kept Dray, the team would have had just $5M in cap room (after dumping Lewis). Keeping Dray would not have affected the Okariza/Lewis trade because that was a trade, not a free agency acquisition.

Indeed, I would have understood the Okariza trade much more if they had kept Blatche. The premise would be that Ariza and Okafor were better than what the Wizards could otherwise acquire by dumping Lewis and shopping for free agents with just $5M in cap room. The effed up thing is that EG amnestied Blatche AFTER the Okariza trade. After the Okariza trade, we had no available cap room regardless of whether we amnestied Blatche or not.

If he amnestied Blatche first, he would then have the option of buying out Lewis and freeing up $12M in cap room. And $12M in free agency would surely have gotten us more talent than Okafor plus Ariza.

So they could have Dray and the Trevor A and Okafor deal and still had 5M or they would have been capped out ?

Once the Okariza deal took place, their cap figure jumped from Lewis' $14M buyout to Okariza's combined $21M price. They would have therefore been capped out. However they still would have had the MLE (which happens to be $5M). That would have been enough for Webster and Price. Basically, amnestying Blatche did absolutely NOTHING for their cap flexibility. Nothing at all.

EG managed to make the worst possible combination of decisions in the worst possible order. Amnesty Blatche first and he could have had $12M in cap room. The alternative would have been to keep Blatche at the same out-of-pocket cost to Ted and with the exact same cap flexibility. Instead, EG went with Door Number Three and traded for Okariza and then amnestying Blatche. He lost both the cap room and Blatche's production, without saving Ted a dime in out-of-pocket expenses.

I can say without even a whiff of hyperbole that EG couldn't have squandered his resources any more if he tried. He gave away Blatche and a pick just to acquire Okafor and Ariza, who cost more and are less productive than any number of players he could have obtained in free agency. I just can't fathom that Ted let him keep his job after this.

[Nivek]

What does a team composed of all the ex-Wizards in the league look like this year?

McGee/Blatche/Gee/Rip/?

Bench: N.Young/Jamison/C.Butler . . .

This sounds like a job for PPA (my PER-like stat rating system). Below is the lineup, along with their rating (100 = average, higher is better):

PG - Foye -- 79
SG - Stackhouse -- 106
SF - Mike Miller -- 103
PF - Blatche -- 183
C - McGee -- 167

Bench
F - Jamison -- 118
F - Rasheed Wallace -- 98
SG - Stevenson -- 89
F - Lewis -- 77
C - Haywood -- 73
SG - Young -- 73
SF - Butler -- 71

Others
SG - Hamilton -- 68
PG - Blake -- 67
PG - Hinrich -- 63
F/C - Kwame Brown -- 56
G/F -- Gee -- 56
G - Roger Mason -- 52
SF - Josh Howard -- 49
SF - McGuire -- 45
F - Jared Jeffries -- -62

[Nivek]

I can say without even a whiff of hyperbole that EG couldn't have squandered his resources any more if he tried. He gave away Blatche and a pick just to acquire Okafor and Ariza, who cost more and are less productive than any number of players he could have obtained in free agency. I just can't fathom that Ted let him keep his job after this.

It's not hyperbole, and it actually gets worse. Not only did Ted NOT fire Grunfeld for this sequence of decisions, he BRAGGED about how clever the trade was in his blog. While the team was in the process of making the worst choices they could make, Ted thought they were being smart.

[Illuminaire]

I would sig that, Kevin, but I fear seeing that every day would lead me to consider alcoholism.

[closg00]

I can say without even a whiff of hyperbole that EG couldn't have squandered his resources any more if he tried. He gave away Blatche and a pick just to acquire Okafor and Ariza, who cost more and are less productive than any number of players he could have obtained in free agency. I just can't fathom that Ted let him keep his job after this.

It's not hyperbole, and it actually gets worse. Not only did Ted NOT fire Grunfeld for this sequence of decisions, he BRAGGED about how clever the trade was in his blog. While the team was in the process of making the worst choices they could make, Ted thought they were being smart.

This exchange belongs in the HOF thread, who's with me?

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Once the Okariza deal took place, their cap figure jumped from Lewis' $14M buyout to Okariza's combined $21M price. They would have therefore been capped out. However they still would have had the MLE (which happens to be $5M). That would have been enough for Webster and Price. Basically, amnestying Blatche did absolutely NOTHING for their cap flexibility. Nothing at all.

EG managed to make the worst possible combination of decisions in the worst possible order. Amnesty Blatche first and he could have had $12M in cap room. The alternative would have been to keep Blatche at the same out-of-pocket cost to Ted and with the exact same cap flexibility. Instead, EG went with Door Number Three and traded for Okariza and then amnestying Blatche. He lost both the cap room and Blatche's production, without saving Ted a dime in out-of-pocket expenses.

I can say without even a whiff of hyperbole that EG couldn't have squandered his resources any more if he tried. He gave away Blatche and a pick just to acquire Okafor and Ariza, who cost more and are less productive than any number of players he could have obtained in free agency. I just can't fathom that Ted let him keep his job after this.

Speaking of a whiff, I would drug test the man. At times I wonder if he's under the influence when he makes deals like the Okafor trade and the Nene trade. You simply cannot trade right at the trade deadline for a player approaching 30 years old who misses many games to injury . As questionable a decision as the Nene trade was, you can't tell me he put valid analysis into the Okariza deal. That was a fail on so many levels. I would think very stupid or somebody's on drugs to make that deal.

I don't want to start any rumors, but I have wondered how a guy could be so wrong. When I was i the military we were tested randomly. I truly think executives should have the same standard applied because you never know.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I can say without even a whiff of hyperbole that EG couldn't have squandered his resources any more if he tried. He gave away Blatche and a pick just to acquire Okafor and Ariza, who cost more and are less productive than any number of players he could have obtained in free agency. I just can't fathom that Ted let him keep his job after this.

It's not hyperbole, and it actually gets worse. Not only did Ted NOT fire Grunfeld for this sequence of decisions, he BRAGGED about how clever the trade was in his blog. While the team was in the process of making the worst choices they could make, Ted thought they were being smart.

What I wonder is are Ted and EG so prideful they don't now realize the depth and breadth of their miscalculations? Are they in denial and/or are they disingenuous enough to keep spouting about Wall's return, as if that is why their veteran acquisitions have not panned out.

What Ted seems to be to me is blinded by hero worship when it comes to EG. It's Abe and Wes all over again. No matter what, they're tight and running the business like a Mom & Pop store.

[Nivek]

Grunfeld must have some kind of Jedi mind thing over team owners. My guess is that they've convinced themselves that the problem is injuries to Wall and Nene and that everyone would play better if those two were in the lineup.

[payitforward]

What I wonder is are Ted and EG so prideful they don't now realize the depth and breadth of their miscalculations?

Oh, there's no question about it -- they have no notion that they were making the wrong moves. They think this is all "bad luck."

Some time this Fall Ted said something on the order that the sports team industry was unique because you could be derailed so easily by chance.

What Ted seems to be to me is blinded by hero worship when it comes to EG.

I'm afraid it's slightly different from that. Ted hero-worships Ted. He thinks Ted has a plan and is perfect. Ernie encourages him to hero-worship himself, because it lets him keep his job. As I've written a few times already, Ernie Grunfield has one great skill as a GM: he knows how to manage his owner.

[Zonkerbl]

No mention of McGee's nice game against Minnesota?

[sashae]

Nick Young had a nice night as well, 30pts, 4reb, 2ast, 1 stl including 6-12 from 3 and 52% shooting overall in a loss to the Lakers.

[closg00]

No mention of McGee's nice game against Minnesota?

It was against SAC, 19 points in 21 min, but the game was a blowout.

[Zonkerbl]

whoops.

[sashae]

Shelvin Mack, D-League player of the week for the Maine Red Claws. Too bad there's no NBA franchise desperately in need of PG help.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

The Wizards are so frustrating. They need PG help and Livingston, like Pardo, has failed miserably.

They distanced themselves prematurely from Shelvin Mack. I hope for Shelvin's sake a good team will call him up.