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2011 NBA Offseason: Washington Bullets

Draft Grades, Offseason Needs, Free Agents

Written by Paul Banks of the Washington Times, David Kay and Peter Christian of the The Sports Bank. Send Paul an e-mail here: paulb05 AT hotmail DOT com.
All other e-mail, including advertising and link proposals, send to: wpc112@gmail.com

Washington Wizards (Last Year: 23-59)

2011 NBA Draft Team Grade:

The Wizards, err... Bullets hit a home run during the 2011 NBA Draft. Jan Vesely could end up being the best foreign player out of this draft class so getting him at No. 6 adds instant versatility and athleticism to the frontcourt. Chris Singleton was an absolute steal at No. 18, and could end up Washington's starting small forward by the end of the year as he will provide a needed defensive stopper. Shelvin Mack is a solid second-round value whose big-game experience should allow him to contribute right away. He should be able to back up John Wall at the point or possibly play alongside him at times. (Team Grade: LOVE IT!)

Live 2011 NBA Draft Grades:

6. Jan Vesely, F, Czech Republic
Vesely has been the guy the Wizards have been targeting for quite some time so this comes as no surprise. He is 6-11 and a great athlete so he will fit the forward spot running alongside John Wall. The big question is whether he is a small forward, power forward, or can play both spots. (Pick Grade: Makes sense)

18. Chris Singleton, F, Florida State
Wizards needed to add a defender and that is exactly what Singleton is. He is a great value here and will help fill a hole at the three along with Vesely. Now with McGee (7-0), Blatche (6-11), Vesely (6-11) and Singleton (6-9), Washington has a ton of size and length in the frontcourt. (Pick Grade: LOVE IT!)

34. Shelvin Mack, G, Butler
The Wizards need a backup point guard for John Wall, and Mack's big-game experience makes him a very nice second-round value. (Pick Grade: Makes sense)

*** 2011 NBA Offseason Needs and Free Agents listed below this comment box. ***

Caiden 11-12-2012 02:14 am xxx.xxx.xxx2.12 (total posts: 2)

You make things so clear. Thanks for tkanig the time!

Wesley C 10-19-2012 01:08 am xxx.xxx.xxx1.45 (total posts: 1)

So wait, if Atlanta, Orlando, Washington and Charlotte finish 11th, 13th, 14th and 15th in the conference respectively, does that mean the Heat clinch the Southeast Division by St. Patrick's Day?

Geiger 10-05-2012 01:21 pm xxx.xxx.xxx.220 (total posts: 1)

Washington has done a great job of building a quality team that can contend for the 8th seed..the only problem is that they have no room to get better. They sold their future to appease the fan bases want of winning now..I hope this isnt the case, but the Wizards are going to be in contention for nothing more then a low seed and an early exit from the playoffs.

Mohamed 07-25-2012 12:16 am xxx.xxx.xxx2.12 (total posts: 2)

I like the way it is.If you lose you get a better cacnhe at winning the top pick but it's still only a cacnhe.For this reason you can tank you season to improve your cacnhes but as most teams find out it is certainly no gaurantee of the top spot.The teams that feel they got ripped (Boston, Memphis, Milwaukee) need to realise that for example Boston only had a 38.7 percent cacnhe of getting the number one or two pick.Odds are they weren't going to get one of them, so there's no reason to feel entitled to the one or two spot just because they sucked.The systems seems very fair to me and I certainly can't think of anything better!

Ridiculous. 06-28-2012 10:07 pm xxx.xxx.xxx.140 (total posts: 6)

Neither Nene nor Okafor can play PF. Booker has earned his spot and both Nene/Okafor have injury problems.

It will be:

Wall/Mack
Beal/Crawford
Ariza/Singleton
Booker/Seraphin/Vesely
Nene/Okafor

To say otherwise is to just not be paying attention.

Listen Up 06-28-2012 09:00 pm xxx.xxx.xxx1.62 (total posts: 1)

Real Wizards fans would already know that the line-up has already been set. THIS IS OFFICIAL BARRING INJURY:

1- Wall
2- Beal
3 - Ariza
4- Okafor
5 - Nene

Lineup 06-28-2012 07:56 pm xxx.xxx.xxx.140 (total posts: 6)

Wall
Beal
Ariza
Booker
Nene

h 06-27-2012 12:27 pm xxx.xxx.xxx.121 (total posts: 1)

Wall
Beal
Ariza
Nene
Okafor

Vesely 06-25-2012 03:37 pm xxx.xxx.xxx.140 (total posts: 6)

Come on Walt, learn something about teams before putting this crap up. Vesely is not now, nor is he likely to be, the starting PF.

The starting PF for the Wizards is going to be Trevor Booker. It's really that simple. He's been very good his first two years and has earned his spot. With Wittman willing to play the best players, instead of the high picks/supposed stars, Booker will keep his well earned PF spot.

Depth Chart 06-21-2012 03:27 am xxx.xxx.xxx.140 (total posts: 6)

It should look more like this:

C- Nene/Okafor/Seraphin
PF- Booker/Seraphin/Vesely
SF- Ariza/Singleton/Vesely

If you insist on just one spot per player, then it's:

C- Nene/Okafor
PF- Booker/Seraphin/Vesely
SF- Ariza/Singleton

Either way, you must have Booker as the starting PF. He's earned the spot and is still improving.

This trade definitely points to Beal as the 3rd pick.

Jay 06-11-2012 01:13 pm xxx.xxx.xxx6.17 (total posts: 1)

Beal or Kidd-Gilchrist should be the selection. I think Beal would be a better fit but I wouldn't pass on Gilchrist if he's available.

Robinson? 06-08-2012 01:00 pm xxx.xxx.xxx.140 (total posts: 6)

You've got Nene who is a proven post player, Booker who has earned a starting PF spot and is still improving, Seraphin who has the best inside shooting touch of the bunch and plays both PF and C, and Vesely who is a PF that was taken 6th overall just last year.

It would be idiotic to take another short PF (he's really 6'8") when two of the MKG/Beal/Barnes trio will be available, actually fill needs, and aren't vastly overrated off of a good junior season after being nothing for two years.

Picking Robinson would confirm that Grunfeld is completely incompetent.

Thomas Robinson 06-01-2012 06:14 pm xxx.xxx.xxx.167 (total posts: 2)

Take him without hesitation with the 3rd pick. 18 points and 17 boards in the Championship against #1 pick Anthony Davis. Leading Rebounder in the NCAA per 40 minute basis. Runner up in player of the year voting his first season starting. Carried mediocre Kansas team to the NCAA championship. Will measure around 6'7 without shoes, slightly below Kevin Love and Blake Griffin. Might be a good thing because it will force him to fight for opportunities, make him more of a force in the low post and focus his game on rebounding.

I think this guy is a perfect fit. DC native, is taking care of his little sister who lives in the area. Throttles people out of the low post, was leaping over Jared Sullinger for rebounds when they played eachother, husteles every second on the floor. I haven't seen a player dominate in the low post for DC in a decade, real excited about Robinson. I think the Bobcats will go with Kidd-Gilchrist at 2. If not they take him and trade off Singleton and Vesely for some help in the low post, somebody like Arnett Moultrie later in the 1st would be fine.

hosch kabosch 06-01-2012 06:09 pm xxx.xxx.xxx.167 (total posts: 2)

Problems

1. Ernie Grunfeld is incompetent

2. Ernie Grunfeld is incompetent

What they should do but Grunfeld will combat it because he is incompetent.

1. Amensty Blatche. Only reason this hasn't been done is Leonsis is impressed with how Grunfeld has handled the team's financials. Biting the bullet on this massive mistake would blemish the team's financials so he's trying to find any takers for this clown. No one is going to pick your trash Grunfeld get this guy out of town. Going to boo him till you have to.

2. Jordan Crawford. Horrific volume shooter. Guy kills the offense and when he isn't on the court it's like fresh air into the offense. John Wall would play a lot better w/ a non ball dominant 2 guard, someone who doesn't dribble himself into ridiculous 25 foot fade aways with a full shot clock. Kim English would be a great answer in the 2nd round. Ray Allen would be a nice FA but Grunfeld destroyed the Bucks franchise back in the day by trading Ray Allen for breaking down Gary Payton. He was fired the next year. Similar move with the McGee for Nene trade, I don't think McGee is a great player but the trade reeks of a lack of intellectual development from Grunfeld.

Bullets reality 05-31-2012 02:09 am xxx.xxx.xxx.140 (total posts: 6)

Fairly good look at what the Wizzies need.

I like the PG combo as Mack played really well off the bench late in the season.

Chris Singleton, while unable to create his own shot, did hit 34.6% on 3PT and 68.2% on FT. If those numbers become something like 38% and 75% he could be a longer Bruce Bowen type with his defense. I really like adding MKG to the mix as he and Singleton could bring some superb wing defense and help the team get more fast break points.

Depending on how the 2nd pick goes, it's got to be MKG, Beal or Barnes for the Wizzies. Whichever one they land, they should look to add the veteran at the other position instead of as a backup PG.

Lewis will be shopped to teams looking for an expiring contract and could even be packaged with someone else to upgrade a position if needed.

Agree completely on going the amnesty route with Blech. He's been a joke for years now and he's the last of the knuckleheads that needs to go (it was an enormous boost to the team to be able to dump both Brick Young and Magoo Magee last year).

This team could legitimately start next season with 4 hard working post players, all of which are good scorers, a double salvo of long defenders at SF, a sweet young PG combo and a youngster/veteran duo at SG. That, along with the potential of the Blech and Lewis contracts being gone, seems like a pipe dream from just 1 year ago that actually came true.

Pages: 12

2010-11 Season Summary:
Despite not winning a road game until the middle of February, there is reason to be optimistic in our nation's capital, and not just because the Wizards showed off their new, old-look jerseys. The most important part of a re-building project is finding a star player to add pieces around. That is exactly what Washington landed with last year's first-overall pick, John Wall.

Wall put together an impressive rookie season averaging 16.4 points, 8.3 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game, and appears to be the next young, great point guard in the NBA. He has not even scratched the surface as to how good he will become and should be the foundation of everything the Wizards do for the next several years.

Part of Wall's spectacular rookie season was due to the Wiz opening up minutes for him at the point. Washington began the season with a crowd, but general manager Ernie Grunfeld found someone to take on Gilbert Arenas' terrible contract (even though they were forced to acquire Rashard Lewis and his equally awful, cap-killing contract in return.) The Wizards also dealt Hinrich to the Hawks and landed a young shooting guard in Jordan Crawford, who made the most of his opportunity in the District, and an additional 2011 first round pick.

Outside of Wall, the Wizards also saw young players JaVale McGee and Nick Young take major steps in their game. McGee turned into a force on the defensive end with his shot blocking and doubled his rebound average after taking over the full-time duties as starting center. Nick Young took over as the everyday starting shooting guard and emerged into a dangerous scorer, more than doubling his point total in his fourth year in the league.

Andray Blatche continues to develop at the power forward position, posting the best numbers of his career. His effort and commitment to winning is still a question mark but combined with McGee, it is a young frontcourt duo that has the potential to grow into a formidable combination. Not to mention, 2010 first-round picks Kevin Seraphin and Trevor Booker add even more depth and young talent up front.

Outside of that young core, the Wiz roster was made up of a hodge podge of players who likely should have been playing in the D-League. Still, the franchise has made the correct moves thus far in their re-building process, and as this young team matures together over time, it should soon be back in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

2011-12 Projected Depth Chart:

C: JaVale McGee/Ronny Turiaf/Kevin Seraphin/Hamady Ndiaye

PF: Andray Blatche/Jan Vesely/Trevor Booker

SF: Rashard Lewis/Chris Singleton

SG: ^Nick Young/Jordan Crawford/Roger Mason

PG: John Wall/Shelvin Mack

NBA Free Agents:

SG-^Nick Young (RFA)

SF-Maurice Evans (UFA)

PG-Mustafa Shakur (UFA)

SF-Larry Owens (UFA)

SG-Othyus Jeffers (UFA)

Offseason Transactions:

Wizards acquire C Ronny Turiaf, a pair of draft picks, and cash considerations from Knicks for 2012 conditional second round pick.

Wizards sign SG Roger Mason to one-year deal worth league minimum.

2010-11 Team Salary: Approximately $46.5 million

NBA Offseason Needs:

1. Small Forward: There are young pieces to build around in the backcourt and frontcourt, but the Wizards have a huge hole at small forward. Washington ran a number of players through that position this past season (Al Thornton, Josh Howard, Maurice Evans, Rashard Lewis, Cartier Martin, Alonzo Gee, Larry Owens, and even Yi Jianlian.) Lewis is the only of that group under contract for next season and has played more power forward than small forward the past couple of years. Plus, he has seen a major dip in his production. If the Wizards can find a small forward of the future, it will only accelerate their re-building phase.

2. Forever Young?: Nick Young is entering the final year of his rookie contract that will pay him almost $3.7 million next season. He is a restricted free agent so Washington faces the question of whether it should sign him to a long-term extension, possibly have to match another team's offer sheet for his services, or risk letting him become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2012. While Young knows how to score the basketball, he does not offer much else in terms of his playing defense, creating for teammates and rebounding. Also, he often displays a quick trigger in terms of his shot selection. With another young shooting guard in the fold in Crawford, how much would the Wiz be willing to spend to keep Young?

3. Backup Point Guard: I gushed about Wall's rookie season earlier, but Washington still needs to add some depth at the point. Wall averaged nearly 38 minutes a game in his first season which is a lot for someone in their rookie season. Finding an affordable veteran who can help Wall hone his game but also contribute valuable minutes when he needs a blow should be an offseason goal despite the weak class of free agent point guards.

4. Three-Point Shooting: Young shot a respectable 38.7 percent from distance last season, but Wall and Crawford did not top the 30-percent mark. Lewis has been a reliable outside shooter during his career but shot his lowest percentage from three in eight years. If the Wizards can add a true three-point threat who can take advantage of Wall's ability to drive and dish, it will certainly add to their offensive productivity.

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2011 NBA Offseason: Washington Bullets Draft Grades, Offseason Needs, Free Agents