Wizards Owner Talks Blatche, Wall, Roster
Wizards owner Ted Leonsis sat down with Washington Post columnist Mike Wise earlier this week to discuss a number of topics related to his team's offseason and its recent acquisitions. Leonsis provided a number of interesting quotes on the Wizards' roster decisions, so let's dive right in and check out the highlights….
On the decision to amnesty Andray Blatche:
"I [was] torn. I believe people should have second and third chances. On the other hand, I don’t know where he fits now in this lineup. On the other hand, he [was] the last remaining touchpoint from the previous teams. That’s what [was] being discussed and weighed…. I’m not afraid of amnestying him and paying him the money. We have turned the entire lineup in one and three-quarters seasons. We shouldn’t forget Gilbert [Arenas] played here John Wall’s rookie season until he traded himself to Orlando."
On whether Leonsis recognizes Blatche's contract extension was a mistake:
Yes — we made a mistake. Although the NBA has had close to $250MM of amnestied players to date. Sometimes you get a chance to take a mulligan under the new rules and that is what we did."
On when a star player might want to come to Washington in free agency:
"I think when we can establish we’re a perennial playoff team and when we have one or two young stars — real, legitimate stars. Everyone knows that John Wall is a burgeoning star…. I think most people in the league feel this year, next year that John has the opportunity, if he improves, to be a real star player…. I view it as my part of my mission as an owner to create an environment, fan base and player development system that allows him to be a star. I think it’s a two-way street. You can’t put the onus on just the player. You have to surround him with the right people, have the right coaches."
On the expectations for the coming season:
"I won’t be happy with our plan if we’re back in the lottery…. If we just miss making a playoff spot, no, the world is not going to end. If we’re picking third because we have the second-worst record, no, I will not be happy…. We’ve turned over the roster, turned over the coaching staff. We’ve have good drafts. We took the second-highest-paid player in the league — I think one of the bloggers calculated he averaged $23K per minute — and replaced him with two players that will play big minutes who each averaged 10-15 points a game. We were getting zero from Rashard [Lewis]."
On how the team's roster is different after this year's trades:
"Culturally, every one of these guys is a good guy. It’s a big change. And no one is playing for a contract. I don’t think Nick [Young] and JaVale [McGee] were bad people. But they wanted stats. I understand that, relate and get it. But they weren’t playing as a team. You saw at the end of the year with Nene, who already got his big contract, right. So stats weren’t important to him. The little things were important to him."
Odds & Ends: Felton, Wizards, Thunder, Leuer
Earlier today on the MSG Network, newly acquired Knicks point guard Raymond Felton said he still would have wanted to come to New York even if they matched Jeremy Lin's offer, writes Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. Felton knows that there will automatically be comparisons between his performance and Lin's, but as a competitor he believes that he is the superior player. Here's more from around the Association..
- Wizards owner Ted Leonsis told Mike Wise of the Washington Post that JaVale McGee and Nick Young were less-than-beneficial to the club's locker room atmosphere. "I don’t think Nick and JaVale were bad people. But they wanted stats. I understand that, relate and get it. But they weren’t playing as a team," said Leonsis.
- The staff at DailyThunder.com agrees that James Harden will likely have a new deal worked out with the Thunder by the end of summer but they are less optimistic for Serge Ibaka and Eric Maynor.
- John Hollinger of ESPN.com (via Twitter) will be surprised if a team like the Bobcats or Hornets doesn't claim Jon Leuer. Earlier tonight we learned that the T'Wolves are also interested.
- After being waived by the Kings earlier this week, Hassan Whiteside has received interest from several NBA teams, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
Wizards Amnesty Andray Blatche
4:04pm: The Wizards have officially amnestied Blatche, the team announced in a press release.
3:35pm: The Wizards will use the amnesty clause to waive Andray Blatche, according to TNT's David Aldridge (via Twitter). Michael Lee of the Washington Post confirms Aldridge's report, and adds that an official announcement is expected to come soon (Twitter link).
Wizards Considering Using Amnesty On Blatche
JULY 16, 6:34pm: According to NBA.com's David Aldridge, the Wizards are now leaning toward amnestying Andray Blatche. The team still has not made a final decision, but has until tomorrow to decide.
JULY 13, 10:37am: The Wizards are still undecided on whether to use their amnesty clause on Blatche, reports Michael Lee of the Washington Post. One source, asked which way the Wizards are leaning, said the team is "standing straight up."
According to Lee, the Wizards continue to work the phones trying to find a trade partner that would take Blatche, but one source thinks Washington would have to pair Blatche with a "major asset" in order to find a deal.
Free Agent Rumors: Humphries, Stiemsma, Lin
As NBA teams continue to agree to contracts and officially sign this year's free agents, you can keep tabs on all the activity by checking out Hoops Rumors' 2012 Free Agent Tracker. We're continuously updating our database to reflect the latest contract agreements, adding details on years and salaries as they become available. But there are still plenty of unsigned players left on the market, so we'll track today's rumors on those guys right here:
- TNT's David Aldridge (via Twitter) cites league sources that believe Kris Humphries would be more inclined to remain with the Nets than leave for the Bobcats. Marc Stein tweeted that the Nets could be involved no matter what Humphries decides to do, and could end up offering to negotiate a sign-and-trade if he chose Charlotte.
- The Timberwolves are waiting for Portland to make a decision on Nicolas Batum before they extend an offer sheet to Greg Stiemsma, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.
Earlier updates:
Odds & Ends: Spurs, Perkins, Fields
Wizards Re-Sign Cartier Martin
Via an official press release from NBA.com, GM Ernie Grunfeld has announced that the team has re-signed Cartier Martin. The 6'7 guard/forward averaged 23.0 MPG, 9.3 PPG, and shot 44.0% from the field for Washington last season, appearing in 17 games and starting twice.
Free Agent Rumors: Nets, Pacers, Green
The July moratorium came to an end late last night, and a number of teams didn't waste any time in finalizing moves. The Lakers' acquisition of Steve Nash was the first transaction to become official, followed closely by the Knicks' signing of J.R. Smith, Deron Williams' contract with the Nets, and Blake Griffin's five-year extension with the Clippers. We're expecting more deals to be formally announced today, but there are plenty of free agents still on the market too. We'll be tracking the latest news on those guys right here, with the newest items added to the top of the page throughout the day….
- The Nets are considering Kenyon Martin and Craig Smith and discussing a sign-and-trade for Antawn Jamison, clouding Kris Humphries' future with the team, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
- The Pacers are targeting unrestricted free agent Gerald Green as their wing player off the bench, and are expected to offer him a three-year, $10MM contract, according to Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star. O.J. Mayo and Courtney Lee are out the team's price range at the moment (All Twitter links).
Earlier updates:
Free Agent Rumors: Flynn, Heat, Mahinmi
We're less than 14 hours away from the July moratorium coming to an end and this season's signing period beginning in earnest. As of 11:00pm central time tonight, teams can officially sign free agents, trades can be consummated, and players can sign contract extensions. In the meantime, free agents have one more day to try to reach contract agreements before clubs start finalizing the moves they've agreed to over the last week and a half. We'll track today's rumors on free agents here, with the newest updates up top:
- Jonny Flynn has worked out for the Hawks and will visit the Bulls on Friday, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Count the Cavs as another team interested in the point guard's services.
- Look for the Heat to add a minimum-scale big man, such as Kwame Brown or Joel Przybilla, as they finish up their offseason spending, tweets Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
- Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (Twitter link) hears from NBA officials that the Bucks have some interest in Ian Mahinmi.
Earlier updates:
Free Agent Rumors: Wallace, Grizzlies, Fisher
We're into the home stretch of the July moratorium, and it won't be long before all the moves that have been agreed upon in the last week are made official. In the meantime, teams have two more days to prepare for the next stage of free agency, and the rumors continue to swirl. You can track all of the contract agreements to date using our Free Agent Tracker, and you can follow many of today's free agent rumors right here, with the latest up top….
- There's a "pretty good chance" that Ben Wallace will return to the Pistons next season, a source tells Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News.
- A source told The Commercial Appeal (via Twitter) that it's unlikely that the Grizzlies will sign Russian guard Alexey Shved. Shved allegedly received offers from the Grizzlies, Cavs, and T'Wolves.
- However, the Grizzlies are working to bring veteran guard Willie Green to Memphis, The Commercial Appeal tweets. The soon-to-be 31-year-old averaged 7.6 PPG last year for the Hawks.
Earlier updates: