I. 2000-2001 Personnel Changes
Players Acquired - Kwame Brown (Drafted 1st overall), Bobby Simmons (Drafted ? Overall), Tyronne Lue (Signed as Free Agent), Brendan Haywood (Acquired in Trade from Orlando for Laron Profit), Micheal Jordan (Signed as Free Agent)
Players Lost - Mitch Richmond (waived), Micheal Smith (waived), Laron Profit (Traded to Orlando), Loy Vaught (waived),
II. Season Recap
The 2001-2002 season was the season that almost was: the team almost made the playoffs,
Michael Jordan was almost healthy and Kwame Brown
almost looked like a basketball player. After a disastrous 2000-2001 season, last season was a god send to long suffering Wizards fans. The team drafted 1st overall and picked highly touted rookie forward Kwame Brown. Then Michael Jordan came out of retirement and all looked right in Wizard land. Jordan showed some rust in the beginning of the season and it was clear that he would not be the same explosive player he once was. But Jordan was still one of the best players in the game when he knees held up and averaged over 22 points a game and he could have led the Wizards to the playoffs in the weak East if he had not needed surgery on his knee so late in the season.
Watching the Wizards on opening night against the Knicks, many basketball fans across North American thought "Oh my God, we have to watch this team how many times this year?" The Wiz were awful to watch at the beginning of the season. Jordan looked old, Jahidi White fumbled every pass that came his way and the entire team stood and watched MJ play basketball forgetting that they too were supposed to get involved in some aspect of the game. But then something happened to the team in December as the team went on a 9 game winning streak and moved into a playoff spot for the first time in a long time. Jordan seemed to shed off the rust and he ripped into his team for being soft after a bad loss to Cleveland. Jordan's harsh criticism of his teammates seemed to inspire them and the team went on their best role of the season. Jordan taught the Wizards to believe in themselves and how to win. Jordan himself had some awesome games scoring 51 against Charlotte and then killing New Jersey with 45 the next night. While "Floor" Jordan definitely does not have the hops he once did, he is strong and still a deadly shooter who can create his own shot at any time (although I will admit it was painful to watch his shot get blocked so many times this year).
Richard Hamilton showed that he may have the best mid-range game in the NBA.
Brendan Haywood showed Orlando and Cleveland that they were foolish to give up on him as he is going to be a solid NBA center for many years to come.
Chris Whitney and Hubert Davis were deadly from the outside and
Popeye Jones showed the nation what fans in Toronto knew from their expansion years - that when Popeye is healthy, he rebounds the ball well and has a deadly 15 foot jumper.
The great thing about the Wizards season last year was that they showed a big improvement. The team won 37 games after winning a franchise low 19 the year before. Every one across the board, except Brown, showed that they have heart and are willing to learn. Courtney Alexander had a tough first half, but when Jordan went down he put together some nice games down the stretch. Alexander is a pure scorer, but he had never had to play defense before. Both Jordan and Doug Collins were hard on him, but he is a better player for having to sit down all those games and watch.
Kwame Brown on the other hand looked like the worst first overall pick in recent history, maybe of all time. I have never been a proponent of straight out of high school picks and Brown is the classic example of why guys need to go to college. Brown looked totally overmatched and what was even worse, it looked like he had a Derrick Coleman like work ethic. Brown had no game what-so-ever. No post game, no jumper, no defense, nothing. Perhaps the expectations on him were too high too soon. However if Brown doesn't come back next year looking confident and having learnt some post-moves, any post-moves, you will probably start to hear his name come up again in trade rumors as they did during the year when he was linked with Rasheed Wallace. The question that needs to be asked however, is how much better would the team have been and would the Wizards have made the playoffs if Jordan and co. had selected Pau Gasol, Eddie Griffin (my pick last year) or Shane Battier last year instead of Brown. Even Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry looked more prepared and NBA ready than Brown last year.
This up coming season is the most important than any other in Wizards history because it will be the last of Jordan's career. Can Jordan come back from his knee problems to take this team to the playoffs for the first time since 1997? Can the Wizards land a free agent or two that can bring some more scoring to this team? Can Alexander and Brown have bounce back seasons this year and fulfill their potentials and be regular contributors? Can Rip Hamilton learn to play better defense and shoot the three more consistently? Can the Wiz find a back-up to Jordan? If the answer to even half of these is yes, then I believe the Wizards will make the playoffs and right to ship for good. All bets are off though if Jordan can't come back though and can't play substantial minutes (word is he may play off the bench next year) as the rest of the team is too young and not mentally tough enough. But then again, they do play in the East.....so anything can happen.
III. Roster and Key Stats
C - Jahidi White - 5.4 ppg, 6.3 rebs, 1.06 blks, 53.8% FG
C - Brendan Haywood - 5.1 ppg, 5.2 rebs, 1.47 blks, 49.3% FG
PF - Christian Laetnner - 7.1 ppg, 5.3 rebs, 2.6 assts, 1.05 stls,
PF - Popeye Jones - 7.0 ppg, 7.3 rebs, 1.6 assts
PF - Kwame Brown - 4.5 ppg, 3.5 assts, 38.7% FG
PF - Etan Thomas - 4.3 ppg, 3.9 rebs, 53.6% FG
SF - Micheal Jordan - 22.9 pts, 5.7 rebs, 5.2 assts, 1.42 stls, 41.6% FG
SF - Tyrone Nesby - 6.3 ppg, 4.5 rebs, 1.3 assts,
SF - Bobby Simmons - 3.7 ppg, 1.7 rebs, 45.3% FG
SG - Richard Hamilton - 20.0 ppg, 3.4 rebs, 2.7 assts, 89% FT
SG - Courtney Alexander - 9.8 ppg, 2.6 rebs, 1.5 assts, 47% FG
SG - Hubert Davis - 7.2 ppg, 2.1 assts, 45.2% 3pt
PG - Chris Whitney - 10.2 ppg, 3.8assts, 3.69 A/TO, 40.6% 3pt
PG - Tyronne Lue - 7.8 pts, 3.5 assts, 2.56 A/TO, 44.7% 3pt
IV. Team Stats
Offence - 92.8 ppg (21st in league), 44.1 FG% (17th in league), 38.8% 3pt (1st in NBA), and 76.5% FT% (8th in league)
Defense - 94.2 Points Allowed Per Game (11th in league), 45.2% Field Goal % Against (20th in league), 35.4% 3Pt Field Goal % Against (15th in league)
V. Salaries and Contracts
Player, Contract Length, Total Salary, Expiry of Contract
Popeye Jones 1 $1.5 million '02
Tyrone Nesby 3 $8.9 million '02
Bobby Simmons 1 minimum '02
Richard Hamilton 4 $8,603,543 (t-opt) '03
Michael Jordan 2 minimum '03
Tyronn Lue 2 $3,570,000 '03
Courtney Alexander 4 $6,423,273 (t-opt) '04
Hubert Davis 4 $10 million '04
Etan Thomas 4 $6,680,062 (t-opt) '04
Chris Whitney 4 $11.2 million (t-opt) '04
Kwame Brown 4 $17,286,153 (t-opt) '05
Brandan Haywood 4 $4,891,185 (t-opt) '05
Christian Laettner 4 $21,375,000 '05
Jahidi White 5 $25 million '05
Free Agents
Popeye Jones, Tyrone Nesby and Bobby Simmons
VI. Positional Analysis
Center
The Wizards may have found their center of the future in Brendan
Haywood. Haywood was drafted 20th overall by Cleveland, traded to Orlando and then on to Washington for Laron Profit. Haywood showed that while his offensive game is still developing, he is a mature defensive player. Haywood is a good shot blocker and a rebounder and if he can learn some post moves he will be a good starting center someday. To say that Haywood's performance this year was a surprise is an understatement.
Jahidi White, while still plagued by foul troubles, showed a lot of improvement this year. The knock on White has always been his rock hard hands, but as the year went on White began to get into better position and seemed better prepared to receive passes. As a result, White bobbled less balls and he was a much more effective offensive player. White is a decent defender and rebounder and a good shot blocker, but he needs to avoid early foul trouble to be effective. Like most of the Wizards, White showed a good improvement this year and if he, like Haywood, can develop his offensive game some more, the Wizards will be set at Center for a few more years.
Power Forward
Christian Laetnner is that special player, like Derrick Coleman, who frustrates fans over and over again. One game Laetnner will go for 29 against Boston, like he did early in the season, and then go 1 for 7 in the next. If Laetnner showed any kind of consistency, he would be a valuable part of this rotation. The former Duke star is however, probably the second best passer on the team after Jordan. Laetnner is great at finding guys on back-cuts while he holds the ball at the top of the key, but until he shoots the ball more consistently and speeds up his play, he is a liability out there.
Popeye Jones was probably this team's unsung hero. Jones played great interior defense, shot the ball well from the field and gave the Wiz some much needed rebounding. Jones was the best player off the bench most nights and probably they're most consistent performer all year. Word is that the Wiz may not make a play to re-sign him, but that would be a huge mistake in my opinion. Jones is the perfect mentor for Brown, Thomas and Haywood and without him, who knows where this team would have been last year.
Kwame Brown, well, I think I said enough about him in my introduction. Brown has potential, but until he starts to play harder and learn the fundamentals of the game, he will find the NBA a much tougher go than Georgia High School basketball.
Etan Thomas played little this year, only getting into action in 47 games. Thomas is as strong as a bull, but he is still extremely raw. Jordan was said to be in love with this guy last year and with Brown struggling mightily last year, he will probably get a chance to play more if Jones is not re-signed.
Small Forward What can you say about Michael
Jordan? He averaged 22.9 points a game and was the leader we all know he is. While Jordan did battle knee problems for most of the year and he shot a pretty lousy percentage, he did live up to his billing in my opinion. Jordan went for 51 against Charlotte and then 45 the next night against, but he did also have a 6 point game this year as well. MJ showed again that he is the best leader in basketball, by getting this motley crew into a playoff position and playing consistently competitive basketball. Next year, if he plays, will be Jordan's last in the NBA. I expect Jordan to come back in great shape and in good health and lead this team to the playoffs.
Tyrone Nesby is hard to figure out. He obviously has a lot of skill and athleticism, but does he have the heart to be a consistent player at this level? Nesby had the difficult task of backing up MJ and some games he hit some big shots, but he is still missing something from his game.
Bobby Simmons. Honestly I only saw this guy play once this year. He only played in 30 games this year and averaged 3.7 points a game. Jordan seems to like his toughness, so he will probably stick around another year. Unless the Wiz find a decent back-up for Jordan at the SF position, Simmons might get more minutes this year, but don't count on it.
Shooting Guard
Rip Hamilton is a star for the future. Hamilton has what many players in the NBA can only dream of, a lethal mid-range game. If Hamilton can learn to play better defense and can start to shoot the three he will become a more complete player and can take his place among the league's elite. What impressed me most about Hamilton this year was his ability to carry the team while Jordan was cold. Hamilton is great at creating his own shot and coming off screen's for 15-18 foot jump shots. Hamilton showed people a lot this year and if he can continue to be imbued by the confidence Jordan has given him, then he can look forward to another huge leap forward again this year.
Courtney Alexander had a rough year, at one point losing his spot off the bench to veteran Hubert Davis. Alexander has a scorer's mentality and that seemed to hurt him, as Collins preached defense for most of the year and defense is definitely not Alexander's strong suit. Sitting on the bench for most of the first half of the season seemed to do Alexander some good though, as he came back in the second half, especially once Jordan was done for the year, with a much better all around effort. Alexander is a great offensive player though, even though he is selfish at times. Alexander is a good penetrator and shooter, as his 47% shooting percentage indicates. Alexander is one of the keys for the Wizards this year. If he can come back and play a full 82 games with the effort he showed the last month of the season, the Wizards will be that much more difficult to beat.
Hubert Davis is one sick three point shooter. Davis was one of the reasons why the Wiz led the league in three point percentage and why it was harder than most thought it would be to double Jordan. Davis will have a harder time getting more court time this year as the Wiz will probably be more committed to giving Alexander his minutes, but don't be surprised to see Davis logging heavy minutes if Alexander fails again.
Point Guard
More than anyone else, Chris Whitney stepped up last year. Whitney, a lifetime Bullet/Wizard, averaged 10.2 points a game and shot the three at a 40.6% clip. Whitney made it harder for teams to double Jordan as he proved that he could hit the open shot on a consistent basis. Whitney at times during games just could not miss. Whitney has a lot of heart, but he is probably more suited to a backup role on this team than as a starter. Don't get me wrong, I love Chris Whitney, but he just does not have the court vision that you need in a starting guard. The other thing I loved about Whitney, is that he, and Popeye Jones, didn't seem to be as scared as their teammates about playing with Jordan. Whitney seemed to relish his role on the team and up his play, knowing that they had the best player in the world on their team.
Tyronne Lue, although he was plagued by injuries most of the year, showed that he too could hit the open three. Lue is quick and a good defender and he too can hit the three, but he just isn't consistent enough to be a starting guard. If the Wiz draft a point guard this year, Lue could be watching a lot of games from the bench. If they don't draft a guard though, I think that maybe the Wiz will give him a chance to start at some point. Lue is a tough kid and showed during the 2001 Finals that he is a good player, he just needs to put it together more consistently now.
VII. Coaching/Management
The Wiz made some great moves last year. The hiring of Doug Collins was great, as was the trade for Brendan Haywood, especially since all they gave up was Laron Profit...LARON PROFIT! Collins is a great teacher and motivator and he seemed to have the complete control over his team last year (although, this may have more to do with the fact that Jordan hand picked him to run the team). What I really liked about Collins was that he made adjustments early in the season to make sure that the entire team got involved on offence. Early on in the season, the Wizard players stood still and watched Jordan, but Collins managed to get the team over that. Collins is the best coach for this team as he is good with young players and he is a teacher.
This off-season and upcoming season are huge for Jordan and Collins though. Can they put the pieces together and make a run at the playoffs and the Finals? If they add solid players via the draft and free agency and Kwame Brown shows up, then yes, they will make a solid run in Jordan's last season. If their pick this year flops however and Brown continues to struggle then next year, I may not be so kind to them in this report.
VIII. Past Draft Picks
- 2001
- Kwame Brown - 1st overall, Glynn Academy High School
- Bobby Simmons - 42nd overall, De-Paul
- 2000
- Mike Smith - 35th overall, Louisiana Monroe
- 1999
- Richard Hamilton - 7th overall, Connecticut
- Calvin Booth - 35th overall, Penn, St. (currently with Dallas, traded in Juwan Howard deal)
- 1998
- Jahidi White - 43rd overall, Georgetown
- 1997
- God Shammgod - 46th overall, Providence (out of league)
- 1996
- Ronnie Henderson - 55th overall, LSU (out of league)
- 1995
- Rasheed Wallace - 4th overall, North Carolina (currently with Portland, traded for Rod Strickland)
- Terrence Rencher - 32nd overall, Texas (out of league)
- 1994
- Juwan Howard - 5th overall, Michigan (currently with Denver)
- Jim McIlvane - 32nd overall, Marquette (currently with New Jersey)
- 1993
- Calbert Cheaney - 6th overall, Indiana (currently with Denver)
- Gheorghe Muresan - 30th overall, Romania (out of league, last with New Jersey)
- Conrad McRae - 38th overall, Syracuse (out of league)
- 1992
- Tom Gugliotta - 6th overall, NC State (currently with Phoenix)
- Brent Price - 32nd overall, Oklahoma (currently with Vancouver/Memphis)
- 1991
- LaBradford Smith - 19th overall, Louisville (out of league)
- 1990
- Greg Foster - 35th overall, Texas El-Paso (currently with Los Angeles)
IX. Past Draft History
The Wizards recent draft history has been limited due to picks given up in various deals, including the deal to obtain Chris Webber from Golden State, but overall they have had a good track record with picking players - the problem has been keeping them. The 1999 draft netted a future star in Rip Hamilton and a solid player in Calvin Booth. Booth however, was shipped to Dallas in the Howard deal and went on to have a major impact in the playoffs for the 2001 Mavericks. Jahidi White was also a great pick at 43rd overall in the '98 draft, but not good enough to make us Wizards fans forget God Shammgod or Ronnie Henderson who were both drafted late in the '97 and '96 drafts respectively. All in all, the drafts of the 90's have given the Wizards some great PF's, including Rasheed Wallace, Juwan Howard and Tom Gugilotta. The 90's has also seen the likes of Jim McIlvane, Gheorghe Muresan, Calbert Cheaney and Brent Price being drafted by the Wizards, all of who have had limited to moderate success in the NBA. Of the 17 draft picks the Wizards have had since 1990, 11 are still the league. My point is that drafting has not been the Wizards problem, the problem has been the trading away of those players or not being able to retain them. The biggest gaff was perhaps the Rasheed Wallace deal. Does anyone look back and think that Wallace for Strickland was fair? Wallace is exactly the type of player the Wiz need, minus the attitude, and I am sure that Jordan bemoans that trade everyday since he has been with the team. All in all, the past 12 drafts have been good to the Wizards, we can only hope this years is as well.
X. Team Needs
- A Back-up to Jordan - Jordan only has one year left in his contract and on his knees. The Wiz need to bring someone young in to learn behind him.
- A top flight point guard - While both Lue and Whitney are serviceable, neither is a starting point guard and neither a very good distributors. This team needs a point guard who can give Jordan and Hamilton the ball when they need, but who can also make the open shot. Whitney is a good shooter, but not a point guard in your traditional sense.
- More scoring up front - One of the team's biggest deficiencies is a big man who can post up and score. Jordan is the best post player on the team but they need one of their young guys to step up. Neither White nor Thomas are offensive talents, so the burden will rest on Haywood and Brown to carry some of the scoring burden.
XI. My Selection
Oyntel
Woods, SF, 6'8", Northeast Miss. CC
To be honest I don't know much about Woods, but no-one outside of the scouts really does. Some say he is the next Tracy McGrady, but I find that hard to believe. But if he is even half as good as McGrady, then the Wiz will be happy. Woods is a 6'8 small forward, with guard skills and apparently, a decent outside shot. What the Wiz will probably love most about him though, are his athleticism and the scoring he brings to the front court. Woods is probably more of a gamble than say Jeffries or Dickau, but the pay-off could be that the Wiz might just be able to grab the best player in the draft with the 11th overall selection. Jordan and co. need to get this pick right, especially with Brown struggling so badly last year. The early word is that Woods is their guy, but with Woods coming straight from community college, he could either plummet or have his stock rise as draft hysteria hits its high days before the draft.
XII. Other Players Considered
1) Jared Jeffries - Jeffries would make as much sense as Woods for the Wizards.
Jeffries is fundamentally sound and apparently got a lot stronger in the off-season. Jeffries has a great post game and can shoot the three, as well, since Jeffries has been to the NCAA finals shows that he is a winner as well. If Woods is gone at 11, then Jeffries will be their guy as he would do well to play behind Jordan for a year. Saying that, don't be surprised if he is picked instead of Woods.
2) Dan Dickau - The rumors are that Jordan loves this guy. Dickau is a John Stockton-
Steve Nash type of guard who can shoot, pass and play tough defense. Some critics say he is too slow, but those same critics come out anytime a white point guard tries to make it in the NBA. The Wiz need a point guard and Dickau is probably the second best after Jay Williams. The Wiz could also go with Frank Williams here, but Dickau is the better shooter and so I would be very surprised if they pass on Dickau for him.
XII. Other moves team should make
Free Agent Signings - The Wizards will be a major player in the free agent market,
next year, as Richmond's and Strickland's contracts. Saying that however, I expect the Wizards to make a splash in the free agent market this year because this will be Jordan's last year and they need to capitalize on that with a playoff appearance. So expect the Wiz to shore up some of their weak spots and put together the best team they can around Jordan.
A player like Keon Clark would be perfect for this team. Yes he would take minutes away from Thomas and Brown, but Clark can score, rebound and is so athletic that at least once a game he does some behind the head, left handed finger roll that makes you want to vomit it is so good.
Jeff McInnis would be another great signing for this team. Not only is he a North Carolina alum, but he brings to the table exactly what the Wiz need, backcourt scoring. McInnis is not a good a three point shooter as Whitney, but he is a much better scorer. McInnis is super quick and can create his own shot, something neither Lue nor Whitney do with any consistency. McInnis would be a hug upgrade for the Wiz at the point, but they will have many competitors out there to sign him as he is the top point guard in a weak free agent crop this year.
Other free agents that would make sense for the Wiz are - Donyell Marshall, Travis Best and Devean
George. All these players would bring scoring and experience to the Wiz and most could be had with the mid-level exception.
Re-signings - I would be very surprised if the Wiz don't try and re-sign Popeye Jones in the off-season. I have said this before in this report, but he is the perfect player for this team. As for Nesby and Simmons, who cares, let them go, they need the playing time for whomever they pick to play behind Jordan in the draft.
XIII. Next Years Forecasted Lineup
- C - Brendan Haywood/Jahidi White
- PF - Kwame Brown/Popeye Jones/Etan Thomas
- SF - Michael Jordan/Qyntel Woods
- SG - Richard Hamilton/Courtney Alexander
- PG - Chris Whitney/Tyronn Lue
|
