Poll: Grade Ernie Grunfeld

[Cramer]

And Brown's opinion matters why?

[closg00]

And Brown's opinion matters why?

Because he's the coach, it was his call obviously.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Going back to the draft thread I remember raving about Kenneth Faried, Marshon Brooks, NORRIS COLE, and only knocked Klay Thompson for character concerns. Also liked Harper out of Richmond.

Norris Cole is a guy I said would be PERFECT behind John Wall, and that I thought he'd be better at some things than Wall.

I post this under the EG thread because I know on draft day I pointed out Cole is way better than Mack.

My belief is I know a lot better than Ernie what this team needs. I get sick of being falsely modest because I am just some dude on the Internet. I am old, don't have a whole lot to show for things in some areas of life; BUT FOR YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS I have posted here things that many of you appreciate but the Wizards and Grunfeld never do.

If Leonsis is a billionaire I would think he would want somebody like me who can help him more than the guys that keep the Wizards terrible. NO, I can't be a GM or anybody high profile but I GUARANTEE he can get better help than what Grunfeld's whole staff is doing.

EG has be an average GM but for this team I have seen so many things they should have/could have/ but didn't come close to doing.

[willbcocks]

Wasn't Cole drafted ahead of Mack?

That miami SG spot is a perfect situation for a young player to land. Here...not so much.

[closg00]

Going back to the draft thread I remember raving about Kenneth Faried, Marshon Brooks, NORRIS COLE, and only knocked Klay Thompson for character concerns. Also liked Harper out of Richmond.

Norris Cole is a guy I said would be PERFECT behind John Wall, and that I thought he'd be better at some things than Wall.

I post this under the EG thread because I know on draft day I pointed out Cole is way better than Mack.

My belief is I know a lot better than Ernie what this team needs. I get sick of being falsely modest because I am just some dude on the Internet. I am old, don't have a whole lot to show for things in some areas of life; BUT FOR YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS I have posted here things that many of you appreciate but the Wizards and Grunfeld never do.

If Leonsis is a billionaire I would think he would want somebody like me who can help him more than the guys that keep the Wizards terrible. NO, I can't be a GM or anybody high profile but I GUARANTEE he can get better help than what Grunfeld's whole staff is doing.

EG has be an average GM but for this team I have seen so many things they should have/could have/ but didn't come close to doing.

I think you also like Jon Leuer who nabbed 8 rebounds, 14 points in 20 minutes last night.

Although I don't think Mack has NBA-style quickness like Cole and Jenkins. I think he will improve ...he seems to be getting used to things out-there and isn't confident yet.

[LyricalRico]

And Brown's opinion matters why?

Late entry for "line of the year"?

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I think you also like Jon Leuer who nabbed 8 rebounds, 14 points in 20 minutes last night.

Although I don't think Mack has NBA-style quickness like Cole and Jenkins. I think he will improve ...he seems to be getting used to things out-there and isn't confident yet.

Thanks, closg00, I do.

I remember going on and on with doclinkin about how good Leuer might be for the Wizards. This back in 2009 or early 2010, before the guy got injured at Wisconsin. Not sure if doc didn't notice Leuer first or if I did. All I know is the Wizards still had Antawn. My thoughts were Leuer looked like a good NBA prospect, like AJ. Leuer is an example of the type of shooter/scorer the Wizards lack now (but he isn't a big time rebounder per se). Ernie seems to like guys with potential and athleticism. Leuer has skill in an area Jan Vesely is really weak.

closg00, I agree with you about Shelvin Mack. Mack has toughness and I love his pedigree with the success he had at Butler, and Shelvin's having played for a great coach at Butler, Brad Stevens. Shelvin is a winner having gone to consecutive Final Fours. There are things I bet Mack can do in halfcourt better than Wall.

closg00, I appreciate you remembering. I need encouragement to make better decisions with my diet. I love me some fried chicken, steaks, pork chops but I know in my heart I am on a death diet. Just wanted to know what you've shared about your diet I also tucked away. You know WAY MORE about how to eat for GOOD HEALTH. That is something I would listen to you a lot on.

closg00, you also have a great deal of humility and know about the good prospects as well. i appreciate you don't go off on the Wizards like I do or puff yourself up or get argumentative. Maybe, If I ate right I wouldn't be as fiesty.

[llcc25]

With every passing game in 2011, it will be clear that Ernie erred in drafting Seraphin and Booker in 2010 and Vesley in 2011....


Kemba Walker -14pts 7 rebs in his first game tonight against Miami
Brandon Knight - 23 pts 6 assists 2 to and 3-5 from 3pt in his 2nd game tonight against Cleveland.

[nate33]

I agree with ST21. It's just not realistic to expect EG to draft a PG at #6 right after drafting Wall at #1. If you want to complain that we should have drafted Faried, fine. But Kemba Walker just wouldn't have worked out here.

And it's silly to complain about the Booker pick. He was picked 23rd and was easily a top 10 rookie last year. Booker may never pan out to be a regular rotation player, but he's going to be good enough to stick around past his rookie contract. That's better than most players taken that late. Looking at the draft, there were only 2 players among the next 37 guys picked who could conceivably be considered better than Booker: Vasquez and Landry Fields. And I'm not sure about Vasquez.

Seraphin was a reasonable pick. There wasn't anybody good available at #17 so he took a flyer on a project big man with good size, athleticism and attitude in the hopes that he can someday develop some basketball skills. Maybe it'll pan out, maybe not. But I think it was a reasonable risk to take given the talent available.

[llcc25]

James Anderson (spurs) wasn't a better value at #17? He's already contributing and having an impact in Spurs rotation. If you've watch his games, its clear he knows how to play the game and put the ball in the hoop. Seraphin is limited to defending bigs. Not much of a rebounder or offensive game. If he can't crack the lineup on this Wizards team, that tells you something...

I was hopeful with Booker but seeing him over the past year and 2 games he's just too limited to be a regular rotation player at the 3 or 4.

[Induveca]

CCJ, I respect your draft opinions more than anyone on the board. Millsap/Faried/Blair will bother me for quite some time as well......

While I enjoy watching the European game while in the EU.....the Wiz have no business drafting for potential right now. Between Vereemenko, Pecherov, Seraphin and Vesley.........it's becoming clear EG's foreign strategy is a massive failure.

We have real needs which could have been addressed while still taking guys with upside. We needed rebounders and shooters. Instead we drafted a guy who can do neither in the NBA.

Singleton I like, but he fell nearly 10 spots to us.....

[closg00]

I agree with ST21. It's just not realistic to expect EG to draft a PG at #6 right after drafting Wall at #1. If you want to complain that we should have drafted Faried, fine. But Kemba Walker just wouldn't have worked out here.

And it's silly to complain about the Booker pick. He was picked 23rd and was easily a top 10 rookie last year. Booker may never pan out to be a regular rotation player, but he's going to be good enough to stick around past his rookie contract. That's better than most players taken that late. Looking at the draft, there were only 2 players among the next 37 guys picked who could conceivably be considered better than Booker: Vasquez and Landry Fields. And I'm not sure about Vasquez.

Seraphin was a reasonable pick. There wasn't anybody good available at #17 so he took a flyer on a project big man with good size, athleticism and attitude in the hopes that he can someday develop some basketball skills. Maybe it'll pan out, maybe not. But I think it was a reasonable risk to take given the talent available.

Hold-on there Nate. Samardo Samuels, a guy correctly identified by our scouts and brought in for pre-draft workouts, is out-performing Booker in every facet of the game..and he went un-drafted in that draft. If Ernie hadn't panicked on draft night and used TWO PICKS to acquire Booker, we could have selected Samuels with one of our picks (Samuels is a similar player with 30 extra pounds,) and used the other pick on another prospect, or did a stash.

There are a group of guys out of that draft class that still haven't gotten an opportunity to play yet so additional value-players could emerge from that draft. James Anderson (A position of need) is coming along nicely.
http://www.nba.com/playerfile/samardo_s ... index.html

[Illuminaire]

Closq,

Tiny sample size much?

[closg00]

Closq,

Tiny sample size much?

No actually. Samuels out-performing Booker is a continuation from last year, it's just a pain grabbing the data from an iPhone and posting the link. Did you check the numbers?

Edit: BTW, Samuels and Seraphin have nearly identical measurements. One player is logging NBA minutes now the other rides the pine as a long-term project.

[Nivek]

Samardo Samuels is "out-performing" Booker in only one category: usage. Unfortunately, a fair amount of that extra usage is turnovers and missed shots. Booker's offensive rating (points produced per 100 possessions) thus far in his career is 118 -- for Samuels, it's 97. League average is 107.

For like the millionth time -- efficiency matters. Booker ain't much offensively, but at least he knows it. Samuels burns possessions with a Blatche-like frequency and efficiency. In other categories, the two are comparable. The fact that Booker doesn't waste possessions makes him the more valuable player.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

This past draft guys I liked included: Kenneth Faried, Marshon Brooks, Norris Cole, Charles Jenkins, the Morris Twins, JaJuan Johnson, and Justin Harper. Another guy I really like this past draft was Kawhi Leonard.

All of them were either rebounders or shooters. I thought Norris Cole would be a PG who could lead with toughness and he would be able to score at this level. I like that he was also a great HS football player. Charles Jenkins already had NCAA school retire his jersey. So did Faried. Those guys were beyond prolific producers. Faried hasn't played for Denver, shockingly, but that team is stacked. He did beast in preseason. So did the Morris twins. Johnson and Harper I have no doubts can score from midrange and deep. Leonard is a guy I predict will help the Spurs shock the West this season. They are my pick to meet the Heat if the corpse of Tim Duncan can keep getting up and down the court in postseason. He can really rebound well at SF, and he is also able to score.

When I see EG draft two guys who cannot shoot or rebound well, I have to wonder. That said, I like both guys he drafted much more than I thought I would. Singleton is a starting NBA SF who won't hurt a team too much because he brings intensity and can really defend well. Vesely is a great passer who can finish, but is going to have problems defended SF or PF, and he's not a shooter. Red flag.

Instead of condemning SG, I think I will wait and see if he cannot pull a deal. The guys he drafts are always intriguing, tantalizing, unfinished talents.

[sfam]

CCJ, I respect your draft opinions more than anyone on the board. Millsap/Faried/Blair will bother me for quite some time as well......

While I enjoy watching the European game while in the EU.....the Wiz have no business drafting for potential right now. Between Vereemenko, Pecherov, Seraphin and Vesley.........it's becoming clear EG's foreign strategy is a massive failure.

We have real needs which could have been addressed while still taking guys with upside. We needed rebounders and shooters. Instead we drafted a guy who can do neither in the NBA.

Singleton I like, but he fell nearly 10 spots to us.....

Yet another post where Vesely is declared a bust. Again, I know I'm a broken record at this point, but its truly silly to label the guy a bust when he hasn't yet played a minute - almost as silly as naming others taken later awesome picks after two games.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

CCJ, I respect your draft opinions more than anyone on the board. Millsap/Faried/Blair will bother me for quite some time as well......

While I enjoy watching the European game while in the EU.....the Wiz have no business drafting for potential right now. Between Vereemenko, Pecherov, Seraphin and Vesley.........it's becoming clear EG's foreign strategy is a massive failure.

We have real needs which could have been addressed while still taking guys with upside. We needed rebounders and shooters. Instead we drafted a guy who can do neither in the NBA.

Singleton I like, but he fell nearly 10 spots to us.....

Induveca, thanks for you kind words.

In the draft thread I put my last thoughts (short version is I like Anthony Davis far and away the best, Robinson next, but it's way early) in the draft thread.

About EG's picks, the most troubling thing is right now Vesely and Singleton each would be most effective at SG. The kid Singleton is a legit starter at SF and a nice pick. Vesely impresses me with his passing. Neither guy is as bad as I feared, and Singleton's already a player I am comfortable with. Vesely might be a change of pace PF and I wouldn't mind seeing him get a piece of Blatche's minutes.

Ernie drafts raw talent. I think another coach would utilize the energy, athleticism, and disparate skills of guys like Seraphin, N'Diaye, and especially Booker better. Could be the Wizards already have a pretty good unit with Wall, Young, Singleton, Booker, and McGee.

So, Indu, I can only post that so far Flip has been one inspired tank driver. His substitutions have minimized production and morale with Blatche and the team is at an all-time low. Ernie Grunfeld? He is a part at the top of a culture that needs to change. You are a businessman and see things from that perspective clearly. My take on EGs drafts is he gets talent but lacks insight and any appreciation for drafting areas of need. He did not think rebounding and shooting/scoring was necessary, apparently. Dude passed on guys like Brooks, Faried, Cole, Walker, Thompson, Biyombo, etc I cannot see how Kawhi Leonard at SF wasn't a no brainer better selection than Vesely or Singleton.

I could go on. I won't. Personally, I think Ernie has enough pieces that this team should be playing considerably better. Fire him and Flip and just know things are improving. This draft will be a good one.

[closg00]

I think you also like Jon Leuer who nabbed 8 rebounds, 14 points in 20 minutes last night.

Although I don't think Mack has NBA-style quickness like Cole and Jenkins. I think he will improve ...he seems to be getting used to things out-there and isn't confident yet.

Thanks, closg00, I do.

I remember going on and on with doclinkin about how good Leuer might be for the Wizards. This back in 2009 or early 2010, before the guy got injured at Wisconsin. Not sure if doc didn't notice Leuer first or if I did. All I know is the Wizards still had Antawn. My thoughts were Leuer looked like a good NBA prospect, like AJ. Leuer is an example of the type of shooter/scorer the Wizards lack now (but he isn't a big time rebounder per se). Ernie seems to like guys with potential and athleticism. Leuer has skill in an area Jan Vesely is really weak.

closg00, I agree with you about Shelvin Mack. Mack has toughness and I love his pedigree with the success he had at Butler, and Shelvin's having played for a great coach at Butler, Brad Stevens. Shelvin is a winner having gone to consecutive Final Fours. There are things I bet Mack can do in halfcourt better than Wall.

closg00, I appreciate you remembering. I need encouragement to make better decisions with my diet. I love me some fried chicken, steaks, pork chops but I know in my heart I am on a death diet. Just wanted to know what you've shared about your diet I also tucked away. You know WAY MORE about how to eat for GOOD HEALTH. That is something I would listen to you a lot on.

closg00, you also have a great deal of humility and know about the good prospects as well. i appreciate you don't go off on the Wizards like I do or puff yourself up or get argumentative. Maybe, If I ate right I wouldn't be as fiesty.

Eat Smart CCJ, you gotta live-long for your kids and for yourself

[closg00]

Samardo Samuels is "out-performing" Booker in only one category: usage. Unfortunately, a fair amount of that extra usage is turnovers and missed shots. Booker's offensive rating (points produced per 100 possessions) thus far in his career is 118 -- for Samuels, it's 97. League average is 107.

For like the millionth time -- efficiency matters. Booker ain't much offensively, but at least he knows it. Samuels burns possessions with a Blatche-like frequency and efficiency. In other categories, the two are comparable. The fact that Booker doesn't waste possessions makes him the more valuable player.

Booker's scoring "efficiency" comes from his avoidance of having to handle or shoot the basketball. The points he does get are mostly from dunks. Bookers PF rate is higher than Samuels because he doesn't have the size to defend PF's w/o fouling at a high-rate.

I can't think of anything more inefficient than using two draft-picks on a player who by default has to play PF. Booker does fine in some scenarios, but he isn't a legit PF. When Vesely becomes healthy, I suspect we won't see much of Booker anymore.