2012 NBA Draft

[pancakes3]

i'd much rather have a pf/c tweener than a sf/pf tweener. having tall guys down low is crucial for a jumpshooting team. those offensive rebounds aren't going to get themselves. if you have a PF making passes from the high post, that's 1 less guy in the scrum fighting for your rebounds.

[no D in Hibachi]

Furthermore given the current state of the Wizards, in terms of the attitudes around the locker room and the culture of losing, I firmly believe this is the worst possible place to try and groom a "project" player. I'm imagining Jones being inserted into our locker room as is, and I can't help but feel he'd lose focus and pick up all of our team's bad habits. Our team simply has no professionalism and no maturity. I can't see Jones succeeding with the Wizards organization. We need a no nonsense player who has the drive and dedication to get better and win basketball games, and to challenge our current players who have lost sight of why they're here in the first place. If we can't get one of the top two or three picks, then I'd strongly prefer taking a guy like Sullinger or Robinson with the pick than a guy like Jones.

I don't see how you can possibly make the assertion that Jones isn't a no nonsence player and lacks dedication to get better and win basketball games. In fact, he's gotten substantially better from last year and he's the best player on an undefeated team. Just cause he's not a lunch pail player, and just because his game resembles Andray Blatches doesn't mean hes not dedicated or a winner.

By the way, how bout the triple negative...isn't a no nonsence player.

[Illuminaire]

As someone who hasn't actually seen Jones play, I have to ask... what is he actually /good/ at, aside from looking like a basketball player?

His FG% is good but he doesn't take many shots. His rebounding is strictly average. His assist/TO ratio is putrid. He doesn't block that many shots or get very many steals. He doesn't seem to be a bad basketball player by any means, but nothing in his box scores stands out as a guy who's worth a top-10 pick.

What am I missing?

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I'd just like to point out that Thomas Robinson is averaging 12 rebounds a game in just 30 minutes, in college basketball. Why can't he average 14 boards a game in the NBA? Those numbers are sick.

If not 14, Robinson can average 11 or 12 rebounds with high percentage scoring, go'stags.

There's not much to dislike about Robinson IMO.

[Ruzious]

I'd just like to point out that Thomas Robinson is averaging 12 rebounds a game in just 30 minutes, in college basketball. Why can't he average 14 boards a game in the NBA? Those numbers are sick.

I gotta say that's a pretty good point. And considering he had an even higher rebound rate last season in limited minutes, he's probably going to be a damn good rebounder. What's impressed me is his offensive improvement - he's expanding his range and not turning the ball over at anywhere near the pace he did last season - and he's got the Amare style spin moves. I'd be excited to have either Robinson or Sullinger (if we can't get Davis) - and actually see physical toughness from a skilled Wiz player. Btw, Sullinger playing well against another talented 7 footer today as Ohio State was crushing highly ranked Indiana.

[nate33]

I would love to find a way to trade our #1-3 pick plus Vesely for the #5 pick and #6 pick and somehow come away with Thomas Robinson and MKG. Then sign Rudy Fernandez, trade Blatche for Ben Gordon, and acquire a veteran backup C - a Nazr Mohammed type.

PG Wall/Gordon
SG Fernandez/Gordon
SF MKG/Singleton
PF Robinson/Booker
C McGee/veteran

[The Consiglieri]

i want perry jones. i think he has superstar potential. keep a lookout for this guy.

I'm worried he's too raw and that he doesn't have the killer instinct an NBA star needs. He is too content letting his teammates take shots, especially late in the game. He can be the most physically gifted kid in the world, but if he doesn't take control and lead his team to victory, then he's never going to be a force in the NBA. He also hasn't progressed hardly at all from last season as far as I can tell.

Maybe I'm being harsh, but I just can't help but be terrified of getting stuck with a raw, project player who's never going to develop into a star. It's players like Jones that end up being complete busts IMO. Ones where you'll look back 5 years from now and say how it was so obvious and we should have seen it coming that he was all potential and physical gifts, but he just wasn't good enough at the actual game of basketball.

Not to mention he's a stick and a real tweener IMO. I can't help but think about Anthony Randolph every time I watch Jones play. I'm terrified that we'll end up with a top 5 pick this season and waste it on Anthony Randolph 2.0. Jones might not be that guy, he might end up great, but there's just something that really rubs me the wrong way about him.

I'd prefer to take a guy like Sullinger, whose ceiling might not be as high, but is much more ready for the NBA immediately and is also much more likely to be solid enough to stick around in the NBA. I don't want to see a top 5 pick go to a "potential" player who turns into a "project". We don't have time for that, we need NBA ready talent, and quick.

I understand your fear, and feel it too, but my worst dread is having one of the worst seasons in NBA history, even one of the worst ever for us, and then coming out of the draft with a low ceiling at best above average player in Sully. I'd love to get another #1 and trade up for him via a major trade in six weeks or whenever the deadline is set for this year (has it been moved?) but I'd be absolutely freaking infuriated if we went through this misery and a third consecutive year of absolute horse manure basketball only to get a league average to above average player in return for it. Granted that would be more than what we got in '09 after that asinine trade for Miller and Foye, but we're 1-11 or is it 1-12, starting down the barrel of a single digit win season and we're gonna come out in July, and get an unathletic, low ceiling, hard worker as a reward? I like him for BBIQ, and his work rate, but we ARE NEVER GETTING ANYWHERE without an elite, jump out the gym star from this draft or next or both, and coming out of this season with nothing better than Sully is a recipe for a ceiling of 35-45 wins for the forseeable future and that's pathetic to me.

This isn't an argument for PJIII, I'm skeptical too, he just seems so damn beta to me, i dont think he's a loon, or a jerk, i just think he's shy and passive, and sometimes this can pay off, like with Art Monk, but far too often, these guys just can't impose their will and never have the killer instinct to dagger opponents, and just drag teams to glory. So I dont want him either, and the positive right now, is it seems hard to imagine it being even possible that we could finish any better than top 3 worst in the league, probably worse, i see worst overall, or 2nd worst as most likely and in my book, that means we're staring at a 1st overall to 4th overall pick. Lets find 4 guys or maybe 5 that have the potential for greatness.

Sully does not. I don't see it in him period. I would glady, however, deal multiple players, and future picks to get him in addition to a legit future star as a glue guy hard as hell worker with great work habits, just not in any way shape or fashion, the guy we target with the pick we're rewarded with for winning 5-15 games this year (and I'll grant 15 is looking like a pipe dream).

[hands11]

I would love to find a way to trade our #1-3 pick plus Vesely for the #5 pick and #6 pick and somehow come away with Thomas Robinson and MKG. Then sign Rudy Fernandez, trade Blatche for Ben Gordon, and acquire a veteran backup C - a Nazr Mohammed type.

PG Wall/Gordon
SG Fernandez/Gordon
SF MKG/Singleton
PF Robinson/Booker
C McGee/veteran

I don't know exactly how it will go down and honestly, I'm not looking that closely yet because there are a lot of things that can happen between now and then but absolutely... those are the potential kind of moves that this organization is set up to make.

That's the plan. Build talent this year and evaluate. High picks. Lots of cap. Everything is wide open.

Fun times for those of you to spend a lot of time in this thread and the trade thread. There are a ton of options. They can slow build or cash in or something in between.

I'm leaning away from drafting high potential high bust players. Get bigs that play a roll or pure shooters at SG or SF. And go for maturity/personality. Now if there is a legit star, sure, go for it.

But right now, I would be happy if they simply added players like Zeller, Beal, Lamb, Henson, Robinson

[The Consiglieri]

Furthermore given the current state of the Wizards, in terms of the attitudes around the locker room and the culture of losing, I firmly believe this is the worst possible place to try and groom a "project" player. I'm imagining Jones being inserted into our locker room as is, and I can't help but feel he'd lose focus and pick up all of our team's bad habits. Our team simply has no professionalism and no maturity. I can't see Jones succeeding with the Wizards organization. We need a no nonsense player who has the drive and dedication to get better and win basketball games, and to challenge our current players who have lost sight of why they're here in the first place. If we can't get one of the top two or three picks, then I'd strongly prefer taking a guy like Sullinger or Robinson with the pick than a guy like Jones.

Do you really think we will have the same locker room for a draftee? New GM or no I cannot imagine the same room being tolerated, I think this year they will id the guys they want back, the building blocks, and the guys worth continuing to look at. Counting all these guys we have: McGee and Wall (building blocks), Vesely, Singleton, Booker (guys they want back), and Mack, Crawford, and Seraphin. That's it, as David Thorpe alluded too, they can't even figure out what they have as long as they have me first pain in the arse vets like Young and Blatche stinking up the room, they need to create Wall's team, as you allude too, the room stinks and stinks bad. Well, they aren't going to have the same room period. Only 7 or 8 of the guys on this roster will probably be back for sure, the rest will be irrelevant filler (if they come back), not the guys that contribute to the bad situation in the first place, so I don't think we necessairly have to worry about having yet another kid ruined by the poor atmosphere/chemistry issue.

All that being said, I dont think they're going to take him anyway, i think the most likely targets are Davis, Drummond, and MKG, after that my fear and terror begins with guys like Sully, but in the end, Sully may be the best we can do if we slip to 4 or 5, then I'd tolerate it, no way in hell would I at 1, 2 or 3 though, and lets give it time, guys like Irving, Kemba Walker, and Derrick Williams built their rise to top status with what they did these last few months to differing degrees and guys like Kantner, Valunciunas, and Vesely grabbed their slots because well, nobody else was around with a rep to push them out of it. A lots gonna happen in the next 10 weeks, a lot of reshuffling, we'll see what happens.

[closg00]

I would love to find a way to trade our #1-3 pick plus Vesely for the #5 pick and #6 pick and somehow come away with Thomas Robinson and MKG. Then sign Rudy Fernandez, trade Blatche for Ben Gordon, and acquire a veteran backup C - a Nazr Mohammed type.

PG Wall/Gordon
SG Fernandez/Gordon
SF MKG/Singleton
PF Robinson/Booker
C McGee/veteran

I am truly hoping that Ted will realize that he has to ditch the slow-build approach, if he doesn't we face losing McGee and Wall right after. McGee could be the first cornerstone piece for the Wizards ahead of Wall.

Edit: At-least there are no foreign projects for Ernie to fixate on for next draft.

[Jay81]

we really need 2 top 10 lottery picks. Maybe we trade down and do that..

[The Consiglieri]

I'd just like to point out that Thomas Robinson is averaging 12 rebounds a game in just 30 minutes, in college basketball. Why can't he average 14 boards a game in the NBA? Those numbers are sick.

If not 14, Robinson can average 11 or 12 rebounds with high percentage scoring, go'stags.

There's not much to dislike about Robinson IMO.

I think we're all gonna be watching him close down the stretch of conference, conference tournament, and NCAA Tourney time, he could be one of the worst case scenario options, that I wouldn't mind getting or trading up for (gosh I hope we move some problem children come the deadline, for picks-want the culture chance to be built upon young kids with great attitudes and work habits).

[sfam]

we really need 2 top 10 lottery picks. Maybe we trade down and do that..

It all depends on whether you believe your pick will be a franchise level player. If you're envisioning Davis to be the next Tim Duncan, no way do you trade him. Same thing with MKG, who may just be sitting at the top of this draft class come May.

[The Consiglieri]

we really need 2 top 10 lottery picks. Maybe we trade down and do that..

It all depends on whether you believe your pick will be a franchise level player. If you're envisioning Davis to be the next Tim Duncan, no way do you trade him. Same thing with MKG, who may just be sitting at the top of this draft class come May.

Yep, I would not trade out of top 2 period. No way. I want access to Davis, and MKG, and the possibility of taking or trading the rights to Drummond as we see fit. What I'd like to do is a package deal of a Nick Young rental to either a playoff starved, or a contender that needs a guy who can score, for assets that can get us, or directly get us an extra first rounder. Who can we trade that has value? Singleton, Vesely, and NY I imagine, plus those 2 second rounders, when does Lewis have that expiring? In '13? I would definitely move Young though, for assets, and if we can't package the second rounders in the deal, I'd consider trading the 2nd rounders and a future #1 to move into the top 10-15. This draft feels 15 deep, maybe 20 in difference making possibilities pending declarations following the season.

[Illuminaire]

If we can spin Singleton or Vesely + trash into another top-12 pick, I think we do that without looking back.

[closg00]

I think a Young rental/trade is our most realistic option for getting us anything of value, but which playoff team is desperate for scoring?

[dangermouse]

Just thinking about that "Wall hates Barnes" tweet...

It was probably worded that way on purpouse to drum up some controversy and gain attention that way. I doubt Wall doesnt like Barnes and wouldnt welcome him onto the Wizards or anything like that... I think its more a case of he knows we'll be picking high, obviously, and he would rather have MKG at SF because he seems like he's the real deal, and plus he's a Kentucky guy.

[pancakes3]

last year was the year to trade picks, not this year. as many others have said - our team lacks talent. in a deep big-man draft, it's no time to get greedy and parlay a top 3 pick into a top 10 and a mid-teen. we need a power forward something fierce and there are 3-4 projected NBA starting-caliber power forwards all slotted to go in the top 6 picks. let's not out-think ourselves here.

[jivelikenice]

we really need 2 top 10 lottery picks. Maybe we trade down and do that..

2 top 10 picks? No...Pick 1 elite talent and that's it! No more young players. We have young guys on the team now who don't know how to play. How would adding two more help?

[Illuminaire]

we really need 2 top 10 lottery picks. Maybe we trade down and do that..

2 top 10 picks? No...Pick 1 elite talent and that's it! No more young players. We have young guys on the team now who don't know how to play. How would adding two more help?

Because not all young players are clueless on the court. Some can come right in and play.

More to the point, we need talent period. How would not adding more talent help?