The Beginning of a Long Off-Season

I am totally thrilled with what the Wizards did in the draft. In selecting Otto Porter and Glen Rice Jr, they have gotten their off season off to a great start. I don't put too much stock in Draft Grades, but the Wizards got good grades on their draft.

Free agency is beginning. The team, in my opinion, has a few needs they need to address. They need a back up point guard, a power forward (a stretch 4 is what the buzz is about), and to resign Martel Webster.

Webster is in DC and it looks like he may be getting a deal in the next few days. This is good news because he is such a big part of the locker room and he is a good spot up shooter. He fits on this team. His maturity early on in the year helped the team keep their heads up during the terrible start. There are some that think Martel isn't needed anymore. I do not agree at all. By the end of the season he could be one of the best 6th men in the league.

I am not sure how the PG and back up big man situations will pan out. Many rumors are out there. Antawn Jamison, Chris Copeland, Darren Collison, Eric Maynor and others have been rumored to be sought after by the team. I don't know who would be the best fits, But I am happy the team is actively trying to find the right people to fit into the team. I have started to gain confidence in the front office. So I have to let them follow though with their process and see what happens.

What I am most looking forward to though, it the Summer League. From July 12 - 22 (If they last to the championship) We will get a look at Tomas Satoranski, Glen Rice JR, Otto Porter, and hopefully Vesely. I will be watching closely to see how these guys look. The quest continues, I think wasington is finally on the right track.

The Nats are Heating up

It is looking more and more like the Nationals are starting to find there groove. From Strasburg getting comfortable and showing his passion to Bryce coming back of the injury list. I can't say that I have been watching as closely as I would like. Being out of work and working odd jobs to pay rent is distracting. Not so much that I can't see when the Nats are turning around their fortunes.

I have had fans of other teams taunting me (playfully) about how my Nats are under performing. I say don't let your team have peaked too early. The dog days are coming and things can change real fast. Atlanta I am looking at you.

The thing I have been most looking at sport wise is the NBA Draft. Washington has a great chance to add a lot of talent in this draft. This may not be a top heavy draft, but it is a deep draft. The opposite of what they are predicting for next year. I am of the opinion that Washington should explore what they can get for next years firs round pick. If it can be used to get a young quality player explore it. Maybe they could trade their two second round picks for a first. or put all three together and get a top ten  or fifteen pick.

In my mind with the first pick it will be either Porter, Noel, or Oladipo. Since I believe Porter is most likely I will start with him. Imagine we go Porter at three then trade up and can then take a chance on a Cody Zeller or Anthony Bennett or Alex Len if either falls. If they go Noel they could go after Kentavious Caldwell-Pope  or another guard. I don't know they can do something. The Draft is less than a week away and I can't wait.

Jamaal Franklin #NBADraftProspect2013 #WashingtonWizards

One prospect that I think would be a good fit for the Wizards, depending on if they trade up into the first round and he is available. Jamaal Franklin could be the type of guy that adds a different dimension to the team.Here is a video scouting report.

Also to get a better idea about him, this is an interview with NBA Draft Insider.

I have made it known that I want Otto Porter, if Washington can get both I would be happy.But that scenario isn't very likely. For Washington to get Franklin, more likely Porter was taken earlier and they took  Noel or Bennett (I hope Noel if no Porter) and Franklin would be a great scenario. The draft is getting closer and the Wizards need to not mess this important off-season up.

Otto Porter NBA Draft Prospect

This is a series on NBA Draft Prospects that the Washington Wizards might be interested in. This will be a very important off season for the Wizards as next year heads will roll if the team doesn't meet expectations. Victor Oladio, Jamelle Hagins, and Anthony Bennett. Up next is every ones favorite Georgetown SF Otto Porter.

Position: SF
Height: 6'9
Weight: 198
School: Georgetown
Age: 20 (6/3/93)
Year: Sophomore

There is a lot to like about Otto, and quite a bit that can be worrisome also. I like his size and length. He has a 7'1.5" wingspan, wish he uses to grab rebounds, steal passes and harass shooters. He uses his length to his advantage, but will need to improve on his very average lateral quickness and strength to be a true lock down defender. He can still be a play maker on defense in the meantime though. 

He has a great Basketball IQ. Known for making the right pass at the right time and having good off ball movement. He isn't an offensive dynamo that can create a lot of offense, but he knows what he can do and doesn't try to do things he shouldn't. What he is good at though is at being a good spot up shooter. He work hard on that obviously  since his freshman season. He shot is more reliable and he has a much quicker release. 

What I really like about this young man is that he is high motor. He makes plays that make winning easier. hustles for loose balls, grabs rebounds, and disrupts the oppositions offense. 

I really think Porter would be a good fit with the current team. Together with Wall and Beal, their chemistry could be something to see. There are weaknesses to his package but i think they can be improved. He is still very young a has a lot of room to grow his game, even though he is already polished.

The Wizards are Definately on the Rise

Now that the NBA Lottery has happened, the Wizards know where they will be picking. They were slated to pick  8th overall, but this time a monumental sports team was not screwed by the draft. The Wizards will now pick 3rd and the speculation has already begun as to what to do now.

There are a few different players they could target.They have to look at Noel, because anything can happen in a wide open draft. Otto Porter is the most logical guy in my opinion. Other guys to look at are Victor Oladipo, Anthony Bennett, Alex Len, Shabazz Muhammad, and maybe even Ben McLemore. I have already done a draft  preview of some of those guys but now I can zero in on more guys on this list.

This is great news for the Wizards as they now have more options to improve their team. In addition to the high pick the Wizards have  two second round picks, a couple of expiring contracts, a trade exemption, and  some redundant young players  as assets. I am not advocating that they trade their draft pick though. I would prefer they keep their top pick and then combine some combination of the second rounders, expiring contracts, and other players to get another impact player.

At this point, I am leaning toward Otto Porter. Len scares me due to his ankle injury. Big men and leg injuries scare me. I like Noel also but i am scared of his injury also but not as much as Len's. Anthony Bennett intrigues me, but he want to be a three and doesn't play defense as well as he could. Porter is a stud on defense and I think he could combine quite well with Wall and Beal.

The off season is just starting, if things go well the Wizards could be in line to make some great additions to their team. If things go well (Nene gets healthy, Beal and Wall improve without hurting themselves, and the right additions are added) the playoffs won't be the goal. Competing for a championship can be the goal. Yeah I am dreaming big.

Washington Redskins 2013 Draft Review

"I'll be the steal of the draft." That is what Phillip Thomas said. Many Skins fans the team did a great job of collecting many steals throughout the draft.Coming into the draft the biggest question mark or weakness was the secondary. Even though the team already re-signed Hall and signed EJ Biggers, I expected the team to focus heavily on the secondary.

Three of the seven picks were used to address the secondary, two safeties and a corner. Phillip Thomas and Bacarri Rambo are the safeties; David Amerson is the corner.The thing that each of these guys have is a history of making plays. Since Amerson was taken first I will start with him.

David Amerson is a 6'1" corner that has a history of making plays. He had 19 college ints, 13 in his sophomore year. Phillip Thomas is a 6'1 safety that led the nation in int this season with 8. Barcarri Rambo is 6'0 and has 16 career ints. Each of these guys can be considered steals and they were all ranked to go higher than the Skins got them. These guys provide something that the Skins need more of, playmakers. The safety position should be 100% better than last year as guys either get healthy, off suspension, or earn roll as rookies.

Another thing that happened last year was how the offense fell off once Fred Davis was injured. In the third round they picked Jordan Reed. He needs to improve his blocking, but he is a weapon that can help the offense. John Keim had this quote.

“He’s a real athletic kid,” said Russ Lande, the college scouting director of the Montreal Alouettes and the NFL Draft analyst for the National Football Post. “He’s not a big kid, but he’s quick and very quick at getting to full speed. He has deceptive speed. He has soft natural hands. He’s a real intriguing guy as a receiving option and you can use him around in different alignments. But he’s so little if he tries to block he’ll get knocked on his [butt] a lot. But he’s so natural catching the ball and moving in space. He does good things.”

They also added to running backs in Chris Thompson and Jawan Jamison. I won't even second guess these two as Shanahan has so much success with RB's taking in late rounds. If he thinks these two have a chance, I doubt anyone will really question it.

That leaves us with Brandon Jenkins. He is an olb that rushes the passer. This team can't get too many guys like that. With Orakpo down last year the defense really suffered. Kerrigan got doubled relentlessly and it wasn't good for anyone. Jenkins is another value pick as he was projected to go in the second round and the Skins got him in the third. With 33.5 sacks in two of his seasons, he has the ability to get after the QB. He does have injury questions, but he should be healthy and the extra quality pass rusher is only a benefit.

Shanahan believes the Redskins are a better team now after the draft than they were before. It is hard for me to disagree with him. Now I can't wait for training camp to see how this secondary shakes out. As far as I am concerned, the draft couldn't have gone better.

Anthony Bennett NBA Draft Prospect 2013

Note: I wrote this before the Wizards moved up in the draft. 

This is a series on NBA Draft Prospects that the Washington Wizards might be interested in. This will be a very important off season for the Wizards as next year heads will roll if the team doesn't meet expectations.the first can be found here and the second here.. Up next Anthony Bennett.

Position: PF
Height: 6'7
Weight: 239
School: UNLV
Age: 20 (3/14/93)
Year: Freshman

One of the things that Wall abd Beal say the Wizards need is a stretch 4. The best guy in the draft for that is Anthony Bennett. Even though he is from Brampton, Ontario, Canada, he may be an offensive part that turn the Wizards into a humming machine. 

Where do I start. There is a lot to like about Bennett, but also plenty to worry about. Offensively he could bring a whole new dimension. He is great finishing in the paint and he has a good shot that has range out to the 3 line. He might be a bit of a shot jacker, but if he stay in the confines of the team he could be a huge piece. One part of his offensive game that is missing is his lack of a post game. That wouldn't be the worst think of the Wizards though as he could be match up with NeNe or Seraphin. His range would help spacing and make everyone else better. He also has a wide variety of ways to score. He could really benefit from playing with Wall, Beal, and NeNe.  Another big Plus in his favor is his offensive rebounding. One the the things that caries over best from college to NBA is  rebounding. 

Fear the Sword's Sam Vecenie had this to say about him.

"But really, Bennett's offensive game is extremely strong for a freshman. His touch around the rim is very strong (73% there), plus he's got range out to about 22 feet. From beyond the three-point line, Bennett shot 38% on about 100 attempts, so his range is very legitimate. Along with that, he gets a lot of put-back points on offensive rebounding, where his long arms and strong sense of positioning gives him a chance to get easy points around the basket. This will be an effective tool that he needs to carry over to the NBA. He's can throw down dunks with the best of them, showing off power that few prospects can match. Finally, he gets to the line at an excellent rate, taking the fifth-most free throws in the Mountain West..."

"His overall rebounding acumen is solid overall, too. He shows excellent box-out technique for a young player, and he uses his low center of gravity to push players out of the way. Also, he has excellent hands to snatch all of the balls that come his way. This is the skill that he should be able to hang his hat in the NBA and continue to be an effective player as his career progresses."

I know many will have problems with his height, but I think his 7'1 wingspan  makes up for that. The main red flag I have with this guy is his defense. Defense is about effort and taking pride in stopping your opponent. I don't see that and it worries me. I am not sure his offense is enough to make up for this. Obviously I think he has the tools to be a good defender I just don't know that he wants it.

It isn't up to me but if Bennett is available I would go for him. I have to think he would buy in to the culture of the team and defend. At least I would hope so. If he plays defense with pride and intelligence, he could be the steal of the draft.

Edit: After moving up in the draft. I don't think it would be wise for the Wizards to go for Bennett. I am so afraid of things that look like red flags to me. He wants to be more of a 3, doesn't give a care to defense, and loves to jack up shots. If the front office can real him in ok, but to me he is a huge gamble that can set the franchise back.