Wiz trade 5th pick to Minnesota

[Benjammin]

A backcourt of Arenas/Miller will get burned every single time down the court. It's not even close to right defensively. It's a guy who is an awful defender next to an old SF playing SG. It's insane. It's completely giving up on defense.

I'll say again (for the final time before I shut-up about this), we have the pieces to trade for both a Brand and a Raja bell type (if we blow our future picks). Don't quote me on this, but something (roughly) like AJ/Blatche/2010 first for Brand and Crit/Young/Stevenson for Raja type/filler -- or mix and match those however you want to make it work. Take R.B. as a back-up point. Sign a vet PF.

Arenas/Foye/R.B.
Bell/Dom/Miller
Caron/Miller/Dom
Brand/MLE/Vet min
Haywood/McGee

That's a championship team. Mr. Smiley out...

I believe that Flip will have play a lot of matchup zone so I can see Miller and Arenas starting the game in the backcourt. Moreover, there are 3s that Miller can cover and allow Butler to guard the 2 on that team. If Butler really is serious about losing all of this weight and being quicker, he should be up for the challenge. He said he's down to 215, making him lighter and shorter than Miller.

I'm as big a fan of Brand's as anyone here, but I'm not trading AJ/Blatche/and a first round pick for him. I'm willing to role the dice, but not to that extent. I like the idea of a Bell-type player, but Bell is declining much faster than Mike Miller is so I don't see Raja as any answer.

[Ruzious]

Sev, we still need to make some moves, but your points are good - look at the competition. There are weaknesses on every team in the East.

[NbdyBeatsTheWiz]

Has Brand shown himself to be completely healthy after his shoulder injury? And I'm assuming he was OK from his achilles injury as well?? If he's littered with question marks it doesn't really effect the fact that I'd covet him, but it makes me wonder if we could get him for well less than his value was, say two years ago.

because as much as I'd like him AJ/Blatche/2010 1st is a LOT to give up

[dandridge 10]

A backcourt of Arenas/Miller will get burned every single time down the court. It's not even close to right defensively. It's a guy who is an awful defender next to an old SF playing SG. It's insane. It's completely giving up on defense.

I'll say again (for the final time before I shut-up about this), we have the pieces to trade for both a Brand and a Raja bell type (if we blow our future picks). Don't quote me on this, but something (roughly) like AJ/Blatche/2010 first for Brand and Crit/Young/Stevenson for Raja type/filler -- or mix and match those however you want to make it work. Take R.B. as a back-up point. Sign a vet PF.

Arenas/Foye/R.B.
Bell/Dom/Miller
Caron/Miller/Dom
Brand/MLE/Vet min
Haywood/McGee

That's a championship team. Mr. Smiley out...

I believe that Flip will have play a lot of matchup zone so I can see Miller and Arenas starting the game in the backcourt. Moreover, there are 3s that Miller can cover and allow Butler to guard the 2 on that team. If Butler really is serious about losing all of this weight and being quicker, he should be up for the challenge. He said he's down to 215, making him lighter and shorter than Miller.

I'm as big a fan of Brand's as anyone here, but I'm not trading AJ/Blatche/and a first round pick for him. I'm willing to role the dice, but not to that extent. I like the idea of a Bell-type player, but Bell is declining much faster than Mike Miller is so I don't see Raja as any answer.

Although I'm not a Blatche fan, we are now way too thin upfront to trade 2 bigs for 1. I'd certainly trade AJ, James expiring and one of our young PG/SG for Brand.

[Wizardspride]

I'm as big a fan of Brand's as anyone here, but I'm not trading AJ/Blatche/and a first round pick for him.

I want Brand here but I wouldn't give up that much for him either.

Since the 76ers are actively shopping Brand and due to his recent history of injury, they're the ones who should be offering a 1st.

[WizarDynasty]

The only big i would give up is jamison. Blatche and McGee definitely stay or its a no deal.

[barelyawake]

LOL I love how all the posts disregard the part where I say mix and match to make it work, and don't quote me etc etc... The point was to overshoot to show we "have the pieces" to get Brand and a Raja Bell-type (the two pieces I believe we need). The point was to show the roster (not the trades). Obviously, if we can get them for less, do it. And certainly with either trade there would probably be a filler big scrub coming back to us to fillout the roster...

And I don't see how it's supposed to be better to put in a zone an Arenas who is often lost as to who his man is in a zone; a Miller who is an older SF and not the quickest; and a Caron who doesn't have the best lateral quickness to roam and double. We need at least one defender to be able to put on their hot man. We need a starter who can defend.

[Ruzious]

Yeah, remember that Philly went after Brand last year only after failing to sign Jamison. The team played poorly with Brand, and then he got another bad injury. I'd love to get the Brand of a few years ago, but the Brand of today isn't the same guy, and he's got a contract worse than Jamison's.

[LyricalRico]

I believe that Flip will have play a lot of matchup zone so I can see Miller and Arenas starting the game in the backcourt. Moreover, there are 3s that Miller can cover and allow Butler to guard the 2 on that team. If Butler really is serious about losing all of this weight and being quicker, he should be up for the challenge. He said he's down to 215, making him lighter and shorter than Miller.

[Benjammin]

Barely,

I'd love to have a starting wing who can really play defense as well. However, the only two options currently on the roster for that would be DMac (and even his defense is overrated) and DeBackashawn (whose defense is also overrated). Moreover, those two guys on offense are from hunger; they are putrid. Now if you can make a deal that doesn't gut the team for a two way wing player who plays defense well and is offense is average, I'm right there with you. But given the options currently on the roster this team will continue to have to outscore other teams because of superior offense, not defense.

I will agree that to nitpick about your mix and match deals (which I did) wasn't very productive. But any time a deal is proposed, however casually, it will likely be analyzed and evaluated.

As for Brand, I would be willing to take the chance that even if he doesn't come all the way back, he will give the Wizards more of what they need than Jamison, even taking into account his contract. But I'm not willing to risk that and also give the 76ers Blatche and a first round pick.

[Ruzious]

No doubt, there will have to be smart mixing and matching defensively. McGuire is going to have fit in well in the type of role that Posey did between Pierce and Allen. Of course, Dom's got to learn to make open 3's.

[Benjammin]

No doubt, there will have to be smart mixing and matching defensively. McGuire is going to have fit in well in the type of role that Posey did between Pierce and Allen. Of course, Dom's got to learn to make open 3's.

Dom's got to learn how make open anythings, but 3's would be good as well. His mid range shot did seem to improve somewhat as the season wore on at least.

[WizarDynasty]

I believe that Flip will have play a lot of matchup zone so I can see Miller and Arenas starting the game in the backcourt. Moreover, there are 3s that Miller can cover and allow Butler to guard the 2 on that team. If Butler really is serious about losing all of this weight and being quicker, he should be up for the challenge. He said he's down to 215, making him lighter and shorter than Miller.

CAron at 215? Wow. He was 222 coming into the league. If he really is 215, that is amazing and really good for the wizards. If he get's as close to 210, he is really going to blossom on defense.

[keynote]

From Lee's latest Insider:

Saunders was excited about added[sic] Miller, who gives him several options on the floor. Saunders said he could play Miller anywhere from power forward to shooting guard, adding that Miller has some playmaking ability and can bring the ball up the floor from time to time.

Will the Wizards ever move away from small ball?

[Benjammin]

From Lee's latest Insider:

Saunders was excited about added[sic] Miller, who gives him several options on the floor. Saunders said he could play Miller anywhere from power forward to shooting guard, adding that Miller has some playmaking ability and can bring the ball up the floor from time to time.

Will the Wizards ever move away from small ball?

I saw that too, averted my eyes, and prayed that I would never see Miller playing the 4. Hopefully Flip was just gushing about how versatile Miller is, and nothing more than that.

[WizarDynasty]

From Lee's latest Insider:

Saunders was excited about added[sic] Miller, who gives him several options on the floor. Saunders said he could play Miller anywhere from power forward to shooting guard, adding that Miller has some playmaking ability and can bring the ball up the floor from time to time.

Will the Wizards ever move away from small ball?

I saw that too, averted my eyes, and prayed that I would never see Miller playing the 4. Hopefully Flip was just gushing about how versatile Miller is, and nothing more than that.

I think miller would be effective at the four if Magic go with Lewis at the four. I would definitely rather see 6'8 w/o shoes Miller guarding out on the perimeter versus 6'8 w/o shoes Jamison guarding out on the perimeter against rashard lewis.

[queridiculo]

Call me crazy, but there's no way I give up Jamison for Brand.

He's the one consistent player on this team you can rely on to play the majority of the season and presents a match up problem just about every night.

Given Butlers and Arena's injury history Brand isn't the type of player I'd take a flyer on.

[keynote]

I would definitely rather see 6'8 w/o shoes Miller guarding out on the perimeter versus 6'8 w/o shoes Jamison guarding out on the perimeter against rashard lewis.

I don't want to see either of them out there like that. They'll twist an ankle, or get their toes stepped on.

[Soup's Uncle]

Call me crazy, but there's no way I give up Jamison for Brand.

He's the one consistent player on this team you can rely on to play the majority of the season and presents a match up problem just about every night.

Given Butlers and Arena's injury history Brand isn't the type of player I'd take a flyer on.

BIG TIME +1...Brand is made out of wheat thins man...

[nate33]

If the plan is to start Stevenson, then I hate this trade even more than I originally thought. If Stevenson gets 20-25 minutes a game, then we just traded Songaila and the #5 so we can play Mike Miller for 20 minutes a game at backup SG/SF.

Hell, Stevenson is the sixth-best SG on the roster behind Butler, Miller, Young, Foye and DMac. There is no way he should start.

Nate, if Stevenson is healthy and not traded, I would not be surprised at all to see him start with Foye and Miller as reserves. Foye would back up Arenas, NY back up Stevenson and Miller backing up Caron). I'm not necessarily advocating that, just stating it as highly possible. Also, I don't necessarily agree that Stevenson would be the sixth best SG if healthy. Maybe so if you consider the injured Stevenson we had last year, but not necessarily so for the 2 years before last. I think some people forget that he actually fit pretty well when we had Arenas, Jamison, Butler and Haywood playing together and he was healthy. In fact, I remember quite a few people on this board said "Larry Hughes who?"

If that's the case, if Stevenson does indeed regain his old form and forces his way into the starting rotation, then the trade was an absolutely STUPID trade to make. Foye is no better than Young. So we lose Songaila and the #5 so we can play Miller as our backup SF. Yay.

I'd much rather have Curry or Harden.

My other problem is that, if they believe Stevenson is a starting caliber player, than it means that they honestly believe that the team from 3 years ago was basically a championship caliber contender. They believe that the only missing piece was a solid SG/SF coming off the bench. That's it. Everything else was good. Indeed, we were so good that we can afford to lose a quality backup PF like Songaila without missing a beat.

I'm sorry, but I can't go along with that premise. If Stevenson is a starter, he better be VASTLY improved from the Stevenson of 3 years ago. Otherwise, we are no better than a 2nd round playoff team, if we're lucky.