2015 Washington Wizards

[JokersWild24]

Wall & Beal will be locked up and paired together for a fair amount of time. How do you build around them if you are the Wizards?

 

Keep in mind that with each passing win, the price of guys like Ariza, Gortat, Nene, etc. is probably going up. Who do you keep? Who do you see as expendable?

 

What is your strategy going forward?

[Cats3x]

I'd keep as much cap space as possible. Guys like Ariza and their bigs are somewhat replaceable. Then be able to throw the moon at Kevin Love. Maybe he still takes the money in LA, but he'd at least have to think about it. Or wait until Cousins forces his way out of Sac-town and then get on that.

[PurplePride92]

I'd make a play for Cousins if I were them. He'd come and play with Wall. Wouldn't he?

[HammerTime]

Trade Nene. Hope John Wall can learn to shoot in the off season.

[JokersWild24]

I'd make a play for Cousins if I were them. He'd come and play with Wall. Wouldn't he?

 

 

I think you underestimate Cousins' commitment to winning. I think he'd jump at the chance to play for a winner, but he sees a team in Sacramento that invested in him and building around him, and he's more of a loyal cat than you might think, so that'd play into it too.

 

Cousins' whole thing, right or wrong, is the "misunderstood" label and I think that he's a guy who wouldn't forget that Sacramento chose him over Tyreke Evans once new ownership came in, and that they had showed a real commitment to trying to build things around him.

 

Cousins' mother was very complimentary of UK and his time there after he went to the NBA, saying that it was one of the first fan bases that accepted him for who he was and looked past the "thug" label to get to know him, which meant a lot to each of them. Point being, he's probably deeper than most will give him credit for.

 

Between the lines, he's someone that I wouldn't be shocked to see take a shot at a guy like Blake Griffin (who is the biggest punk in the league, IMO) and hurt him, but I can firmly say that I'll be very, very surprised if he's someone who is in the police blotter for something like domestic violence. That's not really saying much, as no man should put their hands on a woman in that way, but I think it's something that most wouldn't put past him, even though he's much closer to a gentle giant.

 

Again, where I'd differentiate his behavior is that, in the heat of competition, he's a guy who'd knock Griffin out without a second thought if Griffin got under his skin, but not someone who'd do something severely criminal, *cough* Lance Stephenson *cough*, etc.

 

Let's remember, he's still a young adult, and isn't as old as people might think. You see the size but forget that he was still an 18 year old at UK and a 19/20 year old rookie. This is a kid who was labeled the #1 player in his class as a sophomore, but even though he was a big man, still made it to the NBA as a high lottery pick. While that might not seem like a big deal, look at the bigs like Caracter, J. Bender, Sidney, Curry, Brown, etc. that couldn't handle that spotlight.

 

 

I'm sure the Wizards would love to have Cousins to pair with Wall and Beal, but I'm not sure that it's entirely realistic as long as the Kings show a commitment to building around him.

[MJAlltheWay24]

I'd make a play for Cousins if I were them. He'd come and play with Wall. Wouldn't he?

 

You'd have a lot more Kentuckians swear their allegiance to the Wizards, and I'd probably be one of them.

[JokersWild24]

I'd keep as much cap space as possible. Guys like Ariza and their bigs are somewhat replaceable. Then be able to throw the moon at Kevin Love. Maybe he still takes the money in LA, but he'd at least have to think about it. Or wait until Cousins forces his way out of Sac-town and then get on that.

 

The Kevin Love scenario is definitely intriguing. I think Love is one of the 10 best players in the NBA for sure.

 

Of all the responses so far, I like yours best. Agree that Ariza, Nene, and Gortat are replaceable. I do like what Ariza and Nene bring to the table though, Ariza especially with his athleticism, as I think he complements Wall and Beal well.

[PurplePride92]

I think you underestimate Cousins' commitment to winning. I think he'd jump at the chance to play for a winner, but he sees a team in Sacramento that invested in him and building around him, and he's more of a loyal cat than you might think, so that'd play into it too.

 

Cousins' whole thing, right or wrong, is the "misunderstood" label and I think that he's a guy who wouldn't forget that Sacramento chose him over Tyreke Evans once new ownership came in, and that they had showed a real commitment to trying to build things around him.

 

Cousins' mother was very complimentary of UK and his time there after he went to the NBA, saying that it was one of the first fan bases that accepted him for who he was and looked past the "thug" label to get to know him, which meant a lot to each of them. Point being, he's probably deeper than most will give him credit for.

 

Between the lines, he's someone that I wouldn't be shocked to see take a shot at a guy like Blake Griffin (who is the biggest punk in the league, IMO) and hurt him, but I can firmly say that I'll be very, very surprised if he's someone who is in the police blotter for something like domestic violence. That's not really saying much, as no man should put their hands on a woman in that way, but I think it's something that most wouldn't put past him, even though he's much closer to a gentle giant.

 

Again, where I'd differentiate his behavior is that, in the heat of competition, he's a guy who'd knock Griffin out without a second thought if Griffin got under his skin, but not someone who'd do something severely criminal, *cough* Lance Stephenson *cough*, etc.

 

Let's remember, he's still a young adult, and isn't as old as people might think. You see the size but forget that he was still an 18 year old at UK and a 19/20 year old rookie. This is a kid who was labeled the #1 player in his class as a sophomore, but even though he was a big man, still made it to the NBA as a high lottery pick. While that might not seem like a big deal, look at the bigs like Caracter, J. Bender, Sidney, Curry, Brown, etc. that couldn't handle that spotlight.

 

 

I'm sure the Wizards would love to have Cousins to pair with Wall and Beal, but I'm not sure that it's entirely realistic as long as the Kings show a commitment to building around him.

 

 

I only read the first sentence of your post.

 

How am I underestimating his commitment to win if I am suggesting he move on to a better team that has his former college teammate on it?

[dolamite]

I'm afraid Ernie is going to do the predictable thing and re-sign Ariza and re-sign Gortat and call it an offseason. I sure hope not.

 

Nene is locked up for a couple of more years, would be tough to trade his contract considering he never stays healthy. Ariza has had a major rebirth and could really be valuable with his defense and improved three point shooting (one of the best in the league this year). You could argue he has been the third most important piece to the team. However, I would roll the dice with Martell Webster (who also put up career numbers playing alongside of Wall the season before) next season and hope a full offseason and camp will do wonders for Otto Porter Jr. (who missed most of the summer and all of camp). I also think GRIII has the potential to be a serviceable wing in Ariza's absence.

 

So if you let Ariza walk and take your chances with Webster/Porter/Rice that frees up about 7 or 8 million right there.

 

 

The next dilemma is what to do with Marcin Gortat. The Wiz gave up their first to the Suns in order to swap Okafor for Gortat, would they really do all of that for a one year rental? Marcin like Ariza has had a renaissance season playing with Wall and the Wiz and in theory the team would like to bring him back. Unfortunately I've seen a lot of talk about Ernie and the Front Office almost guaranteeing Gortat will be back and the figure I am seeing is around 10 mil per. The Wiz are basically screwed for big men so Gortat is a need and a security blanket in that regard.

 

However, I would think about letting him walk as well. He has been a non-factor in the Pacers series and hasn't even been playing that much in the 4th quarter. I would much rather try to get Monroe for 12-14 million a season instead of rolling with Gortat until the tail end of his career. Only problem is Greg Monroe is restricted so if the Pistons match the Wiz could be left out in the cold missing out on both. Something to keep in mind.

 

 

 

If I were the GM I would.....

 

Let Ariza walk although he has been the heart of this team.

Let Gortat walk or try and work a sign and trade with an interested team.

Try to get a trade for Nene if possible, but unlikely to find a trade with enough value.

Let Booker, Singleton, and possibly Seraphin walk.

 

 

I would focus on Greg Monroe and Patrick Patterson in the offseason. Even if they re-signed Gortat, there could still be a way to land Monroe if they maneuvered their way around the cap. It would be tight, but the cap is supposed to raise up to 5 million and combined with the outgoing salaries of a combination of Ariza (7 million), Booker (2-3 million), Singleton (2-3 million), and Seraphin (2-3 million) they could perhaps get there. Due to Nene's injury history I would love to see a three big rotation of Gortat, Nene, and Monroe (with fillers like Al Harrington and Drew Gooden if they can still play). If they let Gortat walk I would love the three big rotation of Monroe, Nene, and P Patt even more.

 

From there you try to fill the team with vet minimum guys and you could also potentially have the MLE to work with. Not sure Ariza takes the MLE but it wouldn't hurt to go there. If not try to find some backcourt/wing help to come off the bench. Re-Sign Andre Miller as your back up point and ride out whatever gas he has left in the tank. The Wiz also have combo guard Tomas Satoransky who they have had stashed in Europe for a few seasons. They could perhaps bring him in as a cheap roster filler as well.

 

 

 

With that said I would love for them to at least put together a team of.....

 

Wall, Miller, Satoransky

Beal, Glen Rice III

Webster, Otto Porter III

Nene, Patterson, Harrington,

Monroe, Gooden,

 

Monroe's not the sharpest on D so they may have to find a defensive oriented big ala someone like Ian Mahimi or someone like that. If only they could have drafted Nerlens instead of Otto (although I thought Otto should have been the pick as well) they could just re-sign Ariza, go after Monroe and then be set.

 

 

Somehow I have a feeling it will look like.....

 

Wall, Miller

Beal, Webster, GRIII

Ariza, Porter Jr.

Nene, Booker, Harrington

Gortat, Gooden

 

or basically same ole same ole' (sigh).....

[dolamite]

I only read the first sentence of your post.

 

How am I underestimating his commitment to win if I am suggesting he move on to a better team that has his former college teammate on it?

 

I think he may have meant commitment to win with the Kings, or at least try to win.

[PurplePride92]

I think you underestimate Cousins' commitment to winning. I think he'd jump at the chance to play for a winner, but he sees a team in Sacramento that invested in him and building around him, and he's more of a loyal cat than you might think, so that'd play into it too.

 

Cousins' whole thing, right or wrong, is the "misunderstood" label and I think that he's a guy who wouldn't forget that Sacramento chose him over Tyreke Evans once new ownership came in, and that they had showed a real commitment to trying to build things around him.

 

Cousins' mother was very complimentary of UK and his time there after he went to the NBA, saying that it was one of the first fan bases that accepted him for who he was and looked past the "thug" label to get to know him, which meant a lot to each of them. Point being, he's probably deeper than most will give him credit for.

 

Between the lines, he's someone that I wouldn't be shocked to see take a shot at a guy like Blake Griffin (who is the biggest punk in the league, IMO) and hurt him, but I can firmly say that I'll be very, very surprised if he's someone who is in the police blotter for something like domestic violence. That's not really saying much, as no man should put their hands on a woman in that way, but I think it's something that most wouldn't put past him, even though he's much closer to a gentle giant.

 

Again, where I'd differentiate his behavior is that, in the heat of competition, he's a guy who'd knock Griffin out without a second thought if Griffin got under his skin, but not someone who'd do something severely criminal, *cough* Lance Stephenson *cough*, etc.

 

Let's remember, he's still a young adult, and isn't as old as people might think. You see the size but forget that he was still an 18 year old at UK and a 19/20 year old rookie. This is a kid who was labeled the #1 player in his class as a sophomore, but even though he was a big man, still made it to the NBA as a high lottery pick. While that might not seem like a big deal, look at the bigs like Caracter, J. Bender, Sidney, Curry, Brown, etc. that couldn't handle that spotlight.

 

 

I'm sure the Wizards would love to have Cousins to pair with Wall and Beal, but I'm not sure that it's entirely realistic as long as the Kings show a commitment to building around him.

 

Read it all now.

 

I'd say getting Cousins is more realistic than getting Love. Love has publicly stated he wants to stay in Minnesota and is still expected to end up in LA at some point. Meanwhile, Cousins is going to lose his mind and commitment to Sacramento of they end up in the lottery again. Something they have done his whole career there. If I am Washington I go get one of the top 3 big men in the league and go beat the Pacers.

[dolamite]

Read it all now.

 

I'd say getting Cousins is more realistic than getting Love. Love has publicly stated he wants to stay in Minnesota and is still expected to end up in LA at some point. Meanwhile, Cousins is going to lose his mind and commitment to Sacramento of they end up in the lottery again. Something they have done his whole career there. If I am Washington I go get one of the top 3 big men in the league and go beat the Pacers.

 

I would love a Wall/Boogie reunion. I would try my best to ship Nene, Otto Jr., and as many future firsts as I could to try to get a few teams to bite on something that would result in the Wizards aquiring Cousins. I would imagine the Kings would want multiple 1sts in any deal so a third or fourth team would have to get involved. Problem is finding a team that would be cool with receiving Nene. Could also try to do this with Gortat, but not sure Gortat is all that valuable.

[bugatti]

I am trying my best to believe in Wall but he makes it difficult to do sometimes. I am still not sure I have fully bought in to him being a top flight PG.

[dolamite]

I am trying my best to believe in Wall but he makes it difficult to do sometimes. I am still not sure I have fully bought in to him being a top flight PG.

 

He has played like it all season but is showing how green he is in the playoffs. Him and Beal both have looked rattled, but since it is the first playoff trip for both of them I am hoping that has something to do with their struggles.

[UKMustangFan]

Two words: Kevin Durant....Now, not happening for 2015, but save up the cap space and make it happen for 2016.