How do you fix this team?

[hands11]

Staying the course.

Everyone should be worth more next year than they are right now.

[Benjammin]

Staying the course.

Everyone should be worst more next year than they are right now.

I really hope everyone shouldn't be "worst more" next year than they are right now. It's been painful enough as it is.

[dandridge 10]

Your comments are still controversial. It would be worthwhile to revisit this thread if Blatche actually played like the NBA player of the week when the games really mattered. Instead, he plays like the NBA player of the week against equally crappy teams at a point in the season where most players are just waiting for the season to end. Seems like I've seen this movie before.

Sure, but this is not the first time Blatche has been in the running for NBA player of the week and we have seen this movie before.

When you have a 24 year old good enough to be NBA player of the week under a reasonable contract, you don't trade him even if there are head issues. Just like Demarcus Cousins.

Yes, you are right...we have seen this movie before...last year at the end of another lost season where wins/losses didn't matter.

The problem with Blatche is its not just head issues and he is not just a rookie. If it was just maturity issues (like Cousins), I could at least understand some people saying give him more time. However, Blatche's problems go beyond maturity issues. His issues are that he is lazy and soft. He has been that way for 6 years now. It is not likely that he is going to change his stripes at this point, because those personality traits generally do not improve with age. In other words, a player that is soft and lazy will generally always be soft and lazy. Sure, he may have a few games where he dislpays some passion and energy. However, soft and lazy players will eventually revert back to who thy are.

There is a reason why you hear reports that other teams view Blatche as a "one-and-fiver" and why we have never heard any reports of teams being intersted in Blatche, even when the Wizards have reportedly dangled him in trade talks. I think other teams view Blatche the way I do...although he has all the talent needed to be a winner, he doesn't possess the intangibles and work ethic to ever be a winner.

I guess we will just agree to disagree on Blatche.

[Ruzious]

Well said, Dandridge. Hermit summed it up:

I'm glad Blatche is playing well, it can only help his trade value. The guy needs to be gone.

[nate33]

The problem with Blatche is its not just head issues and he is not just a rookie. If it was just maturity issues (like Cousins), I could at least understand some people saying give him more time. However, Blatche's problems go beyond maturity issues. His issues are that he is lazy and soft. He has been that way for 6 years now. It is not likely that he is going to change his stripes at this point, because those personality traits generally do not improve with age. In other words, a player that is soft and lazy will generally always be soft and lazy. Sure, he may have a few games where he dislpays some passion and energy. However, soft and lazy players will eventually revert back to who thy are.

There is a reason why you hear reports that other teams view Blatche as a "one-and-fiver" and why we have never heard any reports of teams being intersted in Blatche, even when the Wizards have reportedly dangled him in trade talks. I think other teams view Blatche the way I do...although he has all the talent needed to be a winner, he doesn't possess the intangibles and work ethic to ever be a winner.

Well said. That's a perfect description of Blatche. I refuse to get excited about him until he puts in at least a full season of sustained effort. I don't think he has it in him.

[Illuminaire]

Hey, even Eric Frickin' Dampier put in one serious season of work during his NBA career. Do not underestimate Blatche's capacity to play hard for a contract in a couple of years.

[JonathanJoseph]

The problem with Blatche is its not just head issues and he is not just a rookie. If it was just maturity issues (like Cousins), I could at least understand some people saying give him more time. However, Blatche's problems go beyond maturity issues. His issues are that he is lazy and soft. He has been that way for 6 years now. It is not likely that he is going to change his stripes at this point, because those personality traits generally do not improve with age. In other words, a player that is soft and lazy will generally always be soft and lazy. Sure, he may have a few games where he dislpays some passion and energy. However, soft and lazy players will eventually revert back to who thy are.

There is a reason why you hear reports that other teams view Blatche as a "one-and-fiver" and why we have never heard any reports of teams being intersted in Blatche, even when the Wizards have reportedly dangled him in trade talks. I think other teams view Blatche the way I do...although he has all the talent needed to be a winner, he doesn't possess the intangibles and work ethic to ever be a winner.

Well said. That's a perfect description of Blatche. I refuse to get excited about him until he puts in at least a full season of sustained effort. I don't think he has it in him.

Soft is one thing. So is Chris Bosh.

Laziness is the interesting factor. Yep, he's lazy and painfully so. But the question that I have is whether his laziness is due to immaturity. He's a guy who didn't go to college and get that experience and he's still known to be out in the clubs at night. Lots of pro athletes need the "light bulb to come on" to grow up and I'm willing to wait it out.

Blatche, even as a 3rd big, is under a reasonable contract for a few years. If we jettisoned Blatche, we'd still need to spend ~$7M/year on a 3rd big and one without the upside.

I'm not in any way excusing Blatche's laziness and lack of awareness. All I'm saying is it doesn't cost much, if anything, to let him keep trying to grow out of it. In the NBA, that kind of talent is worth waiting for.

Since coming back from injury, 25.3PPG/13.5 REB/2.5 AS/1.0 BLK/3.3 STL 46% FG. Yes, a rebuilding team is willing to be patient with that.

[SUPERBALLMAN]

Talk of Big Ben retiring... I'd love to see him brought in as big man coach.

He started his career here and is from the area, and we need a big man coach. Seems reasonable.

[NbdyBeatsTheWiz]

^ Where's Wiz'nasty with his thoughts?

While I love the guy, he's not going to help any of our guys with their offense.
(that said, I'd love to transplant Big Ben's heart and hustle into Seraphin's body. I think Seraphin has it in him, he's just much more lumbering.)

[Ruzious]

I don't see Big Ben as coaching material. He comes across more as a grunter than a communicator. And I would not want him teaching anyone offensive skills. In most sports, it's usually the guy with limited physical ability who had to be smarter than everyone else just to make a team - that makes a good coach. The top players usually have great instincts that can't be taught - and don't understand why others can't do things as naturally as they did. When I was a kid just starting to watch basketball, I'd laugh at a particular backup forward on the Knicks. This guy was the most awkward looking player I've seen to this day in an NBA uni. His name was Phil Jackson. Scott Skiles - no athletic ability yet a solid NBA career. Those are the kind of guys I'd look for as coaching material - someone who had a career like Tony Massenberg - as opposed to someone who had a career like Patrick Ewing.

[hands11]

How do you fix this team?

KEEP EG

[Nivek]

Ben Wallace is also a chronic complainer. The next coach he gets along with will be his first. At every stop, he's found reasons to be unhappy -- even with Larry Brown, who tried to feed him in the post. Great player, great work ethic, but he's better used as an example than as a mentor/tutor.

[keynote]

Ben Wallace is also a chronic complainer. The next coach he gets along with will be his first. At every stop, he's found reasons to be unhappy -- even with Larry Brown, who tried to feed him in the post. Great player, great work ethic, but he's better used as an example than as a mentor/tutor.

Ben does know how to throw a bench towel like a grenade, however:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoPTuCsnl2I[/youtube]

[eitanr]

The team could easily draft a solid big like Enes Kanter, re-sign Young, keep Blatche, maybe add a wing say Jordan Hamilton etc with that 18th pick and roll with the following unit:

PF A. Blatche/ T. Booker
SF R. Lewis/ J. Hamilton
C J. McGee/ E. Kanter/ K. Seraphin
SG N. Young/ J. Crawford
PG J. Wall/ E. Preslyc

To me that could be a 35 win team, perhaps as bad as low 30s and as good as sneaking into the playoffs with a 38 win or so record.

To me though I don't see that team, even if the talents on their improve accordingly (i.e. John Wall, McGee and the other youth) over time being better than a high 40s win team...I feel that team ends up going a similar path to the Atlanta Hawks over the last 4 years (they started as a surprise 8th seed then became a perrenial 4th/5th seed and now are in no-man's land). That scenario actually scares me a bit.

I feel more comfortable, again hypothetically speaking, dealing the guys (or not re-signing etc) who we know what they'd likely give us over time (i.e. Blatche and Young) to make way for youth who could improve better, faster given their minutes (i.e. the rookie and Jordan Crawford) and maybe not being a 35 win team next season, more likely a 25-30 win team, (but maybe a surprise 40 win team), and nail down a better talent in a deeper 2012 draft, then have more cap space to fill in the missing pieces, maybe add that veteran that's over the top etc, and then there's a better chance of that team eventually becoming a contender and not a middling 4th/5th seed.

Let's play through such a hypothetical scenario.
1. Wizards Draft Enes Kanter or Perry Jones
2. Wizards trade Andray Blatche to Memphis via 3 way, land Dahntay Jones and Indiana unprotected 2011 pick (Trade IND pick and 2nd rounder for CHA pick at 11, land Terrence Jones)
3. Wizards draft Markief Morris with Atlanta Pick
4. Wizards re-sign either Othyus Jeffers or Mo Evans for one yr deal (or both)

PF E. Kanter/ T. Booker
SF T. Jones/ R. Lewis
C J. McGee/ M. Morris/ K. Seraphin
SG J. Crawford/ O. Jeffers
PG J. Wall/ E. Predslyc

-Key differences:
1. WIthout Blatche: Kanter, Booker, Morris and Seraphin will likely get more minutes, more offensive touches and thus a better chance at showing Washington what they can do and more likely would develop into their true potential.
2. Without Young: Crawford and Terrence Jones would get more playing time and like the above, more shot attempts and a better chance at developing into their full potential.
3. Without Either: Washington could save near 10 million on cap space and provided that at least some of the above youth develop to their full potential given more minutes and shot attempts.
4. Also without Either: Washington at worst becomes a 25 or so win team, but that would likely place the Wiz in the top 5 area in the draft and have a shot at a true star given that 2012 will be a very talented draft.

-I'm not advocating to field a team that is worse just to get a better draft pick. I just feel if you know what a certain player will become or already is and he is not part of your future equation or has skills that can be replicated more cheaply, or could be taking minutes/ shots away from a developing asset who at least has a chance to be part of your future rotation, it is better to deal them to hope to get assets that can help later down the road etc.

[pcbothwel]

I think their are many choices and outcomes for this team over the next few years and they (Ted and EG) have control over most of it. One thing they dont control is who comes out in the draft and where the lottery puts us. So we need to wait and take one step at a time. If we can get D. Williams or Barnes then I think we do that and build from there.

If we cant get either of them, Kanter looks like his game hasnt matured over the last 2 years and P. Jones doenst overly impress management, then I think we look to load up for the 2012 draft. No matter how you cut the new CBA agreement, that draft is gonna be loaded.
Our ATL pick this year actually intrigues me because I think a solid rotation player on a conteder will be there out of Honeycutt, Hamilton, Valanciunas, Bismack, Singleton, Markief Morris, etc.

I think EG will keep or lose his job based on how he handles this team over the next 6-8 months.

[nate33]

So basically, you are saying we should trade Blatche for a mid-first round pick. I wouldn't be opposed to that. I don't see the value in dumping Young though. If we unload Blatche and sign Young to a Nick Collison contract, we would still put ourselves in position for max cap space in 2012. The only thing dumping Young does is cost us a few victories in 2011/12 - but not enough to put us in the top 3 of the draft.

All that said, I fail to see how the team you constructed is any more likely to be a contender than the original team. Arguing over what to do with our mediocre talent (guys like Young, Blatche, Booker, Seraphin, etc) and a bunch of mid-round picks is pointless. We all know that this team needs one more star to run with Wall. Getting that star is going to take some luck in the draft, or it's going to take a serendipitous Pau Gasol situation where someone needs to dump a star and we have a bunch of young assets (basically, I'm talking Dwight Howard). I'm not sure if there's really anything we can do from a planning perspective to improve our chances other than to keep 2012 cap space open and hope that the talent we have now continues to develop.

So basically, I'm on board with trading Blatche for some other equivalent asset. I'm not on board with watching talent walk out the door (Young) unless someone makes a ridiculous offer we can't match. Beyond that, all we can do is draft wisely and hope.

[dobrojim]

Speaking of hope, how would CHI be looking right now if Rose
had seriously blown up this year. He's become an absolute
franchise player without question. How will our championship
aspirations look in 3-4 years if Wall comes even close to following
the career progression that Rose has? Pretty good I would think
assuming even a modicum of positive development from the rest
of our core youngsters.

A year from now when McGee's rookie deal is up, we'll have
a much better idea of what he might do as well. If things do
progress as they have (finally, <sigh>) at the end of this year,
things will look pretty good. Of course actually WINNING a
ship will require some beyond the good fortune that I've
already described. But if those 2 players develop well,
we can at least become relevant again.

[eitanr]

The truth is in the end of the day is it only more imperative to deal Blatche IF the team lands a PF in the draft they'd like to give an instant 30 MPG to. To me that guy is Derrick Williams. The hope is that if Perry Jones or Enes Kanter end up being selected, then hopefully at least via summer league etc they'ld show enough promise to warrant the same amount of time and development, thius triggering a Blatche move.

Now onto Young...

My whole thing is with Jordan Crawford's development. Considering what he did his rookie year and the instincts he has a player, Crawford could have a chance to be a special player.
I feel he should initially at least be locked in for 35 MPG and a nice chunk of the field goal attempts. With the proper development this kid could be an All Star perhaps, or at least a very lethal offensive threat.

Nick Young is much more efficient than Crawford, but know what we're going to get from him. I just don't love the redundany of he and Crawford and would rather shell the FGA and minutes to Jordan to give him a real tryout at the 2-guard slot.

[VictorPage44]

I don't think there's any redundancy with Crawford and young. Crawford can set people up and feels comfortable with the ball in his hands for the entire shot clock. Young plays off the ball hits open shots maybe makes a step back every now and again. I say keep them both because along with wall Thats a good 3 guard rotation. Give wall 38 mins, young 30 mins as the starter. Crawford is penciled in for 28 mins backing up both spot with the potential to stay in the game for long stretches if he's hot. No need to just dump nick young.

[VictorPage44]

With u on jones tho. If he drops past 10 we need to try to pick him up. If we could somehow land Williams and Terrence jones I'd be ecstatic.