The 2013 NBA Free Agency Thread

[TGW]

3/10 would be perfect. Seriously, I would actually give Grunfeld a ton of credit if he were to pull that off.

[keynote]

3 for 10 would be a nice contract for Martell, and would give us some flexibility to recruit a third guard.

[miller31time]

3/10 would indeed be a very good deal.

Not so sure about Eric Maynor - he's never once made a positive impression on me. If we're so interested in acquiring a solidly below-average backup point guard, why not just keep AJ Price?

[GhostsOfGil]

3/10 would indeed be a very good deal.

Not so sure about Eric Maynor - he's never once made a positive impression on me. If we're so interested in acquiring a solidly below-average backup point guard, why not just keep AJ Price?

I agree. I prefer Price over Maynor.

[miller31time]

LOL - been out jamming at work, but just HAD to log in to see if anyone had caught the "leader of men" returning to the Wizards.

It's been a while since I've been here. So for me, it's the first time I've seen Miller's spiffy Global Moderator badge.

What does JWiz think about it?

I'm sure JWiz is jealous of my Global Moderator badge, just as he is jealous of most other aspects of me.

[Kanyewest]

So assuming we re-sign Martell and get Jamison....we're then looking at a front court of:
SF- Otto, Webster, Ariza
PF- Nene, Jamison, Booker, Vesely, Singleton
C- Okafor, Seraphin.

and how exactly are we supposed to find enough PT for all three SFs? Ted has said they like a 14 man roster to allow for flexibility. A trade has to be in the works involving some of our front court pieces. Its just a ridiculous logjam of players with similar skillsets.....(In Ves, Booker, Singleton's case, a lack of skillset)

Well, you would also add SG- where Webster and Ariza could see minutes. What about giving Porter a try to play some point forward. (although can't really remember the last successful point forward since Scottie Pippen)

I have to admit though that I would probably be against bringing in Jamison if he is playing 20 mpg. At something like 10 mpg I would be fine but I wonder too if Jamison envisions himself in a bigger role.

[nuposse04]

Why aren't we pursing Aaron Brooks? He'd get ample playing time here and has to have more potential than Maynor or Beno I imagine. Really don't wanna see him go to the knicks.

[TheKingOfVa360]

3 for 10 would be a nice contract for Martell, and would give us some flexibility to recruit a third guard.

That contract would be perfect. Then we can use the rest of the money to bring in a quality back up pg

[fishercob]

Your right, there could be worst signings like Javaris Crittenton or Gilbert Arenas.

I should know better then to every try to make you feel better about something, but....

Jamison would surely be here on a cheap, short-term deal. He'd undoubtedly come off the bench.

PLaying in a reduced role last year, he was pretty decent! His season tied for his 3rd best season in WS/48, and second-best in ORtg, while being his lowest usage of his career. His TS% was the second best of his career and his 3pt% (36.1) was his nearly tied for his second best.

Basically, no part of his game fell off a cliff or close. If he's willing to be a backup and a great team guy, he CAN help the Wizards. He's a better player than Chris Copeland, though not quite as much of a specialist.

So if he's willing to be a 15-20 mpg, never complain, to be a mentor, to deal with DNP-CD's as the situation warrants, I am fine with bringing him back.

If not, I'm not fine. But I think he is, so I think I'm fine.

How are you?

I'm doing good bro. Stressed but good. Thanks for asking and yourself?

Regarding Jamison, on offense you may be right, no part of his offensive toolbox has clearly declined, partly because he used so little athleticism to begin with. His offensive success was much more about skill, timing, awareness and a quick release. Defensively however, he's always been terrible. And that side of the ball, he's only getting worse. He's arguably the least effective defender in the league. SynergySports continually ranks him as one of the worst defenders in the league and he really can't be hidden. Simply because IMO, the effort is never ever there.

I don't buy he's a great team guy. He's not. I've watched him very closely throughout his career and I think he's a selfish guy that's smart and well spoken who says all the right things but on the court he's got two sides to him. One is the aggressive scorer always looking his opportunities who can contribute on the boards and the other is the laidback defender who's stuck in quicksand and often casually throws a hand up towards a shooter as if that's some marker of defensive effort.

He's gotten away with it for years, the few times he got benched for his defense, he'd throw the biggest fits on the bench. Every once in a while, you'd see an inspired or mad Jamison, utilize his quick hands for once on defense and make a play or two until the anger wore off. I specifically remember his first season in DC where Eddie benched him (and Haywood) early in the year for his play and lack of D, only to come back with actual intensity and effort on D for about solid games before he got comfortable again and returned to form.

So I don't buy the whole 'mentor', 'great role model' talk related to Jamison. He's a fake IMO. If Wittman doesn't give him enough burn, he'll start bitching. If Wittman is about his word (and I think he is), he'll personally glue Jamison to the bench himself once he sees his lack of effort on D.

There are so many other directions to go in rather than bringing back the past. To me this just reeks of organizational laziness.

I can't say I disagree with a lot of this. The breakup between Jamison and the Wiz wasn't the smoothest and I'd just as soon let the past stay the past. That said, I don't think bringing him back is especially high risk. The money would be negligible. I don't think he'd play big minutes -- Wittman just doesn't tolerate guys who don't defend. If vet minimum guys aren't good soldiers they get cut.

Maybe Jamison is at peace with the money he's made and the fact that he's not going to win a title and he wants to come back to where he's comfortable (in a much more stable environment than when he was here) and be one of the guys. I think he can help our second unit or a portion of it -- stick him between Ariza and Nene and get him a little bit of time on the the floor with Wall and he's likely to help more than he hurts.

It's not the move I'd make, but I don't think there's really much downside.

[pancakes3]

If AJ is serious about coming back he probably had a deal with his wife. 1 year to ring chase, then it's time to settle down and look at school districts, life after the NBA, etc and DC is one of the top cities in that regard. I for one would welcome him back at a reasonable price.

[Dark Faze]

This is one reason I preferred Noel. We have a proven 5 year guy with Webster. This entire dilemma would be moot if we had just picked Noel. Basically if we resign Webster, we will be unable to bolster out backcourt which is in dire need of depth. Now in order to add any significant contributors, we have to let our best shooter and locker room guy walk. Or we can resign him while taking a huge (aging) risk with our injury prone front court.

lol Web has been hurt longer than he's been healthy in his career and he's the sort of player who's numbers drop enormously when he tries to play through injury.

[GhostsOfGil]

This is one reason I preferred Noel. We have a proven 5 year guy with Webster. This entire dilemma would be moot if we had just picked Noel. Basically if we resign Webster, we will be unable to bolster out backcourt which is in dire need of depth. Now in order to add any significant contributors, we have to let our best shooter and locker room guy walk. Or we can resign him while taking a huge (aging) risk with our injury prone front court.

lol Web has been hurt longer than he's been healthy in his career and he's the sort of player who's numbers drop enormously when he tries to play through injury.

So you must be against using the MLE on him then? God forbid we throw 10+ mil at someone who has been injured so much.

[Dark Faze]

I'm not. Better players than him are making around 4 this year without a history of injury. I wouldn't give him years or money at this point. 2-3 mil over 3 years with the third being a team option imo.

Any higher or longer and he walks.

[rockymac52]

I'm going to be posting about Antawn Jamison for the next hour or so. I think he gets a bad rep around here partly because he's associated with that Wizards era (which ironically is by far the most successful era in my lifetime) and because he's old. I think he's actually criminally underrated though. I agree that I wouldn't want to see him getting more than 20 MPG, and even that might be pushing it, but I still like what he brings to the table, and when you compare him to our other front court options, he starts to look a lot more appealing.

But, just to start things off, here's a head to head statistical comparison between Antawn Jamison last season and Ryan Anderson last season. Obviously I'd prefer Anderson because he's a better 3 point shooter and 13 years younger, but that's why Anderson isn't a free agent willing to sign with us for the vet minimum. Still, I think this comparison will surprise a lot of you. In particular, check out their per 36 and advanced stats.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/pla ... 01&y2=2013

Everybody and their momma wanted a stretch 4, and when we finally look like we're going to get one, everybody hates the move, even though it's likely for 1 year and the vet minimum, so there really aren't even any potential consequences. I don't think most of you realize what stretch 4s in today's NBA actually look like. The Kevin Loves and LaMarcus Aldridges are rare talents that can shoot from outside, score inside, play solid D, and rebound the ball. They're in many ways the complete package, and that's why they're All-Stars. But most of your typical stretch 4s are guys like Anderson, Novak, Ilyasova, and yes, Jamison... they are good to great 3 point shooters, but they typically are fairly one dimensional offensively (Jamison actually doesn't fall into this trap, making him even more valuable), but they still produce an insanely high offensive efficiency. However, they also typically are some of the worst defenders in the league. That's just the nature of the beast that is the stretch 4. Maybe some of you need to reconsider whether you really want a stretch 4 after all... The thing is, these guys are still valuable because their offense is SO good that offsets their terrible defense for the most part.

[jivelikenice]

So assuming we re-sign Martell and get Jamison....we're then looking at a front court of:
SF- Otto, Webster, Ariza
PF- Nene, Jamison, Booker, Vesely, Singleton
C- Okafor, Seraphin.

and how exactly are we supposed to find enough PT for all three SFs? Ted has said they like a 14 man roster to allow for flexibility. A trade has to be in the works involving some of our front court pieces. Its just a ridiculous logjam of players with similar skillsets.....(In Ves, Booker, Singleton's case, a lack of skillset)

Well, you would also add SG- where Webster and Ariza could see minutes. What about giving Porter a try to play some point forward. (although can't really remember the last successful point forward since Scottie Pippen)

I have to admit though that I would probably be against bringing in Jamison if he is playing 20 mpg. At something like 10 mpg I would be fine but I wonder too if Jamison envisions himself in a bigger role.

Ariza isn't a 2 at all IMO. He can probably play some 4, but definitely not a 2. Either way there's a logjam that has to be sorted through.

[Kanyewest]

Ariza isn't a 2 at all IMO. He can probably play some 4, but definitely not a 2. Either way there's a logjam that has to be sorted through.

Ariza can guard 2s - but yeah the Wizards probably need better shooting overall although Ariza did shoot 36% from 3. His ball handling is less than to be desired. Perhaps a Porter/Ariza tandem would be interesting with Porter being the 2nd ball handler. Ultimately, Wall gave the Wizards flexibility to play Webster and Ariza together last season, as long as they were knocking down their open shots.

[fishercob]

Rumor is that New Orleans made Tyreke Evans a huge offer -- 4 yrs, $40M- $44M.

The only way it can work (unless there's already something lined up for Eric Gordon) is with they cut all their unguaranteed guys -- including Robin Lopez and Jason Smith.

I'd be interested in both of those guys a the right number.

[rockymac52]

PG: Wall (36) / Price (12)
SG: Beal (30) / Webster (18)
SF: Porter (24) / Ariza (18) / Webster (6)
PF: Nene (12) / Jamison (20) / Booker (10) / Ariza (6)
C: Okafor (26) / Nene (14) / Seraphin (8)

+ Rice, Jr. as our 3rd string SG/SF

Vesely and Singleton are reserves or sent down to D-League if we're healthy and don't need them.
Keep the 15th roster spot open for now, or sign Temple to be a reserve and emergency backup PG/SG.

When I first heard the report about us being linked to Jamison again, after getting the laughs and memories out of my system, my biggest concern was how he would fit into the lineup. I recalled him complaining about his lack of minutes last season, where he averaged 21 MPG. I'd hope that if we actually signed him, we would both be on the same page about his role and minutes going forward, with 20 MPG at most when the team is healthy and some occasional DNP-CD's here and there. Assuming that he has reconsidered his current role as a 37 year old NBA veteran and is content with 15-20 MPG, I think this can work. I was worried that giving Jamison those minutes would further complicate the already complicated SF rotation, and I feared that signing Jamison would send Booker to the end of the bench, when in reality he is a very solid backup PF when he's healthy. I also wasn't completely ready to give up on Seraphin, but I can live with his minutes being greatly decreased.

I think the minutes can be distributed similarly to how I divided them up above. What I like about this new lineup is for the first time since I can remember in my lifetime, we'd actually have DEPTH. Your typical NBA rotation is probably about 8-9 main guys, with the other 3 active players mainly being used in garbage time or in the event of injuries. So on one hand, our front office should focus on improving our top 8-9 guys, since they're the ones who will be playing regularly, and determine our place in the standings. The 3 guys at the end of the bench don't really have an effect on the team's record, since they're only in the game when it's a blowout.

However, that line of thinking is flawed. That line of thinking may give you a respectable 8-9 main guys, but unfortunately, injuries are inevitable. Obviously we've been bit by the injury bug pretty badly in our recent history, and you'd like to hope our luck in this regard will improve, but you never know. At the very least, you can expect some minor injuries here and there to several players throughout the season, because that's just the way professional basketball works. There's also probably a pretty good chance that at least 1 of those main 8-9 guys will suffer a more serious injury, forcing him to miss several months, possibly the entire season.

That's where things get interesting. Okay, so Trevor Booker, for example, is a quality backup PF, and he's at the tail end of our 8-9 main guys. But, Booker has a tendency to get hurt, and sure enough, he goes down with another injury next season and is forced to miss 2 months. When one of your main 8-9 guys goes down to injury, typically the result is that 1 or 2 of your bench warmers gets an opportunity to prove themselves, getting regular minutes after replacing the injured player in the rotation. In the past, that would mean Jan Vesely or Chris Singleton would be our replacement, entering the rotation in place of Booker. That did not work. At all. Neither Vesely nor Singleton has a place in a decent NBA team's main 8-9 guys. Their presence alone ruins any lineup that we try to use, and as a result, we become a bad team and we lose games and it's no fun.

However, now things can finally be different. If we add Jamison, giving him 20 MPG as one of our main 8-9 guys, but he goes down to injury, now he's being replaced by Trevor Booker instead of Jan Vesely. That's a big difference. That's the beauty of depth. The best NBA teams have quality depth, and that means more than just a few good pieces on the bench. It means your 3rd string players are solid and can step in at a moment's notice and help your team make a much easier transition after an injury to a core piece. It means that when we're healthy, we have 2-3 guys on the end of the bench who are decent and deserve regular minutes in the NBA, but instead, they're getting DNP-CD's and they don't get upset about this, because they're team-first players who understand they are just filling their role, and their opportunity will eventually come, and they just need to be ready for when that time comes.

Take San Antonio for example. Their regular core when healthy consists of Parker, Ginobili, Duncan, Green, Leonard, Splitter, Diaw, and Neal. Then at the end of their bench they have guys like Bonner, Joseph, Blair, and Mills. Blair and Mills did not see the court in the Finals (maybe even the entire playoffs, I'm not sure). But they were there waiting for that opportunity, and if they were needed, they'd be a much better option than guys like Vesely and Singleton.

Adding Jamison and re-signing Webster gives the Wizards legitimate depth. We'd have a main core of Wall, Beal, Porter, Nene, Okafor, Ariza, Webster, and Jamison. Then at the end of the bench, typically getting very limited minutes (about 10 MPG), we'd have Price, Rice, Jr., Booker, and Seraphin. If those 4 are our worst 4 active players when healthy, that's pretty respectable. The guys like Singleton and Vesely need to be inactive, unless we're hit with several big injuries and they then slide into the bench warmer role. For the first time in what seems like forever, we can actually have legitimate depth. That's why so many other teams had injuries to their star players this past season, but somehow they managed to still make the playoffs, while we went 4-28 without Wall. Our only real weakness from a depth perspective at the moment is at PG, and it will need to be addressed in the future, but there's only so much you can do in one off-season. The reality is that if Wall suffers a serious injury, then we're going to struggle immensely with Price becoming the starter and Temple becoming the primary backup. I know for some of you this is why you want us to sign a better free agent PG to backup Wall this summer, but I honestly don't think there's a significant upgrade to Price available that we could sign with the MLE.

[rockymac52]

Rumor is that New Orleans made Tyreke Evans a huge offer -- 4 yrs, $40M- $44M.

The only way it can work (unless there's already something lined up for Eric Gordon) is with they cut all their unguaranteed guys -- including Robin Lopez and Jason Smith.

I'd be interested in both of those guys a the right number.

Me too. Robin Lopez in particular. I think he's one of the most underrated players in the entire NBA right now. I'd love to add him as our 3rd big behind Nene and Okafor. Something tells me that New Orleans has a plan to ship out Gordon though to make this happen. Perhaps a Gordon for Granger swap?

[nuposse04]

Rumor is that New Orleans made Tyreke Evans a huge offer -- 4 yrs, $40M- $44M.

The only way it can work (unless there's already something lined up for Eric Gordon) is with they cut all their unguaranteed guys -- including Robin Lopez and Jason Smith.

I'd be interested in both of those guys a the right number.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRvqWmtR7-I[/youtube]

If he gave Wade a few of those a years, I would be enthralled with bringing him in.

As to Jamison being brought back....I think it'd be fine for trying to expose certain matchups...but I'm not sure I'd ever want him to get more than 12-15 mins a game consistently. A healthy Booker (which is hypothetical as ****) should take most of the backup PF minutes. If porter fills out some before season starts I could see him getting small ball stretch 4 minutes too.

If at all possible I think they should explore Speights as well. He's like a stretch 5 imo. Oh and how much do people think earl Clark will demand this offseason?