The Official Washington Wizards Thread

[Destino]

I don't want to get into an argument regarding Zeller, again...but I fully believe in a "deep" draft he's a guy that ought to be drafted between 12-18. He has good finishing ability, but I doubt he'll be as efficient against NBA size. He isn't quicker then 4s in this league and his standing reach will probably make it difficult for him to be effective offensively in the post against 5s. Honestly I see a rich mans Tyler Hansborough.

If we get any pick 3 or lower, our first priority ought to be to trade out and see what kind of talent we can get while offloading salary. If that doesn't happen, perhaps trade back while doing the same, but maybe not yielding the same amount of salary shedding as we may desire.

Zeller a great finisher around the basket in the real sense of the word, not just dunking. He can score from multiple angles, both sides, and uses his body to shield off defenders. That kind of polish is rare in a big man and frankly you don't see it in most 10 year NBA vets. He reminds me of David Lee and I'm not saying that because they are both white. Neither are terribly fast or the best athletes on the floor but they have so many ways of scoring near the basket that they overcome their defenders with their options.

[stevemcqueen1]

I don't want to get into an argument regarding Zeller, again...but I fully believe in a "deep" draft he's a guy that ought to be drafted between 12-18. He has good finishing ability, but I doubt he'll be as efficient against NBA size. He isn't quicker then 4s in this league and his standing reach will probably make it difficult for him to be effective offensively in the post against 5s. Honestly I see a rich mans Tyler Hansborough.

If we get any pick 3 or lower, our first priority ought to be to trade out and see what kind of talent we can get while offloading salary. If that doesn't happen, perhaps trade back while doing the same, but maybe not yielding the same amount of salary shedding as we may desire.

Zeller almost certainly would have been a top ten pick in last year's loaded class. Probably a high pick.

He won't be as efficient in the NBA as he is now simply because he's shooting an absurd 63% from the floor in college. But he's going to be an extremely efficient scorer. He's an excellent athlete with excellent handles, touch, feet, and coordination. He's built to be a scoring machine.

I also think he definitely has the quickness to blow by NBA bigs. He's very athletic. He's not very similar to Hansbrough. Hansbrough has almost no offensive game and is a six hard fouls tough guy and low post defender. Zeller is an offensive specialist. And he's much, much more talented than Hansbrough was.

A lot of people are down on Zeller this year and I think it's because he's a fairly known quantity. He's been kicking ass this year though. I predict by the time the draft roles around Zeller will be near the top of most people's boards. There aren't many serious negatives with him and he's having a great college career. He'd be great value in the 3-5 range.

---------- Post added January-16th-2013 at 02:37 PM ----------

Zeller a great finisher around the basket in the real sense of the word, not just dunking. He can score from multiple angles, both sides, and uses his body to shield off defenders. That kind of polish is rare in a big man and frankly you don't see it in most 10 year NBA vets. He reminds me of David Lee and I'm not saying that because they are both white. Neither are terribly fast or the best athletes on the floor but they have so many ways of scoring near the basket that they overcome their defenders with their options.

Don't underestimate just how quick he is. He runs the floor extremely well and has a very quick first few steps. Check out how quick he looks in this video:



One thing I really like about Zeller is how well he's handled the pressure of being the man on a top 5 team. He sees doubles and triple teams all the time as defense's collapse to stop him but still plays an extremely efficient game. He's got that star quality of drawing the other team's attention and freeing his teammates up with open looks.

[Destino]

I only mean that in the NBA as a 4 he wouldn't be the fastest. I don't hate his game at all. He doesn't rely on a move like many bigs (Seraphin is a great example of a limited offensive tool belt) and you can't teach that kind of variety and instinctual ability. It's rare and it absolutely translates to the NBA.

[nuposse87]

David Lee is a bad defender (although a steady rebounder) I'm not sure he wants to draw that parallel (although he does get points in interesting ways). DX has Zeller at 6'11.5 with shoes...which is about as tall as you want your center to be, but his wing span is surprisingly bad. I'm not doubting his ability to score, but I just feel he'd end up being a center version of Jamison for us, gives us scoring, but will end up giving up just as much on the defensive end. If we were to draft him, it wouldn't be the end of the world, but I'd definitely be one of the first to say "I told you so." I'll also happily eat crow if does pan out to be a serviceable big down the line. The LMA comparisons are kind of funny, LMA might be the best 4 in the NBA right now, nobody can actually think he'll have THAT kind of potential. I could a see a future 15-8 player but not a whole lot more. He isn't quick enough to blow by 4s, and he isn't strong enough to bang with true 5s...He could be a great big off the bench for a contender but I see just as much liabilities in his game as there are pros. I have to say that my worries may also be moot though, as I said earlier, the game is getting "smaller" so maybe it won't matter as much...But the east will have true centers to be feared in the future. Drummond would eat Zeller alive in the future, and Valuciounes (However you spell it) looked pretty good for the raptors pre-injury. Not to mention if Andrew Bynum ever gets it going, and Brook Lopez isn't a slouch either. A lot of his success will depend on if the "bigman" makes a comeback in the NBA game.

I'd rather we use w/e pick we have in either adding a quality player via a trade (and cap relief) or draft a player with unreal potential (Like Len, Gobert or Austin)...I'm going to just assume we won't have a shot at Noel and Shabazz.

[stevemcqueen1]

I only mean that in the NBA as a 4 he wouldn't be the fastest. I don't hate his game at all. He doesn't rely on a move like many bigs (Seraphin is a great example of a limited offensive tool belt) and you can't teach that kind of variety and instinctual ability. It's rare and it absolutely translates to the NBA.

The more I see of him, the more I'm thinking he'll probably settle in as a 5 once he puts on bulk. At that position he's going to be tough to match up with defensively.

I agree with you, he's got a great feel for the game. He actually kind of reminds me of Nene in his ability to find all kinds of space to operate in the paint. Very good feel for the ball in his hands. You'll think he's completely trapped beneath the basket and he'll twist around and lay a shot in really soft.

He's pretty clean, I have a hard time seeing him be a bust. But the two things that could keep him from being an All Star are his strength level and his rebounding. They're related. His lack of strength keeps him from aggressively crashing the boards IMO. I know he's added lots of size since last year--which is where most of that video was coming from. But he's going to eventually have to get up to about 240-250 pounds of good bulk and develop a lot more strength in his upper body.

[darrelgreenie]

I might actually take my kids to see a Wizards game this season.

[mboyd784]

I might actually take my kids to see a Wizards game this season.

Im about THIS close to hitting Stubhub for the Chicago game next saturday.

It kinda feels weird, but I am irrationally excited for tonights game. Go Wiz!

[nuposse87]

most of the games have been entertaining...its just so many of them end in Ls. Can't knock the guys for the effort they exude at home, sans the Spurs game. But they always rape us.

[Renegade7]

I see Wall and Seraphin are our leading scorers right now coming off the bench. Box score looks good, but can't see the game right now. Is Wall helping Seraphin look better and play more efficiently?

[StillUnknown]

I am really loving the way Beal is playing. He's in a great zone right now. Completely different player than he showed the first month of the season.

---------- Post added January-16th-2013 at 10:59 PM ----------

Easy to see why Cousins shoots such a low percentage for a big man, he settles for way too many long jumpshots. Just because you can make them occasionally does not mean you should make your living out there.

[Fight4RGIII]

I don't like this Sacramento team. Something about them. I don't like a lot of their faces. Anyways, BEAL WITH IT!

[Gator Bait]

Can't believe some of you want Cousins; he has to have one of the worst shot selections I've ever seen. He is a better rebounding Andray Blatche.

[MonkFan8]

Beal is so great to watch. Doesn't make bad decisions and now he's found his range and seems to be learning how to get away from NBA-caliber defenders.

Amazing.

[stevemcqueen1]

I am really loving the way Beal is playing. He's in a great zone right now. Completely different player than he showed the first month of the season.

---------- Post added January-16th-2013 at 10:59 PM ----------

Easy to see why Cousins shoots such a low percentage for a big man, he settles for way too many long jumpshots. Just because you can make them occasionally does not mean you should make your living out there.

Beal has been spectacular, plain and simple.

Cousins cuts corners. His screens are not fundamentally good he's already looking to fade out while setting them and you can tell he's getting himself set early to take that jumper. Makes him easier to defend in the end.

Also he had one really bad miss where he had a good look at the basket, thought twice about it, ended up having to take a dribble then hoisted it out of rhythm. It's like his brain told his body, "no, you know you're not supposed to keep shooting that J."

Cousins needs a strong hand. He needs a coach like Calipari who he respects that will reel in his shot selection and he needs a strong PG like Wall to feed him in good spots and provide the leadership to keep him focused and in the flow of the game.

---------- Post added January-16th-2013 at 11:16 PM ----------

Can't believe some of you want Cousins; he has to have one of the worst shot selections I've ever seen. He is a better rebounding Andray Blatche.

Cousins is far better than Blatche.

[Gator Bait]

Cousins is far better than Blatche.

They are the same player.....headcase bigs that shoot way too many outside jumpers and have epiclly horrible shot selections. neither defends.

Only difference is Cousins rebounds better