Oh and by the way, I actually like the Wizards-Hornets trade quite a bit. I see how both teams benefit from the trade, and like the direction both teams are going with it.
The Wizards are looking for good character players who defend well and fit what they need on offense. Ariza is a finisher who, in my opinion, plays his best off the ball and should fit well next to two volume scorers in Wall and Crawford. Okafor is more of an opportunistic scorer, which is fine with a post scorer like Nene next to him. Add in Beal, and that's a pretty nice top 6.
The Hornets are in full rebuild mode around Davis and Gordon. Shedding significant contracts for players they don't really need in exchange for cap room and money to resign Gordon. They'll have a pretty clean slate going into next season, which is a great position to be in under the current cap restrictions. Wouldn't be surprised to see them tank another season while letting Gordon and Davis continue to develop and get used to playing next to each other. They know they won't be contending anytime soon, so no point in keeping any middle-class players around.
Edited this into my post (prev. page) because I thought it was interesting although it probably is just a rumor. But NOH might be looking into possibly trading their #10 for someone a-la-Millsap or Turner. Would the other teams do it IDK but would be dam good by them for a one or two year turnaround (depending on how you look at it).
If they can get any of the guys on that report - except Millsap, they'll be very happy. Not that he's a bad player, but he's expiring this coming season, I believe.
EDIT: The question, I guess, is would you rather have 1 year of Millsap at 8mil or 5 years of Meyers Leonard or Austin Rivers or Kendall Marshall.
On June 21 2012 04:11 thuracine wrote: OKC missed a bunch of wide open threes. Westbrook taking 19 shots inside 5 feet and only 3 foul shots(and 1, fouled on jump shot) is a joke Lebron would of had 20.
Westbrook should have gotten to the line a bit more last night, but not THAT often because he wasn't looking to create contact on his drives. I actually think it was a smart move by Westbrook considering how few calls have gone their way this series. What was amazing was that he was able to repeatedly get to the rim and twist around the Heat defenders to lay the ball in.
Lebron, on the other hand, drives to the basket like a linebacker and is looking to initiate contact. Works great for him because of his strength and size, and also because he's just going to get more calls as the superstar he is.
Lewis was actually something of an asset for them this year with such a big expiring contract.
But instead they've given it away for a second round pick? They've just locked in $43 mill for the next two years in Okafor and Ariza and for what? They'll go from high lotto to mid-lotto? Ariza and Okafor are hardly going to have a big impact in the W column.
Are they hoping to make a big FA play in 2014? Here are the notables:
Neglecting the fact those guys will be passed their prime by 2014, the majority of them are early-termination options and I'd put the odds of any of those guys signing with the Wiz at about <1%.
Or perhaps I'm giving the FO of the Wiz too much credit for future planning and they genuinely want to "win now". I guess miracles can happen and they could snag the 8th seat in the miserable East, but I'd put my house on the Wiz moving from a really shitty team to a pretty shitty team.
On June 21 2012 08:24 XaI)CyRiC wrote: Westbrook should have gotten to the line a bit more last night, but not THAT often because he wasn't looking to create contact on his drives. I actually think it was a smart move by Westbrook considering how few calls have gone their way this series. What was amazing was that he was able to repeatedly get to the rim and twist around the Heat defenders to lay the ball in.
Lebron, on the other hand, drives to the basket like a linebacker and is looking to initiate contact. Works great for him because of his strength and size, and also because he's just going to get more calls as the superstar he is.
Yea Im just going to put my shoulder into the defender and barrel him to the rim for the 30 feet. GG. The margin for people defending him is the closest you can get to 0.
What worries me about Westbrook thinking about it just now is I really really hope he doesnt get one of those ACL, meniscus tears that your prone to when you play the way he does. I dont care how athletic people are it can happen and its really scary when you put your body through the kind of twists and turns he does. Similar to Rose really.
Okafor and Ariza are decent role players, but they're grossly overpaid. From a pure basketball perspective it's not necessarily a bad trade as the Wiz will be better. But they are both on awful contracts that suck useful space in your cap that could be way better spent IMO. The Wiz were what, 20-46 last year. This trade maybe bumps them into the 30 win column next year, so it's not like they're any step closer to being relevant. They've maybe gone from easybeats to competitive but that isn't really something to cheer about.
I'd rather continue sucking and get high lotto picks in the hope of getting an actual star rather than overpaid, borderline starters. It sucks for Wiz fans as the team has been so shit for so long, but FO decisions like this, for me at least, highlight why the Wiz are where they are (that and offering busted knees Arenas a max deal in 08). Actually the funny thing about the Arenas deal--they finally could have been freed from his monstrosity of a contract after Lewis expired this year, but instead they replace it with two more grossly overpaid role players (and took on more salary and gave away a draft pick to boot!).
On June 21 2012 10:00 RowdierBob wrote: I mean, holy shit, assuming the cap is $61 mill next season, about [edit, maths fail] 1/3 of the Wiz's cap will be tied up in Ariza/Okafor.
And double holy shit for FO failures: in 2012/13 72% of the Wiz's payroll will be tied up in Okafor, Ariza, Blatche and Nene.
I feel for you, Wiz fans.
I think they want to build a better team and environment around Wall, ideally a winning environment. They did the tanking thing, and I think it really hurt Wall and his development. While I agree that it sucks to be stuck in NBA mediocrity, at some point teams needs to try to compete to be fair to their paying fans. I don't think it's a terrible idea to try to see what you can pull off with Wall and that roster around him. It may not be championship material, but I could see it making it into the playoffs if Wall continues to develop and be a tough out.
You're an optimist Cyric The Wiz need an extra 15 wins to get the 8th seed. I dunno if Ariza/Okafor/Nene will deliver that.
If the Wiz were serious about creating a winning envrionment they'd be better off hiring an FO with a bit more nous.
Maybe it's just me, but I think Wall's a bit overrated anyway. Good player, but build-a-franchise-around-him type? I think he's a good second or third cog, but the Wiz really need a top tier player if they're ever to be good.
They'd have been better of sucking (again) this year for a good pick, using Lewis' expiring for either cash savings or some positive assets via trade and then amnestying Blatche. That way in 2013 they'd have a truckload of cash to throw at a FA guy like Harden (offer max) hopefully a couple of good draft picks from this year and next and (most importantly) no more albatross contracts sucking the life out of their franchise. I mean hypothetically:
Wall Harden Nene 2012 top 5 pick 2013 top 5 pick (maybe?)
is a much better core to build around and a decent 'Big Three'. But instead they're stuck in NBA mediocrity again with overpaid role players. Yay.
I don't think I'm so much an optimist as trying to be realistic. Personally, I don't think that all NBA teams can operate in the championship-or-bust business model. Realistically, there are only so many teams that will ever be capable of winning a championship, and it's silly to consider anything less than a championship to be a failure. Teams should be competing to be the best they can be within a reasonable timeframe in order to provide their fans with a worthwhile product they can get behind.
Tanking for picks makes a lot of sense on paper, but how often does it actually translate to success? A top pick doesn't guarantee anything, and you can only aim for young talent for so long. After a while fans want to have a team that they can get behind instead of constant promises of "next year". Whatever you may think of Wall (personally, I also have my doubts about him), WAS obviously views him as and are committing to him as their franchise player. He was their #1 pick that they tanked for, and they will have had top picks in two consecutive drafts after this one. Now it's time for them to make good on their top picks and build around them to win.
Whether we agree or not, they see a talented backcourt of Wall and Crawford (and Beal) with Ariza on the wings, and Nene and Okafor manning the middle as a good team that can compete. It certainly doesn't look that bad on paper if you follow their line of thinking, i.e. Wall is a franchise player. They've got a very talented PG who can break down defenses and create for others, an SG who can shoot 3s and create offense, an SF who can shoot, slash and finish on the break and defend the wing, a PF who can score with his back to the basket and is mobile enough to guard stretch 4s, a C who rebounds, protects the rim, and can convert around the basket, and a potential sparkplug 6th man coming off the bench. It certainly sounds like all the pieces you need, the only limit is just how high the ceiling will be on Wall and, to a lesser extent, Crawford and Beal.
Are Ariza and Okafor being paid more than what they're worth? Certainly. However, are they good pieces that fill needs for a team that is looking to cash in on their young talent and compete in the playoffs? I would argue yes. Teams could do a LOT worse (i.e. CHA, TOR, GS, etc.). I'd be excited if I were a Wizard fan.
Tanking for pick or just picking high is absolutely vital to any form of success. You've got to get that All-Star calibre player(s) if you want to succeed--particularly for the small/irrelevant markets. Look at any NBA team in the finals this year and you'll see how important high (top 10) draft picks have been for them..
I certainly agree with you about the realities of and NBA team as a business and needing a competitive team to fill seats. The average fan doesn't see the merits in being shitty with the long term goal of being championship calibre. They want to win and be entertained. Next year's team for the Wiz will certainly be a lot better to watch than JaVale McGee running the wrong way up the court and bricking uncontested FT line dunks.
But really, all they have to look forward to is a possible 8th seed run. I'd say any of the top 9 teams from this year's East are still better than the Wiz are today (albeit marginally). Orlando may drop off; Philly and Boston too depending on trades/FA matters, but it's pretty grim to get excited about next year as a Wiz fan when the most you have to look forward to is a first round sweep by the Heat/Bulls/Pacers.
I'm a Bucks and the Wiz are heading the exact same direction: low seed Playoff pushes that result in either a quickly forgotten Playoff sweep or a 9th seed and 11-15 draft pick. It'll be exciting for Wiz fans to see a few extra wins next year, but it really isn't anymore exciting being one of the middling teams vs one of the appallingly bad teams.
Middling assets and overpaid journeyman (no matter how solid) is not the way to go unless you have your star. The biggest X-factor for the Wiz to be excited about is not Ariza and Okafor, but their #3 pick. If he can be the star they've been looking for, then maybe things will look pretty good for the Wiz in 2014 if they can show a bit of direction and discipline for a change.
But you're ignoring the key element, which is that WAS is committing to Wall as their franchise Allstar-caliber player. They think they've got their guy already.
Also, I'm not sure what they see in Crawford, but it's possible that they see him as a borderline Allstar-level talented player, at least on the offensive end of the floor. Ariza has already shown he can be a vital 2-way wing on a winning team. Nene is arguably one of the most talented PFs in the league who has been slowed more by injury than anything, and I assume that WAS believes he can stay healthy. Okafor is about as good of a defensive big as you can get right now. It's a team with potential that can do some real damage if Wall blows up. If Beal turns out to be the real thing, then they might have enough to build something at least as good as what IND or PHI has, and better than ORL (sans D12) and/or BOS (potentially sans KG, if not sans big 3 in another year or two).
Screw that, being a middling team is way better than being a bumfuck useless teams, because awful teams tend to draft equally as bad. Atleast a team with a reasonable front office that's trying to improve consistently has a shot at a title. Watching the Hornets go from perennial playoff threat (if not an actual threat at a title run) to a dumpster dweller sucked.
EPT
irk
The Wiz need an extra 15 wins to get the 8th seed. I dunno if Ariza/Okafor/Nene will deliver that. 
