Better State of Franchise - Wizards or Bobcats?

[yosemiteben]

Was having a discussion about building through the draft with a buddy of mine, and he brought up Washington as an example of a team who was in a similar situation as the Bobcats and who tried to build through the draft (Wall, Vesely (whoops), and Beal). I'm just curious to hear thoughts on the overall state of the Bobcats / Hornets franchise compared to the Wizards, both currently and with regard to the future, taking into consideration current roster talent, cap situation, picks and expirings.

Is there anyone that would prefer the Wizards situation to the Bobcats?

[fatlever]

its the bobcats board, so expect a lot of biased opinions.

[Its The Milk]

They are very similar. I am just going to compare starting lineups and see which one I personally like better. I don't really want to go into cap situation and expiring contracts because that would just take too long for me. DISCLAIMER- Just my humble opinion! lol

Wall-Beal-Porter- Nene-Okafor
vs
Walker-Henderson-MKG-Zeller-Jefferson.

I am going to be as objective as possible and not be the incredible homer that I am.

1) Walker v Wall. I suppose that PG would be considered even as Walker and Wall are both young talented PG's in the league. Walker sports a better outside shot but I believe that wall has superior court vision and potentially finishing ability (partially due to his height). Verdict: Tie

2) Henderson v Beal. Beal is a solid piece and has a very nice outside stroke. I do believe that Henderson is a better player right now though because I believe he brings a better all around game. Verdict: Bobcats

3) MKG v Porter. Well this is certainly a topic of debate not only on RealGM forum but other various Bobcats forums around the interwebs. I have seen a lot of MKG and very little of Porter so I am sure my opinion is going to be biased as I am not fully knowledgeable of each to compare. I vote MKG however just because he has that incredible work ethic, defensive prowess, and great finishing ability. I hear Porter's jumpshot is not bad so he gets the advantage there. I am going to go on the safe side and say - Verdict:Tie

4) Zeller v Nene. Although I am incredibly excited about Zeller and love what he did in Summer League (so far) I have to give the advantage to Nene. Nene is an established big man in this league and Zeller has done nothing. However this brings up the dilemma of "does age factor in to the OP's question". Nene isn't a young man and if you really want to think about it would you rather have a young piece with potential or a piece that will be around for 5 or so more years that is established? I don't know? At this point I am just evaluating current roster and therefore Verdict: Wizards

5) Jefferson v Okafor. This is the night and day of comparisons. Jefferson is offensively skilled with little defense and Okafor is the opposite. I do believe though that if you were to ask an executive which player they would prefer on their roster they would tell you Jefferson. I believe that Jefferson is a dominant offensive force but Okafor is not a dominant defensive force. Verdict: Bobcats

I know that the Bobcats have a few upcoming picks in the first round from Detroit and Portland and that the Wizards just hold their owns picks in future drafts. So clearly the more picks the better. Verdict: Bobcats

All in all I think that the Bobcats have a better situation and I was as objective as I could possibly be!

[countryboi]

I think the wizards are further along in the build process and i think Wall is more talented than anyone on the bobcats roster. for that reason i favor the Wiz roster right now but the Wiz are only going as far as Wall takes them.

[KembaWalker]

I think the general public would probably view the Wizards situation as better than ours. I don't have a prob with that. They started their rebuild a couple years before us so it makes sense that they'd be a bit ahead. in fact they should probably be more ahead of us than they are

[amcoolio]

Its pretty simple, if Charlotte or Washington get a top 3 pick next year and the other one doesn't, then they take a gigantic leap over the other and most the rest of the East

[fatlever]

i'd give the edge to beal over hendo. beal on rookie deal and better shooter. if hendo is back he is on a big deal.

wall is clearly the superior talent to kemba, but i think kemba has better intangibles. currently slight edge to wall, but could be larger if wall ever figures it all out.

mkg over porter

zeller, nene tie, nene on big deal, zeller on rookie deal. nene better player now, but too injured and has maxed out.

jefferson over okafor

benches are probably about even i guess, maybe slight edge to bobcats since i am not a huge fan of anyone on their bench.

both teams about equal in terms of future salary commitments. wiz could have a bunch of space next year if they choose.

bobcats have edge in future picks and to me that is the deciding factor.

[lmcguir5]

i'd give the edge to beal over hendo. beal on rookie deal and better shooter. if hendo is back he is on a big deal.

wall is clearly the superior talent to kemba, but i think kemba has better intangibles. currently slight edge to wall, but could be larger if wall ever figures it all out.

mkg over porter

zeller, nene tie, nene on big deal, zeller on rookie deal. nene better player now, but too injured and has maxed out.

jefferson over okafor

benches are probably about even i guess, maybe slight edge to bobcats since i am not a huge fan of anyone on their bench.

both teams about equal in terms of future salary commitments. wiz could have a bunch of space next year if they choose.

bobcats have edge in future picks and to me that is the deciding factor.

I would give the edge to the Bobcats for financial freedom. Everyone knows that John Wall is going to get a max contract from the Wizards, and if he doesn't I wouldn't expect him back seeing as a team like the Kings would trade government secrets for contract negotiations. They are going to have money tied up there and at this point, Andray Blatche is still flashing management the middle finger for the amnesty provision they used on him.

Our frontcourt situation is also much more solidified than theirs is. With Jefferson, Zeller and Biz, our three man rotation is going to be concrete for a while. The Wiz on the other hand are going to lose Okafor (albeit he makes way to much) and are overpaying Nene. Obviously as you mentioned this is the Bobcats board so my answer is going to be biased, but you can't blame me for being a fan. I hope I was as objective as possible

[LamarMatic7]

I think a lot of it depends on the season the Wizards will have this year since they are trying to build a serious team and make the playoffs. We'll see how well that plan goes for them and then it will be easier to judge the ceiling of the Wall/Beal/Porter core.

[catch20two]

Until this thread I thought the Wizards were a low seed playoff team but now looking at their roster compared to ours, not so much. If the Wiz are intent to become a playoff team then they'll have to be void of injuries despite having multiple players that are prone to it and John Wall will have to play out of his mind, I'm talking MVP consideration.

[JDR720]

I think the Wizards are a year ahead in the rebuild

Kemba vs Wall-----Kemba is the better shooter, about the same passing about the same defense---Tie

Henderson vs Beal-----Beal better shooter about the same in everything else, Beal gets a tad more rebounds, Beal has more potential--WAS

MKG vs Otto---Otto better shooter, MKG better at everything else----CHA

Zeller vs Nene---About the same in everything probably but you know what Nene can do Zeller hasn't played yet--WAS

Jefferson vs Okafor---Jefferson much better on offense, Okafor much better on defense, about the same rebounding slight edge to Jefferson---CHA



Bench --WAS

Coaches- CHA

Draft picks--CHA

[JT2006]

it all depends on Wall. If he gets as good as he could he's a superstar. If not, the Bobcats have a more diversified portfolio of talent and therefore a better future.

[JDR720]

Until this thread I thought the Wizards were a low seed playoff team but now looking at their roster compared to ours, not so much. If the Wiz are intent to become a playoff team then they'll have to be void of injuries despite having multiple players that are prone to it and John Wall will have to play out of his mind, I'm talking MVP consideration.

they were around 10games above .500 with Wall so they could make playoffs

[HornetJail]

Here's how I see this:

The Wizards are team with a young backcourt, an old, declining, and overpaid front court, and a bad bench. They are in a win-now phase and will only go as far as John Wall carries them. They have little financial flexibility to improve the roster and are unlikely to be bad enough to get a pick to improve the team too much more. They're destined to be the 6-10 seed in the East for years to come unless al their young talent in Beal, Porter, and Wall pan out and become stars.

We have a solid trio of young guys in MKG, Kemba and Zeller. Our only overpaid player is expiring this summer, we have no key players locked into enormous long term deals (Jefferson may only be around two years) ad we are still likely to add a top 7 pick and two other mid 1st rounders next season. We have other young role players is Biz and Taylor and great veterans in Sessions, McBob, Jefferson, and probably Henderson., We've still got ample cap space to sign another big name in 2014 along with our picks.

MKG> Beal
Zeller>Porter
Kemba<Wall, but only slightly
Jefferson, Henderson, Sessions, etc> Nene & Co.
Charlotte's draft future>>>>Washington
Charlotte's $$$ future >>>> Washington

Really don't think this is close, to be honest.

[catch20two]

Until this thread I thought the Wizards were a low seed playoff team but now looking at their roster compared to ours, not so much. If the Wiz are intent to become a playoff team then they'll have to be void of injuries despite having multiple players that are prone to it and John Wall will have to play out of his mind, I'm talking MVP consideration.

they were around 10games above .500 with Wall so they could make playoffs

...and we no longer have arguably the worst frontcourt in NBA history.

[Eoghan]

I think the Wiz have drafted marginally better than the Cats but that's mostly b/c John Wall fell into their lap. They're in a better situation now but if Charlotte gets a top 3 pick and doesn't **** it up then I think Charlotte's outlook is better with cap situation and assets b/c the Wizards' bench is pretty bad. I hope adding Jefferson isn't Charlotte's way of shortchanging the rebuild the way the Wiz did with acquiring Nene, Okafor, and Ariza.

[MKGsMotor]

I'm sorry guys but John wall is a better prospect and player than kemba right now. And I love love love kemba. But anyone outside of bobcats fans would say that. With that said I'm goin with the cats because we have prospects that ate more likely to turn the corner, play team ball, and be happy wearing there teams uniform. Also were one solid player/top 5 pick away from being annually better than the wizards. This next year + summer will answer this topic for sure, though.

[penquin11]

Bobcats v Wizards

PG: Advantage Wizards.
Kemba is a terrific player, but when wall is hot he is unstoppable.

SG: Advantage Wizards.
Too easy. Beal is arguably already better than Hendo and has more upside.

SF: Advantage Bobcats.
MKG has a ton of potential and is the more well rounded player at this point.

PF: Advantage Bobcats.
Zeller has a ton of upside and is on a rookie contract. Nene is on a bad contract and is on the decline.

C: Advantage Bobcats.
AJ is better offensively than Okafor is defensively.

Bench: Advantage Bobcats
JT, Gordon, Sessions, Hayward, and Mcbob make for a very solid bench.

Coaching: Advantage Bobcats
We have a allstar line of coaches...

[MKGsMotor]

Bobcats v Wizards

PG: Advantage Wizards.
Kemba is a terrific player, but when wall is hot he is unstoppable.

SG: Advantage Wizards.
Too easy. Beal is arguably already better than Hendo and has more upside.

SF: Advantage Bobcats.
MKG has a ton of potential and is the more well rounded player at this point.

PF: Advantage Bobcats.
Zeller has a ton of upside and is on a rookie contract. Nene is on a bad contract and is on the decline.

C: Advantage Bobcats.
AJ is better offensively than Okafor is defensively.

Bench: Advantage Bobcats
JT, Gordon, Sessions, Hayward, and Mcbob make for a very solid bench.

Coaching: Advantage Bobcats
We have a allstar line of coaches...

Jury is out to see if we even have a good coaching staff. All star is pushin it

[MasterIchiro]

The Wiz are the better team right now.

PG - Kemba over Wall. Wall is injury prone and Kemba is ready to break out. I'd rather be the Bobcats long term but Wiz short term.
SG - Beal over ?? Henderson is not a long term answer. I wish we drafted Beal over MKG. I'd much rather be the Wiz long term. Charlotte has big problems here.
SF - Porter over MKG. I have zero faith in MKG's jump shot. I think he was a reach at 2. Rather be the Wiz long term. Porter can play offense and defense.
PF - Zeller over ?? Nene is not a long-term core piece. Zeller is looking like a smart pick. Rather be the Bobcats long term and the Wiz short term.
C - Jefferson over Okafor. Both teams need to address this position long term. Rather be the Bobcats short term. Biz I have no faith in.

Draft - Bobcats - will draft higher in 2014 barring sheer luck plus DET top 8 protected pick + POR pick top 12 protected. The DET pick has a chance to go top-1 protected in 2015 and the POR pick could go unprotected 2016. Wiz have no assets like this that I know of.

Overall I'd take the state of the Bobcats - better built for the future.

But I'd rather have a core of Wall, Beal and Porter over Kemba, ?? and MKG. Charlotte's front court has more potential with Biz and Zeller. Wiz have to do something about their front court. Charlotte needs a go-to scorer.