Wizards Draft Discussion

[Flight]

Discuss, beyond just Wall.

[JWaLL]

I like Quincy Pondexter, if he's available at 30 we better take him. Devin Ebanks is decent too. As for the 2nd round pick, I wouldn't mind snagging Vasquez. I feel like he'd feel comfortable immediately if he was drafted by his hometown team.

[AboveLegit]

I like Quincy Pondexter, if he's available at 30 we better take him. Devin Ebanks is decent too. As for the 2nd round pick, I wouldn't mind snagging Vasquez. I feel like he'd feel comfortable immediately if he was drafted by his hometown team.

Yeah I love Pondexter. Everyone on WizardsExtreme and RealGM is high on him, and I've begun to look at him more and more.

 

As for our second rounder, I don't know about Greivis. I love him to death, probably my favorite college player ever after Juan Dixon, but we really don't need him. I rather see us sign Shaun Livingston who showed a ton of promise this past season. We should go after Jordan Crawford or a SG.

 

I've also heard Ted Leonsis is wanting more picks (a late lottery pick or a pick in the early teens). I really hope he buys out some from teams like the Thunder or Hornets (both of which could use the extra cash). Building through the draft is what I want to see us do, don't sign any top named free agent, just let John Wall and the rest of the young guys develop.

[JWaLL]

Yeah I love Pondexter. Everyone on WizardsExtreme and RealGM is high on him, and I've begun to look at him more and more.

 

As for our second rounder, I don't know about Greivis. I love him to death, probably my favorite college player ever after Juan Dixon, but we really don't need him. I rather see us sign Shaun Livingston who showed a ton of promise this past season. We should go after Jordan Crawford or a SG.

 

I've also heard Ted Leonsis is wanting more picks (a late lottery pick or a pick in the early teens). I really hope he buys out some from teams like the Thunder or Hornets (both of which could use the extra cash). Building through the draft is what I want to see us do, don't sign any top named free agent, just let John Wall and the rest of the young guys develop.

It's risky no doubt picking Vasques and he could very well have a career like Juan Dixon.

 

I would love to bring Livingston back for a legitimate price. He stocked up his value playing well for us towards the end of last season so there's a chance he could be asking more than what he's worth to us.

 

Jordan Crawford would be alright, any young SG besides Nick Young would suffice for me. I would love to get more draft picks, and I trust Ted will be smart about his spending for them. As for signing a big name free agent, I would disagree with not bothering. I would at least attempt to sign Rudy Gay. I think he could really flourish in our system playing 3 and be a great go-to guy for Wall.

Edited June 21, 2010 by JWaLL

[AboveLegit]

It's risky no doubt picking Vasques and he could very well have a career like Juan Dixon.

 

I would love to bring Livingston back for a legitimate price. He stocked up his value playing well for us towards the end of last season so there's a chance he could be asking more than what he's worth to us.

 

Jordan Crawford would be alright, any young SG besides Nick Young would suffice for me. I would love to get more draft picks, and I trust Ted will be smart about his spending for them. As for signing a big name free agent, I would disagree with not bothering. I would at least attempt to sign Rudy Gay. I think he could really flourish in our system playing 3 and be a great go-to guy for Wall.

 

Agreed, Greivis just doesn't seem like he'll pan out in the league. His career is fit for overseas.

 

Livingston should resign, along with Mike who is an excellent player to use in the starting line up. Wall loves to penetrate and dish it out, we need three point shooters along the perimeter to keep Wall comfortable in the offense. It also helps having a jump shooting big in Blatche and a dynamite scorer in Arenas.

 

As for Nick Young, I want to believe he will have a good year, but with the return of Arenas, I just don't see it happening. This could very well be his last year in Washington. It's time to bring in a new project at SG.

 

Rudy Gay just doesn't seem like a championship type player. We're building a team, the last thing we need is a player like Rudy. We don't need to waste our money, I fully believe in Ted and I think he'll make smart decisions. Carmelo Anthony is a guy who is constantly put into rumors on RealGM forums (that's all I've been doing, reading posts on RealGM since they got some quality guys there that know what they're talking about). He seems like our best bet at SF moving forward in 2011. He has ties to the area, loves the Baltimore/Washington area, and let's face it, the chances of him winning in Denver is low. He very well could be on his way out, and Washington would throw a ton of money at him. Let's not forget, we're one superstar away from contending (assuming Mike also resigns and the Arenas experiment works).

[JWaLL]

Agreed, Greivis just doesn't seem like he'll pan out in the league. His career is fit for overseas.

 

Livingston should resign, along with Mike who is an excellent player to use in the starting line up. Wall loves to penetrate and dish it out, we need three point shooters along the perimeter to keep Wall comfortable in the offense. It also helps having a jump shooting big in Blatche and a dynamite scorer in Arenas.

 

As for Nick Young, I want to believe he will have a good year, but with the return of Arenas, I just don't see it happening. This could very well be his last year in Washington. It's time to bring in a new project at SG.

 

Rudy Gay just doesn't seem like a championship type player. We're building a team, the last thing we need is a player like Rudy. We don't need to waste our money, I fully believe in Ted and I think he'll make smart decisions. Carmelo Anthony is a guy who is constantly put into rumors on RealGM forums (that's all I've been doing, reading posts on RealGM since they got some quality guys there that know what they're talking about). He seems like our best bet at SF moving forward in 2011. He has ties to the area, loves the Baltimore/Washington area, and let's face it, the chances of him winning in Denver is low. He very well could be on his way out, and Washington would throw a ton of money at him. Let's not forget, we're one superstar away from contending (assuming Mike also resigns and the Arenas experiment works).

Yep, that was my expectation for Vasquez if he didn't fit in well with the NBA.

 

I would love to have Mike Miller back, but for a drastically lower price. He didn't play to his contract worth last season, but still has the qualities of a competitor and a leader. Plus, in an offense run by Wall, he could be a deadly weapon from the outside. And as you stated, Wall would feel comfortable with a reliable weapon who he can dish to after drawing the defense in. Blatche is a great go-to guy for Wall as well. As for Arenas, we can only wait and see how he is going to function alongside Wall. I think they can really work it out well on offense, but my main concern lays on the defensive end. I just feel like they are an undersized backcourt, such as Ellis and Curry on the Warriors. Those two can light up the offense but they struggle heavily on the defensive end due to their lack of size when guarding taller guards.

 

I agree with you in that I think Nick Young could be on his way out of here. There's just no place for him on the roster anymore. With Arenas undoubtedly going to be playing the 2, with Mike Miller as the possible backup if he returns, Nick Young would be lucky to get any floor time each game. To add to his lack of opportunity, it's possible Foye may return. If that's the case, Young may not even dress for most of the games.

 

It's hard to judge Rudy as a winner/loser. He's been playing for a struggling franchise in Memphis, and I think with a true point guard in Wall and being one of the primary weapons in his offense, he could really provide a spark for us. I'd rather go for him this season rather than risk going for Melo next season, who has been talking heavily about getting a contract extension in Denver. Let's also not rule out the possibility of resigning Josh Howard for a much lower price (since I see 0 chance of us picking up his heavy team option). If Gay turns us down and Howard returns to his old health, we could have a decent lineup. If things go the way I expect them to, we could have a starting lineup like this:

 

PG: John Wall

SG: Gilbert Arenas

SF: Josh Howard

PF: Andray Blatche

C: JaVale McGee

 

Key bench players: Mike Miller, Shaun Livingston, Al Thornton

 

With plenty of cap room left to bring in some decent role players, we have the potential to make a pretty deadly squad by the start of next season. I wouldn't mind bringing in a decent center to start in front of McGee. I just feel like McGee is better as an energy player off the bench.

[AboveLegit]

Agreed on most of your points.

 

As for the McGee situation, I like him, but I just don't know if he will ever pan out to be honest. He's just so raw right now, and his basketball IQ is extremely low. If Leonsis is able to work his magic and get a late pick in the lotto, I HOPE we can get Cole Aldrich. He reminds me of Kendrick Perkins, a great defender with a big body. He can score in the low post and would give us a nice Rondo-Perk esque tandem (Wall and Aldrich literally mirror that duo).

 

There's absolutely no chance we pick up Howard's option, but there still is hope for him in DC. He can still re-sign with us, but like you said, it has to be a low contract. We can't afford to throw a ton of money on injury-prone guys anymore.

 

Leonsis believes in building through the draft, so don't expect us to be big players in the free agency period. We're all about the draft now, and all I'm hoping for is getting more picks.

[JWaLL]

Agreed on most of your points.

 

As for the McGee situation, I like him, but I just don't know if he will ever pan out to be honest. He's just so raw right now, and his basketball IQ is extremely low. If Leonsis is able to work his magic and get a late pick in the lotto, I HOPE we can get Cole Aldrich. He reminds me of Kendrick Perkins, a great defender with a big body. He can score in the low post and would give us a nice Rondo-Perk esque tandem (Wall and Aldrich literally mirror that duo).

 

There's absolutely no chance we pick up Howard's option, but there still is hope for him in DC. He can still re-sign with us, but like you said, it has to be a low contract. We can't afford to throw a ton of money on injury-prone guys anymore.

 

Leonsis believes in building through the draft, so don't expect us to be big players in the free agency period. We're all about the draft now, and all I'm hoping for is getting more picks.

That was always my biggest problem with McGee. Whenever he had the ball in his hands, I'd get nervous. That right there is a problem. He just doesn't know what to do with the basketball when it's in his hands, and when he puts the ball on the floor he just seems so lost. He should continue getting stronger and he can earn a spot in the league as an effective alley oop target and shot blocking machine.

 

If we manage to get a draft pick high enough to snag Aldrich, that would be amazing for us. Finally a big bodied center to give us some defensive cover down low. He seems like a player who can make an immediate impact for any team. For his development he should definitely be watching Perkins, as their powerful defensive games are very similar.

 

And I agree with Howard, I think we learned our lesson resigning an injured Gilbert Arenas, which pretty much destroyed our franchise financially. Resigning Howard for a lower cost would be a great franchise decision and I truly believe he can return to his form of last season if he heals properly.

 

I think Leonsis has stated before to not expect us to be big players in the free agency. It's not all bad to rebuild with draft picks, but I just think we should at least make an effort to reach out to some of the top free agents. Rudy Gay would be my top choice.

[Guest STL10]

I think any team should draft DeSean Butler. He has a Kobe-like will to win.

[Dash]

DARINGTON HOBSON

 

As I previously reported, Darington Hobson has a promise from multiple teams in the late first round. Those teams could include the Nets and Wizards. Hobson injured his ankle last week in a workout and could have easily stopped working out for teams. Instead, he still attended all of his workouts, even if he couldn't play, and is not cancelling any of his workouts.

 

Link

[JWaLL]

Link

Wow why him? We better not pick him with our 30th, he's a clumsy inconsistent scorer who can't pass.

[Guest STL10]

Wow why him? We better not pick him with our 30th, he's a clumsy inconsistent scorer who can't pass.

 

LMAO WOW! That would be a TERRIBLE pick at 30.

[JWaLL]

LMAO WOW! That would be a TERRIBLE pick at 30.

Believe me I know. Pondexter and Ebanks are my most favorable for the 30th pick. There's a good chance one of them, if not both, will be available at that time. This Darington Hobson guy will be lucky to get drafted, let alone be a first round pick.

[Guest STL10]

Believe me I know. Pondexter and Ebanks are my most favorable for the 30th pick. There's a good chance one of them, if not both, will be available at that time. This Darington Hobson guy will be lucky to get drafted, let alone be a first round pick.

 

Washington may get Ebanks and Pondexter at 30 and 35.