"There's no way we could have gotten someone in the draft that compares to the production and...

"There's no way we could have gotten someone in the draft that compares to the production and experience level of these two players," team president Ernie Grunfeld said.

The Wizards dealt three forwards -- Etan Thomas, Darius Songaila and Oleksiy Pecherov -- and gained two guards, leaving a roster imbalance that could lead to more wheeling and dealing.

"We might get out of (the draft) altogether," Grunfeld said. "Very seldom do you get a 32nd pick who's going to come right in and help a veteran ballclub."

Comments

Sounds like selling the pick

for cash. Yay. Whoopie. That cost-cutting mode was just a rumor, right? This is boring stuff, but Ernie still seems to have something coming. Again, even if it’s too old grisly forwards, that’s fine with me.

by Unselds on Jun 24, 2009 10:38 PM EDT reply actions

Can Dikembe still play?

I’m serious.

by Unselds on Jun 24, 2009 10:42 PM EDT reply actions

Sounds like we're gonna hear those famous Grunfeld words again

“Cash considerations”

Bullets Forever - where "Dagger ! " happens......

by Rook6980 on Jun 24, 2009 10:50 PM EDT reply actions

Right Ernie

Those cheap picks in the second round are such a waste, yours truly, Dominic McGuire.

Sometimes I wonder how some of these guys keep their jobs. He has a chance to draft a 6’10 240-260 pound interior banger at 32, and pay him less than 1 Mil for 3 YEARS and he wont… because he can’t immediately earn PT? There will someone at 32 that can immediately out rebound Blatche. He’s gonna sell the pick.

by Jheiser3 on Jun 24, 2009 10:58 PM EDT reply actions

Or

pick a foreign player. It costs nothing. Last year he could have picked Sasha Kaun, left him in Russia for a few years and repeated the rewards then. This year there is no shortage of quality prospects and the Wizards wouldn’t have to spend a dime to develop them. Gladyr, Claver, Kravtsov, Beaubois, De Colo. Pick Joe Ingles and have him come over cheap to replace Miller.

If he sells it he better get market value

At the end of the 7:05 update he mentions the Knicks thought they had a deal with the Wiz: Hughes and Wilson Chandler for crap contracts and #5.

by Jheiser3 on Jun 24, 2009 11:41 PM EDT up reply actions

Also Signing

Those cheap picks in the second round are such a waste, yours truly, Dominic McGuire.

Respectfully yours, fellow teammates Gilbert Arenas (31st pick) and Andray Blatche (49th pick).

"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier

by cuppettcj on Jun 25, 2009 8:08 AM EDT up reply actions

AND

even American players are willing to be picked and then placed in Europe for a year or two. Wiz retain their rights.

by Jheiser3 on Jun 25, 2009 1:32 PM EDT up reply actions

I bet we're using the 32nd pick.

You ever get the feeling someone’s just having fun f’ing with you? That is how this quote makes me feel about Ernie Grunfeld.

That being said, if he can turn the 32nd pick into a post player, I’m all for it no matter how it gets done.

The Washington Wizards: providing career scoring nights for unknown opposing bench players since 2004.

by mamemimo on Jun 24, 2009 11:22 PM EDT reply actions

Exactly

I recall him being super complimentary or the guys he could have had at 5. Then what happened. I think we are not done with the draft yet.

by Danyon Rome on Jun 25, 2009 12:09 AM EDT up reply actions

Jeff Van Gundy on ESPN’s draft preview show:“To me, Washington is now a 50 win team in a wide open Eastern Conference where the top teams are getting older.”

by Jeremybozz on Jun 24, 2009 11:37 PM EDT reply actions

I dont think he will just sell it

I think that Ernie is well aware that our roster is lopsided after the Foye/Miller trade. I think that he will package the 32nd pick along with some combination of Mike James, DeShawn Stevenson, Javaris Crittenton, or (maybe) Nick Young to get a quality backup PF/C. I have no fear that Ernie will just sell it.

by lj15 on Jun 25, 2009 12:08 AM EDT reply actions

Any think that there is any chance?

That we could use Mike James and the #32 pick to dump Deshawn’s salary?

If we could do that we would need to find a player making about $10mil/yr to make the salaries work right?

by Manimal Smith on Jun 25, 2009 12:26 AM EDT reply actions

Please, please don’t sell it. Instead either use it or package it with Young/James/Deshawn/Crit to get a low post defender and rebounder.

by Fundefined on Jun 25, 2009 1:48 AM EDT reply actions

My guess...

I think EG will wait abnd see if a player like Josh Heytveldt is available at 32 before unloading the pick, and if he DOES unload the pick, I hope it is in a package deal for a decent big…. the Cavs just got massive, Boston is massive and you need fouls to give against Orlando.

by khrabb on Jun 25, 2009 5:03 AM EDT up reply actions

From Michael Lee’s article today it seems the Wizards do indeed intend to address the disparity in their roster somehow. It’ll probably be hard for them to do it with the 32nd (if they thought the 5 pick wouldn’t play a big role…), but otherwise they could do it via a trade or through free agency.

by Johnnie Futbol on Jun 25, 2009 8:03 AM EDT reply actions

Wow

Getting rid of the 32nd pick would be really dumb in this climate. You’re getting someone just as valuable as a late 1st-rounder, but you don’t have to pay him guaranteed money. It’s huge. And yet, we’re going to dump it?

Boo.

You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.

by Mike Prada on Jun 25, 2009 8:13 AM EDT reply actions

Last year they could easily say there wasn’t an open roster spot to justify selling the pick.

But this year… no.

We’ll see what happens. If their roster weren’t overloaded with guards already I’d say they could probably find a pretty good guard prospect in this guard-heavy draft. If they can grab some kind of big body with the 32, that could help in emergency game situations or even just for practice.

Maybe it’ll depend on who falls or what’s offered in cash, but this team is now desperate to get bigger in the frontcourt.

by Johnnie Futbol on Jun 25, 2009 9:18 AM EDT up reply actions

Huh?

“Very seldom do you get a 32nd pick who’s going to come right in and help a veteran ballclub.”

Since when is that the relevant question for the draft? You use the draft to build for the future. If that’s the relevant question, then every veteran team in the league should be selling or trading all of its draft picks.

I know that the Wizards need size, but they needn’t use the 2nd round pick for a big man. A good 2nd round pick is someone who can stick in the league. If the best player on their board is Darren Collison, for example, they should take him, stick him in the D-League for a year. They can always trade him later, or if Javaris doesn’t work out, the Wizards will already have their third string point guard on the roster next season. Don’t reach for a big man, because then you might be left with nothing.

By the way, did anyone else notice that, despite the off-repeated refrain that the Wizards needed to trade the pick because they don’t need to get younger, the trade made them younger? Etan and Darius are 31, while Miller is 29 and Foye is 25. Don’t get me wrong — I like that aspect of it, but it is interesting to note.

by disgrunted on Jun 25, 2009 9:12 AM EDT reply actions

not only that

but look at the guys in that range from ONE YEAR AGO:
Mario Chalmers, M’Bah Moute, CDR, and Kyle Weaver. I know they weren’t all on contenders but all played, all contributed.

by Jheiser3 on Jun 25, 2009 12:59 PM EDT up reply actions

Yes, you can't draft experienced players

That quote is just so obnoxious. “There’s no way we could have gotten someone in the draft that compares to the production and experience level of these two players.”

Gee, Ernie — where do these experienced players come from, anyway? One has to wonder.

And then you get the thing about how 2nd rounders don’t help much. Hey, has anyone checked the Wizards’ roster lately to see whether any of its core players may have some connection to the second round? Seems to me I remember someone…. It’s on the tip of my tongue….

I’m primarily a Wolves fan, and we heard stuff like this a hundred times from Kevin McHale. The Garnett era was peppered with McHale telling us rookies couldn’t contribute…. Also with bad drafts, not coincidentally.

by feral on Jun 25, 2009 9:36 AM EDT reply actions

The Funny Thing Is

Grunfeld has had an excellent history of finding NBA quality talent in the 2nd round. He drafted Michael Redd 43rd overall in 2000, Andray Blatche 49th overall in 2005, and Dominic McGuire 47th overall in 2007. All three players are still in the league and play significant minutes, which is pretty uncommon for 2nd rounders overall.

He has had missteps as well, and I understand that he feels the Wizards are unlike most lottery teams in that they need immediate instead of long-term help, but what is the risk of taking a chance on a 2nd round pick making next to nothing in terms of salary without even having to commit guaranteed money?

"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier

by cuppettcj on Jun 25, 2009 10:28 AM EDT reply actions

Agreed

Plus, Flip has already said that he is going to have a rotation of 9 guys. Haywood, Jamison, Blatche, Arenas, Butler, Miller and Foye are the first 7. McGee, Young, Stevenson, McGuire, James and Crittendon will compete for the final 2 spots. Does Ernie really need another guy to compete with those 6?

Sure, he needs another big man, and if he uses the 32nd to get that big guy, good enough. But he doesn’t NEED to use the pick to obtain a veteran. He just needs to use it to obtain the best talent, young or old, short or tall.

by disgrunted on Jun 25, 2009 10:45 AM EDT up reply actions