Wiz Insider Poll: Who's a Keeper?

There will be quite a bit of discussion about what we should do with our team in the offseason. And there already has been here at BF.

So far the leaders in the poll are: McGee, Dom, & Nick

Obviously, everyone loves McGee. It's a shame he didn't get more PT. I'll post my initial thoughts in the comments.

almost 3 years ago se7en 11 comments 0 recs |

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Thoughts

I posted this as a comment to the discussion, who we should keep or get rid of:

Must get rid of:

Etan Thomas: awful, awful contract, can’t stay healthy, too short to guard the big men, little offensive skill; with JaVale as backup, get RID OF HIM NOW

Blatche: cancer to the offense (has no patience, thinks he’s a point guard, and a shooting guard, very inconsistent, no real development over the years) Get rid of him.

Pech: really no point, can we get rid of him?

Mike James: has shown he can be a decent shooter, but with Gil back, and Javaris a possible young backup, what’s the point? Can we get rid of him?

Possibly keep or lose:

Deshawn: awful year, but he is a decent defender and can get hot – we need a 3 pt specialist to come off the bench, but he may not be reliable for that – consistently healthy though (minus this year)

Javaris: he could be our backup point, has shown good progress in the last couple of months – did show promises of patience and good decision-making, but also other times of awful poise and decision-making… if we get rid of him, it’s because we’re getting a better backup point guard… i trust he can be reliable though

Hopefully keep:

Darius: dude has grown on me; he’s proven he can hit the open jumper, play great screen defense, even guard the big men! He works hard, but doesn’t have a lot of other skills – i like him now

Dom: has proven himself… he doesn’t have much offensive skills, despite his jump shot has gotten a little better; he works hard, is a great SF who gets rebounds, plays tough D, and makes good decisions… i like him now… reliable 2nd string guy

DO NOT GET RID OF:

Young: my #1 man – got a bad rap from Tap, because Tap, well, is an awful coach – Nick is a PROVEN scorer: can take ANYONE in the league off the dribble and hit the jumper, over 40% of the time, even getting better on 3s, he’s our #1 scorer coming off the bench… he will be a 20ppg guard very soon… do NOT get rid of him!

McGee: the crowd favorite, our prodigy, has shown beautiful promises… ever seen a 7 footer run the break like that? it’s not often… however, he has shown some bad decision-making.. he’s just a rookie, doesn’t have much experience yet, but he has the athleticism and humility to learn to be a great player… I wish he got more development this past year.. TAP, you suck for that, for what McGee and Young got in PT. Glad you’re gone. Bastard.

Watched about every Wiz game this year – so you can try and argue with me on these points, but I will only convince you why I’m right…

FLIP, my man, we’re excited to have you on board, and let Gil run this team at the point… Princeton offense (and that ugly 3-man weave) it was good knowing you… we won’t miss ya

I exaggerated at the end there about Tap, but I was definitely frustrated with this coaching decisions when it came to McGee and Young, specifically.

by se7en on Apr 21, 2009 6:03 PM EDT reply actions

They ought to keep Thomas and James

You’re right that their contracts are awful, but that’s actually a good thing since they expire this year and we’re over the cap.

I pretty much agree with you about everyone else, especially your mixed feeling re: Javaris and Songaila. Darius is a decent bench player, but I question whether it’s worth it to keep someone who can’t rebound and is on a bad contract that still has another two (maybe more?) years left on it. You’re spot on with Nick Young, too. Even if he doesn’t get it together next year, I can guarantee that he’s going to come out of nowhere to score 20 a game one year, whether it’s with us or with someone else.

by pantslessyoda1 on Apr 22, 2009 8:11 PM EDT up reply actions

very similar

Blatche: the piece that brings us some veteran help. He does not want to be great. He already has his second contract and lots of guaranteed money. No incentive for him. I don’t want that attitude around the other young players. He’s young enough and has skills that others will covet and pay well for because he shows glimpses of being much better. Without the work ethic he’ll be that guy who’s stats improve slowly, points jumping 3 without Haywood or Etan, but what you need him to do, rebound, is still very much lacking. Rebounding is mostly position (strength) and hustle (desire). He’d be great for a team like Golden State, the Knicks or possibly the Thunder.

Etan: hard to move but a team might take him if combined with Blatche.
James: asset and/or insurance.
Stevenson: coming off of back surgery isn’t likely to get much interest. Would be great if he could get his touch back to near 40% from 3. Flip could also use him as a back up at PG. If he gets back he would be a nice piece off the bench. I like McGuire starting.

Songalia: a nice piece coming off the bench but needs to play with a shot blocker to most effective. Skill set makes him tradeable but I think his price tag and years left on the deal mean he’s here for the duration. When Gilbert said they need to get bigger he is one of the guys that came to mind. Isn’t strong enough to hold his position. If he could just extend his range to the 3… He will steadily get minutes taken by McGee who I see as a 4 long term.

Pesh: He’s a big 3 point shooter with a year left so its possible he could be combined in a deal. I could see the Clippers/Dunleavy taking him for a year or another team as salary filler.

Nick: Probably best to hang on to him as a primary scorer off the bench. However there are several wings in this draft that can defend and bring some offense. I wouldn’t mind upgrading with a better overall player/defender.

McGuire, McGee and Crittendon are all keepers. These are the three that have shown the best work ethic and skill sets to compliment the core. Potential without work ethic is just an indication of what a player could have been, but wasn’t. These three seem motivated.

So can Ernie turn Blatche, Etan, James and Pesh into a playoff quality back up C and/or a 1.5 guard like Heinrich? Thats why he’s in charge.

by Jheiser3 on Apr 23, 2009 2:50 PM EDT up reply actions

It's a tricky poll

I mean, unless they’re trying to create some sort of hierarchy of expandability, I’m a bit confused as to why you only get to pick one player in the poll.

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by Jake Whitacre on Apr 21, 2009 7:02 PM EDT reply actions

I’m a little confused about how you can call Blatche a “cancer to the offense” and Young is your #1 man. He seems to break the offense more than anyone.

But you seem pretty set in your opinions, so no point arguing.

by MR on Apr 21, 2009 8:51 PM EDT reply actions

That last sentence made me burst out laughing.

by disgrunted on Apr 22, 2009 6:40 AM EDT up reply actions

Ok, you got me

I LOVE arguing.

by MR on Apr 22, 2009 7:48 AM EDT up reply actions

They both take ridiculous iso shot plays that breaks the offensive flow. The only thing is Young can actually hit those selfish shots. Young is kind of a less basketball smart version of Kobe. I think given enough shots he could be a huge scoring threat though we really don’t need another offensive player. It would be nice to keep him but he’s expendable.

by Fundefined on Apr 22, 2009 9:21 AM EDT up reply actions

Both?

Pretty much everyone on the Wizards takes ridiculous iso shots, except for maybe Songalia and Crittendon. That’s the offense. As Buckhantz would sat, “They’re running Eddie Jordan’s offense to perfection!!”

by disgrunted on Apr 22, 2009 2:05 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah, Young's ability to hit those crazy shots is what sets him apart from a lot of guys

As long as he plays within the flow of the offense and only isos when we’ve got a broken play or when there isn’t much time on the shot clock (which he’s been a lot better about lately), he’s a great player. I’d like to see him rebound more and get a bit smarter on defense, but those are things that can be improved fairly easily.

Blatche, on the other hand, does way too much dumb stuff. He almost reminds me of Sheed in that he could be much better by just taking more shots in the paint and hustling for more rebounds, and the only reason they don’t is because of arrogance or stupidity. I could see Blatche going to another team and doing well, and his contract is pretty sweet, but I wouldn’t lose any sleep at all over losing him. There’s no reason someone who’s not a defensive specialist should have a 51% true shooting percentage.

by pantslessyoda1 on Apr 22, 2009 8:19 PM EDT up reply actions

here's my take

The Wizards have the Big Three, a couple other solid veterans (Haywood, Songalia, hopefully Stevenson) and a bunch of young talent. I think any team, especially one who wants to compete now and maintain a bright future, should seek to have a nice balance of veterans along with youth. Right now perhaps the scales tip a little bit too much towards youth, especially with this year’s lottery pick. So I’d be in favor of shifting the balance a little in favor of adding another solid vet and dropping one of the young guys.

Of the young guys, I’d say the Wizards should absolutely keep McGuire and McGee. I like all of the rest, but I’d also be open to packaging any one of them. The Wizards should be willing to trade the draft pick as well (especially if it’s 3 or below). Of course any trade should be dependent on getting another player who truly has the ability to help this team.

The Wizards also have some expiring contracts (Thomas and James) who likely won’t be able to contribute much to the team next year. It seems for a trade to make sense the Wizards would have to package one of these contracts with either a player like Blatche or Young, or with the draft pick, in order to get a solid vet in return. Otherwise I’m not sure a trade would be possible under league rules.

But here’s what I’m not sure about. The Wizards have some key players, such as Butler (contract expires after 2 more seasons) and Haywood (expires after next season), that I believe they should resign in the coming years. It might be in there best interests to hold on to James and Thomas, let those contracts expire, and therefore be in better position to resign other key players. Alternatively, if they trade either of those expiring contracts for a vet under contract for a longer period, would it then be more difficult to resign either one? Quite possibly, and that’s where a trade could backfire.

I think a good trade that makes sense (improves the team and works financially) is possible, but we’ll see if Grunfeld can make it happen.

by Johnnie Futbol on Apr 22, 2009 1:39 PM EDT reply actions