The good news for Washington Wizards fans is that general manager
Ernie Grunfeld is building a winner. The bad news is that he's doing
it in Minnesota and New Orleans.

Seriously, can anyone explain why this guy is still running a
basketball team?

Grunfeld engineered yet another numbingly brutal trade today when he
sent Rashard Lewis and a second-round pick to the New Orleans Hornets
for Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza.

The deal is classic Grunfeld -- taking a "win now" approach with a
team that's not even close to win-now mode, overpaying veterans,
mismanaging the cap, and basically throwing slop at the wall and
hoping something sticks.

Okafor and Ariza combine to make $42 million this year and next,
soaking up all of Washington's cap space for this year and next. The
departing Lewis was due $22.7 million, but only $13.9 million of that
was guaranteed, so the Wizards ate close to $30 million in salary with
this deal.

[+] EnlargeRocky Widner/NBAE/Getty Images
 Emeka Okafor was once the No. 2 overall pick and Trevor Ariza has a
ring, but both come at a hefty price tag.This effectively takes the
Wizards out of any potential free-agent deals beyond the midlevel;
additionally, it also takes them out of amnesty auction bids, or cap
space trades, or any other maneuvers that rebuilding teams typically
take to begin stockpiling talent.

The big impact is a year from now. Okafor has an early termination
option for $14.6 million after the season that he'd be nuts to
exercise, while Ariza has a similar one for $7.7 million. Barring
outrageous improvement by either, we can presume they're on
Washington's books for 2013-14 at a cost of $22 million, compared with
the $0 the Wizards owed Lewis; this puts them over the cap even if
they amnesty Andray Blatche. (Another brilliant Grunfeld maneuver, by
the way.) In fact, depending on how they use their exception money the
next two summers, they may need to amnesty Blatche a year from now
just to avoid the luxury tax.

For that, they get a middling but overpaid starting center, and a
grossly overpaid wing defender with perhaps the worst shot selection
in basketball. Alas, his only rival in that department will be
starting alongside him. Which brings us to another reason to hate this
trade: It did nothing to solve Washington's biggest problem, shooting.
If anything, it exacerbated it.

This isn't quite as awful as the deal Grunfeld made two years ago when
he traded the fifth overall pick to Minnesota for Mike Miller and
Randy Foye, thinking those two were the key missing pieces separating
his 19-win team from the championship, but it follows the same
misguided logic. He has a bad team with a bad coach and obvious,
glaring weaknesses, and somehow he thinks blowing his cap space on two
middling, overpaid veterans will push the Wizards to the promised
land.

By the way, if you're taking the "they had to make John Wall happy"
angle, keep in mind that he is a restricted free agent, and that by
design the Wizards have all the leverage in this negotiation.
Basically, no team has ever lost a player it truly wanted to keep at
this stage; it's only years later, when they could become unrestricted
free agents, that we've seen players like LeBron James, Chris Paul,
Deron Williams and Carmelo Anthony force their way out.

This wasn't supposed to happen when Ted Leonsis took over; he had
followed a patient rebuilding program with the NHL's Washington
Capitals and everybody expected the same for the Wizards. Instead he
inexplicably extended Grunfeld's contract based on one halfway-decent
month to end the season while half the teams around the Wizards were
tanking, and then signed off on this travesty.

He overpaid for the assets, too. Remember, a few weeks ago people were
talking about how New Orleans might use the 10th pick to persuade
somebody to take Okafor and Ariza off its hands. Instead the Hornets
are keeping the 10th pick and got rid of both contracts. How hard do
you suppose they laughed when Washington agreed to throw in a second-
round pick too?

As for the Hornets, this was a wondrous move that offloaded two
problem contracts, cleaned out room in a crowded frontcourt for rookie
Anthony Davis, and gives them almost unlimited cap room going forward.
Once they waive Lewis, the Hornets will be far enough under the cap
that they could amnesty Jarrett Jack, offer Deron Williams a max
contract, and still re-sign Eric Gordon.

It's unlikely D-Will would take that bait, but the real fun comes a
year later when Jack and Lewis are off New Orleans' books entirely; if
the Hornets offer Gordon about $10 million a year, they would still
have nearly $30 million in cap space. Of course, they still need to
use this space to get actual players, but between trades and free
agency they are in position to put a potent team around Davis fairly
quickly. Also, some chap named Chris Paul will be a free agent next
summer if he doesn't extend his contract.

Grunfeld said the Wizards are better than they were yesterday, and in
a very narrow sense he's correct: This deal does incrementally improve
his roster. But there are far more efficient ways to produce the same
improvement, and instead Grunfeld has essentially handcuffed the
franchise to two more years of mediocrity so he could win a news
conference.

Leszczur napisal posta, ktorego chcialbym skomentowac:

Seriously, can anyone explain why this guy is still running a
basketball team?

Zmiana wlasciciela mu pomogla sie wybronic?
Bo po Arenasie rzeczywiscie jego los wydawal sie przesadzony... a tak
moze powiedziec, ze za Arenasa sciagnal 2 starterow!

The deal is classic Grunfeld -- taking a "win now" approach with a
team that's not even close to win-now mode,

Um, przejscie w win-now jest wlasnie decyzja, ktora sie podejmuje gdy
sie dotychczas nic nie wygrywalo... ;-)

Okafor and Ariza combine to make $42 million this year and next,
soaking up all of Washington's cap space for this year and next. The
departing Lewis was due $22.7 million, but only $13.9 million of that
was guaranteed, so the Wizards ate close to $30 million in salary with
this deal.

Czyli innymi slowy kupili 2 przecietniakow za 7 baniek rocznie.
To taka zbrodnia? Przy krotkich kontraktach?

additionally, it also takes them out of amnesty auction bids,

No i? Spodziewal sie ktos bitwy o Rasharda????

For that, they get a middling but overpaid starting center, and a
grossly overpaid wing defender with perhaps the worst shot selection
in basketball.

Um, to sie powinno zmienic jako 4 opcja w druzynie, nie?
Moze wrocic do tego co gral w Lakers...

trade: It did nothing to solve Washington's biggest problem, shooting.
If anything, it exacerbated it.

Wydraftuja SG i maja nadmiar wysokich, wiec spokojnie sobie sciagna
kilku graczy z rzutem z dystansu. Co to za ocena trejdu w prozni?
 

This wasn't supposed to happen when Ted Leonsis took over; he had
followed a patient rebuilding program with the NHL's Washington
Capitals and everybody expected the same for the Wizards.

Um, 3 sezony na dnie i 6 wydraftowanych wysoko mlodziakow sie nie
kwalifikuja?

inexplicably extended Grunfeld's contract based on one halfway-decent
month to end the season while half the teams around the Wizards were
tanking,

Tego nie zauwazylem przed trejdem... rzeczywiscie dziwna decyzja.

He overpaid for the assets, too. Remember, a few weeks ago people were
talking about how New Orleans might use the 10th pick to persuade
somebody to take Okafor and Ariza off its hands.

Serio? Plotki z netu ustalaja juz wartosc aktywow?

As for the Hornets, this was a wondrous move that offloaded two
problem contracts, cleaned out room in a crowded frontcourt for rookie
Anthony Davis, and gives them almost unlimited cap room going forward.

... ktory wydadza gorzej niz Okafor/Ariza.

Zwrociliscie uwage ile druzyn bedzie mialo w offseason kase do wydania
gdy nie bedzie wielu dobrych graczy do kupienia?

Grunfeld said the Wizards are better than they were yesterday, and in
a very narrow sense he's correct: This deal does incrementally improve
his roster. But there are far more efficient ways to produce the same
improvement, and instead Grunfeld has essentially handcuffed the
franchise to two more years of mediocrity so he could win a news
conference.

GM podpisal kontrakt na 2 lata i sklecil druzyne na 2 lata, ktorej
ambicja jest powalczyc o playoffy... Hmmmmmm...


--
pzdr
wiLQ @ weaksideawareness.wordpress.com

W dniu 2012-06-21 14:46, Leszczur pisze:

The good news for Washington Wizards fans is that general manager
Ernie Grunfeld is building a winner. The bad news is that he's doing
it in Minnesota and New Orleans.

Seriously, can anyone explain why this guy is still running a
basketball team?

No to sobie chlop ulzyl.

Ja tam jakiejs szczegolnej krzywdy dla Wizz tu nie widze.
Ze niby co, mogli sobie obciac/przeczekac Lewisa i sciagnac wypas franchise playera? Nie sadze...

Zbudowali sobie ciekawy zestaw. Doswiadczony duet podkoszowy, zdolny calkiem realnie bronic pod deska, zamiast efektownych li tylko wyczynow McGee. Zyskali broniacego swingmana, ktory ostatecznie nie musi ciagnac druzyny ofensywnie, wiec jego problematyczna skutecznosc nie jest zabojstwem.

Taki sklad oczywiscie nie zrobi rewolucji, ale moim zdaniem moze sie o playoffs ocierac, wsparty trojkami od Beala. I ma chwile na rozwoj mlodziezy, a potem moga sie na spokojnie zastanowic, co robic dalej, gdy przyjdzie rozdawac extensions. Wtedy juz kontrakty Kalafiora i Arizy ciazyc nie beda.

Jaka mieli alternatywe? Czolgac sie nadal po dnie i zbierac picki oraz baty, albo kupic jakiegos przecietniaka na 5 lat za ciezkie pieniadze.

Pozdr
Slawek

s napisal posta, ktorego chcialbym skomentowac:

Jaka mieli alternatywe? Czolgac sie nadal po dnie i zbierac picki oraz baty, albo kupic jakiegos przecietniaka na 5 lat za ciezkie pieniadze.

Tylko model OKC! Bo oczywiscie kazda druzyna moze nim podazac...


--
pzdr
wiLQ @ weaksideawareness.wordpress.com

W dniu 2012-06-22 14:57, wiLQ pisze:

s napisal posta, ktorego chcialbym skomentowac:

Jaka mieli alternatywe? Czolgac sie nadal po dnie i zbierac picki oraz
baty, albo kupic jakiegos przecietniaka na 5 lat za ciezkie pieniadze.

Tylko model OKC! Bo oczywiscie kazda druzyna moze nim podazac...

Mam jednakoz pewne obawy, ze model OKC, aby okazal sie sukcesem, wymaga wydraftowania Duncana czy Duranta :-) Warunek konieczny, aczkolwiek niewystarczajacy

Pozdr
Slawek

On 22 Cze, 15:20, s <s...@wp.pl> wrote:

W dniu 2012-06-22 14:57, wiLQ pisze:

> s napisal posta, ktorego chcialbym skomentowac:

>> Jaka mieli alternatywe? Czolgac sie nadal po dnie i zbierac picki oraz
>> baty, albo kupic jakiegos przecietniaka na 5 lat za ciezkie pieniadze.

> Tylko model OKC! Bo oczywiscie kazda druzyna moze nim podazac...

Mam jednakoz pewne obawy, ze model OKC, aby okazal sie sukcesem, wymaga
wydraftowania Duncana czy Duranta :-) Warunek konieczny, aczkolwiek
niewystarczajacy

Dokładnie. Tak samo jak SSOL wymagało zawodnika takiego jak Nash i nie
dało się tego budować na Calderonie, a triangle offense wymaga trenera
takiego jak Jax a nie Kurt Rambis.
Oryginalnym trzeba być, a nie kopiować innych!

Pozdro

L'e-szczur

W dniu 2012-06-22 15:25, Leszczur pisze:

Jaka mieli alternatywe? Czolgac sie nadal po dnie i zbierac picki oraz
baty, albo kupic jakiegos przecietniaka na 5 lat za ciezkie pieniadze.

Tylko model OKC! Bo oczywiscie kazda druzyna moze nim podazac...

Mam jednakoz pewne obawy, ze model OKC, aby okazal sie sukcesem, wymaga
wydraftowania Duncana czy Duranta :-) Warunek konieczny, aczkolwiek
niewystarczajacy

Dokładnie.

Uuuu, widzę, że kolega przejął już gwarę polityków, dziennikarzy i
innych takich.

W dniu piątek, 22 czerwca 2012 15:40:57 UTC+2 użytkownik Tomasz Radko napisał:

W dniu 2012-06-22 15:25, Leszczur pisze:

>>>> Jaka mieli alternatywe? Czolgac sie nadal po dnie i zbierac picki oraz
>>>> baty, albo kupic jakiegos przecietniaka na 5 lat za ciezkie pieniadze.
>>
>>> Tylko model OKC! Bo oczywiscie kazda druzyna moze nim podazac...
>>
>> Mam jednakoz pewne obawy, ze model OKC, aby okazal sie sukcesem, wymaga
>> wydraftowania Duncana czy Duranta :-) Warunek konieczny, aczkolwiek
>> niewystarczajacy
> > Dokładnie.

Uuuu, widzę, że kolega przejął już gwarę polityków, dziennikarzy i
innych takich.

Dokładnie :P

s napisal posta, ktorego chcialbym skomentowac:

>> Jaka mieli alternatywe? >
> Tylko model OKC! Bo oczywiscie kazda druzyna moze nim podazac...

Mam jednakoz pewne obawy, ze model OKC, aby okazal sie sukcesem, wymaga wydraftowania Duncana czy Duranta :-)

Toz Wizards mieli #1 draftu gdzie byl pewniak!


--
pzdr
wiLQ @ weaksideawareness.wordpress.com