Lather me with blather -- DRAFT thread 4

[dobrojim]

I might like Blatche more than others on this board, but I think I'm being realistic too.

I think we get that you like dray more than most. Your handle kinda gives
that away.

For those who want to dump him, WHY? The guys is talented and we're not going to get better if we just dump him for a lesser player. While he had a poor season, he still put up good numbers. Why sell low at this point? Even if you want to trade him, why not wait until next year? I'm very confident, that if healthy, he will have a much better season than he had this year, so that means his trade value will be up. Even though his numbers were not bad, he doesn't have a lot of trade value. I've seen fans of other teams call him "talented but a knucklehead" and I've seen other people call his contract "toxic". So it's clear that his trade value is low. So if we trade him now, we basically guaranteed to get a lesser player than him.

But I think Dray will have a good season next year. According to his twitter, he's been working out a lot this offseason and he says he's trying to get better. And he knows that if he doesn't play up to his potential next season, he's likely gone. So he should be motivated.

But if we trade him, we WILL regret. If we trade him, he will blow up with his other team, and you guys are going to be calling for EG's head. Just watch.

why should the prospect of being traded worry him? He's got a guaranteed contract.

why will trading him ensure that he does blow up? If that was actually logical, then
he would be a very attractive target for other GMs to trade for, the ideal buy low
commodity.

my bottom line - I'm not calling for dray to be dumped for the next ham sandwich
that is offered up. Assuming he ever does address his motivation/fitness/motor issues,
he could be a useful bench 4/5. But I'm not holding my breath.

Marshon Brooks is growing on me. But I also read in the Post today that we
are probably going to keep N1.

[JonathanJoseph]

You absolutely know what type of player you have on your hands after 4 years, arguably 3.

Blatche has shown us 6.

He has the potential to put numbers, but he is not a winning big.

We do want to win right?

The fact that people continue to hold Blatche and McGee on the "potential" pedestal really amazes me. There are dozens of examples of how player growth tends to work in this league, and given history and stats of other players who have come and gone, along with having actually WATCHED these players for a while now it should be obvious that they are both guys that are not very good basketball players. Giving them starting positions just delays the inevitable.

And it would be bad enough if they were just not that good. They are dumb. They create a negative image of our team. Teams thing that Wizards have the lowest IQ in the league...and they are right.

I say we drop both of these fools.

Yes, there are dozens of examples of player growth in this league and every example ever says that 23 (McGee) and 24 (Blatche) is very premature for NBA big men. Your entire argument is based around that fallacy.

[JonathanJoseph]

The people who want to dump Blatche mainly want to do it a) to sate their own wrath over his constant underachievement and b) because it's possible his lazy play hurts the effort level of other players (this seemed to happen with McGee on several occasions).

I'm in the rehab-and-ship-out-for-value camp myself, though I'm definitely open to Blatche changing my mind by caring more about the game and his teammates than clubbing.


Edit: If we're going to keep Blatche, btw, we MUST invest in a veteran big who will put him in his place, ala James Singleton.

That's it right there.

[7-Day Dray]

So by all accounts, Biyombo's workout was horrible. How do you airball a layup?

[jivelikenice]

You absolutely know what type of player you have on your hands after 4 years, arguably 3.

Blatche has shown us 6.

He has the potential to put numbers, but he is not a winning big.

We do want to win right?

The fact that people continue to hold Blatche and McGee on the "potential" pedestal really amazes me. There are dozens of examples of how player growth tends to work in this league, and given history and stats of other players who have come and gone, along with having actually WATCHED these players for a while now it should be obvious that they are both guys that are not very good basketball players. Giving them starting positions just delays the inevitable.

And it would be bad enough if they were just not that good. They are dumb. They create a negative image of our team. Teams thing that Wizards have the lowest IQ in the league...and they are right.

I say we drop both of these fools.

Yes, there are dozens of examples of player growth in this league and every example ever says that 23 (McGee) and 24 (Blatche) is very premature for NBA big men. Your entire argument is based around that fallacy.

Dray will be 25 before the start of next season. Please give me a few examples of high school to NBA players who finally put it together when they turned after 25

[jivelikenice]

The people who want to dump Blatche mainly want to do it a) to sate their own wrath over his constant underachievement and b) because it's possible his lazy play hurts the effort level of other players (this seemed to happen with McGee on several occasions).

I'm in the rehab-and-ship-out-for-value camp myself, though I'm definitely open to Blatche changing my mind by caring more about the game and his teammates than clubbing.


Edit: If we're going to keep Blatche, btw, we MUST invest in a veteran big who will put him in his place, ala James Singleton.

Put me down for reason B. But on top of that, I think its apparent he's not a part of the long-term plan here or at least shouldn't be so I don't want him around taking 15-20 shots a game and stunting the growth of our other young bigs.

Secondly we're going into a new CBA. If he looks as bad this upcoming year as he did last year or even shows slight improvement, do you think we'll be able to move him when his salary figures jump in the last 3 years of his deal? I don't see how he can increase his value unless he significantly improves and plays the whole season like he finished the last two. Unfortunately i don't think he's done anything to show that he's capable of that with his off the court effort....

To sum it up, I just think the probability that he'll be a distraction and a negative influence to this young team exceeds the probability that he'll finally in Year 7 put it all together on & off the court.

[7-Day Dray]

You absolutely know what type of player you have on your hands after 4 years, arguably 3.

Blatche has shown us 6.

He has the potential to put numbers, but he is not a winning big.

We do want to win right?

The fact that people continue to hold Blatche and McGee on the "potential" pedestal really amazes me. There are dozens of examples of how player growth tends to work in this league, and given history and stats of other players who have come and gone, along with having actually WATCHED these players for a while now it should be obvious that they are both guys that are not very good basketball players. Giving them starting positions just delays the inevitable.

And it would be bad enough if they were just not that good. They are dumb. They create a negative image of our team. Teams thing that Wizards have the lowest IQ in the league...and they are right.

I say we drop both of these fools.

Yes, there are dozens of examples of player growth in this league and every example ever says that 23 (McGee) and 24 (Blatche) is very premature for NBA big men. Your entire argument is based around that fallacy.

Dray will be 25 before the start of next season. Please give me a few examples of high school to NBA players who finally put it together when they turned after 25

Dorell Wright

[jivelikenice]

LOL....your "examples" came out to 1 person and that was Dorell Wright? Wow....Wright averaged 16 ppg on a team that played no D and plays up tempo. He also played with a backcourt that drew a lot of attention which got him a lot of open looks, yet his shooting percentage was down to 42% this past season, below his career mark. That's what you're hoping Blatche develops into? Not to slight Dorell, but he's an MLE type of player, not a core piece for a winning team who deserves a 3/28MM extension....

[tontoz]

The only difference with Wright is that he changed teams. He went to a bad run and gun team, getting more minutes and shots. That doesn't make him a better player than he was previously.

[TGW]

Biyombo having a poor workout is bad for us. If he impressed, he could have went top 5 and maybe pushed down a player we coveted. It also reduces a chance of a team wanting to trade up for him.

[Benjammin]

Biyombo having a poor workout is bad for us. If he impressed, he could have went top 5 and maybe pushed down a player we coveted. It also reduces a chance of a team wanting to trade up for him.

It's not good news, but it shouldn't come as a big surprise either. That's not his game. Teams generally make mistakes both ways when they overrate workouts, good or bad. Hopefully Jonas V doesn't pull out from the draft or his buyout issues scare too many teams. If Kanter isn't there at 6, I still wouldn't hesitate to take Jonas V or BB at 6 or drop down to 9 or 10 for the right deal and take Marcus Morris or Leonard, etc.

[DallasShalDune]

Dude's a small forward. Trade McGee for him

http://twitpic.com/5a6kfe

[doclinkin]

Dray will be 25 before the start of next season. Please give me a few examples of high school to NBA players who finally put it together when they turned after 25

DeShawn Stephenson?

[omegatronic3]

Out of everyone I've seen I think Leonard is the best option at our pick. Granted I havent seen any of the Euros. To me Leonard is a mix of Gerald Wallace and Ron Artest type of guy without the mental issues.
He doesn't have the explosiveness of Wallace in face his vertical is preatty average..but he makes up for it with a huge wing span and big hands.

There may be a little overlap with Brooks because hes pretty much the same profile. I didnt see much from brooks though to make me think hes any more than a role plyer. Leonard though fills a need for us in a defensive minded guy who can rebound and is not a complete offensive liability.
It sort of depends if we want to re-sign Howard because hes also similar in size and talents.

Im a little weary of the hype about the Euro bigs like Vesely because none of them has really panned out recently. Theyre more likely to be Darko than Dirk.

[Jay81]

one scout says Vesley wont fail in the NBA-

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A number of NBA scouts and execs saw Vesely shine Wednesday when he had 18 points and five rebounds in the game that gave Partizan the Serbian title. Vesely shot 7-for-9 from the field and, surprisingly, hit two of the three 3-pointers he took.

"He's as close to a sure thing as you'll get in Europe," one NBA scout remarked. "You factor in his size, athleticism and his production in Europe, and I don't see how he fails."


Read more NBA news and insight: http://www.hoopsworld.com/HeadlineStori ... TORY_33491#ixzz1P00YYYWA

[sfam]

I might like Blatche more than others on this board, but I think I'm being realistic too.

Unless I'm mistaken, you just predicted Blatche will make it to the all-star game this next year. In case there was any doubt, you're not being realistic...

I've seen fans of other teams call him "talented but a knucklehead"

Just to be clear, as a long time wizards fan, I consider Blatche to be talented, but a knucklehead. That in a single statement is why I don't think he reaches close to his potential (which is less than all-star calibur).

[closg00]

one scout says Vesley wont fail in the NBA-

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A number of NBA scouts and execs saw Vesely shine Wednesday when he had 18 points and five rebounds in the game that gave Partizan the Serbian title. Vesely shot 7-for-9 from the field and, surprisingly, hit two of the three 3-pointers he took.

"He's as close to a sure thing as you'll get in Europe," one NBA scout remarked. "You factor in his size, athleticism and his production in Europe, and I don't see how he fails."


Read more NBA news and insight: http://www.hoopsworld.com/HeadlineStori ... TORY_33491#ixzz1P00YYYWA

Was this a Wiz scout? Actually Vesely has better 3-point range than he does 2 IIRC.

[theboomking]

Dude's a small forward. Trade McGee for him

http://twitpic.com/5a6kfe

Better to post the image.


Pretty awesome. It doesn't make him a small forward though. Blake Griffin can also get up, weighed exactly the same at the combine, and had a shorter wingspan and a shorter standing reach. Williams has the game of a power forward.

That being said, for a long time, I was on the Kanter bandwagon. I'm now pretty firmly in the Williams bandwagon. I hope we do move JaVale for Williams, then let Blatche rehab his image a bit next year, re-sign NY to a modest contract, and trade them both also. I'm tired of having such a stupid team.

Williams and Wall are a good enough core to attract another superstar FA, even if that isn't Dwight and we have to wait a couple of years. By not re-signing JaVale, and having our two best players on rookie deals, we will have a monstrous amount of cap room by the time Lewis clears the books.

[Dark Faze]

Thats what I like about it. If you've got two great players in Wall and Williams...there's a lot of marketability and cap space there. I think Dwight would genuinely be a possibility, and if not him then certainly someone very good in the future now that the Lakers, Boston, New York and Oklahoma are either going to be on the downside or locked into salary.

[closg00]

Eurocamp recap featuring footage of Jonas.
http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2011/06/1 ... amp-day-1/