Gilbert Arenas trade shows organization feels this was addition by subtraction

I agree that it shows that the organization just wanted to move on without him. As far as the “veteran leadership” goes, what other positive attribute does Lewis possess to talk about at this point? Oh well.
I listened intently to Ted on the BS Report podcast discuss the concept that champions are built through the draft. It gets debated on this blog quite often and I don’t really agree. The one thing I’ve noticed about consistently successful organizations in all sports is a complete absence of sentimentality. The good organizations don’t hesitate to dump players and are constantly replenishing the roster. So I’ve reconciled myself to the idea that the Wizards pretty much need a complete makeover. Unfortunately, that means dumping Gil, even though he remained my favorite Wizard right up until the end. I hope he and Dwight make a great duo in Orlando and I’d love to see them take Miami out come May.

is not that he doesn’t see what’s needed. It’s that he settles too often for deals that are justifiable but weak. It’s been since the Caron trade that I felt like we got one over on our trade partner. A better GM could have worked this into Lewis plus a second round pick at a minimum. A great GM would have us believing we hadn’t been fleeced. Even if Gil was on his way out, the return still seems far too insufficient.

but I honestly cannot question the choice.

On the one hand, Gilbert was reasonably productive and durable this year, but he was not and probably will not be the player he was a few years ago. He may do a bit better in Orlando and between him and JRich, they really do have more firepower than they were getting from VC and our new Wizard. Good luck and godspeed.

On the other hand, we have Rashard Lewis. This man was a premier scorer with the Pre-Thunder, but seemed to suffer severe choke-itis once he signed for the big bucks with the Magic. The first thing is that Lewis won’t get in the way of Wall’s development (as Arenas inevitably did) and may actually enhance Wall’s development by giving him a tall long range shooter to find in the corners, as well as a long-limbed occasional cutter. Even if he has slipped a bit, Lewis is much better than Yi.

For a developing Wall you really cannot fault management for finally assembling the wing support (Young, Howard, Lewis) that a young point guard like Wall could use.

And we save real money.

Could Ernie have gotten more. I really can’t imagine how.

In my convoluted thinking, I think the Wiz are slowing down the development of McGee and are more focused on Blatche. It would be telling if they use a front line of Blatche, Lewis, and Howard. By putting vets around Blatche and sitting McGee down they might feel they are simultaneously helping both players, as well as Wall.
I also wonder if the teams pulled the trigger because Orlando was satisfied that Arenas’ knee is okay and the Wiz were satisfied that Arenas isn’t knocking down 40 this season. Maybe both conditions were met, but its obvious the Wiz were not going to wait for Arenas.

And that we didn’t need additional value from Gilbert Arenas. I mean, what’s the most we could have hoped for? A low first rounder? A serviceable veteran player? How does that help the situation? Three million will do the trick in the next draft for a first rounder and a serviceable veteran does not suddenly put us in the championship hunt. Also bear in mind that we have a significant amount in expiring contracts each year over the next three years. I don’t think anyone will be upset about Gilbert three years from now when we have an expiring contract of 22mil (Remember how envious everyone was of the Knicks, Heat and Houston for their expirings). It looks like the plan is to have a good enough team in 2012-13 to draw a young, missing piece free agent (See Griffin, Blake who assuredly will not be staying with the Clippers). In the mean time the key will be finding out who the other rotation players will be primarily through building via the draft. The great part about this is the headstart that we have in John Wall, that is normally the hardest part.

Over the next three years we will not only have youth, but tremendous year to year flexibility through our expiring contracts. With that flexibility, strategies such as BOYD can be put to good use IOT gain future assets for the organization.

In two years, I don’t know that anyone will be fretting over this trade anymore, and we will all never really know how much of a disruption Arenas was causing behind the scenes.

In three years, the Celtics, Magic, Hawks, Bobcats, and Knicks will be rebuilding, and the only true threats in the east will probably be the Heat and the Bulls. In the West, the Lakers, Mavs and Spurs will be transitioning as well.

This plan could be executed better, but is sound nonetheless

Is determined to leave and the Clippers see a 22mil expiring along with a young asset or two the Wiz have (hopefully through the building process) along with a couple of first rounders, do they do the deal?

However, after seeing Phoenix go as far as they can go in that system, I don’t know if they can be a championship caliber team. As it stands now they are one injury away (Amare) from being a below average team again.

If they do sign Melo, however, I feel that this becomes a different conversation and we get to truly evaluate D’Antoni as a championship coach or another good coach.

The CBA plays a big part in this as a hard cap provides additional cap certainty and should provide teams with a renewed emphasis on building through youth as it should become more difficult to keep numerous veteran assets long term . The Wizards have a headstart on most veteran teams in this regard. In a couple of years, they should have a stockpile of young assets which should be very valuable in a league with a hard cap.

Just so happens that possibly the only owner in the NBA that has perserved under a hard cap system is Ted Leonsis. Hopefully that will pay dividends for the Wizards long term if a hard cap is indeed implemented.

That hasn’t said by the cynical among us all season (and preseason) long. For that we were branded Gilbert-haters. But so what? All the things Lee alluded to were pretty obvious just from Arenas’ demeanor on and off the court. The rest of you had to learn the hard way.

What makes this a bad trade isn’t the getting rid of Arenas at any cost. What makes it bad is A. it does nothing to improve the Wizards this year or even next year, B. it replaces one franchise-killing contract-malcontent player with another, and C. it does nothing to exonerate Grunfeld from his miserable mistakes since the day that contract with Arenas was signed. It’s merely Ernie waving goodbye to Arenas—and that really looks personal to me.

What was the rush? Why not bluff Arenas out for a few more weeks or months? If he had as much gas in him as Smith seems to think (and that “audition” indicated), then why wasn’t Arenas put on notice that he was expected to put out that kind of effort every night? If his effect on Wall was negative, then he could have been suspended and sent home. Face it, neither Saunders or Grunfeld (or apparently Leonsis) was willing to stand up to him. What does this say to any other player in the organization—or incoming one like Lewis? It says weak coach, cowardly GM. And what does it say about the new owner?

Mark Cuban isn’t looking so bad right now, is he?

He and Otis probably had it all figured out.
Play like crap and sulk to drive down his value
so Orlando could keep its better pieces to trade for more players like the Suns trade.
Gilbert thought Ernie betrayed him after gungate.
Otis was his boy and probably Was one of the few people who stood by him. Think about it. Gilbert wanted out. Doesn’t happen if he plays well.
Why the huge drop off from last year? He can’t be this bad! I refuse to believe THAT was all he had left.

And Ernie definately works for some other team

I refuse to believe he is this bad.

Gilbert got traded?!?! Sad to see him go, but awesome, awesome, awesome trade. I will wish him the best in Orlando, but saving a year on that contract is HUGE.

Along with cap space, and a talented young core of players we can be that year’s Chicago/New York/OKC. That’s all you can ask, to put your team in that position. Griffin was mentioned, but a discontented (who knows?) DHoward would work as well.

Could they have milked the situation and gotten more for Arenas? Possibly. But the risk of a possible reinjury and/or a repeat meltdown was too great. In that case you risk a Stephon Marbury situation in which you cannot move a player who becomes a malcontent. Do we really know how Gil would have reacted if the Wizards would have tried to play hardball with him?

It took Richardson who had a 14.5 mil expiring contract, along with other assets to pry VC away from Orlando. He’s having a very good year and does not have any issues along the lines of Gil.

Would MJ have done a deal with the Wiz after all of the previous bad blood? Your guess is mine.

Time will tell. But finally there is real hope.

We will meet again on the morrow

And I agree with Rook’s analysis in his posts above. This was a panic move by Grunfeld (hoping to save his job?), or Grunfeld just wanted Gil out of here. Gil was an asset, and if you can move him today for something to help the rebuild, you do that. If you can’t get something to help the rebuild today, then you wait until you can.

Grunfeld has managed to get rid of the old guard and their contracts, which is important, but a better GM would have gotten something for those very good players to help the rebuild, and Grunfeld got Al Thorton and the #30 pick. That’s the bottom line for me — a better GM would have gotten more, boosting the rebuild.

I’m as big of a fan of Gil as most who have posted here, but it was time to move on and this was the best deal out there. Gil had no value to anyone, save the Magic and Otis Smith. He will be missed, and I will be saddened by his leaving, but the organization was correct in moving on. As for Lewis, who cares? He just happened to be the wrong guy at the right time, a throw in. Wiz had to move on.

great player, but more flawed than most greats.

i never connected with the guy, but that doesn’t mean i didn’t like him.

i had my hopes up that he would still be a great player in this league once he got his knee in order, but based on his play this year and the last, i now believe that won’t happen.

so, to be honest, moving on feels carthartic more than anything. counting this one, the last, what, four seasons have been truly dreadful. i’m more than ready to put that behind me as a wiz fan.

don’t mean to post this on gil tribute day, but technically this is an article from yesterday so hopefully i get a pass.