I agree he's top 10 in the world, but was he really top 10 this season? Don't think so. I don't agree with the Amare selection either. I can agree with him on the 2nd team but not the 1st. I'd rather have Lebron or Gil on the 1st than Amare. His numbers are a product of Steve Nash. Everyone else on the list is a solo act. Do you think Amare would still be 1st team without Nash?

second

I agree with you cbell about Amare. I actually would put Bosh in the first team this season. And I also agree that Arenas is more top 15 than top 10. Doesn't Dwight Howard's play merit second team all-NBA.

Swap KG for Chris Bosh, and swap Kidd for Billups. I am willing to keep Duncan on the first team based solely on his defense, although this was a very down year for him in my opinion. Looking solely at offense and rebounding, he is no better than the rest of the 20/10 PFs, such as Boozer, Randolph, KG, Bosh...

Honestly, I'm not feeling the Dwight Howard selection either. Was Dwight Howard really one of the 15 best players in the league this year? I don't think he was

I truly beleive Selfish Arenas, I mean Gilbert, would sacrifice wins to make the first team. Someone please agree with me.

I think Kidd has to replace Billups. Triple double machine; Nash, Gil, Kidd is appropriate (for this season.) I like the rest. With regards to Lebron...you think MJ would ever let himself not make first team?

For this to be a website for the Wizards there are always put down on the players. I knew that there would be someone out there who would find yet another reason to put Gil down. As for me, I am happy for him and glad that he is a Wizard. Congrats to you my man!Keep on keeping on and forget the naysayers and the haters!

and no one is agreeing with you. I don't see Gilbert sacrificing wins to be on the first team. I don't buy it.

Hey, Matt. Agree wit deez nuts!!!! The all NBA team IS an individual award. It selects the 15 best players at the end of each year. I wish Gil was more selfish. Maybe his selfishness would've won us some more games!

Hey Ivan, can you check on the Haywood trade thing for us who want to upgrade our roster? I have a feeling that they would trade Jamison in order to get this Haywood thing done.

Matt, you are the donkey of the week!

I like Amare on 1st team. period. 3rd for Garnett cuz he sat on his losing team with supposed tendinitis in the same body part as "last year" That body part saved his 2006 Stats "again."

To the wizenheimer(CBell?) talkin about players(Arenas) ought to be "selfish?"
Selfishness isn't what got these last teams to the semi-finals nor the playoffs.

That one man focus by coach, Eddie Jordan, is what bought the Wizards to that horrible devastating place this past Mar.
Everybody totally unprepared to play as a team. Jordan knew it.They struggled through
with only the Vets Jamison & Daniels with any seeming focus. The rest couldn't "buy a shot" Had antwan & Antonio been selfish the entire team would have been in the toilet.

Selfishness is for fools on a team.
Selfish play makes THEIR STATS but they don't improve the air around them, more money for the owners. Nash stands alone and their is no one you can compare him to.
Arenas' knee was fine 2 days following his "tumble" I found it odd 2 days after his "surgery" he was in Conn., NY. LA but not Verizon nor in communication with his team until the press exposed him. Not good. Bet you wouldn't find a Derek Fisher pullin that stunt - thats a professional team player with integrity & class.

Congrats to Gil!

Matt, definitely DO NOT agree with you.

jl, where did you hear that Gil was in Conn., NY. LA two days after his surgery? I have not heard that before so just curious. And how could he be on the East and West coast at the same time?

On ESPN - shots of him apre surgery promoting his video, commercial, etc.
No criticism cuz "its business" for him.
But saying Jordan relied on 1-2 men so much he forgot his team. I think you all can agree with that. Even Big Baby Brendan said same near start of season.
BBH said - "if we don't learn team ball - we won't make thru playoffs." They say: Out of the mouths of fools and babes - you choose which one Haywood is..

Huggy Lowdown - Donnie...

Donnie Simpson - Yes, Huggy.

Huggy Lowdown - Donnie...

Donnie Simpson - Go ahead, Huggy.

Huggy Lowdown - Your boy, Matt. The one trying to bust on Gilbert. He's the Bamma of the Week! (week, week, week, week...)

Gilbert is a credit to this francise, and community. The most dedicated baller in the NBA, congrats to Gil, next year he will make the first team, check it!!!

Good for Gil!!!

Now for the all defensive team??? lol

Let's cut Matt some slack. It's a valid question. We all know Gil loves attention, and attention-seekers tend to be selfish. I think Gil loves to win too much to put stats before a win, BUT I could see Gil letting his pride get the better of him and trying to out-duel a guy and that costing the team a win. Which could be what happened with the Lakers at Verizon...Anyway, our love for Gil and the Wiz is strong enough to take a hard foul. Go easy on Matt.

"Arenas' knee was fine 2 days following his "tumble"

"Tumble"? Is that what you call it when a 220 lb man crashes full force into your knee while you're being held motionless by a 280 lb man? A "tumble"? Really?

JL, I believe Gil's promos were taped before his accident...pretty darned sure. According to what he wrote on his blog, he was barely able to walk around his house for about 2-3 weeks and was bored out of his mind.

I am definitely not the sharpest tack, but after seeing Antonio Daniels putting up all those assits, would it be a logical move to make him the point guard and move Arenas to shooting guard.

I think Daniels play in the playoffs makes Stevenson expendable. Draft a guy like Crittenton, Young, Stuckey or Rush, see what they develop into and let Gil and AD switch the one spot.

There is no doubt in my mind Daniels can make Gil's life so much easier with the way he can penetrate as opposed to DeShawn. Nothing against Stevenson, he was fantastic, but unless his price is reasonable I think we can afford him leaving.

Trading Jamison is not an option. Butler will assume the leadership role at some point, but for now it is obvious how critical Jamison is to the team psyche. He gives Eddie credibility because he backs him, and the players all look and follow the lead of 'Twan.

I'd ship Haywood and Hayes and hope I could get a center with some heart and a knack for off. rebounds. Does the name Theo Ratliff come to mind? Granted he's aged and injury-prone, but if he can stay healthy, give the team 28-35 min a game and play 2/3 the year (incl. playoffs), he's the perfect player to bring in. Plus he has a big salary that expires in 2-3 years, so he gives cap room to extend Gil and Caron.

Just throwing scenarios and opinions out there. This season was a wash, my friends. And I know Ernie has something up his sleeve to help bolster this squad.

I agree whole heartedly with your second post Matt. I definitely think we should get Javaris in the draft and go after a defensive minded center.

I'm on board with the idea of a bruising physsical defender at C ... but Theo Ratliff? No thanks.

Most of the Cs the Wiz would likely be able to get in FA or a trade (Magloire, et al) aren't going to be much (if any) better than Haywood. Ernie needs to do his homework and find a hidden gem in the draft (like the Jazz did with Paul Milsap).

Having had the same knee surgery that Gilbert had years ago I can assure Mike that he wasn't ok two days after the surgery. The announcement of the video game cover came during the playoffs which was a couple of weeks after the surgery, which was after his return to Verizon.
Two weeks is about right to be getting out and around for that surgery. You can walk almost right away after surgery, but doctors want it up(above your heart) and iced alot to avoid swelling which can delay the start of rehab.
Great news for Gil about the second team All NBA. Even better news to hear he's rehabbing and starting to strength the knee. He's a hard worker and a dedicated player. I'm sure that he'll use this setback to come back even stronger.
It amazing me, having watched alot of basketball over 41 years, that having seen how hard our guys played after Gil and Butler went down and didn't have enough to finish going down the stretch in the 4th and losing game after game. That then some people can come on here and bash Arenas like they do when it was so aparent that we were missing a closer.
Look at the 15 guys on the three All NBA teams and think about their teams. If you've got to draw up a play for their team to score in the 4th, who do you want to have the ball? That's why I'm glad we've got Gil, he's one of those guys you want with the ball in his hands going down the stretch and so are Butler and Jamison.
And that's why any move to improve the team shouldn't include a trade of the big three unless you're adding another guy from those 3 All NBA teams. Moves to improve the club should start with Adding to the big three.

Kalorama, Sean Williams of Boston College could be the kind of guy you're talking about, he got suspended from the team twice. Kicked off for good in Jan. He's a real shotblocker, 6'10" and quick. Flying under the radar right now because of the suspensions. I read that he's down in Houston working with John Lucas. Might be a hidden gem.
Somebody was saying earlier that they doubted Navarro would be coming over because the team is ony permitted to contribute $500,000.00 to a buy out. I was watching a Euro league game on NBA TV earlier in the year and the announcers were talking about Navarro. They were saying that since he'd done about everything he could accomplish in the Euro league that for marketing reasons it was time for him to make the jump to the NBA. They said that the money to move would probably come from a shoe deal since NBA rookie deals are somewhat slotted.
Don't know if he's already tied to someone or not, maybe Gil can get him a deal. Could we have a Spanish takeover?

GM, I agree with you wholeheartedly. Our franchise went from dismal to exciting with the addition of Gil. When he was on the court, he gave it everything he had. Glad to hear that the healing process is on track. Also, despite how some people on here bash him for his "quirkiness" I've heard just about every local sports media personaity talk about what a good,outstanding young man he is. Doesn't travel with a posse or bite his nails :)

I think Gil's selection as 2nd team all-NBA is well-deserved, and it's great news that he's doing well with the rehab. All those Gil haters out there should go root for some other team. He's the best thing that's ever happened to basketball in this city.

"Hidden gem" = Good.

Multiple suspensions and kicked off the team = Problem child. I don't think the Wiz need any more of those.

Being 50, I look back and I'm glad that some of the things I did as a 20 yr old didn't label me for life.
Williams is a guy that could be worth a 2nd rd. gamble if he shows that he learned from his mistake. Not going to find many perfect guys in the second rd.
I'd take the chance of picking someone who's warts were along the lines of something that growing up will take care of instead of a model citizen that plain just can't play. Since we don't have a lockerroom full of guys with off the court issues, it could be a place that he could thrive.

Ckeck out the AP story about Arenas posted on ESPN.Com. Real interesting that in a statement issued about his 2nd team All NBA selection Gilbert talks about the need to improve his and the team's defense.
Gilbert will come back smarter, stronger and better next year. You can bank on that.
Lisa you're right, he's the best thing to happen in a long time to this franchise. And I bet you never noticed he's good looking too!

GM, yes I have noticed that Gil is goodlooking - shocking, huh? :)

I heard the panel on Washington Post Live today discussing Gil's comments about playing defense. The panel thought that was great because they said it has to start with Gil. Eddie has preached it and preached but it was falling on deaf ears.

Nick Fazekas over Williams any day of the week.

First round I would love to land Byars out of Vand.

I disagree with you Matt about Jamison, his contract represents a lot of cap room for next summer and it is worth seeing if anyone would give us a very good player for that cap room.
I don't see why Butler isn't ready to lead this group, he gives a great effort at both ends of the floor and certainly has the respectg of the locker room. We know Eddie likes him and trusts him.
Outside of Arenas and Butler there are not untouchables in my opinion.

Matt is right. If Gilby was any more selfish, he'd be playing 1 on 5 because he hardly passes the ball to any of his teammates anyway. Surely, Gilby disappeared from playing after the all star game. Maybe if the all star game was held after the season ended, Gilby would have kept his game up instead of having it fizzle just before.

Anybody dreaming about Gilby playing D is doing just that, dreaming.... Gilby don't play any defense and made that clear late in the season why he complained that EJ tried to make them focus on that. Gilby the selfish likes helter skelter, not defense.

always knew gm had a thing for gilbert. There is nothing good looking about gilbert arenas unless you're desperate or his cash. you all forgot...he's knocked up one woman - denied and avoided parent hood til the PRESS & her lawyers cornered him..oops!! doesn't make him look good does it? oh well suddenly he announces I m caught He's no different than any other hound in the nba. You gilbert lovers will beleive anything and say anything..suckers personafied..

the guy ditched his team..and loverboy GM...he was walkin around - after the surgery but refused to come to see Jordan.
Wise, Whitlock and other writers weren't seeing a ghost..

You're 50 and prob out of shape big time seriously considering how much you sit and type on this blog....this guy is a prof baller. wake up folks..Arenas only sees this place for business and wants you to worship him. desperate for adoration and attention a real hooker for attention..Soon he'll be in the movies. GM will cry for his autograph..

get a pg for the wiz..take this team to a different level..play team ball period.

Matts not nuts. later

Gil was not fine two days after surgery. Deshawn and Caron both talked in the press about how his not being able to do anything was driving him crazy! Let's cut our man a break here. The thing I like about Gil is how he is not afraid to give others credit for their play as well. Read his new blog posting. I think Gil is a cool dude and I am so glad he is here in Washington! Can't wait for the "Sequel" next year! LOL

" Lisa you're right, he's the best thing to happen in a long time to this franchise. And I bet you never noticed he's good looking too!

Posted by: GM | May 10, 2007 10:04 PM "

Not only is this statement gross, but it's sick.

Some posts really don't need to be dignified with a response. But some people come on here and think if they type something three times it makes it a fact.
This pile of horse manure about what Gil was doing two days after his surgery and him refusing to talk to Eddie is so stupid it's beyound beleif. NBA players all sign a contract under a collective bargaining agreement. They do not fall under standard Workmens Compensation Rules but their bargaining agreement closely follows WC.
When a player(or an employee) suffers an on the job injury and has surgery they are under the care of that Doctor until released to begin Physical Therepy. As a coach(or an employer) you can't reguire them and aren't even to allow them to report to work until they are released by a doctor.
If I have an employee under Doctor's care that I run into at Walmart there isn't a thing I can do about it. And I shouldn't be thinking anything of it other than they were stir crazy and needed to get out. Eddie was completly correct to say that management is dealing with Gil when he's under a Doctor's care.
Once he was released to begin rehab, then he can begin to work with the team's medical staff to create a rehab plan. And is allowed to work out at the team's facility.
On this matter the Washington Post was quilty of some of the stupidest Sports writing that I've ever witnessed. It fanned the flames of some most uninformed comments on this blog that I've ever seen. Having seen Steinberg live on their TV show commenting on Arenas's injury, he was making an attempt at his dry sarcastic humor,unbeleivable that a few people took it seriously.
Just exactly what was Arenas supposed to do if he came to a game two days after surgery? If he sat on the sideline with an Ice Pack on his leg elevated above his heart then some of the same people would be whining that he was calling attention to himself.
As for my physical condition, I'm undergoing per-surgical testing for my third back surgery that is the result of a fall I took years ago. Yeah, I probably post here too often, but watching the games and talking about B-ball helps keep my mind off the pain. And I can use a lap top while I ice my back. So pardon me if I post too often.
The other stuff doesn't even warrent a response. The boys are back in town.

GM,

You certainly do *not* post here too often. Your thoughts and insights are an invaluable part of this blog, and I look forward to them. Keep on keepin' on...

Messing around with the NBA trade machine, it is conceivablee we could acquire the PERFECT guy to play C in Tyson Chandler - If Hayes can be signed and traded, too.

Dude's a gazelle and rebounding machine. Think of him and Blatche with the big three when you're matching guys up.

Linda scary.

Matt, why exactly would New Orleans trade Chandler? He's young, big and effective. Can't see any way the Hornets would part with him.

I'm starting to think, more and more, that the Wiz should stay with the status quo, and add players via the draft. We've got Pech coming in next year, Blatche with another year of experience, and two draft picks coming up. That infusion should keep us moving up the ladder, without giving up any picks or our core. The Wiz won't be championship contenders yet, but will be building something that could make them contenders in a few years.

Keithinator, I agree with you...I don't see the Hornets parting with Chandler - and he actually seems really happy there as well.

Read a few weeks ago that the Knicks were eyeing a trade for Chandler. But I haven't seen anything that indicates that the Hornets have any desire to trade him.
Not sure what we or the Knicks would have to offer that would make them even want to consider trading him. Paxson also was quoted awhile back that he probably gave up on him too soon.
If we could team him with the big three and Blatche as Mattcp says it would be scary. But I can't think of a scenario where the Hornets would want the rest of what we have to offer.

Read a few weeks ago that the Knicks were eyeing a trade for Chandler. But I haven't seen anything that indicates that the Hornets have any desire to trade him.
Not sure what we or the Knicks would have to offer that would make them even want to consider trading him. Paxson also was quoted awhile back that he probably gave up on him too soon.
If we could team him with the big three and Blatche as Mattcp says it would be scary. But I can't think of a scenario where the Hornets would want the rest of what we have to offer.

GM, I saw Chandler interviewed on the NBA Network after one of the Hornets games. Chandler was raving about how much he enjoys playing with Chris Paul and what a wonderful guy Paul is. Said he even told Paul's father that he had raised a great kid.

"Being 50, I look back and I'm glad that some of the things I did as a 20 yr old didn't label me for life.
Williams is a guy that could be worth a 2nd rd. gamble if he shows that he learned from his mistake. Not going to find many perfect guys in the second rd.
I'd take the chance of picking someone who's warts were along the lines of something that growing up will take care of instead of a model citizen that plain just can't play. Since we don't have a lockerroom full of guys with off the court issues, it could be a place that he could thrive."

I agree, in theory. In practice, however, the problem is that the guy isn't 50 and several decades removed from his issues. He's not even a full year removed from them. He may well grow out of it (although that's hardly guaranteed). But can the Wizards afford to gamble on/wait for that? Given that they have some immediate needs, as well as (one would assume) a desire to eliminate some of the drama coming from the C position, I don't think so.

Players certainly don't have to be "model citizens." But they should have enough maturity to control themselves and conduct themselves as professionals. Less than a year removed from multiple suspensions and being exiled from his teamm for being a disruption, there's very obvious and legitimate cause for concern whether Williams would be capable of such.

It's great that this is a free country and people are entitled to their opinions. Given that, the Post provided excellent coverage on that goofball Gilby and how he wasn't there to support his team during the early part of the playoffs. I'm betting EJ is souring on him too. Last season, these two got together to watch JKidd play so that Gilby could learn how to run the Princeton Offense the right way. This offseason, Gilby will be busy planning his comeback party/hype machine for right before next season's all star game.

Kalorama, I agree with you on Williams.
And to be honest..saying John Lucas is working with him isn't really saying much either. He was "working with Stevie Franchise and where is he now? Still an attitude problem and prayin everyday some team would take him other than NY. Richardson from Knicks is "working w/Lucas too..he left with a supposed back problem but is actually vacationing..All first hand personal knowledge not hearsay. I can't recall anyone Lucas has helped regarding attitude that has gone on to be successful in the league after his sessions. The problems they have when they arrive remain but are "masked" until another incident occurs.. Some of these guys have deep rooted problems that Lucas is not equipped to advise. BTW How has his son done in college? Did he enter the league?

DCman88, people can agree to disagree, I just can't agree to change basic facts. Gilbert Arenas was on the plane, with his team, to Cleveland for the FIRST Playoff game. He attended all 4 games, sat in the second row and didn't call attention to himself.
He and Eddie Jordan traveled to NJ to watch Kidd run the Princeton Offense in the playoffs after the first season that they were here together and we weren't in the playoffs. Since then we've been in the playoffs three times so it wasn't last year.
It would be nice if you could at least find something real to base your posts on.
Rob I think Lucas's son is on Houston's roster but wasn't active for the playoffs. He's also played in the D league, I'm not sure if Houston drafted him and assigned him there or if he went as a FA and Houston signed him. He was a good solid college player, not spectacular, he's not real big and not super quick like a small guy needs to be in the NBA.
Williams is a guy to the best of my knowledge that was caught with simple possesion of pot twice. I haven't heard that his problem involved more than that, if it did it could be a different matter. Chris Webber had similar brushes with the law early in his career and has gone onto a long career with no other problem.
The point I was making about it being worth a second rd gamble, is that we don't have a locker room culture where that kind of thing goes on. Grunfeld could say very accurately that our owner doesn't tolerate it and will ship you out even if you're an Allstar. I wouldn't make a pick like that if we already had a Telfair or Darius Miles on board. Teams like the football Bengals have allowed gangster culture to develop because they reached for too many guys with histories of problems.
Another guy that could be worth a second rd gamble could be "Big Baby" Davis of LSU. The guy is skilled but has never gotten in great shape, brought into a team where our best player is a gym rat it could be the right enviroment to motivate him to work out in the off season. He's really strong and quick just carries too much weight(290lbs.) for his height 6'9". Has nice hands for a big guy and can play. Similar to Oliver Miller, could be in danger of eating himself out of the league ala "Dinner Bell" Mel Turpin or John "Hot Plate" Williams, so I wouldn't invest more than a 2nd rounder in him.
One thing we have going for us is a group of guys that have been working hard to improve their game. Look at the shape Butler is in compared to when he came in the league. When your leaders workout year round to improve their game it rubs off. I'm pretty confident that's where Gil will be most of his summer, just like he's been every other year.

GM, you are on point as usual. Hope the surgery goes well.

I have been thinking as well that we don't need to make a big splash with the free agent market. I think the big 3 deserve another shot together. I don't think Daniels would last a season at the point but think drafting a classic point guard like him who played great defense would be great. (Maybe this guy ____ Law from Texas A and M?) I still think Gil would not wear out as fast as a 2 guard. Then I would hope that we could find a servicable, veteran 7 footer who was not a headcase, could play 25-30 minutes a game and not care about points. Use Blatche and Pecherov down low with Etan and as the year goes on they would be ready for prime time minutes next playoff season.

I guess I am thinking that unless some team gets stupid and offers us a gimme deal (ex. Caron for Kwame) I am more prone to stay the course. Part of this is that for some reason I have a bit more confidence in Jordan to be tougher next year if they revert back to bad patterns of poor defense and not boxing out. I think this is the make or break year for him and he knows it. So he will exercise less patience and that will be very good to see.

I am not sure I would bend over backwards to keep Stevenson either. I'd rather see the Gil at the 2 scenario. I wonder if there is serious consideration of switching Gil though?

Actually, John Lucas III did play in a couple of Houston's games against Utah in the first round. Just token minutes.

And I'd pass on Davis even faster than Williams. Williams is likely to lose his taste for pot sooner than Davis loses his taste for food. The Bullets/Wiz have too much bad history with guys who couldn't push themselves away from the dinner table to roll the dice on another one. Besides, the Wiz need a legit C size big man. Even if Davis is really his listed height of 6' 9" (he's not) he's still undersized for the C in the NBA.

I'd rather find a guy who's rawer skill wise, but has the goods physically/mentally, than take a flyer on a guy with off court issues to overcome, even though he may have a higher immediate skill level.

Well, I sure wouldn't draft them both, if Williams turned Davis onto the evil weed, A man that big could get some very serious munchies. Ernie would maybe have to ban the hotdog venders from the lower bowl during warmups to prevent getting a possible "Strickland" on the floor.

• Some fascinating bitterness from Matt Barnes about Mo Cheeks in this article. Makes you wonder how many potentially good NBA players slip through the cracks simply because they were playing for the wrong teams and wrong coaches. Matt Harpring was like that, too. And Mikki Moore.

It was Barnes's stint with the 76ers, however, that had the most profound impact on his career. In 2005-06, Barnes played in 50 games for Philadelphia, averaging three points in 10.8 minutes. He also developed what can best be described as an acrimonious relationship with Sixers head coach Maurice Cheeks. According to Barnes, Cheeks would frequently degrade him, resulting in his confidence sinking to an all-time low.

"He's the biggest a------ in the world," says Barnes. "He talked to me like I wasn't a man. Other players saw it and would tell me, 'Don't let him talk to you like that.' "

After the season, Barnes seriously considered quitting basketball.
Barnes was trying out for NFL Teams when he got a call from Nellie to try out for GS summer camp. Nellie simply said..you look good..come to camp and good luck.

Nellie says he's a great utility man - plays well in many positions.

Lets hope this isn't whats happening to some of our players.

B-Rev, If the Wizards would go the gaurd route Law would be the kind of guy Grunfeld likes, he's just a good solid basketball player that's really learned the game. Now that most people think that Conley is going to tend to stay in Law will most likely be the 2nd point taken, hard to tell if he'd drop to the 16 slot. It's possible because as I said before there is always a guy or two that shoot up the draft boards when teams start working these guys out.
Another point that I think is intriguing is Javaris Crittenton from Georgia Tech. The kid's only 19, one of the one and done guys if he doesn't pull out of the draft. He's a strong on the ball defender and big at 6/5, kind of reminds me of a very young Gary Payton. Very quick for his size, strong for as lean as he is, and he played in the ACC so he's seen some tough college competition.
Down the line if he was paired with Arenas he could take over the playmaking role, but is also a big enough defender to gaurd bigger 2's. That's the downfall of moving Arenas to the 2, look at what Detroit is doing to Gordan right now.
I agree with you about trades. There's an old saying,"you can't catch any fish unless you throw your line in the water. But just because you're fishing you don't have to take home the first little nibble you get." There will be alot of fish in the water this summer. Teams are still trying to look at moving contracts around because of the luxury tax. And Charlotte seems to be the only team with alot of room right now.
Our chances of snagging a real trophy with what we have to offer is pretty small. But if Grunfeld keeps fishing all summer somebody might bite, but I wouldn't make a trade to just trade. I think he will probably wait and see how the draft shakes out.
Read an articale yesterday about Tiago Splitter, he has a 1m buyout after next season. So who ever drafts him will have to wait a year. He said he is determined to come over when his buyout is in effect and will not resign in Europe. He's a 7/0 240lbs. guy that is a good defender and rebounder and runs the floor well for a big. He'll go somewhere before the end of the first rd. As tight as we are for money if we try and bring Pecherov and Navarro over Ernie could be tempted to look at a guy that he could delay signing a year.
It also looks like Vereemenko's Russian team has him tied up for at least one more year. Looks like they're balking at the idea of him playing this summer in Las Vegas. I guess they don't want him exposed to Sin City when he's got to spend another winter in Moscow.

Personally, I didn't give a crap that Gilby wasn't on the sidelines while he was out injured. I figured it was time that his other teammates had their moment in the sun. A few things happened though, that really brought attention to the fact that "Gilby wasn't there for his teammates" early on until the heat was probably turned on him to show up. Even EJ waved all blame and said if "management wants Gilby to show up at the playoff games, then they will make him." Apparently they ended up doing that for PR sakes. Here are some highlights that made his absence more obvious.

1. Dick Steinberg from the Post reported that Gilby was there but left and he remarked how disgusted he was.

2. Ivan reported basically the same thing, while remarking that Caron has always been there cheering his teammates on.

3. I think Mike Wise also reported that Gilby was MIA.

4. EJ came out and said he hasn't seen or really spoken to Gilby since he got hurt.

5. Most importantly, Caron was everywhere supporting his teammates. When Caron missed that dreadful West Coast trip but wanted to fly out and play, I thought it was just hype. Then, his pattern of being out there and supporting his teammates and being a team player really warmed him up to me. The more Caron did, the worse it made Gilby look like a typical aloof, self interested NBA player that he is.

"Gilbert Arenas was on the plane, with his team, to Cleveland for the FIRST Playoff game. He attended all 4 games, sat in the second row and didn't call attention to himself."

Point was from the Post writers that he showed up at Verizon center and left before the game so he could go play some video games at home, as he said. If you're hurt, why not stay home?

"He and Eddie Jordan traveled to NJ to watch Kidd run the Princeton Offense in the playoffs after the first season that they were here together and we weren't in the playoffs. Since then we've been in the playoffs three times so it wasn't last year."

I already made the point that they got together in the past. Apparently they need to do it every offseason b/c Gilby just can't grasp the fact that organized offenses win championships, not me-ball or helter skelter ball.

Point is EJ came out and said he hasn't spoken to Gilby since he got hurt. Gilby's been almost MIA to the coach, and doesn't seem like this year they'll be doing any more Princeton Offense reps. NEVERMIND THE FACT THAT GILBY CAME OUT AND BASICALLY UNDERMINED THE COACH AND SAID THE COACH IS NOT PLAYING HIS STYLE OF OFFENSE WHICH IS "HELTER SKELTER." It's obvious Gilby doesn't care for the Princeton Offense.

"It would be nice if you could at least find something real to base your posts on.

Posted by: GM | May 11, 2007 05:13 PM"

As is, the same with you. Take your blinders off because it's making you come forth with the acknowledgement that you think he's a good looking guy. Scary and gross at the same time.

As usual, it's the off season and the dude still can't stop taking shots at Gil. For one thing, the news your reported is soooo old and OVER. Move on, Dude. Your jealousy of Gilbert is over the top.

DC Man88 get a life. Why be so over the top with Gilbert. Man you are a scary dude, what has Gilbert, Abe Pollin or the Wizards done to you? Man, please go find another team to support.

I'm sorry 88'er, HE WAS AT ALL OF EACH OF THE FOUR PLAYOFF GAMES! Go back and read your post where you said he wasn't. You still seem to want to cling to he somehow wasn't, but I watched the games, HE WAS THERE!
As to the Helter Skelter statement, each time you bring that up you amend it, change it, and add to it. No use in responding to something that is a complete fantasy in your mind.
But the mantra that you can't win in the playoffs with a scoring point gaurd is completly ignoring the reality of what's taking place on the court in the playoffs right now. Yesterday's game, Jason Kidd, the most traditional point left in the playoffs, tied for his team's lead in scoring. Larry Hughes who has been known as a combo gaurd or shooting gaurd is now playing point for the Cavaliers and has lead their team in scoring several games in the playoffs even with the high scoring LaBron James on the club.
And when Brown made the change of moving Hughes to the point Cleveland finished the year out on a 23 and 9 tear.
Detroit is overwhelming the Bulls with Billups at point who was widely critizied early in his career because wasn't a tradition point gaurd.
Out west all four of the points have led their teams in scoring at some point of the playoffs and it could be said that they have really dominated the series with the exception of Duncan's play.
The change in the rules to eliminate hand checking a few years back has taken some time to fully impact the games because veteran referees take time to change how they call games. We are now back to the future in the NBA, the flow of games much more like the 60's to the early 80's.
No matter how you look at it in Gilbert Arenas we have one of the 10 to 15 best players in the league. And in a league where the play of high scoring point gaurds are dominating this years playoffs Ernie Grunfeld has the guy in place that we need to build around.

Lisa, you prove easily each time how dumb you are. I wouldn't be bothered writing about Gilby had GM not wrote a post directing it at me. So, of course I will respond.

"

DC Man88 get a life. Why be so over the top with Gilbert. Man you are a scary dude, what has Gilbert, Abe Pollin or the Wizards done to you? Man, please go find another team to support.

Posted by: | May 13, 2007 01:07 PM "

How can a loser ask someone to get a life when they are too much of a coward to post their comments with a name?

"I'm sorry 88'er, HE WAS AT ALL OF EACH OF THE FOUR PLAYOFF GAMES! Go back and read your post where you said he wasn't. You still seem to want to cling to he somehow wasn't, but I watched the games, HE WAS THERE!"

Sorry GM (aka Mr. Gilby is so handsome). Go scream at Steinberg, Ivan Carter, and Mike Wise, and the Post while you're at it who accurately reported that Gilby was a no show.

Also, go ask EJ why he hasn't spoken to Gilby if Gilby was at each game. Thank goodness Les BouleS have quality individuals/leaders like AJ and Caron who care more about their team than their own personal agenda.

"As to the Helter Skelter statement, each time you bring that up you amend it, change it, and add to it. No use in responding to something that is a complete fantasy in your mind."

Stop changing things GM'er. Gilby loves "helter skelter." EJ doesn't do helter skelter.

"But the mantra that you can't win in the playoffs with a scoring point gaurd is completly ignoring the reality of what's taking place on the court in the playoffs right now. Yesterday's game, Jason Kidd, the most traditional point left in the playoffs, tied for his team's lead in scoring."

Your age and your back are catching up with you fast. With JKidd averaging 9.2 this season over 82 games, in a nutshell, you try to justify your argument based on a JKidd going off offensively in one game. Weak.....

FYI, JKidd creates assists and rebounds and plays tough D. Some things very foreign to Gilby.

"Larry Hughes who has been known as a combo gaurd or shooting gaurd is now playing point for the Cavaliers and has lead their team in scoring several games in the playoffs even with the high scoring LaBron James on the club."

Yeah, doesn't it suck. If Larry had stayed here as Les BouleS promised to do whatever it took to keep him here, Les BouleS wouldn't probably have regressed in the playoffs these last few seasons while Larry has progressed. Gilby hasn't sniffed second round since Larry left, and guess what, Gilby is a scoring point guard.

"Detroit is overwhelming the Bulls with Billups at point who was widely critizied early in his career because wasn't a tradition point gaurd."

Yeah, nevermind the fact that they have Tayshaun, Rip, CWebb, and Rasheed. The good thing about Billups is that he doesn't take stupid shots or is a ballhog like Gilby.

DCDude, I'm willing to bet that I'm smarter than you will ever be....especially seeing that you get your info f (cut and paste) from other sources (newspapers, websites, sports writers) other than your own. You proclaim to know it all but then several times during the season you mentioned that your were not really watching the games. Obviously your (mis)information comes from other sources. And you twist it anyway you can to try and discredit Gilbert.

There's no point in responding to all of DCMan's points, but there is one request I have.

Can we please stop referring to the Wizards' offense as helter-skelter. In the four years Arenas has been here, the offense has improved every season! The offensive efficiency (points/100 posessions) has improved from 27th in 03/04 to 10th in 04/05 to 6th in 05/06 and to 4th this year. Who the hell cares how the offense looks. It works...incredibly. The offense is not the problem on this team.

I don't really feel like addressing the off-court stuff until we consistently see teammates speaking out about it. There have been isolated incidents (like the Portland game), but it's mostly just "Gil being Gil." I could care less if his style turns me off, and I think it's very, very unfair to see that it severely hurts the team.

You know what hurts the team? Nobody defends. Arenas is one of the main culprits, to be sure, and should not escape blame. At the same time, how many great offensive players are consistent lockdown defenders? Tim Duncan is probably the only one that comes to mind. Kobe used to be, but he gambles way too much now, and his coaches have criticized his defense all year. Steve Nash definitely isnt', but the Suns have guys like Bell and Marion to hide him. The Wizards don't have any guys like that, and they need to find some this offseason.

But seriously, nobody should criticize this offense, in my opinion. It's not always pretty, but it works incredibly, and Gil is the main reason why. Stop with the "helter-skelter" criticisms, please.

88'er I was just responding to one of your typically factually inaccurate posts. You stated that Gilbert Arenas was not there to support his teammate early in the playoffs. You've repeated it several times yesterday an today.
But back on April 21st at 9:53pm in one of your classic cut and paste posts you were commenting on the phone call that Gilbert made to Lebron on the way to Cleveland with the team for game ONE(in case you can't read english that's UNO in spanish). Just because you keep posting something doesn't change the fact that Gilbert was at all 4 playoff games.
That's not subject of opinion, if you can refer me to where ANY of the reporters that you have sited saying that Gil was not with the team during the playoffs I will gladly read them. But you are wrong as you most always are when you try and distort things to make it look like Arenas is somehow destroying this team.
Relax,smile and be happy, enjoy the holiday! I'd thing you of all people would be glad that we have a day just for mothers!

Yeah Lisa, you can't be really smart if you're a Gilby fan. What's your source? I've seen most of the games, as you have, but I watch my games without blinders on, unlike you.

Funny, GM'er. I was also responding to one of your typically overbloated Gilby fan posts. You yourself blasted Dan Steinberg for his blasting of Gilby for being absent.

As I said before, if you have a problem with the reporting on Gilby's absence of support for his teammates, do what Robbie did and take it up with the Post. Hopefully, you'll have more success at getting your point across than Rob did with his love letter to the Post about me. Make sure you tell them that Steinberg, ICarter, and Mike Wise write fiction, not facts, about Les BouleS.

What's funny on these past few postings is that you Gilby lovers are so desperate to shower him with praise that since Les BouleS have been eliminated early once again, you're suffering from withdrawal (Lisa's favorite method) and especially you Old GM'er, who's resorted to praising Gilby for being handsome. Pretty sick.....old man.

DC Dude, GM never said he thought Gil was "good looking" - he asked me if I did. There is nothing at all sick about that.

Now calling people "morons" and especially "fudgepackers" and then EXPLAINING what that is....that is truly SICK.

Obviously, if people are feeling strongly enough to personally write the Post about you, there is a serious problem WITH YOU. Yet, you still don't get it.

Yikes Gilly the compiler is a fine player..but he has never showed the guts that Jamison showed in a series where the wiz was outmanned...never...you want to be considered a top guy, which his talent allows for, he needs to get it done on the floor between the whistles...with no excuses..the rest of this is conjecture...his injury was unfortunate, but check out how many of the top scorers remain in the playoffs - not many...he can celebrate his video game cover boy status and maybe average 40 a game next year, and then maybe lead his team to another first round out....

DC in Cleveland I guess you didn't see the end of Game 5 against Chicago in 2005 or the 3-pointer that tied Game 6 against Cleveland last year?

Arenas: "I really don't work out my legs" a lot. Ugh! Yeah, put that on the list, right behind A. play defense; and make your teammates better like a real star. Nice, Gil.

" Lisa you're right, he's the best thing to happen in a long time to this franchise. And I bet you never noticed he's good looking too!

Posted by: GM | May 10, 2007 10:04 PM "

That's pretty sick. Why would a normal old fart ask someone about Gilby being good looking? Lisa, I would write and complain about your stupidity if I ever took you seriously, but I don't.

Chances are good that if Dateline NBC came to this area, Chris Hansen might be profiling the ole' GM'er on his show where he blindsides predators. Hurt back and all, laid up with his laptop on his lap chatting about good looking young athletes.

George, last I checked, Les BouleS haven't been in the second round since Larry left, so get off your little schtick with Gilby and his little triumphs when at the end, it doesn't matter because Les BouleS didn't advance.

" Relax,smile and be happy, enjoy the holiday! I'd thing you of all people would be glad that we have a day just for mothers!

Posted by: GM | May 13, 2007 06:34 PM "

Yeah, just like ole' Lefty having a day getting "off" back in the barn with your kid's momma. Bet she was learning him some good ole' horseback ridin' lessons in that lil ole barn up yonder...

PS. Your mention about Larry, JKidd, Chauncey, and other west coast point guards stepping up their play during the playoffs probably and most likely does not apply to Gilby, who was stinking up the joint after all star weekend and couldn't will the team a win without the other two of the big 3 in the lineup.

The best thing to happen this season was for Gilby to blow out his knee to end the misery that he was suffering as his game suffered. You'd love to, but you'll be silly to build your team around someone who professes to not being a leader, and not wanting to be a leader.

You want the money, the endorsements, the love, and the respect, but you want nothing to do with leading your own team? stupid.

Gilbert is not the stupid one.....that would be someone whose insane jealousy oozes out of everything he writes.

DC 88, Lisa and GM:
Can the three of you exchange e-mail addresses and communicate with each other that way, so the rest of us don't have to read through or scroll through your arguments to each other?
Thanks.

Lisa & GM, just ignore him. He went away for a few dsys after our last attempt of not responding. The guy clearly enjoys antagonizing Wizards fans and stirring up the pot to see what kind of reaction he will get. He's a Wizards hater and doesn't belong on this blog. The only thing we can do is not respond. I've already e-mailed the post twice to have him removed and will do for the third time.

(now here comes his response of me being a coward for not posting my name - bring it on tough guy)

EVERYONE: PLEASE INGNORE DC MAN88

I thought this was a WIZARDS BLOG. You people - gm lisa I guess thats the name of the last posters - from what I've read this dc88 person isn't the ONLY person on this site noting Gilbert Arenas lack of interest in his team. Much of the media has commented greatly on that fact.
He is a "media star" - promoting & marketing himself to top LeBron-and why? jealous? Motivation?
At least LeBron sits and sucks his them courtside for his teammates. Areans supposed injury aside - what team player "never shows" at courtside supportively for their team? But comes to "work out and do PT for his knee THEN LEAVES THE ARENA TO PLAY VIDEO GAMES and the worse part -he's got balls enough to tell the media "I don't watch them play?
I saw him doing interviews days after his "injury" he wished Wiz well in playoffs. His appearance @ Cleveland came after great media scrutiny about his "lack of interest in his team" then Abe P & Grunfeld requested he fly w/him team. He used it for further self-promotion.
What NBA, DLeague, Euro League, college, High School player that has any hutzpah or cares for his team does that?

Yes, the Wiz offense improved w/his presence.
Yes, $$improved w/his self promotion
Yes, Arenas made great shots - wins games
But he doesn't play alone & most of all
you forget Caron Butler's presence which nationally has been lauded as the total transformation for this team - not necessarily Arenas. Who BTW criticized Butler for "caring" by emailing him every day. for having character & integrity
something Gilbert Arenas has shown he knows nothing about. Specifically - impregnating a young women he'd been screwin for several years then having your team owner & coach "HIDE YOU" from your responsibilities til the press exposes you. He only admitted it cuz of bad PR.

Shaq & others openly call him a "wanna be"
ok - Wiz went to playoffs 3 yrs..big wups..now what?

I Don't care about the helter-skelter offense..its fine but it won't win a championship nor get you past the second round -note GS. It takes defense. If he doesn't play D & can't make those around him better??????

Jamison & Butler will lead this team - not Areans unless Abe asks him to front & act like it - if nothing else cuz its clear he & Jordan do not see eye to eye.

Ivan thanks for keeping the blog going! Hope you keep it through draft, summer league, and FA signings/trades that may occur.

Of subject, but I keep thinking about Eddie's interview with John Thompson where he was talking about the way you win is with grizzled veterans. And I keep thinking about "grizzled vets" and our glorious past with the likes of Charles Oakley, Popeye Jones, Bryon Russell, Christian Laettner, Rod Strickland, Mitch Richmond, and Michael Freakin Jordan!

Maybe grizzled vets won back in the day when everyone had the same team year after year. The bad teams could only try to improve through the draft and wait, while the established teams won. But in this day of free agency and blockbuster trades, it is TALENT that wins. Not "energy guys", not smallball, and not "gizzled vets". I'm sorry but I don't see alot of grizzled vets on Golden State, Bulls, Detroit, or on the Spurs or Suns (except for Nash and Duncan, two former MVPs ie TALENT)! Eddie needs to wake up and get off his Micheal Ruffin fantasy!!

Actually, Darnell, those playoff teams, except Chicago, have a lot of veterans, but you are right to pick up on EJ's comments and note they are worth discussing. Most coaches would prefer a veteran team -- they can do more game planning with less teaching, less dealing with immaturity -- and with the frequent turnover in coaches, coaches want a team that can win enough now to keep from getting fire. GMs, however, are equally concerned about the long-term, and Grunfeld has stated that he wants to build a team that is in the playoffs every year. To do that, you can't have a team full of veterans. You need a mix of young and experienced players.
Look at Detroit, for example. Both Larry Brown and Flip Saunders had no patience to develop Darko, who certainly has talent. Detroit lucked into getting Webber for cheap, but if they didn't, Darko would have been a good option. Detroit also hadn't used Carlos Delfino until this year. That's a team that could have Rip, Prince and no one else in three years.

It's not really an either/or situation. Young teams get into the playoffs, but it's only though experience gained over years of postseason battles that they learn to win in the playoffs, at which point they become veterans. It's a process that takes years and the Wizards are still in the early-mid stages.

It's also a situation where a team has to prove that they can get to the playoffs for a while before the GM can get seasoned playoff experienced vets to except a role with their team.
Teams like SA will have vets sign on with them and except a role with them for less money than they could get elsewhere because they're contenders every year.
I had posted back in Jan. that it is a concern when a team that was contending for the top of the east was carrying three development guys on the roster at the same time. When you have three near allstar caliber guys go down in the second half having a batch of D League Caliber FA type guys on the end of the bench really got exposed.
Kinda unfair to critize Lisa for responding to DCman88er's crap on here. She's put up with quite a bit from him on this site. In this last round he went after Micheal and Ivan so I guess it's their fault too.

DWade 3rd Team? Who is voting for these slots? DWade is the best all around player in the league. 3rd in scoring, leads all guards in blocked shots and leads all 2 guards in assists and he has a ring. I know he was injured but 3rd team? Whoever voted just created a big problem for everyone in the NBA next season.

TMac over DWade, give me a break, TMac could not hold D3's jock strap, nevermind ever getting out of the first round.

What a joke

I agree, GM. Building a bench takes some time, and Grunfeld hasn't really scratched the surface of this part of it yet. Need to find backup guys who can play, but who will accept their roles. And, depending on the status of the top 6 or 7 guys, they need to decide whether they want older vets or younger guys with upside who are being groomed for the future. It also helps if you have bushels of cash to throw around and are willing to maybe overpay for a key you really want, which is how the Bulls nabbed Ben Wallace and the Cavs got Larry Hughes.

Walker, you are the voice of reason with your latest comments. Most of the people here have snorted too much Gilby to even realize or admit to the truths that you just printed out, and that I've been saying since the beginning of the season.

"Lisa & GM, just ignore him. He went away for a few dsys after our last attempt of not responding. The guy clearly enjoys antagonizing Wizards fans and stirring up the pot to see what kind of reaction he will get. He's a Wizards hater and doesn't belong on this blog. The only thing we can do is not respond. I've already e-mailed the post twice to have him removed and will do for the third time.

(now here comes his response of me being a coward for not posting my name - bring it on tough guy)

EVERYONE: PLEASE INGNORE DC MAN88

Posted by: | May 14, 2007 10:20 AM "

I "went away" a few days because I was going to put my Gilby analysis to rest for the summer, but as I started reading these Les BouleS blogs as they've been eliminated weeks ago, these people like GM'er and Lisa just can't get enough of dropping praise on this doofus who pretty much did nothing "allstarish" the second half of the season. Of course I need to interject with some counter points to balance this blog out. The more BS that GM'er and Lisa put out, the more they believe in their own mistruths.

I'm glad you admit to being a coward. Why are you so scared to stand by your words?

All at the Post (Steinberg, Carter, Mike Lee, Wise, etc.) and Greg Anthony, Legler, Kenny Smith, Barkley, etc. have commented that Gilby was not acting like a real teammate unlike Caron. When asked, EJ said it wasn't his job to get him on the bench, and if management wanted him to be there, he would be there. I'm glad EJ did this because he wiped that responsibility off his plate, and guess what, ole' zero showed up on the bench.

Caron has a lot more respect from his NBA peers than Gilby. People respect Gilby for his shooting ability, but see him as a clown. Gilbertology is growing old and hopefully he will grow out of it soon. In the meantime, he's still an idiot. Keep up with your zero worship. I'll be there to bring you back down to earth, as Gilby provides plenty of ammo for me to do it.

"It also helps if you have bushels of cash to throw around and are willing to maybe overpay for a key you really want, which is how the Bulls nabbed Ben Wallace and the Cavs got Larry Hughes.

Posted by: kalorama | May 14, 2007 03:18 PM"

Bushels of cash? Like 50 million in free money from DC (to be assessed to ticket buyers) so that Dishonest Abe can charge 400K vice 100K for each lux box??

Les BouleS only overpay for people they don't want or shouldn't want, but have no better options because who would want to come here? Case in point Juwan Howard, Etan Thomas, Chucky Atkins, and soon to be Deshawn Stevenson.

Can someone enlighten me - what exactly were E Jordan's comments? Were they recent or sometime ago?

My dear friend Robert, here are some interesting quotes that I found:

1. This is Gilby biting the hand that feeds him:

"I asked Arenas last month what he thought the Wizards had to do to appease his wishes. He wouldn't campaign for the Wizards to acquire certain players, but he did say, "If you want a championship, you got to get a championship team."

He added: "I know this might not sound right, but the championship teams treat themselves like champions. You go into Miami's locker room, I'm like, 'Wow, what the hell is this?' Everything from their game-day meals for their players to every state-of-the-art thing you can imagine. As a player, why would you want to leave the locker room? I could sit there all day.

"We've been doing a better job, but it comes down to this: You treat your players like champions, they want to be champions," he added. "All the best teams in the league treat themselves first-class every day. Other players come over and think, 'They got this, they got that. Oh, I want to be here.' "

Whether Arenas was telling Abe Pollin and Ernie Grunfeld to upgrade the Wizards' facilities is up for debate. But he was clearly illustrating how the defending champions take care of their players. How the Wizards interpret Arenas's words gets to the issue of how much leverage stars have in this league."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/24/AR2007042402488.html

2.

"Arenas said Jordan spent too much time on defense during a slump. Jordan came back at him, questioning Arenas's leadership. At a time when both organizations could have taken a stand against one or more marquee players for words that straddled the insubordination line, nary a peep was heard from upstairs. Running the risk of alienating LeBron James or Gilbert Arenas seemed too great for management to get involved."

3.

"Jordan said he has not spoken with his all-star guard since the night of the injury and has not requested that Arenas attend practices or games.

Butler, who has been out since injuring his hand on April 1, has attended practices and sat on the bench at home games, including yesterday's, when he enthusiastically supported his teammates throughout.

"Gil is Gil," Jordan said. "He's very, very different. There's nothing that we are making mandatory for him unless our front office, you know, has a different idea for him. I know how Gil is. We all know how Gil is. So, there's nothing mandatory for me.""

http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/1255088601.html?dids=1255088601:1255088601&FMT=FT&FMTS=ABS:FT&fmac=d96d8d0f77b1e85a40bbb8757c62725b&date=Apr+16%2C+2007&author=Ivan+Carter+-+Washington+Post+Staff+Writer&desc=Nothing+Much+to+Shout+About

Gilby probably did not miss being on the bench during the playoffs because of management and/or PR fallout, but was absent from the bench right after his injury as his teammates were fighting to maintain a good seeding. That's why all the sportscasters/writers blasted him. Miami eventually passed Les BouleS. Gilby showed up at the arena to chill, but left to go home and play video games instead of cheering on his teammates towards the end of the regular season.

Rob, as you can tell, Eddie's comments were LONG AGO.

The thing about bushels of cash to one player is you better not make a mistake in this day and age. Getting rid of a bad contract is going to get alot tougher under the luxury tax.
After Jamison's contract expires after next season the Wizard'd will have some flexibility under the tax. Their choices will include resigning Jamison to a longer term deal that leaves them more room to make other roster choices.
It also appears that Vereemenko will be free from his deal after next season and will be available. This year we'll have Pecherov, our first round pick which is number 16 in the draft, and possibbly Navarro to add to the rotation. And if we scout and pick well our second rounder could be added as a bench player.
I would imagine that a few of our current FA bench players will be retained and there are a hugh number of FA's that will be available at or near the vet min. because are more players than money this year.
The big question will be can Grunfeld move Haywood and possibly Etan and get anything useful in return. If he can pull that off he will have had a solid offseason. I think that there are going to be alot of trades this summer throughout the league. Ernie has been pretty sharp in deals since he got here, lets hope he can pull off something to get another peice in the puzzle.

and weren't those comments after that horrible portland game? it wasn't like it was something that's been repeated throughout the season...

i think people are blowing this gilbert/eddie thing out of proportion(sp?). people act like it's sprewell/carlisimo or rasheed/anyone going on here.
also, are some really peeved that gilbert wasn't a 'true teammate' cuz he wasn't around as much as caron?? one could hardly walk and the other had a bad hand.. who'd you think would show up more?

only thing really to worry about this offseason is now the development of blatche and OP; see what EG can do with regards to trades and our FAs; and what we'll do with the draft. all the BS on gilbert being selfish (which is BS) is neither here nor there now. come back to it next season if you feel inclined, but it doesn't matter a lick now

(anyone know when the jerseys and shoe's get shipped out from his GilsArena.com auction??)

hmmmmm,

According to what Gil wrote on his blog, he has been keeping in touch with Caron, DeShawn, AD and...Brendan. I think Antawn is on vacation somewhere. Would that indicate that anyone had a problem with him? Doesn't sound like it. Also, after Gil's accident, Caron was texting and calling him every day and they even watched a game together at Gil's house I believe.

Lisa, it's great to know that you get all your unbiased information from Gilby's blog (even though you blast me for copying quotes from an 'unreputable' source like the Wash Post). I'm sure Gilby's blog will win a Pulitzer next year and they'll create a category just for it.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!

Can anyone make their best attempt at deciphering this gilbertology?

"We've been doing a better job, but it comes down to this: You treat your players like champions, they want to be champions," he added."

How about expecting a professional athlete to perform at their best and try to win a championship for their city because they earn a nice tidy sum and the fans deserve it?

There's almost no such thing as an untradeable contract in the NBA. The luxury tax has been in play for a while now and players with bad deals get moved almost every offseason. That doesn't mean Grunfeld shouldn't be cautious, but you have to take a risk to get a reward. The Pistons did it with Rasheed. The Suns did it with Nash. At some point, most teams building towards contention have to roll the dice and make a big play.

Retaining their FAs isn't going to be much help, considering what (aside from Blatche) a sad bunch they are. After Blatche, I'd keep one of Jarvis or Stevenson (whichever's cheaper, not both) and Mason. Maybe ink Booth to a vet minimum deal. After that, it's bye-bye to the lot of them (along with Haywood).

I really don't see much chance for Navarro coming over. He's got a $10 mill buyout and the Wiz can only pay $1 mill of it. Where's he going to get that other $9 mill from? I know they're negotiating, but what leverage do the Wiz have? The fact that his Euro team put the number so high is pretty clear indication of how much they value him. Anything is possible, but I think the odds are against it. If he comes, great. But I don't think they can afford to count on that at this point.

Any contract is tradeable. What's tough is how much the pot has to be sweetened in order to get some takers. In the past, Les BouleS have sacrificed future high draft picks in order to get something happening. It was all well and good anyway, as few of their selections have ever panned out (ie. Hot Plate, Labradford Smith, Harvey Grant, Kwame Brown, Jared Jeffries, Dogbert Cheaney, Rasheed Wallace, Manute Bol, Muggsy Bogues, Jimmy Mac, Calvin Booth, Navarro, etc.).

In a classic case of penny pinching, John Nash was authorized to go for Mark Price as he was starting to emerge as a very good point guard, but they offered him "peanuts" with 5 mil over 5 years. Cavs easily matched. At the end, Dishonest Abe still had a hard on for Mark Price, and got him towards the end of his career and it was less than spectacular as he spent most of his time on the bench suffering from plantar fasciitis.

Oh yeah, I forgot. Mark Price was another case of "Curse of Les BouleS."

KG is obviously better than Chris Bosh and Tracy McGrady. It is some sort of devious slight to leave out KG from the top 10.

"Gilbertology is growing old and hopefully he will grow out of it soon. In the meantime, he's still an idiot. Keep up with your zero worship. I'll be there to bring you back down to earth, as Gilby provides plenty of ammo for me to do it."
Get lost DC woMan88/ Clewiston88/ ClueLessOne. Go back to the Miami ESPN Heat board. This is the Wizards board.

LOL, LOL,LOL HOW ABSOLUTELY INSANE!!!!IS THIS LISA PERSON!! To actually sit & A)read Gilbert Arenas blog b) actually believe everything he or his agent writes;and c) repeats it to anybody!!! How laughable!!How old are YOU? 12?????!!!LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL,

I kept wonderin why is this "woman" wasted so much ink sparinwith the dcman dude. Now I know...honey - Get a clue. try reading SI, newspapers and other periodicals. Get a clue.

another girl2, I'm willing to bet that you are DCDude. Nevertheless, I READ everthing about sports and watch lots of sports shows as well..I even personally KNOW people in sports - which is probably far more than you (probably YOU are "12" as indicated in your screen name) can ever dream of doing.

I merely mentioned Gil's blog because a certain person was questioning his relationships with the other players - and Gil knows much better than any sports writer what his relationship is with them.

Navarro's buyout has been reported to be all over the board. I don't remember if it was Ivan or Micheal that said in one of their messages that he had a 9-10m buyout, on the same day there was a post season articale in the Washington Post where they were interviewing Grunfeld, and that story said that the buyout was 2m.
I asked for a clarifacation and never received an answer. That's a hugh difference.
I had posted here before that on NBA TV back in the winter the were showing a Euro League game and they were discussing the best player in Europe to have never played or attempted to play in the NBA. They said that Navarro was far and away the best veteran over there. They were also talking about how he's done about everything over there he can do as far as winning. And that now is the best time for him to move, he's still young enough to make the transistion and marketing wise it was time for him to cash in over here.
They were speculating that in his case the extra money to pay his buyout could come from a shoe or other endorsement deals since the Wiz are dictated by rules of only contributing $500,000.00. I would say it's all Greek to me, but in this case it's Spanish.
Sounds like there will be alot of people possibly involved in talks to get him here.

Sorry Lisa, way past my bedtime.

I'm willing to bet you are this anonymous coward also:

"Get lost DC woMan88/ Clewiston88/ ClueLessOne. Go back to the Miami ESPN Heat board. This is the Wizards board.

Posted by: | May 15, 2007 12:17 AM "

As much as people bash me, at least I'm man enough to take credit for what is written.

"(probably YOU are "12" as indicated in your screen name) "

Lisa, you prove your intelligence once again. Her screen name is "another girl2," not "another girl12."

Keep reading and believing his blog. Shows how gullible and star struck you are.

PS. Just for giggles, what's your take (ie. excuse) on Gilby saying:

"We've been doing a better job, but it comes down to this: You treat your players like champions, they want to be champions," he added."

I'll assume any silence from you on this quote is acknowledgement that you haven't the foggiest idea why anyone would say such a thing.

So, if this prima donna doesn't get pampered like the rest of the stars, he's not going to want to come out and play and earn his money, but will throw hissy fits? Might be a turn on for GM'er though, as we all know GM'er thinks Gilby is really good looking which is REALLY scary. GM'er wants to be Gilby's missing mother figure.

Conservatively speaking, I wouldn't buy into the Euro/Navarro hype just yet. Time will only tell if he's a good player once he gets over here. Case in point Sarunas Jasikevicius who helped his team win the Euro League two years ago and was their leagues' MVP, but came here and hasn't done much yet. Wasn't a superstar at Maryland either.

As good as some of the Euro players have been, I've seen much more skills, especially on the defensive end, from guys who have come out of south america. You have your walter hermmanns, your nocionis, your ginoblis, your nenes, etc. etc.. Probably the most productive guy out of Euro is not Dirk, but Tony Parker.

We've discussed this draftee before, but what does everyone here think of drafting Acie Law IV at 16 for our point guard spot (if Navarro doesn't come over this season).

Good try and good idea George, but Gilby would never give up control of the ball. He may share, but Gilby would be at an extreme disadvantage trying to play D against the top SG's in the league.

Gilby gets his glory from putting the ball into the hole many, many times. If a PG comes in and passes to other people, that would severely diminish what he's got going now, which is him shooting whenever he wants. This team needs an athletic big man who can score and defend moreso than a PG.

George:
I think that's a good possibility. The thing I don't like about Law, though, is that he is not a good defender. But otherwise he could be a good option.

The way I see it, the Wizards are not necessarily "set" at any position. Arenas and Daniels can play the 1 and 2; Hayes and Butler can play the 2 or 3; Jamison, the 3 and 4; Blatche, the 3, 4 and maybe 5; Pecherov, the 4 and maybe 5. The only guys limited to one position -- Haywood and Thomas at the 5, Songalia at the 4, Stevenson at the 2 -- are role players. So, there shouldn't be a situation where the Wizards can't pick the best player available because "we are already set at that position." If a top of the line PG or SF, for example, drops into your lap on draft night, you can pick them and Arenas and Butler can slide to the 2 as part of the rotation.

It is so funny how an awful large number of the posters on here put Gilbert down but if he leaves let's see what you will have to say then. I have NEVER seen any fans like this. No matter what the man does, there is ALWAYS someone trashing him. I guess you all will be happy if he does not sign an extension and moves back out west to play elsewhere. I guess the fans in this area love the Bullets/Wizards of old who never won anything or had any notoriety. You all crack me up! I would like to see some of these posters get out there day in and day out and see how you do.! I got your back and hope you don't read all of this negativity! I never heard Kenny Smith say anything negative about Gil and the most of the sportwriters in this city talk negative about the Wizards anyway so you can't take what they say with a grain of salt. Hell, even the postwriter in NY(where I am from) had good things to say about Gil and how the NBA needs some guys out there with a little personality. Why can't you all post about anything positive where the Wizards are concerned. Especially Gil, the man gets hurt and is crucified because he wants to be by himself. Hell, he was disappointed and wanted to be alone. Been there done that! Ain't nothing wrong with that.

You call Gilbert self-promoting, look at the person who calls himself the King. I say "ain't" nothing wrong with tooting your own horn to let others know you are coming through. You go Gil! I can't wait for next season to see what the Wiz brings!

too funny,

Fortunately it is usually only one person trashing Gil - most of us truly do appreciate him. And I agree with you 100%.

George, Law's a good player and the kind of guy that Grunfeld likes, a real solid gamer that impresses more in a game than he will in workouts.
I'm just not sure that he'll drop that far. I really like the fact that he's a 4 yr. guy so he'd be more likely to be rotation ready than some of the one and done guys.
There's going to be some real talent to choose from at 16 this year. It's just hard to project where some of these guys will go until teams get closer to draft night. And even then there's always some real suprises.
The different mock drafts vary greatly in where some guys are slotted right now. I've seen Splitter going anywhere from #11 to right at the end of the first round.
Law could find a role with the Wizards even if Navarro came over. But in that case I would think Grunfeld would look at front court help unless he was packaging Daniels in another move.
Navarro's success in Europe doesn't assure that he'd be an impact player here. But he isn't a comparable player to Jasikevicius at all, he's much younger and quicker and a far better leaper and can drive to the hole and finish.
I was a big fan of Jasikevcius at MD, the guy is just a complete fish out of water in the system Nellie is using right now at Golden State. Jes, just needs to find a role in a system the can use his talents. He's really more of a catch and shoot guy at point. He can get the ball up the court and start the offense but isn't going to break many guys down in the open floor. Jes's home country is almost as far from Spain as South America is from Spain. And he played is Pro ball in Isreal, so there's really not much of a way to lump the two of them together at all geographicly or skill wise.

"I guess you all will be happy if he does not sign an extension and moves back out west to play elsewhere. "

Amen. But, seriously, I would be happy if he just toned down his clown act, played D, and passed the ball. But, if he decides to leave, I'm sure our savvy GM, Grunfeld, will be able to move him before he leaves for nothing. One can only hope though.

"You call Gilbert self-promoting, look at the person who calls himself the King..........

Posted by: too funny | May 15, 2007 11:51 AM "

Last I checked, Le King beat Les BouleS in Le Playoffs last year, and wow whee, beat Les BouleS again this year. Looks like they will move on to the Eastern Conference finals after 1 more game. That's pretty impressive for a team (the Cavs) that were left at the altar by Carlos Boozer, but have managed not only to survive, but thrive. What's Les BouleS doing?????? Busy regressing in the playoffs since Larry left...........

"And he played is Pro ball in Isreal, so there's really not much of a way to lump the two of them together at all geographicly or skill wise.

Posted by: GM | May 15, 2007 12:13 PM "

Weren't you the one who wrote on this blog that after Dirk's debacle, that it is likely most teams will poo poo on euro players? Isn't that lumping?

Wow....the Cavs are sooo impressive! Lucky is more like it....they were fortunate enough to play the depleted Wiz in the first round and the "barely made it to the playoffs" Nets in the second round. Of course, they will make it to the Eastern Conference Finals. We should all have such luck.

Betttahhhh to be lucky than good.

You can put an asterisk on this season's playoff series win by the Cavs over Les BouleS, but sure as heck, they beat them last year when Les BouleS were at full strength. Do you remember the final game (game 6?) where Gilby could have sealed the deal, but choked on the line? Oh the pain and agony of defeat....

I mean, based on the Cavs' victory last season, one can logically surmise that they would have beaten Les BouleS this season regardless if all of the big 3 were here or not. Damon Jones didn't even play in last year's playoff series. Recall, this season ended pitifully post all star weekend. No momentum going into the playoffs even if they were healthy.

Oh yeah, I forgot to add. Not only were the Cavs missing Damon Jones last year when they beat Les BouleS, but the Cavs were also shorthanded with the absence at times of Larry Hughes who lost his younger brother Justin around playoff time.

I occasionaly read this post and today is one of those days and I am curious who is DCMAN88 and why does he posts so much here if he hates the Wizards so much. Not saying you can't post here if you are not a Wizard fan but he sure seems to be quite hostile towards the Wiz, especially Gilbert. The few times that I have read these posts during the season, he has dumped on pretty much every player and the whole organization. First it was Hayes, then Jamison and then Gilbert. I am sure I will get good and cussed out for this comment but hey, I have tough skin. I just wondered who is this person and why all of the negativity? It is just a post and should be all in good fun.

Too Funny,

I don't think you've read too many of my postings. If you had, then you would know that I've never dumped on Caron, AJ, or Jarvis. With regard to Gilby, you may think I'm dumping on him, but I'm pointing out the obvious. Also, you may think I post a lot here against him, but percentage-wise speaking, it's about 5% Gilby reality awareness from me vs. 95% Gilby star struck love by others on this blog. You can call me anti-Gilby, but I challenge you to find some of my written verbage that's been made up or has no factual basis.

Too Funny,

I have asked the question over and over again as to why he LIVES on this blog since he hates the Wiz but have yet to get an answer. Obviously it's just to stir things up.

Lisa must not have noticed the mantra of this blog. I'll repost it here:

"We encourage users to analyze, comment on and even challenge washingtonpost.com's articles, blogs, reviews and multimedia features."

Nowhere will you find any blurb about this being a Wizards blog only for people who have good things to say about the Wizards. This is a free and open forum for people to post their opinions.

Lisa, if I live on this blog, what about you? How many other blogs do you post on? Contrary to someone else's accusation, I only write on this blog, and none else. I actually stopped writing after Les BouleS were eliminated from the playoffs, but was encouraged to write again after the avalanche of misleading pro-Gilby worship machine started up again...even to a point where GM'er and Lisa were commenting how "good looking" Gilby is. Very sad.

Too Funny, on a blog where the subject started out with the leagues writers selecting Arenas to the All NBA second team I joked to Lisa that I bet you never noticed that he's good looking too.
Just about every woman I know will comment that he's a nice looking guy. DCman88 and everyone on this site has my sincere apology that I jokingly said something to set this off. It's been 5 days now of the same old song.

Hey I just saw your comment GM and I absolutely do not find gilbert attractive. You obviously are "not" a woman with taste but it sounds like you as a male who happens to find him "attractive" You Go Girrrl! No competition here.

Sean, I agree with you.
Its tiresome having to scroll thru post after post of GM - Lisa & DCman88 with their own personal cat fights - discussing nothing of any quality nor substance about basketball nor anything close.

What a waste.

Stephany,

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

Robbie,

Want some cheese with that whine?

Lisa person. Get a life honey. You've obviously got issues and from reading your posts...NO LIFE.

FYI - Is DC88 your man and yall got a strange association like on-line??
If so - give it a rest.

To me the whole Gilbert debate can be answered as such. Do you think Gilbert Arenas gives the team the best chance of winning a championship? If yes, then keep him and build with him; If no, then bash him and let him walk/trade.

I just witnessed the Sixers give away A.I. to become a slightly worse team with now worse future prospects.

So as a Wizards fan I clearly believe we should keep him. I mean this is the NBA we're talking about, only a couple of players can guarantee you championships (Gilbert is not one of them, but then again neither is Nash, Nowitzki, Garnett, Kobe, Carmelo, TMac...and the list goes on and on). But if recent history has taught us anything, its that if you keep building the team and adding to the strong pieces you already have, you never know, you might come out with a powerhouse (Detroit, Utah, just to name a couple). So I say Gilbert is our guy (no one I think is doubting that), of course Gilbert is a great guy to have as our guy (never gets into stupid off the field trouble [knock on wood], doesn't demand more money, doesn't even look to be traded, and works harder than almost every player in the L). We need to relieve some of the duties in setting up the plays, whether that be a point forward or another guard in here (Navarro, i'm telling y'all this guy is a beast). We need to add some inside presence. But I don't see how alienating a top 15 player helps us get any closer to a championship, and when you think about it isn't that what this is all about?

So can't we all just get along???

"I just witnessed the Sixers give away A.I. to become a slightly worse team with now worse future prospects."

Sixers actually played better after AI was shipped out. They are in the lottery and have a slim shot at getting an impact player.

Rob & Sean,

I apologize for my part in the "war" on the blog. I am a true Wizards fan and I support and like all of the players. However, when I saw CONSTANT inane criticsm of Gil I had to "speak" up. And of course, he could not let me have the last word - and I could not let him have the last word. Now, because he went over to the Skins blog and I "outed" him there he has taken to posting mean comments aimed at me under the name "another girl."

Anyway, I am truly done with it. As you guys stated this is a blog meant for people to comment on the Wiz and I will not be addressing anything other than that - no matter who has the last word.

Again, I apologize for my part in the insanity.

Lisa is clearly delusional if she thinks I'm using a different alias and also following her over to the skins blog. If she wants, she can email the the webmaster at the Post to compare my IP address with "another girl" and her dumb self will find out that it's another person.

"Sixers actually played better after AI was shipped out. They are in the lottery and have a slim shot at getting an impact player."

No, trust me I live here, that team is actually slightly worse off than they were at the beginning of the year. Iverson wasn't getting along with Cheeks and was frustrated at the losing. They shipped him out and got Joe Smith and Andre Miller and kept losing. Following the all star break they go on a run the season was pretty much over and every game down the stretch when they faced a "good" team that needed a win the Sixers were handled. So now they have a worse lottery pick than they would have had if they just went young, and they are not nearly as dangerous or good for that matter as if they just kept Iverson and tried to do something around him. The local media (and my buddies who are avid Sixer fans) have been crucifying Billy King, waiting for the next screw-up.

Losing AI was a great thing to happen to the Sixers. I don't know Joe and Andre's contract situation, but it's possible that they are near the end of their contract and thus will have more room for free agents. They couldn't win with AI, so why not get rid of him?

I think Gilbert understands that to win a championship you have to have a point guard who can run the offense and I think there is a willingness there to move to 2 because that is what is best for the Wizards. We will see particularly if Navarro comes over or the Wizards draft Law IV.

I think Les BouleS debacle towards the end of this season is a good lesson for Gilby. If nothing else, it will serve to wake him up to realize that he can't do this alone....that he needs his teammates in order for the team to be successful.

Hopefully, he can get over the typical youthful standpoint that he has to score bigtime and strike fear in his peers in order to get respect. Put that aside and realize that it's about the team and winning championships, not individual accolades like a scoring title or a trip to all star weekend. Until he realizes that, we will get continuous doses of Gilbertology.

I think Les BouleS debacle towards the end of this season is a good lesson for Gilby. If nothing else, it will serve to wake him up to realize that he can't do this alone....that he needs his teammates in order for the team to be successful.

Hopefully, he can get over the typical youthful standpoint that he has to score bigtime and strike fear in his peers in order to get respect. Put that aside and realize that it's about the team and winning championships, not individual accolades like a scoring title or a trip to all star weekend. Until he realizes that, we will get continuous doses of Gilbertology.

I think Les BouleS debacle towards the end of this season is a good lesson for Gilby. If nothing else, it will serve to wake him up to realize that he can't do this alone....that he needs his teammates in order for the team to be successful.

Hopefully, he can get over the typical youthful standpoint that he has to score bigtime and strike fear in his peers in order to get respect. Put that aside and realize that it's about the team and winning championships, not individual accolades like a scoring title or a trip to all star weekend. Until he realizes that, we will get continuous doses of Gilbertology.

Cool, Lisa. Glad to have you back.

Did anyone see Caron Butler's interview with Comcast yesterday? Caron has a basketball camp going on and was talking about that as well as the future of the Wiz. This is nothing really new but Caron thinks they have the major players in place. He was asked about Brendan. Caron said that he loves Brendan and that he hopes things work out but that Eddie is their "Captain" and Brendan is going to have to do what he says or move on.....well, words to that effect.

Let's put aside whether Diaw and Stoudamire should have been suspended. If they decided to suspend them, why wouldn't the league look at the entire circumstances (with Horry as instigator) and suspend one guy for game 5, the other for game 6?

League is by the rules. Without rules, there's anarchy, but what's wrong with anarchy? All jokes aside, if he spread out the suspensions as you recommended, that would mean he's obviously tinkering with the potential outcomes of the games when it's the players who caused the violations while fully knowing the consequences. Stern is a fair guy for the most part.

Sean, I agree with you....the league could have (should have)done it differently.

By suspending two of the Suns players, especially Stoudemire, Stu Jackson has practically guaranteed the Spurs a win tonight.

The NBA would have spread out the suspensions only if multiple players from one team had been suspended multiple games so that it impacted their ability to actually field the minimum number of players (8) for a game. As I recall, that's what they did after the Knicks/Heat brawl back when. Since it's only two guys 1 game each, it's not a factor here.

The Spurs are hardly guaranteed a win. The Suns are playing at home with the best PG in the game running their show. They're used to playing (and winning) without Stoudemire, they played without him all last season. A Spurs win is far from a given.

Thank you!!Oh Ye Wiz Owl Wizard, Sean & Lisa! Thank God!! back to wize baskeball counsel & discussion!! Now - please speak oh wize ones as to how you think this team may line up this year(If possible) They tend to change things after summer camp. Thats where Jordan picks his "bench" or lack there of.

Incidently - If the Utah-Golden State games wasn't a technicolor proposal in avoiding "small ball" or did I miss it? They had Dallas no. but after that...no bench, no presence in paint & no chance.

Eddie J loves SMALL BALL - doesn't develop his Bigs. But this series was telling altho he had very talented players just no bench (except Ellis) no strong presnce in post, too many 3's .

I thought it amazing, Kirilenko improved with each series..pts increased over all.

AK47 is the odd man out in Utah. According to Ivan, all the plays that used to go through him are now going through Boozer. I'll bet they'll be open to trading him if they get a good offer. Both he and Boozer make about 13 mil.

He'd be tough to move though, since he makes 12.3 mil, but would work with AJ's contract. Utah may be in need for some veteran leadership and AJ gets to play with a great pass first guard in Deron Williams on a west coast team.

Since his little post-game meltdown, Kirilenko's been one of their best players. He came up huge against G.S. And Sloan likes his guys to play defense, so I doubt he'd welcome Jamison with open arms.

Question is given the choice, who would benefit Les BouleS more. AK47 or Pao Gasol? Do Les BouleS need a 4 or 5 more?

And the answer is there is no choice, because the Wiz don't have enough to offer to pull off such a trade.