For what it's worth... [free agency: 7/8]

[closg00]

I'm ambivalent on the Blair question. Boston got a couple solid seasons out of Powe before he blew his knee again. Based on what he did in college, I think Blair might have been able to help immediately off the bench -- Wiz could use a guy with his physicality and rebounding. The second round is the place to take a chance on someone like Blair, in my opinion. Expectations are low and the investment is small because it's only a 2nd round pick. In general, I think selling a 2nd round pick for $2.5 million is a good move. Blair may be the exception to that -- even with knee and weight issues -- because of his production in college and fit for a team need.

Stay-tuned, lets see how Blair does in SL and then in scrub minutes this-year. For a position of-need (10 minute banger & energy guy), the Spurs had very little to lose, and everything to gain.

[TheSecretWeapon]

I'm ambivalent on the Blair question. Boston got a couple solid seasons out of Powe before he blew his knee again. Based on what he did in college, I think Blair might have been able to help immediately off the bench -- Wiz could use a guy with his physicality and rebounding. The second round is the place to take a chance on someone like Blair, in my opinion. Expectations are low and the investment is small because it's only a 2nd round pick. In general, I think selling a 2nd round pick for $2.5 million is a good move. Blair may be the exception to that -- even with knee and weight issues -- because of his production in college and fit for a team need.

Stay-tuned, lets see how Blair does in SL and then in scrub minutes this-year. For a position of-need (10 minute banger & energy guy), the Spurs had very little to lose, and everything to gain.

Same is true of the Wizards. The PF/C rotation for the Wiz is Jamison-Haywood-Blatche-McGee -- in that order. What they need (then and now) is a low-minute banger and energy guy.

[closg00]

Well, you can cross Rasho off the list.

Colangelo has spoken glowingly about Nesterovic's presence – on the court in a backup role and as a leader in the locker room – and there is interest in bringing him back as long as the financial terms can be worked out.

And now there is the financial windfall to do it.

The trade, which also included the Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic, leaves the Raptors with unexpected money to spend. They are expected to seriously consider Carlos Delfino, who remains a restricted Toronto free agent and can be signed without regard to the salary cap, which would leave the so-called mid-level cap exception of about $5.9 million and the biannual exception of about $1.9 million.

http://www.thestar.com/sports/article/663861

[fishercob]

What about Theo Ratliff as a veteran's minimum guy.

[Ji]

What about Theo Ratliff as a veteran's minimum guy.

i would only sign him if he was free or he paid us to play for us

[verbal8]

What about Theo Ratliff as a veteran's minimum guy.

I think he could be a good fit for the Wizards. For one year(or team option) he might even be worth the LLE.

However he may be hoping that a top level contender like the Celtics or Lakers(if they lose Odom) might want him to shore up their front court.

[Tyrone Messby]

Scary thought -- one of my NBA friends told me that Blair's knees are possibly in worse condition than Powe's when Powe entered the NBA.

Powe's a guy to keep in mind down the road depending on how his rehab goes.

Same issues were brought up on draft night. The only difference is that Blair has about 40 pounds on Powe, adding more pressure on those bad knees.

But of course Ernie Grunfeld is an idiot for passing on this future HOF-er according to half the board.

I've been told Blair is the next Charles Barkley.

I don't think we have the pieces to get Boozer anyway. We would have to give up Jamison somehow, and the whole reason Utah is doing this is to re-sign Millsap and Portland needs a point guard.

How is that a bad thing?

[keynote]

Well, Bass (ORL) and Frye (PHX) are both off the market.

I'm glad Frye's gone, but I didn't have a good read on Bass one way or the other. What's his game like? Should I be nervous that ORL was able to pick him up?

[wizards-fan]

I'm still shocked that we didn't take Blair. He would have probably got a 2-year deal, with a third non-guaranteed, at around 800k per season. He's got the toughness, physicality, rebounding that the Wizards need. They have the roster space. It costs next to nothing relatively speaking, so it's not even a big gamble if his knees don't hold up (although if he's playing 10-12 minutes a night, even that isn't an issue). If he performed exactly the same way and put up the same numbers, but was 6-8 (same as Songaila) instead of 6-7 I think we would have taken him. It's bewildering.

[verbal8]

If he performed exactly the same way and put up the same numbers, but was 6-8 (same as Songaila) instead of 6-7 I think we would have taken him. It's bewildering.

He probably would not have lasted into the second round if he was 6'8".

[Dat2U]

I'm still shocked that we didn't take Blair. He would have probably got a 2-year deal, with a third non-guaranteed, at around 800k per season. He's got the toughness, physicality, rebounding that the Wizards need. They have the roster space. It costs next to nothing relatively speaking, so it's not even a big gamble if his knees don't hold up (although if he's playing 10-12 minutes a night, even that isn't an issue). If he performed exactly the same way and put up the same numbers, but was 6-8 (same as Songaila) instead of 6-7 I think we would have taken him. It's bewildering.

Exactly, people are acting like it would have been such a huge risk to take Blair. To me it would have been a low risk, high reward proposition. Any 2nd round pick is a low risk option. Your not putting alot at stake by drafting a guy with the 32nd pick and signing him to a deal at the rookie minimum.

If his knees give out, oh well, he's not eating much of the cap and he's gone in two years, if he stays healthy like he did for his entire college career, then you get a productive player at a relative bargain, especially considering he fit an exact need on our roster.

Truth is, without the knee issues, Blair is a lottery pick. To see him available in the 2nd round was stunning. It should have been a no-brainer to select him.

As I've said before, EG doesn't seem to get it when it comes to making financial decisions. He's got it backwards. He overpays role players and he trades inexpensive draft picks for high priced players or impending free agents. He saves money by not spending salary on a draft pick this year so he can overpay to keep thr free agents he traded for next year. It makes no sense. None at all.

[Rafael122]

Well, it seems like 29 other teams don't "get it" either b/c they passed on him, some teams more than once.

It's so easy to sit at a desk and say "take this guy, its low risk high reward." Sure, let's pay a rookie $800,000 only to have him sit out the majority of the games b/c he spends more time on the table than on the court. Money well spent. And I read here once, that he'd be good for 2-3 years until his knees give out. That's some GREAT forward thinking. Let's draft the guy and then in 3 years, his knees will explode and he's out of the league.

Let's not crown Blair. He was a productive college player, but he's overweight, and he has no ACLs. Not to mention he's 6'5, so I wouldn't be surprised if we had a scheme where he had to be carried around by Blatche or McGee so he could grab a rebound.

Seriously. We're not talking about a future hall of famer here. We're talking about a guy who would be lucky to play 10 years, maybe 5 in this league. Blair is not a long term investment.

[Dat2U]

Well, it seems like 29 other teams don't "get it" either b/c they passed on him, some teams more than once.

It's so easy to sit at a desk and say "take this guy, its low risk high reward." Sure, let's pay a rookie $800,000 only to have him sit out the majority of the games b/c he spends more time on the table than on the court. Money well spent. And I read here once, that he'd be good for 2-3 years until his knees give out. That's some GREAT forward thinking. Let's draft the guy and then in 3 years, his knees will explode and he's out of the league.

Let's not crown Blair. He was a productive college player, but he's overweight, and he has no ACLs. Not to mention he's 6'5, so I wouldn't be surprised if we had a scheme where he had to be carried around by Blatche or McGee so he could grab a rebound.

Seriously. We're not talking about a future hall of famer here. We're talking about a guy who would be lucky to play 10 years, maybe 5 in this league. Blair is not a long term investment.

No, its not about 29 teams "not getting it", its about the six teams in the 2nd round that didn't get it. I can understand teams not spending a 1st pick on the kid (although I don't agree with it), but for any team that passed him up in the 2nd round, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

Blair just wasn't a 'productive player' on the college level, he was a dominate one. But listening to you and others, you'd wonder how Blair managed not lose a kneecap during Big East play. Funny, but he seemed pretty healthy to me throughout his career at Pittsburgh.

And no one is looking 10 years down the road when drafting a 2nd rounder. That's absolute nonsense. If he gives the team 3 productive years on a rookie minimum salary, then its a damn good pick IMO. Frankly it wasn't like one would expect Blair to play 30 minutes a night. We needed a 5th big. Skillwise and stylistically, he was a perfect fit. And IMO smarter than paying some veteran scrub the veteran minimum or more to provide basically nothing on the court.

You want a long term investment in the 2nd round? We've had those, ever heard of Juan Carlos Navarro, Peter John Ramos and Vladimir Veremeenko?

[miller31time]

I'm still shocked that we didn't take Blair. He would have probably got a 2-year deal, with a third non-guaranteed, at around 800k per season. He's got the toughness, physicality, rebounding that the Wizards need. They have the roster space. It costs next to nothing relatively speaking, so it's not even a big gamble if his knees don't hold up (although if he's playing 10-12 minutes a night, even that isn't an issue). If he performed exactly the same way and put up the same numbers, but was 6-8 (same as Songaila) instead of 6-7 I think we would have taken him. It's bewildering.

Exactly, people are acting like it would have been such a huge risk to take Blair. To me it would have been a low risk, high reward proposition. Any 2nd round pick is a low risk option. Your not putting alot at stake by drafting a guy with the 32nd pick and signing him to a deal at the rookie minimum.

If his knees give out, oh well, he's not eating much of the cap and he's gone in two years, if he stays healthy like he did for his entire college career, then you get a productive player at a relative bargain, especially considering he fit an exact need on our roster.

Truth is, without the knee issues, Blair is a lottery pick. To see him available in the 2nd round was stunning. It should have been a no-brainer to select him.

As I've said before, EG doesn't seem to get it when it comes to making financial decisions. He's got it backwards. He overpays role players and he trades inexpensive draft picks for high priced players or impending free agents. He saves money by not spending salary on a draft pick this year so he can overpay to keep thr free agents he traded for next year. It makes no sense. None at all.

I agree with this.

It seems that the only line of defense for the crowd that believes we made the right decision is that those who wanted us to get Blair believed him to be a superstar.

Nope.

We believed him to be a potentially useful role player, possibly (though less likely) starter material way down the line. And as Dat said - low risk, high reward.

But oh well. What's done is done, unfortunately.

[yungal07]

Funny, but he seemed pretty healthy to me throughout his career at Pittsburgh.

So you're going to use Blair's "career" of 72 college games to come to the conclusion that his knees are fine?

Nice. That's not even one full NBA season, not including the playoffs. But of course Blair's mighty "career" is only what matters.

And no one is looking 10 years down the road when drafting a 2nd rounder. That's absolute nonsense. If he gives the team 3 productive years on a rookie minimum salary, then its a damn good pick IMO. Frankly it wasn't like one would expect Blair to play 30 minutes a night. We needed a 5th big. Skillwise and stylistically, he was a perfect fit. And IMO smarter than paying some veteran scrub the veteran minimum or more to provide basically nothing on the court.

Why wouldn't a team look for the future when drafting a player? Isn't the whole point to nab a player that can actually stick in the league? What your saying sounds more like nonsense to me. Teams pick a player because they hope he sticks and contributes for years after he's drafted. No one drafts a player just to rent him out for a few years.

And you're telling me a 6'5 Blair would help this team more than a Nesterovic or a Wilcox, who can actually defend other 7 footers and not give up 7 inches? Yea ok buddy.

You want a long term investment in the 2nd round? We've had those, ever heard of Juan Carlos Navarro, Peter John Ramos and Vladimir Veremeenko?

Gilbert Arenas, Andray Blatche, and Dom McGuire say hi.

[Wizardspride]

No, its not about 29 teams "not getting it", its about the six teams in the 2nd round that didn't get it. I can understand teams not spending a 1st pick on the kid (although I don't agree with it), but for any team that passed him up in the 2nd round, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

Blair just wasn't a 'productive player' on the college level, he was a dominate one. But listening to you and others, you'd wonder how Blair managed not lose a kneecap during Big East play. Funny, but he seemed pretty healthy to me throughout his career at Pittsburgh.

Sounds a lot like Malcom Kelly....and that's not a good thing.

[Dat2U]

Gilbert Arenas, Andray Blatche, and Dom McGuire say hi.

You can't sit here and play both sides of the fence bro. In one vein, you've praised EG's moves this summer and dismissed the 32nd pick like there was nothing remotely worth the $2.5 we got in return for it.

On the other side, you criticize the idea of using the pick to solve a problem in the short term and point to various 2nd round steals in the draft as proof that long term value can be found there.

So which is it yungal? Is the pick a good opportunity to select a potential steal or is getting $2.5 million in return for it the ideal solution in the short term?

Either way your contradicting what you've previously said.

[yungal07]

Gilbert Arenas, Andray Blatche, and Dom McGuire say hi.

You can't sit here and play both sides of the fence bro. In one vein, you've praised EG's moves this summer and dismissed the 32nd pick like there was nothing remotely worth the $2.5 we got in return for it.

On the other side, you criticize the idea of using the pick to solve a problem in the short term and point to various 2nd round steals in the draft as proof that long term value can be found there.

So which is it yungal? Is the pick a good opportunity to select a potential steal or is getting $2.5 million in return for it the ideal solution in the short term?

Either way your contradicting what you've previously said.

Dude I would have loved to keep the 2nd round pick...I actually wanted Blair too. As a fan, I was throughly PO'd when I saw that they drafted whatever that guys name was and then traded him. But as the night went on, and more and more info surfaced about Blair's knees, the amount of cash the Wiz got for the pick, and the reason they sold the pick, it was hard for me to disagree with Grunfeld's decision. If you're the GM of a team that's facing the luxury tax, you have to weigh the positives vs. the negatives of your choices in a cost-effective way. Yes, the Wiz could have drafted Blair, paid double his contract in luxury tax fees, and hoped that he pans out. Maybe he becomes more than a 5th string big, grows 2 inches, and doesn't blow his knees out in the next two seasons. Or maybe not...no one knows. In this case, I simply think the potential risks of drafting Blair outweighed the potential reward IMO. They got 3x the worth of that pick in cash to use on another player that won't be as risky on the court or from a health aspect. I don't see how you can say that's a dumb decision. You may not agree with it, but the reasoning behind his decision is sound.

[Hoopalotta]

Gilbert Arenas, Andray Blatche, and Dom McGuire say hi.

Either way your contradicting what you've previously said.

But not everything we say needs to have a point.

Take it from me.

No seriously, I just took it as a throw away line to float around in the ether of the internets.

[Munson79rip]

F Blair. The guy the Wizards will regret passing on will be Sam Young. I think the decision to trade the pick was made before Blair, Young, etc were on the boards @ 32.