AK47

by dt3 on Jul 20, 2011 12:18 PM EDT

Been meaning to write a fanpost about this ever since the Deron Williams story broke. Around that same time I saw numerous outlets reporting that Andrei Kirilenko was in negotiations with Real Madrid to move over there full time but they balked at his asking price of ~5M. Now I know alot may change with this new CBA but in today's league $5M is nothing. Maybe AK was just willing to take a discount to to play in Europe and I have no idea how the taxes work over there but if we could sign him for a similar price I think its something we need to look into.

I like AK for the wizards for 2 reasons...

1) In a perfect world I would want their 3 to have a little more outside game but by drafting JV I think they have shown what they are looking for... athleticism. John Wall running the break with AK + McGee on either side could be a thing of beauty.

2) Mentoring JV. I dont know the history of relations between Russia and Czechoslovakia but it makes sense (in my simple mind) that it will be easier for JV to relate to Andrei than he would Blatche (or even Seraphin).

My big question about Andrei is how many minutes he could play at the 4. Despite McGee and his recent twitter battles with my boy, Mike Wilbon, I have always and will always choose him over Blatche. If we could band aid some rotation of Lewis, AK, Booker, Seraphin at the 4 I think that could make Blatche expendable and hopefully Memphis bound. If Memphis was willing to give up Mayo for Josh McRoberts and a 1st could we give up Blatche for Mayo + a 1st?? Am I still undercutting Blatche's value?? Are there any other young players on Memphis that would make more sense than a 1st??

PG - John Wall, Shelvin Mack

SG - OJ Mayo, Crawford

SF - AK47, Nick Young, JV

PF - Rashard Lewis, Booker, JV??

C - McGee, Ndiaye

(Think Lewis and his outside shooting actually fit well here but PF would be the obvious target going into the 2012 draft where 4 of the 5 top prospects on nbadraft.net are Power Forwards (the one SF being 6'8" Harrison Barnes)

This represents the view of the user who wrote the FanPost, and not the entire Bullets Forever community. We're a place of many opinions, not just one.

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Comments

Not sure AK is the answer

We just drafted two guys who can play SF: Singleton and Vessely. I think we’re okay at forward for this season.

Lastly, we might want to keep that slot open. We have a nearly completely full roster. Assuming we can’t make some trade as you talk about later, I think it’s probably better to leave that spot open. The Wizards may be able to add a player and use the salary cap amnesty provision on them, rather than Lewis. (If said provision existed) That could let them snag an additional great draft.

Lastly, not sure about your new line-ups. Your projected starters would struggle with floor spacing. Nick Young lacks the strength to play SF consistently.

by GJennings on Jul 20, 2011 12:45 PM EDT reply actions

awesome. Thanks for reading. Not the most well thought out mock offseason I have ever done but Im bored and was surprised his asking price was that low.

VOID!!!

by dt3 on Jul 20, 2011 12:48 PM EDT up reply actions

AK

was a guy I wanted for this team. That was a few years ago. Now he’s just another tweener forward and we are absolutely loaded on those already.

by Jheiser3 on Jul 20, 2011 1:04 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

5mil in Europe is more than 5mil

Teams provide housing/transportation/etc., and I think the 5mil is after taxes (though maybe not). And yeah, just drafted 2 SF and such…

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by GoForthAndDie on Jul 20, 2011 2:33 PM EDT reply actions

I think I heard that clubs pay taxes for the players.

So $5 mil is $5 mil.

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by Omaha Sun on Jul 20, 2011 4:50 PM EDT up reply actions

Also, was it €5 million or $5 million?

anyway, I don’t really see a place for him on our roster from a basketball perspective. As for the mentor part, Russia invaded the Chech republic in 1968 and they’re no friends in general with anybody really… Don’t think Jan would dislike him because of that but the historical relation between their countries don’t make him a natural mentor I guess

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by Dutch Hoopfan on Jul 21, 2011 7:46 AM EDT up reply actions

natural mentor

They’re from the same hemisphere… that counts, right?

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by Rook6980 on Jul 22, 2011 1:01 PM EDT up reply actions

I like AK, but I think he needs to go to a contender

I’m surprised he’s not being talked up more as far as free agency, he’d be perfect for a team like Boston, New Jersey, OKC or even Orlando. He can defend either forward spot, rebounds, passes, and can hit the occasional jumper, basically he’s the player Jeff Green is supposed to be.

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by pantslessyoda1 on Jul 20, 2011 2:42 PM EDT reply actions

i wonder how much his crying episodes and such lowered his stock

even if it’s not talked about much any longer…for awhile there it sounded like he needed a therapist just to come out of the locker room

by DCrez on Jul 20, 2011 3:04 PM EDT up reply actions

wouldn't worry too much about that

when Chris Bosh’s crying earned him a max contract…….

by thewiz06 on Jul 21, 2011 11:15 PM EDT up reply actions

ak47 would be a great mentor to JV

but i dont think hes a good fit for the team. dont get me wrong, i’d be ecstatic if JV turned into AK47 2.0 but the last thing we want is another SF to take away minutes from JV, singleton, or booker. he should go to a contender.

by proghead33 on Jul 21, 2011 12:49 PM EDT reply actions

Jazz fan here- AK is basically Vesely

AK’s natural position is actually power forward. As he’s gotten older and gained weight, playing PF makes more sense than ever for him.

He is a lockdown defender, and would be a great mentor to Vesely and Singleton in that regards.

That said though, AK is completely wrong for the Wizards at this point. AK would be better off going to a place like CHicago, New York or Miami.

by Jeffersap on Jul 21, 2011 2:08 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

Chris Singleton is a young AK47 clone

not sure what the old beaten down version would bring over the younger version? Savvy? This is a young team. Let guys develop that together.

by Staybon on Jul 22, 2011 2:59 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs

+1 for comparing AK more accurately to a black player

singleton and AK are both 6’9", defensive oriented SFs who can guard 2-4…Jan is 7’ 230, more Javale than he is AK imho

by DCrez on Jul 22, 2011 9:37 PM EDT up reply actions

No need for him

i don’t think we need AK. We have enough players already vying for the SF position, and he would just take minutes away from our prospects (we already have Rashard for that). On an unrelated note, 5 mil in Europe is 5 mil, teams pay taxes. The Czech Republic and Slovakia are two different nations, and both remain reasonably close with Russia, though the relationship is more a casual one than a friendly one. The fact that they are both European is really the only bond AK and JV would have (the language is close, but not close enough where one would fully be able to understand the other).

by segrt12 on Jul 22, 2011 8:07 PM EDT reply actions