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Any basketball fans here have any thoughts on what might happen in the draft, specifically what the Wizards will do with the 5th pick?

Good question. There aren't any real standouts this year. There were tons last year, and the Wizards pick Jarvis Hayes. The Clippers finally have competition!

If theres going to be a bust this year hes getting picked in teh fifth spot im sure. There seems to not be many standout whenever the Wizards get a good pick.

Not that it matters, look what we did with Chirs Webber, Rashaad Wallace, J. Howard...etc

I'd take Ben Gordon from UConn w/ that pick. I dont think they can go the HS route there, none of these guys are real standouts like James was last year. And Okafor will be gone by then, so I think they'll take Gordon.

If Ben Gordan from UCONN is still there, I'd be shocked.

A lot of people seem to think they might take Gordon at 5. Barring any trades I think the top three picks are Okafor, Howard, and Deng. No. 4 is probably Childress. So I think Gordon will definitely be around at 5

But do the Wizards really need him, another undersized combo guard? I think Dixon is gone so maybe Gordon could take that spot but I'd like to see the Wizards get a low-post scorer they could run some plays for, like one of those Europeans, or trade down for a pure small forward, like Luke Jackson or Kirk Snyder

[quote]Good question. There aren't any real standouts this year. There were tons last year, and the Wizards pick Jarvis Hayes. The Clippers finally have competition![/quote]

Lol, the Wizards ARE the LA Clippers of the Eastern Conference. They're a disaster. Every young player they trade away or let go all of a sudden becomes a star (well, not a super star, but a good player).

Examples: Ben Wallace, Richard Hamilton, Chris Webber, Rasheed Wallace (although the latter two have "issues")

My mock has Gordon going at 5.

[QUOTE=EEich]My mock has Gordon going at 5.[/QUOTE]

What's the rest of your mock?

I agree that we need a big man. Haywood can't hold on to the ball. I think Kwame is starting to come into his own, hope they don't get rid of him now. What the Wizards need is a coach, I don't understand Eddie Jordan's thought process. They get way ahead with Blake in, take him out till we're way behind, then put him in too late for him to do anything.

[QUOTE=Cush]Lol, the Wizards ARE the LA Clippers of the Eastern Conference. They're a disaster. Every young player they trade away or let go all of a sudden becomes a star (well, not a super star, but a good player).

Examples: Ben Wallace, Richard Hamilton, Chris Webber, Rasheed Wallace (although the latter two have "issues")[/QUOTE]

The Wizards used to have Ben Wallace to? Man...we really know how to pick um and ship um huh. I wonder how great of a player Kwame would be on another team.

we need a big man bad

[QUOTE=jasonskin]we need a big man bad[/QUOTE]
I've heard rumors about them picking that big Russian guy.

deng or childress i guess... hopefully one of them is available, i assume okafor and howard will be gone gone gone, but after that its less clear who's better.

We've got 4 current players capable of doing 20-30 point games when needed.. if they can keep 3 of them off injuries at the same time the wizards might even win a couple games. But you know washington... its where athletic careers come to die.

I think the Wizards would be better served getting Josh Smith. He's young, long and athletic. He'd serve as a nice complement to Jared Jeffries and give you some energy off the bench. I can't see them taking another guard, they've got plenty of scoring guards (Hughes, Stackhouse, Arenas) and they need finishers around the rim. They could use some size, so the big Russian would help down the line.

the only reason this makes any sense is that they're dumping salary but that is a lot of cap space freed up at the expense of getting rid of 2 overpaid players and a possible young,talented piece of the wizards future for just one decently talented player in return.

[url]http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylc=X3oDMTBpNWZic251BF9TAzI1NjY0ODI1BHNlYwN0aA--?slug=ap-mavericks-wizardstrade&prov=ap&type=lgns[/url]

Antwan Jamison if I remember correctly was an UDFA and he really didn't draw much coverage with the weapons they have in Dallas. Expect him to flop if this is true.

Wizards - Are - Idiots.

I like it Jamison can play some ball.This years draft sucks Laettner is done and Jerry sucks.But we still need a big man

well i can see dumping stack and laet, neither one is too high on character, but yeah, the washington post raved about the move... i think its stupid. we traded a draft pick for a second stringer :( he gets 15ppg, but he gives up 20, so i'd say its a bad deal.

I think taking a chance on one of the 2000 players left at 5th would have been a much better idea... jamison scores fine, but he has no defense :(

either way, i don't know the nba all that well, i think it sucks, but it'll be a while before i can see who's left at 5, how they do, and of course, how bad the wizards do :)

Two years ago - when he was a starter - he averaged 22+ ppg. I think they gave up an aweful lot for him, but I think if he stays healthy, this could be one of the better moves that the Wiz have ever made. No one really thought that they were gonna use their draft pick wisely anyway, right?

Good point, they don't exactly have a great history in the draft. I think Kwame will work out in another year or two. Then we can trade him to the Pistons for their 4th rounder.

lol, yeah... i guess you're right... i couldn't care less they tossed two malcontents, that's a good sign. I just hope he stays healthy and can actually help us to a better record. If he does that, then i'll go thank mark cuban and forget it ever upset me in the first place :)

[QUOTE=Daseal]Good point, they don't exactly have a great history in the draft. I think Kwame will work out in another year or two. Then we can trade him to the Pistons for their 4th rounder.[/QUOTE]
I think Kwame's biggest problem is that he has no passion for the game or a desire to be great. I think MJ actually hurt his progress, too.

Kwame definitely has the physical attributes to be a great player. Every now and then last season he'd have huge games. 20+ points and 15+ rebounds.

That big Russian guy went at #21, FYI.

[QUOTE=cpayne5]That big Russian guy went at #21, FYI.[/QUOTE]

was he the one who had his rights traded to dallas? they sure r stockpilling a lot of young talent to go with dirk and another player or two to try and get shaq.

[QUOTE=skinsfanthru&thru]was he the one who had his rights traded to dallas? they sure r stockpilling a lot of young talent to go with dirk and another player or two to try and get shaq.[/QUOTE]
That's the one.

[QUOTE=cpayne5]That's the one.[/QUOTE]

isn't he like 7'5 260 and only 19 or something like that? I didn't catch much about what they said about him, so does anyone know if they said if the russian guy can shot or has any mobility or will be able to bulk up and add another 20-35 lbs? I just wanna know if he's more than just a giant body with no real talent ala Shawn Bradley or that dude George Muresan or however u spell his name.

I think the only thing Jordan did here was hurt our progression. He's the reason RIP is gone and he brought the Bruce Smith factor to washington Basketball. I really think that Kwame will be a special season in a year or two. I think his biggest problem is converting from being poor as dirt in high school and just playing ball to having to really work and play hard. Give him some time, remember, Kobe sucked for about 3-4 years outta high school before he became hot stuff.

[QUOTE]I think Kwame's biggest problem is that he has no passion for the game or a desire to be great. I think MJ actually hurt his progress, too.[/QUOTE]
you mean being called a faggot on a daily basis is bad for progress??? :D :D

MJ is the best player, but he has no patience, and proved to be a horrible GM.

Until the Wizards start showing some results on the court, people are going to assume the worst with their personnel moves. But I think they had a great draft night. A couple of years ago, Stack for Jamison might have been a straight-up trade but injuries and salaries change everything. Still for the Wizards to unload Laettner and Stack in and of itself was impressive. Laettner has been overpaid since he joined the Wizards but at least back in the Jordan/Collins days he was useful. Under Eddie Jordan he was just collecting splinters. Abe Pollin ruined the Rip-Stack trade by re-signing Stackhouse to an extension without even giving him a physical. Who does that? Anyway, Jamison can play. Top five lottery pick. As effective without the ball as with the ball. Can score in bunches. I think he had the most rebounds per minute for small forward last year. Not the greatest defender, but Duncan can't hit free throws. Nobody's perfect. Plus Jamsion has the longest active consecutive games played streak at over 325.

As for the second round pick. Peter John Ramos is a solid 7'3", 275 lbs. He needs to bulk up but he's only 18 years old and has played the last three years against professionals, including several NBA veterans. Yeah on paper, draft night was good. Now it's just a matter of seeing some results.

Totally agree SmootSmack. If Kwame would focus 100%, he'd be a star and the Wiz would make the playoffs.