queridiculo wrote:TGW wrote:
Yes. And that's why I don't care for Shepperd's "vision." This team has no identity, and the goal of this offseason seemed as though it was just to get warm bodies to fill out the rotation. Other than maybe Hachimura (who I think won't do much this season), no one he picked up is going to move the meter. As a matter of fact, the team got significantly worse defensively.
I'm so/so on the moves Sheppard did in the draft and I like the transactions he made to replenish the Wizards 2nd rounders.
I'm also willing to give him credit for the Bertans signing, basically got a rotation player that can shoot for free.
Now where I'm really disappointed is where the Wizards are from a competitive standpoint.
I'm willing to concede that the Wizards don't have much of a chance of being competitive this year, however, to me that doesn't mean that the Wizards shouldn't at least try.
Going into the offseason Washington essentially had two positions settled, SG and C and gaping holes everywhere else.
What the Wizards needed was rebounding and defense and they had the full MLE at their disposal along with their BAE and they might still get the DPE.
Sheppard's answer, Ish Smith.
I have no problem with this signing in isolation and if this had been a S&T of sorts fine, to bust our MLE on a player that doesn't help the areas of need in the slightest is unforgivable.
Zero vision, zero identity for this group that was assembled.
Rondae-Hollis Jefferson went to Toronto on a minimum deal, you're telling me the Wizards couldn't have done better?
RHJ is not much of a shooter but he would have given us some much needed defense and rebounding and with him in the fold the CJ Miles trade actually would have made some sense.
I give up... really.
We came into this season with Beal, Wall, Mahinmi, Howard & Brown Jr. signed for just under $90m. That's $19m shy of the cap with 5 players -- of whom we would want/be able to play two this year. In essence, in other words, we had two players.
We re-signed Bryant. We drafted Rui Hachimura. Now we have 4 players, & we are $7m shy of the cap.
Exactly what is the way to "try" to be competitive? Re: Miles -- don't you think Tommy called every contact he has in the league, i.e. everyone, to see whether anyone wanted to take Howard off his hands? & took the best deal he could get? Of course he did! You think he needs you to tell him to do that?
Now we still have 4 players who can take the floor, but now we are $3.5m shy of the cap. Ah, but we'd bought a R2 pick & nabbed Admiral. Figure he'll cost something like $1m this year. Did you not want to do that? How about Robinson? Figure almost another $1m. Not a good idea either? Why didn't we get Paul George instead, so we could be "competitive?"
Well, those guys were cheap; that helps. Now we have 6 guys who can play, and wow we still have $1.5m in cap room.
Nothing to dislike so far, right? How about the Lakers deal -- cost us nothing & brought us 3 maybe 4 players -- including Mo Wagner whom you wanted to draft in R1 last year -- plus a R2 pick.
So, what's the problem? You didn't like the trade for Bertans? Is that it? Instead you wanted someone else, someone whose name you already knew.
Right now we have 12 guys signed to guaranteed contracts for just under $124m. Admiral & Robinson aren't signed. Lets assume them in: that's 14 guaranteed contracts (Robinson will only be partially guaranteed) & $126m. McRae, Phillip & Jones are unaccounted for as yet.
Dat, nate & I would have signed Jake Layman & simply eaten Howard's contract instead of acquiring Miles. That puts about $1m higher in salary. Would we have become "competitive" with Layman instead of Miles? We'd also have signed Noah Vonleh instead of trading for Bertans.
I prefer both those moves, obviously. But, I don't know that Layman was interested in coming here. & I don't know whether he'll continue to play better than he ever has (which is what he did last season). & I don't know whether Vonleh wanted to come here either. He signed with Minny -- as did Layman.
So... once again -- what's your beef? That we signed Ish Smith? If we hadn't signed him we could have "at least tried" to be "competitive this year?" Is that it?
How?
Not to challenge either of you, but why don't you go into our "GM for a day" thread & describe the way you'd have handled the off season? It's fantasy but it's fun. Will you be able to do a better job than Tommy Sheppard? TBH, I wonder whether any of us who tried really were better than him -- or would be in the real world where you can't make a move happen simply by writing down a description of it!
