Bullets in All Directions

[Mike Lowry]

Hello Everyone and Welcome Back to the nation's capitol for another Washington Bullets Press Conference.

Now I would LOVE to sit up here and tell you that we're on a direct path to the finals this season, or that we are in the midst of a soft reset that will vault us into the playoffs.
Truth is, I'm not even sure I know which direction we're headed at the moment.
We don't know up from down, but we do know that the confusion surrounds Derrick Coleman.
What I can say unequivocally and without a doubt, is that Coleman is an absolute Stud that is ready to take the league by storm or by surprise, but he's gonna have a piece, one way or another.
Going back to last season, we had a clear plan of action, sit back and stack assets, tank for Shaq, and start with foundation for our rebuild. And things were going according to that plan until the draft lottery. How in the hell did I end last season in a tie for the 2nd worst record in the league, and wind up with the 4th pick in the draft? It really bothered me when I found out I was going to miss out on Coleman, and have to settle for Ceballos or Gill and get a few pennies for them on the open market.
And then it happened, 2 of the worst draft decisions this league has seen, back to back. Coleman dropped into our lap and gave us a large trade chip to deal with.
When he showed up at the combine was one thing. We already knew he was far and away the prospect with the 2nd highest ceiling in the class, but that he offered a set of talents that have more impact than what GP brings to the table. But if anybody ever questioned this kid's work ethic, those questions have been answered - Emphatically!!!! This guy came to work. He took over the huddle. He established himself as the absolute ALPHA in a locker room with a few old dogs in it.
So now, I'm not so sure we don't use all these assets to build around him rather than waiting any longer when we have a guy like this to build around.

Turning to that build, we already positioned ourselves in a great way to support the growth of a young superstar. First move was signing Mark Price in RFA. We did give a decent package in the trade to get him, but it's because we think him well worth the tag. He is a floor general that can protect our possessions and distribute the rock. Mostly we want him to feed our superstar rookie, but we also gave him some other mouths to feed when we landed Alton Lister and Danny Schayes. With the draft of Spencer Felton and the retention of Cadillac Anderson we feel great about the strength and bounce in our front court.
Signing Price also gave us the flexibility to move Kenny Smith to the shooting guard position that suites his skillset more appropriately. We expect him to score from the perimeter and log a ton of assists from the 2 guard spot. Our young depth took some good steps forward including Jerome Lane who we know will help on the boards. We do expect to be amongst the league leaders in grabbing the pumpkin off the glass or off the rim. We're looking to play inside, and overwhelm smaller teams with our muscle inside.
If Coleman continues to impress us the way he has in the past 2 weeks, we may very well find ourselves as buyers at the trade deadline. If not, we have proven that we can be more than patient.


Right now, our starting lineup looks like this:

Alton Lister
Derrick Coleman
Cadillac Anderson
Kenny Smith
Mark Price

Look for them to put in heavy work.

What are you guys curious about???

[greepleairport]

You had a pretty exciting offseason landing some great players that ended up with a 2-7 record to start. Is this surprising or an abnormality for the season ahead?


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[JNR]

GWR: Cadillac Anderson at the 3 is an interesting choice. What's your thought process behind that?

[WigNosy]

Steve Duin, the Oregonian...

You gave up a lot of assets to secure Mark Price's services in RFA. How do you plan to build this team around him going forward, and why was he your pick to a franchise cornerstone?

[Mike Lowry]

You had a pretty exciting offseason landing some great players that ended up with a 2-7 record to start. Is this surprising or an abnormality for the season ahead?
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It was a little surprising that we played that badly.
I don't think 2-7 reflects the talent on the roster, and I absolutely put in a DC trying to compete.
I will say user error is at least 110% of why we started poorly and I'll elaborate when the next guy asks his question.

[Mike Lowry]

GWR: Cadillac Anderson at the 3 is an interesting choice. What's your thought process behind that?

Bruh!!!
This was obviously the worst misread of how to actually plan for a game that must be played in this league.
I thought he wasn't that sloe to compete at SF, and that if he could keep up a little I would have an outrageous advantage on the board.
So I turned my pace down and made him even slower.
Bad idea from the beginning.
Won't be doing that again!

[Mike Lowry]

Steve Duin, the Oregonian...

You gave up a lot of assets to secure Mark Price's services in RFA. How do you plan to build this team around him going forward, and why was he your pick to a franchise cornerstone?

If I have a cornerstone right now it's Derrick Coleman, but I need someone to feed him.
Mark Price is an absolute prototype of a floor general, with a high upside, and room to grow.
When you shop RFA you can sometimes gain an opportunity to bring someone else to the table that might not want to eat your cooking otherwise.
I obviously have a lot invested in the 92 draft, so the package I sent was generous in my opinion, but not ridiculous for the pick and the player.
Dee Brown has a great upside, and he should grow nicely in Kansas.
Ken Norman is an elite support contributor that can step into a shot here and there.
I think the biggest surprise is the way the Lakers have started and how their pick is so high on the board right now, but I do expect them to make some moves and climb in the standings before it's said and done.