Wiz trade Shard and 2nd rounder for Okafor and Ariza

[tontoz]

I take with a grain of salt the opinion of "national" columnists like Hollinger because you can't know everything about every team. I give more credence to the views of beat writers and bloggers who cover individual teams and their players day in and day out.

Hollinger isn't grading draft prospects here. He is talking about known quantities. The facts are pretty simple. Okafor and especially Ariza aren't that good and they make so much money that they prevent the Wizards from offering more than the MLE to any free agent over the next two years.

[tontoz]

Article on Ariza:

http://www.hornets247.com/blog/2012/03/ ... out-again/

Maybe those having a sissy fit about Ariza's shot selection should read this article. They might find it enlightening. I'd also refer them to the comments about Ariza by Hornet fans that follows the article.

So his shot selection improved and he still had a worse TS% than Wall and Crawford. I feel so much better now.

[willbcocks]

Consider also that the contracts of Okafor, Ariza and Wall all expire in 2 years, means we'll have some cash to throw at Wall when he becomes an FA. .

He's supposed to be our franchise player, and we have his Bird rights--there was no situation where we wouldn't have the money to throw at him, and no (good) situation where we wouldn't want to throw the money at him.

All this does is guarantee we have no chance to add more talented young players beside him.

[tontoz]

What are the more efficient ways to improve the roster this much? just interested if you guys have any insider knowledge on trades on the table or free agents wanting to play for the wizards that would have helped us more than Ariza and Okafor, who can both play which is why they're still getting 30 MPG each this late in their careers. If they couldnt play someone wouldve figured it out by now, so stop trying to reinvent the wheel by saying a guy who averages a double double is useless to a team lacking rebounding and a wing who does it all is useless because x scrub free agent wouldve been more cost efficient.

They got 30 minutes a game on a team that sucked. That isn't exactly an endorsement. Blatche was getting 30+ minutes per game here before we had a coaching change.

Bringing those two in is subtraction by addition.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

EDIT* -- Maybe Grunfeld is trying to set himself up for his next job. He just did the NBA a big favor by taking those 2 cruddy contracts off the Hornets' books. I mean, this has to be the only reason why a move like this was made. It definitely isn't because Ariza and Okafor make us a playoff team.

I am not one for conspiracy theories, but I find my self thinking this with about 2/3 of Ernie's deals.

The NBA took care of New Orleans. Wait, the lottery was not fixed. But any way, good things seem to be happening for the ownership of New Orleans. Now Ernie has tapped into that karma with the first deal of the offseason.

Maybe some good karma flows back to EG. Don't know how, but taking all that salary might come back and make the Wizards receive something in the future.

[7-Day Dray]

Can someone please give me Ted's email address. I want to let him know a few of my thoughts

TheWashWiz@aol.com

Please cuss him out for me. I'm too lazy to right now.

[7-Day Dray]

Am I wrong for hoping we epically suck next year, hoping Wall leaves in free agency, and hoping EG gets canned after Ted realiazes he made a major fuuck-up by re-signing Grunfool? I just want to see the team and front office go down in flames after years of incompetence.

I know I'm not being a good fan, but all this is just comedy to me now. I don't even care anymore.

[daSwami]

Consider also that the contracts of Okafor, Ariza and Wall all expire in 2 years, means we'll have some cash to throw at Wall when he becomes an FA. .

He's supposed to be our franchise player, and we have his Bird rights--there was no situation where we wouldn't have the money to throw at him, and no (good) situation where we wouldn't want to throw the money at him.

All this does is guarantee we have no chance to add more talented young players beside him.

How does it guarantee that? And where is the guarantee that there would be talented young players available to add beside him? Unless you're hoping for two more years of tankage, which Is the most illogical strategy for retaining your franchise player I've ever heard.

[80sballboy]

http://www.tedstake.com/2012/06/20/wiza ... um=twitter

[tontoz]

Consider also that the contracts of Okafor, Ariza and Wall all expire in 2 years, means we'll have some cash to throw at Wall when he becomes an FA. Okafor and Ariza are 2-year rentals - and solid ones at that:

What you are missing is that the wizards can't sign any quality free agents because those two are here. They won't have the capspace to offer more than the MLE to anyone.

guys who play both ends of the floor

No they don't. Both guys suck on offense which is what this team really needs now.

[willbcocks]

Consider also that the contracts of Okafor, Ariza and Wall all expire in 2 years, means we'll have some cash to throw at Wall when he becomes an FA. .

He's supposed to be our franchise player, and we have his Bird rights--there was no situation where we wouldn't have the money to throw at him, and no (good) situation where we wouldn't want to throw the money at him.

All this does is guarantee we have no chance to add more talented young players beside him.

How does it guarantee that? And where is the guarantee that there would be talented young players available to add beside him? Unless you're hoping for two more years of tankage, which Is the most illogical strategy for retaining your franchise player I've ever heard.

We're done tanking, so getting good talent through the draft is going to be a crapshoot.

Our best chance was using caproom. We've now given up that chance (unless we want to give up value to undo the damage).

We're now relying entirely on internal development and getting lucky with worse picks, which isn't a hopeless situation, but is a downgrade from "internal improvement, getting lucky with worse draft picks AND using cap space for additional picks/players."

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I haven't been this depressed since Ernie got his contract extension.

If the Wizards start losing I hope Ted sells and the team moves.

Being a fan of a team like this for 40 years takes a toll. One playoff series win back in 2005 or 2006 over the Bulls, only to be swept by the Heat. The EJ years were "highlights" where the Wizards managed 45 wins once. They won 43 a couple times. Great mediocrity while paying the contracts of Arenas and Jamison!

Before the great EJ years there were the Chris Webber years. I think they achieved 43 or so wins then. MJ and the Bulls swept a young, talented team. Big Gheorghe hurt his foot on a movie set. Webber's parties got wild and Abe had a real problem with weed on C Webb's car. So much so he gave Webber away for old broke down Mitch Richmond and completely done Otis Thorpe. Ernie probably was thinking of that when he traded the #5 for Mike Miller and Randy Foye. Screw the future. Let's suck now!

Before the CWebb years were the Unseld coached years. Now there were some seriously bad teams. The best players were guys like Charles Jones or Tom Gugliotta. I remember when the Bullets had no three point shooters, no shot blockers, and no one over 6'9". They managed almost as many wins as Flip did. (Actually, they matched Tapscott).

Someone posted earlier, I think Dat, how the Wizards went downhill to begin with acquiring old Moses Malone, old Dan Roundfield, and old Gus Williams. EJ couldn't wait to see if Nene would break down over time. He had to double his pleasure getting even more broke down Okafor.

This seems to be a really horrible day for the franchise.

The thing I learned after the day Nene was acquired for Javale is that it probably is nowhere near as bad as it seems.

All I know is it is a tormenting kind of feeling. I hope the new guys represent more talent than yesterday and they come in playing well, like Nene did. (When he played--I am sure he would have missed less games if they weren't tanking. Right????) This feeling is really uncomfortable.

So, put me on record as saying I give the Wizards THIS SEASON to make the playoffs or improve. If they are once again a lottery team after these moves I really don't want to suffer being a fan of this organization. Ernie and Ted can move this team and I will be happier.

If they win, I will admit I am wrong and overreacting. If they don't win and they suck then every negative comment about Ernie Grunfeld and all the criticism aimed at Ted Leonsis will stick and I want to be done with them both.

[Ed Wood]

Well because we aren't all tired of silver linings at this point I'll point out that this likely takes the pen out of our hands and safely away from a serious offer for Jeff Green. Sure Trevor Ariza is also not very good in his own way but anything that saves me the anguish to my soul that seeing a bunch of awful posts reminding us that Green was so very good at Georgetown and the ubiquitous "oh so you fancy yourself smarter than a GM do you?" posts can't be all bad.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I will say this--I don't think our situation is so dire that a competent GM would be unable to fix it. If we don't make any more terrible moves this year, EG is canned next year, and we bring in someone like Pritchard, we could still have a really bright future based on the foundation we've made in this past 1.5 years.

As fans we should not give up hope. This should, however, be a final reminder to all that EG is EG even under Ted, and he HAS TO GO.

It isn't.

Push comes to shove the way to fix the mess is fire Ernie. Trade Wall with Okafor's expiring, next season. Acquire a game manager at PG and a shooter. Kevin Martin and Kyle Lowry would at least give the team a competent-shooting backcourt. There is a way out of all of EG's missteps, but not as long as he is the GM.

[daSwami]

Consider also that the contracts of Okafor, Ariza and Wall all expire in 2 years, means we'll have some cash to throw at Wall when he becomes an FA. Okafor and Ariza are 2-year rentals - and solid ones at that:

What you are missing is that the wizards can't sign any quality free agents because those two are here. They won't have the capspace to offer more than the MLE to anyone.

guys who play both ends of the floor

No they don't. Both guys suck on offense which is what this team really needs now.

Enlighten me please. Which 'quality' free agents are we missing out on? Please limit your response to the ones who don't 'suck on offense,' because we don't really need them now.

[Dark Faze]

I was raged earlier and now I'm pretty calm. The only thing I'm upset about is that we didn't demand the #10, which would have made this an okay deal.

At the end of the day the free agency class sucks this year, we still have assets to get another lottery pick if we want, and there will be flexibility in moving both Ariza and Okafor next off-season in what should be a better free agency class or at least a better market.

As for just staying put and sucking--We're probably 5th overall good next year without having made a move in a draft class that as of right now looks worse than the Vesely class.

It's all going to come down to Wall and our new draft picks development now. We should be one of the better defensive teams in the league. Looking forward to next season.

[DCZards]

What you are missing is that the wizards can't sign any quality free agents because those two are here. They won't have the capspace to offer more than the MLE to anyone.

The possibility of signing a quality free agent was always a crapshoot. I don't blame Ted and EG for not liking the odds and going another way for the short term.

[80sballboy]

I haven't been this depressed since Ernie got his contract extension.

If the Wizards start losing I hope Ted sells and the team moves.

Being a fan of a team like this for 40 years takes a toll. One playoff series win back in 2005 or 2006 over the Bulls, only to be swept by the Heat. The EJ years were "highlights" where the Wizards managed 45 wins once. They won 43 a couple times. Great mediocrity while paying the contracts of Arenas and Jamison!

Before the great EJ years there were the Chris Webber years. I think they achieved 43 or so wins then. MJ and the Bulls swept a young, talented team. Big Gheorghe hurt his foot on a movie set. Webber's parties got wild and Abe had a real problem with weed on C Webb's car. So much so he gave Webber away for old broke down Mitch Richmond and completely done Otis Thorpe. Ernie probably was thinking of that when he traded the #5 for Mike Miller and Randy Foye. Screw the future. Let's suck now!

Before the CWebb years were the Unseld coached years. Now there were some seriously bad teams. The best players were guys like Charles Jones or Tom Gugliotta. I remember when the Bullets had no three point shooters, no shot blockers, and no one over 6'9". They managed almost as many wins as Flip did. (Actually, they matched Tapscott).

Someone posted earlier, I think Dat, how the Wizards went downhill to begin with acquiring old Moses Malone, old Dan Roundfield, and old Gus Williams. EJ couldn't wait to see if Nene would break down over time. He had to double his pleasure getting even more broke down Okafor.

This seems to be a really horrible day for the franchise.

The thing I learned after the day Nene was acquired for Javale is that it probably is nowhere near as bad as it seems.

All I know is it is a tormenting kind of feeling. I hope the new guys represent more talent than yesterday and they come in playing well, like Nene did. (When he played--I am sure he would have missed less games if they weren't tanking. Right????) This feeling is really uncomfortable.

Give me a break CCJ. We have a bad franchise. I watched them in 1973 when they were the Capital Bullets and saw very good to mediocre teams until the C-Webb fiasco and the mismanagement of the Abe/Wes regime. They always be my team through thick and thin, no matter how crappy Ted r EG is or how gullible we are as fans.

But on June 17, 1996, many of us PG County guys nearly crossed over to become Boston Celtics fans. I stood there with my HS friends at the Cap Centre, watching in disbelief at the old telescreen when they used to have those old Draft get togethers as Boston picked #34. At least they would have been our second team and y'all know what happened on June 19 but that's probably the closest I've come to rooting for something other than the Bullets.

I just hope that pick #3 will help change this franchise around and JWall finds a jumper over the summer. We can only hope like Cubs fans every offseason that the tide will change.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

The NBA funny. The Wizards made a trade that will make them a better team next season, and most of us hate it.

Just because I don't like the trade, it does not mean agree with a lot of the analysis as to why the trade was bad.

Dat, this notion that Okafor is the third best center on the Wizards is silliness. Nene's ideal position is at the 4. Seraphin -- while me made lovely progress last year -- is still far from a finished product. There's plenty Okafor can't do very well, but he can defend and rebound. The Wizards were 26th in Defensive Rebounding last year -- even with the bump that they got from the Nene/Vale trade. Seraphin is thus far crappy on the defensive boards. This in an area that we need help.

Ariza has regressed so much since his Laker days, but from an age standpoint he should be entering his prime. If he was still playing at his 05-08 level he probably would not have been available. I don't like the player he's been in recent years, for sure.

The Wizards may lose a lot of 83-79 games this year. But they're not going to be fun to play against. No one is going to enjoy banging with Nene, Okafor, Seraphin and company for 48 minutes.

But yeah, I can't talk myself into believing that this was a good trade

[Ed Wood]

Well it is good that we've come around to the understanding that we're so terrible that we couldn't possibly persuade Danny Green to play for us for a few million dollars and that this is a perfectly normal and entirely correct situation and we should counter the perception that we're pitiful by doing nice things for other teams if they would please talk to us in public places.