WIzards poised to add key piece after climbing draft board

The Wizards’ draft outlook changed drastically when the team shot all the way from eighth to third in the draft.

The Wizards have six players with less than four years of NBA experience. Because of this, it was widely expected that the Wizards would trade their first round pick if they had stayed in the eighth spot. Having moved up to the third, however, their situation has changed.

Even in a subpar draft, the Wizards should be able to find some prime talent with the third overall pick.

John Wall and Bradley Beal are expected to be the team’s long-term starters at point guard and shooting guard. Every other position is a position of need. Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza are on the last years of their contracts and Nene’s health is always a question. Every other player still on the roster is a depth player.

While coach Randy Wittman has come out and said he always drafts for talent rather than for need, I think we can safely assume the Wizards will draft either a center, power forward, or small forward, who will fit easily into the roster.

The two names most experts keep listing are PF Anthony Bennett out of UNLV and SF Otto Porter Jr. out of Georgetown.

Conventional wisdom says that Nerlens Noel is likely to go first or second, meaning at least one of these players will fall to the Wizards and I would be shocked if they decided to look elsewhere.

What does each one bring to the table? Bennett is a dangerous scorer, especially from the paint. He has tremendous potential and the skill-set to play either PF or SF in the NBA. The Wizards were one of the league’s best defensive teams and one of the worst offensively. If you were to sit down and list everything the Wizards needed, Bennett would cross just about every box on that list. He has not been able to work out for teams because he just underwent shoulder surgery, but most analysts do not see this as any a cause for concern.

Porter is a hometown hero who the Wizards probably know very well as he played college basketball for Georgetown. He has a great mid-range game with a high basketball IQ. He is a great facilitator that would work well with Wall and Beal in the backcourt. He lacks power and his prospect as a top 3-5 pick are more a reflection of the draft than of his NBA potential. Still, Washington has a roster in which Porter could potentially thrive.

If given a choice between the two, I think the Wizards would take Bennett. Shoulder surgery notwithstanding, Bennett is seen as having the higher ceiling. The flexibility of his game would serve the Wizards well as they have so many potential holes on their roster.

Still, the Wizards will be satisfied should Porter fall to them as well. Either way, the Wizards stand to gain a major piece to their postseason puzzle on June 27.

Wizards Trade Carwford, Get Little in Return

In the days leading up to the trade deadline, it became clear that Jordan Crawford was not happy.

Crawford had fallen out of favor with head coach Randy Wittman and did not play in four straight games leading up to the deadline. On Tuesday he showed his displeasure on the bench, slouching and yawning throughout the game. After the final buzzer, he took off his jersey and threw it into the stands. Crawford clearly had to go.

And that was the problem.

It was obvious to everyone who saw video from Tuesday’s game that the situation between Crawford and the Wizards had reached the breaking point. He was useless to the team and had to be shipped.

Here’s a quick business tip: when negotiating a business deal, don’t appear desperate.

About an hour before Thursday’s trade deadline, the Wizards reached a deal with the Celtics to trade Jordan Crawford for Leandro Barbosa and Jason Collin. Both are on the final year of their contracts and Barbosa is out for the season with a torn ACL. Neither player will likely be with the Wizards next season.

For anyone wondering why general manager Ernie Grunfeld could not get anything better for Crawford, the team’s third leading scorer despite having his minutes slashed the last few weeks, you need look no further than last Tuesday as Crawford tossed his jersey. The bridge had been publicly burned for all of the NBA to see.

It is not hard to see why Crawford could fall out of favor with Wittman; he’s a complete egomaniac. He would be a great scorer coming off the bench, but he has the ego of a superstar. Still, the Wizards should have been able to get something for him. The situation was completely mishandled by both Wittman and Grunfeld.

By not playing Crawford at all for four straight games, the Wizards publicly distanced themselves from him. Now, he has no chance to showcase what he can do to potential trade suitors and they are telling the league that they are desperate to sell. As a result, his trade value plummeted.

Grunfeld needed to begin exploring trade possibilities as soon as he became aware of the growing rift between Crawford and Wittman. That’s not to say he wasn’t, I don’t know exactly when he began inquiring. What I do know is that the trade market must have been pretty low for the Wizards to walk away only with Barbosa and Collins. If that was all that was available, the team would have been better off holding onto Crawford and trying to trade him again in the summer.

That’s why they should not have publicly benched him.

Grunfeld had to trade Crawford because the team had publicly declared that his time in DC was over. Clearly, there was a disconnect between Wittman and Grunfeld. Wittman hurt Crawford’s trade stock and forced the team’s hand by benching him and Grunfeld did not step in earlier to find an equitable deal. Had they both been on the same page, Crawford would have been playing and Wittman would have been aware of whether Grunfeld would be able to trade him now or over the summer. Instead, it appeared as if neither of them knew what the other was doing.

Are the Wizards worse off today than they were with Crawford? No, but they aren’t any better either. They shipped off a distraction for two players who will make no significant impact and who will both be gone after the season. The Wizards missed an opportunity to gain some sort of asset because of another mishandled situation. While the team on the court continues to get better, the Wizards’ showed yet again that their biggest weakness remains their front office.

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Wall Makes Long Awaited Return

In a season that’s had very few bright spots, the Wizards finally had a reason to smile Saturday. Team star John Wall made his season debut to the delight of the fans at Verizon Center and led the Wizards to a 93-83 win over the Atlanta Hawks.

 

Wall missed the first 33 games of the season with a stress fracture in his left knee and the Wizards showed just how dependent they are on his talent. The team took a 5-28 record into Saturday night, easily the worst record in the NBA. They left looking like the team Ted Leonsis and Ernie Grunfeld had envisioned at the beginning of the season.

 

Wall did not start, but came in at the 4:56 mark in the first quarter. The crowd at Verizon welcomed him with a standing ovation. Initially, he struggled to find his shot, but Wall quickly made it clear he belonged on the floor. He played only 21 minutes and recorded 14 points, four assists, and two rebounds.

 

What was striking was just how different the team looked with Wall back in the lineup. Without him, the Wizards were the little engine that couldn’t; they started slow, kept things close for three quarters, then collapsed in the fourth quarter. It had become an all too familiar formula of futility.

 

Saturday, the Wizards looked like an actual collection of professionals. They played with confidence, they passed well, they executed well, they looked like a completely different team. This did not come against Cleveland or Sacramento, it came against a very good Atlanta team. It was the first glimpse of what this Wizards’team was expected to be.

 

What does this mean going forward? Unfortunately, the Wizards have dug themselves a hole far too deep to dig out of. They may have had playoff aspirations to start the season, but those are long gone. Interestingly enough, Wall’s return may actually hamper the Wizards. While they won’t challenge for the playoffs, if Saturday is any indication, they could climb the standings and hurt their place in the 2013 draft lottery.

 

To start the season the Wizards declared they were no longer a lottery team, but they probably did not foresee a 6-28 start. We knew this team was built around Wall, but in his absence we learned just how few playmakers there were on the roster. The loss of your best player does not excuse a historically bad start. Look at Chicago. Even without Derrick Rose, the Bulls are sixth in the East with a record of 20-15. The Wizards cannot build a team solely around a player who has yet to play a full NBA season and they would make his job easier with another star player. If they cannot get one in the draft, they will have to look elsewhere. There are reports that the Wizards are currently trying to negotiate a deal with Memphis for Rudy Gay. That’s a good start.

 

While it was only one game, the Wizards should us a glimpse of what they could be with Wall back in the lineup. Now, they just need to could him healthy and get him some help.

Wizards' problems go beyond their injured stars

All you could do was laugh.

Down by one to Atlanta, Martell Webster hit a layup as the buzzer sounded. The shot initially counted and the Wizards looked as if they had finally gotten their first win.  The referees conferred, reviewed the video, and declared the shot was late. The Wizards fell to a franchise-worst 0-10.

All the high hopes and expectations have been derailed in a single month. The Wizards spent much of the offseason declaring they were no longer a lottery team, that they could compete for a playoff spot. It certainly does not look like that’s going to happen.

The biggest issue the Wizards have faced is health. Both John Wall and Nene, the team’s two most important players, were injured to start the season. It is no secret that the Wizards had hoped to build a team around Wall. When they were suddenly left with nothing more than a supporting cast, struggles were sure to follow.

To start the season 0-10, however, is not just bad, but historically bad. Only 13 teams in NBA history have started 0-10.  Don’t worry though, the Wizards have only lost by an average of 7 points, the best of those 13.  Congratulations, you are the best, worst team of all time.

As bad as things are, however, it is tough to put the blame on anyone on the court or on head coach Randy Wittman.  The players do look like they are legitimately trying out there.  Wittman is doing absolutely everything he can think of to right the ship.  While his news conferences and roster moves sometimes appear utterly desperate, it is hard to blame him for trying to get creative with a bad roster.

Do you think the Clippers would struggle without Blake Griffin and Chris Paul?  How about the Heat if they played without Lebron James and Dwayne Wade?  Of course no amount of injuries can justify perpetually losing in the NBA, but in my mind it does shift the blame from Wittman and the team to the front office.

The real mistake the Wizards made was building a team around a center whose health was a legitimate concern and a still unproven star point guard.  Nene has played ten seasons in the NBA and injuries have shortened his season to less than 70 games in five of those seasons.  He played a total of 39 games last year.

John Wall has not played more than 70 games in either season of his still short NBA career.  The concern with Wall, however, is not injury, but whether or not he will become the superstar talent the Wizards hoped he would be when they drafted him number one overall pick in the draft.

Wall is a very good point guard and his future looks bright, but he is not the cornerstone talent that franchises can build around.  The Wizards need to change their approach from bringing in supporting talent to bringing in star talent.  Granted that is easier said than done in today’s NBA where stars tend to follow stars, but let’s get realistic here.  Wall is not an elite talent capable of taking the Wizards to the next level by himself.

Nene was a good, albeit fragile, addition.  His presence addressed a real need for defense and leadership, but his health makes him difficult to rely on.  Bringing in Trevor Ariza and Emeka Okafor is not the answer and not just because of their early season struggles.  Both players are nice additions, but there was a reason they were traded.  New Orleans needed to get out from under their bad contracts.  “Bad contracts” are only bad when players are getting paid a lot more than they are worth.  Kobe Bryant makes a lot of money too, but the Lakers aren’t trying to trade him.

The Wizards would be a lot better with a healthy Wall and Nene in their lineup, but that does not justify an 0-10 start.  What this has shown is just how bad the “supporting cast” really is.  When Cleveland lost Lebron to the infamous “decision”, they did not start 0-10 the following season.  It is time to get back to the drawing board for Ernie Grunfeld and the Wizards.

Much Improved Wizards Team Hopes to Take Next Step

The Wizards sent a message at the end of last season; they were ready to turn the page on this embarrassing chapter in their history.  They were tired of the losing and of the embarrassing headlines off the court.

Head coach Flip Saunders was fired midway through the season, resident knuckleheads JaVale McGee and Nick Young were traded away for Nene and Brian Cook, and Andray Blatche was sent packing.  The moves had immediate results as the Wizards finished the 2011-2012 winning six straight and eight of their last ten.

The question, of course, is whether that success will continue this season.  The Wizards continued to improve in the offseason by trading the oft-injured and very expensive Rashard Lewis for Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza.  They also drafted the talented perimeter shooter Bradley Beal.

Looking at this new roster, there’s no doubt that it is a much improved squad.  McGee and Young were both talented, but the lack of leadership or discipline on this young team made DC a bad fit for them.  Nene gave this team instant leadership and, paired with Okafor, the Wizards suddenly look very strong in the paint.

Offensively, however, this team may struggle.  Beal looks to be a year away from being a top threat.  While he looked great in the Summer League, he has struggled in the preseason including a zero point performance in the finale against San Antonio.

Ariza, playing on his third team in four years, has also struggled in the preseason.  He is playing for his third team in four seasons, so perhaps some growing pains are to be expected, but the Wizards were expecting him to start and be a top offensive threat for them.  The fact that he is still struggling to produce is troubling.

The biggest problem facing the team right now is injuries.  John Wall needed to continue to prove himself to be a star this season, but he will sit the first month with a stress injury to his left knee.  Nene continues to struggle with plantar fasciitis in his left foot making his return to the team uncertain.  Kevin Seraphin, Chris Singleton, Trevor Booker, and Okafor have all missed games in the preseason because of an illness or injury.  It doesn’t matter what kind of roster the Wizards have assembled, if they can’t stay healthy they will struggle to find any success.

Still, it’s hard to argue against he moves the Wizards have made and the roster is undeniably more formidable now than it has been in several years.  Defense will be the key as this team continues to find its offensive identity.  Perimeter shooting will still be an issue, but there’s plenty to like about where this team is going.  If they can get healthy, they could potentially compete for one of the last playoff spots.  That might not sound like a glamorous outlook, but after four straight lottery years an eighth place finish sounds pretty good to me and probably sounds good to the Wizards as well.

For all the latest DC sports news, follow me on Twitter @TheDC_Sportsguy

Ted's General Managers

With the regular season winding down for both the NBA and NHL, it's safe to say both the Wizards and Capitals have not been as successful as owner Ted Leonsis would have hoped.  The Capitals are still in playoff contention, but they have not performed up to expectations.  Both teams are in need of change, but both have already fired their coaches during the season and now fans are beginning to point their fingers squarely at the general managers.  Leonsis has shown patience with his front office personnel, but is it time for a GM change?

To say that Ernie Grunfeld, current GM of the Wizards, had some massive shoes to fill is an understatement.  Grunfeld was brought in to replace Michael Jordan as president of basketball operations and general manager in 2003.  The team seemed to flourish initially under Grunfeld, however, winning its first playoff series in more than 23 years in the 2004-05 season.  The teamsreturned to the playoffs for 3 straight seasons after that losing each time in the first round to Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.  Things fell apart when team star Gilbert Arenas began to suffer multiple injuries that consistently kept him out of the lineup.  In 2009, Arenas brought handguns into the locker room in what has become a well chronicled incident.  Since that time, the Wizards have been a national punchline.  While Grunfeld certainly cannot be blamed for Arenas' inexplicable behavior, he has developed a knack for bringing in "knuckle heads."  After Arenas came Andray Blatche in 2005, Nick Young in 2007, and JaVale McGee in 2008, all drafted by Grunfeld and all contributing embarrassing headlines and highlights again and again.

What is more troubling is that the Wiz seem almost no closer to digging themselves out of the hole they have been stuck in since 2009.  In 2010, the Wizards had the 5th pick in the draft.  Grunfeld traded it to Minnesota for Randy Foye and Mike Miller.  At the time, the draft seemed weak at that point so moving the pick seemed a smart move, but the Wizards received Randy Foye and Mike Miller.  Both players had only a year left on their contracts and both left immediately after the 2009-2010 season.  Just one year later the Wizards had nothing to show for a top 5 pick.  In September of 2010, Grunfeld awarded Blatche a 5 year $35 million contract extension that has made the team headache all but untradeable.  Instead of earning that contract, Blatche is out of the lineup at the moment because he is out of shape.  To his credit, Grunfeld knows when he's made a mistake.  Arenas, McGee, and Young are now all someone else's problem and he at least sought to trade Blatche, but this team is still terrible.  The Wizards are currently 12-40 giving them the 2nd worst winning percentage in the league.  John Wall is a great draft pick with superstar potential, but we can't expect him to stick around forever waiting for the team to get its act together.  How long can the Wizards be basement dwellers before Grunfeld is held accountable?

George McPhee, general manager of the Washington Capitals, has had a very different problem; he has been unable to take a team loaded with talent to the next level.  This hasn't always been a problem, in his first season with Washington, the Caps made it to their first and only Stanley Cup Finals.  As the team faced financial issues with a league lockout looming, McPhee orchestrated a "fire sale" in the 2003-04 season unloading the team's veteran talent in exchange for young prospects and draft picks.  The team turned around when they obtained Alexander Ovechkin and have since won four division championships.  Despite being widely described as one of the most talented teams in the league, the Caps have failed to make it past the 2nd round of the playoffs since their conference run in 1998.

Many blamed the team's playoff woes on coach Bruce Boudreau, but the team has continued to struggle after Boudreau was fired in November.  While Dale Hunter's coaching has left much to be desired to say the least, some would say it may be time to find a new GM before we start to think about another new coach.

So are Ted's GMs in trouble?  Well, probably not.  As I said, Leonsis has been incredibly patient with his staff.  In a town haunted by the shadow of trigger happy Daniel Snyder, I believe Leonsis enjoys being the patient counterpart.  The rebuild of the stagnant Capitals' franchise is a remarkable story and Leonsis hopes to rebuild the Wizards along the same lines.  While the Caps have struggled in the playoffs, McPhee has consistenly put together a roster that looks remarkably talented on paper.  The problems are on the ice, not in the office.  Of course he has made his share of mistakes, but you can't really ask for much more from McPhee.  His job is to put together championship calibur rosters and he's done that.  For Grunfeld, the future is a bit more murky.  This is the last year of his contract and frankly you can only blame Arenas for so long.  If Leonsis feels there's a plan in place, then he may not want to upset that by bringing in a new GM, but I'm having a hard time figuring out what that plan is.  You can't just keep pushing the reset button forever.