Kevin Seraphin

[AWIZZINGBULLET]

Well at least we see eye to eye on the role of the rookie they draft. Just another piece to the puzzle. I see that player as something to plug in more in year 2 or 3 then next year. Though I do think adding depth at different positions would pay off more in the short term.

I guess, I see this as a pretty good roster if they were all health and starting the season over right now.

Biggest hole this team has as the roster currently stands is back up PG. They is the player I think will be the biggest boost to this team next year if they find the right player. Longer term, its a stud SF and SG deepth. So since I say you draft this year for players you will use next year and beyond, Beal still looks like a good fit. After that, Robinson would be a nice chose to plan for the future and stake assets.

As is, Crawford, Mason and Martin gives enough at SG and Martin has added shooting range to the SF slot. Its not a longer term answer for SG but its enough a year while they stack the deck. I say it would be really smart for them to bring back Martin. As a SF, he may not be the stud SF they ultimately need but he add the offense and range that Singleton lacks. C Singleton was a 3 and D type. Martin is more fluid with rebounding and range. They actually compliment each other well. And Martin still could develop into an above average SF.

Barnes would be useful but I think they can do better then adding him. But as was said, whoever they add will be a role player next year. Wall started because he was the #1 on a weak team. C Singleton started because they really had nothing else at SF. If they even had a average SF this year, he would be a back up.

The team is getting better and deeper. Now they can be more patient with rookies and bring them into a more professional environment where they earn time.

I don't think the Wizards are searching for an upgrade at the backup PG position. There's not a great deal of flash to Mack's game, but he's pretty steady and is noted for not turning the ball over and making solid decisions. I think the team values the backup PG who can come in off the bench, get others involved and not turn the ball over a great deal over the scoring PG. They pretty much have that in Mack.

The Wizards shouldn't get comfortable with what they have at G/F with Crawford, Mason and Martin. Crawford is a better scorer than he is shooter; he takes so many shots with a high degree of difficulty that I think the Wizards need to add more of a sure thing, in terms of shooting ability at SG. John Jenkins I think would be a good fit. Mason, who I hope is brought back for another season, is an aging player who adds to the perimeter game but doesn't have a variety of ways to create a shot for himself, which doesn't help if his shot isn't dropping on a given night. Like Mason, I also hope Martin is brought back for another season. He adds to the perimeter game as well but shouldn't be relied on as sole outside scorer at the forward position because he's one-dimensional scoring wise and has his nights when his shots aren't falling too.

The Wizards have shown they can really defend when healthy, they have their post presence, I think this draft they need to add to the perimeter scoring they already get from Crawford, Mason, and Martin.

[hands11]

GuyannaGrizzli?

KS is from French Guiana.

Home of the rare Guyanese Grizzly Bear, for which Seraphin is names. I think Seraphin is French for Grizzly

http://www.babynamespedia.com/meaning/Seraphin/m

Seraphin is used predominantly in the French and German languages, and it is derived from Hebrew origins. Biblical name derived from the elements 'seraphim' meaning burning ones, fiery ; 'seraph'. The generic name has been used in the Old Testament of the Bible.

[hands11]

Seraphin's nickname should be Stronghold or Firestone.

No way his name can not reflect his smooth shot. That is very unique for a big man like him.

There is always, the French Connection. Works for shooting and body contact. I don't see anyone that clearly owns that one. You would think Parker but I see Frenchie.

[hands11]

Well at least we see eye to eye on the role of the rookie they draft. Just another piece to the puzzle. I see that player as something to plug in more in year 2 or 3 then next year. Though I do think adding depth at different positions would pay off more in the short term.

I guess, I see this as a pretty good roster if they were all health and starting the season over right now.

Biggest hole this team has as the roster currently stands is back up PG. They is the player I think will be the biggest boost to this team next year if they find the right player. Longer term, its a stud SF and SG deepth. So since I say you draft this year for players you will use next year and beyond, Beal still looks like a good fit. After that, Robinson would be a nice chose to plan for the future and stake assets.

As is, Crawford, Mason and Martin gives enough at SG and Martin has added shooting range to the SF slot. Its not a longer term answer for SG but its enough a year while they stack the deck. I say it would be really smart for them to bring back Martin. As a SF, he may not be the stud SF they ultimately need but he add the offense and range that Singleton lacks. C Singleton was a 3 and D type. Martin is more fluid with rebounding and range. They actually compliment each other well. And Martin still could develop into an above average SF.

Barnes would be useful but I think they can do better then adding him. But as was said, whoever they add will be a role player next year. Wall started because he was the #1 on a weak team. C Singleton started because they really had nothing else at SF. If they even had a average SF this year, he would be a back up.

The team is getting better and deeper. Now they can be more patient with rookies and bring them into a more professional environment where they earn time.

I don't think the Wizards are searching for an upgrade at the backup PG position. There's not a great deal of flash to Mack's game, but he's pretty steady and is noted for not turning the ball over and making solid decisions. I think the team values the backup PG who can come in off the bench, get others involved and not turn the ball over a great deal over the scoring PG. They pretty much have that in Mack.

The Wizards shouldn't get comfortable with what they have at G/F with Crawford, Mason and Martin. Crawford is a better scorer than he is shooter; he takes so many shots with a high degree of difficulty that I think the Wizards need to add more of a sure thing, in terms of shooting ability at SG. John Jenkins I think would be a good fit. Mason, who I hope is brought back for another season, is an aging player who adds to the perimeter game but doesn't have a variety of ways to create a shot for himself, which doesn't help if his shot isn't dropping on a given night. Like Mason, I also hope Martin is brought back for another season. He adds to the perimeter game as well but shouldn't be relied on as sole outside scorer at the forward position because he's one-dimensional scoring wise and has his nights when his shots aren't falling too.

The Wizards have shown they can really defend when healthy, they have their post presence, I think this draft they need to add to the perimeter scoring they already get from Crawford, Mason, and Martin.

"I don't think the Wizards are searching for an upgrade at the backup PG position"

Yeah. OK. I think they need one in a big way. Mack is a 3rd back up in my book. He could get better but I want someone with more upside then Mack as the 2nd PG. Mack can drive effectively at time which is great given his size, and he is mostly reliable, but he is very average. I think there is plenty of room to upgrade from Mack. They can keep him around for depth. Send him to DL or just inactive. Either works.

I didnt say if they were looking for one. That would be a WAG. I have seen nothing reported that says they are looking for one. You have any information that points to the fact that they wouldn't look for one ?

[hands11]

Well at least we see eye to eye on the role of the rookie they draft. Just another piece to the puzzle. I see that player as something to plug in more in year 2 or 3 then next year. Though I do think adding depth at different positions would pay off more in the short term.

I guess, I see this as a pretty good roster if they were all health and starting the season over right now.

Biggest hole this team has as the roster currently stands is back up PG. They is the player I think will be the biggest boost to this team next year if they find the right player. Longer term, its a stud SF and SG deepth. So since I say you draft this year for players you will use next year and beyond, Beal still looks like a good fit. After that, Robinson would be a nice chose to plan for the future and stack assets.

As is, Crawford, Mason and Martin gives enough at SG and Martin has added shooting range to the SF slot. Its not a longer term answer for SG but its enough a year while they stack the deck. I say it would be really smart for them to bring back Martin. As a SF, he may not be the stud SF they ultimately need but he add the offense and range that Singleton lacks. C Singleton was a 3 and D type. Martin is more fluid with rebounding and range. They actually compliment each other well. And Martin still could develop into an above average SF.

Barnes would be useful but I think they can do better then adding him. But as was said, whoever they add will be a role player next year. Wall started because he was the #1 on a weak team. C Singleton started because they really had nothing else at SF. If they even had a average SF this year, he would be a back up.

The team is getting better and deeper. Now they can be more patient with rookies and bring them into a more professional environment where they earn time.

I don't think the Wizards are searching for an upgrade at the backup PG position. There's not a great deal of flash to Mack's game, but he's pretty steady and is noted for not turning the ball over and making solid decisions. I think the team values the backup PG who can come in off the bench, get others involved and not turn the ball over a great deal over the scoring PG. They pretty much have that in Mack.

The Wizards shouldn't get comfortable with what they have at G/F with Crawford, Mason and Martin. Crawford is a better scorer than he is shooter; he takes so many shots with a high degree of difficulty that I think the Wizards need to add more of a sure thing, in terms of shooting ability at SG. John Jenkins I think would be a good fit. Mason, who I hope is brought back for another season, is an aging player who adds to the perimeter game but doesn't have a variety of ways to create a shot for himself, which doesn't help if his shot isn't dropping on a given night. Like Mason, I also hope Martin is brought back for another season. He adds to the perimeter game as well but shouldn't be relied on as sole outside scorer at the forward position because he's one-dimensional scoring wise and has his nights when his shots aren't falling too.

The Wizards have shown they can really defend when healthy, they have their post presence, I think this draft they need to add to the perimeter scoring they already get from Crawford, Mason, and Martin.

[AWIZZINGBULLET]

Biggest hole this team has as the roster currently stands is back up PG. They is the player I think will be the biggest boost to this team next year if they find the right player. Longer term, its a stud SF and SG deepth. So since I say you draft this year for players you will use next year and beyond, Beal still looks like a good fit. After that, Robinson would be a nice chose to plan for the future and stake assets.

The bold suggests that you believe the Wizards will be looking for one.

Usually when a team drafts a player high in the second round it's not a player they plan on "shelving" after one season. Mack was drafted 34th overall. Wall is obviously going to get the lion's share of minutes at the position, so Mack isn't in a position where it's 'perform like a starting PG or else!'. He has 3 years of college experience at the position and was a main piece in Butler's success at PG. I don't see him being sent to the D-league or being placed on the inactive list. He's learning the ropes of NBA basketball just as all rookies must.

I never stated definitively that the Wizards weren't looking for one, only suggested that it is unlikely.

[fugop]

Seraphim actually has a close relation to "serpent". It's got to be french mamba.

[fishercob]

I just re-read the first ten or so pages of this thread. As usual, an entertaining trip down memory lane.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

fisher, those posts were very entertaining and informative. I had done the same thing myself.

NBAPlaybook.com (a pretty good blog by the way) has a scouting report on Seraphin. Worth a look, if for nothing else than to temper expectations (such as expecting him to take McGee's spot this year)

http://nbaplaybook.com/2010/08/02/overs ... -seraphin/

This was posted back in August 2010. Sebastian Pruiti put together a definitive scouting report on Seraphin.

Seems like virtually everything Pruiti wrote about Kevin Seraphin was spot on. Kevin put things together one year sooner than Sebastian anticipated. Seraphin clearly is an impact player as Pruiti predicted he would be. He has taken McGee's spot and then some.

[doclinkin]

Seraphim actually has a close relation to "serpent". It's got to be french mamba.

Actually the seraphim were the angels who were the avenging servants of Jahweh. Literally the 'burning ones' in Hebrew. Though as dark as Kevin is he clearly got toasted to a cinder. The 'Black Angel of Doom' works for me:

Kevin Seraphin: The BAD.

There you have both your menace and your feathery touch from The B.A.D. M.B.P.

[hands11]

Biggest hole this team has as the roster currently stands is back up PG. They is the player I think will be the biggest boost to this team next year if they find the right player. Longer term, its a stud SF and SG deepth. So since I say you draft this year for players you will use next year and beyond, Beal still looks like a good fit. After that, Robinson would be a nice chose to plan for the future and stake assets.

The bold suggests that you believe the Wizards will be looking for one.

Usually when a team drafts a player high in the second round it's not a player they plan on "shelving" after one season. Mack was drafted 34th overall. Wall is obviously going to get the lion's share of minutes at the position, so Mack isn't in a position where it's 'perform like a starting PG or else!'. He has 3 years of college experience at the position and was a main piece in Butler's success at PG. I don't see him being sent to the D-league or being placed on the inactive list. He's learning the ropes of NBA basketball just as all rookies must.

I never stated definitively that the Wizards weren't looking for one, only suggested that it is unlikely.

Right. And what am saying is, just because they already spend a 2nd round pick on one means very little. The team is looking to improve. If they can find the right FA or pick this year that they see as an upgrade, I would have to imagine they would do it. A 2nd round pick is not a huge investment. They already got there return by the fact he served as the primary back up for a tank year and paid very little for that. The kid got a lot of minutes and while he did ok, I didnt see anything that would lead me to believe he is more then serviceable. I guess if he became a really good shooter that would change my view. So far, I haven't seen that. I didn't say dump him, but I see no reason to believe he has a guaranteed back up spot for all next year. I would add talent to that position. It seems like an easy position on the team to do it. Hell, there were rumors last offseason that they were going to add a vet back up.

After this season, the tank by design is over. They are starting to design a team that wins more games, not one that is holding Lewis one more year to get a huge salary off the books. Not one that is auditioning McGee and Nick for a trade. And it is increasing looking like a team that is not giving Dray much more rope. Actually, it seems more like Dray is gone unless he can really do something special to prove otherwise. He "may" have a small window to prove himself, but it is very small.

Depending on who they bring back, I see a pretty decent roster next year. Not a finished roster but one that will be good enough to win with a balance a skills at every position. One that doesn't have a lot of holes or bad contracts to deal with. And one that could benefit from upgrading a back up PG. Mack can stick around. I just see a need for something in between Walls skill set and Macks. I think the team would benefit from that.

[veji1]

VEry interesting scouting report form Nbaplaybook, quite spot on. Now offensively the objective should be to get fouled more often.

[fishercob]

Seraphin is starting to serve as a bit of a cautionary tale to this online community and the speed and methods with which we evaluate players, transactions, and (gulp) management.

...
So I can't see Seraphin performing like this and write off Vesely or Singleton, especially not in this bizarre season. And as much as I had my pitchfork out for Ernie earlier this year, I feel pretty sheepish demanding his ouster when he dominated the 2010 draft so thoroughly. That will play itself out.

I'm excited for Kevin's continued development, that is for sure.

I don't think Seraphin is a cautionary tale, I think he's a fluke. An outlier. The guy's improvement has been nothing short of stunning and I'd be hard pressed to find a comparable situation where a guy as bad as Seraphin was as a rookie and the first half of his second year, developed into a useful player so quickly.

But that is precisely my point, Dat. He was bad by certain metrics within a particular time frame; based on that data, everyone made confident projections about what would be. I had resigned myself to the fact that he was a bust earlier this season.

I don't think Seraphin drank some magic potion and all of a sudden became an effective player. There is such a strong "moneyball" movement in basketball right now that outs pressure to look at things from a distance (so as to have proper perspective), to look at aggregated data for the cold hard truth so as not to be swayed by emotion.

But what about Seraphin's language barrier? What about culture shock? How do you adjust for the effects of the dysfunctionality of gungate and its fallout, sharing a locker room with Blatche, Young and McGee, the lockout, etc?

I think the micro matters too. Not just the macro. Look at the Bulls. They are *loaded* with good players up and down their bench. They have drafted well to be sure. But I don't believe that Taj Gibson or Asik or Korver or whomever would be thought of as similarly valuable players if they were on the Bobcats or Hawks or Pistons or whomever.

I don't really know my point. I guess it's just that Seraphin's growth (and yes Nivek, I am not punching his ballot to the all-star game yet) brings up more questions to me than it does answers. I really hope he stays out of foul trouble and plays well against the Knicks tonight.

[veji1]

The cultural and linguistic barriers were huge for sure, specially when a player is young. A seasoned vet that comes to the NBA after a good european carreer à la Scola of even Splitter, is already a grown man, not that easily stressed. He knows his worth and where he stands. On the contrary a 20 year old who actually barely played in Europe and still has to learn how to do his laundry can be a lot more unsettle by landing in a foreign culture.

Add to that a dangerously carcinogenous team, made of knuckleheads and dummies, and it is actually a miracle that the kid hasn't turned obese and disinterested...

Each rookie is different, but it is important for a team to understand that you don't deal with a local us kid coming out of uni in the same way as a 20 years old european prospect, or for that matter a 25 year old established european player.

[montestewart]

I think I remember something about a condition of Seraphin signing being an assurance (guarantee?) that he would not be sent down to D-League. Is that true or did I just make that up?

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Seraphim actually has a close relation to "serpent". It's got to be french mamba.

Actually the seraphim were the angels who were the avenging servants of Jahweh. Literally the 'burning ones' in Hebrew. Though as dark as Kevin is he clearly got toasted to a cinder. The 'Black Angel of Doom' works for me:

Kevin Seraphin: The BAD.

There you have both your menace and your feathery touch from The B.A.D. M.B.P.

It is both, snake or angel, depending on the reference.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seraphim

The word seraphim, literally "burning ones", transliterates a Hebrew plural noun; translation yields seraphs. The singular, "seraph", is more properly rendered sarap. The word sarap/seraphim appears three times in the Torah (Numbers 21:6-8, Deuteronomy 8:15) and four times in the Book of Isaiah (6:2-6, 14:29, 30:6). In Numbers and Deuteronomy the "seraphim" are serpents – the association of serpents as "burning ones" is possibly due to the burning sensation of the poison.[2] Isaiah also uses the word in close association with words to describe snakes (nahash, the generic word for snakes, in 14:29, and efeh, viper, in 30:6).

The Isaiah vision of seraphs in an idealised Jerusalem First Temple represents the sole instance in the Hebrew Bible of this word being used to describe celestial beings.[3] "... I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and His train filled the Hekhal (sanctuary). Above him stood the Seraphim; each had six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew." (Isaiah 6:1–3) The seraphim cry continually to each other, "Holy, holy, holy, is YHWH of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory." (verses 2-3) One seraph then carries out an act of purification for the prophet by touching his lips with a live coal from the altar (verses 6-7). The text uses the word "seraphim" but adds no adjectives or modifiers emphasising snakes ("nahash," etc.). At the same time the description gives the creatures both human and avian attributes. A strong association with fire, though, is maintained.[4]

I am familiar with seraphim and cherubim as angels, and with the passage from Isaiah 6:1-7.

So, Kevin could easily be nicknamed Flame Thrower, Six-Wings or Snake Eyes. He can be a purifying angel or an avenger.

[montestewart]

So wait, where's the grizzly?

[cdouglas]

I don't like Grizzly. No man is going to want to be called Grizzly. Can you think of a name that can make a man feel proud? If you're thinking on the terms of an angel, what about the Watchman?

[dobrojim]

the first 10 pages are interesting indeed

[Upper Decker]

the first 10 pages are interesting indeed

They sure are. What's most interesting is that OKC seemingly was targeting KS. Either Presti got too cute and figured he could pick KS later, or he viewed Aldrich as the superior player. EG mega-duped Presti on this one. I'd be surprised if Aldrich catches on with anyone beyond his rookie deal.