jbooma
June-25th-2003, 08:31 AM
Never thought smart and wizards would be in the same sentence ;)
Turns out they will pick the BEST player available at 10 not a need pick. They believe they can get a pg in the second. I would not mind Sweetney at all, he would fill seats and could be just like Elton Brand. With no dominant centers in the east but him there, Kwame at PF and Jared at SF, you have a pretty good frontline for years to come.
There is also talk of Jarvis Hayes at small forward :)
Blake played well against Kirk.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28341-2003Jun24.html
The Washington Wizards concluded pre-draft workouts yesterday, and over the last 10 days, got a first-hand look at prospects Kirk Hinrich, Dwyane Wade, Jarvis Hayes and Maciej Lampe, but missed out on the personal drills with Nick Collison, Michael Sweetney and T.J. Ford.
Observing the final workouts with holdovers from the Wizards' previous staff have been Mike O'Koren and Tom Young, who are expected to be hired as assistants to new coach Eddie Jordan's staff. Jordan is expected to retain current Washington assistant Larry Drew. O'Koren was one of Jordan's fellow assistants with the New Jersey Nets, and Young, Jordan's former coach at Rutgers has served as a basketball consultant.
Washington holds the No. 10 and No. 38 picks for Thursday's NBA draft and has several holes to fill, mainly at point guard and small forward. Jordan said his take is for the team to draft the best player available, not necessarily someone to fill a need -- especially since the Wizards are a young team that will take time to develop.
"The best player is the priority," Jordan said. "That's what I live by. When you see teams going for need and not the best player it kind of bites you in the [rear] a little bit. I always believe you go for the best player."
That theory could point to Sweetney or Collison, who play power forward, or Wade or Frenchman Mickeal Pietrus, both shooting guards. However, those areas are the two deepest positions on Washington's roster. Pietrus, some league sources think, could make the adjustment to small forward. Hinrich, Ford and fellow point guard Luke Ridnour could be available with the 10th pick, as could Hayes, the Georgia guard-forward who seems to be climbing after a string of strong workouts, some league sources said.
General Manager Wes Unseld, who is set to take an indefinite leave of absence for health reasons after the draft, will make Washington's selection with input from the team's unsettled coaching and personnel staffs, according to the Wizards.
With team owner Abe Pollin yet to hire a president of basketball operations, Unseld will run the basketball department until a replacement is found. He could end up handling free agency as well as contract extension negotiations with leading scorer Jerry Stackhouse should Pollin -- who initially wanted someone to run the basketball staff in place by the draft -- continue to take his time.
The Wizards, according to league sources, are holding out hope that the Milwaukee Bucks will grant General Manager Ernie Grunfeld permission to speak with Washington about becoming its president of basketball operations. There is mounting speculation that Milwaukee has denied Grunfeld, who has one year left on his contract, permission because the Bucks are close to being sold to an ownership group headed by Michael Jordan.
If that is the case, as several league sources have said, Grunfeld probably would be allowed to talk to the Wizards once the process begins for the Bucks to change hands. There is no guarantee that Grunfeld would join the Wizards, though. He is close to Ed Tapscott, the top executive with the expansion Charlotte Bobcats franchise that begins play in 2004-05, and could run the Bobcats' basketball operations. Celtics General Manager Chris Wallace and attorney and former Maryland player Len Elmore are the names most prominently mentioned as options other than Grunfeld.
As for the draft, Washington has several alternatives to weigh, including trading its picks. Plenty of trades are being discussed, according to two Eastern Conference general managers, but, unless someone can work a deal to get a top-five selection, little action is expected, one of them said.
With so many international players, college underclassmen and high school players expected to go in the first round, several solid players could be available in the second round, according to some league officials. Washington may be able to address its point guard needs with the 38th pick. Maryland's Steve Blake, who had an impressive workout against Hinrich, could be available then, as could Alabama's Maurice Williams.
Turns out they will pick the BEST player available at 10 not a need pick. They believe they can get a pg in the second. I would not mind Sweetney at all, he would fill seats and could be just like Elton Brand. With no dominant centers in the east but him there, Kwame at PF and Jared at SF, you have a pretty good frontline for years to come.
There is also talk of Jarvis Hayes at small forward :)
Blake played well against Kirk.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28341-2003Jun24.html
The Washington Wizards concluded pre-draft workouts yesterday, and over the last 10 days, got a first-hand look at prospects Kirk Hinrich, Dwyane Wade, Jarvis Hayes and Maciej Lampe, but missed out on the personal drills with Nick Collison, Michael Sweetney and T.J. Ford.
Observing the final workouts with holdovers from the Wizards' previous staff have been Mike O'Koren and Tom Young, who are expected to be hired as assistants to new coach Eddie Jordan's staff. Jordan is expected to retain current Washington assistant Larry Drew. O'Koren was one of Jordan's fellow assistants with the New Jersey Nets, and Young, Jordan's former coach at Rutgers has served as a basketball consultant.
Washington holds the No. 10 and No. 38 picks for Thursday's NBA draft and has several holes to fill, mainly at point guard and small forward. Jordan said his take is for the team to draft the best player available, not necessarily someone to fill a need -- especially since the Wizards are a young team that will take time to develop.
"The best player is the priority," Jordan said. "That's what I live by. When you see teams going for need and not the best player it kind of bites you in the [rear] a little bit. I always believe you go for the best player."
That theory could point to Sweetney or Collison, who play power forward, or Wade or Frenchman Mickeal Pietrus, both shooting guards. However, those areas are the two deepest positions on Washington's roster. Pietrus, some league sources think, could make the adjustment to small forward. Hinrich, Ford and fellow point guard Luke Ridnour could be available with the 10th pick, as could Hayes, the Georgia guard-forward who seems to be climbing after a string of strong workouts, some league sources said.
General Manager Wes Unseld, who is set to take an indefinite leave of absence for health reasons after the draft, will make Washington's selection with input from the team's unsettled coaching and personnel staffs, according to the Wizards.
With team owner Abe Pollin yet to hire a president of basketball operations, Unseld will run the basketball department until a replacement is found. He could end up handling free agency as well as contract extension negotiations with leading scorer Jerry Stackhouse should Pollin -- who initially wanted someone to run the basketball staff in place by the draft -- continue to take his time.
The Wizards, according to league sources, are holding out hope that the Milwaukee Bucks will grant General Manager Ernie Grunfeld permission to speak with Washington about becoming its president of basketball operations. There is mounting speculation that Milwaukee has denied Grunfeld, who has one year left on his contract, permission because the Bucks are close to being sold to an ownership group headed by Michael Jordan.
If that is the case, as several league sources have said, Grunfeld probably would be allowed to talk to the Wizards once the process begins for the Bucks to change hands. There is no guarantee that Grunfeld would join the Wizards, though. He is close to Ed Tapscott, the top executive with the expansion Charlotte Bobcats franchise that begins play in 2004-05, and could run the Bobcats' basketball operations. Celtics General Manager Chris Wallace and attorney and former Maryland player Len Elmore are the names most prominently mentioned as options other than Grunfeld.
As for the draft, Washington has several alternatives to weigh, including trading its picks. Plenty of trades are being discussed, according to two Eastern Conference general managers, but, unless someone can work a deal to get a top-five selection, little action is expected, one of them said.
With so many international players, college underclassmen and high school players expected to go in the first round, several solid players could be available in the second round, according to some league officials. Washington may be able to address its point guard needs with the 38th pick. Maryland's Steve Blake, who had an impressive workout against Hinrich, could be available then, as could Alabama's Maurice Williams.