I mentioned the Bullets Forever idea of trading Mike James and Javaris Crittenton to Indiana for Travis Diener and Jeff Foster in the previous post, ‘Finding A Big Man For The Washington Wizards’ … which could quite possibly the first ‘two white men for two black men trade’ in the NBA in decades, if not ever.

Naturally, I wanted to get the opinion of a Pacers fan-blogger on the potential deal. Tom Lewis of Indy Cornrows was kind enough to weigh-in via email:

[The] proposed trade definitely makes sense from an emotionless nuts and bolts perspective. I do think the Pacers are willing to move Foster and with Mike James involved the team could have additional cap room next summer. Plus, as an added bonus, assuming Jarrett Jack does not re-sign and the team keeps A.J. Price in play, James may be a good mentor for the rook since both hail from Amityville, NY.

The Diener/Crittenton parts appear to be a wash. Diener is in the last year of his deal and Crittenton has a team option next summer. Crittenton has some known flaws, namely his ability to shoot the three and too many turnovers which are two areas Jim O’Brien values highly which he proved last season by moving T.J. Ford out of the starting lineup. The physical upside to Crittenton’s game would be worth the gamble though since the team could let him go after the season, not a bad worst-case scenario.

Diener has been pretty efficient running the Pacers offense when healthy which he wasn’t for much of last year. Plus, he can knock down perimeter shots which would probably be the determining factor between the two if Jim O’Brien has a say.

The key sticking point with Foster is that the Pacers value him as a part of the organization and not just for what he does on the court. Foster waded through the muck and mire of the brawl and off-court insanity that disrupted the team a few years ago and never complained but instead covered his teammates’ backs whenever needed and just kept working. That’s the main reason the Pacers extended his contract last year and why they will be reluctant to move him unless a championship contending team is involved or if he is part of a bigger deal for an impact player (say Amare Stoudemire).

Basically, it’s a ‘no thanks’, but ‘it’s not out of the question’.

I ‘d never blame Indy for want to be loyal to Foster, but then again, financial concerns and the “it’s a business” aspect of the NBA could easily cause loyalty to be thrown out the window.

I’d forgotten that the Pacers picked up A.J. Price with the 22nd pick in the second round. Recalling my interview with Mike James, he’s kept a close eye on his boy Price … so it would be cool for those two to be on the same team.

Overall, perhaps the Wizards would be better served keeping the veteran James on the roster to assist with PG duties heading into next season. He could also turn out to be a more valuable trade asset at the ‘10 deadline than this summer.

In addition, Antonio McDyess  might be a better option than Foster. The Detroit News is reporting that the Wizards, along with Cleveland, Boston, Detroit, Houston, and San Antonio, are vying for the services of the veteran big man.

The fact that McDyess, a reasonably relevant free agent, is tied to the Wizards makes Mike Prada of Bullets Forever feel a little better about recent reports that Ernie Grunfeld would not be an initial free-agency participant.

Then again, the “interest” reported by the Detroit News could simply mean that Grunfeld has placed a courtesy call to McDyess’ agent.

Only time will tell.

still miss you d-song | flick/Keith Allison

I was on a break outside the other day, catching some fresh Penn Quarter air, taking a stroll around Freedom Plaza, when this little kid came up to me, and said, “Hey Mister … don’t you know that the Wizards need another big man? Haywood, Jamison, Blatche, McGee, and McGuire aren’t going to cut it.”

“Easy lil’ fella,” I told him. “We’ll keep looking around to see if we can add someone else, but we feel comfortable about what we have currently and the depth of our ballclub.”

The kid then kicked me in the shin and ran away.

I suddenly woke up from my slumber and realized those weren’t my words, those were Ernie Grunfeld’s words. I had a mission …

can big gheorghe muresan get on the horn and find the wizards a big man?

Finding the perfect big man for the Wizards … how is it done? Well, with a dose of stats and a bit of guts. I first started this post/research before the Wizards made the Miller/Foye trade, and then had to keep adjusting given circumstances.

First, I wanted to narrow the field to target not only free-agents (restricted and unrestricted), but other big men who are reasonable targets (using “reasonable” loosely). I’ve also eliminated some targets.

For instance, in the narrowed field, you will not see the following:

• Chris Bosh - Toronto is not trading him this summer … check back at the trade deadline.
• Zydrunas Illgauskas - Nope. Cleveland loyalty and we don’t want to give the Cavs anything in a trade, nor his contract.
• Paul Millsap - No way the Jazz are letting him go. They’d rather keep Millsap over Boozer and/or Okur. Of course, Boozer and Okur decided NOT to opt-out/early terminate … so the Jazz might not be able to keep Millsap. But if the Wizards were to go after him, it’d probably have to be a sign-and-trade. I’d LOVE to have this guy (so he’ll actually be on the list for comparison purposes).
• Emeka Okafor - Shaky back and over $60 million and 5-years left on his contract … no, thanks.
• Lamar Odom - Yea, riiight. That dude is not playing for our MLE, nor is he worth a sign and trade with LA.
• Amare Stoudemire - That ship has sailed.
• Michael Ruffin - Bad Toronto memories … horrendous offense … maybe if he weren’t going to be 33 in January.
• Others who aren’t in the list below - Just because.

That leaves us with this set of 24 players (in alphabetical order):

1. Chris Anderson
2. Brandon Bass
3. Marcus Camby
4. Tyson Chandler
5. Samuel Dalembert
6. Francisco Elson
7. Jeff Foster
8. Channing Frye
9. Drew Gooden
10. Marcin Gortat
11. Andrei Kirilenko
12. David Lee
13. Antonio McDyess
14. Paul Millsap
15. Rasho Nesterovic
16. Zaza Pachulia
17. Joel Przybilla
18. Zach Randolph
19. Joe Smith
20. Anderson Varejao
21. Charlie Villanueva
22. Rasheed Wallace
23. Chris Wilcox
24. Shelden Williams

I know what you’re thinking …. there’s no way some of these guys end up on the Wizards. Bad contracts, cancers, injury risks, and your “ain’t no ways” are all there (looking at you ‘Sheed, Dalembert, Chandler, Z-Bo, etc.).

Just bare with me. All of those guys are “available” per se. Stats will eliminate some, intuition others.

Statistics

Ok, so how shall we measure this set?

I’m going to go with some aspects of the much vaunted plus/minus.

We obviously want said big man to be a good defender AND rebounder, so I will use the following (all stats from this past season 82games.com):

• Net +/- for points allowed for 100 possessions on defense.
• Net +/- for effective FG% allowed
• Net +/- % total rebounding
  

However, we (me and Flip Saunders) would also like said big man to be able to shoot a little bit … spread to the floor for others. To measure that, I will use:

• eFG% on jump shots

Finally, as a general rating, I’m going to use the Roland Rating, which is defined as (via 82games.com):

The main components of the ‘Roland Ratings’ are a production measure (a variant of John Hollinger’s PER rating) for a player’s own stats versus the counterpart player on the other team while he is on the court, as well as a simple on court/off court plus minus.

Ok, moving on to a spreadsheet of players and numbers … “yay” …

But first:

• Players in GREEN are unrestricted free-agents
• Players in YELLOW are restricted free-agents
• Players in ORANGE will have to come in a trade, their contract deets:
  • Jeff Foster: 2-yrs, $12.7 million
  • Zach Randolph: 2 yrs, $33 million
  • Sam Dalembert: 2 yrs, $25 million
  • AK-47: 2 yrs, $34.3 million
  • Marcus Camby: 1 yr, $9.65 million
  • Joel Przybilla: 2 yrs, $14.3 million (early termination option)
  • Tyson Chandler: 2 yrs, $25.4 million (eto - doubt he uses it)

Other Things to know:

• You’ll see each measurable columned colored light blue. The ‘R = X’ number at the bottom of each column represents the range between the ‘best’ player rating and ‘worst’ rating in each category.
• The R% helps determine how each player’s rating performs against the entire range [formula = rating/range*100 -- (also adjusted when negative ratings are better)]
• The RK is simply the ranking of each player (against each other) in that category … 24 to 1 … the higher the ranking, the better.
• Not only am I trying to measure how well each individual performs with +/-, but also how each perform in relation to each other.
• I’m not a stat head … so some of this stuff could be effed up, i.e., this is obviously not a perfect measurement of these players; no ’stat’ is.This is why I wouldn’t use a statistic to say, “These stats mean that Player X is a bad defensive player.” Rather, I’d say, “These statistics possibly indicate that Player X is less adept at playing defense.”

Final Tally:

(the three column headers in yellow - you’ll have to scroll right to see them)

• R% Totals = the sum of each R% column
• D&R % TTL = Sum of R% columns for defense and rebounding (sans Roland Rating and eFG%)
• Rank Totals = the sum of the straight ranking of each player in each category
• Green squares reflect those within the top 7 of each ‘final tally’, red in the bottom 7.

[If you can't see the spreadsheet below, click here.]

*Players are currently listed in order of R% totals.

Elimination Time (again, listed in alpha order) via intuition:

1. Chris Anderson - It’s not about the money with the Birdman, it’s about a comfort zone (mostly due to his past issues). He’ll give Denver the hometown discount and will stay where he is loved, and where he’s blossomed/reinserted himself as a defensive force in the NBA.
2. Brandon Bass - Very nice offensive player, and ranks 8th in R% overall (5th in rank total), but his defense and rebounding total (9.82), in addition to the fact that he’s a bit undersized, reflects that he might not exactly be what the Wizards are looking for. Overall, I think he’d fit in Saunders’ system … and that’s why I hesitate to cross him out. But he’s considered a ‘keeper’ by the Mavs and is receiving a ‘ton of interest’ otherwise, perhaps seeking the full MLE.
3. Marcus Camby - Could be a possibility, if Grunfeld is willing to gamble … see trade ideas below.
4. Tyson Chandler - Injury prone and too expensive. I’d only want him as a sixth man and the goods are definitely not worth the price.
5. Samuel Dalembert - This guy doesn’t give me a good feeling. Too unpredictable, too expensive, not enough offense.
6. Francisco Elson - Y’all realize this guy weighs less than JaVale McGee, right? He once called Kevin Garnett “gay” for a crotch shot that K.G. dished out. Elson slightly rebounded from a very poor 07-08 last year in Milwaukee, but the Wizards should want a guy who can throw his weight around … moving on.
7. Jeff Foster - Not the best offensive player, but defends, rebounds, and is deceptively quick. Foster is similar to Songaila in that he has contagious hustle, but is also two inches taller and a much better rebounder, statistically, than D-Song. However, turning 33 in January, and past hip/back problems might be a deterrent. Foster will do what it takes, once scavenging for food in the media room before a game at the Verizon Center (relayed by Steve Buckhantz), and by tripping some lil’ jerk who ran onto the court … so I wouldn’t mind having him on the Wizards. See trade option below.
8. Channing Frye - Could/should be a very cheap option, but ranks low … in fact, dead last in both overall categories. Frye’s got range on his jumper, but is not someone who can protect the paint, and the Wizards need the latter more. Channing blocks shots slightly better than Songaila … enuff said.
9. Drew Gooden - Not the best defender (mentally), but adequate. Gooden has the ability to score inside and out, and is a decent rebounder. However, with teams like San Antonio, Boston, and  Houston probably able to offer him more minutes than the Wizards, the chances of him coming to DC are slim. He’s “boys” with DeShawn Stevenson … all the more reason to move on … unless you’re Dan Steinberg and you like intra-team Beard Growing Contests.
10. Marcin Gortat - His numbers don’t rank him highly among the group, but his play in the playoffs really impressed and increased his value. With Tony Battie gone, and Orlando going ‘all in’ over the tax (but disregarding Turkoglu), bet that they match almost any offer for Gortat. However, with Rockets GM Daryl Morey recruiting Gortat via FaceBook, Twitter, the Rockets’ official website, and created gmail accounts expressing how much Rockets fans love him, look for Houston to try to overpay Gortat (especially with the status of Yao and the retiring Mutombo). Chad Ford reported that Gortat could receive $4-5 million a year (or 4-years, $16-18 million), but will probably get a larger offer, and thus be out of the Wizards’ MLE price range. Ford reports that the Knicks, Mavericks, Pacers and Raptors could also be interested.
11. Andrei Kirilenko - He’d be a very intriguing piece, but he’s a prima donna and the price tag over two seasons is too much.
12. David Lee - His status as a restricted FA makes joining the Wiz improbable and unreasonable. Plus, his stats don’t impress. That being said, I’d love to have him, but it’s a pipe dream.
13. Antonio McDyess - I’m not completely sure I see him leaving Detroit, but could be a bargain possibility. However, McDyess will be 35 in September and is in the ring-chasing phase of his career (remember, he arrived in Detroit the year after they beat the Lakers for the title), and the Wizards might not fill his requirements. Chad Ford is reporting that he could command $3-5 million a year … which could be slightly too expensive for Abe Pollin’s $2.5 million for a 2nd round draft pick lined pockets.
14. Paul Millsap - Even with Utah’s money crunch as a result of both Boozer and Okur returning, they still might match any reasonable offer for Millsap (in upwards of $8-10 million a year). This obviously puts him out of the Wizards’ price range and I cannot fathom a sign and trade, which would still put Utah deep in luxury territory, working.
15. Rasho Nesterovic - Too old, too immobile, and likely going back to Europe. Jake of Bullets Forever makes a decent case for Rasho, so I won’t call him an absolute no.
16. Zaza Pachulia - I’d love to have this guy, especially when he’s not afraid to go toe-to-toe with a-holes like Kevin Garnett. However, it’s highly improbable that we see him in DC. For one, he’s probably high on the list of priorities for Atlanta, in line with Marvin Williams and in front of Mike Bibby. After that, more championship experienced squads in San Antonio and Boston are very interested in bringing him in. Pachulia could also be a target of Orlando should they lose Gortat. The only way I could see Zaza in a Wizards uniform would be if we offered the full MLE for something like 4-years (say $22 million) — there’s no way Grunfeld will do that.
17. Joel Przybilla - Another guy I’d love to have, but the Wizards aren’t getting him … even if Grunfeld offered Andray Blatche and Mike James for Przybilla and Travis Outlaw. A future first rounder might get Portland thinking … but at the same time, such a move doesn’t bring a ton of value to the Wizards. With both Raef LaFrentz and Channing Frye likely gone, the Blazers will be content with keeping Pryzbilla on the payroll.
18. Zach Randolph - Ranks highly, but D.C. gun laws could be his best friend and/or worst enemy. No, thank, you.
19. Joe Smith - Doesn’t make mistakes, decent all-around player, local college hero … but turning 34 in July. He’d be a good locker room presence, and would not complain being in a role where he rarely sees the court. Might be a good last-ditch, cheap option.
20. Anderson Varejao - That goofy S.O.B. on the Wiz? No thanks. He opted out of 1-year, $6.2 million with Cleveland … Washington is not paying him more.
21. Charlie Villanueva - The guy can shoot, but his defensive/rebounding numbers are dead last. Combine that with what it might cost to get him and I’ll pass. As Ric(k) Bucher puts it when talking about the ‘right system’ for Charlie: “Any that can put four quality defenders on the floor, because a winning team can’t afford more than one bad one and Charlie has that locked up.” Yea, I just spit up my drink too.
22. Rasheed Wallace - Flip Saunders does not want this headache again … good luck Orlando or San Antonio. ‘Sheed will give Stan Van Gundy an ulcer, or Gregg Popovich more pockmarks on his face.
23. Chris Wilcox - If he can bring back the Wilcox of Seattle fame, then maybe … but too many people think he’s an inferior defender (partially evident by the above numbers). He’s also said to give less than full effort, and has issues with staying in shape (we already have Blatche in that department). He’s worth a look, but just not a lot of money. (*Wilcox’s numbers above are from his time in OKC where he played 719 minutes before heading to the Knicks to play 330 minutes.)
24. Shelden Williams - Could be a very affordable option. Williams has muscle, is a willing, Coach K trained defender, and has the ability to block shots. Unfortunately, his offense close to the basket makes Ben Wallace look like Tim Duncan.

Omitted Names:

Sean May (please … too fat, injury prone), Johan Petro (defense? can’t play it), Robert Swift (don’t need another ‘project’), Chris Mihm (he’s done), Mikki Moore (see: Mihm), Collins Twins (never have impressed me), Jamaal Magloire, (washed up aka also done), Juwan Howard (defense = nope), Calvin Booth (been there, done that), ‘Big Baby’ Davis (Boston will keep him now that Powe is a goner), Theo Ratliff (he’s turning 57 next April).

The Trades

Marcus Camby

Camby is obviously rated highly across the board … and he’d be great to have, but would he be able to play alongside Brendan Haywood? Would he take a bench role? Would he grow dreads so B-Wood could rip them out? Who knows.

The first trade I tried at Real GM was DeShawn, Javaris & Mike James for Camby and Ricky Davis. It works, but it might not ‘work’ — problem is, the Wizards are losing PG depth and a prospect in Crittenton. On the other hand, Javaris is not that much of a prospect to make it worth LA’s while to not only give up Camby, but also take an extra year of DeShawn’s contract money.

The second trade with LA I attempted was Nick Young, Stevenson, and James for Camby and Mardy Collins (and perhaps a second round pick). Sure LA gives up Camby, (which they’d like to do anyway with their glut of bigs), and takes on an extra year of Stevenson, but they get a better prospect back in hometown LA boy Young, who can swing between SG and SF. The Wizards keep a decent backup PG in Javaris and gain the 24-year old, 6′6″ Collins, who is a TERRIBLE offensive player, but a decent wing defender, and can play positions 1-3.

It’d be tough to give up Young in exchange for ‘renting’ Camby for a year, but if Grunfeld wants to shed future salary while improving size and defense, this might be the trade for him.

Jeff Foster

The @BulletsForever twitter account proposed a trade of Mike James and Javaris Crittenton for Jeff Foster and Travis Diener.

The Pacers would get a PG (behind T.J. Ford) to push the ball in their up-tempo style … talking about Crittenton, not James. James becomes a trade-deadline asset for Indiana. They also get out from the $6,655,000 on Foster’s contract in 2010-11.

The Wizards, as evident by Foster’s numbers, get a very capable 32-year old veteran who’s willing to play off the bench and knows what hustle is all about.

Upon first hearing this, I’m like “sign me up!” Everybody wins, right?

Not exactly. The Pacers are losing fans and money, and are looking to shed salary, evidenced by them not picking up Marquis Daniels’ option. But do Larry Bird & Co. want to head into next season with Troy Murphy, Roy Hibbert, Josh McRoberts, and Tyler Hansbrough as their only options in the post?

Perhaps this works if the Pacers can find a better, cheaper alternative to Foster.

But the more I think about this trade, the more fair I think it is for Indy, but less ideal (in the long-term) for Washington. I’d still do it though.

Guys I should have mentioned:

Stromile Swift - PHO ($201,741) - Will he ever fulfill his potential? What kind of sign is it that Hollinger says that Etan Thomas is the “most similar at his age”? Should the Wizards take a chance on this guy? It’s hard to say … I’d much rather have a proven vet in Joe Smith.

Leon Powe - BOS ($797,581 … Celtics decided not to issue a qualifying offer of $1,030,189) - If Grunfeld was scared of DeJuan Blair and his knee issues then he definitely shouldn’t throw caution in the wind and go after Powe. Stet Sports seems to believe that Powe would be a good addition … but after tearing his ACL in late April, his 6-8 month recovery time might not get him back on the court until late 2009 or 2010.

Ike Diogu - SAC ($2,912,822 … Kings decided not to issue a qualifying offer of $3,946,874) - I like this guy. And he used to tear it up years ago … on offense … when he saw the court. But his turnovers and lack of defense kept him on the bench for Portland and a crappy Sacramento team. Is there potential for this four team player going into his fifth year? Definitely. Do the Wizards need a guy still in his development phase? Highly unlikely.

Who’s Left (and what they made last year):

• Joe Smith ($1,200,000)
• Chris Wilcox ($6,750,000)
• Drew Gooden ($1,410,441)
• Rasho Nesterovic ($8,400,000)
• Shelden Williams ($3,395,760)

I wouldn’t mind having any of these guys … just not for much more than the bi-annual exception of about $2 million dollars, or perhaps a 3/5 portion of the $5.8-6 million MLE. Gooden, with his age (28 in September), might command more money, and as mentioned, might desire an opportunity for more minutes elsewhere.

Otherwise, in terms of potential contributions, statistics, gut feeling, and financial implications, I’d rank the remaining four as follows:

1) Shelden Williams
2) Joe Smith
3) Rasho Nesterovic
4) Chris Wilcox

As reported by Mike Jones of the Washington Times, Grunfeld is going to bide his time and see what crumbs slip through the cracks.

[translation: Grunfeld will not be using the full MLE, otherwise he'd be trying to lock someone in now -- Mike Prada at Bullets Forever translates this the same way, and is frustrated as hell ... can't blame him].

This is what we’ve come to expect from the patient Wizards president of operations working under Abe Pollin.

Of course, Wiz fans are hungry for winning, and crumbs might not do … but that’s the state the franchise is in, desiring to have a three-way with ‘Win Now’ and ‘Save Money’.

Sometimes the early bird gets the best worms, and sometimes those who patiently play a hand squeeze their opponents, and come out on top in the end.

I found this quote from a Cleveland Plain Dealer story by Brian Windhorst interesting:

Warren Buffett, a friend of LeBron James and a rather established expert in making acquisitions, can certainly relate to the situation the Cavaliers are now in.

One of the billionaire’s core philosophies and known quotes is to “attempt to be fearful when others are greedy and to be greedy only when others are fearful.”

In listening to sources within the organization and across the league, despite being in a challenging climate for professional sports that has prompted fear with good reason, the Cavs fully intend to be greedy.

It seems the team is expected to act quickly to add to their already well-heeled roster in an attempt to win their first title next season, which is famously the last on James’ contract.

Clearly the pressure to retain a superstar, upon whom the emotional state of all of Ohio seemingly depends, creates a different, yet tumultuous environment for the Danny Ferry and Cavaliers.

I still am adamant about my trust in Ernie Grunfeld. But the scrutiny on him is as high as ever and I’ll be very curious to see what moves he makes.

All of this being said, Grunfeld will probably sign Mikki Moore. Damn.

flickr/Keith Allison

Etan Thomas waxed poetic. He audaciously spoke out against the war. He stumped for Obama. He got huffy on the Huffington Post. For his social involvement, he’s a commendable guy. Vastly different from many of the NBA’s young money millionaires.

But when it comes to the goal of winning as a team, Etan’s social activity, which assumingly had a bearing on his locker room inactivity, need not apply.

The Wizards are much better off now that he’s gone.

Think what you want about Brendan Haywood’s failure to give Thomas his proper sendoff while Antawn Jamison did. Haywood can say what he wants, doesn’t necessarily mean he’s a good or bad guy.

The fleeting rivalry between Haywood and Thomas is not why the Wizards are better off. Neither is the fact that Etan’s expiring contract was a valuable asset in the trade. Nor was it the fact that Thomas rarely saw the court over the past two seasons because of injury. Rather, it’s the jettisoning of Etan’s aloof locker room behavior that promotes increased unity among the remaining players.

As Haywood told ESPN 980’s Kevin Sheehan via the DC Sports Bog:

“He wasn’t really tight in our locker room structure. You know, he kind of distanced himself, and we even talked to him about it, like, ‘We feel like you don’t feel like you’re part of the team.’ So he distanced himself from the team. So you look out there, we’re gonna miss Songaila because he’s played and played well the last couple years, and we’re gonna miss him because he went out with guys to eat, he went out to the comedy shows and to the mall, he hung out, he was an integral part of our team. While Etan didn’t play, and he didn’t have that many close friends, so, we’re not gonna miss him.”

Many coaches aim to create a unified atmosphere on the court and off. They sell their players on a mentality of “going to war” with each other. In the foxhole, you’re more willing to work harder, fight more, for guys you can trust, guys you can call your comrades.

Etan’s self-imposed separation from his teammates created an unspoken degree of mistrust. Whether it was unintentional or not isn’t the point. What’s clear is that while some guys may have liked, gotten along with, and perhaps admired Etan, there were two factions behind closed doors: The Poet and the rest of the team.

To achieve the ultimate goal of a championship, everyone from the trainers, to the towel boys, to the front office, to the coaches, and especially the players need to be active participants in a ’same page’ environment.

It’s not that Etan was a noticeable burden on team chemistry, but it will improve for the simple fact that he’s gone.

His distance could have been misinterpreted as quiet disdain towards those so different from him, or perhaps that interpretation is valid. Would anyone be surprised if Etan wrote a book chronicling the ills of his NBA contemporaries once his playing days are over?

So while we wish Etan the best of luck in the future, we also bid him good riddance.

a scene from one of the more popular Cleveland street festivals - flickr/jmd41280

And Milwaukee thought it had it bad … being the target of Gilbert Arenas’ trash talking and all. Maybe his buddy Richard Jefferson will have the last laugh, seeing that now he’s off to dance the championship dream in San Antonio with Timmy, Manu and Tony.

Step aside Brew City, Cleveland is more boring than you. The city that LeBron James may or may not leave in the future has been named the most boring city in America by a TripAdvisor survey of over 3,400 respondents.

Uhh … sorry guys.

Luckily, the Cleveland Cavaliers can do no wrong [via Waiting For Next Year]

In Other News:

Hopefully the ‘it’s time for Andray Blatche to step up’ ritual doesn’t extend further than the past three off-seasons (including this current one).

I really/kinda/sorta believe in the kid this time … I really do. Some encouraging words from Tom Knott, Washington Times:

Flip Saunders is working with Andray Blatche on a daily basis, putting the 22-year-old forward through various basketball drills while trying to solve the four-year mystery of what his destiny will be.

“This [one-on-one training] is what I used to do with Kevin Garnett,” Saunders tells Blatche, aware that Blatche idolized Garnett in his days as a youth in Syracuse, N.Y.

That anecdote comes from Ernie Grunfeld, the president of the Wizards and the one who hired Saunders in April to pick up the pieces from a 19-win season.

……..

Grunfeld remains ever hopeful with Blatche, a 6-foot-11 talent with a history of shrinking from his duties. That has been chalked up to his immaturity, a condition Brendan Haywood eventually overcame.

……..

Saunders has taken an active interest in Blatche in an effort to unearth his inner gym rat - if one is lurking inside him.

“Flip is getting through to him at this point,” Grunfeld said. “They have a nice relationship.”

The Saunders-Blatche dynamic is a reflection of Grunfeld’s Red Holzman-inspired belief in developing players, one of the three D’s of building a team. The others are making a sweet deal or draft pick.

Further Reading: It’s Make or Break Time for Andray Blatche [Bullets Forever]

Let’s just say that JaVale McGee is not yet at the “quoteable” point of his career:

“Um, it was fun. We didn’t have a good season, so that was kind of different, but I’m sure next year, we’ll be all good.”

AND

“Um, hopefully just stepping my game up, getting better, something like that.”

JaVale McGee’s answers to what his rookie season was like, and what his personal goals are in an interview with It’s Just Sports.

On the other hand … Sam I Am:

“I enjoy teaching basketball. I wasn’t the most talented guy out there, but I know all of the angles. And I know the chemistry of the game. Coaching in the NBA is about more than X’s and O’s. It’s about managing guys.” -Sam Cassell

“Cassell followed hoops dream from Baltimore to NBA,” by Mike Klingaman, Baltimore Sun

Other hits

• Mr. Irrelevant has a pictorial of the Wizards’ draft pick past.
• Friend of the blog, Doc Funk, took a road trip to the NBA Draft.
• Now it’s Mike Miller and Randy Foye vs. Aaron Brooks and Shane Battier. Have at it Wizards fans. [We're Off To See The Willards]
• The ‘History’ of Sam Cassell and Gilbert Arenas [DC Sport Bog]
• Stet Sports: Lesson Number One For Young Wizards; Don’t Be Like Brandon Jennings
• Baller Blogger gives the Wizards’ trade for Mike Miller and Randy Foye a big fat D … harsh.

Leave ‘em sweatin’ for more

Sweat dripped from the brim of Grunfeld’s nose as he spoke to reporters after Thursday’s NBA draft, which may have been emblematic of the intense pressure he is under to field a legitimate contender in Washington.

[via The Washington Post]

It’s popular to associate the Wizards’ second round pick with pictures of cash these days.

straight cash homey - flickr/Steve Wampler

For the second year in a row, the Washington Wizards sold their second round draft pick. Good move? Bad move? It’s Washington Wizards Point, Counter-Point.

[previously on Point, Counter-Point: Why Didn’t The Wizards Get Vince Carter?]

Point

DeJuan Blair, the “best rebouder in college basketball” was there for the taking … and what do the Wizards do? Just sell the damn pick, Jermain Taylor, to Houston for $2.5 million cash.

Don’t tell me about saving a roster spot for a free-agent big man. With the departure of Juan Dixon and the three-for-two trade with Minnesota, the Wizards have 13 players under contract. They could have drafted Blair, without committing much money to him at all, and signed a free-agent big such as Zaza Pachulia or Marcin Gortat (assuming either of those guys would play for the full MLE, both will probably command more).

Why not take a chance on Blair? Selecting him could have been a low-risk, high-reward move.

This just reeks of being cheap.

Counter Point

Blair, who was rumored to be good enough to have been a lottery pick, might turn out to be a ball player and he might not. But evidently, surgery on both knees was enough to keep Grunfeld, and many other away. Pistons Blog ‘Piston Powered’ got a doctor’s opinion of Blair’s knee injuries:

In high school, Blair tore both of his ACLs and had them surgically repaired. Blair’s scar tissue essentially got re-absorbed by his body and the result left Blair with essentially no ACLs.

Although he’s suffered no adverse effects ever since, Blair’s is an unprecedented injury and one that scared off a slew of NBA executives. Though Blair literally has no ACL to tear, some team physicians feel that Blair could eventually develop a nagging issue that could wear him down a few years down the road.

No ACLs? Yikes.

1. Perhaps Ernie Grunfeld had a deal with Houston (contingent on Taylor or someone else being available) before Blair slipped.

   Plus, as the WaPost’s Michael Lee has pointed out, the $2.5 million Washington got was significantly more than the $750,000 they got for selling Billy Walker to the Celtics last year. This could help the Wizards off-set having to pay the luxury tax.

2. The sale increases the likelihood that Grunfeld uses both the mid-level exception (estimated at being worth just under $6 million) and the bi-annual exception (est. at being worth just under $2 million).The former could obviously land a big name, and the latter could bring a player more ready to contribute than Blair.
   
   For more information on the NBA salary cap and exceptions, see the NBA Salary Cap FAQ website.
3. Or, Grunfeld uses the MLE and saves that final spot for a rain day contingency as he did last year. Grunfeld ended up using that 15th spot to sign Juan Dixon when Gilbert Arenas went down.

   Or, he finds a trade that nets more players than the Wizards send out.Or, the Wizards find someone in camp, such as a hard working, more experienced NBDL player.

Point is … sure, Blair could be the next Paul Millsap. And if so, the Wizards will fall in line with all the other teams that passed up on him.

But Blair had enough of an injury history not to select, and after that, no one else in the draft impressed Ernie Grunfeld as being a possible immediate contributor.

Why not sell the pick?

Verdict

This one is tough to swallow.  And while some are pretty peeved that Grunfeld passed up on the opportunity to select Blair, I can’t get too bent out of shape.

Grunfeld probably tried his best to move the pick in a package for something significant, but a second rounder just isn’t a valuable kicker in a trade.

In the end, whether the Wizards used the pick or not doesn’t have much of a bearing on the goal of a deep playoff run.

flickr/The CJM

On draft night, there were many frustrated rumblings on Bullets Forever over Ernie Grunfeld failing to land (or go after) Vince Carter. Not only that, but Carter was allowed to go to the reigning Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic.

With Hedo Turkoglu opting out, unlikely to return to Orlando, who knows if the Magic will be better off with Carter … many assume yes. I’ll be curious to see if Stan Van Gundy uses Carter similarly within the offense as he did Turkoglu, creating for others off the high pick and roll.

And if Rasheed Wallace goes to Orlando (which probably means that baby ‘Sheed is backing off demands of $8 million a year), they could be very scary. Tumultuous with Wallace the home-wrecker, buy scary nonetheless.

But in terms of the Wizards, should Grunfeld have gone after Carter?

Point

The Magic were able to get a 32-year old eight time NBA all-star with plenty left in the tank. Last season, Carter averaged over 20 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and shot 38.5% from long distance. Most importantly, Carter played like a leader on a 34-48 New Jersey Nets team, a 180 degree turn from his days of pouting and ‘bagging it’ in Toronto.

How dare Grunfeld let Carter go to a division rival for less than what the Wizards could have sent to New Jersey. All Orlando had to give up was an expendable malcontent PG who’ll become a pout box on the bench of one of the worst teams in the NBA, a 33-year old bag of bones who might not live through the flight to ‘Jersey’, and a young rising guard all Wizards fans would rather have instead of Nick Young … because Courtney Lee actually plays defense.

Actually, since Rafer Alston has one-year left on a $5.25 million unguaranteed contract, don’t count on seeing him in New Jers, nor Tony Battie with his $6.292 ready to come off the books after next season too.

A Wizards offer of the expiring contracts of Etan Thomas and Mike James, the 5th pick, and perhaps a throw-in like Oleksiy Pecherov, surely would have been more enticing than Orlando’s package. The Wizards would have gotten a true starting two guard AND would not have had to give up Darius Songaila. Who would have been the big winner? Ernie Grunfeld, that’s who.

Counter-Point

Vince Carter? Are you kidding me? Sure he may not be as selfish as people think, but c’mon, the guy dominates the ball. There’s no way he’d mesh with the Big Three. Putting Carter on the Wiz … Grunfeld might as well go after Stephon Marbury and Allen Iverson too. Maybe he can even trade for Zach Randolph and create a dysfunctional unit akin to Team USA Basketball 2002.

Ok, so maybe the Wizards wouldn’t exactly start acting like Dan Snyder owned the team. But adding Randy Foye and Mike Miller, even if it means losing Songaila, makes a better team than adding Carter to the mix.

With so many players who can play ON the ball in Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler, and Antawn Jamison, the Wizards need someone like Miller who can play off the ball, spotting up beyond the arc and being the court spreading long distance threat all good teams have. Plus,Foye could be the sleeper steal of the trade. In getting talent, I’d much rather have promising youth over a 32-year old on the downside of his career … a creaky boned injury waiting to happen on a team riddled with that very problem.

Aside from team chemistry (I’m not buying the fact that Jamison and Carter were college ‘buddies’ and are married to the Rucker sisters, Ione and Ellen respectively, would have much to do with the overall chemistry of the Wizards), Carter is owed $52.6 million over the next three years. It would be absolutely silly for Grunfeld to handcuff the team financially in such a manner.

Verdict

Maybe the dream scenario for fans would have been to ship Thomas, James, and Young to New Jersey for Carter, and then keep to 5th pick and select Ricky Rubio. Well, that didn’t happen … too bad.

But the fact is, Miller and Foye, instead of Carter, added to the current components, make the team better for the system Flip Saunders wants to run, not the fans. And if things don’t work out, Grunfeld leaves himself significant maneuvering flexibility in being able to extend Butler, or re-sign Brendan Haywood, or add another piece that helps the Wizards retool towards a championship goal.

Running down the best of what was said about the Washington Wizards and the 2009 NBA Draft …

“We wouldn’t have done anything different. The only player I would’ve been upset if he slipped to five was Blake Griffin, and he went No. 1 overall obviously,” [Ernie] Grunfeld said. “We wouldn’t have taken anybody but Blake Griffin if it came to this pick. Ricky Rubio, Tyreke Evans, James Harden - we liked all those players, and everybody else did. But if we had a chance to get Miller and Foye in exchange for that pick, there was no question about it.”

>> [Washington Times]

I found it quite amusing that the player most experts had slotted as the second-best talent in the draft slid all the way down to fifth. It was eerily similar to the Wizards drop on the night of the draft lottery, when they had the second-best chance of winning the top pick and dropped down to No. 5. On that night, Rubio didn’t seem like a possibility. Now his career will forever be linked to the Wizards, much like Devin Harris, who has blossomed into an all-star in New Jersey.

>> [Michael Lee - Wizards Insider, Washington Post]

The Rubio thing is particularly ridiculous for two reasons.  First, he carries a lot of trade value, and second, even if he does stay in Spain as rumored, you still hold his draft rights, don’t have to pay him (keep in mind part of the motivation of swapping 5 for Foye/Miller was that the latter two have shorter contracts that the #5) and, assuming you really believe a rookie won’t help you much anyway, you don’t have to actually give him minutes.  There’s a no-lose to drafting Rubio, even if he doesn’t turn out to be as good as advertised.

>> [Mike Prada - Bullets Forever]

Ricky Rubio lasted ’til fifth? You mean the Wizards could have kept their pick, No. 5 — HELLO! — and taken Rubio themselves? How do you say “Maravich” in Spanish? If the Wizards are going to start the season with 10 guards on their roster, then why couldn’t one of ‘em be this kid? In case Gilbert Arenas opens the season in physical therapy, why couldn’t we have watched Rubio throw those delicious passes, the likes of which nobody even attempts anymore in the NBA? The Wizards could have moved Arenas, ultimately, to shooting guard, which of course is what he is.

>> [Michael Wilbon - Washington Post]

The Wizards understood that they were unlikely to get a player at No. 5 who could crack their rotation, and they wanted to be serious contenders right away in the East. I think the addition of Foye and Miller puts them there. The Wolves were willing to pay significantly more than any other team, giving up two solid starters. I don’t think the Wizards could’ve done any better in getting value for the No. 5 pick.

>> [Chad Ford - ESPN (gives the Wizards an 'A' in the draft)]

Wizards traded the No. 5 pick to Minnesota to get Mike Miller, deciding they needed to make their push now instead of waiting for a rookie to grow. Miller will become a feared shooter again.

>> [Tim Povtak - NBA FanHouse (gives the Wizards a 'B' in the draft)]

“I told Ernie, we must’ve done something right. We made the trade and then Cleveland made the trade and so does Orlando,” Wizards Coach Flip Saunders said jokingly. “From our standpoint, we think we made a drastic improvement and put us in a situation where it’s going to be more difficult for teams like that to guard us.”

>> [Washington Post]

Grunfeld & Co. are aware that the need remains, and with Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee still unproven, they would rather get a veteran — even if it does end up being more expensive than what they would’ve paid Blair. Mike James and his expiring contract are bound to be a part of the possible pieces to move as part of a trade to acquire a big man, and maybe DeShawn Stevenson as well, although with him just coming off back surgery, teams might not want to touch him.

>> [Mike Jones - Washington Times]

The surprise, however, is that Pittsburgh’s DeJuan Blair slid all the way to the second round and the Wizards had a chance to take him — a move that would’ve met the need for an additional big body — but didn’t.

>> [Mike Jones - Washington Times]

I was literally re-sizing a DeJuan Blair photo, just in case, when the Wizards got on the clock last night, drafted another guard and then traded him for cash. Then I went to sleep.

>> [Dan Steinberg - DC Sports Bog]

The Wizards sold the pick for $2.5 million. That better be redistributed in the form of free beer for season ticket holders. So Houston know owns the rights to Jermaine Taylor. The scoring guard, not the super middleweight. Ernie Grunfeld says there’s more news to come tomorrow.

>> [Jack Kogod aka Unsilent Majority - Deadspin]

There he was, Jahidi White 2.0 waiting for the Washington Wizards to snatch him up with the 32nd pick of the 2009 NBA Draft. To an extent, it was surprising that he had dropped that far; but the pick was there for the taking by the Wizards.

>> [Jarrett Carter - Stet Sports]

Say it ain't so Big Ern!

Flip Saunders was just as laughingly confident that Ricky Rubio would not slip to five as he was enthralled with the guy. His partner in crime, Ernie Grunfeld, having seen Rubio play twice in person, mostly likely felt the same way.

To be a proverbial fly on the wall of the Wizards’ draft ‘war room’ Thursday night when Rubio was available at the fifth spot. Grunfeld’s face probably looked like he just swallowed an entire egg filled with arsenic, knowing that at some point the shell would crack and it’d be worse than fecal matter hitting the fan.

Wizards fans are not happy …

[continue reading on NBC Washington.com]

Hello gang … as promised, the True Hoop Network NBA Draft Night 2009 Live Bl0g/Chat is here.

It looks like things are starting to get kicked off. I’ll be “officially” on around 6:30 pm, but might check in a couple times before then.

If you have a question,  comment, or concern, feel free to join the chat, or tweet me @Truth_About_It, or just send me an email to truthaboutit[@]gmail[dot]com.

After the trade, NBA Draft Thursday lost a great deal of luster for Washington Wizards fans … we should be used to this, it’ll be the sixth straight year the team is not retaining a lottery pick.

But don’t worry, as has been indicated, Ernie Grunfeld will be working the trade hot-lines, and there’s still plenty to do:

1) Head over to Bullets Forever and take part in a ‘Darius Songaila vs. the 18th pick’ poll.

2) Brendan Haywood’s foray into blogging has received its fair share of attention. On top of that, it’s a huge contract year for the guy. Be sure and read the previous post, ‘Good Haywood vs. Bad Haywood (and neither are named Brenda)’

3) This site will be taking part in the ESPN True Hoop Network Live Blog-o-Rama-(Rama), organized by the good folks of Hardwood Paroxysm.

‘Cover It Live’ will be embedded here at Truth About It, so you’re welcome to stop by and check out commentary by NBA team bloggers from across the True Hoop Network … while dropping down some thoughts of your own.

4) Other Wizards/Bullets coverage: Bullets Forever will be having a couple draft night threads … I’ll be checking in over there as well to see what the knowledgeable community of Wiz fans have to say.

Also, Rashad Mobley of Hoops Addict will  be covering the draft live from the Verizon Center … be sure and drop by there to see Rashad’s draft night tid-bits from the Wizards’ home base.

And of course, Dave Johnson will be blogging from the draft room at the ‘official’ Washington Wizards blog.

There, think the bases are more than covered.

5) This weekend, the Safeway National Capital Barbecue Battle is taking place on Pennsylvania Avenue in D.C. on Saturday and Sunday.

The NBA and Sprite are setting up outdoor basketball court on Penn. Ave between 9th and 10th (NW), and will have a ‘Slam Dunk Showdown’ featuring some of the best dunkers from D.C. –  the competition begins at 4pm on Saturday … Darryl Dawkins aka Chocolate Thunder from the Planet Lovetron is set to be in attendance.

Below is a video for your viewing pleasure: