The RealGM Wizards Board Draft Thread 2008/2009

[Ruzious]

FWIW

Washington, DC: What have you heard from the Wizards regarding who they like in the upcoming draft?

Ivan Carter: I can't anyway speak for Ernie but I can tell you this: it's a one man lottery with Blake Griffin being that man. After that, I really believe they will do everything they can to trade the pick.

If we have a top 3-5 pick, I hope this isn't true.

If he trades it for nothing but salary relief... let's just say it won't be pretty.

[fishercob]

FWIW

Washington, DC: What have you heard from the Wizards regarding who they like in the upcoming draft?

Ivan Carter: I can't anyway speak for Ernie but I can tell you this: it's a one man lottery with Blake Griffin being that man. After that, I really believe they will do everything they can to trade the pick.

If we have a top 3-5 pick, I hope this isn't true.

If he trades it for nothing but salary relief... let's just say it won't be pretty.

No one with or close to the team has said anything to indicate that that option is on the table.

[pancakes3]

selling the 3rd pick after the backlash last year for selling the 47th draft pick? it's like they're trying to move the team to albuquerque. have they changed the hot dog toppings to southwestern flavors?

[Ruzious]

If he trades it for nothing but salary relief... let's just say it won't be pretty.

No one with or close to the team has said anything to indicate that that option is on the table.

It's not hard to jump to that conclusion when Ivan says "it's a one man lottery with Blake Griffin being that man. After that, I really believe they will do everything they can to trade the pick." Right?

[yungal07]

If he trades it for nothing but salary relief... let's just say it won't be pretty.

No one with or close to the team has said anything to indicate that that option is on the table.

It's not hard to jump to that conclusion when Ivan says "it's a one man lottery with Blake Griffin being that man. After that, I really believe they will do everything they can to trade the pick." Right?

C'mon Ruzious. Even if the Wiz believed that this draft is really a one-man draft, there's no way they sell a top-5 lottery pick for nothing but cap relief. If the Wiz were that desperate to dump contract, they would have done it this past traded deadline.

[Ruzious]

C'mon Ruzious. Even if the Wiz believed that this draft is really a one-man draft, there's no way they sell a top-5 lottery pick for nothing but cap relief. If the Wiz were that desperate to dump contract, they would have done it this past traded deadline.

No they wouldn't have. They've made the comment - they just need to get everyone back healthy - many times. That is what they are selling to Wizards fans.

Now, I'm not saying they will dump the pick just to dump salaries, but... it wouldn't surprise me. And we should be prepared for it, imo.

[Benjammin]

C'mon Ruzious. Even if the Wiz believed that this draft is really a one-man draft, there's no way they sell a top-5 lottery pick for nothing but cap relief. If the Wiz were that desperate to dump contract, they would have done it this past traded deadline.

No they wouldn't have. They've made the comment - they just need to get everyone back healthy - many times. That is what they are selling to Wizards fans.

Now, I'm not saying they will dump the pick just to dump salaries, but... it wouldn't surprise me. And we should be prepared for it, imo.

And we should be prepared to excoriate them in that instance if a top 5 pick is sold for cap relief.

[yungal07]

All of their moves (or non-moves) sugggest that the FO is not overly concerned with the luxury tax to the point that they'd make a major move like "selling" a high lotto pick.

The trade for Critt, Pech's option getting picked up and the rejection of the Wally package for Jamison tell me so. All these deals have been cap hits, and yet the Wizards FO still went through with them.

Now I can see a trade down if the pick is 4 or worst, where we dump salary and still get a lower pick, or they trade the pick and bad contracts for a good player. But not an outright selling of the pick.

[Rafael122]

Has anyone else soured on Blake Griffin? I read a few days ago he's not really 6'10, rather 6'8'' with a large wingspan. That part doesn't bother me, but meh...I mean, unless the guy blows up, I'm on the bandwagon again, but right now...I have one foot on it.

[Spence]

I would take Blake Griffin without a second thought. Absolute beast. If he's 6'8" he's the nastiest 6'8" I've seen in a while.

[doclinkin]

If he trades it for nothing but salary relief... let's just say it won't be pretty.

No one with or close to the team has said anything to indicate that that option is on the table.

It's not hard to jump to that conclusion when Ivan says "it's a one man lottery with Blake Griffin being that man. After that, I really believe they will do everything they can to trade the pick." Right?

Wait, are we relying on Ivan for factual, timely, or accurate information on front office moves? Shouldn't we call the Memphis Commercial Appeal first or something?

Okay, the front office has indicated they would listen to trade options, that we're heavy on young players and might be helped best by trading for a veteran fit/need. But Abe has said time and again he's not pressed by the cap issues and if we have opportunity to win a championship would happily exceed the luxcap. He gave Gil and Tawn all that cash knowing full well that the luxtax would be a danger, even before the economy fell into the crapper.

But understand the hope promise and renewal of a draft pick has been one of the only things to sustain the franchise and fanbase year after year. The offseason has always been our salvation, sanctuary. Abe won't just jettison that because of money. You use your assets to make the team better, as best you see fit.

I suspect the bigger risk in a way is that the team may decide that we're in win-now mode. That Abe doesn't want to waste even a minute trying to develop undermotivated players who may have embarrassed him in the papers with offcourt malfeasance, say -- or performed with lackadaisical effort, supposedly. I'd bet he feels almost responsible (oddly) to a guy like Jamison-- wants to build a winning team around him, doesn't want to waste the last few years of his career (and Abe's waning health) waiting on youngsters to 'get it', and instead will ecourage EG to swap them for late-career veterans with something to prove. I swear if the salaries could work he'd look for a Vince Carter or the like. Especially following a year like this one. Looking for a quick fix antidote, not an unpolished prospect.

But dropping salary alone puts Abe (again) as the laughingstock, and that endangers income more than the lux tax. And puts a dent in his significant and healthy ego. Abe wants to enjoy everything about his life as it is right now, and likes to be loved and remembered as a good guy. His legacy right now says he rebuilt downtown, once upon a time he won the whole magilla, lost for many years, then Jordan came, but was fired for mismanaging his draft pick, espcially underperforming #1 overall pick Big Man [KFB]. Dot dot dot. And the rest is unwritten. Could go a couple ways:

"For a brief time he looked like he might have a winning squad built around a quirky but offensively incandescent point guard Gilbert Arenas, but the plan was derailed by injury..."

or

"The team could have foundered after firing Jordan (either one). But the spirit of the team and it;s leader never dimmed. Abe Pollin always said he wouldn't sell the team until he lived to see the team win another championship-- which for 30-odd years sounded like a bid for immortality as the team lost year after year. It turns out the old man was simply telling the truth, and in 2010 the team he assembled..." dot dot dot.

I suspect Abe is looking towards the second option. It makes him happy when the team wins, and at this point happiness is more precious than gold. BUt drop the draft pick to save a short term dime? I don't see it in this case.

[doclinkin]

Has anyone else soured on Blake Griffin? I read a few days ago he's not really 6'10, rather 6'8'' with a large wingspan. That part doesn't bother me, but meh...I mean, unless the guy blows up, I'm on the bandwagon again, but right now...I have one foot on it.

Well, he doesn't even really have long arms either. That much more remarkable then that he's as dominant as he is. Must say something about his athleticism, hustle, instincts, and will to win. But this team doesn't have any need for those qualities, right?

At this point anything you read that suggests Blake is a subpar pick at #1 is coming from teams who may be more likely to pick #2-5. Don't buy it. Keep your seat on the bandwagon, it's worth the ride. Kid will be good. Again: 'more athletic Karl Malone'. Only we'd have Big Wood next to him, not Greg Ostertag.

[WIZKID]

If the Wiz don't get pick 1 or 2 the best way to stay under cap is to find a trade partner that would
take Butler, our best trade piece because of age & salary. CB and a 3-6 pick could attract some good suitors

The trade must include in return a future first and cap friendly bruiser at the very least.
Ideally throw in James and or Blatch so the bruiser doesn't have to be so cap friendly

I love tough juice but the offense stops when he has the ball, one on one time.

Hopefully EG can work a little magic this off season.

Perhaps the draft GODS will see the Kwame fiasco and how we missed is by being lucky in the wrong
year.

I may be incorrect but the worst record rarely gets the number one pick, i like
the Wiz odds with 2nd or 3rd worst record, it probably work better and keeps commissioner stern
looking genius like

[Ruzious]

I suspect the bigger risk in a way is that the team may decide that we're in win-now mode. That Abe doesn't want to waste even a minute trying to develop undermotivated players who may have embarrassed him in the papers with offcourt malfeasance, say -- or performed with lackadaisical effort, supposedly. I'd bet he feels almost responsible (oddly) to a guy like Jamison-- wants to build a winning team around him, doesn't want to waste the last few years of his career (and Abe's waning health) waiting on youngsters to 'get it', and instead will ecourage EG to swap them for late-career veterans with something to prove. I swear if the salaries could work he'd look for a Vince Carter or the like. Especially following a year like this one. Looking for a quick fix antidote, not an unpolished prospect.

Yup - and win-now mode gives them the excuse to say "We didn't think any of the draftees could help us this year, so trading the pick didn't hurt."

I think Blake is closer to 6'10 than 6'8. I know he's taller than Beasley.

[lupin]

the wiz would be drafting him to be a PF, not a center.

[Silvie Lysandra]

"The team could have foundered after firing Jordan (either one). But the spirit of the team and it;s leader never dimmed. Abe Pollin always said he wouldn't sell the team until he lived to see the team win another championship-- which for 30-odd years sounded like a bid for immortality as the team lost year after year. It turns out the old man was simply telling the truth, and in 2010 the team he assembled..." dot dot dot.

Sounds like a nice story. Too bad it'll never happen.

This isn't the NFL. You can't throw together veterans, hope for a few breaks, and find yourself playing for a title. You need an incredibly balanced and well-constructed team to win. You need great coaching to win. You need solid role players to win. And you need superstars - top 20 players in their prime - to win. You can't expect to bring in someone like Vince Carter and expect to win a ring because you have a bunch of veterans with "something to prove". The NBA doesn't work like that.

That's why prospects are so valuable, that's why draft picks are so precious. Yes, they are crapshoots, yes, you do need to wait on them to get it, but that's the only way. Quick fixes almost never work - and they only work if you can land someone a top 10 player in his prime - Vince Carter isn't that.

That's why you can't just add pieces to a team and think it will contend for a title; it has to be constructed the right way, and you have to have at least one cornerstone, if not two. I know Abe is impatient, because he loves Jamison, and he knows his health is fading, but in the NBA, that is the only way - you have to take crapshoot after crapshoot until you win. Kobe was a crapshoot. LeBron (in the sense that the Cavs got #1 when he came out) was a crapshoot. CP3 was a crapshoot to an extent. Dwight Howard was a crapshoot. And so on.

If Abe truly wants the Wizards to be a championship team, he has to start making tough decisions, based on what is best for the team, not his personal feelings and loyalties. Loyalty is nice, but when it starts getting in the way of sound organizational practices, then it becomes nepotism, and nepotism is the death of any organization.

[nate33]

Sounds like a nice story. Too bad it'll never happen.

This isn't the NFL. You can't throw together veterans, hope for a few breaks, and find yourself playing for a title. You need an incredibly balanced and well-constructed team to win. You need great coaching to win. You need solid role players to win. And you need superstars - top 20 players in their prime - to win. You can't expect to bring in someone like Vince Carter and expect to win a ring because you have a bunch of veterans with "something to prove". The NBA doesn't work like that.

*cough* Boston *cough*

[Ruzious]

Sounds like a nice story. Too bad it'll never happen.

This isn't the NFL. You can't throw together veterans, hope for a few breaks, and find yourself playing for a title. You need an incredibly balanced and well-constructed team to win. You need great coaching to win. You need solid role players to win. And you need superstars - top 20 players in their prime - to win. You can't expect to bring in someone like Vince Carter and expect to win a ring because you have a bunch of veterans with "something to prove". The NBA doesn't work like that.

*cough* Boston *cough*

If we could get the equivalent of KG, all things would be possible. But I don't think the likes of Bosh, Dirk, and Amare are up there with KG - because none of them compare to him defensively... not that I would poopoo getting any of them... but I would poopoo getting VC. Whew, I'm pooped out.

[doclinkin]

"The team could have foundered after firing Jordan (either one). But the spirit of the team and it;s leader never dimmed. Abe Pollin always said he wouldn't sell the team until he lived to see the team win another championship-- which for 30-odd years sounded like a bid for immortality as the team lost year after year. It turns out the old man was simply telling the truth, and in 2010 the team he assembled..." dot dot dot.

Sounds like a nice story. Too bad it'll never happen.

This isn't the NFL. You can't throw together veterans, hope for a few breaks, and find yourself playing for a title. You need an incredibly balanced and well-constructed team to win. You need great coaching to win. You need solid role players to win. And you need superstars - top 20 players in their prime - to win. You can't expect to bring in someone like Vince Carter and expect to win a ring because you have a bunch of veterans with "something to prove". The NBA doesn't work like that.

Tell Danny Ainge, not me. But right, that's why I said the 'risk' is that we decide to go Veteran. There's often a reason why these late career guys haven't won yet.

[doclinkin]

Bosh by the way is playing slow, stiff, and awkward. Looks like he's gained weight, and not in a good way. I haven't been paying attention but wonder if he has a knee injury or something. Could be the Olympics work caught up with him since he took DHoward's minutes and had to play against bigger competition. Looks like he needs the offseason something fierce.

Okay, back to your regularly scheduled draft talk.