The Wizards, on Tuesday, landed the third overall pick in the 2012-13 NBA Draft … and they will do with it what they please, your miseducated speculation and dime-store mock drafts be damned.

So Truth About It.net turned to online scouting regurgitations, mostly intuition, and a wing and a prayer to come up with a list of the most potentially #SoWizards players who could soon be given a fanny-pack embroidered with a scarlet Wizards logo, a spot on the roster, and a pain in our hearts.

A #SoWizards future for this guy, Ondrej Balvin? — via some website]

#1) Rudy Gobert

At some point in time, Ernie Grunfeld yelled, to no one in particular, “Well, why don’t you just calculate a player’s ability to calculate!!?”

He was being facetious, but some scientist got right on it. Well, at least the guy was wearing a lab coat. He was also wearing a G-Wiz mascot uniform under that.

Grunfeld then, himself, went on to measure Frenchman Rudy Gobert’s 7-foot-9 wingspan in Grunfeld head-lengths (hey, that’s just his system… the answer is 5.138, by the way—Ernie has a really long head). Grunfeld also calculated Gobert’s 238-pound weight in Grunfeld heads, and it just so happened to be the very same number.

So it was determined that Gobert would be the third overall pick, especially since he can exchange “je m’appelles” and “toute de suites” with Kevin Seraphin and Snakey all season long, much to the chagrin of Randy Wittman. Take that, analytics!

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[A No. 3 Buoy - image via flickr/mikebaird]

What if the Wizards didn’t win the pre-lottery coin flip tie-breaker against the Los Angeles Clippers after the 2008-09 season? Both teams finished with identical 19-63 records, and even though the Wizards got a single extra combination in the ’09 lottery after winning that coin flip (so, a 17.8 percent chance of getting the top pick instead of LA’s 17.7 percent), the Clippers won the prize, i.e., Blake Griffin. Not only that, but two other teams, Memphis and Oklahoma City, jumped into the top three, bumping Washington to five.

But what if the Wizards, who sent Flip Saunders as their lottery representative in 2009, had been part of the winning combination? They likely would have elected to not trade the fifth overall pick (for Mike Miller, Randy Foye and a money-save) and would have instead drafted (and kept) Griffin.

[To note: Saunders was Minnesota’s rep at the 1995 lottery and also returned to his team with the fifth overall pick, but that turned out to be Kevin Garnett—the Timberwolves finished tied with the Wizards for the second-worst NBA record that season, 21-61. Washington, holding the tie-breaker in odds to win No. 1 (18.3 percent to 18.2), landed the fourth pick and took Rasheed Wallace. Both teams were jumped by Golden State (Joe Smith, No. 1), and Philadelphia (Jerry Stackhouse, No. 3).]

Surely, with Blake Griffin missing his entire first season with the Clippers due to a broken kneecap sustained during the preseason, the Wizards, being themselves, likely would have been bad enough to land a high pick again, i.e., John Wall in 2010.

The what ifs… Wall, Lob City-ing, or whatever, to Griffin in the Verizon Center—the return of “Fun Street.” Speaking of…

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[Wizards 2012-13 Player Reviews from the TAI crew are going down; let's reflect---index so far:
Jannero Pargo, Jason Collins, Shaun Livingston, Shelvin Mack, Cartier Martin, Earl Barron,
Jan Vesely, Chris Singleton, Trevor Booker, Garrett Temple, Emeka Okafor, Trevor Ariza,
Martell Webster, A.J. Price, Jordan Crawford, Kevin Seraphin, Bradley Beal, Nene, John Wall.]

A.J. Price

6-2 : Height
181 lbs. : Weight
26 : Age
4 : Years NBA Experience
2 : NBA Teams

Signed by the Wizards as a free agent for the one-year minimum on July 23, 2012.

Time as a Wizard in 2012-13

57 : Games
22 : Starts
1,278 : Minutes

1.47 out of 3 stars

Average Truth About It.net DC Council Game Rating
{Price evaluated over 19 games} 

12.4 PER

NBA historical PER contribution equivalent:
maybe Jon Barry for the 2000-01 Sacramento Kings (12.4)
maybe Jeff McInnis for the 2004-05 Cleveland Cavaliers (12.4),
maybe Kevin Porter for the 1972-73 Baltimore Bullets (12.4)

.084 Win Shares/48 Minutes

NBA historical WS/48 contribution equivalent:
maybe Jameer Nelson for the 2006-07 Orlando Magic (.082),
maybe Travis Best for the 2004-05 New Jersey Nets (.084),
maybe Derek Fisher for the 2006-07 Utah Jazz (.083)

With A.J. Price on the Court…

The Wizards offense scored 0.4 points less per 100 possessions (OffRtg)
The Wizards defense allowed 1.0 point less per 100 possessions (DefRtg)
Plus/Minus per 48 minutes: minus-2.4

Numbers : Per 36 Minutes

12.4 : Points
3.2 : Rebounds
0.1 : Blocks
0.9 : Steals
5.8 : Assists
1.8 : Turnovers
2.1 : Fouls

0.86 PPP

Price had 501 offensive possessions with the Wizards that ended with a FGA, TO or FTs, and he scored 0.86 Points Per Possession (PPP) on those, ranked 298th in the NBA (via Synergy Sports Technology). Defensively, he allowed 0.83 PPP over 477 possessions, ranked 108th.

Shooting

39% Field Goals (161-413)
35% 3-Pointers (70-200)
79% Free Throws (49-62)

[stats via NBA.com/stats and Basketball-Reference.com]

#12

A.J. Price in 2012-13 with the Wizards:

A Perfectly Imperfect Solution

by Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It)

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[On top of the 2012-13 season review of Jan Vesely by TAI's Lukas Kuba, I provide some thoughts on how to cope with his presence on the Washington Wizards amidst at least one would-be scenario.]

On the first go-around with Jan Vesely, the aim was to disassociate him with the fact that he was the sixth overall pick (at least that’s how I coped). Vesely was already on the team, and he was drafted exactly with John Wall in mind.

The Wizards went with an athletic, defensive-minded, running, dunking role player with their high pick one year after making Wall the face of the franchise. Vesely was a project for sure, but one that promised to be part of the equation.

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[Wizards 2012-13 Player Reviews from the TAI crew are going down; let's reflect---index:
Jannero Pargo, Jason Collins, Shaun Livingston, Shelvin Mack, Cartier Martin, Earl Barron,
Jan Vesely, Chris Singleton, Trevor Booker, Garrett Temple, Emeka Okafor, Trevor Ariza,
Martell Webster, A.J. Price, Jordan Crawford, Kevin Seraphin, Bradley Beal, Nene, John Wall.]

Earl Barron

7-0 : Height
245 lbs. : Weight
31 : Age
7 : Years NBA Experience
7 : NBA Teams

Signed by the Wizards as a free agent on Sept. 19, 2012,
waived by the Wizards on Dec. 22, 2012,
signed by the Knicks for the rest of the season on Apr. 17, 2013. 

Time as a Wizard in 2012-13

11 : Games
1 : Start
122 : Minutes

1.75 out of 3 stars

Average Truth About It.net DC Council Game Rating
{Barron evaluated over 4 games} 

6.9 PER

NBA historical PER contribution equivalent:
maybe Frank Brickowski for the 1996-97 Boston Celtics (6.9)
maybe Herb Williams for the 1996-97 New York Knicks (7.0),
maybe Chris Dudley for the 1993-94 Portland Trailblazers (6.8)

-0.025 Win Shares/48 Minutes

NBA historical WS/48 contribution equivalent:
maybe Stanley Roberts for the 1999-00 Philadelphia 76ers (-0.025),
maybe Ike Austin for the 2000-01 Vancouver Grizzlies (-0.026),
maybe Uwe Blab for the 1986-87 Dallas Mavericks (-0.027)

With Earl Barron on the Court…

The Wizards offense scored 5.5 points less per 100 possessions (OffRtg)
The Wizards defense allowed 3.2 points less per 100 possessions (DefRtg)
Plus/Minus per 48 minutes: minus-7.9

Numbers : Per 36 Minutes

8.3 : Points
12.7 : Rebounds
1.5 : Blocks
1.5 : Steals
0.9 : Assists
3.0 : Turnovers
6.8 : Fouls

0.57 PPP

Barron had 49 offensive possessions with the Wizards that ended with a FGA, TO or FTs, and he scored 0.57 Points Per Possession (PPP) on those, ranked 465th in the NBA (via Synergy Sports Technology). Defensively, he allowed 0.68 PPP over 25 possessions.

Shooting

35.1% Field Goals (13-37)
40% Free Throws (2-5)

#30

Earl Barron in 2012-13 with the Wizards:
Have Ring, Will Play Basketball

by Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It)

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[Wizards 2012-13 Player Reviews from the TAI crew are going down; let's reflect---index:
Jannero Pargo, Jason Collins, Shaun Livingston, Shelvin Mack, Cartier Martin, Earl Barron,
Jan Vesely, Chris Singleton, Trevor Booker, Garrett Temple, Emeka Okafor, Trevor Ariza,
Martell Webster, A.J. Price, Jordan Crawford, Kevin Seraphin, Bradley Beal, Nene, John Wall.]

Shaun Livingston

6-7 : Height
182 lbs. : Weight
27 : Age
8 : Years NBA Experience
7 : NBA Teams

Waived by the Rockets on Oct. 29, 2012;
signed by the Wizards on Nov. 15, 2012;
waived by the Wizards on Dec. 22, 2012;
signed by the Cavaliers on Dec. 25, 2012.

Time as a Wizard

17 : Games
4 : Starts
320 : Minutes

1.0 out of 3 stars

Average Truth About It.net DC Council Game Rating
{Livingston evaluated over 7 games.} 

7.4 PER

NBA historical PER contribution equivalent:
Roger Mason with the 2002-03 Chicago Bulls (7.4),
or perhaps Rusty LaRue with the 1999-00 Chicago Bulls (7.4)

.028 Win Shares/48 Minutes

NBA historical WS/48 contribution equivalent:
maybe Monta Ellis with the 2005-06 Golden State Warriors (.028),
maybe World B. Free with the 1987-88 Houston Rockets (.028),
maybe Doug Overton with the 1992-93 Washington Wizards (.028),
probably Gabe Pruitt with the 2007-08 Boston Celtics (.028)

With Shaun Livingston on the Court…

The Wizards offense scored 7.4 points less per 100 possessions (OffRtg)
The Wizards defense allowed 2.2 points more per 100 possessions (DefRtg)
Plus/Minus per 48 minutes: minus-15.3

Numbers : Per 36 Minutes

7.1 : Points
4.2 : Rebounds
0.2 : Blocks
1.2 : Steals
4.3 : Assists
1.9 : Turnovers
2.5 : Fouls

0.68 PPP

Livingston had 93 offensive possessions with the Wizards that ended with a FGA, TO or FTs, and he scored 0.68 Points Per Possession (PPP) on those, ranked 441st in the NBA (via Synergy Sports Technology). Defensively, he allowed 0.86 PPP over 126 possessions, ranked 168th in the league.

Shooting

36.4% Field Goals (24-66)
0% 3-Pointers (0-3)
100% Free Throws (15-15)

[stats via NBA.com/stats and Basketball-Reference.com]

#14

Shaun Livingston in 2012-13 with the Wizards:
In Like A Lion, Out Like A Lamb

by Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It)

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[This post, and its lineup data, is just one way to look back at the Washington Wizards 2012-13 season that was. More from TAI to come...]

[From the Metro Bus - K. Weidie]

“Come playoff time, what most coaches do, is they play eight,
they rely on seven, and they only trust five.”

—Reggie Miller, former NBA player, current television analyst

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[This is Part Two of a two-part post on Washington Wizards team president Ernie Grunfeld looking back at his almost 25-year tenure making player personnel decisions in the National Basketball Association. Part One can be read here.]

[...continued from Part One...]

>>Damage in the District

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[This is Part One of a two-part post on Washington Wizards team president Ernie Grunfeld looking back at his almost 25-year tenure making player personnel decisions in the National Basketball Association. Part Two can be read here.]

“I told you I was going to get
the best brains in basketball.”

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You never know whether Ernie Grunfeld is tactfully maneuvering a press conference or if he’s on autopilot … much like the way he captains his ship.

The Wizards team president said a lot during his season-ending media-speak session on Tuesday afternoon, and below are some various quotes, presented with little context, but in the total spirit of Grunfeldisms.

—————>

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