Kevin Seraphin

[manou]

I just hope he doesn't go overboard with national team basketball.

Do you realize the impact french national team had on him last summer? You must think training is far better than playing a competition, especially olympics. He's got a taste of the floor with France first, then with one of the hardest coach in Europe, Dusko Ivanovic, at Vitoria where he's been missed. They just loved him there, even if it was just for a couple of months.

Agreed. Playing for the NT was a huge step in the right direction for him. Playing this year with proven NBA vets such as Tony Parker, Diaw, Turiaf, Joakim Noah or promising young guns such as Batum or Beaubois can only help him develop his game, no doubt. He can't pass such an opportunity if he's selected.

[tontoz]

Comparing him to Dray is silly. Dray was never near the defender Seraphin is now. Dray also loves to shoot jumpers. Seraphin might shoot 2 a game tops.

The main thing limiting Seraphin's efficiency is that he doesn't attack the rim. He settles for quick touch shots. He is good at them but those shots aren't going to get him to the foul line much and aren't as high percentage shots as dunks/layups.

He has the strength and athleticism to be successful attacking the basket but he just doesn't currently have the mindset.

Defensive rebounding also needs to improve.

Still I think it is safe to say he has exceeded almost everyone's expectations this season.

[GUYANNAGRIZZLI]

Don't you get it! we have with Kev a "al jefferson"

[DallasShalDune]

So how fatal a flaw is Sera's lack of defensive rebounding?

[tontoz]

So how fatal a flaw is Sera's lack of defensive rebounding?

This is his first year with significant playing time. It is a flaw but i would be more worried if he had several years of experience.

[The Consiglieri]

Bradley Beal would be a good draft pick for the wiz because i think they have good players inside (KS, NENE, VESELY, BOOKER, singleton) but outside they need more shooters like Bradley Beal who is a eric gordon style player or a sf like harrison barnes who can shoot at 3 point or kid- gilchrist less 3point shooter but big potential.
Also i think wiz need to amniestied rashard Lewis who earns 22millions which is just a joke for what he can do in the court because in offense he is half he was and in defense he is poor. And it will be great to offer big contract for Batum who is great defender in SF and good scorer( 40% 3pts)' tippical player who makes teams win which is the main area where wiz needs to improve.
Of course i 've forgot but everybody agree to trade blatch and even pay him to go away.
For NEXT YEAR TO IMPROVE IN 3 POINTS AREA IT WOULD be BRIGHT TO GRAB GARY NEAL AND dany green from san antonio who are free agents and have the experience of winning a lot and very reliable 3 point shooters and i think with that team wiz go to playoffs and way above salary cap.

Lewis isn't a cancer w/many more years left on the deal, Blatche is, the last of the knuckleheads. Blatche has to be amnesty'd, Lewis' contract will actually have value soon as well if we don't buy him out, or simply eat the last few years. I'd much rather eat Lewis's contract, than Blatche is. It isn't a coincidence that the second the cancers were removed, the young uns started playing much better, and the team was suddenly more competitive.

[tontoz]

Lewis isn't a cancer w/many more years left on the deal, Blatche is, the last of the knuckleheads. Blatche has to be amnesty'd, Lewis' contract will actually have value soon as well if we don't buy him out, or simply eat the last few years. I'd much rather eat Lewis's contract, than Blatche is. It isn't a coincidence that the second the cancers were removed, the young uns started playing much better, and the team was suddenly more competitive.

Lewis will be bought out in June. That is a certainty. The Wizards will save $9 million if they buy him out before June 30.

[Severn Hoos]

Well go France!

So if I see Keveen on one side, matched up against LeBron, Wade, and Kobe on the other, and start humming La Marseillaise, would that make me less of an American?

It is a bit disturbing that so many of the French players are likable (guys like Seraphin, Turiaf and Parker), while some of the Americans are really annoying (LeBron, Kobe, Blake Griffin, etc.)

That said, we'll at least have Kevin Durant and Kevin Love as really good, really likable guys.

Good point. The obvious solution is to eschew rooting for a single team, and simply cheer for anyone named "Kevin", regardless of how he pronounces it.

[The Consiglieri]

Lewis isn't a cancer w/many more years left on the deal, Blatche is, the last of the knuckleheads. Blatche has to be amnesty'd, Lewis' contract will actually have value soon as well if we don't buy him out, or simply eat the last few years. I'd much rather eat Lewis's contract, than Blatche is. It isn't a coincidence that the second the cancers were removed, the young uns started playing much better, and the team was suddenly more competitive.

Lewis will be bought out in June. That is a certainty. The Wizards will save $9 million if they buy him out before June 30.

Thanks, wasn't sure how the buy out option worked.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

So if I see Keveen on one side, matched up against LeBron, Wade, and Kobe on the other, and start humming La Marseillaise, would that make me less of an American?

It is a bit disturbing that so many of the French players are likable (guys like Seraphin, Turiaf and Parker), while some of the Americans are really annoying (LeBron, Kobe, Blake Griffin, etc.)

That said, we'll at least have Kevin Durant and Kevin Love as really good, really likable guys.

Good point. The obvious solution is to eschew rooting for a single team, and simply cheer for anyone named "Kevin", regardless of how he pronounces it.

WizKev/TheSecretWeapon/Nivek included.

The one exception: Kevin Garnett

[Severn Hoos]

Good call, CCJ - on both counts!

And I'll give away my bias, because I always loved rooting for Kevin Grevey. And his restaurant's pretty good, too!

Kevin Johnson was a very good PG. Kevin Porter led the league in assists 4 times. Kevin Pittsnoggle is a Bubba who can really shoot, but not much else. Always thought Kevin Willis was underrated, but IMO that's mainly because he didn't want to be labeled as a C, despite being 7' tall.

I could go on like this all day....

[verbal8]

Always thought Kevin Willis was underrated, but IMO that's mainly because he didn't want to be labeled as a C, despite being 7' tall.

Willis was the poster child for alligator arms. But overall he had a pretty good career. Basketball-reference has Tom Chambers as his number 1 comparison score. It has McDyess as number 2. I think McDyess is a lot better match.

[AWIZZINGBULLET]

Well go France!

So if I see Keveen on one side, matched up against LeBron, Wade, and Kobe on the other, and start humming La Marseillaise, would that make me less of an American?

It is a bit disturbing that so many of the French players are likable (guys like Seraphin, Turiaf and Parker), while some of the Americans are really annoying (LeBron, Kobe, Blake Griffin, etc.)

That said, we'll at least have Kevin Durant and Kevin Love as really good, really likable guys.

There's this thing called American pride. It's in the water, and 90-95% of America's citizens drink of it daily. Not just the athletes.

[montestewart]

U-S-EH?

[Zonkerbl]

Kevin Duckworth?

[The Consiglieri]

From Thorpedo:

Link: http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/ ... vid-thorpe


chilly (norfolk, va)



everybody talks about the bobcats getting anthony davis but did anyone in charlotte management think about the effect that all of this losing is going to have on their young players? they are the joke of the league, this might scar them for years

David Thorpe
(12:30 PM)



Excellent point, but scarring would only come in another year or two. Wizards grabbed Nene in part to start getting their guys to know what it's like to be a solid team.


Leonsis (DC)



Thorpedo, what are your thoughts on Kevin Seraphin? As a Wiz fan, the guy has had me mesmerized for two years. He might not have any idea what he's doing out there, but I'm also not sure if there is a big man in the league with better touch. Have you had a chance to analyze his play?

David Thorpe
(12:31 PM)



He's coming on!! They have been high on him all along. Nice to see Kevin being the player they hoped he could be. More good things to come as he gains confidence.

Bob (D.C.)



David - Allow me to dream ... Orlando fires SVG ... Wizards win lottery (& take Davis obviously) ... Wizards hire SVG. Would that not go a long way towards eliminating the cultural malaise that has saddled the organization for literally decades? And do you think SVG would be up for it?

David Thorpe
(12:44 PM)



That is truly winning the lottery.


will (st paul)



who does kidd-gilchrist remind you of in the NBA?

David Thorpe
(12:45 PM)



Gerald Wallace mostly.

[hands11]

How do we know this isn't April-Fool's Dray part two?? In 2010 Dray put up something like 20/8/3 for 32 games and didn't have terrible efficiency. Part of the reason he put up such good numbers is because someone had to score and someone had to rebound. How is this any different? Someone has to play CE and Seraphin is the only healthy one of the team. The expecatations are extremely low right now, as they were then, and Washington hasn't been winning.

I think it is good to temper expectations a bit. I am sure if Booker was playing he might look like a poor man's charles barkley(or at least charles oakley). I think solid starter should be the projection for Seraphin not All-Star.

It seems like KS's work ethic is better than Drays, but their productions is eerily similar during their breakout periods. Neither got to the line much, neither were strong rebounders, both shot roughly 50% from the floor, both teams lost a lot of games.

I think this makes all the difference in the world. Seraphin has always been a hard-working basketball player, and there is no reason to expect that he will not continue to be one. We don't know 100%, but the evidence seems to point to Blatche working hard for a short period, having good(but not spectacular counting efficiency) results, but failing to maintain it.

I agree. While it has been fun to watch KS learning and improving, there is a long road to go. Who knows where the kid will end up. All we know is he was a nice pick at 18 and he has good potential. I posted recently about how he will need to adjust to the double teams. That was also something Dray had to go through. KS is a good passer. Dray was as well.

What is different ?

Its personality. The difference is who KS is. The kid is very different then Dray. KS has experienced international play. He speaks at least two languages.

Secondly, who is on the team leading the front court. This is why they brought in Nene. Nene is going to make a huge difference for any young front court player on this team.

Last. Team experience. Dray went through the Gil era and then a team that got blown up, changed owners, etc. KS came in last year when the house was already set to get designed. Gil was on the way out. Now McGee and Nick are gone also. KS has a much better team environment to improve under. The team has a clear direction and plan.

And for reasons 2 and 3, I think when Dray gets back in shape, he has a better chance to be productive here as well.

Oh. one more big difference. KS doesn't dribble 15 feet from the basket. He is a post player and he have traditional post moves. Drays post moves where more gimmick. And he outside moves included behind the back dribbling. KS doesn't do that. He gets good inside position. He is bump, bump, hook left or hook right. When he catches the ball at 10 feet, he shoot without dribbling. When he catches is at 3 feet, he shoot without dribbling.

KS has a more traditional old school game. He doesn't waste a lot of movement.

[veji1]

The fact that Seraphin's game is so simple is both its strength right now and a potential weakness down the road. Working on simple post moves and catch and shoot when facing up between 15 and 8 feet from the basket has allowed Seraphin to slow down the game around him and not get panicky about what to do. He know picks his spots and depending on where he gets the ball, does a bump-bump-hook, shoots or when rolling to the basket after a PnR, dunk it or lay it in (too often the second one...). This means no stress, just execution.

Once the doubles start coming, than BBIQ and decision making become important issues again. It is quite possible that with playing time, confidence and more experience, he will be able to adjust and know when to pass out of it and how. It is also possible that he will start to overthink again and blunder.

Another aspect is that although traditional post moves have an inherent advantage that well executed, barring a double team there isn't much the defender can do even if he knows what is coming, he will need to start developping countermoves to expand his repertoire. Not fall in love with new fancy moves mind you, but be able to mix it up once in a while to keep the defense guessing.

Lastly, from a purely offensive point of view, the issue of the power play will become more and more important if he is to keep playing starter minutes in the NBA. There is a slippery slope between being a player with a soft touch and a soft player. He might still set hard screen, but if he doesn't start going harder at the basket to get fouls, defenses will adjust and defend him better, and missed shots won't be compensated by FTs.. The great points about FTs is that on a night where the player is cold and his FG% low, if he still gets to shoot 6 o 8 FTs a night, he will still find a way to score. Against the Bulls on a few offensive rebounds and low post play he went for the lay in where he should just have collected himself and gone up hard...

But he can train and practice all of this, let's see what he brings next season.

[The Consiglieri]

I think in more simple terms, the truth (as far as I can see it) is that we've been able to move from:

12 months ago: Seraphin's a blown pick

6 months ago: Seraphin's a blown pick

Present:

Seraphin at worst, is a good bench player, or potentially a league average starter, and at best may turn into a good starter, with the potential to be very good.

Future:

I think you're take is reasonable, he could end up plateauing, and not addressing the last concerns effectively because they have more to do with mentality, than practice, or he could simply continue to improve everywhere as his mentality in cahoots with his work habits continues to address flaws, and potnetial issues in his game.

I think either could happen. We have had to move his ceiling higher as we've seen his progress, ditto his floor, and we still don't know exactly what we have. We can be encouraged, and positive, and the one thing we all can do for sure, is take solace and pleasure in the knowledge that a piece from 2010 is a legit building block for the team, it may be a foundation piece, or just a complimentary piece, but it is a piece, joining, Wall and Booker, and making that draft, essentially 3 for 4 in effectiveness (it's unfortunate that the '11 draft appears to be at best .5 to 1.5/3 but what can you do, obviously the '11 group will need a lot more time and a lot more normative seasons, to be able to grade effectively, but the early returns aren't especially great).

I think there's some reason for restraint, but also reason to be very happy as this changes the color and form of the rebuild entirely, it is no longer a dark and univiting future in front of us, there is a glimmer of hope. Additionally, we only need to address 4/5 now if we can land a superstar option at the position like Davis, or Drummond at extreme value. I wonder how the team will list Robinson on its draft board? Obviously he will need to be a pick at some slot, but my guess is that Robinson would be fifth now out of five considering what we have in Nene, Booker, and Seraphin, as well as the long term investment we have in Ves. There is little reason to force a pick with Robinson when we already have talent at those positions unless he's clearly better than all the other options available.

My guess is we're looking at:
1. Davis
--------------
2. MKG
3. Beal
-----------
4. Drummond
------------
5. Robinson/trade down/mystery 2 or 3?

[nate33]

I'd happily draft Robinson if we had reason to believe we could get a decent wing back in a Booker trade. I view Robinson as a rich man's Booker - Booker plus elite rebounding.