ducks
06-07-2006, 09:08 AM
Wizards arrive at offseason ‘crossroads’
John Keim, The Examiner
WASHINGTON -
Phoenix ignored conventional wisdom and years of evidence. The Suns looked at their roster,
scrapped the desire to find a classic big man and went small.
Then they went far, nearly reaching the NBA finals.
Along the way, they - and to a lesser degree, the Dallas Mavericks - might have altered the way
teams build their roster.
The question is whether Washington does the same.
“They’re at a crossroads right now,” said one Eastern Conference source. “They have to do
something to get in that upper tier.”
The Wizards go one of two ways. They could continue looking for the right big man. Or, like the
Suns, they could switch gears and get a couple athletic, and versatile, 6-foot-8 types.
“The day of the low-post player is few and far between,” Wizards General Manager Ernie Grunfeld
said. “There aren’t that many dominant big men [so] the game has become more on the perimeter.
“ there’s no set pattern; there’s only winning. Different teams do it different ways. If it was so
easy, everyone would do it. ... We’re not that far off; we only need to add a couple guys. We’re
sitting in a nice spot right now.”
[B]Philadelphia General Manager Billy King recently told the Atlanta Journal Constitution that, after
watching the playoffs, “you need more athletic 6-6, 6-8 guys. A lot more teams are going small,
playing a 6-8 small forward at the power forward position.”
The Eastern Conference source said there would be two problems for Washington if it tried to
emulate Phoenix. First, the Suns’ success stems from Steve Nash - much like Joe Montana keyed
San Francisco’s run in the 1980s while running the since oft-copied West Coast offense. Second, the
Wizards’ Princeton offense means many plays are run; the Suns rarely call plays, allowing athletic
types to quickly mesh.
“When the Wizards change personnel, it makes it hard because they have to teach the new guys all
these new plays,” the source said. “The timing is off. Phoenix just goes out and plays.”
He said, of the teams that run the Princeton offense, the Wizards do the best job. But he said they
lack a high-post player. To operate at its highest level, the offense requires a big man who can hit
the 15-footer to open up the back door cuts for others and also threaten inside. As everyone well
knows, Washington struggles defensively.
With Miami an aging team and Detroit no longer invincible, the Wizards could take a big step if it
adds the right piece.
“Maybe we’ll have our own identity and teams will want to emulate us,” Grunfeld said. “We have a
solid nucleus and we’re a very young team. We’re not where we want to be, but the foundation is
solid….The game is changing and it’s becoming more of a free-flowing game, where skills is much
more important than it was in the past. I like the way the game is going.”
In search of …
» Grunfeld is in Orlando this week for a pre-draft camp. But many of the draft’s top prospects are
not expected to participate.
» An Eastern Conference source said the Wizards he’s heard mentioned in trade talks are Brendan
Haywood, Jarvis Hayes and Etan Thomas. But he has not once heard Antawn Jamison’s name come
up.
» The Wizards hope a healthy Jarvis Hayes and improved Andray Blatche will provide them with
athletic players who offer the versatility needed in a more skilled era.
John Keim, The Examiner
WASHINGTON -
Phoenix ignored conventional wisdom and years of evidence. The Suns looked at their roster,
scrapped the desire to find a classic big man and went small.
Then they went far, nearly reaching the NBA finals.
Along the way, they - and to a lesser degree, the Dallas Mavericks - might have altered the way
teams build their roster.
The question is whether Washington does the same.
“They’re at a crossroads right now,” said one Eastern Conference source. “They have to do
something to get in that upper tier.”
The Wizards go one of two ways. They could continue looking for the right big man. Or, like the
Suns, they could switch gears and get a couple athletic, and versatile, 6-foot-8 types.
“The day of the low-post player is few and far between,” Wizards General Manager Ernie Grunfeld
said. “There aren’t that many dominant big men [so] the game has become more on the perimeter.
“ there’s no set pattern; there’s only winning. Different teams do it different ways. If it was so
easy, everyone would do it. ... We’re not that far off; we only need to add a couple guys. We’re
sitting in a nice spot right now.”
[B]Philadelphia General Manager Billy King recently told the Atlanta Journal Constitution that, after
watching the playoffs, “you need more athletic 6-6, 6-8 guys. A lot more teams are going small,
playing a 6-8 small forward at the power forward position.”
The Eastern Conference source said there would be two problems for Washington if it tried to
emulate Phoenix. First, the Suns’ success stems from Steve Nash - much like Joe Montana keyed
San Francisco’s run in the 1980s while running the since oft-copied West Coast offense. Second, the
Wizards’ Princeton offense means many plays are run; the Suns rarely call plays, allowing athletic
types to quickly mesh.
“When the Wizards change personnel, it makes it hard because they have to teach the new guys all
these new plays,” the source said. “The timing is off. Phoenix just goes out and plays.”
He said, of the teams that run the Princeton offense, the Wizards do the best job. But he said they
lack a high-post player. To operate at its highest level, the offense requires a big man who can hit
the 15-footer to open up the back door cuts for others and also threaten inside. As everyone well
knows, Washington struggles defensively.
With Miami an aging team and Detroit no longer invincible, the Wizards could take a big step if it
adds the right piece.
“Maybe we’ll have our own identity and teams will want to emulate us,” Grunfeld said. “We have a
solid nucleus and we’re a very young team. We’re not where we want to be, but the foundation is
solid….The game is changing and it’s becoming more of a free-flowing game, where skills is much
more important than it was in the past. I like the way the game is going.”
In search of …
» Grunfeld is in Orlando this week for a pre-draft camp. But many of the draft’s top prospects are
not expected to participate.
» An Eastern Conference source said the Wizards he’s heard mentioned in trade talks are Brendan
Haywood, Jarvis Hayes and Etan Thomas. But he has not once heard Antawn Jamison’s name come
up.
» The Wizards hope a healthy Jarvis Hayes and improved Andray Blatche will provide them with
athletic players who offer the versatility needed in a more skilled era.