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Re: 2020 Draft

Posted: Thu Oct 8, 2020 7:51 pm
by Ruzious
payitforward wrote:
Frichuela wrote:
DCZards wrote:I feel ya! The Zards need to get a LOT better in those areas you point out.

It's nice to have excellent guards and wings and outside shooting big men like Bryant, but until the Zards get better at rebounding, rim protection and overall D we will continue to get punked in the paint and on the boards.

Okongwu would be my first choice but I would not be disappointed at all if the Zards end up drafting Achiuwa at 9. It’s no more of a stretch drafting Precious at 9 than it would be drafting Vassell or Haliburton.

Agreed on Okongwu.

On Achiuwa, I wonder if it's best they pick the best available wing at #9 (provided Okongwu is gone) and choose a Paul Reed at #37.

Even better, we trade back with Pelicans, Boston or the Nets and get:

1) Hart +#13 (Sadiq Bey/Nesmith?) for #9. At #37 pick Paul Reed.
2) #14 (Sadiq Bey/Nesmith?) + #26 (Tillman) for #9. At #37 pick the best available guard (Flynn/Riller/Winston/Pritchard). FYI- I think Tillman will be picked in the 1st round.
3) #19 (Tyrell Terry) + Jarrett Allen + Temple (TO) for #9 + Bryant. At #37 pick Paul Reed.

Without being certain I'd make the same picks you mention, any of these moves beats picking Achiuwa with the #9 pick:

1. Your first one would almost certainly get us Achiuwa anyway -- if there weren't someone better at #13.
2. Your 2d, with Boston, would be a steal -- I'm not sure they'd give us #14 & #26 for #9 -- that's a bit much to move 5 spots. But... it's possible -- could be made to work.
3. I don't think I'd pick Tyrell Terry in that scenario... just don't think there's enough data to justify it.

Tyrell Terry is another great 3 point shootist in this draft. He's small, but no smaller that Lillard. I'm not saying he's the next Lillard, but he could be close to him. Will that size make him an injury risk? I don't know. And yes, that was me asking myself a question and answering it - if saying I don't know counts as an answer. I have him going between 15 and 20.

Re: 2020 Draft

Posted: Thu Oct 8, 2020 10:57 pm
by payitforward
Ruzious wrote:
payitforward wrote:
Frichuela wrote:Agreed on Okongwu.

On Achiuwa, I wonder if it's best they pick the best available wing at #9 (provided Okongwu is gone) and choose a Paul Reed at #37.

Even better, we trade back with Pelicans, Boston or the Nets and get:

1) Hart +#13 (Sadiq Bey/Nesmith?) for #9. At #37 pick Paul Reed.
2) #14 (Sadiq Bey/Nesmith?) + #26 (Tillman) for #9. At #37 pick the best available guard (Flynn/Riller/Winston/Pritchard). FYI- I think Tillman will be picked in the 1st round.
3) #19 (Tyrell Terry) + Jarrett Allen + Temple (TO) for #9 + Bryant. At #37 pick Paul Reed.

Without being certain I'd make the same picks you mention, any of these moves beats picking Achiuwa with the #9 pick:

1. Your first one would almost certainly get us Achiuwa anyway -- if there weren't someone better at #13.
2. Your 2d, with Boston, would be a steal -- I'm not sure they'd give us #14 & #26 for #9 -- that's a bit much to move 5 spots. But... it's possible -- could be made to work.
3. I don't think I'd pick Tyrell Terry in that scenario... just don't think there's enough data to justify it.

Tyrell Terry is another great 3 point shootist in this draft. He's small, but no smaller that Lillard. I'm not saying he's the next Lillard, but he could be close to him. Will that size make him an injury risk? I don't know. And yes, that was me asking myself a question and answering it - if saying I don't know counts as an answer. I have him going between 15 and 20.

Do I know whether "I don't know" counts as an answer to your own question? That's a great question, Ruz. I don't know.

Re: 2020 Draft

Posted: Thu Oct 8, 2020 11:11 pm
by Ruzious
I laughed. Your answer was better than my question. I think.

Re: 2020 Draft

Posted: Thu Oct 8, 2020 11:33 pm
by payitforward
I don't know about that, Ruz.... :)

Re: 2020 Draft

Posted: Thu Oct 8, 2020 11:45 pm
by payitforward

Re: 2020 Draft

Posted: Thu Oct 8, 2020 11:52 pm
by Ruzious

I think it's odd that he chose to go the same school as Wiseman - assuming Wiseman chose first - which might be wrong. Hopefully he wasn't thinking that he'd be a forward in the NBA. I concur with the article that he's strictly a smallball center. Definitely an explosive athlete. To me, he's like a little smaller Robert Williams.

Re: 2020 Draft

Posted: Fri Oct 9, 2020 12:25 am
by payitforward
Williams is an excellent comparison for Achiuwa, Ruz! Good thinking.

Except, Robert Williams was a much better prospect out of college than Precious is. (Possibly with the exception of his time management skills!)

Here's what I mean:

1. Precious Achiuwa's Freshman numbers aren't as good as Robert Williams' were.
2. Achiuwa's numbers came against a lower level of competition than Williams' numbers did.
3. Above all, Robert williams played a 2d year of college ball & improved a lot on his already excellent Freshman numbers.

Williams was picked #27 in the 2018 draft. Yet, we have some here who'd like to take Precious Achiuwa at #9 this year.

I find that hard to understand.

As well, I'm pretty sure everyone who's thinking Achiuwa would be good, because "he brings rebounding," was delighted last year when we went all in on Rui Hachimura -- a PF who doesn't rebound!

What am I missing?

Re: 2020 Draft

Posted: Fri Oct 9, 2020 1:12 am
by doclinkin
payitforward wrote:
As well, I'm pretty sure everyone who's thinking Achiuwa would be good, because "he brings rebounding," was delighted last year when we went all in on Rui Hachimura -- a PF who doesn't rebound!

What am I missing?


NCAA Basketball reference. Search: all players who played at least 10 games, >15 minutes per game. Sort by Defensive Rating for points allowed per 100 possessions: Precious Achiuwa #2 in the Nation. Sort by Defensive Win Score: Precious Achiuwa #1 in the Nation.

Eye test: NBA moves, room to grow? Yes. Showed a few intuitive athletic advanced moves, footwork, agility for size, etc. . Anthropometrics: short neck and high shoulders so he will measure short, but wingspan and reach are solid. Frame to add muscle and strength.

He's not my first choice at #9, but he adds more than rebounding. As an athletic and mobile defender with good size, on the defensive end he can fill holes left by Rui or Bryant. With proper scheme and coaching. Offensively he's a work in progress. Defensively yeah he'll be a rookie, and defensive players rarely show an instant effect in the league. Rookies are foul magnets, offense gives highlights and earns playing time and cheers and respect from refs. Hard to motivate if you struggle early, or don't get the minutes, one reason why I like high energy bigs who self motivate. But what he does well definitely has a role on this team. We would need better defensive coaching and a Big Man skills coach to maximize his raw talents. But in the proper situation and system I can see him growing swiftly into a gamechanger for the team that brings him up right.

Re: 2020 Draft

Posted: Fri Oct 9, 2020 1:38 pm
by payitforward
doclinkin wrote:
payitforward wrote:
As well, I'm pretty sure everyone who's thinking Achiuwa would be good, because "he brings rebounding," was delighted last year when we went all in on Rui Hachimura -- a PF who doesn't rebound!

What am I missing?


NCAA Basketball reference. Search: all players who played at least 10 games, >15 minutes per game. Sort by Defensive Rating for points allowed per 100 possessions: Precious Achiuwa #2 in the Nation. Sort by Defensive Win Score: Precious Achiuwa #1 in the Nation.

Eye test: NBA moves, room to grow? Yes. Showed a few intuitive athletic advanced moves, footwork, agility for size, etc. . Anthropometrics: short neck and high shoulders so he will measure short, but wingspan and reach are solid. Frame to add muscle and strength.

He's not my first choice at #9, but he adds more than rebounding. As an athletic and mobile defender with good size, on the defensive end he can fill holes left by Rui or Bryant. With proper scheme and coaching. Offensively he's a work in progress. Defensively yeah he'll be a rookie, and defensive players rarely show an instant effect in the league. Rookies are foul magnets, offense gives highlights and earns playing time and cheers and respect from refs. Hard to motivate if you struggle early, or don't get the minutes, one reason why I like high energy bigs who self motivate. But what he does well definitely has a role on this team. We would need better defensive coaching and a Big Man skills coach to maximize his raw talents. But in the proper situation and system I can see him growing swiftly into a gamechanger for the team that brings him up right.

doc -- I don't find anything at all to disagree with in your description. Nothing at all. Of course, neither you nor I knows whether he'll reach any of these goals -- but we could as well say that about any prospect in this draft or any draft.

I've tried to make the distinction between "draft pick" & "player" a bunch of times; I'll try once more:

Suppose you & I were co-GMs of an NBA team & that we had the #9 in this year's draft.

Suppose as well that somehow we were vouchsafed an exclusive glance into the future, where we saw that the best player by far to come out of this draft would be Vernon Carey, Jr. No one else knows this; only we do.

Would we use our #9 pick in the draft on Vernon Carey, Jr.? Or... would we trade up & pick him? Of course not! We wouldn't do either of those things!

That's the difference between a "draft pick" & player. A draft pick is like a shovel. A player is the shovelful you pick up with the shovel. You want to get the most you can in each shovelful. & if you get to use that shovel one more time than whoever you are competing with -- so much the better.

What we would do, of course, is trade down. Now, armed with this secret knowledge, we wouldn't be super-speculative. Most people think Carey will go in R2; we wouldn't trade down that far. Let's assume we'd trade with Philly for their #21 & their #34 (or whatever would be the appropriate extra value).

All the more if our secret peek into the future also revealed that Malachi Flyn was going to be one of the ten best players out of this draft. No one's got Flynn in, or anywhere near, R1, so we'd take him with that #34 pick.

Apply to the question of Precious Achiuwa. Now, we don't have a secret glance into the future, alas, but the question doesn't change: do you think Precious is likely to be the 9th best player (or better)? &, if you do, do you also think we would be unable to get him by trading down?

Those would be the only reasons to reach for him. To "go all in." Tommy did that last year -- he said he did. Explicitly. If he does it again this year... we'll be seeking a new GM pretty soon.

Who's your first choice at #9,

Re: 2020 Draft

Posted: Fri Oct 9, 2020 3:28 pm
by doclinkin
My first choice at #9 is to trade up for Okongwu. I don't think he will last to us by being patient, and I think he is not only a fit but one of the best players available in this draft. Depth is nice, but teams truly win or lose by the quality of their starters. Okongwu plays a role that is prized by other teams and is an increasingly rare commodity: a playable defensive big.

My second choice would be to listen to trades. I do think there is a solid likelihood that Achiuwa will be the 9th best player in this draft. I also have a solid conviction that there will be players selected well past 9 who will be more productive than players selected in the top 10. The trouble is there are teams ahead of us who have made it clear they feel the same way. This year many people are talking about trading back. And the players people talk about trading up for are projected to go well before #9. We can talk all we want about trading down, but you need partners to do so. I don't see us getting great value from a trade down. I think the best value may even be in trading back while picking up future picks, from teams relying on one or two stars who are vulnerable to injury or dissatisfaction. Still, with this team the front office is looking for instant impact within the timeframe of a Beal/Wall backcourt. I'm not going anywhere as a fan, for me I can think long term, those two have only a few years together. I doubt the front office will satisfy your jones for trading back for a billion rookies year after year to see who sticks. That Process landed great talent in Philly, and also got the architect of the concept fired. Prepare to be disappointed if you think this is the only right approach the team can make. I honestly think the team would be more likely to trade for a currently productive player packaged with a trade back. Which I know would make many on this board shout spit flecked invective at their screens, but hey. Be prepared. Forewarned is forearmed and all that. We don't have great assets for a swap like this, but I expect the team has a few people they are looking at.

Third choice is of course to take whomever falls that is higher rated. Best player available at #9 seems to be among Devin Vassell, Killian Hayes, Isaac Okoro, etc. I don't think Halliburton lasts, I'd take him if he fell to us, but wouldn't trade up for him. I like Vassell and Okoro pretty well, I like Patrick WIlliams and Aaron Nesmith in the same range. I think Williams is significantly underrated and will prove better than players picked ahead of him. He has the feel of a player who can both add strength to play big and add skill to play Small Forward. Versatile with good effort on defense, good athleticism. High FT% suggests he can add range. We need talent so I wouldn't worry that he would deplete the value of Rui by fitting the same roster slot. I don't know that the front office staff feels the same way. Too many assets at the same position means teams offer you less in trade if you try to swap out for better fit at a different position. But I'd be fine if the team saw value in giving Rui competition at forward. Anyway, I get the feel that this is the range where teams will find career productive starters. There are swing for the fences guys like Pokusevski here, but career productive starter is an upgrade for us. I don't have a BPA at this spot that makes me giddy. Most I'm okay with, and willing to trust the analytics staff we have scouting for us. We have seen surprises in Bryant, TBJ, Bonga -- not allstars but players developing nicely at their position. Garrison Matthews was on no ones radar. I'm okay with trusting the front office if they see soemthing worth developing in a guy like Achiuwa. At this point we have all researched these players to death so I can talk myself into or out of any particular player.

Re: 2020 Draft

Posted: Fri Oct 9, 2020 5:27 pm
by Ruzious
And if Detroit says Warshington: We want to pick Okongwu - but if you want him, howzabout this: We'll give you the 7th pick for the 9th pick but only if you also give us Rui for Detroit's 2021 1st rounder (no protection except: if it's the 1st pick, Washington switches 2021 1sts with Detroit).

Detroit's 2021 1st is worth a lot. So, we get the player we want (Okongwu), we lose Rui, and we get a more talented player than Rui in the 2021 draft. I like that better than getting Okongwu with the 9th pick. And throw them a bone - they'd probably like to have Jerome Robinson since he put up some empty numbers at the end of the season.

Re: 2020 Draft

Posted: Fri Oct 9, 2020 6:00 pm
by payitforward
Lots here. Take 2 posts to engage with these thoughts.
doclinkin wrote:My first choice at #9 is to trade up for Okongwu. I don't think he will last to us by being patient, and I think he is not only a fit but one of the best players available in this draft. Depth is nice, but teams truly win or lose by the quality of their starters. Okongwu plays a role that is prized by other teams and is an increasingly rare commodity: a playable defensive big.

Agree
doclinkin wrote:My second choice would be to listen to trades. I do think there is a solid likelihood that Achiuwa will be the 9th best player in this draft....

Certainly possible. I conclude, however, that I am wasting my time trying to distinguish between "a draft pick" & "a player."
doclinkin wrote:I also have a solid conviction that there will be players selected well past 9 who will be more productive than players selected in the top 10....

As there are every single year in every single draft, of course -- lots & lots of them every year.
doclinkin wrote:The trouble is there are teams ahead of us who have made it clear they feel the same way. This year many people are talking about trading back. And the players people talk about trading up for are projected to go well before #9. We can talk all we want about trading down, but you need partners to do so....

Absolutely true, doc. I don't know whether trading down for a fair return is possible. & you don't know whether it's impossible. Ditto for last year or any year.

Anyway, we don't make trades or turn them down. All we can discuss is "what would be the best thing to do?" It's not always possible to do that best thing (or even the 2d best), but if you can't attempt to figure out what it is, then you are lost.
doclinkin wrote:I don't see us getting great value from a trade down. I think the best value may even be in trading back while picking up future picks, from teams relying on one or two stars who are vulnerable to injury or dissatisfaction....

Could be...
doclinkin wrote:... with this team the front office is looking for instant impact within the timeframe of a Beal/Wall backcourt. ...

That's one thing they're looking for. But, they haven't traded picks for veterans, & Tommy shown equal interest in getting super young guys (Bonga, Brown, etc.) as he has in picking up veterans (Bertans).
doclinkin wrote:I doubt the front office will satisfy your jones for trading back for a billion rookies year after year to see who sticks. That Process landed great talent in Philly, and also got the architect of the concept fired....

Shocked! I'm shocked to hear you suggest that they won't do as I say! I can't believe you would think such a thing, doc.

As to firing me -- just let them try!
doclinkin wrote:...Prepare to be disappointed if you think this is the only right approach the team can make. I honestly think the team would be more likely to trade for a currently productive player packaged with a trade back. Which I know would make many on this board shout spit flecked invective at their screens, but hey. Be prepared. Forewarned is forearmed and all that. We don't have great assets for a swap like this, but I expect the team has a few people they are looking at...

Anything's possible, of course. But, actually, there's not much to suggest that this is likely. As to "right approach" -- approach to what, doc? To getting back to the Ernie-inspired, decades-long sub-.500 team we used to be?

However bad we are as a young, rebuilding team, it's a lot more fun to be a Wizards fan than it has been for a very very long time. I'm guessing Ted & company understand this.

Re: 2020 Draft

Posted: Fri Oct 9, 2020 6:21 pm
by payitforward
doclinkin wrote:...I like Patrick WIlliams ...think Williams is significantly underrated and will prove better than players picked ahead of him. He has the feel of a player who can both add strength to play big and add skill to play Small Forward. Versatile with good effort on defense, good athleticism. High FT% suggests he can add range...

Without looking for an argument, doc, I would love to understand why you like Patrick Williams. & not just you -- kid is mocked pretty high.

I'm pretty sure I have never seen a player succeed in the league who put up numbers like those Williams has put up. & I do mean never. If you have one in mind, I'd love to hear about it.

Williams posted an efg% of under 50%. He doesn't rebound. He doesn't show as a good passer (very low assists), & he turns the ball over a lot for a guy who really wasn't very high usage.

I can't figure out what people see in him. Admittedly, he was a Freshman.... But, still... To me he looks overrated rather than, as you describe him, "significantly underrated," & I'd love to understand what it is you & others are seeing.

Re: 2020 Draft

Posted: Fri Oct 9, 2020 6:23 pm
by nate33
Ruzious wrote:And if Detroit says Warshington: We want to pick Okongwu - but if you want him, howzabout this: We'll give you the 7th pick for the 9th pick but only if you also give us Rui for Detroit's 2021 1st rounder (no protection except: if it's the 1st pick, Washington switches 2021 1sts with Detroit).

Detroit's 2021 1st is worth a lot. So, we get the player we want (Okongwu), we lose Rui, and we get a more talented player than Rui in the 2021 draft. I like that better than getting Okongwu with the 9th pick. And throw them a bone - they'd probably like to have Jerome Robinson since he put up some empty numbers at the end of the season.

I don't think that scenario makes sense for either team. Washington is trying to engineer a quick turnaround, and Rui, right now, in his 2nd season, is going to be more useful than a future draft pick that we don't get until next season and likely won't be a rotation-caliber player until 2022-23. Meanwhile, Detroit is on the opposite track. They dumped Drummond and will probably move Rose. (They'll move Blake if they can.) They'd rather have the high-beta upside of a future lotto pick than Rui, who may or may not pan out as a useful player, but it is unlikely to be a star.

Re: 2020 Draft

Posted: Fri Oct 9, 2020 6:57 pm
by doclinkin
payitforward wrote:
doclinkin wrote:...I like Patrick WIlliams ...think Williams is significantly underrated and will prove better than players picked ahead of him. He has the feel of a player who can both add strength to play big and add skill to play Small Forward. Versatile with good effort on defense, good athleticism. High FT% suggests he can add range...

Without looking for an argument, doc, I would love to understand why you like Patrick Williams. & not just you -- kid is mocked pretty high.

I'm pretty sure I have never seen a player succeed in the league who put up numbers like those Williams has put up. & I do mean never. If you have one in mind, I'd love to hear about it.



Recency bias. He was the guy I had just watched :clown:

I like his form on his FT's. As a marker for development of a 3fg shot it's a decent indicator. He had a few standout defensive plays on a strong defensive team. But yeah, mostly that I had just watched his highlights :D. When I look into his game numbers you are right, and actually he came up smallest when facing the toughest competition, which for me is never a good sign.

Re: 2020 Draft

Posted: Fri Oct 9, 2020 10:16 pm
by Ruzious
nate33 wrote:
Ruzious wrote:And if Detroit says Warshington: We want to pick Okongwu - but if you want him, howzabout this: We'll give you the 7th pick for the 9th pick but only if you also give us Rui for Detroit's 2021 1st rounder (no protection except: if it's the 1st pick, Washington switches 2021 1sts with Detroit).

Detroit's 2021 1st is worth a lot. So, we get the player we want (Okongwu), we lose Rui, and we get a more talented player than Rui in the 2021 draft. I like that better than getting Okongwu with the 9th pick. And throw them a bone - they'd probably like to have Jerome Robinson since he put up some empty numbers at the end of the season.

I don't think that scenario makes sense for either team. Washington is trying to engineer a quick turnaround, and Rui, right now, in his 2nd season, is going to be more useful than a future draft pick that we don't get until next season and likely won't be a rotation-caliber player until 2022-23. Meanwhile, Detroit is on the opposite track. They dumped Drummond and will probably move Rose. (They'll move Blake if they can.) They'd rather have the high-beta upside of a future lotto pick than Rui, who may or may not pan out as a useful player, but it is unlikely to be a star.

I get your thought processes there and realize most agree with you. The basic disagreement I have with the majority view is I doubt Rui helps lead any quick turnaround - other than a fight for an 8th seed. But because he's a young player that others seem to like - quite a bit, he's probably exactly the kind of player that would attract a young team like Detroit. For them, it'd be like getting their FRP in advance - rather than being a completely unwatchable team next season - which they probably will be if they don't add some young talent - and they've only got 1 pick this draft. And there's really no chance the Wiz rise above mediocrity if they don't get a quality defender up front - it's just not going to happen. Not to mention, we need 2-way players. Bonga's the only front court player we have that begins to play defense, and at this point he doesn't do much on offense. We're on the road to nowhere if we don't get Okongwu and others, and we need to change our route if he's going earlier than 9.

Re: 2020 Draft

Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2020 12:14 am
by payitforward
doclinkin wrote:
payitforward wrote:
doclinkin wrote:...I like Patrick WIlliams ...think Williams is significantly underrated and will prove better than players picked ahead of him. He has the feel of a player who can both add strength to play big and add skill to play Small Forward. Versatile with good effort on defense, good athleticism. High FT% suggests he can add range...

Without looking for an argument, doc, I would love to understand why you like Patrick Williams. & not just you -- kid is mocked pretty high.

I'm pretty sure I have never seen a player succeed in the league who put up numbers like those Williams has put up. & I do mean never. If you have one in mind, I'd love to hear about it.

Recency bias. He was the guy I had just watched :clown:

I like his form on his FT's. As a marker for development of a 3fg shot it's a decent indicator. He had a few standout defensive plays on a strong defensive team. But yeah, mostly that I had just watched his highlights :D. When I look into his game numbers you are right, and actually he came up smallest when facing the toughest competition, which for me is never a good sign.

Well, that's more or less how he looks to me. But, of course, this leaves the underlying fact that a whole lot of people seem to think he's a really good prospect.

It'll be interesting to watch how he turns out. Probably not a practical issue for us, as there's nothing so far to suggest we have him in our sights.

Re: 2020 Draft

Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2020 2:54 am
by nate33
Ruzious wrote:I get your thought processes there and realize most agree with you. The basic disagreement I have with the majority view is I doubt Rui helps lead any quick turnaround - other than a fight for an 8th seed. But because he's a young player that others seem to like - quite a bit, he's probably exactly the kind of player that would attract a young team like Detroit. For them, it'd be like getting their FRP in advance - rather than being a completely unwatchable team next season - which they probably will be if they don't add some young talent - and they've only got 1 pick this draft. And there's really no chance the Wiz rise above mediocrity if they don't get a quality defender up front - it's just not going to happen. Not to mention, we need 2-way players. Bonga's the only front court player we have that begins to play defense, and at this point he doesn't do much on offense. We're on the road to nowhere if we don't get Okongwu and others, and we need to change our route if he's going earlier than 9.

I'm not as down on Rui as you are, but even if you are right, and even if Wizards' management agreed with you and wanted to try and sell high on Rui, I just don't see them trading him for a future pick. Wall only has so many years left and they're not going to punt on the next two of them while they wait for a pick and wait another year to groom that pick.

They could conceivably look to trade Rui as part of a package for Miles Turner, Aaron Gordon or Wendell Carter, but they won't trade him for a 2021 pick. If they did that, they should also look to trade Wall at the first conceivable opportunity.

Re: 2020 Draft

Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2020 10:11 am
by Ruzious
nate33 wrote:
Ruzious wrote:I get your thought processes there and realize most agree with you. The basic disagreement I have with the majority view is I doubt Rui helps lead any quick turnaround - other than a fight for an 8th seed. But because he's a young player that others seem to like - quite a bit, he's probably exactly the kind of player that would attract a young team like Detroit. For them, it'd be like getting their FRP in advance - rather than being a completely unwatchable team next season - which they probably will be if they don't add some young talent - and they've only got 1 pick this draft. And there's really no chance the Wiz rise above mediocrity if they don't get a quality defender up front - it's just not going to happen. Not to mention, we need 2-way players. Bonga's the only front court player we have that begins to play defense, and at this point he doesn't do much on offense. We're on the road to nowhere if we don't get Okongwu and others, and we need to change our route if he's going earlier than 9.

I'm not as down on Rui as you are, but even if you are right, and even if Wizards' management agreed with you and wanted to try and sell high on Rui, I just don't see them trading him for a future pick. Wall only has so many years left and they're not going to punt on the next two of them while they wait for a pick and wait another year to groom that pick.

They could conceivably look to trade Rui as part of a package for Miles Turner, Aaron Gordon or Wendell Carter, but they won't trade him for a 2021 pick. If they did that, they should also look to trade Wall at the first conceivable opportunity.

But part of the point of the trade is to get Okongwu - who would theoretically take Rui's minutes assuming they use him with Bryant. And assuming we re-sign Bertans, we really don't need Rui. Our 4 main guys at 4 and 5 would be Bryant, Okongwu, Bertans and Bonga. We still have Wagner, and hopefully we get a developmental 4 to round off the roster.

Re: 2020 Draft

Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2020 6:14 pm
by AdonalFoyle4Prez
Hey guys, hope all is well. Wondering if you guys would consider the following:

2020 #2 + Marquese Chriss + Paschall for 2020 #9 + Troy Brown Jr. + Thomas Bryant?