[Draft Express] Okafor/Ariza to Wizards for Lewis/#46

If that happens, the conspiracy theories will seriously fly. Stern would nix that trade just to avoid another interview with Jim Rome.

 

Wiz need talent, and even an injured Okafor and sub par Ariza count. I mean, Cartier Martin has been playing big roles over the last couple of years so, yeah, anything is an improvement.

That said, adding Okafor and the #3 (Ariza and Lewis are a wash imo...both suck badly) doesn't do enough to improve the Wiz from 14th to 5th or even 8th in the East. Okafor was a starter on one of the worst teams last year. Wiz are probably still in the 10-12 range in the East if no more moves are made to improve them. Vessely was #6 last year and he mostly contributed nothing...hopefully he breaks out this year.

 

They need to try to not be one of the worst teams in the NBA again and gain some respectability. The Wizards are really one good coach and couple of good shooters away from being a playoff contender. Also, remember they play in the East.

Grabbing Okafor and Ariza (the salaries are not that horrible) should keep them from being one of the most awful and watchable teams in the NBA. If their pick pans out, they've got a great shot at the playoffs w/ Nene, Okafor, Wall, and incoming draft pick (MKG, Barnes, or Beal). Maybe, even Robinson, if Wizards plan on dealing Okafor or Nene.


Okafor only has 2 seasons left on his contract.


Sidenote: They've already won title, even though it was back 1978.

 

Man, I'll be hearing it from my Cajun brother-in-law. I can't even make fun of New Orleans, like I wouldn't hesitate to do to Oklahoma City, regardless of how terrific their team is. NOLA is a damn fine city.

Crap. This is rediculous!! :-(-

 

He averaged 16 points, 8 assits, and 5 rebounds a game. What more do you want him to do?

20, 12 and 8?

I mean yeah he averaged 3.5 TO/PG but with a 2-1 assts/TO ratio, you cant expect him to carry that sorry team to the promise land.

 

Yep,I used to talk to del when he was with the toros. One of my college teammates,bonawitz,demps,and myself used to chop it up all the time. He knows what he's doing and he's gonna get that team there. Now,I'll be the first to tell you,I would've preferred davis playing pf alongside okefor,but this was a great move for them. They have a lot of flexibility going forward. In regards to washington, I think its good for them in a sense too. Emeka and trevor only have 2 more yrs left. What the wizards are up against is the wall free agency clock. They're trying to give him a reason to stay. He's going into yr 3 on a 5 yr deal. Nene/okefor pf-center combo is functional. Wall is explosive but needs a better coach.

 

It will be sort of make or break year for Wall. He will either be stuck in that nice ok point guard territory, or he'll ascend to that all-star, near superstar level point guard. With more quality teammates, he'll likely move towards the latter.

 

The only reason NOH is even in this position is b/c Stern killed the deal that DEMPS orchestrated for Paul initially to bring over all the guys the Rockets were/are trying to get rid of. Not understanding all the Demps worship.

 

He's a good point guard (up and comer), but he's go to work on his efficiency and jump shooting.

 

Steve Kyler ‏@stevekylerNBA

 

Screaming oh HELL TO THE NO

 

Could someone enlighten me as to why we would want Rashard Lewis on our team?

 

Why would any team want Rashard Lewis at this point with that gigantic contract (though it is expiring)?

 

They are waiving him. That means he'll likely sign for the minimum.

 

Because the Rockets want to win now? I have no idea. I'm sure Kyler threw it out there because Lewis is from here.

And New Orleans is buying Lewis out so he'll be a FA.(to pluto)

 

good trade for wizards imo.

Wall
Crawford/1st round pick
ariza
nene
okafor.

thats a playoff team in the east imo.

 

I don't think they've recreated the Hornets necessarily. For one, Ariza wasn't there 3-4 years ago. So they have Okafor. Again, assuming they take Beal, they're starting lineup becomes:

Wall
Beal
Ariza
Nene
Okafor

I understand and agree - no championships coming. But then again, if Beal becomes the next DWade... maybe. They have to draft extremely well with the #3 pick. If one were to assume one of MKG, Beal or Barnes becomes the real deal regular all-star, then they've created a team that can win now, and maybe win more later. Beating the Heat anytime soon? Unlikely, but considering where they were 12 months ago, their prospects are at least a lot improved, imo.

Still, seems like for the salary cap relief they gave New Orleans, they should have gotten back a #10 pick

 

I think Kyler said "watch for Houston" because the Rockets are his hometown team and had interest in him when he became a FA years ago. Of course, the situation is totally different now, but reporters like to link guys to their hometown teams (and, in the case of Asian players, teams with large Asian population).

 

Im not a big Wizards Fan

But i kinda wanna see them take that next step in 2013. I would love to see Jan Vesely and so many of their young players in the playoffs, i dont care if it is the 8th seed, that team needs some playoff expiernce

 

Something smells fishy. The Wizards really agreed to pay $31.5 million extra on crappy players? It's $31.5 million because Ariza has a $7.7 million player option which his agent will make him pick up since he will still be 28 and won't make near that much again.

Maybe the Wizards owed the league a favor after getting Wall and a top 3 pick this season. We're talking $31.5 million.