2015 Draft Thread - Part 1

[Ruzious]

How different is Portis from Andray Blatche?

he is a professional without off the field issues
he has a brain

I'm glad someone besides me said it.

Any thoughts on Richaun Holmes? He impressed at Portsmith, measured very well, highly regarded athletic ability, put up really good numbers for 3 seasons at Bowling Green - blocking shots, rebounding, hit 59% of his 2's, even started making some 3's.
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Ric ... mes-65912/

[No-Man]

Having seen Holmes ever, but his size and game looks a bit like O'Quinn

[theboomking]

I don't like the focus on getting a backup PG or combo guard. Those guys are available every draft.

This is a great year for bigs. We sit at an awkward spot in the draft where a bunch of the better prospects may come off the board before we pick . I would try to move up in the draft to secure a shot at Kaminsky , Myles Turner, or Portis, preferably one of the latter two.

We might only have to move up a slot or two for Portis and he could step in right away and get some good minutes for us as a stretch 4.

Myles turner would be my ideal target. He has very good length for a PF, has a lot of offensive skill, and I think he could have a big future as an offensive big in our system. He doesn't currently have 3 point range but does shoot a very high FT% and has soft hands.

I know we don't have a lot if tradable player assets with which we would be willing to part. We would have to trade future picks.

[Samuels]

Can we use the first round pick and still have max money for a Durant offer?

I figured we would use the pick to unload Webster.

[FAH1223]

Can we use the first round pick and still have max money for a Durant offer?

I figured we would use the pick to unload Webster.

Of course

Using the pick to dump Webster is stupid. With the cap jumping we need to get cheap young talent here to improve depth

There are going to be legit PF prospects and we need one since we don't have a young big worth a damn

[Samuels]

I agree just thought with Beals hold we needed to unload Webster. Figured they would draft a stash Euro or trade it with Webster.

So we can afford Webster, our pick and Beals hold and still have max offer for Durant?

[FAH1223]

I agree just thought with Beals hold we needed to unload Webster. Figured they would draft a stash Euro or trade it with Webster.

So we can afford Webster, our pick and Beals hold and still have max offer for Durant?

Webster's contract is partially guaranteed in the final year

And they might get extend Beal this summer while the cap is at $67 million.

There will be cap space.

[payitforward]

How different is Portis from Andray Blatche?

he is a professional without off the field issues
he has a brain

I'm glad someone besides me said it.

Any thoughts on Richaun Holmes? He impressed at Portsmith, measured very well, highly regarded athletic ability, put up really good numbers for 3 seasons at Bowling Green - blocking shots, rebounding, hit 59% of his 2's, even started making some 3's.
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Ric ... mes-65912/

When Ernie looks at Holmes, he sees the perfect guy to be available at our #49 and get traded away for a brown bag lunch.

I haven't seen this kid play, but off his numbers he looks like just about a textbook-perfect R2 prospect: low risk w/ excellent upside.

[No-Man]

the Holmes the Wiz should draft at 49 is Jonathan.

[payitforward]

Boomking wants to move up for a big -- willing to trade a future pick. Not me, not a chance. A future R2 won't get us much, and trading a future R1 to move up a few spots is a foolhardy notion.

FAH thinks there'll be "legit PF prospects" where we pick. DR projects Portis gone to the Celtics at #16 and Looney gone as well. That leaves Harrell, Martin, Wood, Alexander & Upshaw as bigs who DR sees going in r1. I can't see Harrell, Martin or Wood as particularly promising.

Robert Upshaw looks to be a stud, but... he's been sent home from two college programs two years in a row. I'd love to have him in a trade-down, especially as a R2 pick. DR projects him to the Warriors at #30, and they can afford the risk I guess.

I do like Cliff Alexander off his numbers. Haven't seen him play much. Would we be reaching to pick him?

DR now projects Tyus Jones to go #19, where we pick. Jones is a quality prospect; I'd be happy to have him.

[Rafael122]

If Portis is there, you gotta take him. Problem is Witt doesn't like playing rookies, and he's got Humphries ahead of him on the depth chart, but he just looks like a solid prospect, jack of all trades type of player.

For upside, I like Looney. Only 19 so room to grow, looks like he can knock down the 3 and ultimately develop into a stretch four type. But he needs to add at least 10-20 pounds. 6'11'' 210? Come on.

I also like RJ Hunter. I think the biggest thing that needs to be addressed is offense from the bench. Kid looks to have a high basketball IQ. He's got the height and stroke to be instant offense.

Edit: Said it before and I'll say it again, if they make a run at Durant, it's absolutely imperative that they hit on these next two draft picks. You're gonna need good, young players on the cheap if you have maxed out Wall, Beal, etc.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

How different is Portis from Andray Blatche?

he is a professional without off the field issues
he has a brain

How many years did Blatche play? How many incidents did Blatche have?

Portis is not a professional yet. You can assume that he will not have off-court issues.

I asked the question to compare style of play. Not get into another character assault thread. Subjective attacks about who has a brain don't do jack for me. I could just as easily say the young man who is not yet 30 was smart enough to make over 8 million from the Wizards, succeed for two seasons with the Nets, play overseas in China very well, and now sign on to play in the Philippines.

I would never defend his choices but I HATE when people hijack a thought just to talk negative stuff.

Portis' height and his relative lack of athleticism remind me of Blatche.

[fishercob]

If Portis is there, you gotta take him. Problem is Witt doesn't like playing rookies, and he's got Humphries ahead of him on the depth chart, but he just looks like a solid prospect, jack of all trades type of player.

For upside, I like Looney. Only 19 so room to grow, looks like he can knock down the 3 and ultimately develop into a stretch four type. But he needs to add at least 10-20 pounds. 6'11'' 210? Come on.

I also like RJ Hunter. I think the biggest thing that needs to be addressed is offense from the bench. Kid looks to have a high basketball IQ. He's got the height and stroke to be instant offense.

I don't think the fact that Witt doesn't like playing rookies -- or the broader specter of limited short term PT -- is a reason not to take a guy. We have youth in the backcourt and on the wing, but no young bigs. It's a huge longterm need. I wouldn't even mind if next year's pick spent much of the season in the D-League..... d-ing.

The Wizards big man rotation should be fine next year -- particularly if we add depth on the wing. Depth on the wing means more Pierce at 4, more Nene at 5,and Hump and Drew would be sufficient as depth. Omri Casspi would fit great. Maybe Gerald Green or Belinelli, or perhaps Alexey Shved as well.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Boomking wants to move up for a big -- willing to trade a future pick. Not me, not a chance. A future R2 won't get us much, and trading a future R1 to move up a few spots is a foolhardy notion.

FAH thinks there'll be "legit PF prospects" where we pick. DR projects Portis gone to the Celtics at #16 and Looney gone as well. That leaves Harrell, Martin, Wood, Alexander & Upshaw as bigs who DR sees going in r1. I can't see Harrell, Martin or Wood as particularly promising.

Robert Upshaw looks to be a stud, but... he's been sent home from two college programs two years in a row. I'd love to have him in a trade-down, especially as a R2 pick. DR projects him to the Warriors at #30, and they can afford the risk I guess.

I do like Cliff Alexander off his numbers. Haven't seen him play much. Would we be reaching to pick him?

DR now projects Tyus Jones to go #19, where we pick. Jones is a quality prospect; I'd be happy to have him.

After Glen Rice Jr if they draft Upshaw I will be shocked.

I think they should not take Upshaw.

[No-Man]

Looney is like 6'9, not 6'11
The problem with Looney is simple, he is a one trick pony, he is rebounding big, but, he has nor the strength, or the physical advantages against his position in pros, so I have no idea how he is going to translate that.
Athletically he is average and his basketball skills are poor, he might hit a 3 here and there but he is far from been a stretch big, or even a stretch big project, the thing is, that if he is going to make it, it will be as that.
He needs a lot of development.

[Rafael122]

If Portis is there, you gotta take him. Problem is Witt doesn't like playing rookies, and he's got Humphries ahead of him on the depth chart, but he just looks like a solid prospect, jack of all trades type of player.

For upside, I like Looney. Only 19 so room to grow, looks like he can knock down the 3 and ultimately develop into a stretch four type. But he needs to add at least 10-20 pounds. 6'11'' 210? Come on.

I also like RJ Hunter. I think the biggest thing that needs to be addressed is offense from the bench. Kid looks to have a high basketball IQ. He's got the height and stroke to be instant offense.

I don't think the fact that Witt doesn't like playing rookies -- or the broader specter of limited short term PT -- is a reason not to take a guy. We have youth in the backcourt and on the wing, but no young bigs. It's a huge longterm need. I wouldn't even mind if next year's pick spent much of the season in the D-League..... d-ing.

The Wizards big man rotation should be fine next year -- particularly if we add depth on the wing. Depth on the wing means more Pierce at 4, more Nene at 5,and Hump and Drew would be sufficient as depth. Omri Casspi would fit great. Maybe Gerald Green or Belinelli, or perhaps Alexey Shved as well.

We do have youth, but where's the depth? If Beal goes down, we have Webster, but he hasn't been healthy. I don't think management should go into this offseason and use the MLE. Maybe the BAE or something, but look at the roster:

PG - Wall/Sessions/Temple
SG - Beal/Webster
SF - Pierce/Porter
PF - Nene/Humphries
C - Gortat/Blair

Already 11 players on the roster. Unless Pierce retires or Webster gets moved, while Green would be nice, he'll also cost 4-5 million per year. I think for the most part the roster is going to stay the same.

[nate33]

Can we use the first round pick and still have max money for a Durant offer?

I figured we would use the pick to unload Webster.

Yes. Easily.

[nate33]

How different is Portis from Andray Blatche?

he is a professional without off the field issues
he has a brain

How many years did Blatche play? How many incidents did Blatche have?

Portis is not a professional yet. You can assume that he will not have off-court issues.

I asked the question to compare style of play. Not get into another character assault thread. Subjective attacks about who has a brain don't do jack for me. I could just as easily say the young man who is not yet 30 was smart enough to make over 8 million from the Wizards, succeed for two seasons with the Nets, play overseas in China very well, and now sign on to play in the Philippines.

I would never defend his choices but I HATE when people hijack a thought just to talk negative stuff.

Portis' height and his relative lack of athleticism remind me of Blatche.

I think their styles of play are almost exact polar opposites. Porter is on the way to becoming a great "glue player". He does all the little things that help a team win, even if his stat line doesn't end up looking that impressive. He plays good D, he avoids turnovers and fouls, he makes hard cuts, he spaces the floor, the ball doesn't stick to him, he gets back on D, he scrums for loose balls. Blatche is the opposite. He does things that look good when successful, but all of his failures really hurt the team. He is foul prone, a mediocre rebounder, he shoots too much at a low percentage, he doesn't defend, he allows himself to get out of shape, and he's a ball stopper.

[FAH1223]

Boomking wants to move up for a big -- willing to trade a future pick. Not me, not a chance. A future R2 won't get us much, and trading a future R1 to move up a few spots is a foolhardy notion.

FAH thinks there'll be "legit PF prospects" where we pick. DR projects Portis gone to the Celtics at #16 and Looney gone as well. That leaves Harrell, Martin, Wood, Alexander & Upshaw as bigs who DR sees going in r1. I can't see Harrell, Martin or Wood as particularly promising.

Robert Upshaw looks to be a stud, but... he's been sent home from two college programs two years in a row. I'd love to have him in a trade-down, especially as a R2 pick. DR projects him to the Warriors at #30, and they can afford the risk I guess.

I do like Cliff Alexander off his numbers. Haven't seen him play much. Would we be reaching to pick him?

DR now projects Tyus Jones to go #19, where we pick. Jones is a quality prospect; I'd be happy to have him.

I can't see the Celtics taking another PF. They have enough PF on their roster.

[dckingsfan]

If Portis is there, you gotta take him. Problem is Witt doesn't like playing rookies, and he's got Humphries ahead of him on the depth chart, but he just looks like a solid prospect, jack of all trades type of player.

For upside, I like Looney. Only 19 so room to grow, looks like he can knock down the 3 and ultimately develop into a stretch four type. But he needs to add at least 10-20 pounds. 6'11'' 210? Come on.

I also like RJ Hunter. I think the biggest thing that needs to be addressed is offense from the bench. Kid looks to have a high basketball IQ. He's got the height and stroke to be instant offense.

I don't think the fact that Witt doesn't like playing rookies -- or the broader specter of limited short term PT -- is a reason not to take a guy. We have youth in the backcourt and on the wing, but no young bigs. It's a huge longterm need. I wouldn't even mind if next year's pick spent much of the season in the D-League..... d-ing.

The Wizards big man rotation should be fine next year -- particularly if we add depth on the wing. Depth on the wing means more Pierce at 4, more Nene at 5,and Hump and Drew would be sufficient as depth. Omri Casspi would fit great. Maybe Gerald Green or Belinelli, or perhaps Alexey Shved as well.

We do have youth, but where's the depth? If Beal goes down, we have Webster, but he hasn't been healthy. I don't think management should go into this offseason and use the MLE. Maybe the BAE or something, but look at the roster:

PG - Wall/Sessions/Temple
SG - Beal/Webster
SF - Pierce/Porter
PF - Nene/Humphries
C - Gortat/Blair

Already 11 players on the roster. Unless Pierce retires or Webster gets moved, while Green would be nice, he'll also cost 4-5 million per year. I think for the most part the roster is going to stay the same.

I am "guessing" but here goes - I think we will see Nene play more backup C next year. I think Gooden will return at the vet min or BAE. I think Porter will finally move into the starting lineup - Pierce might start at the S4. I think Butler will be back as well. I am more sold on Bobby Portis from the board group think.

I think the Webster/Blair signings weren't good ones... but that is "only" $7.5M.

I think the "Beal Question" will loom large this off-season and probably into next.