When it comes to Michael Beasley, it's not about winning the trade, it's about a larger vision
by Mike Prada on May 1, 2010 4:10 PM EDT
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Print[Note by Mike Prada, 05/01/10 7:33 PM EDT ]: Ziller says it better than I could.
I'm fully aware that the chances of Michael Beasley coming to DC are tiny. We're talking about a "league source" saying there are "some" in the Wizards' front office that are "open" to trading for him, which is about as insignificant as it gets. It's like saying that, according to a "reader of sports blogs," there are "some" members of Bullets Forever who are "open" to drafting DeMarcus Cousins. In both cases - yeah, it's worth reporting it, but it doesn't really mean much.
But let's pretend for a second that there's legitimate interest in Michael Beasley. To me, trading for Michael Beasley is exactly the same disease that's plagued this front office recently. Defenders of Ernie Grunfeld correctly point out that he's made a lot of good individual trades. "He got Caron Butler for Kwame Brown!" "He got Antawn Jamison for a draft pick we weren't going to use anyway!" "He got two good vets for a pick we weren't going to use!" That's all well and good, but being a successful GM is about much more than making a bunch of moves that look good by themselves. It's much more about having a long-term vision that makes sense and making successful moves that can be judged within that context.
Take the Milwaukee Bucks, for instance. Last summer, the Bucks jettisoned three of their best players for basically nothing. They dumped Richard Jefferson for some non-guaranteed contracts, didn't even bother to extend a qualifying offer to Charlie Villanueva and let Ramon Sessions go instead of paying him a very reasonable contract for his talents. Judged on their own, letting those three guys go for nothing made no sense. But judged within the context of a general philosophy, and they were outstanding moves. None of those players fit with the kind of culture the Bucks were trying to build for Scott Skiles, so it made no sense to keep them. They replaced them with cheaper guys who fit better, and ended up winning 12 more games. The sequence of moves made sense, even when they maybe didn't individually.
If the Wizards were to trade for Michael Beasley, the argument in favor if it is "well, look, we got a talented 21-year old forward who is still very young for nothing!" And that's true. But judged within the prism of the kind of team we want to build, it makes less and less sense to bring Beasley in. At 21, Beasley can still blossom, but what's the cost? He will need a lot of tutelage from our player development team, and that will take those guys away from Andray Blatche, JaVale McGee and our other young players who already have a head start on Beasley. Beasley will need to be watched for his off-court activities, and we already have enough resources watching the guys we already have. He'll always be a bit slower picking things up because of his space-cadet'y demeanor, and we already have enough guys like that. Then, there's the matter of where he plays. Small forward? He's never succeeded at that position in his career, and the only way that changes is if we work with him extensively on it, which of course takes resources that should go to other players. Power forward? We're trying to establish Blatche there.
The short answer to the long-winded point is therefore this: Beasley could still blossom, but for it to happen, the team that employs him will have to work very, very hard and will need to be patient to coax it out. The Wizards already are taking the slow, patient route with many of their players. We don't need another player that'll also need to develop slowly, even if he can be acquired for basically nothing.
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And we shouldn’t be patient? I think the general opinion of Wizards fans right now is to rebuild on young players. I don’t like Beasley’s game personally but he fits the type of player a team should rebuild on.
You need the right mix
You don’t want to rebuild with a bunch of young projects. You want some projects and some younger players who are more like self starters. We have our projects. Now we need more self starters.
I don't think Beasley's a project in the same way that Javale is
Javale needs to learn how to play basketball – post moves, defensive positioning, stuff like that – while Beasley, aside from improving his defense a bit, just needs to settle down and get his head on straight. I don’t think he’ll need much in the way of teaching, just a chance to play 30 minutes without getting yanked as well as someone to motivate him a bit.
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by pantslessyoda1 on May 1, 2010 4:26 PM EDT up reply actions
I disagree completely
Beasley had no idea where he was supposed to be on the court in Miami. He got a chance to play 30 minutes without getting yanked early in the season. It didn’t work. He shoots tons of long 2s and lacks the strength to finish consistently inside. Throw in the bad defense, bad court awareness, etc, and he has a ways to go.
To me, it's about assets more than anything else
Even if his basketball iq isn’t good enough for the NBA right now – which is debatable, since his per-minute numbers were very strong – we can always get more for him than we’d give up. Sure, he could be more efficient and play better defense, but he’s still worth a lot more than cap relief and garbage picks, which is probably what we’d give up for him. Plus, we don’t know who is going to be on the team down the road. I mean, for all we know, we could wind up trading Blatche for Deng and future picks or something like that and we can make use of a power forward. Or maybe Golden State drafts Evan Turner, Nellie plays him at power forward or something, realizes it’s not working, and they put him on the trading block next summer. Who knows.
I also think that he was about as bad as he’ll be this year. He shot more than 10% better on threes last year, I’d think he’d go back up to around 35% next year. His jumper is nice, he’s got a few post moves that seem to work, and he’s relatively athletic, so I think he’ll be able to score pretty well once he settles down.
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by pantslessyoda1 on May 1, 2010 10:35 PM EDT up reply actions
Does OKC have any goofballs/slackers?
by morethesamewiz on May 1, 2010 5:30 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
No, but they have projects
Serge Ibaka was a project that just came on way faster than expected. Russell Westbrook is certainly more of a project in that he didn’t play PG in college.
But they mixed those guys in with people like Green, Harden and Sefolosha who are more ready to play right away.
Two types of projects
As long as a project brings work-ethic and focus that’s fine. However, if he is more interested in extracurricular activities eg music, twitter, youtube, clubbing, or gambling than working on his game then that’s the type to take a pass on. We certainly can’t afford any more of those.
by morethesamewiz on May 1, 2010 6:07 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Exactly
With his skillset, he seems best suited to be a sixth man anyways, so why not use him as one? Our frontcourt is going to be pretty thin next year – Javale and Dray are the only guys we’ll definitely have – so it’s not like it’ll take much effort to get him minutes. If we play him five or ten minutes a night at small forward, we should still be able to get him fifteen or twenty at power forward (where I think he’s going to wind up), we’d still be able to play Javale 25 or 30 minutes, Singleton for 15, and Dray for 35, I think.
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by pantslessyoda1 on May 1, 2010 4:24 PM EDT up reply actions
Mike
totally agree, you’ve beautifully expressed my opinion on this issue.
me too
after this year, i do not want unfocused young guys with a questionable motor on this team. rather get players who are disciplined and ready to go, even if they are a bit less talented.
"how ironic - you came here with a mouse in a bottle, now YOU are the mouse in the bottle" - B.M. Smith
by little stevie colter on May 1, 2010 9:18 PM EDT up reply actions
plus, he's not really an upgrade over thornton
and at least thornton plays like he gives a crap.
"how ironic - you came here with a mouse in a bottle, now YOU are the mouse in the bottle" - B.M. Smith
by little stevie colter on May 1, 2010 9:20 PM EDT up reply actions
and thornton actually has a position
beasley’s been stuck at tweener forward for awhile.
by Marine4Life51 on May 1, 2010 9:27 PM EDT up reply actions
Borderline personalities
The main concern about a guy like Beasley with character issues is not the effect on him, but the effect on McGee,Young, Blatche. All three of those guys are one bad influence away from throwing away their careers. We need to be careful not to tip the scales by bringing in a Beasley. Read about the difference trading Iverson for Billups made on Melo, JR Smith. The new additions to the team have the potential to tremendously alter the Wizards culture.
by morethesamewiz on May 1, 2010 5:19 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
lol
right now the poll is 25-37, 40%-59%. don’t really add up to 100 lol.
Wait a minute Mike
I thought you were all for the “long term” approach…. A Michael Beasley trade SCREAMS long term – and yes, it would mean a real change in the way the Wizards develop their young players….. Something that NEEDS TO BE DONE ANYWAY.
They NEED more coaches teaching basics and fundamentals. What – you think Favors, Aminu, or Ed Davis are going to need less coaching, watching, babysitting etc? The Wizards won’t have to work as hard to get them to their full potential? BS….
I went off on this earlier today in another post – College players drafted today are coming out with only one or at most two years experience – and they cannot even set a proper screen; don’t know how to box out; and haven’t been taught the basics of fundamental defense.
ANY player you draft today, with very few exceptions (Aldrich, Wes Johnson), are going to have huge holes in their basic and funfamental basketball skills – and it will take 2-4 YEARS to develop them to the point that they’re quality NBA players.
Beasley is no different….. We just need to look at him like he’s a College Junior ; instead of an NBA dud…..
Bullets Forever - where "Dagger ! " happens......
They NEED more coaches teaching basics and fundamentals. What – you think Favors, Aminu, or Ed Davis are going to need less coaching, watching, babysitting etc? The Wizards won’t have to work as hard to get them to their full potential? BS….
Actually – yes. None of those guys have had as tumultuous a two-year stretch as Beasley.
And I’m sorry, but you can’t look at Beasley like a college junior because he’s been in the league two years. We’re taking someone else’s player development issue and thinking we can fix it. It might work, but why do that when we can get others who are coming straight out of college that we can frame ourselves from the start.
Don’t misconstrue what I’m saying. This isn’t a short term vs. long term question. This is a long term with a guy like Beasley vs. a long term with draft picks of our own and prospects with less baggage than Beasley.
I don't follow how Beasley's one year of off-court issues
(He didn’t have any issues this season) – are worse than getting shot in a questionable early morning escapade after clubbing all night long ….. or soliciting a prostitute….. or getting caught speeding and driving without a license – TWICE.
Beasley’s off-court issues seem to be around drugs (weed), and immaturity issues…. It’s not like he’s committing felonies, crapping in teammates shoes or openly defying his Coach during a game.
And – realistically…. if you were to ask me to name a team with almost as bad a record of developing first round picks as the Wizards, I’d say it’s the Heat.
Beasley was picked 2nd overall – and was expected to come in and play a prominent role on a playoff-contending team. Pretty tough to ask a 20-year old player to shoulder that kind of load – not to mention that he’s been asked to guard bigger, stronger guys for the first time in his career (my reasoning for switching him to SF)… I just think he has some untapped talent that needs to be nurtured, developed and brought out -
When he finally understands what it takes to play in the NBA – he’s gonna be a very, very good player.
Bullets Forever - where "Dagger ! " happens......
I agree
I’ve already touched on most of what you said, but I’m glad you pointed out the Heat’s horrible record of developing players. Other than Caron Butler and Dwyane Wade, can anyone name a Heat draft pick from this decade from earlier than 2008 without really having to think about it?
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by pantslessyoda1 on May 1, 2010 10:38 PM EDT up reply actions
and
Caron didn’t really do any real “development” until he LEFT the Heat…
Bullets Forever - where "Dagger ! " happens......
I want to acquire intelligent players
so the Heat and the Wizards are both bad at development. But that’s a reason why the Wizards will develop Beasley?
You work hard glossing over his “immaturity”. What if its not just immaturity, its his personality? He just wants to have fun.
I feel like I’m talking a girl in my office. I have to explain that you can’t change him. This is who he is and you have to take him or leave him at face value because men are not that complex. I choose to leave him.
I don't think we're necessarily bad at developing players
Some of our coaches are, but Flip was very good this season, which is especially crazy since he’s probably been our most high profile coach. I know they’re famous last words, but I actually have some faith in the current coaching staff’s ability to develop young guys. It’d be nice if we could bring back Hoopla, too, but that’s probably just wishful thinking.
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by pantslessyoda1 on May 2, 2010 11:53 AM EDT up reply actions
I think you are conflating a few different thoughts in your post.
Every move that can be made to better the team (short and long term) should be made. Obviously, sometimes there is trade-off between the two.
But there is a big difference between jettison a guy who doesn’t fit because of roster construction or the style of play (i.e. his presence prevents adding a type of player – either skillet or position of need) and supposed locker presence.
The Bucks got rid of those guys because they did not play the style the Bucks wanted to play. If Michael Beasley doesn’t fit our style than sure, don’t add him. Stick to our plan, execute that plan. But claiming that he needs development/off-court issues doesn’t follow your original point made by the Bucks. Every player needs coaching. Why bank on McGee figuring it out? If we have a few projects we can except a few failures. Buy more tickets.
I don’t think Beasley fits what this team should try to do. Build a very atheltic group of players committed to defense and running (not contradictory, good defense leads to good offense). Beasley is too much a tweener that makes him to slow to guard the 3, to small to guard the 4. Therefore, he doesn’t meet with the style of play I want the Wizards to attempt. In the same way, if he did and had everything else, you can’t say no because we already have projects/goofballs.
I'm saying it's a poor on- and off-court fit
So there’s really no difference, because it’s both. And I think you can easily argue that Villanueva and Jefferson were poor fits for the Bucks on and off the court.
Why bank on McGee figuring it out? If we have a few projects we can except a few failures. Buy more tickets.
I really don’t agree with this. You have only a finite number of roster spots, so you’re hurting yourself to stock too many of them with projects. It hurts everyone’s chance at succeeding. In essence, that’s what we’ve already done with Blatche, McGee, Pecherov and even Young.
Jefferson and Villanueva
Were either over the hill or could not play the style od defense Skiles wanted. Hence, they are no longer on the team. Furthermore, some one like Jefferson was not a long-term player – the Bucks are still building. They might have had off the court reasons for moving those players – their motives were easily explained by basketball logic.
Someone like Beasley may be head-case – alot of this is innuendo. We can argue over the off-court stuff all the time, but basketball moves should be the number 1 priority with off court issues pretty far down the list. If this makes basketball sense (in terms of roster construction/long-term move) than you have to make the move.
Not to long ago, Blatche (head-case) was offered to the Bobcats for DJ Augustin. That was trying to make a move not for basketball sense but off-court issues. This is what you are espousing if you argue off-court issues should play a paramount role in decision making.
please explain
The star player and face of this franchise is currently under house-arrest or whatever you want to call it. So please explain how character, maturity and work ethic somehow take a backseat to the basketball side. This is exactly the opposite of what Ted laid out.
Blatche is already here. He is already our headcase to figure out. That’s different than ADDING a new knucklehead to the mix. Would I trade Blatche for Augistin? No. Would I trade Blatche for something better? yes.
Also ...
Maybe being around home is not the best idea for Beasley at this point of his career.
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Agreed
I think Beasley would be worth a gamble for the right team, because he’s still got a chance to develop into a killer scorer at some point, and if you’re a bad team that can get him for cheap, it’s worth the risk.
I also think that NOT adding anyone in the name of protecting minutes for Blatche, Javale, or any other project on the roster is idiotic. That amounts to putting all our eggs in a losing basket.
That said… Bringing Beasley home to DC is probably not what he needs right now. It’s hard for any player to play in their home town, but especially for someone like Beasley, who’s publicly struggled with keeping his priorities straight, it’s a bad idea.
Anyway, my favorite Beasley anecdote comes from ESPN the Magazine:
Durant and Beasley are the gods every baller in PG aspires to be. As they played in that August charity game in the Seat Pleasant Activity Center, the overflow crowd of kids just wanted to be near them. After the game, the younger generation followed the stars into the parking lot for a touch or a final hug. Before long, Durant disappeared as quietly as he had arrived. Beasley, though, milked his exit from the driver’s seat of his new Bentley. Finally, he pulled off down the street, bass thumping.
Which of those two was most likely to be successful? The guy who disappears quietly, or the guy making an ass of himself in his bentley?
(That said, I still hope Beasley can work things out at some point)
I should probably clarify this point
I also think that NOT adding anyone in the name of protecting minutes for Blatche, Javale, or any other project on the roster is idiotic. That amounts to putting all our eggs in a losing basket.
It’s not as much about protecting minutes as it is about adding the right kind of young player, temperament-wise. That is, unless they’re a major talent (this is me hedging my bets on Cousins, because I’m still deciding if his talent is worth the risk of whatever his issues are). Beasley, in his NBA career, hasn’t been that, as Ziller noted. He might become that, but he has a ways to go and would require a lot of attention that I’d rather give to the guys already on the roster.
In other words, if Derrick Favors is there, take him, because he seems to have a good head on his shoulders. Same with some of the other bigs in the draft.
In other words
Don’t add more knuckleheads unless they’re either a) really, really, really talented knuckleheads that have shown the ability to make a huge positive difference for their respective teams (i.e. not Beasley) or b) display a kind of character flaw that can balance out the knuckleheadedness. This is why I’m still evaluating Cousins, because it seems his issues are being too fiery, not too laid-back like many of our guys. Maybe that’s a bad thing. Maybe it’s a good thing. I haven’t decided yet.
It’s not as much about minutes, because if a player really is good, then I’m not as worried about taking minutes away from the guys we have (though more JaVale than Dray).
Also ...
We must consider if Flip Saunders is the type of coach who can “tame” guys who need a little more help/attention.
I have my doubts.
Sure, there are assistants, etc., (Sam Cassell) to help out in this area, but it probably helps when the idealism of discipline and control comes from the top.
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Cousins
I watched him play a few regular season games, a couple SEC tourney games and then the NCAA’s… I saw him defend with effort and get on the floor going after loose balls. Effort was never an issue. So i need to hear more about his problems before I put him anywhere near Beasley.
I didn’t know you were in favor of a plan to stock the roster with veterans, Mike. You were upset when Gee went to the Spurs, and now Beasley is too much of a project? I’m confused.
Like Zeke, I don’t want Beasley because it is high time that the Wizards stressed defense, and he doesn’t offer that.
i don't believe that Mike said anything about favoring veterans in this post
and how exactly are Gee and Beasley comparable at all? If anything, they were different in that Gee had a solid work ethic who also gave solid and consistent production. Beasley’s shortcomings on both the offensive and defensive ends have been well-documented, even if he worked his butt off, he likely would still not reach the expectations that made him a number 2 pick.
by Marine4Life51 on May 1, 2010 10:26 PM EDT up reply actions
Beasley
If we can get Beasley for the Cavs pick, I would do that trade in a heartbeat because Beasley is a starter and is only 21(younger than Evan Turner) with a lot of potential. He would be a very good player to help rebuild this franchise. With Flip as our coach, I think he would help Beasley develop into a better defensive player and he would help Beasley by making him attack the basket. The guy averaged 15 points and 6.5 boards a game(In only his second year). Yeah he hasn’t lived up to his expecations coming out of college, but those are still solid numbers for his second year). Miami has shown that they do not want him(Only playing a 1/3 of the game in their last playoff game vs the Celtics and they would rather have more cap space to sign two max players). Dwayne Wade also said in an article that it is not Beasley’s time YET, but will be in the future. To me that means he has given up on Beasley for now, but think he can be a great player in the future and Wade wants to win now. Let’s be honest, Washington is not even close to winning a championship so why not take the risk on a 21 year old who can someday be an All Star. Why would we give up our first pick in this years draft(Which is a potential deal on ESPN NBA Rumors), that would make no sense to give a divisional team more cap space to sign 2 max players and a top 8 pick. Beasley would be an upgrade from Thornton. I mean Thornton even won our BF award for the player that shoots the most. You cant say that hes a better fit in Washinton next year than Beasley. Beasley had better numbers than Thornton this year. Also by getting Beasley we could cut ties with Josh Howard who is coming off an ACL tear at the age of 30(Which saves us another $11 million). And in the draft hopefully with our first pick we can pull off a top 3 pick to get Wall, Turner, or Cousins(If we traded our 30th pick and MAYBE a player for Beasley).
PG Wall Arenas Arenas
SG Arenas Turner Foye
SF Beasley Beasley Beasley
PF Blatche Blatche Blatche
C Mcgee Mcgee Cousins
If we do not get a top three pick, I think we should take Greg Monroe or Cole Aldrich if we trade for Beasley. Mcgee is NOT a starter and is better suited to come off the bench. Either one of these players would give us depth at a position that we desperately need help. I know Cole is not a flashy pick, but he is a solid pick that makes a lot of sense for the Wizards. Monroe would also be a good pick too. At 6-11 he can bang inside and is a great passer from the post and shows a ton of upside.
In conclusion, I think we should try and pursue for Beasley ONLY if we can get him for a low price such as our Cavs draft pick and MAYBE a player, but I do not agree to give up our lottery pick for him. Beasley would be a great fit for our team that is in the rebuilding mode.
Shooting Percentage!!
You know what Michael Beasly can do? For a young NBA player, he has a great shoot-
ing percentage!! This dude is an efficient shooter. He shoots free-throws well. And
he rebounds well! Remember Antawn Jamison? Ask your self if he could play small
forward in the NBA. If you think he could, then Beasly could do it, but easier. Maybe
that’s not the best way to make a point, but I hope it does. If we’re not drafting Cousins
or some center, I say trade our top 1st round pick for Beasley.
He wasn't great this year, but he's got a nice enough stroke that he'll be fine eventually
80% on free throws is good for anyone, especially someone who’s playing in the frontcourt.
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by pantslessyoda1 on May 2, 2010 11:55 AM EDT up reply actions
When I saw you guys talking about beasley
I thought of this article from a couple years ago in the Post
No then and no now. Just like the ‘Skins taking on Phillys castoff I don’t want that Wizards doing the same. If the Heat actually let Beasley walk to a divisional rival then it would so how little they value him in the first place. Also ESPN has him listed as being 6’10 I would give him 6’8 at best and thats with his shoes on.
Everyone should read that link.
You cannot make up for his kind dumb. He’s a man-child alright, not in a good way. Pat Riley had to call Ewing so Beasley would put his knee brace back on during the rookie-sophomore game. If we’re talking about a franchise center I’d give him more leeway. He’s a tweener forward. Didn’t we just get rid of a tweener forward who struggled to defend his position?
Oh, and I can’t wait to add another prankster to the roster. What better way to turn this young man around than to give him daily tutelage from Gilbert, Andray, JaVale and Nick.
Beasley said nobody gave him an exact reason for his dismissal, but he guesses that Oak Hill grew tired of his pranks. He wore pajamas to the school cafeteria. He threw sticks at teachers’ houses. He snuck out of his dorm after curfew and organized games of hide-and-go seek.
“Me and Tywon Lawson had a competition at the beginning of the school year about who could sign their autograph the most around the school,” Beasley said, referring to a teammate who now stars at North Carolina. “And I don’t lose at anything, man, so I walked around with one of those Sharpies and signed graffiti everywhere. Every day, they were cleaning my name off water fountains, ceilings, desks, offices — whatever. I just thought it was funny.”
And people want that knucklehead added to this mix?
Don't like him too much
but he might be worth the risk if he comes cheap. AND if the Wizards trade Blatche.
by Elvin Unseld on May 2, 2010 10:36 AM EDT up reply actions
Pat Riley has won the whole thing...
If he is ready to dump Beasley, he most likely does not think he is a piece of a championship team now or ever.
Beasley is not going to be a Darko type bust as a 2 pick, but he is not going to get to the level of an AJ, with whom he was compared earlier in terms of size and defensive shortcomings at the 4. We have to apsire higher.
If fitting neatly into Flip Saunders' system is the measure of whether a player should be on this team..
Then several of the players who figure to stick around should be traded, Arenas included. If the Wizards choose to go the Bucks’ route, we can look forward to years of rebuilding, as the Bucks are currently. Yes, those trades for Jamison et al. weren’t as great for the team overall as a series of lesser, more strategic moves could’ve been, but they did result in multiple trips to the playoffs. Even if they did choose to dump personnel and build around Flip’s vision, I don’t know who they’d pick up. Maybe half of the Pistons’ squad?
It shouldn't be hard to find guys who fit Flip's vision
They’re just two way players who are relatively unselfish and can hit jump shots. I think it just means no more combo players, which is pretty much all we had under Eddie Jordan.
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by pantslessyoda1 on May 2, 2010 1:23 PM EDT up reply actions
Seem to be lots of competing thoughts on this one
Let me state that at the highest level analysis, if Beasley costs nothing more than a late 1st round draft pick then it would be a mistake not to go after him, IMO. Whether its Blatche or any other young big man, it always takes a few years for big men to develop their NBA games (and to mature as a man, as well).
Beasley’s contract is perfectly reasonable for a contributor to an NBA frontcourt for 2 years even if he doesn’t pan out, at which point you just let him go. But if he does fulfill his potential, a Blatche/McGee/Beasley frontcourt could be the best in the NBA and they’d all be emerging at the same time.
This is sorta like the Shaun Livingston move. While you have cap space and roster flexibility you can take the chance on the upside at minimal cost in assets or cap space. If we trade our lottery pick for him, I’ll have a problem, but otherwise it seems like a move with fairly little downside and potentially lots of upside.
As long as they take Gil
Only way I’m interested in Beasley. We better not give up our draft pick like I heard rumors of. But if they’ll take on Gil’s deal (which is actually concievable with their desperate need to hang on to Dwyane Wade and also move him off the ball) then I’m all for it.
One the one hand...
Someone earlier said it would be a good deal for the Wizzies if we could trade the 30th pick for Beasley… on the other hand Matt just said the Wizzies should take Beasley only if the Heat will take Gilbert….
Must be a lot of fresh grass in DC this Spring.
Beasley for one of our trade exceptions?
I’m somewhat with you Mike in the risk of his potential presence in the locker room. I’m also concerned with him coming back home if he has maturity and decision-making issues…but if we could get him for cheap…it wouldn’t be the worst thing. This may be giving him away, but couldn’t we use one of our trade exceptions on him and keep the Cleveland pick? I mean Miami’s viewing this as a salary dump, right? One-year audition, we’ll pay his $4.6M. If it doesn’t work, next year there is a team option at $4.9M…
BTW
I think Cousins is worth taking the chance on….Mike, are there any UFAs that you think would be a good fit for us?
Depending on the pick of course...
But i like Turner, Cousins, & Wes Johnson as potentially good fits…
by Edward TheThird on May 2, 2010 6:59 PM EDT up reply actions
The point is to develop a team capable of winning a championship, not just winning a few more games
Beasley would be great if you are just trying to make the playoffs next year and don’t care if you lose in the first round. Winning a championship takes a long term plan. Draft Cousins or whomever among the top 5 (assuming we get a top 5 pick), get a decent pick next year, and showing enough stuff to sign Durant next year and get him the hell out of that Godforsaken hick town Ok City and back home to basketball central. Then you are on the cusp of a championship. Something like that. Just signing a guy like MB is courting trouble and very much a Grunfeld type move. Great analysis Mike.
Honestly, I love Beasley’s talent but I do not know if I want him, Blatche, Young influencing our top pick, especially if it is a real young player like Wall/Cousins/Favors. Beasley still has some maturing to do but his NBA career is not lost yet so I could see acquiring him from a talent standpoint. Basically, I have no strong opinion either way.
"You taught me a lesson, I was going to give someone the benefit of doubt, and I almost did, then something said, no don't, don't, its not for you, its not my thing" Larry David,
Personally, I’d be most concerned about how he fits on the team as a player. Can he play SF in this league? I don’t know. If he can’t then I’d take a pass on him because he won’t find much court time behind Blatche.
Now his character “issues” don’t bother me nearly as much as it seems to bother others here. I don’t care one way or another if he drives a Bently with bass-heavy music turned up, nor do typical high school pranks scare me off. Clearly the guy has some more maturing to do, but at only 21 there’s still a lot of room for growth. So far I haven’t seen much from his background that screams “stay away” to me.
But $5 million for someone who’d sit behind Blatche, no way. So again, can he succeed at the SF position? That’s my biggest question.
That said, perhaps there can also be a 3-way trade involving the Wizards and another team interested in Beasley but without the cap space/trade exceptions to give Miami what it wants.
Flip managed to get to 50 wins multiple times
With Wally Szczerbiak starting at SF. Pretty sure Beasley is quicker than Wally. On the other hand, Wally had a prime KG backing him up at PF, not Andray Blatche…. But if Flip thinks Beasley fits, we should definitely go for it.
Knuckleheads...
Knucleheads don’t turn me off at all! I think some people on this blog are obsessed
with model citizens!! For me, it’s only about talent and basic coachability. As long as
the coach can get through, and the player has ability, if he fits the team, I’m down.
I like Beasley, if he can play small forward. I’m very bullish on Blatche. I bet KG wants
no part of Blatche presently! Remember how many people hated him last year?! I like
Mcgee too. He just needs to get bigger. You’re not always going to like the people
who can help you win the most GAMES…..GAMES!!!
I couldn’t agree more.
On the other hand, imagine a scenario where the Wizards draft Cousins and trade for Beasley. That could produce a starting lineup with Arenas, Beasley, Blatche and Cousins (and Livingston). Pretty scary the talent that lineup would have (and the lack of defense), but the Wilbons of the world would have a field day yapping about the mismanagement of this organization.
by Johnnie Futbol on May 3, 2010 6:34 PM EDT up reply actions
File Under Lessons Not Learned.
Scary is the right word for the scenario you painted.
Can someone point to a franchise that acquired young knuckleheads to go with their star knuckleheads and it worked?
Are we emulating the 01-05 Trailblazers?
Try to get it right...
I’m not saying you try to get knuckleheads(a strong term, mind you), for the sake of.
I’m sayin’ you try to get quality players. These players may not look like you want them to
or act the way you want them to off the court, but if they can play and they are coachable,
give them a break. If a guy wants to listen to rap music really loud, I don’t care!! If he
comes to practice on time, does what he has to do, his life is his. About the above
mentioned lineup of “knuckleheads”, the real issue would be defense, but at least
that has something to do with the game.
recipe for disaster
Of all franchises that should be sensitive to knuckleheads and the larger impact they can have, I’d think it would be Wizard fans. Poop in a show ring a bell? Guns in the locker room? house arrest? A team culture defined by immaturity? All that works for you?
Work ethic, character and motivation are the three huge factors in a person’s long term success. A college coach once told me that he sees hundreds of kids who have enough talent to play in the NBA but only the smallest fraction will make it on talent. he said there are more jobs in the NBA for hard working role players than there are for talented but lackadaisical players. He rattled off names of his players that didn’t stand out based on talent but were int eh NBA for a decade because they refused to let the other guy outwork them for the same job.
Longtime NBA assistant Dick Harter told me a very similar story during a camp (way back when). Essentially there is no shortage of talent but there are only so many guys who understand what it takes to STAY in the league. A huge part of the process for teams now is figuring out which players see the first contract as the ultimate goal, which see the second and which want to be great. At what level will this kid be satisfied? it all goes back to work ethic, character and willingness to give up who you are to become who you will be.
Continue building a team without regard to their personality, work habits etc and you will continue to get exactly what you deserve: a seat in Secaucas NJ in May.
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