DCZards wrote:payitforward wrote:To me, at least, this is entirely irrelevant.
Obviously, a decision has been made to reboot the Washington Wizards. We have so many kids now that I keep losing count of them!
Dwight is on the roster & guaranteed, but this is not the right kind of team for a guy like him. He is a HOF-career player who continues to have at least one bankable skill that would be useful to a team with hopes to go far in the playoffs this season. If we can trade him to a team like that, sure, lets do it; we'll get another asset -- future assets benefit us more in our current state than Dwight can. He'll get a shot to play deep into the playoffs & maybe contend for a ring.
If we can't trade him, then the only reason I can see to buy him out is that we will need the roster spot. & if we do buy him out, he is absolutely certain to land somewhere else -- a team of the kind I just mentioned. All he would cost is a veteran minimum paycheck.
If he remains a Wizard this season, then as Zards says he will help our rebounding. But... he's not going to help enough to take us into the playoffs. Surely not. &, tbh, we don't want to be in the playoffs this year -- tho of course it would be amazing if these kids came out, all played great right away, & we did get there! But, given how utterly unlikely that is, it would seem that Tommy has projected us to have a high pick next year, giving us another jump in rebuilding quickly.
Hmmm, perhaps this can give Zards a reason to think again about Howard? We are rebuilding around Brad. Which, it seems to me, puts a premium on the speed with which we add & use future assets. I.e. to this end, we would seem to have a bigger need for draft picks & draft position than we do for rebounding this year.
Does that make sense to you, Zards?
Yes, it makes sense to want a high draft pick next year. But it also make sense to at least try to win games. And that will depend, in part, on how well the Zards rebound the ball. That's where Dwight comes in.
The Zards are probably only going to win 30-35 games next season regardless of whether or not Howard plays. But at the same time you want to try to develop a winning culture and not give your young players (and Beal) the impression that you're essentially throwing in the towel next season. That would be a mistake, imo.
If the Zards do trade or buy out Dwight they need to sign an Ed Davis or Vonleh to help out on the boards. Otherwise, the Zards will get crushed on the boards (like they did last season), which is demoralizing for the team's players and fans.
But Zards -- you are forgetting our secret weapon on the boards: Jemerrio Jones!!
