Thursday, January 6, 2005
Will Class of '01's titans ever deliver?
By Chad Ford
ESPN Insider
One year into Michael Jordan's tenure as GM of the Wizards, he faced the most monumental task of his career since retiring for the Bulls.
Jordan's Wizards had the No. 1 pick in the 2001 draft. With just 24 hours to go before the Wizards had to make their selection, Jordan was still struggling to decide between a pair of teen titans. On the evening before the draft, Jordan brought in 18-year-olds Kwame Brown and Tyson Chandler for their second head-to-head workout.
By all accounts, the workout was fierce. Both Brown and Chandler viciously went after each other. Jordan remained unsure what to do. Then, after the workout was over, Brown walked over to Jordan and sealed his fate and the fate of the franchise.
"I promise you if you draft me, you will never regret it," Brown told His Airness.
Jordan was impressed. The Wizards selected Brown, and he became the first high school player ever drafted first overall.
Four years later, the Wizards are finally coming out of the NBA coma they've been in this decade – but they're still waiting on Kwame to make good on his vow.
The surprise isn't that it's taken them this long to arise from the slumber. What's really stunning is that neither Jordan nor Brown has had anything to do with it.
Jordan was dumped by owner Abe Pollin after a disastrous two-year comeback. It's been GM Ernie Grunfeld making the savvy trades and free agent signings that have put the Wizards in a position to compete again. Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison, two of Grunfeld's best acquisitions, are leading the charge for the Wizards this season.
Kwame, on the other hand, is so much of an afterthought that head coach Eddie Jordan recently had to remind Arenas to pass it to the athletic 6-foot-11 giant standing wide open in the paint.
For the season, Brown is averaging just 6.0 ppg in 16.7 minutes. He averages just under five shots per game.
Brown's lack of maturity has shown both on and off the court. For a kid who had a great rep as a down-to-earth, polite southern kid from a big family, Brown has shattered the illusion over the past couple of seasons. From a DUI to his latest incident – refusing to join the team in the huddle because he was unhappy with his role on the team.
Unless Brown has a dramatic turnaround this season, it's unclear whether the Wizards will pay for him to return when hits restricted free agency this summer.
That's why trade rumors surrounding Brown have been running rampant all season. It looks like the Wizards don't need him to succeed. With Brown likely to bolt this summer and with the Wizards likely unwilling to match a large offer – is it time to cut bait now while the team can still get something back?
The Wizards aren't the only ones in this predicament.
After several years of darkness and pain, the light at the end of the tunnel is starting to shine brightly for several franchises that have been in the depths of despair the past several years.
The 2001 draft was one of the youngest drafts in the history of the NBA. Four high school seniors (Brown, Chandler, Eddy Curry and DeSagana Diop) were taken in the lottery that year. Each player's slow development has, to varying degrees, crippled the franchises that took them.
Now, with the impending trade deadline and each player facing restricted free agency this summer, teams have some tough decisions to make.
Insider checks in with three teams still trying to sort through what went wrong and whether there's still time to salvage a lost three years.
Washington Wizards
Waiting on Kwame these past three years have raised expectations to an enormous level while stunting the growth of the franchise. It's really been a no-win situation for Brown or the Wizards.
The Wizards, until this summer, have hesitated to add any more big men to the roster out of fear that the fragile Brown might wilt with increased competition. Grunfeld's decision to pull the trigger this summer on a trade for Jamison was the first signal that the Wizards no longer were going to wait on Kwame.
When Brown broke his foot this summer, his progress was stunted once again. He missed the first month of the season and by the time he returned, Brendan Haywood had established himself as the starting center.
The Wizards claim that Brown's sporadic minutes since he returned are by design. Brown needed time to get in shape and make sure his foot had healed properly. Despite that fact, Brown has been vocal about his diminishing role with the franchise.
The question the Wizards have to be asking is whether Brown can ever live up to his promise.
"I don't think it's fair to judge him on what he's done this year," Grunfeld told Insider on Wednesday. "His injury has slowed down his progress. Once he gets healthy, we expect him to be a big part of what we're doing here."
"He has the size and athleticism to be successful in the league," Grunfeld continued. "I think he's made a lot of progress over the last year. Kwame still has a lot of upside. He's an important part of what we are trying to do."
[font=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]"[/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]He can't get things done in traffic. He also struggles with his decision-making. I don't think Kwame is dumb, but he's slow to pick things up.[/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif] "[/font][font=Times,serif]– [/font][font=Times,serif]A former Wizards' insider on Kwame Brown[/font]
Kwame's physical skills are unquestioned. However, he still does not possess a great feel for the game. When Brown gets into the flow and stops thinking, he can be special. But too often you can see him going through everything in his head, once or twice, before taking action.
That saps his aggressiveness, making him a virtual non-factor on the court.
"I think he's got a shot to be a good player in the league, but he's not going to turn into someone like Jermaine O'Neal," a former Wizards insider told Insider. "His hands are too small. They really hurt him both offensively and defensively. He can't get things done in traffic. He also struggles with his decision-making. I don't think Kwame is dumb, but he's slow to pick things up."
Grunfeld disagrees, using the example of O'Neal several times when talking about having patience with Kwame. "O'Neal didn't play for really five years partly because he was on a good team and partly because he wasn't ready. It takes some players longer to develop – especially when you start talking about big guys."
Still, there's no question that the Wizards' expectations for Brown seemingly have diminished. When Grunfeld talks about him he uses words like "solid" and "rotation player." That wasn't the language Jordan or Doug Collins used when he was drafted.
"We're not looking for Kwame to score 25 points and grab 15 rebounds every night," Grunfeld said. "We want him to be a team player, rebound and play great defense. I think it's a good situation for him. He no longer has the pressure to be 'the guy.' He can focus on helping us win."
"I think on the right team, in the right situation, he could be a very good player," one GM told Insider. "I think he'd be great on a team like the Suns or Sonics. Then again, he could be great on the Wizards if he can ever get himself out of the funk he's in there. I just don't know. Sometimes a player just needs a fresh start. I think if Kwame is ever going to live up to his potential, it will probably be for someone else."
The Sonics, Suns, Raptors, Blazers, Hawks, Sixers, Knicks and Pistons and have all shown interest. If the Wizards could land a top-flight small forward and a defensive minded big man in return, it seems like it would be the perfect opportunity to cash in and make a run in the East.
However, the Wizards also know that their best chance for success in the East is for Brown to break out of his shell in Washington. The Wizards already have the most prolific backcourt in the NBA with Arenas and Larry Hughes. Jamison has been great at the forward position and Haywood has been more than solid at center this year.
Add Brown's size and athleticism, and there's no question that the Wizards could move into serious contention in the East – if Kwame gets his act together.
"We're excited about what our team has done so far," Grunfeld said. "Once we get Kwame back to full strength and Etan [Thomas] back, I think we'll have enough size to balance out the great play of our backcourt. Making the playoffs is our goal. But I think we could make some noise if we get our frontcourt back at full strength."
Maybe Kwame still has time to make good on that promise to Jordan four years ago after all.
Chicago Bulls
A month ago it looked like GM John Paxson was on the verge of trading both Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry. The Bulls were in the midst of an 0-9 start, Curry had been taken out of the starting lineup and GMs were circling like vultures over the carcass of the rotting Bulls.
Then a funny thing started happening. Both Curry and Chandler's play improved, the Bulls started winning. And the trade talk, for the most part, stopped.
Curry, in particular, has been impressive lately, averaging 15.3 ppg and 6.6 rpg in the month of December while shooting 55 percent from the field. Chandler has been good too, averaging 10.7 rpg in December.
"I like the fact the team has begun to come together," Paxson told reporters this week. "Defensively, it has made huge strides. We've also played hard, which is what we set out to do. We've played as hard or harder than any team in the league."
But both players have gone through stretches where they are red hot before. It's when they cool off that things get ugly.
Paxson knows that the Bulls are painfully young. In addition to Curry and Chandler, who are both 22 years old, he has five rookies on the team. Four of them – Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, Andres Nocioni and Chris Duhon – are getting major minutes.
"We evaluate where we are every day, so it's impossible to answer whether we'll make any trades," Paxson said. "But if we didn't explore all of our options, it wouldn't be in the best interests of the team."
The dilemma for Paxson is finding a trade that actually makes sense for the Bulls. The feeling in Chicago is that Curry lacks the work ethic and aggressiveness to be a great player someday. The fear is that if he signs a long-term deal, the little motivation that he has will disappear. However, Curry is also one of the best offensive low-post players in the league. At his size, age and talent, he's virtually irreplaceable in a trade.
The Bulls love Chandler's work ethic, hustle and determination. They just aren't sure whether he's ever going to be much of a basketball player. While he's shown that he's clearly capable of rebounding and shot blocking at a high level in the league, his history of injury problems and his lack of an offensive game are troubling.
The question is do you trade both of them, one of them or neither of them? Everyone in the league has a different opinion. Some GMs feel that Curry will never live up to his potential playing in his hometown of Chicago. He needs a new team with a firm coach to get his career back on track. However, other GMs think Curry is such a rare talent that the Bulls would be remiss to give him away for anything but another promising young center.
Some GMs feel that Chandler will be, at the very best, a Marcus Camby-type role player. However, others think that his combination of size and his work ethic could translate into big things down the road once his body matures.
The one thing that GMs seem to universally feel is that it's unlikely that the Bulls will ever dig themselves out of their hole until they add a few more veterans to the mix.
What's clear is that Paxson loves Kirk Hinrich, Gordon and Deng. If that's going to be his core, he may need to move either Curry or Chandler in an effort to bring in someone with the ability to take the Bulls to the next level. It's hard to imagine either Curry or Chandler taking the team on their back and leading them there on their own.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Unlike the Wizards and Bulls, who are still struggling to figure out what to do with their budding young stars, the Cavs have already made their decision. Diop, whom the Cavs drafted with the No. 8 pick in the draft, is available to anyone – for just about anything.
It's tough to find anything good to say about his career up this point. He's averaging 1.0 ppg and 2.7 rpg in about 11 mpg this season.
GM Jim Paxson fell in love with Diop at a group workout and decided to draft him on the spot. The most interesting thing about the decision to draft Diop is that, at the time, Insider talked to a number of GMs and scouts who were at the workout and all of them came away from it claiming that Diop was a joke. Somehow, Jim Paxson saw something that no one else did.
Diop has improved over the past three seasons. He's turned into a quality rebounder and defender and he's added a little 10-foot jumper to his offensive repertoire. But at 7-0, 280 with his athleticism, he should be so much more.
It's telling that the Cavs are so down on him that they are offering to give him away despite the fact that their starting center, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, is both injury-prone and an unrestricted free agent this summer.
A number of teams have flirted with bringing Diop in, including the Grizzlies, Pistons and Rockets. However, it's tough to see how a playoff contender can really benefit from his presence. Diop needs to land on a team like the Hawks or Hornets, who will give him lots of playing time and a place to grow. If he pans out, the team has a shot at re-signing him. If he doesn't, what do they really lose?
Will Class of '01's titans ever deliver?
By Chad Ford
ESPN Insider
One year into Michael Jordan's tenure as GM of the Wizards, he faced the most monumental task of his career since retiring for the Bulls.
Jordan's Wizards had the No. 1 pick in the 2001 draft. With just 24 hours to go before the Wizards had to make their selection, Jordan was still struggling to decide between a pair of teen titans. On the evening before the draft, Jordan brought in 18-year-olds Kwame Brown and Tyson Chandler for their second head-to-head workout.
By all accounts, the workout was fierce. Both Brown and Chandler viciously went after each other. Jordan remained unsure what to do. Then, after the workout was over, Brown walked over to Jordan and sealed his fate and the fate of the franchise.
"I promise you if you draft me, you will never regret it," Brown told His Airness.
Jordan was impressed. The Wizards selected Brown, and he became the first high school player ever drafted first overall.
Four years later, the Wizards are finally coming out of the NBA coma they've been in this decade – but they're still waiting on Kwame to make good on his vow.
The surprise isn't that it's taken them this long to arise from the slumber. What's really stunning is that neither Jordan nor Brown has had anything to do with it.
Jordan was dumped by owner Abe Pollin after a disastrous two-year comeback. It's been GM Ernie Grunfeld making the savvy trades and free agent signings that have put the Wizards in a position to compete again. Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison, two of Grunfeld's best acquisitions, are leading the charge for the Wizards this season.
Kwame, on the other hand, is so much of an afterthought that head coach Eddie Jordan recently had to remind Arenas to pass it to the athletic 6-foot-11 giant standing wide open in the paint.
For the season, Brown is averaging just 6.0 ppg in 16.7 minutes. He averages just under five shots per game.
Brown's lack of maturity has shown both on and off the court. For a kid who had a great rep as a down-to-earth, polite southern kid from a big family, Brown has shattered the illusion over the past couple of seasons. From a DUI to his latest incident – refusing to join the team in the huddle because he was unhappy with his role on the team.
Unless Brown has a dramatic turnaround this season, it's unclear whether the Wizards will pay for him to return when hits restricted free agency this summer.
That's why trade rumors surrounding Brown have been running rampant all season. It looks like the Wizards don't need him to succeed. With Brown likely to bolt this summer and with the Wizards likely unwilling to match a large offer – is it time to cut bait now while the team can still get something back?
The Wizards aren't the only ones in this predicament.
After several years of darkness and pain, the light at the end of the tunnel is starting to shine brightly for several franchises that have been in the depths of despair the past several years.
The 2001 draft was one of the youngest drafts in the history of the NBA. Four high school seniors (Brown, Chandler, Eddy Curry and DeSagana Diop) were taken in the lottery that year. Each player's slow development has, to varying degrees, crippled the franchises that took them.
Now, with the impending trade deadline and each player facing restricted free agency this summer, teams have some tough decisions to make.
Insider checks in with three teams still trying to sort through what went wrong and whether there's still time to salvage a lost three years.
Washington Wizards
Waiting on Kwame these past three years have raised expectations to an enormous level while stunting the growth of the franchise. It's really been a no-win situation for Brown or the Wizards.
The Wizards, until this summer, have hesitated to add any more big men to the roster out of fear that the fragile Brown might wilt with increased competition. Grunfeld's decision to pull the trigger this summer on a trade for Jamison was the first signal that the Wizards no longer were going to wait on Kwame.
When Brown broke his foot this summer, his progress was stunted once again. He missed the first month of the season and by the time he returned, Brendan Haywood had established himself as the starting center.
The Wizards claim that Brown's sporadic minutes since he returned are by design. Brown needed time to get in shape and make sure his foot had healed properly. Despite that fact, Brown has been vocal about his diminishing role with the franchise.
The question the Wizards have to be asking is whether Brown can ever live up to his promise.
"I don't think it's fair to judge him on what he's done this year," Grunfeld told Insider on Wednesday. "His injury has slowed down his progress. Once he gets healthy, we expect him to be a big part of what we're doing here."
"He has the size and athleticism to be successful in the league," Grunfeld continued. "I think he's made a lot of progress over the last year. Kwame still has a lot of upside. He's an important part of what we are trying to do."
[font=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]"[/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]He can't get things done in traffic. He also struggles with his decision-making. I don't think Kwame is dumb, but he's slow to pick things up.[/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif] "[/font][font=Times,serif]– [/font][font=Times,serif]A former Wizards' insider on Kwame Brown[/font]
Kwame's physical skills are unquestioned. However, he still does not possess a great feel for the game. When Brown gets into the flow and stops thinking, he can be special. But too often you can see him going through everything in his head, once or twice, before taking action.
That saps his aggressiveness, making him a virtual non-factor on the court.
"I think he's got a shot to be a good player in the league, but he's not going to turn into someone like Jermaine O'Neal," a former Wizards insider told Insider. "His hands are too small. They really hurt him both offensively and defensively. He can't get things done in traffic. He also struggles with his decision-making. I don't think Kwame is dumb, but he's slow to pick things up."
Grunfeld disagrees, using the example of O'Neal several times when talking about having patience with Kwame. "O'Neal didn't play for really five years partly because he was on a good team and partly because he wasn't ready. It takes some players longer to develop – especially when you start talking about big guys."
Still, there's no question that the Wizards' expectations for Brown seemingly have diminished. When Grunfeld talks about him he uses words like "solid" and "rotation player." That wasn't the language Jordan or Doug Collins used when he was drafted.
"We're not looking for Kwame to score 25 points and grab 15 rebounds every night," Grunfeld said. "We want him to be a team player, rebound and play great defense. I think it's a good situation for him. He no longer has the pressure to be 'the guy.' He can focus on helping us win."
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[font=verdana, arial, geneva]Years after drafting Brown No. 1 overall, the Wizards are still waiting for payback.[/font]Despite Brown's questionable progress up to this point, the prospects of getting Brown in a trade have other GMs drooling. He's a 6-11, 248-pound, 22-year-old athletic big man who is slowly becoming a center. "I think on the right team, in the right situation, he could be a very good player," one GM told Insider. "I think he'd be great on a team like the Suns or Sonics. Then again, he could be great on the Wizards if he can ever get himself out of the funk he's in there. I just don't know. Sometimes a player just needs a fresh start. I think if Kwame is ever going to live up to his potential, it will probably be for someone else."
The Sonics, Suns, Raptors, Blazers, Hawks, Sixers, Knicks and Pistons and have all shown interest. If the Wizards could land a top-flight small forward and a defensive minded big man in return, it seems like it would be the perfect opportunity to cash in and make a run in the East.
However, the Wizards also know that their best chance for success in the East is for Brown to break out of his shell in Washington. The Wizards already have the most prolific backcourt in the NBA with Arenas and Larry Hughes. Jamison has been great at the forward position and Haywood has been more than solid at center this year.
Add Brown's size and athleticism, and there's no question that the Wizards could move into serious contention in the East – if Kwame gets his act together.
"We're excited about what our team has done so far," Grunfeld said. "Once we get Kwame back to full strength and Etan [Thomas] back, I think we'll have enough size to balance out the great play of our backcourt. Making the playoffs is our goal. But I think we could make some noise if we get our frontcourt back at full strength."
Maybe Kwame still has time to make good on that promise to Jordan four years ago after all.
Chicago Bulls
A month ago it looked like GM John Paxson was on the verge of trading both Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry. The Bulls were in the midst of an 0-9 start, Curry had been taken out of the starting lineup and GMs were circling like vultures over the carcass of the rotting Bulls.
Then a funny thing started happening. Both Curry and Chandler's play improved, the Bulls started winning. And the trade talk, for the most part, stopped.
Curry, in particular, has been impressive lately, averaging 15.3 ppg and 6.6 rpg in the month of December while shooting 55 percent from the field. Chandler has been good too, averaging 10.7 rpg in December.
"I like the fact the team has begun to come together," Paxson told reporters this week. "Defensively, it has made huge strides. We've also played hard, which is what we set out to do. We've played as hard or harder than any team in the league."
But both players have gone through stretches where they are red hot before. It's when they cool off that things get ugly.
Paxson knows that the Bulls are painfully young. In addition to Curry and Chandler, who are both 22 years old, he has five rookies on the team. Four of them – Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, Andres Nocioni and Chris Duhon – are getting major minutes.
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[font=verdana, arial, geneva]Curry (left) and Chandler's futures might improve outside of Chicago.[/font]If the Bulls are going to take the next step toward the playoffs – something Bulls fans have been waiting seven years for – Paxson knows that he might have to give up a young player or two in an effort to add a veteran all-star to the mix. That's why he refuses to rule out trading Curry and/or Chandler at this point. "We evaluate where we are every day, so it's impossible to answer whether we'll make any trades," Paxson said. "But if we didn't explore all of our options, it wouldn't be in the best interests of the team."
The dilemma for Paxson is finding a trade that actually makes sense for the Bulls. The feeling in Chicago is that Curry lacks the work ethic and aggressiveness to be a great player someday. The fear is that if he signs a long-term deal, the little motivation that he has will disappear. However, Curry is also one of the best offensive low-post players in the league. At his size, age and talent, he's virtually irreplaceable in a trade.
The Bulls love Chandler's work ethic, hustle and determination. They just aren't sure whether he's ever going to be much of a basketball player. While he's shown that he's clearly capable of rebounding and shot blocking at a high level in the league, his history of injury problems and his lack of an offensive game are troubling.
The question is do you trade both of them, one of them or neither of them? Everyone in the league has a different opinion. Some GMs feel that Curry will never live up to his potential playing in his hometown of Chicago. He needs a new team with a firm coach to get his career back on track. However, other GMs think Curry is such a rare talent that the Bulls would be remiss to give him away for anything but another promising young center.
Some GMs feel that Chandler will be, at the very best, a Marcus Camby-type role player. However, others think that his combination of size and his work ethic could translate into big things down the road once his body matures.
The one thing that GMs seem to universally feel is that it's unlikely that the Bulls will ever dig themselves out of their hole until they add a few more veterans to the mix.
What's clear is that Paxson loves Kirk Hinrich, Gordon and Deng. If that's going to be his core, he may need to move either Curry or Chandler in an effort to bring in someone with the ability to take the Bulls to the next level. It's hard to imagine either Curry or Chandler taking the team on their back and leading them there on their own.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Unlike the Wizards and Bulls, who are still struggling to figure out what to do with their budding young stars, the Cavs have already made their decision. Diop, whom the Cavs drafted with the No. 8 pick in the draft, is available to anyone – for just about anything.
It's tough to find anything good to say about his career up this point. He's averaging 1.0 ppg and 2.7 rpg in about 11 mpg this season.
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[font=verdana, arial, geneva]Using a lottery pick on Diop has proven to be a regrettable stretch.[/font]The Cavs clearly reached for him with the No. 8 pick in that draft, passing up much more talented players like Richard Jefferson, Joe Johnson, Vladimir Radmanovic, Zach Randolph and Tony Parker. GM Jim Paxson fell in love with Diop at a group workout and decided to draft him on the spot. The most interesting thing about the decision to draft Diop is that, at the time, Insider talked to a number of GMs and scouts who were at the workout and all of them came away from it claiming that Diop was a joke. Somehow, Jim Paxson saw something that no one else did.
Diop has improved over the past three seasons. He's turned into a quality rebounder and defender and he's added a little 10-foot jumper to his offensive repertoire. But at 7-0, 280 with his athleticism, he should be so much more.
It's telling that the Cavs are so down on him that they are offering to give him away despite the fact that their starting center, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, is both injury-prone and an unrestricted free agent this summer.
A number of teams have flirted with bringing Diop in, including the Grizzlies, Pistons and Rockets. However, it's tough to see how a playoff contender can really benefit from his presence. Diop needs to land on a team like the Hawks or Hornets, who will give him lots of playing time and a place to grow. If he pans out, the team has a shot at re-signing him. If he doesn't, what do they really lose?
