2014 Draft Thread (Early offseason panic edition).

[FAH1223]

What did Lee say?

Basically they punted because no one they liked was at #46 and that they got $2 million and will sign undrafted free agents that could have been drafted to summer league and training camp. Veterans are at a premimum and the organization feels they have enough young players in Wall/Beal/Porter/Rice under contract.

Wizards were targeting size in the 2nd round and will be looking for a 3rd big in free agency. But again, veterans is what they are obsessed with.

[Zonkerbl]

I can kinda see the logic - if the guy you want isn't going to be drafted at all, just trade in your second round pick for cash and pick the guy up in free agency.

So summer league pickups are our draft this year, whee.

[long suffrin' boulez fan]

So, does the $2 million actually go to cap space? Or will it simply line Teddy's pocket?

If it goes to cap space, it's better than nothing. However, my sense is that EG will just treat it like found money and put it needlessly in Gortat's or Andre Miller's pocket.

[pancakes3]

I'm almost positive it's just straight cash. If you could sell cap space, you'd see more teams doing it because it actually makes sense.

[gtn130]

Michael Lee clearly has relationships with Wizards front office people that he is deeply terrified of damaging. He won't say a bad word about anything they do under any condition. The first thing he did on the call was plug EG's rationalization for selling the pick.

[TGW]

Love Grant and Danny. Best show on the radio next to Sports Reporters/Cooley.

[gtn130]

We have the WORST media covering the team. Our local reporters are Clueless.

(Well Michael lee seems a ton more skeptical of EG on Twitter, but he's more of a beat reporter, so he tries to be objective and doesn't let his personal feelings out there when he writes. To be fair, he does constantly lambast the organization for failing to develop young players and openly questions why pick Porter if you had Ariza & Webster).

Mike Wise (an utter bafoon) is an EG fanboy, and you know he won't write ANYTHING negative about the FO. Jason Reid, who has been a critic at times, is such a poor writer, that any criticisms are lost in his own prose.

This forum, and some of the BF writers are only source of EG frustration.

Why wouldn't ANY of the reporters at the press conference ask why "cash" is better than taking a chance? Why not ask maybe your initial scouting could be wrong?

It's abysmal. Mike Wise spent last night on Twitter cracking jokes celebrating Adrian Wojnarowski instead of actually adding content or insight. Wise seems like a nice, likable guy, but he brings literally nothing to the table.

I haven't seen Michael Lee ever say anything negative about the Wizards unless it's ultra light and indirect. When he does interviews on 106.7 it seems like he's just there to support EG.

[TGW]

So, does the $2 million actually go to cap space? Or will it simply line Teddy's pocket?

If it goes to cap space, it's better than nothing. However, my sense is that EG will just treat it like found money and put it needlessly in Gortat's or Andre Miller's pocket.

JMichael is already saying it's going towards Miller's salary.

Not sure why Andre Miller is such a priority though. He's obviously lost a step and is in the twilight of his career. They should be exploring other options.

[mhd]

So, does the $2 million actually go to cap space? Or will it simply line Teddy's pocket?

If it goes to cap space, it's better than nothing. However, my sense is that EG will just treat it like found money and put it needlessly in Gortat's or Andre Miller's pocket.

JMichael is already saying it's going towards Miller's salary.

Not sure why Andre Miller is such a priority though. He's obviously lost a step and is in the twilight of his career. They should be exploring other options.

When you have a decision maker whose first move last year was to sign Fart (aka Maynor) for two years, I'm actually happy that Miller is coming back. Miller can only play about 12 MPG, so hopefully an UDFA can come in as a cheap athletic combo guard.

[keynote]

I can kinda see the logic - if the guy you want isn't going to be drafted at all, just trade in your second round pick for cash and pick the guy up in free agency.

So summer league pickups are our draft this year, whee.

I don't see that logic at all. They could've drafted a Eurostash guy, or traded their pick for future considerations, and *still* pursued undrafted FAs. Unless they're operating on razor-thin margins -- in the "most educated, highest income, and fourth-largest combined statistical metropolitan area" in the US, mind you -- $1.5M shouldn't make *any* difference re: signing an undrafted FA to a minimum rookie contract.

And that's the thing. Monumental shouldn't operate like the Kansas City Royals. We're *not* a small market team, but Ted & EG think like one. There's plenty of revenue to extract out of this extremely wealthy, populous market -- *if* Ted & EG invest their resources properly.

Selling off basketball assets for a short term financial windfall is penny wise and dollar foolish.

[Rafael122]

So, does the $2 million actually go to cap space? Or will it simply line Teddy's pocket?

If it goes to cap space, it's better than nothing. However, my sense is that EG will just treat it like found money and put it needlessly in Gortat's or Andre Miller's pocket.

JMichael is already saying it's going towards Miller's salary.

Not sure why Andre Miller is such a priority though. He's obviously lost a step and is in the twilight of his career. They should be exploring other options.

Ted's already paying Andray Blatche not to play for the Wizards. He's not going to buy Miller out, and then go get another point guard. For that he should just keep Miller.

[keynote]

So, does the $2 million actually go to cap space? Or will it simply line Teddy's pocket?

If it goes to cap space, it's better than nothing. However, my sense is that EG will just treat it like found money and put it needlessly in Gortat's or Andre Miller's pocket.

JMichael is already saying it's going towards Miller's salary.

Not sure why Andre Miller is such a priority though. He's obviously lost a step and is in the twilight of his career. They should be exploring other options.

Bull. It's found money. It doesn't apply to the cap. It's as if they suddenly increased revenue from pretzel sales by $2M.

Why is this franchise barely breaking even? And if things *are* so tight, why decide to cut corners on *basketball assets*? We'd love to be world-class on all fronts, but I'd rather have C-list urinal cakes and be able to use 2nd round picks for baksetball reasons than A-list urinal cakes and 2nd round fire sales.

[keynote]

So, does the $2 million actually go to cap space? Or will it simply line Teddy's pocket?

If it goes to cap space, it's better than nothing. However, my sense is that EG will just treat it like found money and put it needlessly in Gortat's or Andre Miller's pocket.

JMichael is already saying it's going towards Miller's salary.

Not sure why Andre Miller is such a priority though. He's obviously lost a step and is in the twilight of his career. They should be exploring other options.

Ted's already paying Andray Blatche not to play for the Wizards. He's not going to buy Miller out, and then go get another point guard. For that he should just keep Miller.

Blatche opted out this offseason, if memory serves. Does that mean that the Wizards' obligations are finally over, or is Ted still responsible for paying a portion of Blatche's next deal?

[LyricalRico]

Why is this franchise barely breaking even? And if things *are* so tight, why decide to cut corners on *basketball assets*? We'd love to be world-class on all fronts, but I'd rather have C-list urinal cakes and be able to use 2nd round picks for baksetball reasons than A-list urinal cakes and 2nd round fire sales.

Completely agree, and I blame Ted for that.

[Rafael122]

JMichael is already saying it's going towards Miller's salary.

Not sure why Andre Miller is such a priority though. He's obviously lost a step and is in the twilight of his career. They should be exploring other options.

Ted's already paying Andray Blatche not to play for the Wizards. He's not going to buy Miller out, and then go get another point guard. For that he should just keep Miller.

Blatche opted out this offseason, if memory serves. Does that mean that the Wizards' obligations are finally over, or is Ted still responsible for paying a portion of Blatche's next deal?

When you amnesty someone, you're still on the hook for their remaining salary. That's why Andray only signed for the vet minimum b/c he was still getting $6 or $7 million from the Wizards, and he hated us. He did that on purpose. I think the last year of his deal is $8.3 million, but since he opted out, Ted will pay the difference of his new salary and what Ted owes to 'Dray. Same situation with Drew, he's got $6 million coming his way from Milwaukee so he's probably going to get the vet minimum from the Wiz or someone else.

That's why I don't see Carmelo signing with Chicago. Their owner is a notorious cheapskate, he's not going to pay Boozer $16 million to sit at home and then pay the max to Carmelo.

[Higga]

99% of 2nd round picks do absolutely nothing in the NBA. The 2nd round of the NBA draft is equal to like the 6th round in the NFL. I really don't see the big deal in selling the pick.

[bealwithit]

99% of 2nd round picks do absolutely nothing in the NBA. The 2nd round of the NBA draft is equal to like the 6th round in the NFL. I really don't see the big deal in selling the pick.

Well this was a nice 2nd round this year and you might as well use the pick to get a young potential bench player at the least instead of getting 1 mil to use in free agency where they probably won't do much anyway.

[gambitx777]

It's the lack of willingness to improve and the lack of creativity that annoys us. Now that being said if the bigs they wanted were gone, and they we confident that Miller, Burton and Eddie were all going to fall out of the second round and that's why the sold the pick, then I understand, I still hate it, but I get it.

Now I can forgive selling the pick if they sign a couple of these young guys to the main roaster. if that happens then they got the guys they would have taken anyway, at less money and the lakers are basically paying there salaries.

[long suffrin' boulez fan]

It's the lack of willingness to improve and the lack of creativity that annoys us. Now that being said if the bigs they wanted were gone, and they we confident that Miller, Burton and Eddie were all going to fall out of the second round and that's why the sold the pick, then I understand, I still hate it, but I get it.

Now I can forgive selling the pick if they sign a couple of these young guys to the main roaster. if that happens then they got the guys they would have taken anyway, at less money and the lakers are basically paying there salaries.

I would love to put EG in the main roaster.

But I think Monumental already sold off most of the kitchen supplies.

[Kanyewest]

As I said on the GB:
If you're running an NBA franchise in one of the wealthiest regions of the country, and you have to sell off basketball assets to make ends meet, you're not doing it right.


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This team isn't really delivering a good product in terms of crowd atmosphere and probably isn't getting enough money from its ticket revenues.