The Wizards Are Doing It

[Xist2Inspire]

...yep, we're tanking.

First off, I'm happy to say that the funk I was in last season is over now. I'm not 100% back, but I'm a good 75%. Outside of one notable trade, last season was uneventful. Despite Cooper Flagg looking promising, we ultimately decide that he wasn't a great fit for what we were trying to do and sent him off to Cali for Mark Shinn and what would become the 8th pick. As usual, we were better than expected, and I figured we could use a little insurance in case of a thin draft. And lo and behold, that's exactly what happened. Unfortunately, we were only able to come away with one of the players we scouted. Fortunately, we were able to use the other picks to ship out bad contracts and pick up some extra cash.

Our FA period was another total bust, but at least we didn't throw out any bad contracts this time. After a long look at our roster, what was available, and our options after UFA Round 1...I said "Screw it. Tank time." So out went our '59 and '60 1sts for our '58 back (thanks ML, appreciate it). Out went Djamgouz and Jorge for much better trade bait in Walker Kessler. Out went Robert Newton for a younger frontcourt partner for Shinn (Russ Coles). And thanks to a call from Mamba, out went some cap space and a 2nd for a nice chunk of cash.

TC was interesting. Rivera unexpectedly started to show star potential, and Castaneda - perhaps sensing an opportunity - took his game to another level as well. Shinn, Trantham, and Currin didn't improve as much as we were hoping, but it was a good camp overall.

Bring on the questions.

[Jedihero]

Wizards Media Supervisor: “it seems we have a fan on the phone with a question.”

Fan: “Hey coach, names Dedalus Diggle, been a Wizards fan all my life. Just a quick question for you and I’ll hang up and listen. Uhh what the F is Gayle Baldwin doing on the team?”


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Xist2Inspire]

Wizards Media Supervisor: “it seems we have a fan on the phone with a question.”

Fan: “Hey coach, names Dedalus Diggle, been a Wizards fan all my life. Just a quick question for you and I’ll hang up and listen. Uhh what the F is Gayle Baldwin doing on the team?”

Well, she's got good handles and NBA-ready defense. Yeah, she's kinda slow, but I've seen much worse in terms of overall ability get playing time in this league. Kendall scouted her and vouched for her, so that's good enough for me to give her a shot. Also, don't make me tap the sign...

[greepleairport]

Tanking is definitely new for Washington. Was it a tough decision? Was it refreshing? Did Bud's TC make you second guess tanking?

[MexicanMamba]

One thing you're known for is constantly tinkering with your lineups to see who will be able to make surprising pushes and earn some wins. However, with a tanking approach, that could be detrimental. Will we see as much creativity in your lineups as usual?

Sent from my SM-F711U using Tapatalk

[Xist2Inspire]

Tanking is definitely new for Washington. Was it a tough decision? Was it refreshing? Did Bud's TC make you second guess tanking?

It's not new, but it has been a very long time since we last did it. While it wasn't a tough decision given just how badly we fumbled Free Agency, and how dire the roster looked afterwards, it's not very refreshing. I still don't like making moves to not compete (or refraining from making moves that make us better in the short term). I don't like looking at Bud's TC and going "dammit, I might trade him now." I'm committed to the tank, but it does dull my excitement.

[Xist2Inspire]

One thing you're known for is constantly tinkering with your lineups to see who will be able to make surprising pushes and earn some wins. However, with a tanking approach, that could be detrimental. Will we see as much creativity in your lineups as usual?

Yeah we're not going to stop trying new things and tinkering. That's stuff that can prove useful later on. However, things that don't work at first will probably be given longer to cook. Position changes could be a bit more extreme and more experimental in nature. Players acquired might be considered more of a longshot than usual. Instead of Peyton Siva being signed, we'll see what exactly makes Gayle Baldwin orange. We'll see how Lott's 6'6" 48/40 HND/PAS stacks up against Castaneda's 6'2" 41/41. Joseph Aldrich might become a Key Player. We're going to look for ways to keep things fun.

[K-100]

If you had the ideal player at any position with the #1 pick next season which position would you choose?

[Black Superman]

Desert here....

With the tank Job underway and the rebuild in full motion... Are you going to be in the "selling of the contracts" market this season? Willing to take on some contracts in favor of points or picks?

[Xist2Inspire]

If you had the ideal player at any position with the #1 pick next season which position would you choose?

PG, preferably one with size. A great PG can elevate any kind of roster.

[Xist2Inspire]

Desert here....

With the tank Job underway and the rebuild in full motion... Are you going to be in the "selling of the contracts" market this season? Willing to take on some contracts in favor of points or picks?

Absolutely, though I'm not looking to jam up our cap long-term. Multi-year salary dumps will demand higher returns.

[pennpanther1]

What teams are your competition in this race to the bottom?

[garbageman]

Sham Smith, Bulls.com: Trading your 59 and 60 picks to get your 58 back guarantees you don't have to make any quick fixes to avoid giving away a lotto pick, but if it backfires, you could be giving away twice as much as you're getting back. What route do you see going forward to ensure that this trade is worth it?

[LazyTitanSmash]

I like the 58 pick for the 59 and 60 trade, but how are you going to complete a long rebuild without your 59 and 60 picks?

[Mike Lowry]

Can you walk us through how your FA was a bust?
Who did you target?
Why do you think you struck out?
How will you adjust your bidding process in the future?
What kind of building piece do you hope comes from your lottery pick in the next draft?

[AngryBanana]

Chet Youbetcha, Dimmadome News:
First off, I enjoy how whenever you put that your team isn’t going to be good - your team proceeds to get to the playoffs.

As a very seasoned GM, who I think is really good at team management and having a plan, do you have any recommendations for the Pels and Nuggets as the newest GM?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Eazy P]

I can't remember the last time the Wiz Tanked. Are you excited for the opportunity to be in the running for a top pick? Also you have a ton of cap space to work with, Is this tank a 1 time thing?

[Xist2Inspire]

What teams are your competition in this race to the bottom?

Off rip, I'd have to say Grizzlies, Jazz, Hawks, Pelicans.

[Xist2Inspire]

Sham Smith, Bulls.com: Trading your 59 and 60 picks to get your 58 back guarantees you don't have to make any quick fixes to avoid giving away a lotto pick, but if it backfires, you could be giving away twice as much as you're getting back. What route do you see going forward to ensure that this trade is worth it?

I like the 58 pick for the 59 and 60 trade, but how are you going to complete a long rebuild without your 59 and 60 picks?

I'm going to lump these two together because they both touch on the same core idea. First and foremost, this will not be a traditional long rebuild. This is a single asset gathering/building season. I'm trying to get as much value out of what I have now as possible, then it's right back to business next season.

To that end, I need to make sure my '58 1st is a good one. There will be no "surprise, I'm competing" moves this season. If I get enough value from '58, then even losing two low-lotto picks in '59 and '60 won't really matter.

As far as other moves, I need to make sure I'm not stuffing my cap up with long-contract salary dumps. Maintaining cap flexibility is key to orchestrating a quick turnaround. Even if I don't land any big talent, I can safely retain my own RFAs, go after more mid-level UFAs, and take on more impactful salary dumps while using points to build up my talent.

[Xist2Inspire]

Can you walk us through how your FA was a bust?
Who did you target?
Why do you think you struck out?
How will you adjust your bidding process in the future?
What kind of building piece do you hope comes from your lottery pick in the next draft?

So first off, I sat out RFA. I wasn't really enamoured with any of the talent available, and I figured I'd let everyone else fight over those guys while I saved my cap for UFA. That was a mistake, as there were some really nice deals signed that didn't put any pressure on the incumbent teams to match, as well as one contract that did put pressure on. There was room for me to operate.

For UFA, I made sure I went after the high-end FA talent like Finch, McClung, Amos, etc. I didn't want another situation where both Hub and Davis switched teams and I didn't even send them offers because I thought they were locks. However...I probably should've just overpaid for mid-level guys who fit my gameplan, as it was always going to be a tough sell to get someone big to sign here, let alone possibly take less. I think I might have to ease up on going after top talent in UFA, as I don't think we're a desired destination.

As for the draft, I'm just hoping I can get someone who I know can be a star, as opposed to someone who I hope can be a star. I'd prefer not to have to worry about what position the guy will be best at, what training I have to do to patch up obvious holes, etc.

[Xist2Inspire]

Chet Youbetcha, Dimmadome News:
First off, I enjoy how whenever you put that your team isn’t going to be good - your team proceeds to get to the playoffs.

As a very seasoned GM, who I think is really good at team management and having a plan, do you have any recommendations for the Pels and Nuggets as the newest GM?

Thanks for the kind words, I really appreciate it.

I already touched on it in Sim Vegas, but for the Pelicans I would definitely advise patience. This is not a good team, it never was going to be a good team, so take this opportunity to get a feel for how things work, look at what kind of contracts other teams are offering so you'll understand how player value works, pay attention to your roster to see who you like, etc. Dosunmu's contract was a classic case of getting overeager and throwing out a contract to someone who you think should be/is good, but in reality would never get that kind of offer from any GM that's been here for a while. It's tempting to dive in right away, but having time to sit and learn is a luxury, making use of that time is a virtue.

For the Nuggets, reaching out to other GMs is key. They've been handed a championship-level team who has some big decisions coming up in terms of who gets paid/what phase are we in/what's our core, so asking other GMs for advice on the offers they get, how to gameplan, what would they do with this or that player, etc. will help them navigate this period and gradually put their own stamp on this roster. I think back to when Dr. K first came in and was handed a championship-level team, won a title year 1...and then kind of went off and did his own thing. He got zero value from anyone on that title team, and it really felt like he was rushing to put the type of team he wanted together rather than finding a way to take what he was given and eventually turn it into something he wanted, without getting ripped off or squandering what he was given. Truthfully, that championship team was a bit of a Cinderella story, if he really wanted to make his mark quickly, he could've sold high right off the bat and have come out much better.

So yeah, patience and communication are vital for both GMs, but the degree to which each component matters varies based on where each roster is at right now.

[Xist2Inspire]

I can't remember the last time the Wiz Tanked. Are you excited for the opportunity to be in the running for a top pick? Also you have a ton of cap space to work with, Is this tank a 1 time thing?

I'm cautiously optimistic, because this isn't the NFL, I'm not in full control of my fate. I could easily finish 3rd and pick 6th in a draft with 4 blue potential players. So even though that pick is extremely important...I can't get too excited about it right now.

I'm planning for it to be a one-time thing. Even if I'm not great for the next two seasons after this, I won't be looking to actively be bad (which seems to be enough for me 95% of the time). Hopefully all this cap space helps make sure that happens.