Wizards agree to terms with Eric Maynor

[popper]

Nice article on Maynor in yesterday's WashTimes.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/201 ... rt/?page=1

[Jay81]

someone like andre miller might of been as cheap and a good mentor for John Wall

[DCZards]

After the draft the biggest need on the roster was a quality backup for Wall. EG addresses this need with Eric Maynor on the 1st day of free agency while other much better options are unsigned.

So what free agent PGs would you have preferred that the Zards sign? Who are those better options?

Nate and Collison top the list. Brooks and Calderon are worth a look as well. I don't think teams were chomping at the bit to sign Maynor.

I don't like Nate or Brooks as a choice for the Zards. They're both shoot-first PGs and I much prefer a pass-first PG who can run the offense as a backup on this Zards team. IMO, Maynor has a big edge over both Robinson and Brooks in that respect. I would have given Calderon and maybe Collison serious consideration though.

[tontoz]

I don't like Nate or Brooks as a choice for the Zards. They're both shoot-first PGs and I much prefer a pass-first PG who can run the offense as a backup on this Zards team. IMO, Maynor has a big edge over both Robinson and Brooks in that respect. I would have given Calderon and maybe Collison serious consideration though.

I disagree completely. Look at the bench players we have. Do we really need a guy who is going to get Seraphin more midrange jumpers?

I'll take a guy like Collison (with his 57% TS) over Maynor easily. Maynor shooting efficiency has been consistently bad, a full 10% worse than Collison this past season.

[thinker07]

I won't be surprised if Maynor surprises me. Last year's major additions, Okariza, Webster, Price, Nene, Temple, played much better as a group than I expected, all of them meeting or exceeding expectations. The result, a 29-53 record. Maynor could be better than Price, have the best season of his career, and still not really make any difference ti this team.

As a component of team building, keeping an eye on the junk heap is a good idea, but it's been the centerpiece of EG's strategy for too long.

EG is a fool of a GM and he's been employed as Wizards GM far too long.

Maynor might be pretty good but I guarantee you the player they traded away for a young hothead will be better.

CCJ I get that you loved Wolters and I know that you've repeatedly talked about the Wiz trading Wolters and the other pick for Rice. But that wasn't really the case. The Wiz didn't pick Wolters and then offer to trade him for Rice. Following the draft on twitter, even before the Rice pick was even announced on tv, the twittersphere was reporting that the pick would be Rice and that he had been traded to the Wiz. The Wiz traded their picks to the 76'ers likely before they even made their selection, and in all likelihood, the 76'ers picked Rice on our behalf. Then we picked Wolters on behalf of the 76'ers. If you were just watching online or on tv without twitter you wouldn't have known that. The optics are definitely like we traded players but the reality is that we almost certainly traded the picks before the 76'ers selected Rice, and without anyone being able to know for sure who would be available when the Wiz picked.

[Shorty]

I won't be surprised if Maynor surprises me. Last year's major additions, Okariza, Webster, Price, Nene, Temple, played much better as a group than I expected, all of them meeting or exceeding expectations. The result, a 29-53 record. Maynor could be better than Price, have the best season of his career, and still not really make any difference ti this team.

As a component of team building, keeping an eye on the junk heap is a good idea, but it's been the centerpiece of EG's strategy for too long.

EG is a fool of a GM and he's been employed as Wizards GM far too long.

Maynor might be pretty good but I guarantee you the player they traded away for a young hothead will be better.

CCJ I get that you loved Wolters and I know that you've repeatedly talked about the Wiz trading Wolters and the other pick for Rice. But that wasn't really the case. The Wiz didn't pick Wolters and then offer to trade him for Rice. Following the draft on twitter, even before the Rice pick was even announced on tv, the twittersphere was reporting that the pick would be Rice and that he had been traded to the Wiz. The Wiz traded their picks to the 76'ers likely before they even made their selection, and in all likelihood, the 76'ers picked Rice on our behalf. Then we picked Wolters on behalf of the 76'ers. If you were just watching online or on tv without twitter you wouldn't have known that. The optics are definitely like we traded players but the reality is that we almost certainly traded the picks before the 76'ers selected Rice, and without anyone being able to know for sure who would be available when the Wiz picked.

If that's true, then of course the 'Zards could have had the 76ers select Wolters for them instead of Rice. That they still wouldn't have had the later pick doesn't matter much, especially since EG had already publicly nixed the idea of three rookies.

[TGW]

I disagree completely. Look at the bench players we have. Do we really need a guy who is going to get Seraphin more midrange jumpers?

The best backup point guards in the NBA are the ones who can actually score. Andre Miller, Bledsoe, Robinson, Jack, Bayless, Watson, Ridnour—these guys can score.

That's why the Maynor and Price of the world aren't coveted...because they don't create anything. They may score a few points, and get a few assists, but they lack talent. For years, we've had "facilitators" for backup point guards, and literally all of them have sucked. The fact that someone would want Maynor over Robinson, who had a PER of 17 last year, shows how delusional some of the people on this board are.

[thinker07]

EG is a fool of a GM and he's been employed as Wizards GM far too long.

Maynor might be pretty good but I guarantee you the player they traded away for a young hothead will be better.

CCJ I get that you loved Wolters and I know that you've repeatedly talked about the Wiz trading Wolters and the other pick for Rice. But that wasn't really the case. The Wiz didn't pick Wolters and then offer to trade him for Rice. Following the draft on twitter, even before the Rice pick was even announced on tv, the twittersphere was reporting that the pick would be Rice and that he had been traded to the Wiz. The Wiz traded their picks to the 76'ers likely before they even made their selection, and in all likelihood, the 76'ers picked Rice on our behalf. Then we picked Wolters on behalf of the 76'ers. If you were just watching online or on tv without twitter you wouldn't have known that. The optics are definitely like we traded players but the reality is that we almost certainly traded the picks before the 76'ers selected Rice, and without anyone being able to know for sure who would be available when the Wiz picked.

If that's true, then of course the 'Zards could have had the 76ers select Wolters for them instead of Rice. That they still wouldn't have had the later pick doesn't matter much, especially since EG had already publicly nixed the idea of three rookies.

That's true, but EG didn't want Wolters. People here can say he SHOULD have wanted him and that he'll be great player, but EG didn't want him so it doesn't matter. The Maynor signing shows us what EG was thinking - he wanted a more experienced veteran backup PG. I don't think EG is lazy or a bum - he just has a different taste for prospects than many on this board have.

[doclinkin]

I don't like Nate or Brooks as a choice for the Zards. They're both shoot-first PGs and I much prefer a pass-first PG who can run the offense as a backup on this Zards team. IMO, Maynor has a big edge over both Robinson and Brooks in that respect. I would have given Calderon and maybe Collison serious consideration though.

I disagree completely. Look at the bench players we have. Do we really need a guy who is going to get Seraphin more midrange jumpers?

Yes. If one guy makes 4 dudes 5% better, then he's more of an asset than a guy who by himself is 10% better. My key point is that in part Veseley's numbers (and Seraphin and the rest of the crew who looked like actual NBA players at the end of the '12 season) probably suffer for lack of minutes with John Wall. And if they look turdly then how do we expect to get any sort of value for them, on court or off?

By playing next to a guy who can find utility for them, even in blow-outs, they may actually begin to get confidence and play better, or at least put up numbers that make them look less like a complete liability as deadweight ballast in a trade. For now, while we are no real contender, I'm happier to get a back-up who can make the offense work ,than I would be to get a guy who can shut down the other team's quick PG. Maynor can pass and help his teammates look prettier than they do right now. That is not a bad thing.

[Dat2U]

Any halfway decent "facilitators" that are worth their salt is a starter in this league. Guys like Maynor, Livingston, Price and the like are simply the bottom of the barrel types that teams can find anywhere. Any halfway decent PG off the bench is going to have some scoring instincts. Why? Because the talent on NBA benches is generally inferior and scoring is at a premium. Like tontoz alluded to, do you really want more scoring opportunities for guys that can't capitalize on them?

Maynor could have been the perfect facilitator last year and we still would have stunk, because no one could effectively put the ball in the basket. That's why Nate Robinson was a guy I not only wanted last year, but felt he should have been a priority this year. Chicago doesn't have the success they had without Nate. Even Patrick Mills seems like a good up & comer with a nice offensive toolbox. I'm sure he could have been had for the BAE.

[Dat2U]

I don't like Nate or Brooks as a choice for the Zards. They're both shoot-first PGs and I much prefer a pass-first PG who can run the offense as a backup on this Zards team. IMO, Maynor has a big edge over both Robinson and Brooks in that respect. I would have given Calderon and maybe Collison serious consideration though.

I disagree completely. Look at the bench players we have. Do we really need a guy who is going to get Seraphin more midrange jumpers?

Yes. If one guy makes 4 dudes 5% better, then he's more of an asset than a guy who by himself is 10% better. My key point is that in part Veseley's numbers (and Seraphin and the rest of the crew who looked like actual NBA players at the end of the '12 season) probably suffer for lack of minutes with John Wall. And if they look turdly then how do we expect to get any sort of value for them, on court or off?

By playing next to a guy who can find utility for them, even in blow-outs, they may actually begin to get confidence and play better, or at least put up numbers that make them look less like a complete liability as deadweight ballast in a trade. For now, while we are no real contender, I'm happier to get a back-up who can make the offense work ,than I would be to get a guy who can shut down the other team's quick PG. Maynor can pass and help his teammates look prettier than they do right now. That is not a bad thing.

If one guy can make 4 dudes better, he's a starter in this league, not someone you find off a milk carton.

Maynor isn't having that type of impact. He's never had that type of impact. Most backup PGs don't have that type of impact.

[DCZards]

I disagree completely. Look at the bench players we have. Do we really need a guy who is going to get Seraphin more midrange jumpers?

The Zards could certainly use a guy who can create more scoring opportunities for Beal, Webster (assuming he's resigned), Nene, Ariza, Porter and Rice, especially if Wall goes down again and we need his backup to run the offense and play starter minutes. That's what Maynor provides over guys like Robinson and Brooks.

[doclinkin]

I disagree completely. Look at the bench players we have. Do we really need a guy who is going to get Seraphin more midrange jumpers?

Yes. If one guy makes 4 dudes 5% better, then he's more of an asset than a guy who by himself is 10% better. My key point is that in part Veseley's numbers (and Seraphin and the rest of the crew who looked like actual NBA players at the end of the '12 season) probably suffer for lack of minutes with John Wall. And if they look turdly then how do we expect to get any sort of value for them, on court or off?

By playing next to a guy who can find utility for them, even in blow-outs, they may actually begin to get confidence and play better, or at least put up numbers that make them look less like a complete liability as deadweight ballast in a trade. For now, while we are no real contender, I'm happier to get a back-up who can make the offense work ,than I would be to get a guy who can shut down the other team's quick PG. Maynor can pass and help his teammates look prettier than they do right now. That is not a bad thing.

If one guy can make 4 dudes better, he's a starter in this league, not someone you find off a milk carton.

Maynor isn't having that type of impact. He's never had that type of impact. Most backup PGs don't have that type of impact.

Neh. I'm pretty sure there are dozens of guys who can make players 5% better than if they are playing next to AJ Price.

[TGW]

Maynor has averaged 3 apg for his career. He isn't creating more scoring opportunities for anyone.

If anything, an offensive threat like Robinson would create more scoring chances for other players because his drive and kick game is more effective than someone who isn't a threat to breakdown a defense (like Maynor). That's why it's no surprise that Robinson's assist-to-turnover ratio was better than Maynor's last season.

[sfam]

I disagree completely. Look at the bench players we have. Do we really need a guy who is going to get Seraphin more midrange jumpers?

Look at the (not so) bright side of this - he might be able to set Vesely up for those 8 footers as well.

[Kanyewest]

I'm just curious -- for the dozen or so commenters who say "well, obviously he's better than Price..." On what basis are you making that statement?

This seems to be an eye test vs. the numbers debate. Jason Reid has said that everyone he has talked to (I'm giving Reid the benefit of the doubt that he's talked to unbiased observers rather than the Wizards front office) that Maynor is the superior to Price. The numbers say otherwise at least in terms of PER.

Still, it looks like Maynor is showing signs of him improvement since his knee surgery with a better 3 point percentage (38.5 %) and a 42 fg%. Compare that with Price who shot 36.5% from 3 and 39% from the field. Still, Maynor's efg % is essentially the same as Price's due to the fact that that Price took better shots i.e. more 3s. Despite getting to the line more than Price per 36 minutes, Maynor only shot 68% at the line- something that could improve.

Price has appeared to be a better rebounder (3.6 rebounds per 36 minutes compared to Maynor who got 1.8 rebounds per 36 minutes). Price also has a better assist to turnover ratio even though Maynor gets more assists per 36 minutes than Price.

[tontoz]

I disagree completely. Look at the bench players we have. Do we really need a guy who is going to get Seraphin more midrange jumpers?

The Zards could certainly use a guy who can create more scoring opportunities for Beal, Webster (assuming he's resigned), Nene, Ariza, Porter and Rice, especially if Wall goes down again and we need his backup to play starter minutes. That's what Maynor provides over guys like Robinson and Brooks.

Last year the Wizards were dead last in offensive efficiency. However they were 20th in assist rate. Their problem wasn't a lack of passing. Their problem was a lack of guys who can actually make shots.

Their first signing is yet another guy who struggles to score. Yippeee

[barelyawake]

Doc beat me to the punch. He's right. We are a developing team. Part of that development is getting to the playoffs. But, development is what this season is about. Blame management for not going all in after it is time to go all in. That time has not arrived.

Dat, did you say we should sign some amazing back-up point and then, later, trade Nene for cap (to allow us to get a big)? If so, I think that's perhaps the worse suggestion I've heard from you. And I'm usually in agreement with most of your posts. You would be putting us in a situation where we HAD to trade Nene, and probably have to give up a pick to do it. And all that for a back-up point for John Wall (during a playoff run we know going in is merely for development purposes).

[Shorty]

CCJ I get that you loved Wolters and I know that you've repeatedly talked about the Wiz trading Wolters and the other pick for Rice. But that wasn't really the case. The Wiz didn't pick Wolters and then offer to trade him for Rice. Following the draft on twitter, even before the Rice pick was even announced on tv, the twittersphere was reporting that the pick would be Rice and that he had been traded to the Wiz. The Wiz traded their picks to the 76'ers likely before they even made their selection, and in all likelihood, the 76'ers picked Rice on our behalf. Then we picked Wolters on behalf of the 76'ers. If you were just watching online or on tv without twitter you wouldn't have known that. The optics are definitely like we traded players but the reality is that we almost certainly traded the picks before the 76'ers selected Rice, and without anyone being able to know for sure who would be available when the Wiz picked.

If that's true, then of course the 'Zards could have had the 76ers select Wolters for them instead of Rice. That they still wouldn't have had the later pick doesn't matter much, especially since EG had already publicly nixed the idea of three rookies.

That's true, but EG didn't want Wolters. People here can say he SHOULD have wanted him and that he'll be great player, but EG didn't want him so it doesn't matter. The Maynor signing shows us what EG was thinking - he wanted a more experienced veteran backup PG. I don't think EG is lazy or a bum - he just has a different taste for prospects than many on this board have.

Ah, I misunderstood your previous post; you were pointing out that there's no reason to think that the Zards ever particularly wanted/valued Wolters. Fair enough, although small consolation to those that did.

[pancakes3]

Well, what's puzzling about Maynor's numbers is that in college he was a BIG time scorer who happened to also drop dimes. Coming out of college you'd certainly say that he was as good if not better than Nate Robinson. A 22ppg guy, he's VCU's leading scorer, assist man, and FTM. He single handedly bounced Duke from the tourney in 2007. He's gone completely passive in the pro's - probably at his coaches' behest and also seeing as how he played behind Deron Williams and Westbrook for most of his career. I think he HAS scoring instincts and abilities.

Or maybe he just got exposed and can't score at all.