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rainman · 07-20-2002, 10:24 AM

maybe they know something there that i dont but i'm not sure.to me 3 out of their last 4 big moves have been questionable;
1.kwame brown may turn out to be a decent player,maybe a good player but in hindisight they should have taken gasol or chandler or even traded down and taken jason richardson
2.jared jeffries,this would be the move i would agree with.
3.i dont have a problem with trading for the 17th pick in this years draft but i dont take juan dixon.
4.singing larry hughes to a 3 year deal.you have to be kidding me right?i dont want to hear he can play the 1 and the 2 and this and that.fact is he stinks at the 1 and they thought so much of him in gs that they let him go.one more thing.does he become the 3rd 2g on that team behing hamilton and jordan?

**Damian Necronamous** · 07-20-2002, 12:35 PM

Yeah, I just don't understand a lot of their moves. They got Navarro and Dixon in the draft, they both really play SG. They are pretty much stacked at that position, especially now with the signing of Larry Hughes. And they drafted a PF or maybe a SF. When the just got Jared Jeffries. Now they'll have Brown, Laettner, Thomas, and Jeffries at that position. They atleast have to give Kwame a chance. I hope that the Wizards want Jeffries to develop into a SF, so they can use him more. Here's what the Wizards starting lineup could look like, a little down the line....

C: Haywood
PF: Brown
SF: Jeffries
SG: Hamilton
PG: Hughes

I don't think that Larry Hughes can play the point at all. But the way that people talk about him, it sounds as though, he'll have to adapt to playing that position.

TheRifleman · 07-20-2002, 01:43 PM

Some of their moves have me somewhat baffled, too.

Maybe they are stockpiling with the thought of a trade later? Maybe they don't anticipate Jordan playing too much at SF, which is what he played last year?

**BCH** · 07-20-2002, 01:57 PM

The Wizards were in a situation where they had little talent. Take a look at where they were prior to all of the moves you mention.

PG: Whitney
SG: Hamilton/Alexander/Davis
SF: Nesby
PF: Laettner/Jones/Thomas
C: Jahidi

MJ had not decided to return. Lue was not signed in FA yet. Thomas had yet to play a minute. They took a HS kid with the 1st pick. This should have signaled to everyone they were in it for the long haul.

Ill address your points 1 at a time.

1) Why should they have taken anyone over Kwame? Gasol had a better year than any rookie last year by far. Chandler wasn't spectacular and neither was Richardson. Kwame played a lot less minutes than any of these guys. He is a HS kid and though expectations might have been a little high on him, the Wizards were in a position last season to not force him to play, unlike the postition the Grizzlies, Bulls, and Warriors were in. We could make this a debate over the best way to bring in a rookie but the fact is unless they get time it is hard to gauge what they are going to do. O'neal is a good example of what no playing time will do to stats.

2) Jared Jeffries was a great move in mu opinion. He is a winner, and he is versatile. He has great length and is a smart ball player.

3) Juan Dixon may not have been their first choice at 17 but he is a fine selection. Alexander needed a change of address. He was supposed to compete last season for the starting SG spot and spent significant minutes on the bench trying to find his role on the team after he didn't really do much in training camp. He was a redundant player for the Wizards at the SG spot because that is all he could play. He tried hard to fill in a SF but he just could not defend the position. Juan Dixon is a winner and he is also a very smart ball player. Are you starting to see a theme here? He can defend the PG position and also play some SG as well. His defense is not in question, just whether he can run the team. The Wizards offense is a pinch post offense, that is similar to a triangle offense with the cuts and positioning. A traditional PG is nice but his defense abilities are more important.

4) Larry Hughes is 6'5" and he can play the point. The main thing though is that he also is a versatile player. The Wizards need a big point guard. Hughes has put up statistical numbers that are impressive. WIth Rip Hamilton, who has played some point as well the past couple of seasons, he can team with someone in the backcourt that can handle the ball as well. He won't have to be the main ball handler without help. The same goes when he is team with MJ, Dixon, or the other two PGs the Wizards have. He fits the Wizards offense scheme. He is also a young guy at 23.

The Wizards also picked up Grizzard in this past draft as well as Navarro. Navarro was selected because the Wizards needed to select a foreign player that would not come to the US right away. He is another player that can float between the PG/SG spot. Grizzard is a tall and very athletic player that has shown the ability to also be a very versatile player in college playing a point forward type position.

The Wizards had to address their athletic ability. They did this with players that are winners and that are versatile. They now have guys that can play multiple positions and that can fit in the offense scheme they have on the court. You may want to knock Brown but I am not sure why you would want to come out after one year and judge him. There is still a lot of time left for this kid to prove himself, whether you agree or not. The Wizards competed for the playoffs last year, without their number 1 pick playing a significant role at all. They filled needs at SF and PG this offseason as well as gathering more talent. It might not all work out but even the 3 year deal you blast them for giving Hughes is short and reasonable enough that if it doesn't wortk out, they have the option of moving him. I have a feeling though it is all going to work out.

You can also assume that the Wizards are building their team without the thought of MJ playing at all. They are.

Bean the pimp · 07-20-2002, 02:42 PM

year after next, the wizards are gonna be serious contenders

**JNice** · 07-20-2002, 03:13 PM

I like all of the Wizards moves.

Brendan Haywood may be as dominating defensively and rebounding wise as Dikembe used to be at some point.

Kwame is very talented at his size and very strong. He just needs to mature. Reminds me of Chris Webber.

Jeffries is a great all-around player that will be able to play the SF spot.

Grizzard could have been a real steal.

Juan Dixon pick I dont like. They could have had Qyntel Woods. Dixon may end up as a decent NBA bench player, but Woods is gonna be bigtime in a few years.

**Damian Necronamous** · 07-20-2002, 03:16 PM

If they drafted Qyntel Woods, they would've had two guys that they wanted to play SF. Woods and Jeffries.

**JNice** · 07-20-2002, 03:18 PM

Yeah, but only one of the two might even start. Plus Woods could play the 2.

**Damian Necronamous** · 07-20-2002, 03:46 PM

There's another guy on the Wizards who plays the 2, maybe you've heard of him...his name is Richard Hamilton

TheRifleman · 07-20-2002, 04:18 PM

BCH, that was a meaningful run down you gave! It really explained each of the moves and positions with care. Thanks!

ed · 07-20-2002, 04:26 PM

Don't foget that they could have had Elton Brand if they traded their #1 pick last year.

w-h-i-t-e-b-o-y · 07-20-2002, 04:33 PM

can anyone answer this question?(not that one)

Why trade a bonafide SG/SF scoring threat in Courtney Alexander for the 17th pick and take Juan Dixon?(I heard they didn't want to have any other SG's so when Jordan came back it would be him and RIP.)

Why in turn then do you sign Larry Hughes?(he's a big dissapointment a PG and is a natural 2)

Why trade Alexander when you just turn around and sign Hughes?

last year courtney did good in Jordans absence?Right?!

LOL · 07-20-2002, 05:14 PM

They picked Larry Hughes because despite what you guys might think he's a good player. I mean just look at the team he was on. People somehow get the idea that certain players can't play anymore when they're stuck in a bad situation. The warriors sucked. In Washington he'll be under the guidence of Collins and Jordan. He'll definatly thrive in Washington. I also feel like Juan Dixon was a great selection. Juan Dixon is greatly underrated. He was easily one of the top 5 players in college last year. I think he'll adapt quickly if he has to play pg. Jarred Jeffies will be great at sf. I don't think Kwame Brown will start next year but he'll get some good minutes.

**BCH** · 07-20-2002, 06:12 PM

The long and the short of the Courtney Alexander situation is this.

He plays SG. The Wizards have Rip Hamilton at shooting guard. Courtney was unable to adjust to coming off the bench and it took him 60+ games to figure out what he needed to do to get playing time under Collins. There were multiple factors behind why, Kevin Broom wrote a great article about Courtney on WizFans.com, I recommend you read it. I like Courtney and I think he will be great for the Hornets. He just wasn't a great fit with the Wizards.

Hughes is more versatile than Courtney, and despite what you may have heard, Hughes can and will play PG. He was able to do it in GS last year the first half of the season, but had very little help on the wings. I think JRich will be good in time but it was not the best situation for Hughes.

I think he will probably have a few more options this year with Hamilton and Jordan on the wings. He wil also be able to run off the ball in the high post and use his 2 guard skills in the Wizards offense.

Juan Dixon plays defense. The Wizards need defense. If you want to look at it as a Courtney for Juan Dixon swap you can just say it was all about defense and winning.

Make no mistake about it. The Wizards upgraded defensively with drafting Dixon and letting CA go. Hughes as the PG will help with bigger guards that Ty Lue could not handle.

The Wizards have improved their team significantly in Free Agency and with the draft. You will be reading about this soon, when the media starts to write about them.

**BCH** · 07-20-2002, 06:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by w-h-i-t-e-b-o-y
can anyone answer this question?(not that one)

Why trade a bonafide SG/SF scoring threat in Courtney Alexander for the 17th pick and take Juan Dixon?(I heard they didn't want to have any other SG's so when Jordan came back it would be him and RIP.)

Why in turn then do you sign Larry Hughes?(he's a big dissapointment a PG and is a natural 2)

Why trade Alexander when you just turn around and sign Hughes?

last year courtney did good in Jordans absence?Right?!

He did great. He is going to do well in Charlotte.

Here is the link to Kevin Broom's article.

http://wizards.realgm.com/showarticle.php?artid=103

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