Last week, 82% of you voted that Ben Wallace would not be the only remaining Bullet left in the NBA next season. Of course. most of you probably voted before SLAM reported yesterday that Rasheed Wallace won't play next season unless he can get at least $8 million this off-season. If that is indeed the case, I get the feeling the majority will be wrong on that one.
This week, the subject of Pollin' is Dominic McGuire (official sponsors!). Other than Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison, no Wizard started more games last season than Dominic McGuire. As a starter, McGuire averaged 5.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game and provided some much needed perimeter defense.
Some more fun facts about Taser:
- He finished 15th in the league in assist rate, no other non-point guard had a higher assist rate this season.
- McGuire finished tied for second on the team in blocks with Andray Blatche, only one block behind JaVale McGee.
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Here's a list of some of the players who finished with a lower rebound rate than McGuire this season:
- LeBron James
- Ronny Turiaf
- Carmelo Anthony
- Joel Anthony
- Marvin Williams
- Jeff Green
- Andrei Kirilenko
- Boris Diaw
- Thaddeus Young
- Kenyon Martin
With McGuire in the lineup, you have a good distributor to put alongside Arenas, a solid defender, and someone who can help you win the rebounding battle. He helps in several areas where the starting lineup could use some help. The case to keep Dominic McGuire in the starting lineup next year is strong, but he has some factors working against him.
If the Wizards were able to draft Blake Griffin, the assumption would be that the Wizards would go big with Butler at the 2 and Jamison at the 3 to fit Griffin in the starting lineup. If they landed Rubio, most would probably want to see him in the backcourt alongside Arenas. Even if the Wizards aren't able to get either player, there's always the chance that the Wizards could land someone that can do what McGuire does and scores at a better rate. And there are those who argue that as long as DeShawn Stevenson can return to form, his outside shooting would spread the floor more and give the Big 3 more room to operate.
So where do we stand? Will Dominic McGuire keep his spot in the starting lineup next season, or will Taser have to work his magic off the bench? The choice is yours.