Washington Wizards 2017-2018 Season Thread

[Methodical Management]

I would ask everyone who you think would be the best prospect available for the Wizards to select at #15 tomorrow, but it seems the team is prepared to yet again sacrifice its first round selection to clean up one of Ernie's messes: https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/...15-pick-if-a-team-takes-on-expiring-contract/

This is awful - especially if all we're doing is unloading the final year Gortat's contract to add even MORE long term salary this summer.

Kevin Durant is not walking through that door, fans, and signing Cousins would be a disaster.

 

[ROYGBiV]

Not to informed about our financials but I'd take Cousins if we do indeed let our pick go. Again, I'm just now getting into the NBA so I'm really not sure about our situation.

 

[Methodical Management]

According to Marc Stein (so take this for what it's worth), the Wizards are "reluctant" to part with their first round pick to dump Gortat:



Be that as it may, the only way you can turn Gortat into cap relief is to 1) attach some sort of sweetener to entice one of the bottom feeders to absorb Gortat's salary or 2) just let his deal expire. Nobody wants to pay Gortat $13.5 million this year. The best deal you could get for him, in a talent exchange, would be to wait until the deadline and use his expiring contract to bring back a quality player from an underachieving team looking to hit the reset button. That option would involve taking on more long term money, which I can't see Washington doing given its cap situation and ownership.

Thus, the more likely scenario involves sending away the pick and/or one of Washington's few young players to save Ted a few bucks in luxury taxes.

Remember, Ernie already traded away our second round picks in 2019, 2020, and 2021 as part of previous deals for Kelly Oubre, Jared Dudley, and Trey Burke.

Not to informed about our financials but I'd take Cousins if we do indeed let our pick go. Again, I'm just now getting into the NBA so I'm really not sure about our situation.

The Wizards are already capped out. They have the fifth highest payroll in the league, and there's been much discussion about the league moving to a hard cap system in the not too distant future.

Marcin Gortat is entering the final year of his contract and set to earn just over $13.5 million. Ian Mahinmi is on the books for $16 million per season through 2020. Even if you could convince Cousins to sign for the same $13.5 million Gortat is currently making (and good luck), the Wizards would still be in salary cap hell as Wall's salary will leap from $19 million next season to a whopping $38 million in 2019-20.

Under the current "soft cap" system, teams that exceed the salary cap are subject to a "luxury tax." The luxury tax hasn't proven much of a deterrent for the NBA's current "haves," like Golden State, but Washington is stuck with a cheap owner who whines about paying pennies on the dollar for what is practically an entire block in NW DC.

I couldn't care less about hockey, but it is worth noting that, after the Capitals won their first ever championship, Leonsis let their coach walk rather than give him a raise. We're expecting this guy to pay tens of millions of dollars in repeater taxes every year for the next five years to keep this second-rate core together?

Due to his achilles injury, Cousins isn't expected to secure a max contract offer - but there are enough desperate teams out there, like Dallas, that haven't delivered a big free agent win for their fans in ages to drive the price up beyond what we were paying for Gortat.

Dumping Gortat and signing Cousins would be the team's only realistic home run move this summer - but it's unlikely the Wizards would take that swing given the salary cap ramifications. They'd have to move one of the existing "big three," and it wouldn't be Wall given his connection with Cousins. Most likely, Porter would be the odd man out - but he's the only Wizards who was even in the top 40 in Total Points Added last season.

There's no question that Cousins is a rare offensive talent, but I would doubt the extent to which his strengths would mesh with the existing group.

If you had to defend the Wizards with Cousins, you'd just pack the paint. Wall would have less driving opportunities, and a Wall/Cousins pick and roll wouldn't scare anybody. You'd play under and force Wall to beat you with midrange jumpers.

Washington struggles mightily to score efficiently out of their halfcourt sets. They're at their best when they're able to get out in transition and run. To put it mildly: Cousins is not a great transition player. In fact, he probably costs you 8 points a game by arguing calls while his teammates are forced to go 4 on 5.

Playing with Anthony Davis covered up for Cousins' defensive weaknesses. The Wizards have a glaring need for frontcourt athleticism. Playing with these slow, lumbering bigs has consistently hurt Washington on both sides of the floor. Committing to Cousins won't help us in that department.

Just for fun, I'd like to see what this team would look like if we had a center capable of rotating faster than a minute hand.

 

[Sonny Corinthos]

WTF

 

[extraordinary swag]

Can’t stand Ernie but I’m assuming this dude is insurance for Oubre leaving next season, still woulda rather drafted an athletic big man

 

[Sonny Corinthos]

The team needs to make a few serious moves this season

 

[ROYGBiV]

Did not expect that pick

 

[joe cool23]

He gunnin’ for LeBron

Rofl

 

[ROYGBiV]

He gunnin’ for LeBron

Rofl

Stawp

 

[mrtarheel]

Washington Small Forwards!

 

[broncos19dm]

Sighhh

 

[Bosa]

I cant stand this organization sometimes

 

[Methodical Management]

The only two positions the Wizards had any depth at last season were small forward and point guard. What did they do? Draft a small forward and a point guard - not that it matters what position Issuf Sanon plays.

If Sato was a draft and stash, Sanon was a draft and trash.

Two points per game in the Ukrainian league? This is like hiring the fourth best babysitter in a trap house.

 

[tireless drive]

Two points per game in the Ukrainian league? This is like hiring the fourth best babysitter in a trap house.

I'm mad we still didn't get a big man

 

[mrtarheel]

"Even their own GM isn't sure Brown will crack the Wizards' rotation next season"

Seriously blow this thing up already

 

[jjs07]

The only two positions the Wizards had any depth at last season were small forward and point guard. What did they do? Draft a small forward and a point guard - not that it matters what position Issuf Sanon plays.

If Sato was a draft and stash, Sanon was a draft and trash.

Two points per game in the Ukrainian league? This is like hiring the fourth best babysitter in a trap house.

What's sad is that LiAngelo Ball probably has better upside

But for real...this is a complete joke. I've never been so disgusted at EG in his tenure. Get a guy at 15 that you could have potentially traded back to get later in the 1st. #SOWIZARDS

I don't even think people should be so sure that Otto/Oubre are on the way out. This is the same GM that saw fit to have 3 overpaid centers on the roster with all the money he wasted back in '16. Don't be shocked if the season begins with the SAME starting line up, and these same SFs on the roster.

So, Brooks obviously hates sato. We just drafted the same guy last night. HAHAHAHAHAAHAHHA

What a trainwreck. I said it before, but I wouldn't be the slightest bit mad at Wall if he demands a trade.

 

[Methodical Management]

But for real...this is a complete joke. I've never been so disgusted at EG in his tenure. Get a guy at 15 that you could have potentially traded back to get later in the 1st. #SOWIZARDS

I don't even think people should be so sure that Otto/Oubre are on the way out. This is the same GM that saw fit to have 3 overpaid centers on the roster with all the money he wasted back in '16. Don't be shocked if the season begins with the SAME starting line up, and these same SFs on the roster.

To be honest, I don't watch enough college basketball to have much of an opinion about Troy Brown just yet - though, like everyone, I'm skeptical of the pick. However, I generally believe that it's foolish for executives, let alone fans, to give amateur mock drafts any currency in establishing a player's value. Oh, Jay Bilas says this player should've been taken ten picks later? He had Jahlil Okafor as the best player in the entire draft in 2015. How'd that work out?

The only thing worse than an incompetent GM is an incompetent GM whose moves are influenced by a basketball equivalent of Miss Cleo. If a team picking behind you telegraphs their intentions and you can take their desired player, land a future pick or two, and still get the guy you want, as Kupchak did for the Hornets Thursday night, more power to you. Of course, that move often backfires. (Portland traded up on draft night and landed LaMarcus Aldridge for Tyrus Thomas, and swapped Randy Foye for Brandon Roy in two memorable draft night trades.) Rather than take a chance on missing out on a player you truly believe in to score some low value picks or cash, why not just take your guy when he's available? The reward must justify the risk, and pick swaps tend to be very low reward propositions.

Let's say, purely for the sake of argument, that Brown compares to another Michigan State tweener, Draymond Green. If you had the 15th overall selection in 2012, you would've been roundly criticized for taking Green ahead of Royce White, Jared Sullinger, Perry Jones III, or Andrew Nicholson.

To call drafting an imprecise science is an affront to science.


If you go back and look at previous drafts, teams tend to overvalue upside and athleticism. In hindsight, drafting for need rather than best available talent has consistently proven a deep and enduring source of regret.

Philosophically, I have no problem with the Wizards going best available - even to the point of roster redundancy. You'd rather have a great asset teams want to trade for than a player who fits an immediate need, but can't move the needle for your club.


.... but this is Ernie Grunfeld we're talking about here. This team's roster balance is already atrocious. We ended the year with FIVE point guards and ONE shooting guard. It's frustrating to go into a draft with so many holes and walk away with none of them patched. I could forgive the reach on Brown if Ernie hadn't just thrown the second round pick away. Historically, the Wizards' miserly ownership has repeatedly sold second round picks for cash. It's almost like the were caught unprepared when Golden State didn't buy it from them.


Where is the hope for next season? I'm not seeing it.

There will be no takers for Marcin Gortat unless Washington either takes on long term money or ships out a young player like Oubre or Sato along with him. It's 2018. No team in the NBA wants to spend $13.5 million for a sulky, slow-footed big with a limited range. Ultimately, they'll have to buy him out or run out the clock with an unhappy player who now knows he's unwanted.

With no cap space to be found, what can the Wizards accomplish this summer? In all probability, they'll lose Mike Scott and fill out the remainder of the roster with minimum salary dregs. Ernie will probably be talked into giving Luke Babbit or Aaron Brooks the bag on the very first day of free agency.

What's sad is that LiAngelo Ball probably has better upside

Sanon's entire claim to fame is averaging 21 ppg in an under 18 tournament in Europe, so basically he is LiAngelo Ball without the helicopter dad.

 

[Sonny Corinthos]

Ernie : Except for Wall it all should be for sale . Fix this roster

 

[mrtarheel]

Austin rivers for Gotat?

Thoughts

 

[Sonny Corinthos]

I'm happy for the Polish Hammer

 

[Kinfolk]

Austin rivers for Gotat?

Thoughts

The Wizards are like project housing in a nice part of Brooklyn.

Coach is trash.

GM is clueless.

Wall + Porter + Beal= Never gonna make it to the NBA finals as Wizards

The wizards are forever stuck in middle of the road mediocrity.

 

[InTheHallway]

Ernie da GOD!

 

[Methodical Management]

Austin rivers for Gotat?

Thoughts

We traded Marcin Gortat for a player other than Marcin Gortat. Our cheap owner saves about a million dollars, pre-tax, and the team didn't take back any long-term salary. The trade clears the low bar set for this organization. Just don't expect it to actually help the team win.

This move doesn't make us players in free agency. It doesn't give us an athletic center. All it does is remove a player with poor body language from the team and saves some cash which is unlikely to have any impact on this summer's signings. The Wizards are still over the cap. They're still cheap. We'd all be absolutely shocked if the team brought in anyone whose signing elicits a response other than a groan.

We ended the year without a backup for Bradley Beal. Now we have an undersized, inefficient volume shooter with a negative net impact on defense - taking up over $12.5 million in cap space.
Meanwhile, our probable starting center is either Ian Mahinmi or Jason Smith.

You'll forgive me if I'm not in a particularly celebratory mood.

Ernie da GOD!

Ted, is that you?

 

[AgentZero]

You'd have to imagine the Wizards are trying to make a run at Cousins with their draft and recent trade. If that doesn't work though they might end up with the worst center tandem in the league. They'll have to add someone: Montrezl Harrell, Dewayne Dedmon, Nerlens Noel, Dwight Howard...though getting him would essentially take the locker room back to square one.

 

[InTheHallway]

We traded Marcin Gortat for a player other than Marcin Gortat. Our cheap owner saves about a million dollars, pre-tax, and the team didn't take back any long-term salary. The trade clears the low bar set for this organization. Just don't expect it to actually help the team win.

This move doesn't make us players in free agency. It doesn't give us an athletic center. All it does is remove a player with poor body language from the team and saves some cash which is unlikely to have any impact on this summer's signings. The Wizards are still over the cap. They're still cheap. We'd all be absolutely shocked if the team brought in anyone whose signing elicits a response other than a groan.

We ended the year without a backup for Bradley Beal. Now we have an undersized, inefficient volume shooter with a negative net impact on defense - taking up over $12.5 million in cap space.
Meanwhile, our probable starting center is either Ian Mahinmi or Jason Smith.

You'll forgive me if I'm not in a particularly celebratory mood.


Ted, is that you?

I think we are being a bit harsh on my man, is all ...

Look, EVERY GM not in Cleveland or Miami has "failed" for the past 8 years ... Lebron is transcendent and makes everyone else meaningless ...

The Porter deal sucks ... The Gortat deal sucked ... I can go on and on and on about his shortcomings ... But the fact is Gilbert Arenas screwed this organization up more than anyone ... The "culture" conversation was thrust upon us by that nitwit and his hammer ... Then we started to try to find the "right" guys and make stupid deal after stupid deal to get out from under Gil's cloud ...

The fact that we got someone to take Gortat, a non-fit because John Wall is a little bit of a baby, and received bench help, is huge ...

I think we go nuclear here and get Boogie at all costs or throw a political appointment at Lebron ...