Raptors Fan Here

[stanley14]

Hi guys, three quick questions. 1. What would you give Kevin Seraphin away for in a trade with his current trade value? 2. Do you guys think your team makes good picks in the drafts? There's been busts like Jan Vesely and Otto Porter (so far, I do think he'll end up being a great bench guy though), but, there's also been great picks like John Wall and Bradley Beal. 3. How tough of a matchup do you view Toronto as in the playoffs?

[Kanyewest]

1. Seraphin is a free agent- so his trade value is non-existent
2. No, we don't think the Wizards make good draft picks - Wall was a no brainer as well as Beal- Wizards screwed up badly in the 2011 draft.
3. I personally view Toronto as the toughest possible matchup after Miami and Indiana- although others have expressed different opinions. Here are some of our thoughts here in the playoff thread. viewtopic.php?f=35&t=1307761

[AWIZZINGBULLET]

Hi guys, three quick questions. 1. What would you give Kevin Seraphin away for in a trade with his current trade value? 2. Do you guys think your team makes good picks in the drafts? There's been busts like Jan Vesely and Otto Porter (so far, I do think he'll end up being a great bench guy though), but, there's also been great picks like John Wall and Bradley Beal. 3. How tough of a matchup do you view Toronto as in the playoffs?

Three quick responses:

1.) Draft your own Kevin Seraphin.

2.) There's only been one top ten bust drafted by the Wizards in the last five years...that's Vesely.

3.) Of the Eastern Conference's current top five seeds; I think the Raptors are the easiest matchup for the Wizards. That's been my story all season and that's what I'm sticking to.

[Illmatic21]

-Seraphin has progressed a lot in the last year. I'd be willing to resign him in FA on a cheap deal, it will be interesting to see how much interest he garners

-No, our management has been poor at finding value in the draft, especially at later picks. Wall was the obvious #1 that year. And fortunately Charlotte had a hard-on for MKG and let Beal fall to 3rd. As Knighthonor mentioned the 2011 draft was an epic fail, I don't think either of our 2011 first round picks will be in the NBA next year

-Tbh I don't have much faith against any of our potential matchups (Raptors, Bulls, Nets).. with the way our team is coached, we'd be lucky to make it past 5 games in a playoff series that requires adjustments, preparation, etc.

[NbdyBeatsTheWiz]

1. Seraphin is a free agent- so his trade value is non-existent
2. No, we don't think the Wizards make good draft picks - Wall was a no brainer as well as Beal- Wizards screwed up badly in the 2011 draft.
3. I personally view Toronto as the toughest possible matchup after Miami and Indiana- although others have expressed different opinions. Here are some of our thoughts here in the playoff thread. viewtopic.php?f=35&t=1307761

Cosign every bit of this.
Although Chicago is playing some darned good ball right now too and I'd rank them right there with Toronto.

[closg00]

Hi guys, three quick questions. 1. What would you give Kevin Seraphin away for in a trade with his current trade value? 2. Do you guys think your team makes good picks in the drafts? There's been busts like Jan Vesely and Otto Porter (so far, I do think he'll end up being a great bench guy though), but, there's also been great picks like John Wall and Bradley Beal. 3. How tough of a matchup do you view Toronto as in the playoffs?

Three quick responses:

1.) Draft your own Kevin Seraphin.

2.) There's only been one top ten bust drafted by the Wizards in the last five years...that's Vesely.

3.) Of the Eastern Conference's current top five seeds; I think the Raptors are the easiest matchup for the Wizards. That's been my story all season and that's what I'm sticking to.

The Raptors whipped Memphis tonight. I don't think we have any easy match-ups except ATL.

[montestewart]

Hi guys, three quick questions. 1. What would you give Kevin Seraphin away for in a trade with his current trade value? 2. Do you guys think your team makes good picks in the drafts? There's been busts like Jan Vesely and Otto Porter (so far, I do think he'll end up being a great bench guy though), but, there's also been great picks like John Wall and Bradley Beal. 3. How tough of a matchup do you view Toronto as in the playoffs?

Three quick responses:

1.) Draft your own Kevin Seraphin.

2.) There's only been one top ten bust drafted by the Wizards in the last five years...that's Vesely.

3.) Of the Eastern Conference's current top five seeds; I think the Raptors are the easiest matchup for the Wizards. That's been my story all season and that's what I'm sticking to.

Trading away a #5 pick for one year of Miller and Foye has to count as an honorary bust, and Porter could still turn out to be a bust. That leaves two out of five non-busts at this point, and they were both pretty obvious picks.

[TheBabyMaker]

Hi guys, three quick questions. 1. What would you give Kevin Seraphin away for in a trade with his current trade value? 2. Do you guys think your team makes good picks in the drafts? There's been busts like Jan Vesely and Otto Porter (so far, I do think he'll end up being a great bench guy though), but, there's also been great picks like John Wall and Bradley Beal. 3. How tough of a matchup do you view Toronto as in the playoffs?

Three quick responses:

1.) Draft your own Kevin Seraphin.

2.) There's only been one top ten bust drafted by the Wizards in the last five years...that's Vesely.

3.) Of the Eastern Conference's current top five seeds; I think the Raptors are the easiest matchup for the Wizards. That's been my story all season and that's what I'm sticking to.

The Raptors whipped Memphis tonight. I don't think we have any easy match-ups except ATL.

Guessed you missed the sarcasm in that post.??? At least it was for me.

[AWIZZINGBULLET]

Hi guys, three quick questions. 1. What would you give Kevin Seraphin away for in a trade with his current trade value? 2. Do you guys think your team makes good picks in the drafts? There's been busts like Jan Vesely and Otto Porter (so far, I do think he'll end up being a great bench guy though), but, there's also been great picks like John Wall and Bradley Beal. 3. How tough of a matchup do you view Toronto as in the playoffs?

Three quick responses:

1.) Draft your own Kevin Seraphin.

2.) There's only been one top ten bust drafted by the Wizards in the last five years...that's Vesely.

3.) Of the Eastern Conference's current top five seeds; I think the Raptors are the easiest matchup for the Wizards. That's been my story all season and that's what I'm sticking to.

The Raptors whipped Memphis tonight. I don't think we have any easy match-ups except ATL.

Most favorable 1st round match-up...I believe that would be the Raptors.

[montestewart]

^
Good point. AWIZZINGBULLET might have been doing his best Terd n Ernie impression.

[AWIZZINGBULLET]

Hi guys, three quick questions. 1. What would you give Kevin Seraphin away for in a trade with his current trade value? 2. Do you guys think your team makes good picks in the drafts? There's been busts like Jan Vesely and Otto Porter (so far, I do think he'll end up being a great bench guy though), but, there's also been great picks like John Wall and Bradley Beal. 3. How tough of a matchup do you view Toronto as in the playoffs?

Three quick responses:

1.) Draft your own Kevin Seraphin.

2.) There's only been one top ten bust drafted by the Wizards in the last five years...that's Vesely.

3.) Of the Eastern Conference's current top five seeds; I think the Raptors are the easiest matchup for the Wizards. That's been my story all season and that's what I'm sticking to.

Trading away a #5 pick for one year of Miller and Foye has to count as an honorary bust, and Porter could still turn out to be a bust. That leaves two out of five non-busts at this point, and they were both pretty obvious picks.

Sure he could...but he won't.

[montestewart]

^
I hope you're right.

[stevemcqueen1]

- I would rather face Brooklyn or Chicago in the first round than Toronto.

But one of Toronto's big advantages--their depth--becomes much less pronounced in the postseason. IF Beal and Nene are healthy by then, it wouldn't be an impossible series. If they're not, we can't beat anyone, no matter who we face.

- Seraphin can't be traded since he's a FA this summer unless it's in a S&T. Don't see that happening.

- I think the Wizards are mediocre drafters. Wall and Beal were not the no-brainers people have made them out to be in hindsight. People only think that because they've worked out. People forget just how many people liked Evan Turner, and they forget all the preposterous Wall trades that have actually been given currency around here--Wall for Kyle Lowery for example.

Beal certainly was not the consensus #3. Tons of people liked Drummond/MKG/Barnes/TRob too that year. Tons of people liked Jeremy Lamb over Beal--even through summer league. And earlier in the process, tons of people thought Austin Rivers was as good or better than Beal.

Booker was a good pick, Seraphin has been an OK pick. Vesely and Singleton were busts. We haven't gotten any second round gems. And we're in danger of wasting the Porter pick because our coach lacks a vision for how to use and develop Porter.

Yet another reason why we can't afford to bring back Ariza this summer. If we do, Porter will never play. It's as simple as that. We don't have the people in charge to pull it off.

[Nivek]

Hi guys, three quick questions. 1. What would you give Kevin Seraphin away for in a trade with his current trade value? 2. Do you guys think your team makes good picks in the drafts? There's been busts like Jan Vesely and Otto Porter (so far, I do think he'll end up being a great bench guy though), but, there's also been great picks like John Wall and Bradley Beal. 3. How tough of a matchup do you view Toronto as in the playoffs?

1. Seraphin is a free agent. I'd do a sign & trade if I could take back only a pick. Don't see why Toronto would do that, though.
   
2. No. The Wizards have done a lousy job drafting. Wall and Beal weren't great picks -- they were obvious picks. Wall was the consensus top pick. Anyone would have made the same choice. Beal was a clear choice at 3 after Davis and MKG were off the board. The 2011 draft was one of the worst in franchise history.
   
3. I think Toronto is the better team, but there's not a major gap between the two squads. If they end up facing each other, my expectation is that it would be a competitive series that Toronto would win in 6 or 7.

[montestewart]

- I think the Wizards are mediocre drafters. Wall and Beal were not the no-brainers people have made them out to be in hindsight. People only think that because they've worked out. People forget just how many people liked Evan Turner, and they forget all the preposterous Wall trades that have actually been given currency around here--Wall for Kyle Lowery for example.

Beal certainly was not the consensus #3. Tons of people liked Drummond/MKG/Barnes/TRob too that year. Tons of people liked Jeremy Lamb over Beal--even through summer league. And earlier in the process, tons of people thought Austin Rivers was as good or better than Beal.

You're right that other names were thrown around, but this linked chart reflects what my memory tells me of what name analysts were saying at the time:
http://www.nba.com/bobcats/12draft_mock_drafts.html

Beal was solidly at the three spot. Of the fifteen sources cited, thirteen had him at #3 and two had him at #2. Granted, Robinson was the consensus #2 (barely) in this chart, and perhaps would remain so if more name analysts were thrown in. Maybe we were lucky not taking him, but considering the team had acquired Nene, had just acquired Okafor and Ariza, and (unfortunately) had a lot invested in young front court players Seraphin, Vesely, Booker, and Singleton, passing over the slightly higher rated Robinson for Beal (when Robinson wasn't chosen at #2) also seems obvious.

[Illuminaire]

Turner was never seriously in consideration for the #1 pick, Steve. Wall might not have been a complete no-brainer like Lebron, but he was far and away the consensus first pick in the draft.

[Illmatic21]

Wall was the consensus #1 from before he even played a college game. Anything else is revisionist

[Dat2U]

- I would rather face Brooklyn or Chicago in the first round than Toronto.

But one of Toronto's big advantages--their depth--becomes much less pronounced in the postseason. IF Beal and Nene are healthy by then, it wouldn't be an impossible series. If they're not, we can't beat anyone, no matter who we face.

- Seraphin can't be traded since he's a FA this summer unless it's in a S&T. Don't see that happening.

- I think the Wizards are mediocre drafters. Wall and Beal were not the no-brainers people have made them out to be in hindsight. People only think that because they've worked out. People forget just how many people liked Evan Turner, and they forget all the preposterous Wall trades that have actually been given currency around here--Wall for Kyle Lowery for example.

Beal certainly was not the consensus #3. Tons of people liked Drummond/MKG/Barnes/TRob too that year. Tons of people liked Jeremy Lamb over Beal--even through summer league. And earlier in the process, tons of people thought Austin Rivers was as good or better than Beal.

Booker was a good pick, Seraphin has been an OK pick. Vesely and Singleton were busts. We haven't gotten any second round gems. And we're in danger of wasting the Porter pick because our coach lacks a vision for how to use and develop Porter.

Yet another reason why we can't afford to bring back Ariza this summer. If we do, Porter will never play. It's as simple as that. We don't have the people in charge to pull it off.

I guess you forgot Ted doing the "John Wall" dance right after the Wizards won the lottery that year.

Some within the Wizards front office did want Turner to be considered, but it never got serious and Turner ended up never working out for the Wizards because he didn't think he was ever in serious consideration for the 1st pick.

Beal wasn't as much a consensus, until the Ariza/Okafor trade when perimeter shooting and the SG position became a glaring need, then it became a complete consensus based on the way the roster was being constructed.

As for what fans on message boards want, not sure how that tells us anything. We aren't paid scouts and no one is really all that concerned with our opinions so using Wizfans suggestions as some sorta of telling point regarding draft stock of players seems superfluous.

Oh and Seraphin wasn't a good pick. He's one of the least productive bigs the last two seasons and he rebounds like a SF. Overall, he's been a terrible NBA player.

[AWIZZINGBULLET]

Hi guys, three quick questions. 1. What would you give Kevin Seraphin away for in a trade with his current trade value? 2. Do you guys think your team makes good picks in the drafts? There's been busts like Jan Vesely and Otto Porter (so far, I do think he'll end up being a great bench guy though), but, there's also been great picks like John Wall and Bradley Beal. 3. How tough of a matchup do you view Toronto as in the playoffs?

1. Seraphin is a free agent. I'd do a sign & trade if I could take back only a pick. Don't see why Toronto would do that, though.
   
2. No. The Wizards have done a lousy job drafting. Wall and Beal weren't great picks -- they were obvious picks. Wall was the consensus top pick. Anyone would have made the same choice. Beal was a clear choice at 3 after Davis and MKG were off the board. The 2011 draft was one of the worst in franchise history.
   
3. I think Toronto is the better team, but there's not a major gap between the two squads. If they end up facing each other, my expectation is that it would be a competitive series that Toronto would win in 6 or 7.

I would so love to be the game thread starter for that series if they are to meet first round...

I feel like I'm one of a few who don't see the Raptors as threatening a match-up as their overall record and season series record against the Wizards suggests.

I see the outcome the exact opposite way that you do. Barring major injuries, the Wizards heart and fight would prevail.