Hibbert and the 2008 NBA draft

Most of the mock drafts that I've seen have the Wizards passing on Hibbert and picking another low post man with their pick in the first round. I believe Roy's best days are ahead of him and having him play in his own back yard would be a coup for the 'Zards. Does anybody else feel the same way, or do you believe Washington would be better off picking someone else. If so, who??? (Make sure your pick has a chance to be there when the Wizards select at #18)

OR do they package the pick with an existing player on the roster and move up?

Who's the assistant junior G. M. out there????

No more big men !!  We need a PG.  Arenas may not be around and Daniels is aging. I believe DJ Augustin will be there at #18.  As good as he is, he is still about the third or fourth best PG in the draft behind Bayless, Rose and possibly Lawson.

We already have Haywood, Thomas, Blatche, McGuire, Jamison (FA), Butler,  Songalia and Pecherov in the front court.

Arenas, Daniels, Mason (FA), Young and Stephenson in the backcourt.

Granted Thomas may never play again and Arenas might be gone but all the rest should be back. Mason is questionable. Great season but may cost too much for an inconsistent performer.

PG all the way.  If we can trade and move up to get Rose, I would do backflips.  He is cut out of the same mold as CP3 and Deron Williams.

     Ch4NT, its not a matter of having enough big men, its a matter of having enough EFFECTIVE big men, and right now, we don't. Songaila had a heck of a playoff series, and I'm glad he had an opportunity to show his value to the team, but he received the nod only after it became painfully obvious that Blatche couldn't get it done. Darius had been getting sporadic playing time early on in the season, partially because of his injury the year before, but also because the 'Zards' brain trust thought that by giving Blatche enough time on the court, he would blossom. Actually what we witnessed was more of weak grounder up the middle, rather than a grand slam over the right field bleachers. His growth, or lack thereof, exposed the Wizards for what they are: a perimeter shooting team. Haywood helped immensely, but he couldn't do it all himself - as much as he would have liked to.

     They DEFINITELY need a talented big man; not only to close up the middle, but also to have a low post presence on offense. Even with the decisions of a number of NBA prospects returning to school, like Thabeet and Hansbrough, this is still a very talented draft. You could still, conceivably pick a PG as your second selection and find a hidden gem of a PF as an undrafted free agent or vice - versa.

     You know as well as I do, the one thing you can't manufacture or develop is height! Atlanta kept looking....and drafting big men until they found one in Horford. Notice which one they went after first in last year's draft? That's right.....the HEIGHT!! Then they picked Acie Law. They could have picked Conley, but they didn't. WHY??........ HEIGHT!!!! So Memphis picks Conley and lets their big man walk for a song and a dance. Where did Memphis wind up???......I'm not sure, they're STILL looking for the Grizzlies underneath all of the rubble!!!

     Don't be naive and think that the Wizards need a point guard to solve their problems. Do they need one? Absolutely!!! Can they still get a decent one as an undrafted free agent, NBA cast off, or in the second round? Better believe it!!

     Wasting the 18th pick for a PG on this team would be like putting a very small band-aid on a gaping wound...with the gaping wound being in the middle.

KappaKid

I have always thought you cannot win championships, at any level, without a really good point guard. Look what happened when Eric Snow/Gibson/whoever else went up against Parker/Vaughn in The Finals last year.  SWEEP.

Of the teams remaining, the legit contenders, all have very good to exceptional PG's. Williams, Paul, Parker, Billups, Nelson are best remaining.  Lakers and Cavs get away with it because of Kobe and Lebron. Rondo is getting better and better.

The elimated teams, with the exception of Phoenix, did not have great PG's.

I agree that big men help tremendously.  I doubt Haywood will play like he did in the playoffs on a consistent basis.  He has proven that in the past. Blatche needs to mature. I hate to give up on him and have him blossom, like J O'Neal and McGrady after switching teams. Songalia is the next best big man. Jamison is not a defender and Butler is too small to mix it up.  A mid level FA would be the way to go for either position, if the other is used on the draft pick.  Rarely do mid to late 2nd round picks pan out.

Both PG and Center are clearly positions of need ... and arguably the 2 most important positions in basketball. We are only 2 deep at PG and only 1 deep at Center (The rest of our Bigs are not true Centers).

I agree with passing on Roy Hibbert. He had a disappointing Senior campaign. Everyone was expecting him to really dominate this year and it didn't happen. A year ago I would have been delighted to have Hibbert drop to us. But he looked pretty slow during the games that I saw.

At the 18 spot the Wizards will need to just wait and see who drops to them. Hopefully a quality PG or Center will drop, but if a different player drops then they should take him. For example, I have seen a few Mocks that have Donte Green dropping. He would be hard to pass up if he is available.

If DJ Augustin were to drop then he would be a nice selection.

A trendy Mock selection for the Wizards that I am seeing recently is Robin Lopez. I would be happy with that pick. R. Lopez is a good defender, which fills a need for us. Keep in mind if we do select a Center, that position seems to take longer than other positions to adjust at the NBA level. My theory is that Centers are used to dominating against smaller players all through their Youth years. It is a rude awakening for them when they reach the NBA and face quality Big Men for the first time. I always thought that Kyle Visser was a nice FA pickup for us last summer. I would like to see us keep our hooks into him and let him develop.

Etan Thomas need to decide on if he will play again.  If he does I would leave the roster just as it is.  Draft the best available player and hopefully resign Mason, Gilbert, and Jamison.  If Etan Thomas does not play again I would trade the pick for a big man already in the NBA.  I believe the Wizards are in very good shape to retune this team or pick up young veterans that fit with Haywood, Butler, and Stevenson!  Gilbert Arenas is my favorite player but if he does not resign it will not be the end of the world if the Wizards pick up a player that is close to Agent Zero abilities.  I still favor Jarret Jack of Portland Trailblazers especially if Arenas does not resign.  The draft is too much of a crap shoot to rely on any player in my opinion unless you are starting to rebuild. 

     Ch4NT, check this out. This might satisfy you (because you drive a haaaard bargain..LOL!). I propose a trade.....As fantasy G.M., I'll contact Kevin McHale and, with some reluctance, trade Nick Young and Washington's 48th pick in the 2nd round to the Timberwolves. In exchange, the Wizards get the 31st and 34th pick in round two and a two in 20......14. How's that sound? That way, the 'Zards get Hibbert (preferably), Jason Thompson (a pretty good "mini" version of.......Dwight Howard) or Lopez, who IMMHO will only amount to be a journeyman center at best. 

     The acquisition of the first of the 'Wolves picks also allows the team the ability to pick a PG who might just slip to the second round, like Chalmers, Lawson, or the two imports Mbemba or Beaubois (neither of whom I've seen, but both are highly regarded). The second will provide the team with another legitimate PF, this one more athletic, particularly since I'm taking Hibbert in round one. Dorsey, White, Sean James (who blocks like crazy) or Hardin come to mind. One thing will be certain; the pick WILL have collegiate experience - either a junior or senior will do. That way, we won't have to spend so much time teaching fundamentals. If that scenario doesn't light a fire under Blatche and make him improve dramatically, nothing will!

     Meanwhile, the 'Wolves still gain the SG they covet (and a former number one with NBA experience, at that!), Nick gains valuable playing time with a team where he'll contend for the starting position, and we get the chance to keep Mason. In the span of one draft, we will have improved our frontcourt and backcourt dramatically, with the possibility of picking up an undrafted free agent after the smoke clears. Sounds like a plan to me!!!!

     One more thing....this one for Frank10. Like you, I hoped that Visser would be a decent free agent pick up. Coming from Wake and playing for Skip Prosser (may he rest in peace) I had him on my back burner last year as someone to keep an eye on. Like I said before: You can't teach size! But after watching the Summer League games on E.S.P.N., Visser did nothing to distinguish himself from the rest