6-0, Heat vs Wizards GT

[Zonkerbl]

James Singleton, no other Single1on like him
Mo Almond, Mo Money
Mo Evans, No Problems
Cartier Martier
even Mase --the Maser the microwave laser-- who it made me happy to see was on the bench for this final game despite being 'cut'.

+1

I don't think there will be room for all of those guys after the draft, but I'd definitely like to see a bunch of them back. At the top of my list are Cartier Martin, James Singleton, and Roger Mason. I feel like those guys are Wizards, not just random mercenaries. They were part of the turnaround.

Assuming we buy out Lewis (we have to, right?) and amnesty Blatche, and don't sign any free agents, the roster next year is:

Nene
Wall
Booker
Seraphin
Vesely
Crawford
Mack
Chris Singleton
1st Draft pick

So that leaves 6 roster spots for the two second rounders and Mason, J. Singleton, Cartier Martin, and Almond. Cook's contract expires this year I hope? And I'm assuming Evans doesn't come back.

Wall/Mack
Crawford/Mason
C. Singleton/Cartier Martin
Seraphin/Booker/Vesely/J. Singleton
Nene/Seraphin

What position does Almond play? 2 or 3?

If everyone stays healthy that's a 30-35 win team at least. 35-40 win team if we draft a SG/SF who can contribute right away.

I'm kind of inclined not to sign any free agents this year and just keep the powder dry for next year's free agent class. In which case you might as well hold onto Blatche for a year. Just keep him on the bench until he's in shape. And fine him $25k every time he's spotted at a club. Dude needs to drastically cut down his alcohol consumption, I think.

[hands11]

Well, that'll sure help our average point differential on the season.

Yeah, not long ago it was like 9. It ended up being 4.8

Still not what you want but both those numbers are reflective of what was going on earlier in the year. Not what they ended up doing. You bring back this same group with Booker healthy and Mason still on the team and they would compete most games. They will get the SG spot worked out over the next year. That will put then at a different level without having the SF position answered.

C Singleton started to hit is outside shoot the last few games with a lot more confidence. That helps a ton even if he is coming off the bench as a 3 and D.

With Nene and KS as options in the post, you might be able to get away with a combination of Mason, Martin and Crawford at SG. Specially if Crawford fixes his outside shooting form. SG was not answered with any degree of certainty this year. Mason looks like he can still be a solid vet 3 ball shooter though. It's not a terrible combination considering you have Wall Nene and KS as your first options.

Looks like a Klay Thompson would be ideal at this point. Which just bring me back to Beal. That is really the slot that needs a seed planted more then any other on the team. Crawford is an interesting young player who can get better. He was a Nick upgrade because of his fire, ability to dribble, pass, drive and rebound. All things Nick didn't do well. But he doesn't seen to be pedigree that a Beal is. Personality and smarts matter a lot.

[nate33]

I'm kind of inclined not to sign any free agents this year and just keep the powder dry for next year's free agent class. In which case you might as well hold onto Blatche for a year. Just keep him on the bench until he's in shape. And fine him $25k every time he's spotted at a club. Dude needs to drastically cut down his alcohol consumption, I think.

I agree that there is no need to maximize cap room this summer, so Blatche will probably stay another year (or at least until he can be traded). We will be able to spend about $4-5M on a free agent while still being able to preserve enough room for a max salary in 2013 (if we dump Blatche by then). I figure that money should be spend on a capable starting-caliber wing at whatever wing position we don't address with our first round draft pick. (i.e. Draft Beal and sign Danny Green. Or draft MKG and sign Brandon Rush.) I also don't think Mack has earned a spot. He'll have to compete for one in training camp.

That will leave us with:
PG Wall
SG Beal/Crawford
SF D.Green/C.Singleton
PF Booker/Vesely/
C Nene/Seraphin

That's 9 players (if we count Blatche) with the only absolute necessity being a backup PG. We'll fill two spots with 2nd round picks and have 2 more spots for veterans, maybe 3 if we want to start the season with 15 man roster (don't forget, we have Blatche occupying a roster spot).

I'd like very much to add Cartier Martin and James Singleton as our 10th and 11th man. Beyond that, it'll depend on who we draft in the 2nd round.

[closg00]

Yes, depending on how the draft works-out, bring everybody back, including Witt, it's the best "team-ball" I've seen the Wizards play in years (with Crawford out)

Correction, I would not bring back Mack, when he runs the team he runs the "Slow Break"

[Liverbird]

There has to be some sort of consolidation somewhere. I'd like to see trading both our 2nd round picks to move up and draft Crowder.

I don't think Ernie is a big fan of keeping a full 15 on the roster. I suspect 2 of Martin, Singleton, Evans, and Almond will be back. I think Mason has had his run with as a Wizard player. Assuming Mack earns his second year:

Wall/Mack
(Beal)/Crawford/Martin
(Crowder)/C.Singleton
Nene/Booker/Vesely/J.Singleton
Seraphin/Blatche

That's 13 and leaves room for some manuevering. Perhaps a free agent SF. I doubt they amnesty Blatche until 2013 unless he comes into the season out of shape again.

[fishercob]

There has to be some sort of consolidation somewhere. I'd like to see trading both our 2nd round picks to move up and draft Crowder.

I don't think Ernie is a big fan of keeping a full 15 on the roster. I suspect 2 of Martin, Singleton, Evans, and Almond will be back. I think Mason has had his run with as a Wizard player. Assuming Mack earns his second year:

Wall/Mack
(Beal)/Crawford/Martin
(Crowder)/C.Singleton
Nene/Booker/Vesely/J.Singleton
Seraphin/Blatche

That's 13 and leaves room for some manuevering. Perhaps a free agent SF. I doubt they amnesty Blatche until 2013 unless he comes into the season out of shape again.

I wuld have thought so too about Mason, but am now not so sure. They cut the guy and yet kept him with the team. Was on the bench, in the locker room, etc. I think they like him a lot and would keep him in some role if they can.

[jimij]

I think Mason stays with the team either as a player or in some other type of role with the front office. My guess is even if he plays elsewhere next year (which I doubt) that he'd be back with this organization sooner or later given his ties to the DC area.

Personally I'd like to see Singleton, Martin and Mason all back next year, especially the first two.

Evans has his moments but I'd rather use his roster spot to take a look at a younger player who could contribute down the road now that we seem to have enough professionalism on the team even without him.

[cdouglas]

There has to be some sort of consolidation somewhere. I'd like to see trading both our 2nd round picks to move up and draft Crowder.

I don't think Ernie is a big fan of keeping a full 15 on the roster. I suspect 2 of Martin, Singleton, Evans, and Almond will be back. I think Mason has had his run with as a Wizard player. Assuming Mack earns his second year:

Wall/Mack
(Beal)/Crawford/Martin
(Crowder)/C.Singleton
Nene/Booker/Vesely/J.Singleton
Seraphin/Blatche

That's 13 and leaves room for some manuevering. Perhaps a free agent SF. I doubt they amnesty Blatche until 2013 unless he comes into the season out of shape again.

If the Wiz plan to make a run for the playoffs, I would like to see a couple of seasoned veterans on the team. Nene is the only player that has playoff experience.

[nate33]

There has to be some sort of consolidation somewhere. I'd like to see trading both our 2nd round picks to move up and draft Crowder.

I don't think Ernie is a big fan of keeping a full 15 on the roster. I suspect 2 of Martin, Singleton, Evans, and Almond will be back. I think Mason has had his run with as a Wizard player. Assuming Mack earns his second year:

Wall/Mack
(Beal)/Crawford/Martin
(Crowder)/C.Singleton
Nene/Booker/Vesely/J.Singleton
Seraphin/Blatche

That's 13 and leaves room for some manuevering. Perhaps a free agent SF. I doubt they amnesty Blatche until 2013 unless he comes into the season out of shape again.

If the Wiz plan to make a run for the playoffs, I would like to see a couple of seasoned veterans on the team. Nene is the only player that has playoff experience.

Meh. Seasoned veterans are generally overpriced, unless you are a title contender who can get them on a discount. On a performance/dollar basis, I think we're going to have a very tough time finding better bargains than James Singleton and Cartier Martin.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

cdouglas, I agree. I proposed a Ben Gordon deal on the trade board. Gordon is he the same age as Nene, he's 29. Ben Gordon has averaged 20 ppg in the playoffs. He shoots the three at a higher percentage than Ray Allen. He is actually NBA #24 all time leader in three-point percentage.

I think Ben Gordon would be a good, seasoned veteran worth adding in the backcourt.

[Liverbird]

cdouglas -

I would agree as well. So a mid-level free agent SF with playoff experience...

Danny Green will have some, although he's still young.
Perhaps Gerald Wallace opts out.
Some have mentioned Jeff Green
Bring back Josh Howard?

[dlts20]

Not sure if y'all have seen this video yet:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93wIps-r_1I&feature=g-u-u[/youtube]

Dude is all talk.

awesome video. Im telling all of you its different this time. Its never ever been like this before with Dray. He's never takened responsibilty. He also has finally been benched. He also has like 5 or 6 truly legit guys in front of him. I dont care what anyone says, you still wanna play. The team also started to play well.

Then even when he played poorly he could hide behind of solid numbers even if they were not effecient. Now his numbers are horrible, the fans hate him, and he was openly being shopped. Then he see's a player in Nene dominate who he use to play well against and he sees KS now doing what he did a few years ago.

Ive called it and Im calling it again. Our starting Frontcourt next year will be Nene & Dray. Book it. Dray will look real good next year. In top shape and looking real good

[montestewart]

On a performance/dollar basis, I think we're going to have a very tough time finding better bargains than James Singleton and Cartier Martin.

I want those two back. They bring the same steadying professionalism as bigger name vets, and coupled with Nene, that's a lot of veteran presence. I don't mind some of the trades (mostly CCJ's) that bring Gordon here, or pursuing Danny or Gerald Green (if the price is reasonable), but I really want the Wizards to find a decent veteran backup for Wall.

[closg00]

Not sure if y'all have seen this video yet:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93wIps-r_1I&feature=g-u-u[/youtube]

Dude is all talk.

awesome video. Im telling all of you its different this time. Its never ever been like this before with Dray. He's never takened responsibilty. He also has finally been benched. He also has like 5 or 6 truly legit guys in front of him. I dont care what anyone says, you still wanna play. The team also started to play well.

Then even when he played poorly he could hide behind of solid numbers even if they were not effecient. Now his numbers are horrible, the fans hate him, and he was openly being shopped. Then he see's a player in Nene dominate who he use to play well against and he sees KS now doing what he did a few years ago.

Ive called it and Im calling it again. Our starting Frontcourt next year will be Nene & Dray. Book it. Dray will look real good next year. In top shape and looking real good

Even if Dray get's into shape, he just isn't that athletic, we're better-off having him be our 3rd Center since we can't trade him.

[dlts20]

Not sure if y'all have seen this video yet:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93wIps-r_1I&feature=g-u-u[/youtube]

Dude is all talk.

awesome video. Im telling all of you its different this time. Its never ever been like this before with Dray. He's never takened responsibilty. He also has finally been benched. He also has like 5 or 6 truly legit guys in front of him. I dont care what anyone says, you still wanna play. The team also started to play well.

Then even when he played poorly he could hide behind of solid numbers even if they were not effecient. Now his numbers are horrible, the fans hate him, and he was openly being shopped. Then he see's a player in Nene dominate who he use to play well against and he sees KS now doing what he did a few years ago.

Ive called it and Im calling it again. Our starting Frontcourt next year will be Nene & Dray. Book it. Dray will look real good next year. In top shape and looking real good

Even if Dray get's into shape, he just isn't that athletic, we're better-off having him be our 3rd Center since we can't trade him.

I totally disagree. With Dray its like a 50/50 thing. He's not a leaper but so what. He's one of the most skilled bigs in the game which easily offsets that. If he's in shape then he can get 20 with his eyes closed and if he's motivated then he can have games like 20, 9, & 5. Not many guys in the league are capable of that.

All year Ive seen him, he's looked like a fat slug. Even when he got the hurt calf that one time and some fans thought the team really just sent him home to get into shape, I knew that wasnt true because on the sidelines in his suit he looked even fatter then before.

Then when we sent him home the very last time, he started looking alot better & slimmer in his suits. In this vid he looks really good. I do believe he's losing weight & toning up. Im not a Dray defender. You would like to think guys are self motivated and will get it but some guys dont.

This season is like the gift & the curse. Its a curse because he was the same ole Dray but I honestly feel that its a gift in that we will from now on get the best Dray we would ever get. If he was solid or average this year then he wouldve stayed that way again next year or forever. He wouldnt have changed.

He was so bad this year, so many guys past him, and so many bad things were said about him that were going to get a guy that we wouldve never ever seen if all this bad stuff didnt happen. He's going to beast next year. He's going to be in shape and he will start next year. Ill bet anything that if he's in shape and the coach says that every frontcourt spot is up for grabs, that he will look better then every one of our bigs, including KS & Nene.

Infact, maybe the best thing I like about that vid is that even though he hit rock bottom, he still spoke very confidently in himself when they asked him about fitting in and so on. It wasnt cocky but you could tell that he was getting in shape and felt good. He wouldnt have said that 2 months ago but now he's already feelin better and he truly thinks that if he's right then he's a problem for anyone to deal with.

[dobrojim]

I can't believe I actually give a crap about the outcome of this game. But I do. I wouldn't have given a rat's ass before the trade deadline. Amazing how getting rid of three guys [Blatche, being the third] and adding a few who are actually likable and appear to enjoy being paid to play a game can change your attitude. This team is fun to watch, even if they are playing against scrubs and backups most nights.

+1

and the thing to me is that they are clearly not mailing it in.
They are acting and playing like professionals which obviously is
how it should be. To win and win convincingly is what should have
happened and what did happen.

I thoroughly enjoyed the big spanking we were able to deliver even
while understanding the circumstances that led to it.

We're not CHA who couldn't even win against NY's scrubs with a
major negative legacy at stake.

[dobrojim]

This is going to be a Wizards blowout, but Morris Almond better relax and drop 4 or 5 shots in a hurry.

I still see a tightly wound up player out there.

agree

unfortunately, even in a blowout, he still seemed tight.
Maybe it wasn't a blowout for him but rather an extremely
important audition. He wasn't horrible but I don't think he
helped himself nearly as much as he could have.

[dobrojim]

Mack is dreadful. No athleticism + No skill = Bonafide scrub

My eyes kinda agree but he's got an excellent A:TO ratio so he's doing
something right. Would like to see him shoot better.

[dobrojim]

After the season finale, Blatche walked onto the court to give a fan his jersey and he is immediately booed be the lingering fans. Not sure if I should laugh or feel bad for the guy at this point.

And the woman getting the jersey didn't look too excited.

[hands11]

I'm kind of inclined not to sign any free agents this year and just keep the powder dry for next year's free agent class. In which case you might as well hold onto Blatche for a year. Just keep him on the bench until he's in shape. And fine him $25k every time he's spotted at a club. Dude needs to drastically cut down his alcohol consumption, I think.

I agree that there is no need to maximize cap room this summer, so Blatche will probably stay another year (or at least until he can be traded). We will be able to spend about $4-5M on a free agent while still being able to preserve enough room for a max salary in 2013 (if we dump Blatche by then). I figure that money should be spend on a capable starting-caliber wing at whatever wing position we don't address with our first round draft pick. (i.e. Draft Beal and sign Danny Green. Or draft MKG and sign Brandon Rush.) I also don't think Mack has earned a spot. He'll have to compete for one in training camp.

That will leave us with:
PG Wall
SG Beal/Crawford
SF D.Green/C.Singleton
PF Booker/Vesely/
C Nene/Seraphin

That's 9 players (if we count Blatche) with the only absolute necessity being a backup PG. We'll fill two spots with 2nd round picks and have 2 more spots for veterans, maybe 3 if we want to start the season with 15 man roster (don't forget, we have Blatche occupying a roster spot).

I'd like very much to add Cartier Martin and James Singleton as our 10th and 11th man. Beyond that, it'll depend on who we draft in the 2nd round.

That pretty much what I have been seeing except I'm not sure how they line them up. They can do lots of combination at the PF and C. And if they draft Beal, I'm not sold that they start him. If he is all that, he will end up starting before to long but my guess is that they bring him along. They will also want to invite Mason back. Having a spot up 3 shooter off the bench is really nice to have. HE knows the team and he shouldnt cost to much to bring back one more year.

Biggest thing that worried me at this point is getting the 5th pick and ending up with Drummonds.

That would take some of the wind out of their sails.

Also, Ves is turning out to be a better rebounder then many originally though he would be. Ves showed me enough to envision him as a starter at some point. But you can get away with bring him off the bench. He is a team player. He wouldn't complain. He will just keep working at getting better.

PG Wall/???
SG Crawford/Beal/Mason ( Martin )
SF James Singleton/C.Singleton/Martin
PF Nene/Booker
C Seraphin/Vesely/Dray

Inactive
Mack - if he even makes it

I think they will have to decide between Mo Evans and James Singleton. Hard to see how they keeping both. They would probably also have to decide on Martin or Mason but I don't want them to have to do that. They could start by keeping both and having Martin inactive until they move Dray. Then maybe bring in someone like Cook as an inactive.