Jan Vesely Part II: He a Bust

[nate33]

Does anybody recall exactly what was going on with Wilson Chandler and Kenyon Martin playing in China during the lockout season? Is that analogous?

[Ruzious]

Bobby Jones was one of my fav all time players. easily.

Wiz's fans most fervent wish ought to be that Ves becomes a small
fraction of the player Jones was.

I don't have much hope for this happening unfortunately. Part of me
still irrationally clings to the wish that JV could play like some of the
other big energy guys who actually have been successful in the NBA.
Players like Noah (I know yeah right) or even Birdman. Those are
models for players that JV should try to model himself after.

Me too - at least non-Bullets favorites. The ultimate in hustle and team play while also being talented. Ya know one former Bullet reminded me of him - except he was on his way to being maybe even better (and was bigger) over a much shorter period - but never got the credit I thought he deserved - as a player. But he left the Bullets and then soon got a career-ending injury. Do you know who I'm talking about? <No, not Ruland>

[montestewart]

Bobby Jones was one of my fav all time players. easily.

Wiz's fans most fervent wish ought to be that Ves becomes a small
fraction of the player Jones was.

I don't have much hope for this happening unfortunately. Part of me
still irrationally clings to the wish that JV could play like some of the
other big energy guys who actually have been successful in the NBA.
Players like Noah (I know yeah right) or even Birdman. Those are
models for players that JV should try to model himself after.

Me too - at least non-Bullets favorites. The ultimate in hustle and team play while also being talented. Ya know one former Bullet reminded me of him - except he was on his way to being maybe even better (and was bigger) over a much shorter period - but never got the credit I thought he deserved - as a player. But he left the Bullets and then soon got a career-ending injury. Do you know who I'm talking about? <No, not Ruland>

Kupchak? I forget how his career ended.

[Rafael122]

I'm not entirely sure if there's a website dedicated to this but I'm seeing snippets on Twitter about an interview with Jan Vesely. Here's the page: https://twitter.com/Luke_Mellow

Holy **** who is this guy? He sounds like he knows he's never going to contribute anything meaningful in the NBA, no confidence. I admire the kid for being so open, but there's no reason why he should be on this team this year, or even next (God forbid his option gets picked up).

[closg00]

http://www.truthaboutit.net/2013/06/jan ... more-29589

Truly sad.

[FreeBalling]

106.7 is addressing this topic right now. He sounds like a quitter.


Just win baby!

[Ruzious]

Bobby Jones was one of my fav all time players. easily.

Wiz's fans most fervent wish ought to be that Ves becomes a small
fraction of the player Jones was.

I don't have much hope for this happening unfortunately. Part of me
still irrationally clings to the wish that JV could play like some of the
other big energy guys who actually have been successful in the NBA.
Players like Noah (I know yeah right) or even Birdman. Those are
models for players that JV should try to model himself after.

Me too - at least non-Bullets favorites. The ultimate in hustle and team play while also being talented. Ya know one former Bullet reminded me of him - except he was on his way to being maybe even better (and was bigger) over a much shorter period - but never got the credit I thought he deserved - as a player. But he left the Bullets and then soon got a career-ending injury. Do you know who I'm talking about? <No, not Ruland>

Kupchak? I forget how his career ended.

Sorry for the delayed response - Ah fergot. Yes - Kupchak. When he filled in for Hayes and Unseld, there was little to no dropoff - and often improvement. I thought he was unsung and not just a young reserve to group in with Greg Ballard - who was solid but limited. Kupchak went to the Lakers - Magic Johnson loved him - but 20 some games into his career there, he got a devestating knee injury. He came back a couple years later but wasn't the same.

[nate33]

http://www.truthaboutit.net/2013/06/jan-vesely-on-mental-toughness-team-chemistry-and-coffee-after-practice-interview-translation.html#more-29589

Truly sad.

Am I missing something? What is sad about that Q&A?

Granted, it's sad that Vesely is a bust, but I'm not seeing why people are labeling him a quitter. He is saying all the right things.

EDIT: Nevermind. Just read the twitter feed. His quotes there aren't so good.

[FAH1223]

Jan would probably be shooting threes for the Spurs and playing defense in the finals right now if they picked him in 2011

[Dat2U]

http://dc.sbnation.com/washington-wizar ... on-wizards

Give Ernie Grunfeld and the Washington Wizards credit: their selection of Jan Vesely with the No. 6 overall pick of the 2011 NBA Draft wasn't a gut feeing. They weren't wowed by an individual workout, nor were they overjoyed because of a couple YouTube highlight clips. They picked Vesely after scouting him for years, essentially since the 21-year old first left his native Czech Republic and became a member of Serbian powerhouse Partizan Belgrade.

Of course, that's exactly the reason this is a pivotal moment for Grunfeld and his team of scouts and executives. During Vesely's introductory press conference, one fact became very clear: Vesely was their guy. Heck, Grunfeld noted that Vesely very well may have been his pick last year had he gone pro and the Wizards didn't win the lottery.

The pick of Vesely, though, is the first lottery pick in the Wall era, and it requires us to implicitly trust the exhaustive analysis Grunfeld and his team of scouts have done. It's cliché and it's necessary, but Grunfeld and the rest of the organization have put a lot of pressure on themselves with this selection.

"This is a pick that Flip [Saunders] and the front office and Ernie were unanimous on," owner Ted Leonsis said

.

[Rafael122]

I'm waiting for the obligatory "I was misquoted" interview.

[closg00]

Jan would probably be shooting threes for the Spurs and playing defense in the finals right now if they picked him in 2011

There is little doubt that the Spurs would have given Jan his best chance at succeeding in the NBA. Instead of DNP's, Jan would have played on the Spurs NBDL farm team for starters.

[Dat2U]

More quotes:

When [Vice President of Player Personnel] Milt Newton went and saw Jan two years ago, he came back and he told me, ‘You're gonna love him,' Saunders said. "He reminds me a lot of [Kevin] Garnett, from a standpoint of his energy and his motor. When a guy plays like that, as a coach, it becomes very difficult for you not to find somehow to play him."

http://www.bulletsforever.com/2011/6/27 ... -nba-draft

Vesely was on their radar for a long time: During the press conference, Flip Saunders said the Wizards identified Vesely "a few years ago" as a guy they wanted. Grunfeld elaborated on that, saying the Wizards had followed him for "three years, at least." He added that they "intensified that process" the last couple years, when Vesely was potentially draft-eligible. He even said that they would have considered taking him last year had he stayed in the draft and had the Wizards not won the lottery.
"Last year, we [originally] had the fifth or sixth pick, and he was one of the guys in our wheelhouse as we were really looking at."
Grunfeld himself said he saw him play two or three times in person this year, and was also scouting him at the Euroleague Final Four last year.

On how high Vesely was on their board: Not figuring to get much of an answer, I nevertheless asked Grunfeld which players they rated high on their draft board and where Vesely fit in on that list. I was surprised to get a fairly candid response from Grunfeld.
"Every draft, you have groupings, and he was definitely in that top grouping. We didn't know what position it was (ed. note: translation: we know, but we're not going to tell you), but the three European players (ed. note: Enes Kanter, Jonas Valanciunas and Vesely) were in there along with [Derrick] Williams and [Kyrie] Irving and one or two other players. Tristan Thompson -- nobody thought he'd go 4 -- but he was in that grouping too."
So essentially, the Wizards' top tier was the top six players in the draft. That's why Grunfeld said he was never worried about Vesely going higher than 6.
"You're concerned, but you have to be prepared," he said. "We knew our list, we knew who we wanted and we felt good that we had six players up on the board. We knew we'd get one of those six. So it just depended on what position, but it worked out well for us and for Jan. He comes to a team he likes, number one, and has a player like a John [Wall] that can make the game easier for him."

[TGW]

LOL they scouted Vesely for years.

Milt Newton said Vesely would be loved.

They grouped Vesely, Kanter, Val, Williams, and Irving together as the top of their draft board.

And now this loser, with no skills whatsoever, is complaining about his role and going to the d-league.

Talk about mismanagement. Sheesh. I wonder if we're going to get another Ted "I support our young players" blog post on ted's take.

This front office is really clueless.

[Rafael122]

LOL they scouted Vesely for years.

Milt Newton said Vesely would be loved.

They grouped Vesely, Kanter, Val, Williams, and Irving together as the top of their draft board.

Talk about mismanagement. Sheesh.

Eh, every team has a tier system similar to what Dat has. Just so happens the first 3 were taken before us, and Vesely was their next guy on the board. I'd like to have seen where they ranked Leonard.

[TGW]

LOL they scouted Vesely for years.

Milt Newton said Vesely would be loved.

They grouped Vesely, Kanter, Val, Williams, and Irving together as the top of their draft board.

Talk about mismanagement. Sheesh.

Eh, every team has a tier system similar to what Dat has. Just so happens the first 3 were taken before us, and Vesely was their next guy on the board. I'd like to have seen where they ranked Leonard.

That's not the point. The fact that they grouped Vesely with those guys shows you just how poor the scouting staff is. Those guys are legitimate top-of-the-board players...Vesely is barely 2nd round material.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

http://dc.sbnation.com/washington-wizards/2011/6/28/2247888/jan-vesely-ernie-grunfeld-washington-wizards

Give Ernie Grunfeld and the Washington Wizards credit: their selection of Jan Vesely with the No. 6 overall pick of the 2011 NBA Draft wasn't a gut feeing. They weren't wowed by an individual workout, nor were they overjoyed because of a couple YouTube highlight clips. They picked Vesely after scouting him for years, essentially since the 21-year old first left his native Czech Republic and became a member of Serbian powerhouse Partizan Belgrade.

Of course, that's exactly the reason this is a pivotal moment for Grunfeld and his team of scouts and executives. During Vesely's introductory press conference, one fact became very clear: Vesely was their guy. Heck, Grunfeld noted that Vesely very well may have been his pick last year had he gone pro and the Wizards didn't win the lottery.

The pick of Vesely, though, is the first lottery pick in the Wall era, and it requires us to implicitly trust the exhaustive analysis Grunfeld and his team of scouts have done. It's cliché and it's necessary, but Grunfeld and the rest of the organization have put a lot of pressure on themselves with this selection.

"This is a pick that Flip [Saunders] and the front office and Ernie were unanimous on," owner Ted Leonsis said

.

One more thing to remember Flip for.

Miller and Foye instead of Curry/Rubio ... and Vesely was Flip Saunders' and Ernie's guy.

[sfam]

Interesting post by Mike Prada:

http://www.bulletsforever.com/2013/6/12/4422934/jan-vesely-interview-washington-wizards

Vesely is basically saying the Wizards drafted him to be a player he's not. That they want him to get over 260, and that they changed his shot 3 separate times, leaving him with absolutely no confidence.

A good bit of this should clearly be on Vesely, but its not exactly shocking to hear the Wizards have done everything possible to screw this kid up. Their player development coaches really should be incarcerated for theivery. Is there any other organization as bad at the Wizards at developing talent?

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I've posted many times the Wizards drafted a guy who played SF in Europe and they brought him over here and asked him to change. I posted below on 12/1/12

What monte just said, I agree. He's a bust for a 6th pick but in a different situation JV can look better. Move him or not, whatever.

Last season, Jan Vesely played 1007 minutes.

The Wizards were +1.9 points per 100 possessions BETTER with Jan on the court than they were with him on the bench.

http://www.82games.com/1112/11WAS14.HTM

How was that possible? Who did he replace? Javale McGee, Rashard Lewis, Andray Blatche, Trevor Booker. Vesely is 2 years younger than McGee or Booker. Jan is still filling in to his body. He's new to the NBA. YET, the team was better with Vesely on the court last season. At the end of the season Vesely was playing his best basketball.

The significant difference this season is there is no James Singleton and there are guys like Okafor, Chris Singleton, and healthy Booker ahead of Vesely at PF. Jan has regressed for that reason. James spread the court which helped. The other guys are ahead of Vesely at PF. Jan has no role.

He a bust for where he was picked, but the Wizards are idiots. I hope Vesely gets traded to a team like the Spurs so the Wizards can watch him have a useful career. Dominic McGuire got waived by Toronto, but he impressed in Golden State and he's still bouncing around the league. Jan Vesely is 7-freaking feet tall.

Personally, I would wait and see how Vesely does when Wall comes back.

If I coached the Wizards, very occasionally, I would play Vesely at SMALL FORWARD at times. The guy is a hustle player who can pass and who can finish at the rim. I would utilize Webster and Ariza at SG a lot more often. Vesely at SF would be a 5-minute thing, depending on a match up. His role would be pass, rebound, do garbage stuff. He would play whenever the opposing SF was a non scorer. I would play Vesely at all three frontcourt positions but his role would be: to provide hustle/energy.

[sfam]

I've posted many times the Wizards drafted a guy who played SF in Europe and they brought him over here and asked him to change. I posted below on 12/1/12...

Yeah, you nailed it. What if instead of asking him to go full "neck fat" Blatche on the weight gain and screwing up his shot, they instead had Vesely work on his handle? I don't know that he would have played well enough to justify the pick, but he sure as heck wouldn't have been the putrid mess we saw this past year.