Anyone Want Hughes?

[dlts20]

I hope to GOD we dont pick him up and he probably is hoping to go to a playoff team that will play him which will probably be super hard to find for him. He also may think he can come here, pad stats, and get a good contract next year. I made this thread because some on here always seem to wanted him back every time we tallked about making a move. Man I hope we dont fall in that trap

[AceDegenerate]

Hughes is not coming back here, he seemed pretty vocal about the team when he left (rightly or wrongly he felt he was disrespected.)

Don't see how he fits on this team anyhow. Charlotte would be a good spot for him, MJ's the one who brought him here in the first place.

[johnbragg]

People (namely me) wanted him as Arenas' backcourt partner, in Eddie Jordan's system, as a piece of the puzzle for a deep run in the playoffs. That was where and when he played his best ball, and if he could be picked up for, say, Antonio Daniels' and Etan Thomas' contracts, he would have been an upgrade over Antonio Daniels, Mike James, DeShawn Stevenson, Roger Mason or Nick Young, the guards we had opposite Arenas and backing up Arenas.

Eddie Jordan and his system are long gone. There's not going to be a playoff run for a long time. And I doubt that future Wizards teams will be built around Arenas.

So, as someone who floated the idea of bringing back Hughes whenever Larry was in trade rumors, I'm saying it is an idea whose time has passed.

[mohammed10]

Hughes is not coming back here, he seemed pretty vocal about the team when he left (rightly or wrongly he felt he was disrespected.)

Don't see how he fits on this team anyhow. Charlotte would be a good spot for him, MJ's the one who brought him here in the first place.

+1

[montestewart]

Hughes is not coming back here, he seemed pretty vocal about the team when he left (rightly or wrongly he felt he was disrespected.)

Don't see how he fits on this team anyhow. Charlotte would be a good spot for him, MJ's the one who brought him here in the first place.

He felt disresepcted by MJ's ball hogging when they played together. He probably felt disrespected by the way he was used and discarded by Cleveland. Then the Knicks brought him in, like an aging, painted lady, good for a few laughs. The guy can't get a break.

[AceDegenerate]

I don't recall him having a problem with MJ..

[montestewart]

I don't recall him having a problem with MJ..

Problem might be stretching it, but I recall a frank admission after MJ left, words to the effect of the whole team basically standing around on offense, waiting to see what MJ was going to do. His words betrayed some level of frustration playing in that offense. Stackhouse made a similar comment but it didn't sound quite as critical (fellow tarheel and all).

[AceDegenerate]

Hmm, well I remember very cleary alot of journalist prodding of the players for juicy material to write about how MJ destroyed the team. However, Abe's puppet journalists were most likely just trying to paint the MJ dismissal in a better light, because 7 years later I don't think MJ did nearly as much damage as everybody claimed he did.

None of those guys who MJ supposedly shattered their egoes have gone on to do diddly squat in this league. So apparently MJ is the scapegoat for Kwame sucking, but that's it.

If Hughes signs with Charlotte I think it's pretty clear he had no problems with Jordan.

[montestewart]

Hmm, well I remember very cleary alot of journalist prodding of the players for juicy material to write about how MJ destroyed the team. However, Abe's puppet journalists were most likely just trying to paint the MJ dismissal in a better light, because 7 years later I don't think MJ did nearly as much damage as everybody claimed he did.

None of those guys who MJ supposedly shattered their egoes have gone on to do diddly squat in this league. So apparently MJ is the scapegoat for Kwame sucking, but that's it.

If Hughes signs with Charlotte I think it's pretty clear he had no problems with Jordan.

Neither quote was a smoking gun MJ sucks turds comment, either ebcause they were in response to toady DC jounralists or because they just wouldn't take the bait. They were sort of middling (not too much against MJ, but with an eye to still being on the Wizards) but they were poignant in that they addressed what I was seeing with my eyes when that team played. MJ was once a great player, but on the Wizards, he was a great 40-year-old player. If he caught fire and socred 40, pretty cool, but on most nights, it was torture watching him hold the ball with his clock-eating fakes, as the rest of the team stood and watched and wondered if they'd be called upon to do anything.

Again, those were the only comments I heard, and maybe once they got it off their chests, they felt relieved and moved on. Jordan's been known to hold a grudge. If he heard the same comment, who knows if it bothered him?

[Severn Hoos]

I don't recall him having a problem with MJ..

After his last game at Madison Square Garden, Jordan ripped the young guys on the team:

"It's very disappointing when a 40-year-man has more desire than a 24-, 25-, or 23-year old, diving for loose balls, busting his chin and doing everything he can to get his team into the playoffs, and it's not reciprocated from the other players on the team,'' Jordan said. "Until guys let go of that macho, cool attitude and do the necessary things that it takes to play the game of basketball, it's going to be tough for Washington to make anything.''

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=230309018

For a while, there was a heated debate on here as to who he was talking about. The most likely targets were Stack & Hughes - and Hughes was the one that fit the ages MJ referred to.

Obviously not "proof" of anything, but there was a lot of speculation at the time that MJ was unhappy with Larry. Don't know if it was reciprocated.

And yes, if he did sign with Charlotte, it would certainly seem that there are no lingering hard feelings, if there ever were any to begin with.

[dlts20]

He didnt have a problem with MJ? He hated him. Infact, I still swear to this day that he faked his final injury in MJ"s last season and that totally cost us a shot at the playoffs because we needed that one scorer off the bench. I was screaming to start Lue. It was clear that he ran the O way better and we were sliding. Finally Collins starts Lue & White and we win a big game. The very next night Hughes has some made up injury and never returns. After the season he then said that MJ had him benched because he wasnt passing him the ball enough which was so fake because anyone could see that Lue was running the team better. I bet anything that if MJ wouldve came back then Hughes wouldve been gone right then. No one ever talked about it much but its clear that he faked that injury because he got benched

[AceDegenerate]

Overall I simply remember Hughes during the MJ year as being pretty low key all around. Maybe something was there in the background, maybe not, I just don't remember him really being all that outspoken until Gilbert got here.

[MJG]

I'm sure someone does.

[LyricalRico]

I don't recall him having a problem with MJ..

After his last game at Madison Square Garden, Jordan ripped the young guys on the team:

"It's very disappointing when a 40-year-man has more desire than a 24-, 25-, or 23-year old, diving for loose balls, busting his chin and doing everything he can to get his team into the playoffs, and it's not reciprocated from the other players on the team,'' Jordan said. "Until guys let go of that macho, cool attitude and do the necessary things that it takes to play the game of basketball, it's going to be tough for Washington to make anything.''

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=230309018

For a while, there was a heated debate on here as to who he was talking about. The most likely targets were Stack & Hughes - and Hughes was the one that fit the ages MJ referred to.

Obviously not "proof" of anything, but there was a lot of speculation at the time that MJ was unhappy with Larry. Don't know if it was reciprocated.

And yes, if he did sign with Charlotte, it would certainly seem that there are no lingering hard feelings, if there ever were any to begin with.

Wasn't that also the year we were questioning whether or not Hughes "ankle injury" was legit? I seem to recall there being some discussion that he might have prolonged his recovery because he was unhappy with his role (I think MJ/Doug were giving Lue more time).

[TheSecretWeapon]

I covered the team for RealGM back then, and there's no question that Hughes felt disrespected by Jordan. Shoot, nearly EVERYONE felt disrespected by Jordan because Jordan treated nearly everyone with disrespect.

While Hughes did hurt his ankle, I strongly suspected (based on countless conversations with coaches, his teammates, team trainers, even Hughes himself) that he could have played, but decided not to. Hughes was particularly bothered because he got benched for Lue even though there was not question that Hughes was the better player. The reason Lue started was that he would cater to Jordan. Larry would give the ball to MJ, but not at the expense of everything else. Eventually, Hughes just "shut it down" even when he almost certainly could have played.

To answer the question posed at the start of this thread -- no, I don't want Hughes back. Not because of any of this stuff, but for a very simple reason: he's not a good player. He had a few pretty good years, and one very good one in DC. But he's not going to suddenly recapture that form.

[nate33]

Hughes wouldn't work in Flip's system. Pass.

[Wiz99]

Hughes was a fool to leave DC and Eddie's system that gave him one of if not THE best years of his career. If he'd stuck around, he might have blossomed into an even better player (I doubt it, but you never know what happens when you put people in the right system for them).

But the bitch wanted more money. So he left. It's been all downhill for him since. Now he's on the scrap heap, cut by the Sacramento Kings of all teams.

In the dictionary, when it says "NBA, rock bottom" it now says "See Larry Hughes"

[TheSecretWeapon]

Why the venom toward Hughes? If someone came along and offered me a HUGE contract and the chance to work with one of the top talents in my field, I'd jump on it too. It didn't turn out well for Hughes's individual performance, but (assuming any kind of reasonable money management) he's set his family up for life.

Hard to see that as "NBA, rock bottom."

[nate33]

Why the venom toward Hughes? If someone came along and offered me a HUGE contract and the chance to work with one of the top talents in my field, I'd jump on it too. It didn't turn out well for Hughes's individual performance, but (assuming any kind of reasonable money management) he's set his family up for life.

Hard to see that as "NBA, rock bottom."

Agreed. I always liked Hughes. He played hard, played good D, and seemed to work hard in the film room to understand his opponents' tendencies (I'll overlook the 1 on 3 fast breaks and the glass skeletal structure). I agreed with EG's decision to let Hughes walk, but I bear no animosity towards Hughes.

If we still ran the Princeton, I'd be happy to have him back on a 1-year deal for $2-3M or so.

[verbal8]

I could see Hughes going to Philly. With AI's situation iffy they probably could give him some minutes in the backcourt.