Chris Singleton, Shelvin Mack Have Plenty Of Experience With Advanced Scouting Reports
by Mike Prada on Jun 28, 2011 4:13 PM EDT
in First-hand reporting
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WASHINGTON D.C. - When the Washington Wizards picked Chris Singleton and Shelvin Mack in the 2011 NBA Draft, they did so as part of their ongoing hope to change the culture of the team into one that is more defensive-minded. Both Singleton and Mack have great size and physical attributes for their position that will be put to good use on defense.
But in the case of both players, it was more than their physical attributes that drew the Wizards to them. It was also their experience with detailed pro-style scouting reports in college, which was not something many other players experienced. Singleton and Mack both played for coaches who handed out scouting reports to their teams that included the kind of detail you rarely see in the college game.
"We had really detailed information on every single player," Singleton said after the press conference. "Like, exactly how well they shot from every position on the court. In the paint, we'd have what move they might do. We had film on every player in the country. It was very detailed."
Singleton ultimately benefited from coach Leonard Hamilton's influence. The former Wizards' coach, with Singleton as his anchor, designed a scheme that allowed Florida State to finish number one in the nation in fewest points allowed per 100 possessions. Current Wizards coach Flip Saunders said Hamilton took the detailed information he learned in the NBA and applied it to Florida State. Saunders also said Singleton's experience with Hamilton will make him more coachable.
"Leonard is hard on players. He's defensive-oriented. He's not afraid to challenge players and get in their face," Saunders said after the press conference. "Because of that, Chris will accept coaching and understand that, to be coached, sometimes you have to be reprimanded at times for not doing the right thing [if it] leads to being built up. I think [Chris] understands that."
As for Mack, he learned under Brad Stevens, who was well known for incorporating advanced statistics into his pregame preparation. This from a New York Times profile of Ken Pomeroy, the man behind the advanced statistics site KenPom.com.
Stevens uses Pomeroy's numbers to seek trends in losses and to identify teams' strengths and weaknesses. It is all part of trying to crack the code of the opposition.
"That's one of the most fun things for me, personally," Stevens said. "Trying to see if you can solve a puzzle."
When I asked Mack about the scouting reports Stevens handed out, they sounded a lot like the ones Singleton got.
"They were very detailed, but the biggest thing was tendencies. They'd tell us that one guy would go to a certain move nine out of 10 times, so when the game comes around, you have to take that away. That's why we were able to be so successful," Mack said afterwards.
Ultimately, Mack said Butler would never have been as good as they were without those scouting reports.
"You're able to win ballgames when you take what the coaches give you and execute it on the floor. That's what we were able to do," he said. "That's why we were able to be one of the best defensive teams in the country."
Mack and Singleton represent a more subtle culture change for the Wizards. They're not just good defenders; they're smart defenders that have experience devouring and executing the kind of scouting reports the rest of the Wizards will need to pick up themselves if they want to improve defensively. In Mack and Singleton, the Wizards have two defenders who already understand firsthand how much scouting makes a difference defensively.
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Geez Mike, why don’t you just pass out some travel-sized lotion bottles?
by jones-y on Jun 28, 2011 4:19 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
That's what Veseline is for
See what I did there?
by Jim America on Jun 28, 2011 4:32 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Players who value scouting reports.. imagine that
It is refreshing to draft a couple of guys who understand what a scouting report is and how it can benefit your on-court performance. Cultural changes take time, but give the Wizards credit. They have used the last two off-seasons to make major changes to the culture of the team.
I am, however, waiting to see what impact the Wizards draft has future roster moves. You can argue that it had an immediate impact on Yi (even though that decision may have been made prior to the draft) as he was allowed to become an UFA. However, what impact, if any, will it ultimately have on Blatche or Lewis? One of those two (if not both) likely has to go.
Follow me on twitter - @CJ_202SB
It is impossible
to move Rashard Lewis at this point, I think our best bet would be to just wait it out until 2013 where we can make a big splash in free agency. A move that should take us to the next level when we are already (hopefully) a playoff team. As for Blatche, I guess we’ll see.
by NY1 on Jun 28, 2011 4:39 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Rashard's contract is VERY valuable as a trade chip, starting next summer.
Sit tight, he’ll be with us one more year.
by jones-y on Jun 28, 2011 4:42 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I can not agree more with this
Lewis’s contract is only partially guaranteed in his final year. It’s a perfect trade for a team that wants to unload quality players for salaries. I believe it’s roughly 13 million in savings.
Lewis’s contract may be one of the contracts most in demand next year, especially if the CBA imposes a stricter cap.
You are thinking under the current CBA!!!
The one thing everyone seems to be forgetting is that people (smarter than me) are predicting there will be amnesty clause in the new CBA.
Each team can get rid of one contract. They have to pay the rest of the contract but it won’t be counted against cap space and that player will become a free agent.
Basically, if this comes true the Wiz can just get rid of Rashard’s huge deal, the Magic can pay off Gil, the Hawks can get rid of Joe Johnson in 3 years, etc….
by HIBACHI GOLD on Jun 28, 2011 6:35 PM EDT up reply actions
The problem is
The amnesty clause helps no one but the rich teams. Because it doesn’t remove those contracts from the teams’ bottom lines. For everyone but the flush-with-cash teams, it still makes more sense to trade for expirings.
This was true last time, but....
all projections are otherwise for the next CBA.
Another key wrinkle from the rejected proposal, sources said, called for the ability for each team to shed one contract outright before next season through a one-time amnesty provision that wipes that contract off a team’s books — even though the player must still be paid — reminiscent of a similar provision in the summer of 2005.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=6530352
Or, listen the the Ryan Russillo podcast on the front page of ESPN – the Russ Granick segment lays out emphatically that the league will just about be forced to issue a true cap clearing amnesty provision as anything less would be inadequate to deal with the sorts of revisions the owners are pushing for. Keep in mind too that all the owners proposals thus far have gotten rid of the Luxury Tax and are pushing for a hard or “rather hard” cap, so an amnesty provision in that context is, by definition, a cap clearing provision.
Plus, there’s no resistance from the players on this one:
Larry Coon: Pretty high [chance of an amnesty]… League doesn’t make changes in rules without allowing teams to make adjustments to accommodate rule changes. And I don’t think it’s a contentious issue for players. (In fact, with league-wide revenue guarantee, it gives playes extra money if some salary not counted on teams’ caps.)
http://www.blazersedge.com/2011/5/12/2168147/coon-good-chance-new-cba-has-amnesty-clause
If we lose 40 games out of 90 (including paid preseason games), I’m thinking Rashard can be bought out for about $23 million or so. Not bad at all.
Ermm....
That thing with Larry Coon should of course be in quotations.
Double erm....
It’s Larry Coon on the podcast talking about the amnesty, not Granik.
He’s pretty emphatic that there’s going to be outs against the fundamental cap line, though.
I'd rather use the Amnesty, and release Blatche...
The total savings would be similar to releasing Rashard (roughly $29 Million) – but the long term benefits to the Cap situation would be more profound…
Besides, even with the Amnesty program, there are going to be teams that will need to make additional moves to get under the new CBA “FLEX CAP” – and Rashard’s expiring contract could be a good trade chip (especially since his last year, 2012-13 is only guaranteed for $10 Million)…
I used to have super powers until my psychiatrist took them away.
I agree
I just don’t see any signs pointing toward this happening.
by Jim America on Jun 29, 2011 12:48 PM EDT up reply actions
Amensty doesn't wait 3 years
They get one shot at it. The Hawks aren’t going to waive Joe Johnson and eat all that salary. I don’t think the Magic can or want to either. Doesn’t Gil have 60M left?
I didn't know that about the amensty had to be now
Thanks though…and why wouldn’t the Magic get rid of Gil’s contract.
It’s a lot of money they pay but that contract is crippling any rebuilding efforts (I say rebuilding bc Howard is most likely gone), especially if their is a hard cap.
Somewhere (Bill Simmons I think) had Howard getting traded to the Lakers with Gilbert, then the Lakers paying that crazy sum of money.
by HIBACHI GOLD on Jun 28, 2011 10:33 PM EDT up reply actions
You do realize that the Amnesty clause means you RELEASE that player
and they become an Unrestricted Free Agent… but you still have to pay the salary – It just doesn’t count against the Salary Cap….
The last time the NBA had an Amnesty – the team had to continue to pay the player, and all other salary calculations were unaffected. However, the team could not re-sign or re-acquire the player for the length of the terminated contract.
I used to have super powers until my psychiatrist took them away.
The terrible thing is that the Amnesty will create a pool of very good veteran players who are already getting paid and therefore will be willing to sign for the minimum with contender.
Therefore the rich (in talent) will get richer.
by MR on Jun 29, 2011 2:40 PM EDT up reply actions
Just watch as
The Lakers sign Hinrich for the minimum, the Heat sign Kenyon Martin, Mo Williams and Haywood, Boston gets Brand and Salmons, Chicago gets Hamilton and Posey…
by MR on Jun 29, 2011 5:07 PM EDT up reply actions
His salary for his last year is scheduled to be $22,699,551
He is only guaranteed $10 Million – so the savings to a team trading for him, then releasing him would be $12,699,551
Or in the Wizards case, releasing him would be a $12,699,551 reduction in their cap number AND how much they actually have to pay for salaries.
One of the reasons that I believe we should KEEP Rashard and his contract – if there’s an Amnesty Clause in the next CBA – and release someone else (Blatche)….
I used to have super powers until my psychiatrist took them away.
I don't understand the logic here....
Or in the Wizards case, releasing him would be a $12,699,551 reduction in their cap number AND how much they actually have to pay for salaries.
What does this mean? All projections of the amnesty are that it is an outright cap clearing measure which goes further than the 2005 tax-only provision, so it does the opposite of lower how much 2013 money we have to pay on salaries should the owners hold fast and stick with their previous proposals. The amnesty that has been discussed is a true silver bullet provision.
So, the non-guaranteed money just makes the Rashard amnesty buyout that much cheaper and the ensuing cap space is more valuable for any sort of absorption trade than Rashards’ Semi-Guaranteed-Gargantuan contract.
And it’s a whole hoot-goggle more flexible too. I mean, it can be done, but the league isn’t exactly overflowing with salary packages from teams that want to purge which also fit into our plans. I could see an expiring package from Charlotte, but it looks like they’re rebuilding and won’t want to cough up young assets. Orlando has a guy who expires in 2014. Milwaukee could put together a Poo-Poo platter, but most of those guys are dude’s they’re trying to make the playoffs with. There’s Gordon and Villanueva, but do we really want to take that on through 2014? There’s Brandon “Yikes!” Roy….Salmons & Garcia.
Honestly, that’s about it unless things go nuclear and teams are planning to purge legit players like Igoudala and Gasol. But even if that happens, we’d still be in better position with the raw cap space to pull absorption deals without salary outgoing.
Also, the longer the lockout, the less painful it is to just buy Rashard out. If 2012 is a 50 game season, you’re looking at under $12 million in salary next combined with the $11 or $12 million or whatever in 2013 money.
Buying Blatche out, I mean, I just don’t see it unless the trade market on him is much, much worse than expected. I fully expect that we could at least get a 2013 expiring if it came to that and that’s worst case.
Buying Blatche out, I mean, I just don’t see it unless the trade market on him is much, much worse than expected.
I don’t know what your expectations are but its pretty obvious there is no market at all for AB.
…
"My logic fails all the time...especially when talking to females" Rook6980
"I'll be lounging on the couch, just chillin in my snuggie, klick to MTV so they can teach my how to dougie" (Buno Mars, The lazy song)
by Dutch Hoopfan on Jun 30, 2011 8:42 AM EDT up reply actions
My under standing is that there were indeed offers, but...
….they were bad ones.
Cleveland has inquired about Washington forward Andray Blatche. At 6-11, 260 pounds, Blatche has averaged 16.7 points and 8.2 rebounds this season. Speculation is that with Rashard Lewis and Al Thornton on Washington’s roster, Blatche could become available.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/jan/09/davis-laettner-finances-melt/
I would be surprised if he gets moved this week. Washington has shopped Blatche before, but they didn’t like any of the offers they were receiving.
http://www.hoopsworld.com/chat.asp?chat_topics_id=1705
I think the idea that Dray in unmovable to the point where there’s no better option than eating $28 million is overly pessimistic. That names like Luke Walton, Desagan Diop or Jason Maxiel would be off the table entirely in a worst case scenario seems extremely pessimistic.
Corey Magette and John Salmons were just traded for value.
In general, I agree...
but nothing is impossible. Think about Gil’s contract. You just need a willing fool. :-) Personally if I had to chose to keep one, I would keep Lewis. I just think that you can’t keep both with all of the young 4s this team has.
Follow me on twitter - @CJ_202SB
by CJ Hempfield on Jun 28, 2011 4:43 PM EDT up reply actions
I agree with you
I think the Wiz need to have one experienced PF. So I would hang onto Lewis for one more year and try to move Blatche. But that is me. He has yet to prove that he fits the new “culture” that the team is currently focused on. I am also assuming that Lewis makes a full recovery in time for the start of the season (whenever that may be).
Follow me on twitter - @CJ_202SB
by CJ Hempfield on Jun 28, 2011 4:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Oh, they don't have a choice but to hang on to Lewis.
Nobody will take his contract. This year.
by jones-y on Jun 28, 2011 5:15 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
And Blatche has little value right now.
Dumping him for a bag of chips is a bad move. Give him another year to play up his value. If he doesn’t, then dump him next year for a bag of chips.
You're right
but it comes down to whether we could benefit more from free agency or trading the contract. We need to wait to see who decides to rebuild after next season because that is where we could really pull off a robbery, possible teams i can think of are Portland (If Brandon Roy can’t get healthy), Indiana (When they decide that upper 40 wins isn’t for them), and Detroit. But it comes down to how next year goes
Teams are going to be looking to shed salary like crazy.
There’s a new CBA coming.
We’ve got Rashard Lewis’ contract and a bunch of cap space. We’ve got a goldmine. All Grunfeld has to do is keep the phone lines open, our dream deal is going to fall into our laps.
i dont understand that logic at all
Expiring deals are supposedly valuable under the old CBA, but that’s dead right? How do we know they’ll have value under the new deal?
Also, doesnt this dream deal involved taking on a player making close to $20mill/yr but whom is under performing to the point their team doesnt want them? Is that going to be Joe Johnson? Or maybe best case Rudy Gay?
by DCrez on Jun 28, 2011 5:35 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
Expiring contracts will continue to have value in the NBA, as long as contracts are fully guaranteed. That value is just temporarily elevated right now because the league is transitioning into a new CBA. After things stabilize, their value will fall back in line. For the next 1-1.5 years, however, expiring contracts are worth their weight in gold.
Existing contracts will get grandfathered into the new CBA. That means that teams will have to make moves to get their cap figure down over the first few years of the new CBA.
As for your second question, teams could send back any number of players totaling $23.8m. It doesn’t have to be one. There will almost certainly be a handful of teams desperate enough to send back very good players (perhaps one great young prospect or star packaged with a vet or two they’re looking to dump) for the largest expiring contract in the NBA (the fact that its attached to a very good player doesn’t hurt).
This isn’t your daddy’s BOYD. There are going to be REAL players coming back in deals. And they’ll be lined up at our doorstep because not only will we have the single largest expiring contract in the NBA, but they can also cut Lewis immediately and save an additional $10m of salary right away. The only potential monkey wrench in my plans to rule the world is the amnesty clause.
by jones-y on Jun 28, 2011 6:57 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Amnesty gets in the way of a lot of plans for world domination.
by MR on Jun 28, 2011 8:44 PM EDT up reply actions
LOL...
Anyway, the potential amnesty clause only helps the haves. The other 24 teams still have to “play ball”. Because the ’amnesty’d’ contracts will still count against the team’s real bottom line.
Also, they might losen up trade rules significantly instead of making a hard cap
Acording to Ryan Rusillo (espn). He says the league has basically claimed a bunch of stuff like a hardcap, ungaruanteed money and shorter contracts for negotiation strategies only. Meaning, they’d demanded for ungaruanteed money and Stern already dropped that negociating point in order to ‘give in’ to the players in exchance for a bigger piece of the pie (BRI). He says determening the defenition of the BRI or net income and the % of the BRI that goes to the players (currently 57%) are the real issue and all the other stuff (hardcap, number of years etc.) are just loose chance basically.
We could very well and up with a similar soft cap system as we have now but with losened up trade rules (no more demands for matching salaries for example) in order to make it easier for GM’s to turn over their roster.
All this ofcourse would have implications for the worth of Lewis’s contracts.
"My logic fails all the time...especially when talking to females" Rook6980
"I'll be lounging on the couch, just chillin in my snuggie, klick to MTV so they can teach my how to dougie" (Buno Mars, The lazy song)
by Dutch Hoopfan on Jun 29, 2011 5:42 AM EDT up reply actions
have heard this echoed as well
Teams are tired of trading contracts and want to get back to basketball trades.
Maybe - it depends how slowly a new cap is phased in
If it’s phased in quickly, then yes. If not, maybe it’s just the big-market teams.
This all assumes a hard cap too.
Immediately thought of this (sorry for long quote)
People often say that Kobe Bryant has no weaknesses to his game, but that’s not really true. Before the game, Battier was given his special package of information. "He’s the only player we give it to," Morey says. "We can give him this fire hose of data and let him sift. Most players are like golfers. You don’t want them swinging while they’re thinking." The data essentially broke down the floor into many discrete zones and calculated the odds of Bryant making shots from different places on the court, under different degrees of defensive pressure, in different relationships to other players — how well he scored off screens, off pick-and-rolls, off catch-and-shoots and so on. Battier learns a lot from studying the data on the superstars he is usually assigned to guard. For instance, the numbers show him that Allen Iverson is one of the most efficient scorers in the N.B.A. when he goes to his right; when he goes to his left he kills his team. The Golden State Warriors forward Stephen Jackson is an even stranger case. "Steve Jackson," Battier says, "is statistically better going to his right, but he loves to go to his left — and goes to his left almost twice as often." The San Antonio Spurs’ Manu Ginóbili is a statistical freak: he has no imbalance whatsoever in his game — there is no one way to play him that is better than another. He is equally efficient both off the dribble and off the pass, going left and right and from any spot on the floor.
Michael Lewis, “The No-Stats All-Star”
http://nyti.ms/lXeoxZ
If Singleton can be our Battier, that would bring a lot of value to the Wizards. A thinker who is willing to study invidividual players with the thoroughness of a pre-med student prepping for the MCAT.
Kind of odd that it talks about the complexity of the data they give Battier
And then cites junior high level scouting info (e.g., Iverson likes to go right).
Iverson (76ers) averaged about 30 vs Battier's teams
guess he managed to go right.
I heard Battier has a SECRET list of EVERY left handed player in the NBA
AND which teams they play for.
I had a negative reaction to this piece
Is Singleton considered the best defender in the draft because he has the most defensive potential, or because he was coached and prepared better on defense than others in the draft, and thus doesn’t have the defensive upside other players might have?
Agree
I feel like a lot of being a good defender is actually wanting to play defense, doing your homework, etc. A lot of players in the league more than have the physical tools to be a good defender, but not all of them put forth the necessary effort — both on and off the court
Based on what I read and heard...
It was a combination of things. He took pride in playing defense, had a coach who focused on defense and provided the team with detailed scouting reports to prepare them. And he also has the tools (and desire) to potential become a better defender in the NBA.
Follow me on twitter - @CJ_202SB
by CJ Hempfield on Jun 28, 2011 4:57 PM EDT up reply actions
Understanding complex defensive assignments does not limit his upside.
Are we that critical that we are going to take his advanced mental defensive prowess and hold it against him? Numbers are meaningless without execution. Its not like he became the best defender in the draft by reading scouting reports. The numbers back up his athletic stature. 6’9 in shoes, 7’1 wingspan, 37.5 max vert and a blistering 3.09 sprint time that bested even Trevor Booker’s 3.10 and Wall’s 3.14.
In the press conference..Ernie said Chris can guard 3 positions
looks like the figured he would not be the best option to guard PGs :)
Yes, and Rondo.
But Flip and Ernie clearly said 3 positions.
by DavidDunn on Jun 28, 2011 7:02 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Interesting "product positioning" of these two players.
Based on your report, Mike, the messaging and atmospherics for this presser were rather different than for the Vesely introduction… much more focused on the specific and circumscribed (though still important) roles that Singleton and Mack are being asked to fill.
This makes obvious sense, but I think it also underscores just how much the Wizards expect of Vesely… I believe that unlike any other player on the team south of John Wall, Vesely has been given the keys to the castle upfront.
Per the earlier discussion on EG’s fate resting on the decision to take Vesely and not to trade up for a shot at WIlliams or Kanter, I think the die has been cast, and the Rubicon (or in this case perhaps the Danube) is crossed.
by khrabb on Jun 28, 2011 5:34 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
You had me at product positioning. :-)
Follow me on twitter - @CJ_202SB
by CJ Hempfield on Jun 28, 2011 5:36 PM EDT up reply actions
Yes, I just watched the press conf and the interviews...
But the messaging for the press conferece itself (and you are right, it was mostly EG and Flip talking) was much more carefully constructed, and the tone was much more straightforward and purposive. For one thing the CEO was not there. For another it ran only two-thirds as long as the Vesely briefing.
These guys are here to do a job. Their job is defense.
They each have three years of major college experience and were well coached.
We are pleased that both of these players were available to us with the selections we had.
My point is that the tone of the Vesely briefing was far more nuanced and left much, much more to interpretation… which makes sense given how much more is at stake with Vesely.
What if Singleton is clearly better than Vesely?
Does he get the minutes, or are they reserved for Jan?
by DCrez on Jun 28, 2011 6:26 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
LOL
Right!
Follow me on Twitter @WorldWiEdWard
by WorldWiEdWard on Jun 28, 2011 9:48 PM EDT up reply actions
What if
Rashard becomes good again.
And (gasp)AB fulfills his vast potential
And Javale becomes the monster we’ve seen
on more than one occasion
And Jan is Rookie of the year
And Sheldon Mack is Baby Billups
And J Craw is Like J Terry
And So on…
by g zeller on Jun 28, 2011 6:13 PM EDT via mobile reply actions 1 recs
IF all that happens
I hope you’ll learn his name is Shelvin…as in, I’m taking this rosy scenario and Shelvin it until such time as it seems realistic.
by Jim America on Jun 28, 2011 6:22 PM EDT up reply actions 5 recs
J Craw is more like J Craw....Terry is much more of a spot up shooter.
Jordan is more of a playmaker like Jamal. He also has Jamal’s conscience—or lack thereof.
Flip on team culture
"The players you bring in, they are serious players. The more players you bring that are like that, then the other players become the abnorm. All those guys, they want to win. Many times we talked in the past, they’ve talked about what they want to do individually and talking to them now, the first thing they bring up is what they want to do as a team and getting to the playoffs."
From Michael Lee’s story linked here
by Jheiser3 on Jun 28, 2011 9:47 PM EDT reply actions 4 recs
like the quote
On the other hand, I wonder if it’s just normal that guys enter the draft acting they are the hardest working guys on earth, and want nothing but to win.
True color only shows after a couple of years when they are hit with fatigue, losing record, warming bench and…lock out. Then we will be able to see who are real competitors and good team players.
I can think of a few players who'd say otherwise...
like Demarcus Cousins and Sean Williams a few years back. There were questions about Beasley’s work ethic coming in too. Also, previous Washington draft picks prior to the last couple of years haven’t really earned the label ‘hard workers’. However, last year and this year guys like Trevor Booker, Vesely, and Singleton have established a ‘type’ of player for washington.
This is also true
Chris and Shelvin should be prepared, but you’re right – you only know for sure after it plays out.
There is not a better quote
That can represent what the Wizards are trying to do here, and what the fans have been longing for. Say what you want about any of this year’s draft pick (whom I all love), they all have this quality at the very least and that alone is a huge net gain.
I'm not going to think of something extra witty or clever to say, I don't want to convince you to see things my way, I just have 2 words for you: JEREMY LAMB
I should also note
That unless my memory is fading me, those are two chopped-up quotes and the second part was Flip talking about the Nick/Dray/JaVale trio.
Or maybe that was another similar-sounding quote.
Flip's comments about "accepting coaching" are telling
Although Singleton was the subject of the discussion, he was implicitly talking about others on the team. As in the quotation above, the hope is that the culture will change, and that “other players become the abnorm”. (How about that for a new nickname for Blatche? “The Abnorm”.)
I have to hand it to the management – if a change in culture is what they want, they’ve done a lot towards achieving that goal by their selections in the past two drafts.
Mack Daddy
I like Shelvin Mack on the floor with John Wall, although he likely won’t be in the starting rotation. You all may think I am crazy, but Shelvin will give the Wizards a great 1-2 penetration that will only make this team more valuable. I am sure John Wall breathed a sigh of relief when they picked Mack. The guy has tremendous basketball acumen, and isn’t afraid of having the ball and taking the big shot when the clock is winding down, taking some pressure off Wall.
Although I may not have the basketball knowledge that many of the readers here have, I do know that Mack has been seriously underrated throughout his basketball career. The guy is a proven winner at the NCAA level.
His game is a lot like Raymond Felton’s. Feel free to comment on this. For a guy that weighs 220 he is extremely quick, a good passer, makes great decisions with the ball, and doesn’t ever show signs of defeat.
As a big Laker fan, I would have been happy to see Mack land in La La land, but good luck in DC!!!
I like the pick too
hopefully he can shoot the 3 at the next level, we need that.
by MR on Jun 30, 2011 8:01 AM EDT up reply actions
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