TRADE: Hornets sending Okafor and Ariza to Wizards for Rashard Lewis, 2nd rounder

The Wizards are a 6th seed with this move.

They were beating everyone at the end of the season after they got Nene. Now they have even more veteran defenders?

Please. This is a move to get people in the seats. They'll be a 6-9 seed for two years (if their rookie this season doesn't pan out) and even better if he does.

[QUOTE=Qwyjibo]Both Okafor and Ariza have 2 years left (Nene too), Rashard had 1. The Wizards just wasted an extra year or cap room with this trade. The part I don't like is that they added enough mediocre to solid players to not be in a position to nab another lottery pick and finish rebuilding properly.[/QUOTE]

How long do you think they should re-build? Having young players is nice, but 90% of the time a core of nothing but young players means you develop bad habits like has been happening in DC the last 2-3 years instead of becoming the next OKC.

This trade means the young guys (Wall, Crawford, Seraphin, Vesely and whoever they draft this year) will have seasoned professionals in Okafor and Ariza along with Nene to learn from and battle with.

This team has been in the lottery for 4 long years and even had the #1 pick before, it's time to start trying to win.

[QUOTE]This trade means the young guys ([B]Wall, Crawford, Seraphin, Vesely and whoever they draft this year[/B]) will have seasoned professionals in Okafor and Ariza along with Nene to learn from and battle with. [/QUOTE]
Because, personally, I think the only one worth a damn out of those is Wall. That's why I'm saying their upcoming pick [B]must[/B] work out for them. John Wall and a couple 29-30 year old forwards like Nene and Okafor is not a core that you can build a winner with.

But again, that might not be the goal in Washington. You have a GM that is scrambling so a few low seeded playoff appearances and never getting past the 1st round might be enough for them. If I was a fan of the Wizards, it wouldn't be enough for me. I'd rather endure another bad year if the plan is to eventually build a long-term conference contender than sit through mediocrity.

Just wait until the Raptors package their pick plus other players for someone like Iguodala and sign another veteran. Then you'll hear me harping about the Raptors idiotic front office screwing up the future for meaningless short-term results just like the Wizards. :oldlol:

[QUOTE=Grinder]Decent trade for both teams although the Hornets got the better of it.

Wiz clearly looking for some proven veterans to add to their young core and let them draft a shooting guard (although I would have loved to see MKG and Wall together). Hornets get a monster expirer to allow them to give Eric Gordon a max contract and secure their core of Davis + Gordon.

Wiz:
Wall / Mack
Beal / Crawford
Ariza / Vesely / Singleton
Nene / Blatche / Booker
Okafor / Seraphin

I don't know if they have their amnesty available but they need to get rid of Blatche.

Hornets:
Jack / (Marshall or Lillard?) / Vasquez
Gordon / Henry / (Belinelli?)
Aminu / Lewis
Davis / (?)
Smith / Ayon

Hornets roster is really bare and it remains to be seen what direction they go in with the 10 pick but it's a promising core to build around. [B] I think they should resign Belinelli at a reasonable price[/B], let Kaman and Landry walk, draft Kendall Marshall, and try to fill their holes with low salary, low risk-high reward signings like Greg Oden, Hasheem Thabeet, etc.[/QUOTE]
I heard somewhere that Belinelli has the worst + - by far or something like that.

[QUOTE=Qwyjibo]Because, personally, I think the only one worth a damn out of those is Wall. That's why I'm saying their upcoming pick [B]must[/B] work out for them. John Wall and a couple 29-30 year old forwards like Nene and Okafor is not a core that you can build a winner with.

But again, that might not be the goal in Washington. You have a GM that is scrambling so a few low seeded playoff appearances and never getting past the 1st round might be enough for them. If I was a fan of the Wizards, it wouldn't be enough for me. I'd rather endure another bad year if the plan is to eventually build a long-term conference contender than sit through mediocrity.

Just wait until the Raptors package their pick plus other players for someone like Iguodala and sign another veteran. Then you'll hear me harping about the Raptors idiotic front office screwing up the future for meaningless short-term results just like the Wizards. :oldlol:[/QUOTE]

I like Seraphin too. He plays good D and has a solid post game and good touch. Just needs to rebound better.

Wall I don't see becoming a superstar # 1 type guy so Beal (who I assume they are taking) or Gilchrist ( who I hope they take) Needs to become that for them to be a good team going forward.

[QUOTE=Qwyjibo]Because, personally, I think the only one worth a damn out of those is Wall. That's why I'm saying their upcoming pick [B]must[/B] work out for them. John Wall and a couple 29-30 year old forwards like Nene and Okafor is not a core that you can build a winner with.[/quote]

I get where you are coming from, but I think you are undervaluing the positive effects a young player learns from playing in games that matter while still developing and conversely the negative effects from learning to accept losing.

As a Bobcats fan I've seen first hand guys with enormous talents waste them because of this. I've seen guys whose best skill is slashing begin to pull up more and more and rely on shaky jump shots on offense and or stop risking injury throwing their body around on D becuase nobody else on the team is, or even worse war with the coach (or in the case of TT do all 3) because of bad habits learned while losing.

If you can prevent that from happening you do everything you can to do so.

[QUOTE=Qwyjibo]But again, that might not be the goal in Washington. You have a GM that is scrambling so a few low seeded playoff appearances and never getting past the 1st round might be enough for them. If I was a fan of the Wizards, it wouldn't be enough for me. I'd rather endure another bad year if the plan is to eventually build a long-term conference contender than sit through mediocrity. [/quote]

I hear you but you have no further to look that the recent history of the Wizards to learn that does not always work. 2 summers ago people thought this team was going places when they got the 1st pick in the draft to go along with Nick young and their 2 promising young big men (McGee and Blatche) would make for a solid team in a few years. Now 3 of the 4 are gone.


I think Wall and the remaining young guys in Washington need to be protected from going any further down that path.

[QUOTE=Qwyjibo]Just wait until the Raptors package their pick plus other players for someone like Iguodala and sign another veteran. Then you'll hear me harping about the Raptors idiotic front office screwing up the future for meaningless short-term results just like the Wizards. :oldlol:[/QUOTE]

:oldlol: at least your consistent.

[QUOTE=The Macho Man]He's untradeable.

Assuming this means they are drafting Beal which is a shame because I want Gilchrist[/QUOTE]


You're a Wizards fan?! :rockon:

I read somewhere that Rich Cho told the Bobcats ownership that the team needed to be bad before it could truly be good. Or something along those lines. If the Bobcats ownership can stay patient and allow that kind of a rebuild to happen, that's exactly the long-term plan I'd want from my team. Whether or not Charlotte's big wigs allow him to stick to the plan after, likely another 2 tough losing years, is another thing.

When you are an NBA team that isn't located in LA, Miami, New York or Chicago, there are no shortcuts or quick fixes. You need to draft your core and basically get the timing right as well (have them together during their prime). You have to get lucky too. Teams like Washington, Toronto, Charlotte, and Cleveland need to stay the course. The problem comes in when you have people trying to save their jobs (understandably) when they should have already been relieved of them.