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You said you saw the Bucks game in the box. ANy meaningful insight?

hellllllloooo...we want recap!

we want recap!
we want recap!

Sorry for the late report guys. I didn't get home until late that night and then was tied up all day yesterday.

The owner's suite was awesome. Great food and all you could drink beer and wine. Tommy Sheppard did not show up but I got to talk to Milt Newton and Peter Biche (CFO) for about 20 minutes each. Milt was nice and surpringly blunt, but for some reason I was not overly impressed. I don't know what it was. I guess I just expected to be blown away with basketball intellect, and I guess I wasn't. Peter Biche was typical sales guy. Anyway, here are the highlights (mostly from my conversation with Milt):

-- Wizards want to be patient in rebuilding. Said even though they have lots of money to work with, they don't feel as though "money is burning hole in pocket." Very well could wait until next year to be active in free agency. Although may spend some money on some vets to come in and help teach youngsters, Wiz not planning to spend large chunks of money on people that do not fit in long range plans to build contender. I suggested using money to get back picks and young prospects with some "bad contracts." Said that was a possibility, but don't want too much young players. Milt said there needs to be "balance." I raised OK City as example and Milt said Ok City also had a lot of luck.
-- See Blatche, McGee and Thornton as building blocks. Did not mention anyone else, including Gilbert or NY, which I thought was interesting.
-- They do not plan on hiring big man coach to help with McGee, Blatche, etc. Gene Banks is doing it now and they are happy with him. I asked if he was serious, and Milt said he was. Milt said you don't have to be 7 ft to teach proper fundamentals. Said Haywood credits Banks for a lot of his improvement.
-- Said Blatche and McGee have become different persons since the trade. Wiz have always kept track of hours in the weight room. Blatche and McGee used to have lowest, but now lead all players. Milt said he wonders, "why the f*ck they didn't do it before, but happy they are doing it now."
-- Milt said that most of McGee's issues have been with conditioning. A few weeks ago during a practice, Milt saw McGee doubled over and said to Ernie, "he is either a p*ssy or there is something serious wrong with him." They did some tests and apparently he has serious asthma. He said his conditioning and play has been much better since on the asthma medicine. I didn't ask, but I was really wondering how the organization or McGee didn't know he had asthma.
-- McGee was most sought after player leading up to the trade deadline. Organization basically saw him as untouchable and still sees him as a future multiple all-star. However, doubt he will fill out much more in frame.
-- Organization excited about Blatche, but still taking a wait and see approach. Needs to continue to be consistent.
-- I asked why couldn't pry more from Dallas on Butler and Haywood trade. Milt said Ernie tried to get Boubois but Cuban said no. I told Milt I would have held out longer for Boubois or draft pick and I would have told Cuban this is the only trade that he was going to get to contend so he had to give up something of value. Milt said that there were people in the organization who were pushing EG to do that, but EG ultimately did not want to lose the deal and pulled the trigger.
-- To my surprise,Milt blamed most of the Wizards problems, even this year, on Eddie Jordan. Said EJ used to say, "offense wins championships, not defense." Said the players took on that mentality and even Flip couldn't change it. I asked why the organization kept EJ that long if he had that mentality. Milt said they tried to bring in Randy Ayers to counter EJ's thinking. I said that did not make any sense as both head coach and asst. coach should have same philosophy. Milt changed the subject.
-- Milt implied EG wanted to trade AJ or Butler last summer with the 5th pick (as I said he should have). Abe basically knew he did not have much time left, and did not want to start over. Abe thought the big 3 could contend. Milt said, "if your boss wants you to do something, you have to do it."
-- Milt noted that he was tired of talking about Gil, so I did not press him on the issue. However, I overheard him telling some other season ticket holders that the organization is taking a wait and see approach, based on sentencing etc. Still believes Gil is a great player, but don't know whether he will fit in or not with the direction they are taking.
- If Wiz get #1 pick, will take John Wall hands down. Also like Turner and Cousins.
-- Milt does not know where things stand on ownership change. Said "I just hope I keep my job."

I might remember a few other points as well, but the above were the things that stuck out. Overall, I enjoyed my time in the box. I can tell you one thing...I did not miss watching the game!

If I think of anything else, I'll add it when it comes to mind.

They didn't know McGee had asthma when they drafted him?! That's incredible. What kind of physical do the Wizards put their prospects through if they can't find out basic information like that?

For all we know, we've been giving the trainers a bad wrap: perhaps the Wizards have been consistently acquiring players with osteoporosis without knowing it.

More breaking news on the boards here, McGee has asthma. Go-figure that the Wiz medical team didn't know about it.

I appreciate that Ernie tried to get Beabois ( who has blown-up now) and it's nice to hear that others in the org were trying to get Ernie to get a better deal from Cuban, too-bad they didn't win. We would have at-least gotten the rights to Calathes or a 2nd rounder from Dallas.

Great, great stuff Dandridge, I really appreciate all of this info.

Great recap of that conversation, Dandridge. Much appreciated.

A few other observations:

-- Milt implied EG wanted to trade AJ or Butler last summer with the 5th pick (as I said he should have). Abe basically knew he did not have much time left, and did not want to start over. Abe thought the big 3 could contend. Milt said, "if your boss wants you to do something, you have to do it."

On the one hand, it's nice to hear that EG may not have been as tone deaf as to the competitive viability of the Big 3 as his actions indicated. On the other hand, this might be a bit of a CYA move, especially given how this season played out, with EG and Milt being evaluated by both Pollin's successors and by Ted.

-- To my surprise,Milt blamed most of the Wizards problems, even this year, on Eddie Jordan. Said EJ used to say, "offense wins championships, not defense." Said the players took on that mentality and even Flip couldn't change it. I asked why the organization kept EJ that long if he had that mentality. Milt said they tried to bring in Randy Ayers to counter EJ's thinking. I said that did not make any sense as both head coach and asst. coach should have same philosophy. Milt changed the subject.

It was clear that EJ established a culture that didn't prize defense, but it rings a little hollow that EG and Milt don't share responsibility for accommodating/enabling that culture by bringing in guys that weren't defense-oriented players to begin with. And, at the end of the day, EG didn't have the stones (or the necessary clout, given Milt's other comments about Pollin) to fire a coach that was leading the team to the playoffs. Obviously, once EG/Milt determined that EJ's fundamental philosophy was flawed, they needed to let him go. There's a reason why EJ, Nellie, and other offensive-minded "mad scientists" don't have any rings. It just doesn't work.

-- See Blatche, McGee and Thornton as building blocks. Did not mention anyone else, including Gilbert or NY, which I thought was interesting.

No surprise here re: Nick. I think it's obvious that the Wizards are not high on Nick. I'm not sure what they want him to do on defense that he's not doing, but he's clearly not doing it.

keynote wrote:They didn't know McGee had asthma when they drafted him?! That's incredible. What kind of physical do the Wizards put their prospects through if they can't find out basic information like that?

Not normally one to defend the Wizards medical team, but there are some guys that have asthma in some parts of the country and don't have it in others- so maybe he didn't have it on the West coast and midwest where he had been. And the mid-Atlantic is a high pollin count (no pun intended) area where asthma is a problem. So MAYBE he developed the asthma AFTER he got here.

Then again, 1 1/2 years does seem a bit long to diagnose a kid with fatigue and shortness of breath with asthma...

Pollinator wrote:

keynote wrote:They didn't know McGee had asthma when they drafted him?! That's incredible. What kind of physical do the Wizards put their prospects through if they can't find out basic information like that?

Not normally one to defend the Wizards medical team, but there are some guys that have asthma in some parts of the country and don't have it in others- so maybe he didn't have it on the West coast and midwest where he had been. And the mid-Atlantic is a high pollin count (no pun intended) area where asthma is a problem. So MAYBE he developed the asthma AFTER he got here.

Then again, 1 1/2 years does seem a bit long to diagnose a kid with fatigue and shortness of breath with asthma...

That was beautiful - especially coming fromt Pollinator. Well done, sir.

Great stuff, Dandridge. Thanks for sharing that with us. Geeze, I remember Gene Banks from when he joined Duke as the #1 rated HS player in the country (ahead of Albert King). He didn't exactly have a stellar career for someone ranked so highly. I don't know that I'd call him an under-achiever, but it is surprising that he'd be their only guy to teach bigs - especially since he wasn't a big man. I think Gminski was on that team. Frankly, I'd feel a lot better if Gminski had Banks' role - but maybe Banks has a gift for teaching?

Great stuff, Dandridge!

Lot's of encouraging news here. It's hard to be sure how much of it is 20/20 hindsight CYA and how much of it is legit, but nevertheless, I'm glad to hear this message.

Basically, Abe wanted to keep the band together when the rest of the staff was ready to blow it up last year. I think that sounds about right. Most of us on this board were able to recognize that we didn't have a championship contender, so it's not hard to believe that EG and his staff didn't think so either.

It's real encouraging to hear how hard the young bigs are working. The asthma thing is interesting, but I'm not sure if it's a game-changer. From what I can tell, McGee never appears to have a serious lack of conditioning or energy when he plays. His problems aren't physical. They're mental. Maybe the asthma medicine will help him play more minutes, but it's not going to help him play better post defense. The kid still needs to learn the game.

The one other question I wish could have been asked was whether or not management believed resigning Haywood was a possibility. If he was a certain goner and everyone in the league knew it, then I can see why we got raped on that Dallas deal so badly.

dandridge 10 wrote:-- Wizards want to be patient in rebuilding. Said even though they have lots of money to work with, they don't feel as though "money is burning hole in pocket." Very well could wait until next year to be active in free agency. Although may spend some money on some vets to come in and help teach youngsters, Wiz not planning to spend large chunks of money on people that do not fit in long range plans to build contender. I suggested using money to get back picks and young prospects with some "bad contracts." Said that was a possibility, but don't want too much young players. Milt said there needs to be "balance." I raised OK City as example and Milt said Ok City also had a lot of luck.

I don't buy the "vets teaching the youngsters" theory. Sure, in some cases you can find the "right kind of vet" that's willing to share, teach & lead but there's alot of veteran players that are more worried about losing shots & minutes to those same kids.

After everything that's taken place, can anyone honestly say Blatche & McGee benefited from the presence of veteran leaders like Caron Butler & Antawn Jamison?

The same goes for not having too many young players. Again, its a broad generalization of a specific group of players. You know what? I'd take 12 Steph Curry's & DeJuan Blair's on my roster if I could get 'em and I think that team would win alot more than one that's got solid vets and good guys like Mike Miller, Randy Foye & Fabricio Oberto. It's about having the right type of young guys. But if your so busy trying to develop the Nick Young's of the world I'd guess its expected that they have a tainted view of young players.

dandridge 10 wrote:-- See Blatche, McGee and Thornton as building blocks. Did not mention anyone else, including Gilbert or NY, which I thought was interesting.

I'm definitely NOT sold on Thornton being any different from the player he was in LA. Not a great sign IMO.

dandridge 10 wrote:-- They do not plan on hiring big man coach to help with McGee, Blatche, etc. Gene Banks is doing it now and they are happy with him. I asked if he was serious, and Milt said he was. Milt said you don't have to be 7 ft to teach proper fundamentals. Said Haywood credits Banks for a lot of his improvement.
-- Said Blatche and McGee have become different persons since the trade. Wiz have always kept track of hours in the weight room. Blatche and McGee used to have lowest, but now lead all players. Milt said he wonders, "why the f*ck they didn't do it before, but happy they are doing it now."

Going back to the organization's desire to add vets. Did anyone notice that the "lightswitch" for Andray & Javale BOTH came on AFTER Antawn, Caron & Brendan left?

dandridge 10 wrote:-- Milt said that most of McGee's issues have been with conditioning. A few weeks ago during a practice, Milt saw McGee doubled over and said to Ernie, "he is either a p*ssy or there is something serious wrong with him." They did some tests and apparently he has serious asthma. He said his conditioning and play has been much better since on the asthma medicine. I didn't ask, but I was really wondering how the organization or McGee didn't know he had asthma.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry. I understand if you didn't feel comfortable asking about the medical staff but man-oh-man, I don't think I could ever feel totally confident about the franchise regardless of the talent upgrades we make. Not when a tweaked ankle, a bruised thy or a simple head cold could turn into something potentially much worse.

dandridge 10 wrote:-- I asked why couldn't pry more from Dallas on Butler and Haywood trade. Milt said Ernie tried to get Boubois but Cuban said no. I told Milt I would have held out longer for Boubois or draft pick and I would have told Cuban this is the only trade that he was going to get to contend so he had to give up something of value. Milt said that there were people in the organization who were pushing EG to do that, but EG ultimately did not want to lose the deal and pulled the trigger.

Bingo. It's why EG should no longer be a GM. What was the risk in losing the deal? Butler could have been traded for an expiring elsewhere. Portland was offering a prospect & a pick for Haywood! Why be so desperate to save $3 mil (dumping DeShawn & adding Ross) when you even claim you might not even spend the money until 2011!!!

Simply stated. EG panicked. A week before the trade deadline! LOL. Simply incredible.

dandridge 10 wrote:-- To my surprise,Milt blamed most of the Wizards problems, even this year, on Eddie Jordan. Said EJ used to say, "offense wins championships, not defense." Said the players took on that mentality and even Flip couldn't change it. I asked why the organization kept EJ that long if he had that mentality. Milt said they tried to bring in Randy Ayers to counter EJ's thinking. I said that did not make any sense as both head coach and asst. coach should have same philosophy. Milt changed the subject.

Wow, that's actually been suggested here and honestly I kind of thought that way too. EJ was here for too long and the core of Gil, Antawn & Caron wasn't going to unlearn everything in one season if at all. I think the sense of entitlement came from EJ, who was very much the same way. Too confident. Overconfidence to the point its a fatal flaw. EJ never bought into defense or statistics. Thought his way was the only way and didn't seem willing to change unless he really felt the pressure.

The fault goes on management however. EJ should have been dumped much earlier. EG wanted to fire EJ since early in his 2nd season but didn't b/c they started winning. But EG has had numerous opportunities to make a move thereafter and instead decided to wait & see.

That's EG's rep IMO. Wait & See until its too late then Panic.

dandridge 10 wrote:-- Milt implied EG wanted to trade AJ or Butler last summer with the 5th pick (as I said he should have). Abe basically knew he did not have much time left, and did not want to start over. Abe thought the big 3 could contend. Milt said, "if your boss wants you to do something, you have to do it."

Yeah, lets blame the dead man. How pathetic. I seriously doubt Abe, from his wheelchair, in-between naps said "I want Mike Miller & Randy Foye!".

And using the draft pick wasn't the only way to improve last offseason. But EG was so narrowly focused on keeping the core together. Vets far better than Miller & Foye were had for much less than the 5th pick.

dandridge 10 wrote:-- Milt noted that he was tired of talking about Gil, so I did not press him on the issue. However, I overheard him telling some other season ticket holders that the organization is taking a wait and see approach, based on sentencing etc. Still believes Gil is a great player, but don't know whether he will fit in or not with the direction they are taking.
- If Wiz get #1 pick, will take John Wall hands down. Also like Turner and Cousins.
-- Milt does not know where things stand on ownership change. Said "I just hope I keep my job."

Reading the tea leaves, I think they want to dump Gil. Well actually, they're hoping for a miracle at sentencing so they can void Gil's deal. But otherwise, they hope they can find a buyer and will only bring him back if they can't.

Unfortunately I think they're willing to take someone else's junk to do so.

dandridge 10 wrote:I might remember a few other points as well, but the above were the things that stuck out. Overall, I enjoyed my time in the box. I can tell you one thing...I did not miss watching the game!

If I think of anything else, I'll add it when it comes to mind.

Thanks so much for sharing bro. This was great great stuff and really provided some good insight. I definitely appreciate it!

dandridge 10 wrote:-- They do not plan on hiring big man coach to help with McGee, Blatche, etc. Gene Banks is doing it now and they are happy with him. I asked if he was serious, and Milt said he was. Milt said you don't have to be 7 ft to teach proper fundamentals. Said Haywood credits Banks for a lot of his improvement.

I've seen Gene Banks do his work this season for the first time and I can tell you he's done a lot to aid with Blatche's development. He's been working with Blatche after every practice and before every game, making sure he's going through a nice routine. I do think he's made a big difference with Dray.

Would I prefer Kevin McHale? Of course. But Gene's been helpful, a lot more helpful than I expected.

Pollinator wrote:

keynote wrote:They didn't know McGee had asthma when they drafted him?! That's incredible. What kind of physical do the Wizards put their prospects through if they can't find out basic information like that?

Not normally one to defend the Wizards medical team, but there are some guys that have asthma in some parts of the country and don't have it in others- so maybe he didn't have it on the West coast and midwest where he had been. And the mid-Atlantic is a high pollin count (no pun intended) area where asthma is a problem. So MAYBE he developed the asthma AFTER he got here.

Then again, 1 1/2 years does seem a bit long to diagnose a kid with fatigue and shortness of breath with asthma...

Good point. That dose happen a lot around here. But I wouldn't think so much during the Winter. Most of the BB season is after the pollen count drops.

^
I don't see McHale giving up an extremely promising career in broadcasting to be a big man coach. Head coach or GM? Maybe. But big man coach? Don't see it.

In any event, I'm glad to hear that Blatche is being taught the fundamentals. As someone else said earlier in the thread, I don't care who the big man coach is, so long as he knows the tricks, drills, and techniques to assist in our bigs' development.

And who knows? If Flip/EG see the need, I'm sure they could invite McHale in as a consultant during training camp.

Thanks Dandridge10

Like I said, I will judge EG in segments. Under Abe, not under Abe and under Ted if EG stays.

Not sure who it was but someone kept pressing me about what made me thing Abe was influencing things ? I think that wondering has be confirmed again.


Thanks again D. Great report.

Ernie should still be fired, it's not even close.

closg00 wrote:Ernie should still be fired, it's not even close.

Won't happen most likely. Ernie is a lot like George McPhee. The parallels are too similar and Ted decided to stick with McPhee and let him prove himself. Ernie will at least be given a chance.

Wizards2Lottery wrote:

closg00 wrote:Ernie should still be fired, it's not even close.

Won't happen most likely. Ernie is a lot like George McPhee. The parallels are too similar and Ted decided to stick with McPhee and let him prove himself. Ernie will at least be given a chance.

One can dream

Wizards2Lottery wrote:

closg00 wrote:Ernie should still be fired, it's not even close.

Won't happen most likely. Ernie is a lot like George McPhee. The parallels are too similar and Ted decided to stick with McPhee and let him prove himself. Ernie will at least be given a chance.

I want EG gone, but it's not my team. From Leonsis' position as minority owner, he may have knowledge of constraints placed upon EG (namely Pollin) that might have hampered his full control of the roster and drafts. Maybe Leonsis will feel that EG should be given a chance with full control and the coach of his choice in place.

nate33 wrote:Great stuff, Dandridge!

Lot's of encouraging news here. It's hard to be sure how much of it is 20/20 hindsight CYA and how much of it is legit, but nevertheless, I'm glad to hear this message.

Basically, Abe wanted to keep the band together when the rest of the staff was ready to blow it up last year. I think that sounds about right. Most of us on this board were able to recognize that we didn't have a championship contender, so it's not hard to believe that EG and his staff didn't think so either.

It's real encouraging to hear how hard the young bigs are working. The asthma thing is interesting, but I'm not sure if it's a game-changer. From what I can tell, McGee never appears to have a serious lack of conditioning or energy when he plays. His problems aren't physical. They're mental. Maybe the asthma medicine will help him play more minutes, but it's not going to help him play better post defense. The kid still needs to learn the game.

The one other question I wish could have been asked was whether or not management believed resigning Haywood was a possibility. If he was a certain goner and everyone in the league knew it, then I can see why we got raped on that Dallas deal so badly.

Nate, I have the same view as you on McGee....mental/learning the game is his biggest hamstring not conditioning. However, when I gave my opinion to Milt, he kind of looked at me like I didn't know what I was talking about and then he would just talk about McGee's conditioning. I guess that is one of the reasons why I wasn't overly impressed with Milt. The other reason why wasn't impressed is he seemed to be playing a lot of the blame game and that kind of put me off. He really dumped on Eddie Jordan and while I agree EJ had his warts, I feel as though Milt and management should take some of the blame for keeping him as long as they did, as well as keeping the big 3 intact. At the same time, I guess I can understand that management, wanting to maintain their season ticket holders, would want to point blame somewhere else then on themselves. It would be like saying, "he stick with us even though we have royally screwed up the franchise the last few years."

I also wish I asked Milt about Haywood, but I completely forgot. I could tell other people wanted to talk to him, so I was trying to ask as many questions as possible before he moved on.

dandridge 10 wrote:-- Wizards want to be patient in rebuilding. Said even though they have lots of money to work with, they don't feel as though "money is burning hole in pocket." Very well could wait until next year to be active in free agency. Although may spend some money on some vets to come in and help teach youngsters, Wiz not planning to spend large chunks of money on people that do not fit in long range plans to build contender. I suggested using money to get back picks and young prospects with some "bad contracts." Said that was a possibility, but don't want too much young players. Milt said there needs to be "balance." I raised OK City as example and Milt said Ok City also had a lot of luck.

I agree with his perspective - people on this board have always pointed to Oklahoma City as a reason to go all-out on the youngsters without understanding that they are a rarity. How many times have you seen a team go the youth route and fail miserably? I'd say most of the time.

-- See Blatche, McGee and Thornton as building blocks. Did not mention anyone else, including Gilbert or NY, which I thought was interesting.

Glad he didn't include Young. He is what he is, and what he is is a streak-scorer.

-- They do not plan on hiring big man coach to help with McGee, Blatche, etc. Gene Banks is doing it now and they are happy with him. I asked if he was serious, and Milt said he was. Milt said you don't have to be 7 ft to teach proper fundamentals. Said Haywood credits Banks for a lot of his improvement.

Funny. Haywood sucked ass on any offensive move that didn't have to do with offensive rebounding and put-backs. McGee looks to have regressed offensively since last season. Haywood has been a stellar defender throughout his career. I'm not buying what they're selling.

-- Said Blatche and McGee have become different persons since the trade. Wiz have always kept track of hours in the weight room. Blatche and McGee used to have lowest, but now lead all players. Milt said he wonders, "why the f*ck they didn't do it before, but happy they are doing it now."

Both encouraging and discouraging at the same time.

-- Milt said that most of McGee's issues have been with conditioning. A few weeks ago during a practice, Milt saw McGee doubled over and said to Ernie, "he is either a p*ssy or there is something serious wrong with him." They did some tests and apparently he has serious asthma. He said his conditioning and play has been much better since on the asthma medicine. I didn't ask, but I was really wondering how the organization or McGee didn't know he had asthma.

I'd like to think that McGee may have just developed the asthma a short time ago. I really would. But the Wiz med staff have not earned the benefit of the doubt.

-- McGee was most sought after player leading up to the trade deadline. Organization basically saw him as untouchable and still sees him as a future multiple all-star. However, doubt he will fill out much more in frame.

Untouchable, eh? I wouldn't put him in that category by any means. I like Javale and I think he has a lot of potential, but I wouldn't be opposed to moving him for the right deal, even if that deal didn't include LeBron or Wade.

-- Organization excited about Blatche, but still taking a wait and see approach. Needs to continue to be consistent.

I'm in the same boat as management.

-- I asked why couldn't pry more from Dallas on Butler and Haywood trade. Milt said Ernie tried to get Boubois but Cuban said no. I told Milt I would have held out longer for Boubois or draft pick and I would have told Cuban this is the only trade that he was going to get to contend so he had to give up something of value. Milt said that there were people in the organization who were pushing EG to do that, but EG ultimately did not want to lose the deal and pulled the trigger.

Dat already said everything I wanted to about this point. I don't know if this is the reason EG should be fired but it's not exactly a ringing endorsement for keeping him.

-- To my surprise,Milt blamed most of the Wizards problems, even this year, on Eddie Jordan. Said EJ used to say, "offense wins championships, not defense." Said the players took on that mentality and even Flip couldn't change it. I asked why the organization kept EJ that long if he had that mentality. Milt said they tried to bring in Randy Ayers to counter EJ's thinking. I said that did not make any sense as both head coach and asst. coach should have same philosophy. Milt changed the subject.

WE WEREN'T CRAZY...SEE...WE WEREN'T CRAZY!!!11!

-- Milt implied EG wanted to trade AJ or Butler last summer with the 5th pick (as I said he should have). Abe basically knew he did not have much time left, and did not want to start over. Abe thought the big 3 could contend. Milt said, "if your boss wants you to do something, you have to do it."

Good to hear Wiz management aren't nearly as inept as we thought.

-- Milt noted that he was tired of talking about Gil, so I did not press him on the issue. However, I overheard him telling some other season ticket holders that the organization is taking a wait and see approach, based on sentencing etc. Still believes Gil is a great player, but don't know whether he will fit in or not with the direction they are taking.

Hard to talk about something as up-in-the-air as Gilbert's current situation is.

- If Wiz get #1 pick, will take John Wall hands down. Also like Turner and Cousins.

As I said in the draft thread, there is only one sure-fire star in this draft and that's Wall. Cousins could be. Turner could be. But Wall WILL be. You always take the sure thing.

I might remember a few other points as well, but the above were the things that stuck out. Overall, I enjoyed my time in the box. I can tell you one thing...I did not miss watching the game!

If I think of anything else, I'll add it when it comes to mind.

Man, that was awesome. Thank you so much for all of the information.