Official 2013 Draft Thread - Part II

[hands11]

Honestly, that's the whole problem with bringing in Vets on the short term and then looking for replacements--when the vets actually earn a new contract, what do you do? A huge part of who we are as a team are due to acquisiton of older talent.

I think we bring back Martell. Ariza is likely gone.

Part of what makes us such a good team (when healthy) is that we have two very strong, high IQ bigs down low, which is such a rarity in the league now. I don't really see either Okafor or Nene as replaceable right now. If you're looking for an Okafor replacement, your best bet is probably Len or Withey. If you're looking for a Nene replacement, then you're looking towards Bennett/Olynyk.

I don't see anyone in the draft that I really want to replace our starters with, at least not yet. The only guy who might be able to do it is Shabazz, because he's got the potential to be such a talented scorer. Outisde of that I don't think Porter can beat out Webster, I don't think anyone on the board can beat out Nenene, and only Len may have an outside shot of replacing Okafor.

That's the problem with getting better through old bigs. It's fools gold success. You either commit to that fools gold or drop it..

Why ?

As for the rest of your points, not sure what you are saying. Sounds like you are making the case for why getting the vets we did was a good thing.

They don't need replacements for any of those players next year. Thats where you want to be. They can add players and evaluate them. Bring them along. They can learn from experienced players. They have assets they can move when they want to that actually have some value.

[hands11]

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/boxscore?gameId=330870194

Like Ive been saying, Salomon Hill in the house.. lol Dude is putting AZ on this back..

Deshaun Thomas playing well also.

And LaQuinton Ross with some really nice drives.

Edit. Oh Damn. Ross with a money NBA 3 and ice the game. That was huge.


Great game.

[queridiculo]

More fuel on the fire for the Zeller haters.

I don't see him being anything but a disaster against NBA bigs. He simply doesn't have the length to bring the game that made him successful in college to the pros.

[mhd]

Cody Zeller=Harvey Grant?

[FAH1223]

Zeller is so bad. So many of his shots blocked!

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Does anyone still think wizards can still get a quality player around 10-12 range?

Sure. Good players are ALWAYS found later in the draft. Just need to do a good job scouting and evaluating.

I don't have much faith in the current front office finding a quality player in that 10-12 range. I'm just sorta hoping they get lucky.

Me, too. That or they trade the pick for Cousins. I don't see them picking well.

[mhd]

Take McDermott..Coach's son, best shooter in the draft, plays bigger than his size, will benefit from playing with Wall & Beal.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Huge games from Cory Jefferson and the afforementioned Pierre Jackson from Baylor last night. Jefferson didn't get many rebounds but was a dominant inside scorer to complement Jackson's perimeter game. Meanwhile, Isaiah Austin blended into the woodwork. Is anyone still thinking he's someone the Wiz should consider? I do think Austin has some potential (quick-footed legit 7 footers with some shooting skills don't grow on trees), but he needs to get more schooling and fill out a bit before coming to the NBA.

Re Vucevic vs Olynyk, Vucevic is MUCH stronger with great hands. Both have very slow feet on defense. Vucevic is a good player, but people are overrating him here. He is a TERRIBLE defensive player. He combines bad footwork (which can improve over time) on defense with a lack of quickness (which won't improve over time).

Nice to see Pierre and Jefferson getting some love on the board.

As for Nikola Vucevic. Dude is the 3rd leading rebounder for centers in the league. Huge mistake not drafting him that year when rebounding center was exactly what we needed. But that train has left the station.

Austin has never impressed me. Drafting him is not what we need. I have long said he should stay in school.

For the Wizards, I would like this as a draft.

McCollum
Dieng or Witney
Muscala, Kadji or Kelly
Peirre Jackson

That gives them most of what they need right now which is better quality depth on cheap contracts.
A 2nd SG, rebounding C, scoring C/PF, and a skitter bug PG

Jefferson and McDermott are interesting talents but where would they play ? You can't get it all done in one draft. To add Jefferson, they would need to move Booker or Singleton. But hey, if he goes undrafted, bring him in. I don't see him on Draft X or NBAdraft. Maybe the just send him to the DL for a year.

And its all inexpensive talent.

I have no doubts about Oladipo, McCollum, Dieng, McDermott, Pierre Jackson, Doug Wolters, Jamaal Franklin, Isaiah Canaan, and Otto Porter. Some players are proficient at one or more areas to the extent they project very favorably.

Instead of drafting Len at around #10 I would prefer to see the Wizards reach on McDermott if Porter is off the board. I have a feeling McDermott could surprise and end up a better pro than Porter, but I would choose Porter because of his athleticism and developing physique. He's like Paul George, and very likely will improve as a scorer with time.

With their round 2 picks if the Wizards selected Nate Wolters and Zach Marshall, I would be ecstatic. Marshall could be a real sleeper pick.

Aside from McDermott, my other favorite player in this draft is CJ McCollum. He's a volume scorer who I think will transition to become an effective combo guard. Like Wolters, McCollum is a superior offensive player. He's not as big of a liability defensively as Wolters. Wolters is by far a better playmaker. McCollum is a no-brainer good pick for the Wizards.

One player who's not a great shooter, but I think he's going to be a better pro than collegiate player is Jamaal Franklin. He will be a good starting SG in the NBA.

[nate33]

Man, Zeller sucks!

He's had six shots blocked so far against Syracuse

[queridiculo]

I can totally see Grunfeld making that pick based on reputation.

[nuposse04]

If I was going off tourney play, I'm not so sure Zeller warrants being drafted. Luckily he has his regular season body of work to fall back on. That still won't change the fact that he's weak and has terrible standing reach. Tiago Splitter is this kid's ceiling (which isn't terrible considering Splitter has been solid this year, but for a projected high loto pick? Get outta here).

[willbcocks]

If Zeller had a poor showing in the tourney, that's even more reason to draft him. He's more likely to fall to us and be undervalued as a result, despite two seasons of great play. At the 9-10 pick in a weak draft, I couldn't hope for anything more.

[hands11]

Man, Zeller sucks!

He's had six shots blocked so far against Syracuse

No argument from me there. Imagine what will happen to him when he has real NBA talent at center against him.

Way to many questionable bigs ranked way to high in this draft.

Most of them belong late first or in the second. Just because you are tall doesn't mean you can play in the NBA.

Really looking forward to watching the games tomorrow though.

[go'stags]

To be fair, Zeller was got clobbered a couple of times that were counted as blocks. The reffing in the tournament overall has been pretty bad IMO.

[go'stags]

That was the first I've seen of Solomon Hill. Man is he a good athlete and he can create his own shot. I don't know how good of an outside shooter he is, and he might be a little small, but if he can develop a reliable 3-ball he would be great to have as a stretch four off the bench.

[hands11]

That was the first I've seen of Solomon Hill. Man is he a good athlete and he can create his own shot. I don't know how good of an outside shooter he is, and he might be a little small, but if he can develop a reliable 3-ball he would be great to have as a stretch four off the bench.

a stretch four ?

[nuposse04]

If Zeller had a poor showing in the tourney, that's even more reason to draft him. He's more likely to fall to us and be undervalued as a result, despite two seasons of great play. At the 9-10 pick in a weak draft, I couldn't hope for anything more.

I'd rather have Len at 10 then Zeller. I think Len is better served with a real PG and a better system. I'm not even that big a fan of Len but the tourney is just confirming my skepticism regarding Zeller. Only one of the blocks looked like a pretty obvious foul. It isn't like Cuse is a REAL big team though, if that level of length bothers him, he's **** in the NBA.

[No-Man]

Looks like this to me right now...

1. Charlotte Bobcats, Nerlens Noel

2. Orlando Magic, Marcus Smart

3. Cleveland Cavaliers, Cody Zeller

4. Phoenix Suns, Ben McLemore

5. Detroit Pistons, Shabazz Muhammad

6. New Orleans Pelicans, Otto Porter

7. Minnesota Timberwolves, Victor Oladipo

8. Washington Wizards, Anthony Bennett

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

That was the first I've seen of Solomon Hill. Man is he a good athlete and he can create his own shot. I don't know how good of an outside shooter he is, and he might be a little small, but if he can develop a reliable 3-ball he would be great to have as a stretch four off the bench.

I saw Solomon Hill live when Arizona played Miami in a holiday tournament. I think he'll strictly be a SF at the NBA level. He's about 6'5" or 6'6". Hill is really strong, much stronger than most college players. Nothing stood out other than he looks like an NBA player. He's a good defender and a very solid role player.

I would prefer a player with a little more pop offensively, but Hill is a solid player.

[Rafael122]

Zeller looked horrendous, didn't look like a first round pick let alone a lottery pick. This guy is going to get creamed by bigger and stronger athletes in the pros, especially if he has this much trouble against college kids. I award him no points, and may God have mercy on his soul.