Slather me, Lather me, Blather me - 2011 Draft Thread 5

[nate33]

Mack was the 6th best leaper at the combine with a 39-inch vertical. He has a huge 6-7.5 wingspan relative to his 6-1 height (no shoes). His 3/4 court sprint was very fast but his lane agility was pretty poor for a PG.

[P'Oed]

How many incredibly HUGE shots did we see Mack hit in the NCAA tournament the past 2 years? A very solid pick. I really think all of these guys are gonna unite around being hardworking and hungry. And Wall is the absolute leader of them all. I really think we're gonna be going into next year's draft with a really great foundation here.

[Ruzious]

You gotta hand it to EG. He's certainly executing Leonsis' plan well. Every player drafted in the Leonsis era has been a hard worker who plays with energy and passion. In a couple of years after everyone gets some experience, this group should be a fun team to coach.

Has he picked anyone who can shoot? I guess the thought process is that players can learn to shoot if they have good work ethics.

[bej6789]

As you can see I don't post on here very much -- but I just wanted to share a few thoughts about the Wizards draft. Being a serious draft fan, as I'm sure many of you are as well, I don't know how you can walk away from tonight feeling anything but pumped.

Starting with Vesely, I love the pick. I don't know why he's not getting more love on this board. All too often when there are drafts, fans get their minds set on a player and if your team doesn't take the player you want -- it's a "meh" feeling. That's totally understandable, but sometimes teams do know what they're doing. It sounds a bit 'apologist' like, but it's true. In the days leading up to the draft, including tonight, I'm reading a whole lot of material that has Vesely listed as the perfect compliment to John Wall. The way the Wizards are built, that's ideal. Given the wave of talent that's come to the eastern conference -- the way you beat teams like Miami and Chicago is going to be at the defensive end of the floor. You need players with energy, passion, and most importantly -- length. Matchup wise, the Wizards 3-5 don't match up with any playoff team. While not a defensive stud, Vesely's length will give most 3's and some 4's in the NBA problems when it comes to getting off their shots. Offensively he gets after it, and if he turns out to be AK-47... NOBODY should be mad at that.

The Singleton pick is quite frankly the best pick of the 1st round. As I mentioned previously, you're going to have to play defense to win in the east. If you remember, Deshawn Stevenson used to be the best defender on the team. That alone should make you happy about Singleton. As a lifelong ACC fan, Leonard Hamilton simply produces basketball players. The Wizards finally have a player that they can honestly say matches up against Kevin Durant, Lebron James, etc. You're never going to stop those types of players, but it'll be a whole heck of a lot better than watching Nick Young stopping the ball on the way down the court.

Last, but certainly not least, Shelvin Mack. LOVE. THIS. PICK. I read the scouting report listed on CNNSI's site, and the best part about him is that he has "no bs in his game." When you look at players like that, think about the Wizards and how much "BS" they have in their games. Mcgee, Blatche, Young, all of them define BS when it comes to basketball a lot of the time. A clean, fundamental guard who can run the show when Wall needs a breather is the perfect fit for this ball club.

I know it may seem like I have the blue goggles on tonight, but it's definitely a night to enjoy. The Wizards could've wet the bet this draft, but they didn't. They took the players they had to take and the ones they were supposed to select. You can't argue with any selection, and I'd give them a solid "A" for their job tonight.

[sfam]

You gotta hand it to EG. He's certainly executing Leonsis' plan well. Every player drafted in the Leonsis era has been a hard worker who plays with energy and passion. In a couple of years after everyone gets some experience, this group should be a fun team to coach.

Has he picked anyone who can shoot? I guess the thought process is that players can learn to shoot if they have good work ethics.

I'm more than OK having games in the 80s that we have a good chance of winning

[nate33]

You gotta hand it to EG. He's certainly executing Leonsis' plan well. Every player drafted in the Leonsis era has been a hard worker who plays with energy and passion. In a couple of years after everyone gets some experience, this group should be a fun team to coach.

Has he picked anyone who can shoot? I guess the thought process is that players can learn to shoot if they have good work ethics.

Agreed. Shooting will be a problem for a while. You can't have it all.

Can we hire Hopla back?

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

You gotta hand it to EG. He's certainly executing Leonsis' plan well. Every player drafted in the Leonsis era has been a hard worker who plays with energy and passion. In a couple of years after everyone gets some experience, this group should be a fun team to coach.

Partial list of Wizard transactions so far:

1. Out: Yi Jianlian
In: Jan (my GF is horny) Vesely.

Passion bucket (which NFL coach says this, Gruden)? increased big time.

2. Out: Oft-injured Josh Howard
In: Chris (which teams passed on me, I'm making a list) Singleton.

If he is healthy that is an improvement. To pick him at 18 bodes very well for him to at least be a value pick.

3. Out: Mustafa Shakur/ Cartier Martin/ Larry Owens?
In: Shelvin Mack

Could be the Wizards very own D-League Showdown as to who sticks.

[pineappleheadindc]

"Jan (my GF is horny) Vesely"?

SMH

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

YES!! I haven't posted much this year, as I have been busy, but I really, really like Shelvin Mack. Tough, hard nosed defender, with some actual game. Good shooter, even off the dribble, and is smart as hell. Butler was one of the smartest college teams I'v seen in a long time, and he was the starting PG. A winner. I had been hoping for a while he would be our pick, and kind of had a feeling he would be selected. Great pick IMO.

Good enough for me. His stats aren't real good, but he's as much a winner as anyone in college basketball. And he looks like a running back - sorta like Vinnie "Microwave" Johnson from the old Pistons. His strength and leaping ability can help make up for some of his lack of height, and he can team with Wall. I see him as an emergency PG and more of a 2 than anything else. Very good guy to have on the roster - though I wouldn't project him ever being a regular rotation player.

Just heard Ernie on 106.7 The Fan say he likes Mack as Wall's backup because of his shooting and his coming from a winning environment, and back-to-back Final games.

Microwave Johnson--that's what I wanted in Jenkins, but Mack's intriguing for sure.

[fishercob]

As you can see I don't post on here very much -- but I just wanted to share a few thoughts about the Wizards draft. Being a serious draft fan, as I'm sure many of you are as well, I don't know how you can walk away from tonight feeling anything but pumped.

Starting with Vesely, I love the pick. I don't know why he's not getting more love on this board. All too often when there are drafts, fans get their minds set on a player and if your team doesn't take the player you want -- it's a "meh" feeling. That's totally understandable, but sometimes teams do know what they're doing. It sounds a bit 'apologist' like, but it's true. In the days leading up to the draft, including tonight, I'm reading a whole lot of material that has Vesely listed as the perfect compliment to John Wall. The way the Wizards are built, that's ideal. Given the wave of talent that's come to the eastern conference -- the way you beat teams like Miami and Chicago is going to be at the defensive end of the floor. You need players with energy, passion, and most importantly -- length. Matchup wise, the Wizards 3-5 don't match up with any playoff team. While not a defensive stud, Vesely's length will give most 3's and some 4's in the NBA problems when it comes to getting off their shots. Offensively he gets after it, and if he turns out to be AK-47... NOBODY should be mad at that.

The Singleton pick is quite frankly the best pick of the 1st round. As I mentioned previously, you're going to have to play defense to win in the east. If you remember, Deshawn Stevenson used to be the best defender on the team. That alone should make you happy about Singleton. As a lifelong ACC fan, Leonard Hamilton simply produces basketball players. The Wizards finally have a player that they can honestly say matches up against Kevin Durant, Lebron James, etc. You're never going to stop those types of players, but it'll be a whole heck of a lot better than watching Nick Young stopping the ball on the way down the court.

Last, but certainly not least, Shelvin Mack. LOVE. THIS. PICK. I read the scouting report listed on CNNSI's site, and the best part about him is that he has "no bs in his game." When you look at players like that, think about the Wizards and how much "BS" they have in their games. Mcgee, Blatche, Young, all of them define BS when it comes to basketball a lot of the time. A clean, fundamental guard who can run the show when Wall needs a breather is the perfect fit for this ball club.

I know it may seem like I have the blue goggles on tonight, but it's definitely a night to enjoy. The Wizards could've wet the bet this draft, but they didn't. They took the players they had to take and the ones they were supposed to select. You can't argue with any selection, and I'd give them a solid "A" for their job tonight.

Great post. Please share your thoughts more often.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

"Jan (my GF is horny) Vesely"?

SMH

You must have missed the coverage, Pine.

Instead of getting a perfunctory kiss when he was selected his GF and he went a bit beyond and then some.

[pineappleheadindc]

Yeah, CCJ. I was with my daughter till now.

Is his GF at least worth looking at?

[Ruzious]

Bucks have to be very happy to have local boy Leuer (sp?) slip to them. Dude can flat out shoot, and they had been talking about trading Ilyosova - a similar type player.

[Ruzious]

You gotta hand it to EG. He's certainly executing Leonsis' plan well. Every player drafted in the Leonsis era has been a hard worker who plays with energy and passion. In a couple of years after everyone gets some experience, this group should be a fun team to coach.

Has he picked anyone who can shoot? I guess the thought process is that players can learn to shoot if they have good work ethics.

I'm more than OK having games in the 80s that we have a good chance of winning

But other than potentially Singleton, are there any great defenders among them?

[CaPtaiN eYeSaNo]

Yeah, CCJ. I was with my daughter till now.

Is his GF at least worth looking at?

[dobrojim]

Just back from the draft party leaving after the 18th pick

what did everyone say?

Seems like they did about as well as they could have under the
circumstances to me. Vesely definitely has questions but has
a high motor and elite athleticism as well as some apparent
understanding of how to play.

Singleton is a guy I know some of us (Sev) are happy to see pick.
Put me in that camp. Just saw the replay on 34. Was kinda expecting
them to take Jenkins but Mack seems like a reasonable pick as well.

Now how much of a season will we have.

[SumTingWong]

Yeah, CCJ. I was with my daughter till now.

Is his GF at least worth looking at?

You be the judge...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrxaHI_rf8k

The big moment occurs at about the 1:40 mark. Even the NJ/NY crowd started to raucously cheer when they went at it.

[BanndNDC]

not a fan of the mack pick. i think he's overrated and will have a hard time playing the 1. "toughness" is new ernie obsession

would have rather taken williams, jenkins or selby or draft n' stash bertrans.

I think two combo guards could work well for our backup team. Mack with Crawford is an interesting pairing.

i'm looking forward to having mack and booker on the floor against juwan howard so they can stick him on his ass. i just think eg's gone overboard with the toughness idea.

it's just a 2nd round pick so it's no big deal. i guess crawford can cover for his physical point guard skills and mack can provide the mental point guard skills. it wasnt a good value pick but he'll tide us over for 2 years.

[Higga]

Honestly we could have taken just Singleton and Mack and I would have been fine. Vesley is like a bonus for me. I know he was our lotto pick but this was a weak class and I think overall we had a nice haul.

[Terpman]

Yeah, CCJ. I was with my daughter till now.

Is his GF at least worth looking at?

You be the judge...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrxaHI_rf8k

The big moment occurs at about the 1:40 mark. Even the NJ/NY crowd started to raucously cheer when they went at it.

Hot GF. If his game matches his girl....NBA TITLE