Shams: Wizards signing Taj Gibson

[gambitx777]

Gibson is the adult in the room. That's it. He's the professional that they want to keep and eye on the kids.

Sent from my SM-G991U1 using RealGM mobile app

[doclinkin]

I think it is as simple as: they needed a 3rd center. He wanted to be here. The coach knows and likes him. There was nobody else who was fighting to join this squad. Might as well lock in a guy who will be cheap and solid as that 3rd center. No adjustment period, plug and play.

This is not a prime destination for free agents when we are being ranked last in the league and all the talk is about rebuilding for the next few years. We have a starting center and a playable back-up. Players like Queta and Garuba get a chance to play on championship contenders, a chance at more high profile games, etc. No knock on the front office if young prospects pick a different situation.

While players start returning to DC and get in the gym for the weeks before training camp, it doesn't hurt to have some stability. Not a bad thing to sign a guy who already has a place to live, knows how to find the gym and what the coach wants to run.

I don't hate Taj as the last guy on the roster. Am not stomping around pissed off that we might lose one or two of our 7 forwards or 6 guards to make room for him. We still have a 2-way slot open to watch for who gets cut from other teams.

[payitforward]

Gibson is the adult in the room. That's it. He's the professional that they want to keep and eye on the kids.

What kids?

Aside from Deni -- who's going into his 4th year in the league! -- we've got 4 young players under 24 years old. Bilal, Davis, Baldwin, & Rollins.

Who's Taj going to keep an eye on? Jordan Poole? The guy is a young vet -- he's already played 7000 minutes in the league. Gallinari? Wright? Tyus Jones? Mike Muscala? Landry Shamet? Daniel Gafford? Kyle Kuzma?

The Washington Wizards are not a young team. We are a little bit older than average, in fact.

[payitforward]

I think it is as simple as: they needed a 3rd center. He wanted to be here. The coach knows and likes him. There was nobody else who was fighting to join this squad. Might as well lock in a guy who will be cheap and solid as that 3rd center. No adjustment period, plug and play. ...

Actually, you are likely right. Your explanation is the simplest & therefore likely the best.

Of course that doesn't mean that the decision was a good one. Thus the following...

This is not a prime destination for free agents when we are being ranked last in the league and all the talk is about rebuilding for the next few years. We have a starting center and a playable back-up. Players like Queta and Garuba get a chance to play on championship contenders, a chance at more high profile games, etc. No knock on the front office if young prospects pick a different situation....

...doesn't really apply: both those guys took 2way contracts.
For that matter, Garuba cleared waivers, meaning he was certainly available to us. & his disappointment at not being signed to a regular NBA roster was clear & voiced loudly.

...it doesn't hurt to have some stability. Not a bad thing to sign a guy who already has a place to live, knows how to find the gym and what the coach wants to run....

Again, we are not a young team. We do not lack "stability."

... not stomping around pissed off that we might lose one or two of our 7 forwards or 6 guards to make room for him. We still have a 2-way slot open to watch for who gets cut from other teams.

Sure. Nothing to do with our having to cut someone. Just not a forward-facing decision; that much is obvious!

We didn't add a prospect for our future. & we already have a vet backup C. Not the end of the world just an odd decision.

[doclinkin]

Gibson is the adult in the room. That's it. He's the professional that they want to keep and eye on the kids.

What kids?

Aside from Deni -- who's going into his 4th year in the league! -- we've got 4 young players under 24 years old. Bilal, Davis, Baldwin, & Rollins.

Who's Taj going to keep an eye on? Jordan Poole? The guy is a young vet -- he's already played 7000 minutes in the league. Gallinari? Wright? Tyus Jones? Mike Muscala? Landry Shamet? Daniel Gafford? Kyle Kuzma?

Interesting. Reading the names of the guys on the roster, we really do look like we are stocked with steady headed professionals. Deni and Poole look like the only volatile talents on the team. By which I mean: emotional guys who may require a bit of managing to get the best out of them. Maybe Gafford at times. Everybody else has the attitude and appearance of a solid role-player who understands their job and shows up to do that one thing. No pouting, just ball. Reminds me of a band where there is one stand-out star surrounded by a solid rhythm section. Jordan and the Zards. The Jordan Poole Experience.

I'm curious how it shakes out.

[payitforward]

Me too.
& let's also keep an eye on Garuba -- really from my POV the "decision" came down to whether to add a young prospect like him. If he prospers in GS, the decision will have been a mistake. Period.

[doclinkin]

...it doesn't hurt to have some stability. Not a bad thing to sign a guy who already has a place to live, knows how to find the gym and what the coach wants to run....

Again, we are not a young team. We do not lack "stability."

Hmm. I might be watching a different team. Seems to me we lost 40 points from our starting roster and will have retained only, what 5 players from last year? Plus Taj.

Kuzma, Deni, Kispert, Gafford, Wright. Everyone else is new. Seems like a significant shake up to me. Your starting back-court has never played with this coach. We may have added pros, and while Wes runs some innovative stuff, ball is ball. But still, doesn't hurt to retain a guy who already knows where the coach wants the screens set and what to do coming out of them. He's cheap, if we cut him to add a guy later, we have one more space for young talent. We are banking on development of the guys we have, and collecting lottery tickets anyway.

[payitforward]

...it doesn't hurt to have some stability. Not a bad thing to sign a guy who already has a place to live, knows how to find the gym and what the coach wants to run....

Again, we are not a young team. We do not lack "stability."

Hmm. I might be watching a different team. Seems to me we lost 40 points from our starting roster and will have retained only, what 5 players from last year? Plus Taj.

Kuzma, Deni, Kispert, Gafford, Wright. Everyone else is new. Seems like a significant shake up to me. Your starting back-court has never played with this coach. We may have added pros, and while Wes runs some innovative stuff, ball is ball. But still, doesn't hurt to retain a guy who already knows where the coach wants the screens set and what to do coming out of them. He's cheap, if we cut him to add a guy later, we have one more space for young talent. We are banking on development of the guys we have, and collecting lottery tickets anyway.

For sure! I wasn't intending any criticism of the overall moves (tho I'd have way preferred Garuba over Gibson). As they say, Rome wasn't built in a day.

Guys on our current roster played 54% of our total minutes last year.

We've only added 3 truly young players ("kids") -- Coulibaly, Baldwin & Rollins. None of them seems to be counted on for big minutes this season. Johnny Davis is only 21.

We've also added 3 end-of-career vets -- Muscala, Gallinari & Gibson. Overall, I wouldn't expect big minutes from that trio either. Do you disagree?

We've also added Poole, Jones & Shamet. Poole has played 7000 NBA minutes. Jones has played just over 10,000. Shamet's played 6900. Those guys are young NBA vets.

I'm not being critical! Just pointing out facts. Moreover, I'm conscious of the fact that the new FO didn't exactly have a lot of time to plan their first off season! It'll be fun to watch them going forward, & I'm very optimistic as well!

[gambitx777]

Gibson is the adult in the room. That's it. He's the professional that they want to keep and eye on the kids.

What kids?

Aside from Deni -- who's going into his 4th year in the league! -- we've got 4 young players under 24 years old. Bilal, Davis, Baldwin, & Rollins.

Who's Taj going to keep an eye on? Jordan Poole? The guy is a young vet -- he's already played 7000 minutes in the league. Gallinari? Wright? Tyus Jones? Mike Muscala? Landry Shamet? Daniel Gafford? Kyle Kuzma?

The Washington Wizards are not a young team. We are a little bit older than average, in fact.

I do not any any way expect wright, Gallo, Gill , cooks or muscala to make it to the opener. Also pool, kispert, and gaff are 24 yes they have been around but they are young. Taj is an old head from NBA days past and it's good to have a steady club house mom in the room most good teams have those.

Sent from my SM-G991U1 using RealGM mobile app

[DCZards]

Me too.
& let's also keep an eye on Garuba -- really from my POV the "decision" came down to whether to add a young prospect like him. If he prospers in GS, the decision will have been a mistake. Period.

What makes you think that the Zards “decision” came down to signing Garuba or Taj? As far as we know the Zards may have reached out to Garuba and he and his agents said “no thanks.”

So it would be a little hard to call it “mistake” by the Zards when we don’t really know what options Garuba had and why he ended up with GS rather than the Zards.

BTW, where did you see that Garuba said he was disappointed that he was signed to a two-way contract by GS?

[payitforward]

Me too.
& let's also keep an eye on Garuba -- really from my POV the "decision" came down to whether to add a young prospect like him. If he prospers in GS, the decision will have been a mistake. Period.

What makes you think that the Zards “decision” came down to signing Garuba or Taj?...

That's why I put "decision" in quotation marks & added "from my POV." Obviously, neither I nor any of us knows what the concrete processes were in any decision Dawkins made or decided not to make.

Still, it's hard not to see this as taking a pass on youth. That's what I struggle to understand.
After all, we're not talking about a starter. We're not even talking about a backup! We're talking about a 3d Center, a guy who's on the roster more or less for emergencies -- Taj played very little last year, & he's a year older now!

...the Zards may have reached out to Garuba and he and his agents said “no thanks.”....

You're not suggesting, are you, that he would have turned down a regular NBA contract with us in order to take a 2way deal with GS?

...So it would be a little hard to call it “mistake” by the Zards when we don’t really know what options Garuba had and why he ended up with GS rather than the Zards....

Garuba went through the waiver process. Any team could have picked him up for the cost of his rookie contract.

Thus, if he prospers in the NBA, every team in the league will have made the same mistake -- except GS, obviously, since they got him in an even more advantageous way than picking up his rookie contract.

...BTW, where did you see that Garuba said he was disappointed that he was signed to a two-way contract by GS?

Not exactly that. He was disappointed to have been waived & his contract not picked up. Expressed it as follows:

Read on Twitter

In any case, none of this is a big deal -- I just find it odd. & if Garuba does "prove everyone wrong," it'll look even odder. Or maybe just make it obvious what a smart franchise GS is...?

[badinage]

Is GS still a smart franchise? Dunleavy Jr. now running point. Is he any good? Was Myers, w/out Jerry West? Look at Myers’ moves post-West. Not great. And he killed the chance of a reload.

But back to Dunleavy Jr. He offloaded Poole for an aging vet star — but was it the right aging vet star? And was it too little too late? I think for sure the Poole trade will look to be, in time — maybe not much time — a major botch.

[nate33]

Is GS still a smart franchise? Dunleavy Jr. now running point. Is he any good? Was Myers, w/out Jerry West? Look at Myers’ moves post-West. Not great. And he killed the chance of a reload.

But back to Dunleavy Jr. He offloaded Poole for an aging vet star — but was it the right aging vet star? And was it too little too late? I think for sure the Poole trade will look to be, in time — maybe not much time — a major botch.

Yup. Golden State has made a series of awful moves over the past several years. Basically, their last good move was the Wiggins trade, which they made in the middle of the 2019-20 season when everyone got hurt and they decided to tank.

In 2020 offseason, they drafted Wiseman and Mannon and signed Oubre and Bazemore. They finished 39-33 and missed the playoffs, even though Curry and Draymond were healthy all year.

In the 2021 offseason, they drafted Kuminga with the Minny lotto pick, and Moody with their lotto pick. They made one smart move in adding Otto Porter for cheap, but it was just a 1-year deal. They managed to win the Finals, but almost exclusively due to players they acquired in 2019 or before (plus some help from Otto Porter and GPII who they added off waivers midseason).

In the 2022 offseason, they drafted PBJ, Martin and Santos, signed Divincenzo. They extended Poole to a near-max contract. They eventually traded Wiseman for Saddiq Bey, who they let go.

This year, they traded Jordan Poole and a first for Chris Paul.

Imagine if they had drafted Lonzo Ball (or, heck, Tyrese Haliburton) instead of Wiseman. And then drafted Franz Wagner instead of Kuminga.

[payitforward]

You mean Lamelo Ball not Lonzo -- though even Lonzo, had he been available, would have been a much better pick than Wiseman. & "Martin" was actually swapped draft night for Ryan Rollins, now a Wizard.

But that move -- like the decision to pick PBJ & the extraordinary rich contract given to Jordan Poole, based on one pretty good season -- was made when Myers was in charge.

Worth noting that Dunleavy undid all three of those moves within a few weeks of taking over! We'll see how that works out for us. Well, we hope!

[CobraCommander]

So the Wiz just cut Taj… someone explain why they resigned him 40 days ago- just to cut him? Did they pay him as a thank you for decades of service

https://www.nba.com/wizards/news/wizards-re-sign-taj-gibson

[closg00]

So the Wiz just cut Taj… someone explain why they resigned him 40 days ago- just to cut him? Did they pay him as a thank you for decades of service

https://www.nba.com/wizards/news/wizards-re-sign-taj-gibson

Another Wizards mystery, I'm still waiting for someone to explain this so it makes sense...

[nate33]

So the Wiz just cut Taj… someone explain why they resigned him 40 days ago- just to cut him? Did they pay him as a thank you for decades of service

https://www.nba.com/wizards/news/wizards-re-sign-taj-gibson

Another Wizards mystery, I'm still waiting for someone to explain this so it makes sense...

The best theory I have is that it's a way of paying Taj's agent (Mark Bartelstein) a large commission on the Gibson contract so that he'll cut his commission on the upcoming negotiations on Kispert's deal - effectively allowing us to frontload a bit of Kispert's next contract into this season's cap.

[payitforward]

Whatever else is true, Taj Gibson just added $3.2m to his net worth -- on his way out the door!

I'm not sure what % agents get on these deals, but it used to be 10% &, realistically, it can't have moved far off that number. Hard to see substantial incentive to allow us to do better on Kispert. Especially since Kispert will be looking out for his own interest!

[nate33]

Whatever else is true, Taj Gibson just added $3.2m to his net worth -- on his way out the door!

I'm not sure what % agents get on these deals, but it used to be 10% &, realistically, it can't have moved far off that number. Hard to see substantial incentive to allow us to do better on Kispert. Especially since Kispert will be looking out for his own interest!

Maybe Bartelstein charged a 50% commission on the Gibson deal to recoup $1.6M. And when Kispert signs a 4-year $60M contract next year, it will only have to be a 4-year $58.4M contract because Bartelstein made part of his commission on the Gibson deal.

I dunno. I'm just spitballin' here.