A History Lesson: how did the Wizards develop lue era?

[Knighthonor]

Hi I have a question.

I was far too young to remember about the wizards back during the Chris webber era. I was young back then during the games and didn't follow much.

But some reason the wizard got rid of webber and a few others which degraded the team over time. I believe webber had a shoulder injury correct?

But then I remember we had Lue, and a few others. Back when MJ joined.

But how did the wizards go from the bullets, into that team of lue(can't remember the year)?

Seem like a lot of down grading happened. How did the wizards get there?

Also from the lue era,
How did they change things around to the Gilbert era?

[TGW]

LOL first time I've heard the phrase "Lue era" to describe that time period. Kind of a slap in the face to the GOAT, isnt it?

[montestewart]

But how did the wizards go from the bullets, into that team of lue(can't remember the year)?

Bad trade: Webber for Mitch Richmond and Otis Thorpe, reportedly ordered by Pollin due to Webber bad behavior. Overreaction and bad return, and obvious future all-star for two aging players. Practically an EG move.

Bad trade: Ben Wallace for Ike Austin, because we needed a center, and career backup Austin proved to be a career backup during half a season in Miami when Mourning was injured, so of course the Wizets jumped all over that.

Bad trade: Rip Hamilton for Jerry Stackhouse. Not as bad on paper, but Hamilton could have been a cornerstone. All I can figure is he played Jordan's position and Stackhouse was a Tarheel and was somewhat more malleable.

Also, decline of various players (especially Juwan, who was vastly overpaid, and the aging Strickland) and failure of others to develop.

Lue acquired whatever reputation he had at the time (I think I recall this correctly) by his somewhat successful coverage of Iverson during the Lakers-Sixers finals.

How did they change things around to the Gilbert era?

Jordan traded for Haywood and Etan Thomas, signed FA Hughes

Unseld (I think) signed FA Arenas

EG traded for Jamison and Butler

[TGW]

Actually, EG was the one who signed Arenas.

[penbeast0]

But how did the wizards go from the bullets, into that team of lue(can't remember the year)?

Bad trade: Webber for Mitch Richmond and Otis Thorpe, reportedly ordered by Pollin due to Webber bad behavior. Overreaction and bad return, and obvious future all-star for two aging players. Practically an EG move.

Bad trade: Ben Wallace for Ike Austin, because we needed a center, and career backup Austin proved to be a career backup during half a season in Miami when Mourning was injured, so of course the Wizets jumped all over that.

Bad trade: Rip Hamilton for Jerry Stackhouse. Not as bad on paper, but Hamilton could have been a cornerstone. All I can figure is he played Jordan's position and Stackhouse was a Tarheel and was somewhat more malleable.

Also, decline of various players (especially Juwan, who was vastly overpaid, and the aging Strickland) and failure of others to develop.

Lue acquired whatever reputation he had at the time (I think I recall this correctly) by his somewhat successful coverage of Iverson during the Lakers-Sixers finals.

How did they change things around to the Gilbert era?

Jordan traded for Haywood and Etan Thomas, signed FA Hughes

Unseld (I think) signed FA Arenas

EG traded for Jamison and Butler

You forgot the beginning of the Unseld as GM era . . .

Year 1 -- Juwan Howard gets a really silly overpaying offer from Miami which is voided by the league. Pollin fires the former GM who had said we wouldn't pay that much for Juwan and Wes Unseld becomes head stooge making Juwan Howard one of the top 3 paid players in the league for the next 5 years.

Year 2 -- Unseld trades young big Rasheed Wallace to Portland for middle aged Rod Strickland who is on the last year of his deal . . . AND takes back a bad contract in Harvey Grant. To be fair, Rasheed had already shown signs of being a fathead; he and Webber both whining to the media about potentially having to play C (should have just called Howard the C and played the other 2 at forward) . . . Strickland proves to be as big a fathead (once buying a hot dog from the vendor and eating it during the game) and so we give him a nice long term contract. Wiz become one of the 5 highest paid teams in NBA with little real success to show for it (one trip to playoffs -- swept by Bulls)

Year 3 -- Unseld trades Webber for aging Mitch Richmond after Webber is out partying and getting speeding tickets plus the normal whining and similar behavior . . . AND takes back a bad contract in Otis Thorpe (though not as bad a contract). Then the Wiz resign Richmond to a medium length contract whereupon his production moves from all-star to role player and he eventually is let go to Lakers who sign him for around vet minimum.

Year 4 -- Unseld trades young no-offensive-talent big Ben Wallace (and Jeff McGinnis who was an okay reserve point) for Ike Austin who just got a big contract based on mediocre but better than his career numbers play when Zo went down for much of a season. Ike regresses to the backup level that he was. The Wiz justified trading Wallace because they thought Jahidi White had more potential.

Unseld removed as GM and moved to another spot in organization for his loyalty (couldn't be for his acumen!). The organization has little talent and a nasty payroll; MJ comes in and starts clearing deadwood pretty well although he gives up the #5 pick, Devin Harris, to do it -- then MJ gets the idea that he wants to return and play but doesn't want to develop young talent so we get the MJ/Kwame years.

May not be perfectly accurate but that's how I remember the Unseld as GM experiment.

[nate33]

Unseld removed as GM and moved to another spot in organization for his loyalty (couldn't be for his acumen!). The organization has little talent and a nasty payroll; MJ comes in and starts clearing deadwood pretty well although he gives up the #5 pick, Devin Harris, to do it -- then MJ gets the idea that he wants to return and play but doesn't want to develop young talent so we get the MJ/Kwame years.

May not be perfectly accurate but that's how I remember the Unseld as GM experiment.

It was pretty accurate up to this point. MJ came in and didn't do much helpful except trading a future 1st for Haywood. He traded Juwan Howard to Dallas for a bunch of mediocre players and contracts (Laettner, Etan, Loy Vaught and Hubert Davis). The trade would have saved us some money if he let Laettner expire, but he went ahead and resigned Laettner so in reality, he didn't really clear any salary. MJ traded Rip for Stackhouse because MJ wanted to move from SF to SG.

EG came in after two years of mediocrity under MJ and Doug Collins. Abe had already fired Doug and signed EJ to coach so that was another bass ackwards move by the organization. EG came in and traded the #5 pick and filler for Jamison, and then signed Arenas.

[dlts20]

Unseld was as bad as a GM as he was good as a player. Thats what happened. C-Webb was maybe my favorite player ever so I hated that trade so much. Then Ben Wallace was the meanest toughest SOB in the league and dominated the boards in the Preseason. I remember telling my pops that you dont ever trade a guy like that. Sure enough he blew up.

We traded big for small twice with the C-Webb and the Sheed for Strick trade. I wont rip that too much though because Strick was a beast when he wanted to be and was the best I ever seen at getting into the paint.

We gave Howard a trillion dollars when he wasnt even worth half of it. The weird thing is that the Heat were going to be on the hook for it but we got him back somehow. He was a good player but only Michael Jordan was worth that much at that time.........lol

Then something that no one talks about was the Muresan injury. Big Gheorge had started to be a very good player. If he wouldve stayed healthy then he couldve been a dominant big that wouldve kept us on the right track but he didnt

[FreeBalling]

I remember C-Web getting pulled over and busted with some THC. Shortly there after Abe shipped his ass out and kept Juan Howard. Webber was a much better baller.

[Ruzious]

LOL first time I've heard the phrase "Lue era" to describe that time period. Kind of a slap in the face to the GOAT, isnt it?

And let's face it, T Lue was no Robert Pack.

Fwiw, I truly believe if Robert Pack hadn't had a mysterious nerve injury in his leg, the Bullets/Zards of that era would have been dramaticly different.

[no D in Hibachi]

LOL first time I've heard the phrase "Lue era" to describe that time period. Kind of a slap in the face to the GOAT, isnt it?

And let's face it, T Lue was no Robert Pack.

Fwiw, I truly believe if Robert Pack hadn't had a mysterious nerve injury in his leg, the Bullets/Zards of that era would have been dramaticly different.

I was just about to post this very thought. During his one season he posted a PER of 19 and was averaging 18/8. He was also a great defender. Robert Pack is the second most overlooked 'WHAT IF' in Bullets/Wizards history.

The most overlooked 'WHAT IF' is the Mark Price deal. That was such a terrible transaction and Price only played in seven games that season. But the 'WHAT IF' is...what if the Bullets never traded their 1st for Price? They'd certainly end up with the same pick because Price provided nothing so they'd still pick 12th in the 1996 draft and most likely target a PG because they traded for Strickland that off-season. Guess who got picked 15th in that draft? That's right...Steve Nash.

Nash should have been a Bullet and in my estimation Chris Webber would have been the absolute ideal PF to play with him as Webber is a cross between Dirk and Amare. Nash/Webber would have been immensely more stable than Webber/Strickland, so they'd have been mature enough to reach their potential together in Washington. With Nash in the fold no need to trade Wallace for Strickland so we'd have had a core of Nash/Webber/Wallace/Wallace.

Fan excitement would have exploded in the late 90's and Abe wouldn't have felt the need to change the name because the team's success. Judging by this chain of events we all have Mark Price to blame for the crappy Wizards moniker...curse you Mark!

[FAH1223]

God, all these trades bring me back to my childhood of when the Wiz stunk and didn't return to the playoffs till high school.

So depressing of how inept Wes was. EG is bad but he is a step above that.

[hands11]

God, all these trades bring me back to my childhood of when the Wiz stunk and didn't return to the playoffs till high school.

So depressing of how inept Wes was. EG is bad but he is a step above that.

Battered Bullets Syndrome. BBS

That is why I have been ok with EG and Flip. After Wes as GM and watching them tear apart a team that was on its way only to replace it with WTF and EFJ as HC, well... EG looks liked like sunshine.

But finally this thing has been torn apart almost done to the bone. They do have some pieces but... who to rebuild it into a winner ?