Jordan might be able to retain his staff, but the question is, "In what city"?

pleeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaase keep hopla... please!!

EDDIE JORDAN FOR WIZARDS HEAD COACH!
EDDIE JORDAN FOR WIZARDS HEAD COACH!
EDDIE JORDAN FOR WIZARDS HEAD COACH!

EDDIE JORDAN FOR WARD 8 MAYOR!
EDDIE JORDAN FOR WARD 8 MAYOR!
EDDIE JORDAN FOR WARD 8 MAYOR!

ok....now...

Gilbert & Jamison & Mason ?????????

what do we do? we will not be able to trade Gilbert and get great value because he has not proven himself. With that being said....my vote goes as follows. Jamison back to his NC roots and we send him to the Bobcats, along with Blatche and a draft pick and we pick up Omeka Okafur and Jason Richerdon to make salaries match.

I think that unless there is a real prospect of Mike D'Antoni dropping into our laps that Eddie and his coaching staff should be retained. D'Antoni, though, is a special one.

Mike Wise's column to the contrary I do think we should at least consider trading our two oldest players (Jamison and Daniels) while they have real value and provided that we get value (youth and/or upside)in return ... I am not a back up the bus guy, but the league's power base is shifting a bit towards younger deeper teams and that is a model that EG should at least consider.

Hopla will stay...look at the results from Caron and BTH.

Wes Unseld Jr. is an employee for life as long as Abe owns the team.

Can the Wiz really win an NBA title running the Princeton offense when the Tigers don't even dominate the Ivy League with it every year?
It's time for Ernie to put pressure on Eddie to create a hybrid offense that suits the role players. Some one-on-one opps for Nick, post touches for Brendan, Darius and Etan so we aren't subjected to that silly weave at the top of the key at least twice a game. It's not fooling folks so let's update some things.. OK Eddie?

As for offseason moves: re-sign Twan and Gil, sign and trade Mason and see if you can unload Pesh to some Western Conference run and gun squad (Denver or Seattle). Draft Javale McGee or Mario Chalmers in the 1st round and pray the team stays healthy.

Jamison back to his NC roots and we send him to the Bobcats, along with Blatche and a draft pick and we pick up Omeka Okafur and Jason Richerdon to make salaries match.

The problem is the Bobcats wouldn't do that.

The Wizards can't sign-and-trade Mason because they don't have his Bird rights. if they sign him to a new deal, they'll have to wait until December to trade him.

"see if you can unload Pesh to some Western Conference run and gun squad (Denver or Seattle)."

Yeah, because there's nothing a run-and-gun team would want more than a slow footed, nonathletic 7-footer who doesn't play defense and jacks up 3s like they were on sale 2-for-1, despite hitting less than 30% of them.

Burke, Va.: Mike, when you say you don't read blogs, are you including the ones written by "real" reporters -- like Ivan Carter and Michael Lee's "Wizards Insider" here on the washingtonpost.com? Seems like a great place for them to give readers additional writing that they can't get column inches for in the dead tree edition...

Michael Wilbon: Those aren't blogs. That's marketing junk. They're opinionated reports that are edited by Post editors just like their stories in The Post. Their reports labeled as blogs to snare people who think they're getting something new and trendy. Please.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2008/05/02/DI2008050202300.html

Mason played himself into a bigger contract than we can afford. It was great having him here, especially with all the games Gil missed. Next year, hopefully Gil is healthy again, and NY can take on the fourth guard's minutes. Fill Mason's roster spot with a small, quick point.

One of the best thing about this past season is that it puts to rest a popular argument on this blog by some anonymous person and Gilby that Gilby has everything to do with Caron and AJ's success and them being all stars. Well, Gilby was out most of this season and these two dudes were allowed to elevate their games and showed that they were all stars and successful even without Gilby's help. Congrats again!

"but the league's power base is shifting a bit towards younger deeper teams ..."

I don't know about that. The 3 of the top contenders right now are all anchored by guys in their 30s: Duncan, Ginobili, Billups, Wallace, Hamilton, Garnett, Pierce, Allen.

"The problem is the Bobcats wouldn't do that."

Neither would Jamison.

Burke, Va.: Mike, when you say you don't read blogs, are you including the ones written by "real" reporters -- like Ivan Carter and Michael Lee's "Wizards Insider" here on the washingtonpost.com? Seems like a great place for them to give readers additional writing that they can't get column inches for in the dead tree edition...

Michael Wilbon: Those aren't blogs. That's marketing junk. They're opinionated reports that are edited by Post editors just like their stories in The Post. Their reports labeled as blogs to snare people who think they're getting something new and trendy. Please.

I think Mason's disappearing act in a couple of the playoff games made him Wiz-affordable.

"Michael Wilbon: Those aren't blogs. That's marketing junk. They're opinionated reports that are edited by Post editors just like their stories in The Post. Their reports labeled as blogs to snare people who think they're getting something new and trendy. Please."

I do admit that this blog site is heavily advertised and often affects speed.

by some anonymous person and Gilby that Gilby has everything to do with Caron and AJ's success and them being all stars.
Posted by: DC Man88 | May 5, 2008 2:32 PM

Umm, I think the anonymous person/persons you refer to are Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler who repeatedly said Gilbert makes them better. Or maybe you mean Eddie Jordan who said the same, or... well you get the point. It was not just some anonymous poster on this here forum.

Yeah, I'm sure Jamison is DYING to play for Larry Brown.

For those who are complaining about everything Wizards, let me drop a few names on you so you can appreciate the current crop of players and coaches:

Ike Austin
Calbert Cheaney
Courtney Alexander
Terry Davis
Otis Thorpe
Tyrone Nesby
Tyron Lue
Micheal Ruffin
Jahidi White
Mitch Richmond
Jerry Stackhouse
Christian Laetner
Hubert Davis
Wes Unsled
Gar Heard
etc. etc.

I don't see EG firing Eddie, but he may want to see some major alternations to the coaching staff. A coach is only as good as his players and we haven't had a full compliment of players since February of the last year when Jamison hurt his knee. At the time, people were calling the Wiz the Suns of the East and GA was being mentioned as an MVP candidate.

Funny after a year and two knee surgeries, people want GA traded and Eddie gone as well. These same people were chanting MVP for Agent Zero when he hit two buzzer beaters in a month last year. I think that adding quality depth up front behind Jamison/BTH and shifting Caron to SG are the biggest tweaks we need. I'd like to see the FULL team play for at least 20 games next year before making any major trades.

Agent Zero may decide not to opt out if his knee isn't 100% by July 1st.
I don't see any team giving him a 5-year deal when he hasn't played in over a year and isn't sure to be 100% for next year. I've found that EG is a man of his word and he'll do everything possible to resign both AJ and GA for next year.

Ivan, what happens to this blog? Does it just disappear or is it staying open for Mike Lee's stories only? If it's true that you get the summer off unless there's major Wiz news, can you please send me an application? I need a gig like yours.
Hang out in different cities, chill with the players, go to games for free, write a few paragraphs here every couple of days or an article 2-3 times a week, cash a WaPo check every couple weeks. Sweet.

To look at this list is to rememeber how incompentent the wizards management was before Ernie Grunfeld. The Wiz have a nice core and are not far off from going to deep into the playoffs. Keep the this core intact for two more years.

By the way, does anyone remember that Wilbon wrote an article called "I Like Ike" when the Wiz/Bullets traded Ben Wallace for Ike Austin.

That trade alone set the franchise back several years. How long did Ike last? one year?

Ike Austin
Calbert Cheaney
Courtney Alexander
Terry Davis
Otis Thorpe
Tyrone Nesby
Tyron Lue
Micheal Ruffin
Jahidi White
Mitch Richmond
Jerry Stackhouse
Christian Laetner
Hubert Davis
Wes Unsled
Gar Heard
etc. etc.

"Umm, I think the anonymous person/persons you refer to are Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler who repeatedly said Gilbert makes them better. Or maybe you mean Eddie Jordan who said the same, or... well you get the point. It was not just some anonymous poster on this here forum.

Posted by: | May 5, 2008 3:11 PM "

What else do you expect teammates to say?

The proof is in the pudding. Both Caron and AJ made the all star team and elevated their games this season without help from Gilby.

Jamison back to his NC roots and we send him to the Bobcats, along with Blatche and a draft pick and we pick up Omeka Okafur and Jason Richerdon to make salaries match.

The problem is the Bobcats wouldn't do that.

Posted by: Keithinator | May 5, 2008 2:16 PM

Charlotte would be crazy to give up TWO starters that average 35 points and 15 rebounds (Okafor & Richardson) - for a Starter and reserve.

AND - Okafor is a free agent, and will want way more than the $5.5 Million he played for this year... so once he signs a new deal, the salaries would not match...

Assuming the Wiz can sign Jamison for around $10 Mil/year... Blatche is at about $2.5 Mil ...Richardson is at $11M.... SO - Jamison and Blatche for Richardson works, but I REALLY doubt the Wizards would do that deal.

Mason played himself into a bigger contract than we can afford. It was great having him here, especially with all the games Gil missed. Next year, hopefully Gil is healthy again, and NY can take on the fourth guard's minutes. Fill Mason's roster spot with a small, quick point.

Posted by: | May 5, 2008 2:30 PM

I disagree... UNLESS someone offers Mason a Full Mid-Level exception ($5-6 Million), I think the Wizards can re-sign Mason for $3 - $3.5 Mil per year...

I can't see why people are so crazy about Mason. He's a guy who's always looking for his shot and does not do anything well enough to start. Also, he's a bit slow and lacking in defense. Oh sure, he's good for getting his shot off here and there, but what is the point of keeping a guy who's a very one dimensional player?

Keeping Mason is just going to take PT from the players they need to develop, like NY.

not sure how that charlotte trade would even work out, money-wise: richardson makes 11+ mil, jamison wil probably be at about 10 mil or so, blatche will be at what? 3 mil? and okafor has been reported as saying he wants the max for his tier. plus, do we really want to pay a guy max money who this past year only got a few more points and a couple more boards than haywood?

assuming we can get jamison at about 9-10 mil a year, i'm not sure why we'd want to trade him. that would give us 2 players who average about 20 pts per at the 9-10 mil range.

one potential team i see us working with is memphis. they're clearly in rebuilding mode. and they have 3 young pg. one of their young pgs, along with miller (who would be huge off the bench for us) for thomas/daniels and pesch... would be something we could look into. losing daniels would hurt if gilbert goes down for a long stretch again, but he might be more attractive to memphis because of his contract. though...thomas, especially if he is going to play next year, could add some size for them temporarily. they really have no one at the pf or c spot.

Mason will most likely be wearing a Spurs uniform next season. They'll have lots of cap and roster space as about half of their roster are (A) FAs and (B) over 30. They wanted Mason last summer and there's no reason to think his stock hasn't risen since then. And it's not just about money. The Spurs aren't likely to re-sign either Barry or Finley, so they'll have a starting SG slot open. He's not likely to pass up a possible starting gig with a perennial contender for a chance to play backup on a mid-level playoff team. Esp. if Arenas returns, which would further cut into his PT.

Re: the Bobcats trade, MJ would never trade two of his young studs for two aging veterans. AJ may end up here by default due to a combination of his age and the lack of cap space of desirable teams. I don't see him signing with a team like the Grizzlies or Bobcats even if they offered him more than the Wiz. If he wants a shot at a championship, he'd have to be willing to take a mid-cap exception and play for a team in the West like Houston or San Antonio. Don't see him doing that either.

JC,

Thomas has no real trade value until he enters the last year of his deal, which won't be until 2010. And since Miller's contract expires at the same time, trading one for the other does nothing to help the Grizzlies' cap situation (which, given their full scale rebuilding effort, is probably more important than who's actually on the roster). Pecherov hasn't done anything to make anyone want him enough to give up more than a 2nd round pick. And even that is iffy.

It's pretty clear that they plan to use some of their young PGs as trade bait 9and there are even rumors afloat that they may take another one (Derrick Rose) in this year's draft. But the Wiz have nothing to offer them that's going to attract their attention.

I think the people on this board really undervalue Mason, Songalia, and Daniels. These are solid NBA players. They do the little things that don't always show up in stats. On the other hand for some reason you all overvalue Andray Blatche who hasn't really shown me much in his playing time. Everyone on here wants to build an All-Star team which is impossible unless Abe starts spending money like Mark Cuban and that's not going to happen.

Burke, Va.: Mike, when you say you don't read blogs, are you including the ones written by "real" reporters -- like Ivan Carter and Michael Lee's "Wizards Insider" here on the washingtonpost.com? Seems like a great place for them to give readers additional writing that they can't get column inches for in the dead tree edition...

Michael Wilbon: Those aren't blogs. That's marketing junk. They're opinionated reports that are edited by Post editors just like their stories in The Post. Their reports labeled as blogs to snare people who think they're getting something new and trendy. Please.

I guess Wilbon and Ivan Carter aren't close, eh?

Hey man, don't be lumping me in there with lamers like Ike Austin. I could play some. Plus for a while I was the best rapper in Lithuania. http://www.nesbyworld.com/

How did he ever get to be a commentator for NBA games? He knows absolutely nothing about the game.

This was interesting:

http://www.82games.com/FGTEAM15.HTM

Interesting to note that the Wizards, who too often were a jump shooting team, had the league's second worst two point FG%, and had the second highest inside shot FG%, though were in the bottom third in the amount of inside shots taken.

Because they're a small team, they took very few inside shots run off set plays. As a result, most of the ones they did take tended to be easier looks, like putbacks or fastbreak run outs. Teams that actually run a low post half-court offense or do a lot of dribble penetration tend to take tougher shots inside because they're going to more heavily guarded and contested.

I can't see why people are so crazy about Mason. He's a guy who's always looking for his shot and does not do anything well enough to start. Also, he's a bit slow and lacking in defense. Oh sure, he's good for getting his shot off here and there, but what is the point of keeping a guy who's a very one dimensional player?

Keeping Mason is just going to take PT from the players they need to develop, like NY.

Posted by: DC Man88 | May 5, 2008 3:28 PM

On the other hand, if Mason can be had at a reasonable price... there's room on the squad for a guy that can hit the open 3-pointer; play good team defense; and play point guard in an emergency.

Let's face it, if something were to happen to either Stevenson or Young, the Wizards would then be in the same position they were this year at PG.

Another option would be if Caron Butler were to work on his handle this off-season and come back next year as a SG. Jordan did use Butler in certain situations at Shooting Guard this year.... It would allow them to move Stevenson to the bench. It also would allow Blatche/Jamison to play together as SF/PF (which one plays where would depend on match ups, etc...) OR better yet, it would allow them to acquire a true POWER forward and move Jamison to the SF position...

Fire EJ!!!! Even with injuries, this team has underachieved for the past 4 years! 11 20 point losses, big leads blown, etc... come on!!! The East has been weak now from teams 4 and below. There is no reason the Wiz shouldn't have won 50 games, except for poor coaching. How many games did the coaches let the players take only jump shots the last 8 minutes of games??!! No leadership! Where was Young during the playoffs? Where was Blatche during the playoffs? Why did Gil play so much with NO chemistry with his teammates??? The inmates began to run the asylum!!! There is enough talent on this team right now without Gil to win 50 games or more! GET A COACH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Jamison as SF thing has been floated before. But if you think he's a defensive liability guarding big men down low, you don't want to see him trying to cover the likes of James, Pierce, Iguodala, etc. on the perimeter.

The Jamison as SF thing has been floated before. But if you think he's a defensive liability guarding big men down low, you don't want to see him trying to cover the likes of James, Pierce, Iguodala, etc. on the perimeter.

Posted by: kalorama | May 5, 2008 4:41 PM

That's true, but I'm sure they wouldn't want to see James, Pierce, or Iguodala trying to guard Jamison in the post either. It would at least allow the flexibility to create mismatches. Nothing wrong with a little versatility in the lineup.

kal,

i agree that etan doesn't have a lot of trade value. my thinking with memphis is that they probably want to part ways with miller, if for no other reason than to allow for more playing time/shots from their young players. thomas wouldn't take away from that. not to mention, with the exception of warrick, who's not really a true pf, etan is actually _better_ than any of their current 4s and 5s (or at least on par with milicic). and pesch could be a contributor for them and a young player to develop -- they're going to need affordable bench players eventually too.

plus, thomas and pesch (even after the trade kicker for thomas kicks in) are still cheaper than miller and lowry/conley/crittenton. substitute daniels for thomas and it's even cheaper.

either way, with brown off the payroll, the grizzlies will be about $11.5 mil under the cap. of course this all depends on who they draft. also, the wizards should be willing to throw in a future conditional first round pick to sweeten the pot. this trade would make us smaller overall, but we could basically focus on nothing but big men in the draft).

but otherwise, we don't really have anything to give up, unless we are looking to blow up the team, and we won't have any money to add players. so we just better hope are main guys get healthy and our young guys improve (both of which i believe will happen next year).

"I don't know about that. The 3 of the top contenders right now are all anchored by guys in their 30s: Duncan, Ginobili, Billups, Wallace, Hamilton, Garnett, Pierce, Allen"

Posted by: kalorama | May 5, 2008 2:32 PM

Kal - You forgot to mention cream of the crop.

Hornets - with C Paul, D West and T Chandler.

Lakers - with Kobe, Pau and Odom

and Utah - with Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer

They are all in their 30s and in the league for 10 plus years already.

I guess Wilbon and Ivan Carter aren't close, eh?

Posted by: Thems be fightin words | May 5, 2008 3:47 PM

The point Wilbon made was that the WaPo has called the Wizards Insider as "blogs" instead of reports. That is what he refers to as marketing ploy. No need to make Wilbon and Carter "unclose friends".

We won't have the money or minutes for Mason. It'd be nice to keep him for a small amount because he'd be a valuable chip come trading deadline, but its not in the cards.

Wes Jr and AJ both have jobs as long as they want them via Mr. Polin. I expect little change this offseason. It won't be long until people start wondering about how long Caron was wasted with this lineup.

As long as Abe owns the show he will choose the playoffs and a first or second round out over a major shift with a shot at the Eastern Conference title.

"plus, thomas and pesch (even after the trade kicker for thomas kicks in) are still cheaper than miller and lowry/conley/crittenton. substitute daniels for thomas and it's even cheaper."

Cheaper isn't really an issue, because in order to make a trade the salaries have to match, if they're over the cap. And if they're below the cap as much as you say, they'll have better options when it comes to deal making than Etan.

If they do want to part ways with Miller, the main goal will be to get more cap flexibility/young players/or good draft picks, the things a team in stage one rebuilding mode most need. Thomas fills none of those needs. Also, they got the rights to Pau Gasol's brother (Marc?) in the Lakers trade, and he's a big guy who supposedly has much potential, so that takes care of that.

Aside from the big three, the Wiz have nothing that any other team is going to want in a trade, at least not enough to give up anything really good (and Miller is really good). There may be some interest in Blatche, but between his spottiness on the court and the small size of his contract, he's not going to fetch much in return.

"They are all in their 30s and in the league for 10 plus years already."

Ohh, that was clever. You come up with that yourself or did you subcontract, now that the writer's strike is over.

Utah is a good team, but not favored to win the West or the title this year. New Orleans has surprised people so far, but most observers pick the Spurs to beat them. Kobe turns 30 in 3 months and has, in fact, been in the NBA for 12 years.

But, y'know, other than the fact that you got almost everything wrong, you were spot on.

As usual.

Jackass.

"That's true, but I'm sure they wouldn't want to see James, Pierce, or Iguodala trying to guard Jamison in the post either."

Don't see why not. Jamison is not a physical inside power player, who punishes people on the block. James is the same height and heavier/stronger than Jamison, Pierce weighs about the same, and they're all quicker and more athletic. If anything, Jamison has a better matchup advantage when he's guarded by bigger guys.

Posted by: Fortune Teller | May 5, 2008 4:53 PM
Seems to be 20 year olds in the list like Chris Paul who is 23.

To finish the point, Jamison (at 6'9", 235 lbs listed) is not significantly bigger than a lot of today's NBA SFs. In fact, he's actually smaller (in height, weight or both) than a lot of them.

Yes, please finish your point, Kalorama. We're all waiting with baited breath.

I was wondering what that smell was.

BTW, the term is "bated breath" genius.

I did not agree with Wilbon's column on Saturday that basically states that because the Cavs have a truly gifted and great player in Lebron, this is the reason they won and apparently will always beat the currently constructed Wizards.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/03/AR2008050300082.html

Here is the comment I just posted to his column:

I am not sure I agree with you, Mr Wilbon. A better indicator of what happened in this series would be to say that the Cavs had a healthy Lebron and the Wiz did not have a healthy Arenas nor a fully healthy Butler.

Until you play the series with the Cavs when the Wizards have their best players healthy and they still lose, your point is not made.

All the past teams you mentioned with truly great players (Bird, Majic, MJ, Duncan, etc) that have won most of the recent championships also had some very good supporting players. Cleveland does not have supporting players that could be called very good.

Spurs were indeed interested in Roger last offseason, but it was for backup 2. It seems a stretch to think of Roger as the starting 2 for a team like San Antonio, especially with the quality they've had at that position for so many years. On the other hand they are getting old at that position, but still, you'd think a championship team would make other arrangements to fill that slot than spend a big wad of its MLE on a guy like Roger. It'll be interested to see just how far they'll be willing pursue him.

I actually thought Wilbon's point was pretty good. Mike Wise made a pretty good point about continuity, as well, although he failed to note that the Pistons didn't win it until they traded for Rasheed in the middle of that season. I think he also overlooked the Gasol trade this year for the Lakers. Contuinity wouldn't have done the the Celtics any good this year, either.

I hope those Celtics kick the sh*t out of the Cavs... Love to see a sweep, and love to see KG dish out some of those hard fouls to the Cleveland Town Crier.

Seems like Ernie is leaning toward continuity on the court. Not so sure about the coaching staff, what with their one-year contracts coming up.

The Wizards won't win until Honest Abe stops being so cheap. Can't wait til Leonsis is running the show. I mean, look what he's done for the Caps.

My vote: keep them all (EJ, GA, AJ) unless we have a chance at a top 10 player.

Caveat: No max deal for Gil.

Sign Josh Smith and F the Luxury tax.
C Brenden Haywood
PF Jamison
SF Josh Smith
SG Caron Butler
PG Arenas

OOOOOOOO please do it even though Atlanta can match Smiths offer...they have to also match Childress's offer. So, we will see.
Do it Ernie Do it

"The point Wilbon made was that the WaPo has called the Wizards Insider as "blogs" instead of reports. That is what he refers to as marketing ploy. No need to make Wilbon and Carter "unclose friends".

Posted by: | May 5, 2008 4:58 PM "

I heard that Ivan called Wilbon overrated, and that he could have done a better job on FCP.

Speaking of FCP, why the heck are Kornheiser and Dupree still on the panel? Both are not covering the NBA on a regular basis, but both are good at trashing the Wiz.

"Another option would be if Caron Butler were to work on his handle this off-season and come back next year as a SG. Jordan did use Butler in certain situations at Shooting Guard this year.... It would allow them to move Stevenson to the bench. It also would allow Blatche/Jamison to play together as SF/PF (which one plays where would depend on match ups, etc...) OR better yet, it would allow them to acquire a true POWER forward and move Jamison to the SF position...

Posted by: Rook | May 5, 2008 4:13 PM "

Having Caron at the 2 could work, but then people are also calling for Gilby to be put at the 2. So, who's a better 2, Caron or Gilby?

"How did he ever get to be a commentator for NBA games? He knows absolutely nothing about the game.

Posted by: Michael Wilbon is an Idiot | May 5, 2008 3:59 PM "

How did that loudmouth Steven A. Smith (ska Arsenio Hall Jr.) become an analyst too?

We need Eddie back.
And I think the Wizards should sign gilbert and aj back. Since gilber will consider a pay cut i say we should give gil and aj 10m base salary and bring larry hueghs back here. Trade Etan or deshawn for him.

Gil--------AD
larry------Young
caron------songaila
aj---------blatche
brendan----thomas

If I were king of Wizards basketball, I'd let EG do whatever he thinks is best. If I were forced to make the decisions, I'd keep EJ (if I trust him enough to keep him, I also let him choose who he wants as assistants). He did a great job this year, and Ayers really helped, their D was much better...

HOWEVER, I'd have one condition under which EJ must work: FEWER minutes for the stars. He MUST develop his young guys better, trust them more, and give them time to grow. Even if it costs a win or two in the regular season, it HAS to have actually occurred to him that maybe we don't have injury prone guys as much as we have guys who play too many minutes and thus end up demanding more of their bodies than they should during the long middle months of the regular season. He says, routinely, "they are tough, they WANT the minutes." Of course they do. It's EJ's job to say "no" for the good of the team later on.

I would keep AJ and GA, despite the fact that neither has a natural position, which makes each of them a bit of a liability on D. I've read people here write that AD should go, and I could NOT disagree more. He is the only pure PG we had this year, he doesn't turn the ball over, and is perfect for us off of the bench.

Keeping Mason would be a luxury. Do it if possible, but getting (at least) one more big body would be a huge boost. We have a ton of skinny tall guys, we need at least one big-boned big man who is not easy to shove around (Roy Hibbert, perhaps, in the draft? One can dream, right?). I was amazed at how many legit bigs Cleveland could throw at us that we had no answer for other than Haywood (who improved a ton this year).

Next year's roster (dreaming):

C Hibbert
C Haywood
C-F Blatche
C-F Thomas
C-F Pesh
F Jamison
F D-Mac
F Songaila (please don't play him 1 more minute at C)
F-G Butler
G Arenas
G Stevenson
G NY
G Mason
G Daniels

If I were king, Songaila would only get enough minutes to stay engaged. I love his passing, his smarts, his court awareness, and I want him on this team--as a 9th or 10th man.

Pesh (who I WANT to like) and Thomas (who now must accept a secondary role to a suddenly-established Haywood) are on the bubble.

The 15th spot would be taken by either a pure PF if we could find a free agent PF with legit size, or a PG that we could draft in the second round and be patient with as he develops (nice luxury there).

If we can't draft Hibbert, I wouldn't argue we NEED a C, but I would argue we need either a C or a PF who do not get jumped over by all the Cleveland PFs and Cs.

Bidness is bidness....they always bow to the winner...

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2008/news/story?id=3381471

Well, just as I hit submit, I thought "my roster is pretty thin on SFs..."

So if there is any way to let Thomas walk, or if Mason DOES go, use the mid-level for a SF...

"So if there is any way to let Thomas walk, or if Mason DOES go, use the mid-level for a SF...

Posted by: psdfx | May 5, 2008 9:48 PM "

I know the team can negotiate a buyout, but what incentive would ET have if he can sit and collect his check? It will still count against the cap.

"It will still count against the cap."

Posted by: DC Man88 | May 5, 2008 9:52 PM

Hmmm... Wasn't sure how that worked. That kind of stinks. You'd think ET is just the kind of guy we need on the bench, but for some reason I do not have high hopes. Maybe his return will offer a pleasant surprise.

Tempers tempers Kal. :-(

"Kobe turns 30 in 3 months"

That means he's still in his 20s. correct?

But, y'know, other than the fact that you got almost everything wrong, you were spot on."

Ooops, I got everybody wrong except Kobe. Way to go!!! So every one in the list are old/

"Utah is a good team, but not favored to win the West or the title this year. New Orleans has surprised people so far, but most observers pick the Spurs to beat them"

Funny but I heard most observers picks either the Lakers or the Jazz that will come out on top in the West. Try again!

On Sportsnet tonight, they did a segment asking Wiz players their favorite moments on and off the court this season. Deshawn said his favorite off the court moment was watching Brendan's impression of Lebron "They are trying to hurt me."

If the Wiz just get a quality starting pg and move Gil to the two...many of their problems will be solved. Upon further review, I would only trade Gil for EBrand if they threw in a couple of draft picks.

Cleveland does not have supporting players that could be called very good.

Posted by: Tim | May 5, 2008 5:32 PM

Boobie and Wally were an illusion?

"Funny but I heard most observers picks either the Lakers or the Jazz that will come out on top in the West. Try again!"

Reading is your friend. You should try it some time. I never said the Spurs were picked to come out of the West (although the fact is that many commentators did pick them, certainly more than picked the Jazz; I can only imagine what your supposed "observers" were looking at). I said most people picked the Spurs to beat New Orleans before the series started.

,i>"Spurs were indeed interested in Roger last offseason, but it was for backup 2. It seems a stretch to think of Roger as the starting 2 for a team like San Antonio, especially with the quality they've had at that position for so many years."

They wanted him for a backup then because (A) they already had a starter and (B) he hadn't proved himself effective as a starter. Neither of things is likely to be the case next season, when they probably won't re-sign Barry or Finley. I'm not saying he'd be guaranteed a starting job, but unless they manage to get an established star, I would think Mason would have a chance to compete for the position in training camp, which probably would not be the case in D.C.

As for the "quality" of their previous SGs: the SGs on their first title team were Georgetown's own Jaren Jackson, who was out of the league soon after, and an over the hill Mario Elie. The starter on their second title team was Stephen Jackson, at the time an unknown journeymen, 2nd round pick, who spent time overseas and in the CBA before latching onto in the NBA. Then there's Michael Finley, a great player in his day, but well past his prime by the time the Spurs pocked him up. I think Mason would be able to live up to that storied legacy.

cp3 is >30??

How could anyone in DC watch that series and think that this team, even with a health Gilbert Arenas, could compete for a title? They would need the world's greatest coach to even come close, not Eddie Jordan who runs a playground offense, and whose players are unable to control their emotions. The Wiz need to blow this team up and start over with better pieces. But of course, they'll continue to plod along in mediocrity until the "Big 3" get too old to be worth anything, and they they'll start over with no bargaining chips , five years later than they should have.

Cleveland does not have supporting players that could be called very good.

Posted by: Tim | May 5, 2008 5:32 PM

Boobie and Wally were an illusion?

Posted by: AJfan | May 5, 2008 11:16 PM

Booby and Wally aren't even close to being Pippen and Rodmen or Worthy and Jabbar or McHale and the Chief. That is what I'm saying.

A healthy Wizard team might have beaten the Cavs with Lebron.

To put it another way:

I don't see the Cavs as they are currently constructed winning a championship until Lebron has 1 or 2 all star calliber supporting players on the team.

"Ike Austin
Calbert Cheaney
Courtney Alexander
Terry Davis
Otis Thorpe
Tyrone Nesby
Tyron Lue
Micheal Ruffin
Jahidi White
Mitch Richmond
Jerry Stackhouse
Christian Laetner
Hubert Davis
Wes Unsled
Gar Heard
etc. etc."

Please is that all you could come up with??

No God Shammgod reference??

What about

Kevin Duckworth
Rod Strickland
John Hot Plate Williams
Rex Chapman
Kenny Sky Walker
Tom Hammonds
Mel Turpin
Labradford Smith
Don Maclean
Pervis Ellison
Larry Stewart

After looking at some stats comparing what we did in the regular season with what we did in the playoffs, I noticed a couple of things...
We scored 6 fewer points per game (92 vs 98) but also gave up 4 fewer points per game 95.5 vs 99).
Our fg% was .020 lower(.426 vs .446)in the playoffs but our defense forced the Cavs to shoot .030 lower than our regular season opponents (.431 vs .461) . Our 3 point fg% was .050 lower (.305 vs .356) while the Cavs shot about the same as our regular season opp. (.382 vs .386). Our assists per game were down 4 per game (15.6 vs 19.6) and our rebounds were down (37 vs. 41.5) per game.
Based on this quick glance at some stats, it doesn't appear that our defense was the primary problem. Well, defensive rebounding was but scoring seems to be the main issue here. We all keep concentrating on improving defense as the key to success against the Cavs but improving offensive efficiency would probably work just as well. Against other teams, we should concentrate on defense more but I think that the key to beating LeBron is outscoring him rather than outdefending him.
Getting out into transition is probably our best means of success. Of course, that means rebounding. Catch-22 with no simple solution. I think what it boils down to is that when they went hard after CB when he got the ball, other guys needed to make shots or make an extra pass to get a good shot. When RM made shots, we won big. Somebody needed to step up and make them pay for trapping and doubling Caron, Hopefully with Gil back, we won't have that problem.

"Reading is your friend. You should try it some time"

Yes, I tried reading your original blog again and it still sounds stupid.

"I said most people picked the Spurs to beat New Orleans before the series started"

So who do you pick will win?

Kal, a championship team would more likely pursue quality than spend a big chunk of its MLE on a guy like Mason. It's ridiculous to think of Roger Mason Jr as starting SG for the San Antonio Spurs, unless he's there as a back-up and both Finley and Ginobili are injured.

If the SG position as manned by Deshawn Stevenson is out of Roger's reach then it's saying something pretty weak about the Spurs at that position if Roger's competing for the starting job in S.A. They've had former All Stars Finley and Ginobili as their two guys at SG, with one of the game's best 3-point shooters Brent Barry behind them. Yes, they're getting old, but I'd be surprised if San Antonio allows that spot to degrade to the degree that Roger Mason Jr is competing to start.

Roger's a good, but not great, spot-up shooter. He's a passable, but not particularly good, defender. He's an OK, but not particularly good, ball-handler. He does a lot of things OK, and makes for a good back-up. He's just not the starting SG for a team that's used to playing for championship rings.

As for former players I wasn't going back to the Twin Towers era, when you had two 7-footers dominating the paint. But even on those squads you had guys like Steve Smith and a pure shooter like Steve Kerr. Even a past-his-prime Mario Elie was a more solid player at the 2 than Roger is right now. And to compare Roger to Michael Finley is just silly. Remember Michael last year in the playoffs? Remember Roger this year?

It's clear after watching the playoffs so far that not only does speed and defense kills, but athleticism kills also.

Look at how the Hawks took the Celts to game 7, an 8th seed. Look at how an uber athletic Lebron just jumped and danced his way through the Wiz, and look at how the young, hungry, and athletic Hornets are beating the fundamentally sound Spurs after killing the Mavs. Look at how the Lakers killed the Nuggets who don't play defense, and how the Pistons are beating the Magic.

The Wiz clearly need to get more athletic and both offensive and defensive oriented up front, and defensive oriented in the back. That means making a push to get Josh Smith and a guard like Devin Harris.

I don't see the Cavs as they are currently constructed winning a championship until Lebron has 1 or 2 all star calliber supporting players on the team.

Posted by: Tim | May 6, 2008 7:28 AM

Lebron's already had/has all-star caliber players. Larry Hughes, Wally World, Ben Wallace, Big Z, Joe Smith... all of those guys have been all-star caliber before, but it's funny how they all become no good when they play with Lebron, despite how much "better he makes his teammates." Could it be that Lebron doesn't make his teammates better?

Their offense (which is the most boring in the league) revolves around giving Lebron the ball, setting the other players up outside the 3-point line, then letting Lebron do with it what he will. The other players' responsibility is solely to be ready to catch and release if Lebron decides to kick it out. Nobody short of Peja or Ray Allen would be all-star caliber in that offense.

The Wizards won't win until Honest Abe stops being so cheap. Can't wait til Leonsis is running the show. I mean, look what he's done for the Caps.

Posted by: C.Bell | May 5, 2008 6:21 PM

Ted Leonsis overpaid big stars several times in years past, and got nothing. This year he hired a bunch of young guys, and some veterans for not very much dinero. He also hired one smart coach named Bruce Boudreau.
For the next year, some of those young cheap guys are going to get new contracts and much larger paychecks. Ted will probably let go one or two of those, as the team is still losing money and has been losing money for the last 6 years.

Im my opinion....

Wizards + (Josh Smith or AK47) - AJ = Eastern Conference finals.

It just won't happen, though. AJ's our cap'n and isn't going anywhere.

Doesn't it suck that Tyson Chandler is one of the reasons for the Hornet's play against the Spurs? We all know about CP3 and David West but Chandler is the one getting the boards and defending anything in the paint. He's making Duncan look mighty average. Same with CP3 and Tony Longorio.
And to think we took Kwame because he outplayed Tyson in a scrimmage. Great job, MJ. Great frickin' job.

the team is still losing money and has been losing money for the last 6 years.

Posted by: rgz | May 6, 2008 10:15 AM
Correction to myself, maybe losing money for close to ten years? He hired Jaromir Jagr seven years ago, so he's been spending bunches of cash for a while.

This year with a smaller payroll the Caps team have gotten to the playoffs.

Lebron is a point forward, most suited to Don Nelson's game.
He should move to GSW or maybe the Cavaliers should hire Nelson.

I don't think our problem is coaching, defense or offense. I think it is we can never adjust to playoff style basketball which is equivalent to football or rugby. There is a reason the Spurs, Pistons, and Cavs are succeeding and it is because the refs allow a different brand of basketball in the playoffs. I see a lot of less physical teams looking for calls in the playoffs. When they try to adjust you see flagrant fouls like the ones committed by Brendan Haywood, J. Kidd and Marvin Williams. The league wants a free flowing offensive game and then they change up in April when the playoffs start.

this is the sad list of 2008 free agents. maybe we can get Matt Barnes. He fits our offense well.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=2008FreeAgents

Im my opinion....

Wizards + (Josh Smith or AK47) - AJ = Eastern Conference finals.

It just won't happen, though. AJ's our cap'n and isn't going anywhere.

Posted by: mark | May 6, 2008 10:16 AM
-----------------------------------------

I like the idea gives us to good defensive presences..and also some offense...but not going to happen..i think the Hawks will keep Smith just because of how good they did in the playoffs..their entire team is young...they could be kept with each other for the next 7 years as long as they don get greedy

the player who i could see in a Wizards uniform next year is Jose Calderon...

that man can score 15 - 20 a game..get 8 or 10 assist a game..and when he drives he is nearly unstoppable he is like the next Tony parker when i comes to driving...and if we pick him up and drop Gilby we get a lot of cap space..

im sure DcMann88 is down for this move right???

what is wrong with everyone who is suggesting Caron move to SG? the guy is one of the top SF's in the league, and has continued to improve each year. he is not a shooting-guard, and should not be moved into the back-court. Stevenson and Young will be a great 2-guard tandem, assuming Young can learn to play some semblance of defense this summer.

I think our best hope is in Blatche taking a leap this off-season, and giving us 30+ productive minutes next year at back-up C and PF.

Fulvio, I don't know Calderon's status but he's played really well at times and his stock is pretty high.
He's still a couple of steps below the old Gilbert in ability, though. When healthy, Gil was getting 28 and 6 assists a game. Plus he was money in the clutch. I'd take that over 18/9. Plus that was when Gil was looking to score. If he gets 6 dimes being 'selfish', I don't see how he can't get 9 or so looking to pass.

My View for Wizards Off-Season 08:

1.) Resign Jamison for 8-10 mil for 3 more seasons..if not able to try to get Josh Smith ot Andrie Kirilinko (AK47)

2.) Try to get Gil back for 13 mil a season at the max..the man is coming off (2) devastating knee-injuries..if not able to sign him sign Jose Calderon..he would be much cheaper and is much more productive...

3.) Re-Sign Mason....thats going to be tough with all they money we are going to have flying around to these guys..Oh how i WISH Danny Snyder was the Wizards owner..lol..if this doesnt happen then try to get Juan Dixon..or Jarvis Hayes back..

4.) Hope for a good player falls to us in the draft...

1st Option for Next Season:

PG- Gilbert Arenas
SG- DeShawn Stevenson
SF- Caron Butler
PF- Antawn Jamison
C- Brendan Haywood

2nd Option:

PG- Jose Calderon
SG- DeShawn Stevenson
SF- Caron Butler
PF- Antawn Jamison
C- Brendan Haywood

3rd Option:

PG- Jose Calderon
SG- DeShawn Stevenson
SF- Caron Butler
PF- Josh Smith or AK47
C- Brendan Haywood

you guys haven't started summer vacation yet? get moving! and one mmore thing...

get rid of agent dildo.

you guys haven't started summer vacation yet? get moving! and one mmore thing...

get rid of agent dildo.

Posted by: | May 6, 2008 11:26 AM
I suppose school kids take summer vacation. Us poor grups just keep working, and posting on this forum.

Fulvio, I think it will take about 17M/yr to sign Arenas, and 13 to sign Jamison. That reverses their "order" with a slight increase from last year (Jamison 16M, Arenas 11.9M).
Veremeenko, the Russian guy will come over and join the young guys for summer league, but I don't think he will sign or be offered a job this year. Someone else has pointed out that the Wiz are already overloaded at the PF/C spot. Unless he is signed and then immediately packaged to another team. If he shows the ability to bang down low, rebound AND shoot 18 footers, he might get signed.
Mason will walk. Another veteran free agent PG will be signed.

Playoff defense is different than regular season defense. The Wizards played some good regular season D all the way through the end of their season. Too often they were satisfied with it. Meanwhile Mike Brown's shining accomplishment is his defensive acumen. He was Carlisle's defensive coach for awhile then worked in San Antonio.

The Cavs defense was the real reason they went to the Finals last year and why they beat the Wizards in 6 this year. They aren't as good as last year since the trade but they were able to put together stretches for which Eddie had no answers.

The "starting" 2 guard for the Spurs is the guy who holds the spot until they bring Ginobli in. Right now thats Michael Finley who played all of 15 minutes last night. Mason's bargain spot from last season was taken by Ime Udoka. The Spurs may offer Mason more this time around but lets not get carried away with his role.

They also have a history of taking guys with more experience in greater roles and finding spots. This would be the direct opposite of that if you think Roger Mason is all of a sudden play 30 minutes a night for them.

Given that Abe wants Eddie and AJ back the only pieces Ernie can play with are drafts picks, AD, Deshawn, Songalia, and Haywood. There's some value there, but nothing earth shattering.

Memphis is hungry for tougher players. They are going to get better bids for Miller though.

Denver would like to move Nene or K Mart. There are plenty of other teams already into the luxury tax that might want to save some money. Salaries have to be within 125%, not matching. So a team like Denver can move Nene's 9.6M 08/09 salary for 7.68M in salary (Songalia and Stevenson's salaries next year equal 7.8) double the difference and save almost 4M while replacing Najera with Songalia and adding to their league lead in tattoos.

"

the player who i could see in a Wizards uniform next year is Jose Calderon...

that man can score 15 - 20 a game..get 8 or 10 assist a game..and when he drives he is nearly unstoppable he is like the next Tony parker when i comes to driving...and if we pick him up and drop Gilby we get a lot of cap space..

im sure DcMann88 is down for this move right???

Posted by: Fulvio | May 6, 2008 11:16 AM "

I must say his numbers are very impressive, and he's a better shooter than Mason, so why not? I'd put him at the 1 and do a sign and trade with Gilby to go.

Also, I would only give AJ a long term deal (at a lower average) if he's willing to come off the bench as the 6th man, and I would try to get someone like Josh Smith at the 4. AJ coming off the bench would be a spark to the starters and would prolong his career.

EG needs to give away whatever he can to get personnel that are athletic, defensive oriented, team oriented, and with offensive capabilities.

The experiment with AB is done, and the OPech experiment will not bear fruit b/c he's not the type of player that likes to mix it up inside.

the player who i could see in a Wizards uniform next year is Jose Calderon...

that man can score 15 - 20 a game..get 8 or 10 assist a game..and when he drives he is nearly unstoppable he is like the next Tony parker when i comes to driving...and if we pick him up and drop Gilby we get a lot of cap space..

im sure DcMann88 is down for this move right???

Posted by: Fulvio | May 6, 2008 11:16 AM "

I must say his numbers are very impressive, and he's a better shooter than Mason, so why not? I'd put him at the 1 and do a sign and trade with Gilby to go.

what! sign and trade between gilby and calderon!! c'mon man r u kidding me! gilbert mean so much to this city if we trade him away for...i mean calderon...calderon!!!, that would be a big mistake and i think ernie wouldnt be that stupid to trade him...for calderon!?$^

but for brand, i like that

If we're overloaded at the PF/C position, we must be overloaded with the wrong guys. We got pounded on the boards. If our guys can't rebound, let's replace them with guys who can.

how bout trade arenas for brand, dont resign mason cause we need young to develop, sign another pg to back up daniels or through the draft(dj augustine might be available), kick pech off the team, keep jamision for the righ price (bout 9mil a year for 3 years) if he doenst accept, then maybe trade him for kirirenko

so pg daniels
sg butler
sf jamison
pf brand
c haywood

bench:sf young
pf blatche
pg augustine
sg stevenson
c thomas ( i want to trade this guy)
pf songaila
sf mcGuire

Fulvio the only way the Wiz has any money beyond the MLE is if Gilbert opts out AND they renounce his rights along with Jamison's. Then they'd be 12+ Million under the cap but without bird rights on those guys and needing a PG and a PF.

Calderon could get 8M on the market. Josh Smith deserves a big deal and should eclipse what Jamison gets annually and for the length of the deal.

IF you factor 16 for Gil, 10 for AJ along with annual bumps for the guys under contract we'll be right up against the luxury threshold before paying our draft picks. In that case, without any trades, we're looking at minimum salary FA's if any.

"Kal, a championship team would more likely pursue quality than spend a big chunk of its MLE on a guy like Mason. It's ridiculous to think of Roger Mason Jr as starting SG for the San Antonio Spurs, unless he's there as a back-up and both Finley and Ginobili are injured."

Finley is (A) an unrestricted FA (B) 35 years old and (C) at the end of his career. The odds of them resigning him are very slim. Same with Barry (who's 36). And it's well-established that Pop likes to bring Ginobili off the bench. The Spurs are an old team that needs to get younger. And Mason fills a specific role for them, a shooter who can catch and pop off Duncan's double team's or Parker or Ginobili's penetration. Mason's not a star but he's certainly a quality player in the role the Spurs need (which is why they wanted him last season).

It's not like they're going to give him max money. But it's hardly far-fetched that they'd sign him to MLE deal, given that that's what they originally signed both Finley and Barry to. You look at their roster now and, aside from their big three, they've got a lot of guys who aren't exactly prime time stars in the meat of their careers. Their formula is to surround Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili with role players. Mason fits the bill.

Too-bad they aren't holding an exit interview with Eddie Jordan. It's amazing that EJ gets off-the-hook yet again because of injuries. What about HIS coaching decisions? his love of small-ball and a tight rotation? At a minimum, his coaching staff should not be brought back. EJ should not be rewarded for how badly coached this team is.

San Antone used the MLE on Finley and Barry -- but again, Mason is not a Finley or Barry. I'm not saying they'll keep Finley or Barry, I'm saying they'll come up with something better than Roger Mason Jr for their starting SG. (And I'm saying Finley at 35 is still a better option for S.A. than Roger Mason right now.)

POP does indeed like to bring Ginobili off the bench, which is exactly why they need a SG who can start for them. Mason just isn't a starting 2 on a world championship team. Maybe if they had two 7-footers in the paint like the old days, and if Roger were a more consistent 3-point threat. But not today, when so much of their offense flows through the guards' ability to catch-and-shoot or drive-and-kick, and so much of their defense relies on perimter man-defense.

Roger's not a good enough spot-up shooter, not a good enough drive-and-kicker, not good enough at finishing at the rim, not good enough at point, can't create offense for himself, and not a good enough defender. He's an OK back-up guard. But he's no more a starting guard for a world champion than he has been for our lowly Wiz.

LMAO!

Every time Kurt Thomas gets traded to a team (eg. Suns, Spurs, Seattle, NY, etc.), the talking heads (eg. Wilbon) applaud the move because they say he brings toughness, mentoring, rebounding, defense, and some scoring. Well, if he was so good, then why is he constantly getting traded?

Kurt Thomas is so overrated that it's funny. I'm just glad the Wiz never made a push to get him. The Spurs will feel like idiots if they get eliminated by the Hornets b/c they gave up a first round pick to get him.

"The problem is the Bobcats wouldn't do that."

Neither would Jamison.

Kalorama or whatever Jamison stated at the beginning of the year on ESPN.com that he would love to end his career at home in Carolina. So there is a very good possibility of jamison going to the bobcats.

If the bobcats sign jamison they are better than the wiz right away.

Mike Wise needs to learn the game better. Im all about continuity when you have winners but this team isn't ever going anywhere. Who wants to stay mediocore. Lets just resign the same team and be the 5th seed every year. I can't even read Mike Wise's columns and anytime he is on Jim Rome I turn the channel. The guy is clueless. If we keep the same team its going to be 1st round and done every year. No way the wiz are passing detroit, boston, orlando, or cleveland with the current roster. Sign and trade Gilbert and resign jamison and move on from there.

Sign and trade Gilbert....bring back antawn and find a way to bring in calderon. Who cares about mason Jr let him go.

Ten years from now the Celts, Pistons, Magic, and Cavs won't have the same teams so I'm happy with 5th seed, first round and out. Heck I've waited 30 years for this team to compete again, what's another ten?

Washington Wizards, 2018 NBA Champions!

"Sign and trade Gilbert....bring back antawn and find a way to bring in calderon. Who cares about mason Jr let him go.

Posted by: | May 6, 2008 2:22 PM "

Yes. With Mason and Caron in the lineup, the team won 2 more playoff games compared to last year. Whooopee....

"If the bobcats sign jamison they are better than the wiz right away.

Mike Wise needs to learn the game better. Im all about continuity when you have winners but this team isn't ever going anywhere. Who wants to stay mediocore. Lets just resign the same team and be the 5th seed every year. I can't even read Mike Wise's columns and anytime he is on Jim Rome I turn the channel. The guy is clueless. If we keep the same team its going to be 1st round and done every year. No way the wiz are passing detroit, boston, orlando, or cleveland with the current roster. Sign and trade Gilbert and resign jamison and move on from there.

Posted by: | May 6, 2008 2:19 PM "

Mike Unwise is only concerned about being buddy buddy to Gilby. Getting to ride in Gilby's Ferrari Spyder down to Barry Farms makes him feel like he's one of the boys.

As I said yesterday, Unwise only wants Gilby to stay so that he can copy and paste another Gilby Sob Story Pt.3 in the Washington Post Magazine right before next season starts.

Oh yeah, check this out Wiz peanut gallery. I called it last summer/fall before the season started and people were calling me nuts.

Gilby finally admits the error in his ways (parachute running, barry farms playing, no helmet biking, etc.) from last season...sorta.

""I'll be full speed by October," said Arenas, who added that he may take up yoga and boxing workouts to improve his flexibility and conditioning. "I'm not going to do anything stupid this summer. I'm going to take my time and prepare for next season. I'm going to be smart about it this year. I'm going to have five or six months to get this thing strong again and ready to go again."

Arenas, who does not have an agent and will represent himself, said he will opt out and plans to seek a maximum contract, one that could pay him over $100 million over six years."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/04/AR2008050401858.html

F Gilby sob stories.

get rid of agent dildo.

The best of Mike Unwise:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/29/AR2006102900910.html?nav=emailpage

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/23/AR2007102301560.html?nav=emailpage

If people think there is any easy upgrade for AJ at PF, think again. Elton Brand would fit the bill, but the price would be GA + a big hole at PG. Neither EG or any sane owner would pay $10+M per year for AJ as 6th man unless they are Mark Cuban. I'd like to see the Wiz go after someone like Paul Milsapp or Rony Turiaff who are strong, tough young backups on contenders to upgrade our bench and give us some size. Is it any coincidence that teams like Utah, Detroit, San Antonio, and now the Jazz are advancing?

All have size and depth at the 4 and 5 positions plus a stud PG AND play defense. The Wizards would have a stud PG if GA returns to form, but it doesn't solve their size/defense issues at the 4 and 5 spots. Abe is going to have to loosen the purse strings to add that type of depth since those players only come in the draft if you have one of the first 5 picks (and you don't pick a Kwame Brown!)

If EG decides to blow things up and do sign & trades for Agent Zero and AJ, look for the Wiz to be in the Lottery for 2-3 season while we rebuild. I don't see EG or Abe Pollin finding that acceptable.

I just figured it out, DC Man88 and Mike Wise ARE the same person!

Bye Bye Crybabies - get off the Wizards blog and try the Cleveland P-D site run by that basketball guru Bryan Windbag.

Much love to Arenas for supporting this city and the Barry Farms summer league (and all of his philanthopy). Once again someone I like representing my city.

Posted by: | May 6, 2008 2:45 PM
brave one won't put his name to his opinions?

Some interesting ideas, and names thrown around. But I can't really see where point gaurd is really the problem.

Developing a more physical presence to body up Lebron seems to me to be the glaring need. And if Etan is unable to get back finding a backup center is need number two.

McGuire, Blatche, Pecherov, and Nick Young all need to spend the summer in the weight room and working on their games. But it's going to be alot to ask for Mcguire to develop into a tough as nails NBA defender that's big enough, strong enough, and tough enough to go toe to toe with James.

There's only one guy out there that seems to be available that fills that bill and that's Ron Artest. I know the guy's nearly nuts, might be what we need.

He'll be a guy that will be interesting to watch this off season. Will he opt out, if he opts out will he get more then an offer of a full MLE from anyone?

I think he will badly want to get back on a playoff team, rumor is he wants to come back east. He fills alot of needs for the Wizards and his off the court issues seem to be somewhat less with age.

Not an ideal guy, but how many guys are there in the league that could play lockdown D against James?

Our roster is fine when healthy. The Cavs went big, and we couldn't match them because of injuries.

If Etan were healthy, Blatche could play the 3 (instead of subbing at the 5) and Caron could slide over to the 2. That lets us match up Caron/Blatche vs Lebron/Szczerbiak.

Sweep 4-0 begins tonight for Boston. Bye Bye Baby, bye bye

"

Our roster is fine when healthy. The Cavs went big, and we couldn't match them because of injuries.

If Etan were healthy, Blatche could play the 3 (instead of subbing at the 5) and Caron could slide over to the 2. That lets us match up Caron/Blatche vs Lebron/Szczerbiak.

Posted by: | May 6, 2008 6:07 PM "

Great, can you guarantee that the team will be healthy next season so EG won't have to make any moves.

Oh yea, I guess we're lucky too that Sasha Pavlovic was out hurt because the beating could have been worse.

"Not an ideal guy, but how many guys are there in the league that could play lockdown D against James?

Posted by: GM | May 6, 2008 5:11 PM "

Ok, so you get Artest, so where do you put Butler?

A cheaper, younger, and saner alternative may be Luol Deng.

L.Deng would ideal for the Wiz. But this would only happen if AJ leaves.

But lets look at what the Wiz have. Three players around which to add role players? Not really, I mean isnt AJ a really good role player? So the Wiz still need that third piece. L.Deng would do it. EBrand too. Or a nice solid pg, so Gil moves to the 2. The other players on then team then get better production because they can just play their role. Having Gil out and CB hurt put the Wiz role players in a position to play beyond their roles this season. So we saw a few flashes, but they are still basically role players. Thats ok, but the Wiz still need that missing third piece and it is either a stud PF/rebounder or PG. I think PG first, but it will be tough to find.

Problem is that Gilby doesn't want to play the 2. It's clear that he wants the ball in his hands.

Flagrant foul on Cassell for playing good defense on James.

Glad Boston is enjoying what the Wiz went through.

You guys been watching this Celtics/Cavs game!

More LeBron crying!

Flagrant called against him already on Cassell of all people!

Traveling actually being called against Z and LeBron! Wow...Celtics just get more respect it appears!

So tired of the Cavs ACT!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=qeTz66uCb6Q

I'd like to get either Hibbert or Lawson in the draft!

A great draft for us would be Ty Lawson in the 1st round and this guy in the 2nd!!

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Nathan-Jawai-1404/

Lebron did not even go to the podium to address the media after the game...how lame is that????

"If EG decides to blow things up and do sign & trades for Agent Zero and AJ, look for the Wiz to be in the Lottery for 2-3 season while we rebuild. I don't see EG or Abe Pollin finding that acceptable."

Exactly, wizfan. The Wizards don't have anywhere near the disposable assets needed to acquire the kind of talent they'd need to rebuild/upgrade on the fly. No lottery picks, do cap space, no big expiring contracts. Even sign-and-trades won't do it, because Arenas' knee and Jamison's age/tweener game are going to inhibit how much teams will give up for them. If the Wizards were thinking about moving either of those guys, the time to do it would have been during the first half of this season when their expiring contracts (working under the assumption that Gilbert will opt out) would have made them highly attractive trade bait.

"Kalorama or whatever Jamison stated at the beginning of the year on ESPN.com that he would love to end his career at home in Carolina. So there is a very good possibility of jamison going to the bobcats."

He's not at the end of his career. He's in the prime of his career and wants to win a title. He's not going to do that with the Bobcats. And given Jordan's already established frugalness running the team, there;s also no chance he'd shell out $10 mill for a jumpshooting PF whose arrival doesn't make them into contenders.

"Roger's not a good enough spot-up shooter, not a good enough drive-and-kicker, not good enough at finishing at the rim, not good enough at point, can't create offense for himself, and not a good enough defender."

Mason was better this season at all of the other things you listed than Finley is at this stage of his career.

Brendan Haywood
Etan Thomas
Nathan Jawai
Andray Blatche
Darius Songaila
Oleksiy Pecherov
Antawn Jamison
Dominic McGuire
Caron Butler
Nick Young
DeShawn Stevenson
Roger Mason
Antonio Daniels
Gilbert Arenas
Ty Lawson

I'd love to have this roster going into next season!!!

michael wilbon's ego is out of control. someone needs to reintroduce him to reality.

How about resigning arenas, signing josh smith, and letting Jamison walk. Im pretty sure smith is an Unrestricted free agent. He would automatically make us longer and more athletic at the 4 as well as make us better defensively. We definitely give up a little of our 3 pt shooting but I don't really want my 4 man taking that many 3s anyways.

Can't just let Jamison walk and then just pick up Josh Smith. Even if we let Jamison walk, we're still over the cap, so we won't be able to pick up Smith through free agency. The only way we could get Smith is by resigning Jamison and then trading Jamison for Smith. Remember: you can go over the salary cap to resign your own free agents; you can't go over the cap when signing another team's free agent.

Why couldn't LeBron have been officiated like that when the Wiz played the Cavs? It might have made it a different series. If he actually got called for charging when he lowered his shoulder into a defender and ran him over, he might have played different, or less. And he didn't get rewarded with free throws last night for every wild, out-of-control drive to the basket.

But, of course, the Wiz aren't Boston.

I hate the NBA.

I was thinking the same ^ as I just read the AP story on the game. I didn't watch it, but it sounds like it was more accurately officiated.

I loved this--

"Cassell was called for a flagrant foul when he kept James from a free throw with 5 1/2 minutes left in the half. The replay seemed to indicate that James enhanced the damage, and the Boston fans let him know they were on to him."

I was hoping for Boston to come out and blow them out of the water, but I'll take ugly wins, too.

He'd better be careful, or I'll cut him like Ernie Grunfeld cut Peter John Ramos...cut em deep.

The times is reporting that Songalia's agent has filed an appeal on his suspension. I'm anxious to hear the outcome.

I'm all for Ty Lawson. He would add much needed speed to the back court and the second unit as well as give us another guy who can take his man of the dribble almost any time he wants. Kid is a whole different kind of quick. His jumper is average but already on par with Daniels'.

I'm a fan of Turiaf as well. Again, there won't be money for him or anyone other than a minimum salary FA... Unless Ernie trades our #1 pick or selects a player to stash in Europe for a season. Then we might have 2M of the MLE or BAE to use.

I don't think Ernie had a green light to shop Jamison's expiring contract. While Shawn Marion and all those other all stars are moving from team to team the Wizards sat with a golden ticket in NBA terms, a giant expiring contract, and did nothing. It was a huge wasted opportunity to improve this team.

Instead Abe tells Gilbert and AJ that he wants them back and leaves Ernie to figure the numbers and do his best to make something more of Songalia, Daniels, Stevenson and Haywood. Thats not a whole lot to work with.

Celtics confirmed last night that the key to beating the Cavs is having the size in the middle to control the boards....and to not play gimmick defense on LeBron. Perkins is a lot better player than I ever thought and is the type of physical 4-5 missing from our rostor (ala Paul Milsapp of Utah and Rony Turiaff of the Lakers). Hope EG watched the game and saw what was missing from our squad and the answer is drafting better as evidenced by other teams like Utah and the Lakers while we picked a project like Pecherov.

Second, the refs called more travels (3) and charges (2) on LeBron than the entire Wizards series. Pierce and James Posey generally stayed in front of LeBron, but they also had both Garnett & Perkins to contest his drives. Celtics play tough, gritty defense and were able to win on a night when 2 of their Big 3 combined for 4 points & they only scored 76 points.

Refs were swayed by LeBron's acting to call a flagrant one on Cassell on a play that was nothing more than a hard foul, but the officiating was much more even. Did anyone notice that it was the same crew who officiated Game 4 or 5 of the Wiz-Cavs series (can't remember which game)?

Monte makes some great points. Turiaff is really the Lakers third string center when Bynum is healthy. He'll be a restricted FA if the Lakers tender him after the season, but seriously doubt they'll give him much with their money tied up in Kobe, Gasol, and Odom. Turiaff is EXACTLY the type of young, powerful inside presence that can play the 4 or 5 and is big upgrade over Etan. He'll probably be available as a MLE.

I believe the same is the case with Milsapp of Utah, and they have big contracts already with Boozer, Kirilenko, and Okur plus need to extend Deron Williams.

It might put us over the cap, but Wiz need a tough 4 or 5 like Turiaf or Milsapp given the current makeup of the roster. Etan isn't the answer as some have mentioned on this site.

I am glad the rest of the world got to see Bron Bron's acting last nigt. Pulled on the jersey but was holding his mout. Sounds familiar? And then they called a flagrant on Sam Cassell. Hey Sam, talk with Songalia. He knows exactly how it feels.

""Mason was better this season at all of the other things you listed than Finley is at this stage of his career.""

This year, for the first time, maybe. But that doesn't make Roger a better option at starting 2 for a championship team than a playoff-experienced, former All Star veteran player like Finley. Like I said, if S.A. doesn't think Finley can hold down that spot any longer they'll upgrade that position before they'll put a young back-up player like Roger Mason Jr in at the starting SG.

"He's not at the end of his career. He's in the prime of his career"

I agree that AJ is not at the end of his career but DEFINITELY he's not in his prime either. I will be more than surprise if he's numbers go up in the next couple of years.

"wants to win a title. He's not going to do that with the Bobcats"

If he wants a title next season then the Wizards is not his team because as we've seen in the playoffs there are still a lot of cracks that needed to filled up first.

Many draft sites are not very high on Devon Hardin out of Cal but the Wiz can definitely use him in the 2nd round pick if possible. He's a very athletic big man who will help play defense and rebound. He reminds me a little of Chris Wilcox. Limited offensive moves, but efficient and doesn't try to do too much out of his area of strength. V

ery athletic big men who can play defense and rebound and some skills around the basket are tough to find, even in the 1st round let alone the 2nd round. He could be a great EG steal.

I think we already have a guy like that and his name is DMac.

"

"He's not at the end of his career. He's in the prime of his career"

I agree that AJ is not at the end of his career but DEFINITELY he's not in his prime either. I will be more than surprise if he's numbers go up in the next couple of years.

"wants to win a title. He's not going to do that with the Bobcats"

If he wants a title next season then the Wizards is not his team because as we've seen in the playoffs there are still a lot of cracks that needed to filled up first.

Posted by: Fortune Teller | May 7, 2008 10:33 AM "

AJ is at his prime right now, and may sustain it b/c he keeps in good shape and wasn't really hurt all year.

Given that, by the time his new contract plays out, he might not be as nimble.

AJ plays the 4 and does well scoring and rebounding. Problem is that he can't really defend the 4's out there, and he's certainly not a back to the basket low post threat. Those are the reasons the Wiz need an upgrade at 4, and AJ has been quoted many times that he won't have an issue coming off the bench, but do you really pay $10-12 mil to a 6th man?

"This year, for the first time, maybe. But that doesn't make Roger a better option at starting 2 for a championship team than a playoff-experienced, former All Star veteran player like Finley. Like I said, if S.A. doesn't think Finley can hold down that spot any longer they'll upgrade that position before they'll put a young back-up player like Roger Mason Jr in at the starting SG.

Posted by: Prazak | May 7, 2008 10:33 AM "

I look at Mason as a specialist. He's not really part of your rotation, because he can't defend or handle the ball well or be a reliable scorer. When he's hot, you insert him, when he's not, he sits.

His game reminds me more of like a Tracy Murray or Dell Curry. Hired guns.

I think we already have a guy like that and his name is DMac.

Posted by: DC Man88 | May 7, 2008 10:48 AM

Except DMac is 6'8" 225 lbs and Hardin is 6'10" 245 lbs - much closer to what you need as an athletic strong guy in the post. That's why his skills and size are similar to Wilcox. DMac can rebound and play defense, but he's not strong enough against the bigger 4s or 5s in this league.

DMac's best position will eventually be the 3 since he's too slight to play the 4 much. He is more athletic than AJ, being younger certainly helps, but he's still smaller than AJ.

DMac is listed at 6-9, 220. Problem with him is that he doesn't seem to have the lateral quickness to keep up with the 3's in this league. Also, he's a guy who likes to leap and block shots, which is more useful at the 4.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=3246

how about haywood and stephenson for eddie curry?

I really think he does have enough lateral quickness to play the 3 but all he's played is the post at Fresno, so getting used to the wing will be his challenge. Playing in space when the post was your home makes a big difference especially when you're a rookie. Remember the original DMac in Toronto before leaving for Orlando? He lead his team in blocks and rebounded quite well as a 3. That could be our DMac if he worked on his game.

When is EG supposed to address the media???????

LeBron is lucky he ain't in the lockdown, or I'd cut his knee like a piece of bree.

Cut him deep...that's how it goes down in the sand yard colon. That colon runs hot...gotta cool it down with that buttered gravy.

"Remember the original DMac in Toronto before leaving for Orlando? He lead his team in blocks and rebounded quite well as a 3. That could be our DMac if he worked on his game."

That would be "TMac."

TMac has a better handle with the ball though, and is a good scorer/shooter.

actually, josh smith is a restricted free agent, so the only chance for him is a sign and trade.

i love the idea of getting devon harding in the second. he is extremely athletic, and could develop into a good player if he concentrates more. certainly worth a 2nd round pick. i think he could end up being at least as good as haywood in a few seasons, but at less cost.

in fact, unless someone we really like is there in the first round, i think we should trade out of it for more an extra 2nd round pick and perhaps a future first rounder. we will be maxed out on salary this year, and it seems that in this draft, there's not a lot there at the end of the first round.

i also like joey dorsey. i think if we could trade into the second, and end up with dorsey and hardin, that would be great for us. both those guys could end up being young, cheaper replacements for haywood and thomas, and possibly even better. then we could bring in someone like james gist for the summer league. he's a guy that could be a solid defender for smaller, quicker 4s or the bigger 3s.

i like ty lawson as a player, but he is pretty small. while he'd be a good player off the bench for us, unless we trade away daniels, he's almost never see the floor.

offensively, i like our starting 5. defensively, we made a huge improvement this year. and it's that team defense concept we need to go with. i think blatche and young, assuming they both improve this summer (the fact that blatche has asked to play in the summer league tells me he wants to focus even more this offseason). those two guys are key for us next year. where we are really lacking is quality depth at the center position. blatche is a 4 or 3, not a 5. songaila is a slow and small 4. thomas even when healthy (which is rare) is a small 5. i think bringing in some big physical defenders in the front court is what this team needs.

jermaine o'neal also has an early termination option for this year, i believe. he probably won't take it since he's bound to not make the same salary, but if he was looking to get out of indiana, and sign with a playoff team, he would fit in real well here.

"Like I said, if S.A. doesn't think Finley can hold down that spot any longer they'll upgrade that position before they'll put a young back-up player like Roger Mason Jr in at the starting SG."

And, like I said, if you look at their history of team building over the period of time they've had the current big 3 in place, their strategy is always to surround those 3 with reasonably priced, relatively low profile journeyman role players or older vets who come cheap, not big ticket big names. Speedy Claxton, Stephen Jackson (before anyone knew who he was), Jaren Jackson, Nesterovic, Oberto, Elson. They don't go out and spend big money on big ticket FAs. As long as Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili are healthy and at the top of their games, they don't have to. Mason would fit right in with their established pattern.

The only possible way for a sign and trade with Atlanta for Josh Smith is for us to ship AJ to them b/c of his veteran leadership. They definitely don't need Gilby or Caron b/c they have Bibby, Acie Law, Joe Johnson, and Childress.

They may be willing to take AJ because they also have Marvin Williams. But, it's unlikely b/c they are a division rival.

Unrelated note:

Atlanta Hawks GM Billy Knight just "resigned" (I'm guessing he had some help). Which is kind of funny because people have been calling for his dismissal for years, after the Marvin Williams over Deron Williams/Chris Paul draft snafu, but it isn't until after the team he built actually shows some signs of hope that he gets gone.

Looks like it may be time to start a new post..Ivan? Mike?

The Hawks have no interest in Jamison. Their roster is full of 6'8"/9" guys who like to shoot the ball. That's one of the reasons Knight took so much heat, for basically drafting the same player over and over. And they certainly aren't going to trade Josh Smith, a young player with all-star potential and defensive toughness for (at 6'7" he's one of the top shotblockers in the league) to get him. The Hawks biggest need are a C (so they can move Horford to PF, where he'll physically punish opponents) and a PG who can actually run the offense and distribute the ball (as opposed to Bibby, who's a shooter).

If they move Al Horford to the 4, then where are they going to move Josh Smith? As I said before, both Childress and Joe Johnson are mainstays at those 2 and 3 positions, and Marvin Williams had good numbers at the 3.

With regard to a point guard, they drafted Acie Law last year at the 11 spot. Bibby is the reason for their turnaround. For such a young team, I'm sure they want some vet experience and Atlanta is not far from NC where AJ wants to be.

This year, they don't have a pick in the first round, so a lot of interesting things can happen.

I think Okafor can help the Wiz more if he can play the 4, but I would welcome Josh Smith, who can also play both ends and is listed at 6-9 and is a very good leaper.

The Hawks already have veteran leadership in Bibby and Joe Johnson, both of whom have playoff experience and (unlike Jamison) have been to the conference finals.

"If they move Al Horford to the 4, then where are they going to move Josh Smith?"

Smith can play the 3 and does in certain lineups they use.

As I said before, both Childress and Joe Johnson are mainstays at those 2 and 3 positions"

Childress is a backup. He didn't start a single game for Atlanta all season. And if it comes down to it, they'll move Childress or Marvin Williams before they move Smith because Smith is a better, more valuable player to them. Those three guys are essentially interchangeable, but of the 3 Smith easily has the highest ceiling, making keeping him a higher priority.

I don't disagree that Josh is the better player. Problem is that they might not want to pay him what he wants. Bibby is already making almost 14 mil and Joe Johnson is making 13.5 mil. Josh may be a cap casualty, so if they can get AJ with a shorter deal, they will be able to get rid of AJ when it comes time to pay Al Horford. A lot of question marks.

BTW, even though Childress did not start, he averaged almost 30 min/game and was good for almost 12 pts/game and 5 rebs/game. Therefore, he's clearly entrenched into the rotation as Marvin Williams averaged 35 minutes at SF while averaging 15 pts/game. Therefore, I doubt if Josh Smith will be moved to the 3 anytime soon.

I think Ty Lawson would be a great 1st round pick for us. I love his quickness, and the fact he played for a big time program UNC. He is super fast, and would add another dimension off the bench. He be nice to bring in against the fast little PGs that always seem to kill us. He should be there at 18.

Devon Hardin will probably be gone by our 2nd round pick. The Wizards actually brought him in for a workout before last year's draft.

But this guy Nathan Jawai could be there. You gotta check out this guy's scouting report! It's got some good video on him too. This guys is described as a "Beast", has the power and long arms of an Elton Brand. I also like that he'll be 22 at the start of the season and has international pro experience.