Post#1629 » by fishercob » Mon Jul 4, 2016 2:37 pm
My thoughts at the moment.
Horford was a worthwhile pursuit. That the Wizards were so close to nabbing him was shocking and admittedly somewhat encouraging. That said, having him chose Boston was painful. That ordeal was much more upsetting than the Durant thing, because the Wizards actually had a chance. The Wizards risked losing out on some worthwhile fallback options while they courted Horford and waited for his decision. Ultimately, they didn't miss too much and some of the supposed fallbacks (Anderson, Batum, Parsons) went for much more than I'd have wanted to spend. It would be nice to hope that this experience will help some FA chase in the future, but the Wizards won't have cap room anytime soon. But maybe it enhances their profile in some imaginary trade scenario. Whatever.
There's no player store with price tags. Lots of hand wringing about "why did we spend X for player A when we could have spent Y for player B?" I think people are underestimating how little information teams have to make these decisions and in how little time. You can't just say, "ok...hmmmm....I'll take Cole Aldrich at the price he got, plus Tyler Johnson at his price (and hope Miami doesn't match), and wait to see if anyone else comes available." Waiting is a risk; it can pay off, but you can also be left without a seat when the music stops.
Mahinmi is a good addition. Not a comment about the price or the years, but Mahinmi is a good player. If he plays the majority of his minutes against backups, he's going to do well. The Wizards have been extremely fortunate with Gortat's health. If MG goes down for a spell, Mahinmi is a credible starter. Having him in the fold presents the opportunity to get more out of Gortat over time by not riding him so many minutes. This will require some sacrifice, but a 55/45 MG/IM time share can be a source of strength. Yes, I'd prefer to have him for less money. Yes, the years make me nervous. Yes, I think I'd prefer Biyombo (but we don't know what he asked for in the way of starting opportunity).
Unsure about Nicholson Lots of rumblings in the NBA blogosphere that Nicholson, for whatever reason, never got a fair shot in Orlando. He doesn't seem to be the greatest defender, but maybe that is mitigated playing with Mahinmi. I can certainly see him being a better buy than Ryan Anderson for a third of the cost, but he needs to improve his production a good bit.
Not a fan of the Trey Burke deal I'll feel a little differently if there's some protection on that pick, but I just don't think Burke is a good player. I'd rather have waited around to see if a Brandon Jennings or someone could be had for the same money, but whatever. I do wonder if part of why Burke was targeted was for his D; the Wiz haven't had a small guard who can ball hawk in some time.
Excited by the Satoransky deal. I just wish they had locked him up for a fourth year. Even if you had to go a little higher on the annual salary, 4/$14M would have presented huge upside and little downside.
The Wizards have gotten younger. Not that they had much room to go in the other direction, but Nene, Dudley, Sessions, Temple have all been replaced by guys 3-4 years younger. Hopefully that helps depth and production in terms of avoiding injury.
If things break right, the Wizards may have the makings of a trade package down the line. No way of knowing who ot when the opportunity might be. But maybe in two years. Oubre, Satoransky, Mahinmi and Nicholson are the needed package to net a disgruntled star off another team. The Wizards have some assets that should appreciate in value and others that are unlikely to completely tank.
Ultimately, the Wizards fate rests mainly on the improvement of their starters. Based on what we have see in recent years, this Wizards roster is most likely to be decent, but not particularly good (nor bad) -- maybe in the 6-10 range in the East, depending. BUT, if Wall, Beal, and Porter can collectively take a large step forward, the Wizards might actually be surprisingly good. I am most assuredly not holding my breath. Such is the life of the Wizards fan.
"Some people have a way with words....some people....not have way."
— Steve Martin
