WizNuggets

Here are some WizNuggets to chew on, perhaps with some real meat hidden somewhere in the breaded flotsam.

First, the analysis of the Wiz draft by Real GM:

"Washington Wizards

Round 1: Nick Young (16th)
Round 2: Dominic McGuire (47th)

Nick Young could have easily been a top ten selection in any of the past five NBA Drafts. With little depth at shooting guard, expect to see a deadly starting backcourt of Gilbert Arenas and Nick Young by the All Star break. Washington also gained another incredible athlete to back up Caron Butler at the wing position. The only reason the Wizards do not land an overall grade of an ‘A’ is because they failed to address their drama and deficiencies at the center position.

Talent Selected? 5
Addressed Team Needs? Mostly
Steal or Bust? If McGuire can gain a strong jump shot, this tremendous athlete could be a steal."

Some nice possibilities there. Still puzzled why we are throwing a reported 15 mil/4-year offer at DeShawn with Nick Young and JCN in the mix. Depth is an underrated commodity, but DeShawn is imminently replaceable. I'd be curious to see if that offer goes OFF the table if Nick Young lights up the summer league. With JCN, how smart would it be to hold out for the maximum offer from the Grizzlies, who want to pair him with Pau Gasol, his longtime homeslice? Not that they have players we want, but at least JCN would be going to the Western Conference. Hmmm. Any chance of getting Gasol here? When does his contract expire? JCN and Gasol clearly want to play together.

The second vein of nuggetry are the words of Agent Zero in his blog, where he pointedly tried to reassure Bullets fans that his opting out was not attempt to leave the team. He wants max money and years -- but understands the Wiz need to sign other players, then him with Bird exception. Gil writes that he does not want a situation like the one the Heat got into years back, signing Juwan Howard and preventing themselves from resigning Alonzo Mourning. We all know how that turned out.

The key here is that Abe Pollin needs to ante up. Resigning Gil may involve getting into the luxury tax, and Pollin has proven over the years to be one of the cheaper NBA owners out there. Gotta step up to play with the big boyz, Abe.

Based on summer league play, I'm really glad Chicago passed on Spencer Hawes, who seems to have offensive game... Hopefully our guys can get it going in game 2...