Wizards waive DerMarr and Linton Johnson

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

http://basketball.realgm.com/src_wireta ... n_johnson/

This team's very predictable. I knew both those guys wouldn't make it because they didn't have any partially guaranteed contracts.

Two guys that could have helped are gone and I bet both Dee and Juan make the team.

[WizStorm]

If Juan has actually improved his ballhandling and can act as a scoring PG, then I guess this move makes sense. But if Juan still has to be coddled with a backcourt mate that has to handle the rock, then I don't approve with choosing him over DerMarr.

[WizBiz]

I would have liked to keep DerMarr, he was playing well this preseason. I saw a lot more out of him than I did from any of the others he was competing with. Oh well, if he made the team he probably would never see the floor anyway.

[Wizards2Lottery]

You guys didn't get the memo. Dixon is the new LeBron stopper.

[miller31time]

It's not a big deal, considering how small a role Linton, DerMarr, Juan or Dee will play this season, but it does make me question the entire point of bringing in those two guys, when one clearly played very well (better than some starters and most bench players) and still doesn't get the roster spot.

I mean, yeah, Juan and Dee both have partially guaranteed contracts, but then what's the point of even giving DerMarr playing time and evaluating him when, in the end, he can play really well and reap no benefits?

Questionable.

[nate33]

It's not a big deal, considering how small a role Linton, DerMarr, Juan or Dee will play this season, but it does make me question the entire point of bringing in those two guys, when one clearly played very well (better than some starters and most bench players) and still doesn't get the roster spot.

I mean, yeah, Juan and Dee both have partially guaranteed contracts, but then what's the point of even giving DerMarr playing time and evaluating him when, in the end, he can play really well and reap no benefits?

Questionable.

Meh. Linton and DerMarr were well aware of the situation from the get go. They knew that they only way they were going to make the team was if somebody sustained a major injury. They were effectively audtioning for all NBA teams.

Overall, I would have preferred DerMarr, but it's no biggie. With Nick Young's knee issues, we may be in greater need Dixon's scoring than DerMarr's defense.

[tkunit]

no way

[dandridge 10]

It's not a big deal, considering how small a role Linton, DerMarr, Juan or Dee will play this season, but it does make me question the entire point of bringing in those two guys, when one clearly played very well (better than some starters and most bench players) and still doesn't get the roster spot.

I mean, yeah, Juan and Dee both have partially guaranteed contracts, but then what's the point of even giving DerMarr playing time and evaluating him when, in the end, he can play really well and reap no benefits?

Questionable.

Meh. Linton and DerMarr were well aware of the situation from the get go. They knew that they only way they were going to make the team was if somebody sustained a major injury. They were effectively audtioning for all NBA teams.

Overall, I would have preferred DerMarr, but it's no biggie. With Nick Young's knee issues, we may be in greater need Dixon's scoring than DerMarr's defense.

I don't know, given that the team is piss poor to begin with on the defensive end and Dixon's offensive numbers are not drastically better than DerMarr's, I think the wiser pick would have been DerMarr.

[MJG]

DeMarr would've been nice to keep as a 14th man, but in the big picture, this doesn't even register.

[Dat2U]

Meh. Linton and DerMarr were well aware of the situation from the get go. They knew that they only way they were going to make the team was if somebody sustained a major injury. They were effectively audtioning for all NBA teams.

Overall, I would have preferred DerMarr, but it's no biggie. With Nick Young's knee issues, we may be in greater need Dixon's scoring than DerMarr's defense.

I don't know, given that the team is piss poor to begin with on the defensive end and Dixon's offensive numbers are not drastically better than DerMarr's, I think the wiser pick would have been DerMarr.

I agree with dandridge on this. Dixon is more of a "shooter" than a "scorer". If you jack up 10 shots a game, your bound to get 8-10 pts somehow someway. DerMarr can also score but the main difference b/w the two is DerMarr is 6-9. He may not be a real asset defensively, but at least he won't be singled out as a mismatch for opponents to abuse.

That said, I don't mind Dixon on the roster. However I do worry about EJ overusing him and/or Dixon returning to his first instinct which is to shoot whenever the ball hits his hands.

The biggest mistake in my mind was giving Dee Brown a partially guaranteed deal when there are a dozen NBDL guards capable of equaling or surpassing Brown's play.

[Ruzious]

I would have liked to have kept Dermarr, but in the end - the Wiz are really thin at the point, and even though Juan and Dee are not true PGs, they can give you a few minutes there - which is much more important than having depth on the wing.

[long suffrin' boulez fan]

Dee Brown does not know how to play basketball.

Juan Dixon, at some point this season, will be useful as a scorer.

Dermarr played really, really good perimeter D at the Richmond scrimmage so I had hope for him. One can only hope that DomMc is up to the task as the back up 3. Although Dermarr was versatile enough to play both the 2 and the 3.

Overall, not a great set of moves... but not Sheed for Rod bad either.

[Kanyewest]

DeMarr would've been nice to keep as a 14th man, but in the big picture, this doesn't even register.

Agreed. Trading Bill Walker for cash hurts more. He even hates LeBron James and loves Gilbert Arenas (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iT3bY3oE4V4)

[BruceO]

no bill walker comes off like a cancer. DOn't like him at all, already he has fought with KG, Oj mayo and T -mac. If you are gonnna battle, battle with results on the court

[LyricalRico]

The biggest mistake in my mind was giving Dee Brown a partially guaranteed deal when there are a dozen NBDL guards capable of equaling or surpassing Brown's play.

DeMarr would've been nice to keep as a 14th man, but in the big picture, this doesn't even register.

Agreed. Trading Bill Walker for cash hurts more. He even hates LeBron James and loves Gilbert Arenas (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iT3bY3oE4V4)

Co-sign both of these. IMO it's not DerMarr vs Juan Dixon. It's Bill Walker + whoever we could have signed with the money spent on Brown/Dixon vs just having Juan Dixon. Considering all of our injury concerns, the 12-15th men are critical for us. Here are ours:

Pecherov
DIxon
Brown
McGee

Not a lot to get excited about as far as 2008-09 production (although McGee clearly has potential). I'd be much more excited about this:

Pecherov
McGee
Walker
Livingston(?)

[Dat2U]

Co-sign both of these. IMO it's not DerMarr vs Juan Dixon. It's Bill Walker + whoever we could have signed with the money spent on Brown/Dixon vs just having Juan Dixon. Considering all of our injury concerns, the 12-15th men are critical for us. Here are ours:

Pecherov
DIxon
Brown
McGee

Not a lot to get excited about as far as 2008-09 production (although McGee clearly has potential). I'd be much more excited about this:

Pecherov
McGee
Walker
Livingston(?)

I'm with you guys on Walker. That was cheapskate move by the organization. Walker even though he was drafted in the 2nd round has lottery talent when healthy. I wouldn't be surprised if he eventually becomes a solid rotation player for the Celts sooner than later and steals minutes away from Tony Allen.

That move still pisses me off to this day. I'd rather have Walker than Pecherov to tell you the truth.

Livingston would have been great as well. But looking at the Walker move, it was a luxury that the organization wasn't willing to pay for. Livingston still isn't quite ready yet and knowing our medical staff, Livingston might have signed his career away had he signed a contract with the Wizards.

I love the move for Miami though. I relatively inexpensive gamble with potentially a huge upside down the road.

I'm still trying to figure out what EG saw in Dee Brown though. With Utah he didn't really show much. He's done nothing to indicate he'd have any impact while playing in summer league or preseason thus far. Yeah, he's fast and can push the ball up the court, but so can 50 other guys who are hovering on the fringes of the NBA.

I just know that EJ is dying to use this lineup: Dee Brown at PG, Juan Dixon at SG, Nick Young at SF, Antwan Jamison at PF & Darius Songaila at C.

[80sballboy]

Look, a lot people applauded the team when they pick up Juan and then DerMarr came a long and everybody wanted to get rid of him. Why? Because he's 6-7, long and athletic and had one great game and several mediocre ones? We know what Juan could so for him to make this team, he would have had to have been flawless and even then it would have been tough.

I agree that Nick's poor play in the preseason and now the knee issue made it no-brainer and you add the fact that Juan is serviceable at the point just like Mason and Dee Brown is well, Dee Brown, Johnson had no shot. I'm still hopeful that this team can get it done early and I think keeping Juan around was a must.

[daSwami]

Maybe they were just clearing space for the inevitable return of Michael Ruffin (the Bulls just waived him - get busy EG - he's not going to be available for long!) make it happen!