How do you fix this team?

[hands11]

I agree with Nivek's conclusion that Blatche would be quite good with added conditioning, weightlifting, and a good mental approach. Flip Saunders and other have allowed some of Andray's inefficient or lazy ways to go unchecked. A different coach who might allocate minutes according to his defensive contribution and his rebounding effort, and not simply rely on Blatche's talent is what Andray requires as well to reach his potential.

Blatche is around the same size as LaMarcus Aldridge. Aldridge didn't show as much game prior to this season. The precedent for improvement well into a career is there. Blatche hasn't been as accurate and Aldridge, but he's a better rebounder and shotblocker. There's no reason why Andray cannot be the same caliber player with the improvements above.

I think the best approach would be to trade him, solely because I am not crazy about him next to McGee. However, in the future if the right Blatche shows up he's a keeper. He did improve one off season. No reason to say he won't do it again.

CCJ

I haven't liked the idea of Dray next to McGee either, but I did start to notice them playing better together down the stretch. Part of that was McGee doing a better job of interior passing. The other part was Dray playing inside more. The combination started to get me thinking this could actually work. Add the power of Booker at the 3 and this could work even better. All three players still have upside. Booker adding some range will help open things up for everyone. Same with Wall adding range. And if they still have Nick, he obviously helps open things up. If those are your 5, then add a big with range and a back up center, that should be a solid 7. Plus Craw. That's 8.

So even if they only get Enes and Harper, they should be a lot better next year.

But Dray hitting the weights is key. He should be able to see his best ball is still ahead of him if he only dedicates himself this summer.

Wall/Crawford
Nick/Mo/Jeffers
Booker/Lewis
Dray/Harper/Seraphin
McGee/Enes

Hamady/Owens

Justin Harper H: 6' 10" with 3 Range. 44.8% This kids game look perfect for us. Love his stroke.
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Justin-Harper-6341/
http://espn.go.com/ncb/player/profile?playerId=36087

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dmyfUzYkOo
Just watched this one video so far and I like everything I saw. And he is a local Richmond kid.
And he looks like a solid kid. Focused. Not to flashy. 6-10 and can shot a fade away 3. Get him.
His dad played ball and is his mentor. Solid.

Nick, Crawford, Mo, Lewis and Harper can hit 3s
Mo, Lewis and Jeffers is enough maturity to balance the team.
I love what Jeffers brings. I so want them to keep him.
Booker is all grit. Enes has size and post presence. Seraphin is bench muscle. And Jeffers is a tough dude. If Dray can become a tougher dude, all the better.

I could be more than happy if that was the club next year. Its a good next step and something you could build from while a young team grows and you get to evaluate what you have and what you need.

[hands11]

I'm fixed on this kid for now. I think he would be perfect for the Wizards. I just hope he doesn't leap up the draft to much. Perfect for our ATL pick.

He gives you the big man shooting that Yi gave only it looks much better. And he can eventually move to the 3 when Lewis is gone giving the team room for Seraphin as he develops or to add someone else at PF. But for now he compliments what the team needs which is a scoring back up PF. And he has huge upside. The KD comparison is enticing. Love how he scores and just turns to get back on D. And he seems like a solid kid. That is key. Smart. Good relationship with his father who was a player overseas. And he is efficient. All good stuff. Looks like he could contribute right away.

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Justin-Harper-6341/

Harper's dramatic improvement goes far beyond standard production. The senior has developed into one of the most efficient scorers in the country, ranking in the 98th percentile in the NCAA in scoring efficiency according to Synergy Sports Technology. With over 46% of his field goal attempts being categorized as jumpers, the Richmond star has posted marks of 59% shooting from 2-point range and 47% from beyond the arc, percentages that rank him among the likes of Jon Diebler and Derrick Williams as one of the most efficient players in college basketball.

“The biggest difference with Justin is he's doing all of this at 6-10,” Mooney says. “It's incredible that he has the kind of range and touch that he does at that size, in addition to all the other things he can do. He's clearly one of the best shooters in the country, and again, it's so unique given his size.”

And that's where the tremendous intrigue of Harper's game comes into focus. While the practice of evaluating international prospects with size and skill is an annual practice among NBA scouts, rare is the American college player that presents this kind of package at the high level that the Richmond senior does. While he certainly isn't on the same level as Kevin Durant, it's easy to make the argument that no college player has so closely resembled the current NBA star since he left the University of Texas four years ago.



Ollie Harper – Justin's father – was a star for Niagara University in the mid-70's, scoring over 1,300 career points and ultimately earning an induction into the school's athletic hall of fame. The presence of a strong father figure and a mentor who has gone through the ups and downs of stardom as a college player has played a major role in the newfound confidence that Harper has exuded this season.

“It really helps,” Harper says. “Having that mentor always there, talking you through this stuff because he's been there, he's done so much for me. He had such an aggressive mindset when he was a player and he's instilled that in me and it's obviously helped me a lot on the court.”

Harper shows a solid basketball IQ, and clearly knows his role as a senior. Even though he's averaging slightly less touches than he did as a junior, he is putting up career highs in almost every category, and is doing so in an efficient manner at that.

Furthermore, he turns the ball over just 1.7 times per 40 minutes pace adjusted, a career low and indicative of his overall court awareness and passing ability. Harper is a savvy player, rarely playing outside of his strengths and seemingly knowing his limitations, looking more than capable of finding a role at the next level.



EG. Make this happen.

[hands11]

Spiders take out Morehead. Justin Harper looking smooth.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7tzjYSTfw0

[DCZards]

I agree with Nivek's conclusion that Blatche would be quite good with added conditioning, weightlifting, and a good mental approach. Flip Saunders and other have allowed some of Andray's inefficient or lazy ways to go unchecked. A different coach who might allocate minutes according to his defensive contribution and his rebounding effort, and not simply rely on Blatche's talent is what Andray requires as well to reach his potential.

Blatche is a grown man, now. Please stop blaming others (i.e. Flip) for his personal shortcomings.

I'm on board with those who suggest that with conditioning and a different mental approach AB can be a very, very good player and an asset to the Zards...not simply a big tease. I believe (as Flip has said) that Blatche's preseason injury, combined with the midseason shoulder injury, really set him back physically and mentally. If he can get in shape (lose weight) and come back quicker and more dedicated to b'ball than to hanging out, he's a keeper. So I'm for sticking with Blatche...unless an offer to good to refuse comes along.

[Ruzious]

Maybe the best thing the Wiz can do this offseason doesn't involve player acquisitions. Maybe it's getting their bigs in better shape - especially Blatche and Seraphin. Spend a lot of money on getting the best personal trainers money can buy. I heard the Pacers coach talking this morning about Roy Hibbert having the best offseason he's ever heard of. And it's part of the reason Indy has improved so much - even though Hibb's stats aren't dramatically better - other than rebounding. He's certainly much quicker on D and much better running the court. Just looking at him, it's hard to believe he's the same guy from his G-town daze.

[LyricalRico]

I agree with Nivek's conclusion that Blatche would be quite good with added conditioning, weightlifting, and a good mental approach.

I agree - Blatche would be quite good if he were a completely different person than he is. Just like I'd be Donald Trump if were older, richer, and had better hair. But I'm not going to turn into Donald Trump between now and the start of the next NBA season, nor do I expect Blatche to turn into somebody else within the same time frame.

[nate33]

Let's take Blatche's entire (very disappointing, mind you) season into context.

Other players who have averaged 17/8/2/1 at 24 y/o or younger:

Bob McAdoo
Shaq
Barkley
Dirk
David Robinson
Elton Brand
Shawn Marion
KG
Shawn Kemp
Marques Johnson
Jermaine O'Neal
Bill Walton
Chris Bosh
Larry Nance
Bill Cartwright
Spencer Haywood
Hakeem
Chris Webber
Shareef Abdur Raheem
Pau Gasol
Brook Lopez
Buck Williams
Alvan Adams
Joe Barry Carroll
Pervis Ellison
Vin Baker
Ralph Sampson
Clarence Witherspoon
Derrick Coleman
Christian Laettner
Lionel Simmons
Patrick Ewing

We're still talking about a pretty short list and one that includes mostly all-stars and mostly multiple time allstars.

Take another look. Here's the same list but only counting players with a TS% less than .500:
1 Kevin Garnett 1998-99 (22)
2 Antawn Jamison 2000-01 (24)
3 Antoine Walker 1997-98 (21)
4 Antoine Walker 1998-99 (22)
5 Andray Blatche 2010-11 (24)
6 Antawn Jamison 1999-00 (23)
7 Cliff Robinson 1983-84 (23)
8 Antoine Walker 1996-97 (20)
9 Lionel Simmons 1990-91 (22)

[nate33]

Blatche's 10/11 post-allstar break comps are 19.8/8.5/2.4/1.7 on 49% FG. Here's the list of <24 year old's who've done 20/8/3/49% for a season.

You still have the sample size problem. Blatche played in just 16 post-All Star break games. It's not reasonable to compare him to guys who have done it for 75+ games.

[nate33]

Maybe the best thing the Wiz can do this offseason doesn't involve player acquisitions. Maybe it's getting their bigs in better shape - especially Blatche and Seraphin. Spend a lot of money on getting the best personal trainers money can buy. I heard the Pacers coach talking this morning about Roy Hibbert having the best offseason he's ever heard of. And it's part of the reason Indy has improved so much - even though Hibb's stats aren't dramatically better - other than rebounding. He's certainly much quicker on D and much better running the court. Just looking at him, it's hard to believe he's the same guy from his G-town daze.

+1

It's a pretty sure bet that most of our success next year will based on the improvement from guys already on the roster, not from new rookies joining the team.

[nate33]

I agree with Nivek's conclusion that Blatche would be quite good with added conditioning, weightlifting, and a good mental approach.

I agree - Blatche would be quite good if he were a completely different person than he is.

[DCZards]

Maybe the best thing the Wiz can do this offseason doesn't involve player acquisitions. Maybe it's getting their bigs in better shape - especially Blatche and Seraphin. Spend a lot of money on getting the best personal trainers money can buy. I heard the Pacers coach talking this morning about Roy Hibbert having the best offseason he's ever heard of. And it's part of the reason Indy has improved so much - even though Hibb's stats aren't dramatically better - other than rebounding. He's certainly much quicker on D and much better running the court. Just looking at him, it's hard to believe he's the same guy from his G-town daze.

Yup, Big Roy has really worked on his conditioning. )Though I remember him being pretty nimble for a big guy when he was a Hoya.) It also doesn't hurt that Roy apparently returned to the Hilltop last summer to ball with current and former G'Town players. While I'm sure the summer competition at GU isn't as tough (or physical) as it was when Ewing, Mourning, Mutombo, Don Reid, Harrington, etc. would rumble during the offseason, you can still get some good run against guys like Monroe, J. Green and Vaughn. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if other local ballers like Durant, Beasley and Dante Cunningham occasionally showed up at GU for some summer ball.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I agree with Nivek's conclusion that Blatche would be quite good with added conditioning, weightlifting, and a good mental approach. Flip Saunders and other have allowed some of Andray's inefficient or lazy ways to go unchecked. A different coach who might allocate minutes according to his defensive contribution and his rebounding effort, and not simply rely on Blatche's talent is what Andray requires as well to reach his potential.

Blatche is a grown man, now. Please stop blaming others (i.e. Flip) for his personal shortcomings.

I'm on board with those who suggest that with conditioning and a different mental approach AB can be a very, very good player and an asset to the Zards...not simply a big tease. I believe (as Flip has said) that Blatche's preseason injury, combined with the midseason shoulder injury, really set him back physically and mentally. If he can get in shape (lose weight) and come back quicker and more dedicated to b'ball than to hanging out, he's a keeper. So I'm for sticking with Blatche...unless an offer to good to refuse comes along.

DCZards, I said they are Andray's ways. Flip played the guy heavy minutes and generally sat passively by when Andray launched bad perimeter shots, didn't do his best to rebound or defend, and generally hurt the team. Flip played Blatche but quickly corrected McGee mistakes. Flip enabled Andray in that manner to not be held accountable.

Blatche's injuries should have been allowed to heal with him not playing major minutes or jacking shots. Booker sat the majority of the early season and Seraphin barely played. Flip never tried Seraphin with McGee until Blatche was out, and even then he didn't play them together long despite them being quite effective. Flip in part created a monster by depending on Blatche. Said exactly what I meant, but you're welcomed to disagree, DCZ. I would ask you try not to misinterpret.

Andray's ways, DCZ.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I'm a Blatche fan, but I've been talking about ow bad his defense has been for the past couple of games. He hasn't been rotating, doesn't try to cut off the guards lane when they get in the paint, and doesn't try hard enough to seal his man off for the defensive rebound. And his pick & roll defense has been TERRIBLE, and I blame a large part of this on the coaching staff. That's why earlier I said I don't think Flip is the right coach for this team in the long haul. He doesn't hold his players accountable (except for McGee earlier in the year), and he doesn't stress defense enough. Blatche makes the same mistakes on defense over and over again, but it's like the coaching staff isn't telling him anything because he does it over and over again. I would like to see Flip treat Blatche like he treated McGee earlier in the year.

+1

I posted long ago the problem with Blatche is he was allowed to be inefficient playing many minutes. That is on the coaches. When he is right is he a really good player. Less of him when he was not playing sound, team ball would have been better. Flip's alternatives to bad Andray were Booker and Seraphin--even when they were considered too inexperienced.

[Ruzious]

I disagree, CCJ. It might make sense to you, but to play the rookie Seraphin with an unskilled big like McGee... on paper, it makes zero sense at this stage of their careers. Flip didn't have any realistic options other than playing Blatche a lot of minutes, because Yi didn't show enough. I don't think Booker was a very realistic option against most PF's, either.

[Nivek]

Ruz -- I agree with you to a point. Especially early in the season, Seraphin and Booker weren't realistic options. However, in a developmental season, I think Flip could've just benched Blatche to make a point that his play wasn't good enough. The difficulty, of course, is that you're then putting Seraphin or Booker on the court before they're ready, and they maybe lose some confidence when they get thumped.

One thing's for sure -- Flip wasn't able to look down his bench and choose from good options. His choices for much of the season were to stick with Blatche, who was playing like crap, or switch to someone who was either not ready to contribute or incapable of contributing. When Booker showed he could compete, I think Flip had a reasonable option to giving Blatche big minutes, and I would have liked to see him use it to rein in Blatche's crap plays.

[nate33]

Looking at the game logs, Booker "broke out" at the end of January when he posted back to back games of 21/12 and 12/12 respectively (both with extremely high shooting percentages). From this point on, Flip was able to credibly use Booker as a means of pushing Blatche.

Looking at Blatche's splits, I note that he averaged about 36 minutes per game in November, December and January while averaging about 16.5 points and shooting just 41.5% from the floor. At that time, Booker wasn't good enough to threaten him. However, in the month-and-a-half after Booker's breakout, Blatche's minutes decreased to 30 minutes per game and his FG% jumped to 49% on roughly the same number of shots per minute. It appears that Blatche got the message. Blatche then got hurt and had to shut it down.

When Blatche returned, Booker was gone but Blatche's improved play continued. He averaged 23.6 points in 34 minutes a game in April while shooting almost 51%. (His rebounding jumped 20% as well.) The competition sucked so we shouldn't extrapolate too much from those 8 games.

[closg00]

Send Seraphin to the D_League with an assistant for most of whatever season there is next year, give him 30 minutes a night playing-time and coaching.

[LyricalRico]

Send Seraphin to the D_League with an assistant for most of whatever season there is next year, give him 30 minutes a night playing-time and coaching.

Wasn't the team not sending him to the D-League part of the agreement for him to come over right away? Am I mis-remembering that?

[hands11]

Maybe the best thing the Wiz can do this offseason doesn't involve player acquisitions. Maybe it's getting their bigs in better shape - especially Blatche and Seraphin. Spend a lot of money on getting the best personal trainers money can buy. I heard the Pacers coach talking this morning about Roy Hibbert having the best offseason he's ever heard of. And it's part of the reason Indy has improved so much - even though Hibb's stats aren't dramatically better - other than rebounding. He's certainly much quicker on D and much better running the court. Just looking at him, it's hard to believe he's the same guy from his G-town daze.

+1

It's a pretty sure bet that most of our success next year will based on the improvement from guys already on the roster, not from new rookies joining the team.

I wrote something like that a little while ago but I also think the team can help themselves a lot in this draft. I see players that can give them the immediate depth they need. That can contribute right away and help position them nicely for the future with cheaper contracts and upside as they replace Lewis's contract and dump 24M off the cap.

Obviously a team so young and talented this year is going to get more from the combined improvement of so many young players then from a draft. And hopefully a better not injured Dray and a McGee who is in a two year window to reach his peak.

Wall, Crawford, Booker, Dray, McGee. If each of them just get 10% better that is a lot of improvement. Then add in your an uninjured Lewis. Remove Yi but replace his shot. That is another level. Then get Nick back. I think they have all the guards they need. Specially when you add two tough mature players who have solid bodies in Mo and Jeffers. And Mo, Jeffers and Nick can even D up at SF and provide you some scoring from there in spot duty. None are D Williams types. But that's ok by me. I think Booker as that physical motor inside at SF cover the physical thing you need and since Dray and McGee will start, Booker being a none ball dominate player works great.

This team even as it was has a lot of upside. But there were glaring holes. Pure shooters from range and a fall back plan for center. Nick was the only pure efficient shooter. They need more. But I don't think they need it at SG or SF right now when they have players and holes in other areas. They lack it more at PF and center. This team doesn't have one center who can shoot outside 5 ft and Dray is the only PF that can score with any range except Lewis who isn't likely here past next year. And if he is, he will be aging. Yi is gone.

This is a rebuild still. They will be in year two of it. Everything isn't going to get filled right away and they have lots of pieces they need to look at more before pushing them out. Booker, Seraphin, Crawford and even more Dray and McGee. I wouldn't add a SF next year unless it was D Williams. If you don't get him, I would go center and a power forward with range.

Enes and Harper seem perfect to me. Even Enes has some range. And he has the body to do the post thing that McGee has lacked. Harper as a Lewis replacement is perfect and I think Harper has a more pure shot than Lewis. If you can get a young Lewis with the 18th, that would be a steal. Lewis was viewed as one of the biggest mismatches in the league at one point. That is how he got the max contract.

[hands11]

I'm a Blatche fan, but I've been talking about ow bad his defense has been for the past couple of games. He hasn't been rotating, doesn't try to cut off the guards lane when they get in the paint, and doesn't try hard enough to seal his man off for the defensive rebound. And his pick & roll defense has been TERRIBLE, and I blame a large part of this on the coaching staff. That's why earlier I said I don't think Flip is the right coach for this team in the long haul. He doesn't hold his players accountable (except for McGee earlier in the year), and he doesn't stress defense enough. Blatche makes the same mistakes on defense over and over again, but it's like the coaching staff isn't telling him anything because he does it over and over again. I would like to see Flip treat Blatche like he treated McGee earlier in the year.

+1

I posted long ago the problem with Blatche is he was allowed to be inefficient playing many minutes. That is on the coaches. When he is right is he a really good player. Less of him when he was not playing sound, team ball would have been better. Flip's alternatives to bad Andray were Booker and Seraphin--even when they were considered too inexperienced.

Come on CCJ. I respect you brother but you are kind of off on this drum you keep beating.

Seems you are altering history. They had nothing other than Dray. Yi was Yi. He played well in a few bursts but got injuries. Booker wasn't ready and he is undersized to play a lot of PF. It wasn't until Flip threaten to send him to the D League that he got his motor running. And even then, he has no outside shot. Lewis played there some and did well but then he was limping on the knee. Seraphin wasn't ready either and he has no outside shot.

There was and still isn't anything on the team that even remotely compared to Drays talent and he needed to play his way back into shape and find his way on this new team. He is the only player that is part of the longer term plan or even if he isn't, he was the player who has the most trade value if he could get his game going. Lewis healthy would have been an option but he wasn't for more that 5-10 games.

Acting like Flip has all these options if so fair form the truth.

Now there wasn't a ton of options at center either but there was Dray who played there some. McGee was always in foul trouble anyway. He got benched more by himself then by Flip.