How do you fix this team?

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Blatche has also (up until this year) improved every year in the NBA...

Actually, he hasn't. His rebounding percentage peaked in his 2nd season, dropped in year 3, and has held steady at 13% and change for the past 3 seasons (this season, it's currently 13.3). His assist rate went up in his 4th season, spiked last season, and has come back down this year. His highest block percentage was in year 3 and has fallen WAY off since. His offensive rating (points produced per 100 possessions) was highest in year 3 (a still sucky 103 -- league average is 107), but has dropped since then.

For full seasons, Blatche's numbers have actually been pretty doggone consistent throughout his career. His per game numbers fluctuate based on his minutes. His PER fluctuates in large part due to usage.

Big fan of your analysis (and a long time devotee of the #SSAC) but this again where I see statistics breaking down. I may not have ever coached NBA basketball but I've coached in high school and watched enough basketball and watched enough Andray Blatche to know that the kid got steadily better over his first 5 years in the league regardless of what the stats say. And I know how well Blatche played post trade deadline last season regardless of what the stats say. If Blatche was so inefficient (and thus contributing to losing basketball) every team in the NBA wouldn't have been double teaming him (as they were at the end of last season).

What the stats don't say is that Blatche's inefficiency and effort-related statistics may be greatly impacted by a lack of discipline instilled by Wizards leadership (Grunfeld, E Jordan, Tapscott, Saunders). Blatche might be an entirely different player if he were learning from a disciplinarian.

Every problem we attribute to Blatche has been a problem with every major player on this franchise for at least the last 5 years. Pretending like the problem is strictly Blatche and not acknowledging that he is a freakishly talented, multi-skilled 6-11 player under a very, very reasonable contract is throwing out the baby for the bathwater.

JJ, I remember wanting Blatche to start at PF over Jamison for two seasons, when the Wizards had Butler and Haywood, because I liked his defense, his willingness to pass back then, and his size at PF. I also recall all the praise 7-Day Dray got for his work ethic last offseason. Blatche is talented.

What I see is what you have pointed out, JJ, about Wizards leadership. Dozens of times Blatche has been allowed to force bad shots, not hustle on defense or the boards, and to do so with impunity. Too often he's allowed to dribble in isolation situations that stop the ball and end up with forced shots.
I have more problems with a coach who sees this and really seems to approve and insist upon this style of play than I have with Blatche. The first change I would make before trading Blatche or McGee would be to evaluate them under a new coach.

I don't foresee Blatche/McGee becoming a winning front line, however. Too much finesse and neither finishes with a high enough eFG%. One or the other might be best elsewhere. However, I would wait and see. Washington could draft Faried with the ATL pick and discover he's able to play SF and provide all kinds of intensity alongside McGee and Blatche. He could board all Andray's missed shots.

[tontoz]

I actually like the Blatche = bathwater comparison. Both are full of purtridity that should be washed down the drain and replaced. I just hope Blatche's suckiness doesn't leave a ring around the locker room.

This thread seems to be going down the drain fast. I could have done without that visual.

[fugop]

What the stats don't say is that Blatche's inefficiency and effort-related statistics may be greatly impacted by a lack of discipline instilled by Wizards leadership (Grunfeld, E Jordan, Tapscott, Saunders). Blatche might be an entirely different player if he were learning from a disciplinarian.

Every problem we attribute to Blatche has been a problem with every major player on this franchise for at least the last 5 years. Pretending like the problem is strictly Blatche and not acknowledging that he is a freakishly talented, multi-skilled 6-11 player under a very, very reasonable contract is throwing out the baby for the bathwater.

There's no question that we, along with some other lackluster franchises, have a troubled culture. Had Blatche been drafted by the post-KG Celtics, the Lakers, the Spurs, or even the Sloan Jazz, he would be a totally different player right now. They tend to have a sink or swim approach, and Blatche would either be out of the league/journeyman or a player with a lot more discipline. Good franchises can afford to cut their losses, in part because good pleyer/coach leadership ensures that the cupboards never actually bare.

Had the Wizards drafted Big Baby, he would probably be sitting along side Michael Sweetney and Sean May at a McDonalds somewhere. Had the Wizards drafted Dejaun Blair, he would probably be ambling around in prosthetics. Had the Wizards kept Bill Walker, he'd probably be putting up Ricky Davis numbers in a losing effort.

There seem to be some coaches with a knack for breaking losing cultures. Skiles is the first that comes to mind -- the Bulls slipped into the doldrums in the late 90s, and he turned things around, then did much the same in Milwaukee. If the right coach and players are brought in when he's forced out, the change could endure for the Bucks. Maggette and Gooden are not the right direction, though.

Doc Rivers' 1999-2000 Orlando team, lead by Darrell Armstrong and Ron Mercer, was the same sort of coaching performance.

It takes the right combination of players, coaching, and management to change a team culture. I think we're probably ok with Leonsis, and Wall is a decent start on the player front, but we don't have a lot else.

[montestewart]

I actually like the Blatche = bathwater comparison. Both are full of purtridity that should be washed down the drain and replaced. I just hope Blatche's suckiness doesn't leave a ring around the locker room.

This thread seems to be going down the drain fast. I could have done without that visual.

He's just revisiting the Lord of the Rings theme.

[LyricalRico]

I actually like the Blatche = bathwater comparison. Both are full of purtridity that should be washed down the drain and replaced. I just hope Blatche's suckiness doesn't leave a ring around the locker room.

This thread seems to be going down the drain fast. I could have done without that visual.

He's just revisiting the Lord of the Rings theme.

I almost said "pun intended" but wanted to see who would pick up on it. But I also meant the dirty bathwater reference to be a separate knock on Blatche. A bit of a double-team if you will (to be followed by a Blatche turnover, no doubt).

[DCZards]

Blatche was a 2nd round pick after being projected in most mocks as a late first rounder. McGee and Young were both latter part of the first round guys. Point being, guys drop for a reason. They have a few warts in their games, some personal problems.

When Blatche surprisingly dropped to the second round I remember NBA folks saying it was because of his questionable work ethic and attitude. Talk about the past being prologue.

[Nivek]

From the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, as written up by Henry Abbott of True Hoop and Brendan Jackson from CelticsHub:

Looking to the future, the panel discussed how to evaluate talented prospects and they came to the conclusion that a team should seek out players who live and breathe basketball, the kind of guy who truly possesses a love of the game, as Brendan Jackson from CelticsHub writes:

The panelists began discussing specific examples of players who failed to reach their potential while offering thoughts on why. Morey instantly thought of Marcus Banks. Drafted early in the first round, Banks was supposed to be the Celtics’ point guard of the future. With Celtics GM Danny Ainge known for making good draft choices, it seemed odd that he would miss so badly on a potential franchise cornerstone. Morey offered this anecdote from a pre-draft interview with Banks as a reason:

(paraphrased)

MOREY
What do you really want to do with your life?

BANKS
Be a male fashion model.

Apparently, Ainge did not get the memo. What he saw was a lightening fast point guard who was built like a running back. However, without this intense focus on basketball, Banks is currently not playing while finishing out the last year of his contract and is not likely to get another one in the NBA.

There are many things that make an athlete but all of the panelists agree that in order to be successful in any professional sports’ league, athletes need to have a healthy balance of talent, smarts, and work ethic. As Van Gundy said during the panel, “Soft, selfish or stupid. You can be one of these things, but you can’t be two.” If an athlete does have one of these qualities, it needs to be balanced with something positive.

[pcbothwel]

I am truly convinced that McGee will never get it and given the natural SLIGHT improvement he will see next year I think he will put us in our current NY situation. Do we give 2 low IQ players 15 mil(5-6 for NY, 9 for McGee)?
Because of the uncertaintly of the new CBA it would be best for us to collect as many tradeable assets as possible to make our move going into 2012.
With the draft coming up id look to see if Kanter checks out physically and his measurements (to see if he can man the 5 spot). I would also be interested in Sullinger and his ability to defend NBA PF's. If we decide not to draft them or they are already gone...
I DRAFT Jonas Valanciunas. If you want to know more about him as a player please go to the draft forum and you'll see educated posters tell you how talented he his and his accomplishments with regard to the league he's in(he's also the youngest player in the draft).

I then gauge McGee's value and try to move him for an unprotected 2012 pick from a projected lottery team. I draft one of T. Honeycutt, C. Singleton, J. Hamilton with the ATL pick and possibly Charles Jenkins or David Lighty at 35. I then look for a vet big man in FA (Pryzbilla, Dalembart, etc.) to help hold over the 5 spot get through the 2011 with:

Wall/Crawford/ Jenkins?
Young/Crawford/ Lighty?
Lewis/(Honeycutt/Hamilton)
Blatche/Booker/Seraphin
Pryzbilla/Jonas/Seraphin

That deadline/summer I look to deal/cut Lewis off the books and use one of our 2012 picks, our 2013 pick, plus some younger talent to get our #2 super star to play with Wall.
----- With Blatche already signed to an extention I didnt feel the need to move him right away, we can cross that road soon enough.
-----I also leave open the possibility to buy another 2012 1st this summer by taking on an expiring. A few have mentioned Okur from the Jazz along with GSW pick.

[LyricalRico]

I am truly convinced that McGee will never get it and given the natural SLIGHT improvement he will see next year I think he will put us in our current NY situation. Do we give 2 low IQ players 15 mil(5-6 for NY, 9 for McGee)?

<snip>

I then gauge McGee's value and try to move him for an unprotected 2012 pick from a projected lottery team.

I'm open to other scenarios than picks, but I'm 100% on board with your reasoning re: Mcgee. I'm fine with paying Young around $5M on a 2-3 year deal. But I'm not investing anything substantial in McGee. Better to get value for him now IMO.

[eitanr]

You do want guys to live and breathe basketball, but I also agree on the culture front. I am of the belief that around 90% of the time the head coach makes little to no difference on the team to be quite frank. In Washington's case, unless there was a coach available who could instill that time of work ethic, I don't feel it is worth while for ownership to end Flip's deal early, pay him the extra years on his contract, and then pony up for a legit coach.

My approach is just to at least rid the team of the current cancers if possible, maybe get a vet with a good attitude who can instill a positive atmosphere in the youth (again, I like McGrady).

I do agree with many of the examples listed above of guys like Skiles, Rivers, Phil Jackson, Poppovich, Riley, Sloan who have instilled positive strides in their team's mentality.

I also feel some vets like in the past with Garnett, Mark Jackson, Brad Miller etc can also instill that mentality.

I don't think Flip is the problem....I don't think he's the solution either. I just feel if I were ownership I'd rather wait him out then pony the dough up now.

[nuposse04]

You do want guys to live and breathe basketball, but I also agree on the culture front. I am of the belief that around 90% of the time the head coach makes little to no difference on the team to be quite frank. In Washington's case, unless there was a coach available who could instill that time of work ethic, I don't feel it is worth while for ownership to end Flip's deal early, pay him the extra years on his contract, and then pony up for a legit coach.

My approach is just to at least rid the team of the current cancers if possible, maybe get a vet with a good attitude who can instill a positive atmosphere in the youth (again, I like McGrady).

How is this guy not a cancer? AB and Javale are dumb (javale is by far the dumbest on the team) but they aren't cancers.

I do agree with many of the examples listed above of guys like Skiles, Rivers, Phil Jackson, Poppovich, Riley, Sloan who have instilled positive strides in their team's mentality.
I wish we coulda got Nate, but portland locked em up

I also feel some vets like in the past with Garnett, Mark Jackson, Brad Miller etc can also instill that mentality.

I don't think Flip is the problem....I don't think he's the solution either. I just feel if I were ownership I'd rather wait him out then pony the dough up now.

[pcbothwel]

I am truly convinced that McGee will never get it and given the natural SLIGHT improvement he will see next year I think he will put us in our current NY situation. Do we give 2 low IQ players 15 mil(5-6 for NY, 9 for McGee)?

<snip>

I then gauge McGee's value and try to move him for an unprotected 2012 pick from a projected lottery team.

I'm open to other scenarios than picks, but I'm 100% on board with your reasoning re: Mcgee. I'm fine with paying Young around $5M on a 2-3 year deal. But I'm not investing anything substantial in McGee. Better to get value for him now IMO.

Could we combine McGee into the Utah trade and make it McGee for Favors, Okur, GSW 2012 pick

Favors is gonna get better pretty quick. Smart, hard working, and plays strong defense. He is a foundation piece or a very attractive piece for Orlando...

[Ruzious]

Not at all knocking the idea of getting a veteran with a great attitude to help the kids - it's a fine idea, but... McGrady is just the worst suggestion to fill that role that I can imagine. This is the guy who's probably caused the most trouble with Detroit this season and was laughing like it was the funniest thing he ever saw when Kuester got ejected. This is the guy who demanded a trade from Orlando because they chose Dwight Howard. Put in simplest terms, he's the polar opposite of Shane Battier.

[fishercob]

What the stats don't say is that Blatche's inefficiency and effort-related statistics may be greatly impacted by a lack of discipline instilled by Wizards leadership (Grunfeld, E Jordan, Tapscott, Saunders). Blatche might be an entirely different player if he were learning from a disciplinarian.

Every problem we attribute to Blatche has been a problem with every major player on this franchise for at least the last 5 years. Pretending like the problem is strictly Blatche and not acknowledging that he is a freakishly talented, multi-skilled 6-11 player under a very, very reasonable contract is throwing out the baby for the bathwater.

There's no question that we, along with some other lackluster franchises, have a troubled culture. Had Blatche been drafted by the post-KG Celtics, the Lakers, the Spurs, or even the Sloan Jazz, he would be a totally different player right now. They tend to have a sink or swim approach, and Blatche would either be out of the league/journeyman or a player with a lot more discipline. Good franchises can afford to cut their losses, in part because good pleyer/coach leadership ensures that the cupboards never actually bare.

Had the Wizards drafted Big Baby, he would probably be sitting along side Michael Sweetney and Sean May at a McDonalds somewhere. Had the Wizards drafted Dejaun Blair, he would probably be ambling around in prosthetics. Had the Wizards kept Bill Walker, he'd probably be putting up Ricky Davis numbers in a losing effort.

There seem to be some coaches with a knack for breaking losing cultures. Skiles is the first that comes to mind -- the Bulls slipped into the doldrums in the late 90s, and he turned things around, then did much the same in Milwaukee. If the right coach and players are brought in when he's forced out, the change could endure for the Bucks. Maggette and Gooden are not the right direction, though.

Doc Rivers' 1999-2000 Orlando team, lead by Darrell Armstrong and Ron Mercer, was the same sort of coaching performance.

It takes the right combination of players, coaching, and management to change a team culture. I think we're probably ok with Leonsis, and Wall is a decent start on the player front, but we don't have a lot else.

To piggy back on Nivek's point, I think this is precisely not the case. Rather, I think that the Spurs, Lakers, Celtics, etc simply would not draft an Andray Blatche but would opt for a less "talented" player who is smart, works hard, and is committed to a team concept.

Today if given the oppportunity, the Spurs would not trade Matt Bonner for Blatche. There's no doubt in my mind. Bonner doesn't dribble behind his back, can't go coast to coast and has never had a 35/15 game (to my knowledge). But he's a winnign player, and they'd rather let other teams drain their resources trying to make the Andray Blatches of the world into productive players.

That's not to say that coaching and leadership don't matter at all, because they do. You may be 100% correct that Big Baby would be half the player here that he is in Boston due to the culture created by Doc, Thibs, KG, Pierce, etc. But when they traded for Davis (a supposed throw-in in the Ray Allen trade) I'm guessing they saw his college success and felt that he was moldable. There's nothing anyone could readily see with Blatche, which is why he dropped to 48 or whenever.

So that's why I think we chose right with John Wall, and I like what we've seen thus far from Booker and Seraphin (but the proof will be in the amount of work they put in this summer). And that's why whomever the pick is this may -- Kanter, Sullinger, etc., -- it's got to be a guy that they believe beyond shadow of a doubt will work tirelessly to be great. It simply cannot be the guy with the highest upside and then just hope for the best. That's part of what got us to where we are now.

[fishercob]

Not at all knocking the idea of getting a veteran with a great attitude to help the kids - it's a fine idea, but... McGrady is just the worst suggestion to fill that role that I can imagine. This is the guy who's probably caused the most trouble with Detroit this season and was laughing like it was the funniest thing he ever saw when Kuester got ejected. This is the guy who demanded a trade from Orlando because they chose Dwight Howard. Put in simplest terms, he's the polar opposite of Shane Battier.

Yeah, I use a pretty broad definition of basketball IQ I suppose -- not just assist rate for his position, but what kind of teammate a guy is. I find it far from coincidence that in McGrady's long career he's won literally nothing, If we're bringing in stopgap veterans, I'd much rather have guys who have had at least some team success and/or are known to be great teammates (Josh Howard, Raja Bell, Derek Fisher-types, etc).

[montestewart]

Not at all knocking the idea of getting a veteran with a great attitude to help the kids - it's a fine idea, but... McGrady is just the worst suggestion to fill that role that I can imagine. This is the guy who's probably caused the most trouble with Detroit this season and was laughing like it was the funniest thing he ever saw when Kuester got ejected. This is the guy who demanded a trade from Orlando because they chose Dwight Howard. Put in simplest terms, he's the polar opposite of Shane Battier.

Yeah, I use a pretty broad definition of basketball IQ I suppose -- not just assist rate for his position, but what kind of teammate a guy is. I find it far from coincidence that in McGrady's long career he's won literally nothing, If we're bringing in stopgap veterans, I'd much rather have guys who have had at least some team success and/or are known to be great teammates (Josh Howard, Raja Bell, Derek Fisher-types, etc).

Maybe they're out there somewhere, but off the top of my head, other than Bill Walton, I can't think of any former max contract superstars that later became veteran "glue guy" role players. Hard to see McGrady being that guy.

[hands11]

Nate is going to kill me, but I just don't love Young at all long term. He shoots fairly well off the ball, but really does little else as an all -around player to suffice even a decent long term contract. He's been in the league long enough to show his worth and the fact is he makes a lot of bone headed plays and just has such an aggravating way about him.

Nick aggravating? I just don't see. Yes, he'll make the occasional boneheaded play (but I don't think he makes a lot of them) and Nick certainly comes across as goofy, especially with that smile of his. But I consider Nick more loveable than aggravating.

Agreed. Last year, Nick was looked at as a great defender who needed to start. And now that he is, folks are creating artificial reasons to criticize him. That's why I hate listening to Jay Glassie on 980 because he consistently put Nick Young in the same category as Blatche/McGee and that's just not true. Even Sheehan, who HATES Blatche, defends Nick Young as a capable NBA scorer when Glassie speaks his non-sense.

And I was one of the most ardent anti-Young posters during his first 2 seasons. And even when he showed solid defense last season, I still would have traded him for a guy like Rudy Fernandez straight up. But now I see Young as a guy that can be a bonafide 3rd option on a solid team. Even Wilbon thinks he can be a 20+ ppg scorer under the right conditions.

Is he a great passer or rebounder? No, he isn't. But how many scoring off guards are? I'm not going to hold something against him that doesn't get held against other guys.

Exactly.

I was just catching up on the posts I missed over the last few days and couldn't believe what I was reading. Nick is a great story. How anyone one can miss that is amazing to me.

No way would I let Nick go. Crawford is a back up PG/SG in my book right now.

Having all three should be pretty sweet moving forward.

Wall/Crawford
Nick/Crawford

Plus Booker, Seraphin, Hamady and a min of another high first this year.

Just watching the game now. Hamady is looking really active and he has that driven look on his face.
He just took a nice charge and was pumped. Nice. I'm looking forward to seeing more of his the rest of the year. I hope he sticks. He looks stronger that he weighs. Just a puppy. Wait till he grows into his paws.

I really like the talent they brought here this year. Seraphin is a beast. So is Booker. And both are just starting to get some minutes. This thing is just getting started. This is just the beginning.

For me, this team has a baseline of lots of young rookie talent that is going to get better in time.
Patience my friends. There is no reason to be in a rush right now.

Nick is a nice piece to keep. He is way talented. I disagree with those who say he doesn't have more upside. I think he still has more in is tank. For one he is likely to get even stronger over the summer. He just started to drive more over the last month and he has been rebounding better. I think he has more to show. That last 20-25% is where the good to great comes in.

This is going to be a good team. Give it time.

If Dray would just seriously hit the weights this off season so he come back with something that looks like shoulder muscles, he can hold down the center spot while they grow and e would be having these shoulder problems. Keep it going another year. Keep McGee. He will get better also.

If I'm going to be a fan of a team that is losing. This is they type of young team I want it to be.

[hands11]

What the stats don't say is that Blatche's inefficiency and effort-related statistics may be greatly impacted by a lack of discipline instilled by Wizards leadership (Grunfeld, E Jordan, Tapscott, Saunders). Blatche might be an entirely different player if he were learning from a disciplinarian.

Every problem we attribute to Blatche has been a problem with every major player on this franchise for at least the last 5 years. Pretending like the problem is strictly Blatche and not acknowledging that he is a freakishly talented, multi-skilled 6-11 player under a very, very reasonable contract is throwing out the baby for the bathwater.

There's no question that we, along with some other lackluster franchises, have a troubled culture. Had Blatche been drafted by the post-KG Celtics, the Lakers, the Spurs, or even the Sloan Jazz, he would be a totally different player right now. They tend to have a sink or swim approach, and Blatche would either be out of the league/journeyman or a player with a lot more discipline. Good franchises can afford to cut their losses, in part because good pleyer/coach leadership ensures that the cupboards never actually bare.

Had the Wizards drafted Big Baby, he would probably be sitting along side Michael Sweetney and Sean May at a McDonalds somewhere. Had the Wizards drafted Dejaun Blair, he would probably be ambling around in prosthetics. Had the Wizards kept Bill Walker, he'd probably be putting up Ricky Davis numbers in a losing effort.

There seem to be some coaches with a knack for breaking losing cultures. Skiles is the first that comes to mind -- the Bulls slipped into the doldrums in the late 90s, and he turned things around, then did much the same in Milwaukee. If the right coach and players are brought in when he's forced out, the change could endure for the Bucks. Maggette and Gooden are not the right direction, though.

Doc Rivers' 1999-2000 Orlando team, lead by Darrell Armstrong and Ron Mercer, was the same sort of coaching performance.

It takes the right combination of players, coaching, and management to change a team culture. I think we're probably ok with Leonsis, and Wall is a decent start on the player front, but we don't have a lot else.

I agree with this totally.

What I would add is what coach could have done a good job with the transition this team has just been through. They had assets they needed to walk on egg shell walk with.. ie Gil. Players you need to keep happy enough to raise their trade value so you can move them. Players you need to play because you have nothing else behind them, Dray. And players you just need to play who aren't problems, but you still need to move them.. Kirk.

With all the injuries, trades, public incidence - Gil and Dray, injuries..Howard, Dray etc.. new players coming and going and DL call ups... this was not a job any coach at Flips level of qualification would take if they new they were taking it.

We are totally lucky we got Flip inked before this thing got blown up. Flip deserves a boat load a appreciation for not being a bad egg about it. He has embraced the challenge once he had a chance to adjust. The Flip bashing to me seems to ignore these facts. No coach as good as Flip would take this job if they knew what the job was going to be. Instead of bashing Flip, I'm ecstatic we have him. It could be so much worse.

He deserves a chance to coach the team in a season where half the team isn't rookies and DL call ups. He has earned that much. He has taken all the crap.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Not at all knocking the idea of getting a veteran with a great attitude to help the kids - it's a fine idea, but... McGrady is just the worst suggestion to fill that role that I can imagine. This is the guy who's probably caused the most trouble with Detroit this season and was laughing like it was the funniest thing he ever saw when Kuester got ejected. This is the guy who demanded a trade from Orlando because they chose Dwight Howard. Put in simplest terms, he's the polar opposite of Shane Battier.

Yeah, I use a pretty broad definition of basketball IQ I suppose -- not just assist rate for his position, but what kind of teammate a guy is. I find it far from coincidence that in McGrady's long career he's won literally nothing, If we're bringing in stopgap veterans, I'd much rather have guys who have had at least some team success and/or are known to be great teammates (Josh Howard, Raja Bell, Derek Fisher-types, etc).

Maybe they're out there somewhere, but off the top of my head, other than Bill Walton, I can't think of any former max contract superstars that later became veteran "glue guy" role players. Hard to see McGrady being that guy.

It rarely happens, but I can think of a few successes with that approach.

--I would consider Grant Hill a very good glue guy.

--The Spurs would consider McDyess a glue guy, I believe. The Trailblazers look really good with Gerald Wallace off their bench, but he's always been a glue guy type and no superstar.

--Back in the day Bob McAdoo went from being a superstar to being an important role player for the Showtime Lakers. Mark Aguirre had been a primary scorer before becoming a role player with the Bad Boy Pistons, behind Isaih Thomas and Joe Dumars.

--The Spurs and the Lakers have taken guys who were formerly shotjacker (IMO) along for the ride in championship seasons: Glenn Robinson and Glenn Rice both have rings IIRC.

--Before the Spurs got Duncan they got Dominique Wilkins at the tail of his career, and he was the same kind of player Grant Hill is now.

--Gilbert's knees are preventing him from being a glue guy with the Magic. Otherwise, I think he'd be great for their system.

About McGrady, he seems far more likely to end up in Orlando, or NY, IMO. I foresee him accepting a sixth man role on a contending team with some stars and a high-profile coach. NO WAY would he want to help the Wizards out.

I usually blast EG and Flip every chance I get, but I think Ernie's done a good job bringing in solid veterans like Hinrich, Howard, and Lewis. Those three have been professional and positive, if not successful in wins. Howard really just has had bad luck with injuries. Lewis, the same. EG got a heck of a lot for Hinrich.

To me, the type veterans the Wizards REALLY need to go after are guys who are underrated, but solid: Jared Dudley, Craig Smith, Ryan Gomes--bring something none to the table. I think rookies that top organizations have drafted should also be trade targets. Devin Ebanks, Derick Caracter, James Anderson, Dominique Jones--they are the type players that I could conceive of trading a young, Wizard for in some sort of package deal.

In general, getting solid glue guys and winners of good character, and that one low block stud in the draft is what the Wizards need to pursue.

[montestewart]

^
Several that I overlooked CCJ; Grant is a really good example, and one that I'd have little objection to here on a short contract. Regardless of what McGrady has left, I think bringing him here would be a terrible move all around. He wouldn't be happy with his role or the team's success. I agree about the kind of veterans to bring here: solid, steady professionals that can lead by example and occasionally lead on the court as well in key roles.