Wizards (Insert Year) Presser

[Xist2Inspire]

I'm seriously finding it hard to remember what sim year it is...

Anyway, last season was the most successful we've ever had with myself as the GM, despite an injury to Damion Williams rather early on. Unfortunately, we couldn't cap it off with a title. It really did come down to a team of veterans who know what it takes to win versus a team of fresh faces who only have an idea. We want to say congrats to the Nuggets on a well-deserved victory, and I'm personally very happy for their GM.

This offseason was a rough one, but it was to be expected. To avoid a sky-high tax bill, we had to trade Damion Williams. Demand was lower than we expected, and so we're grateful to have found a willing trade partner in the Spurs. We're glad to have Nathan Thompson join our team, and we're hoping he fits right in. Because of our tax situation, we were unable to really sink our teeth into free agency, which was a shame, because it was a stellar class. Even so, we were still able to bring in Adrian Rodriguez, Gerald Kerns, and Matthew Ragland - who's on his second stint as a Wizard. We also took David Anderson with our draft pick, a very unique player who we hope to see good things from in the future.

The biggest news out of training camp was the continued growth of Phillip Cuomo, something we're excited to see. As we enter another season, we don't expect to be anywhere near as good as we were last season. But don't count us out yet. We were still a dangerous team when Williams was injured, and we're going to be dangerous now, even with Williams gone and a revamped frontcourt. Everybody knows that no matter what our roster looks like or how tough our competition is, when it's time to play ball, you get our best effort.

Any questions?

[kucoach7]

Talk to me about Phil Brooks. He has been good for a few years but do you think this is the year he becomes great? Can he be an All-star now?

[Xist2Inspire]

Talk to me about Phil Brooks. He has been good for a few years but do you think this is the year he becomes great? Can he be an All-star now?

I think he's still a year away, though I'd love for him to prove me wrong. Our playoff run, and the Finals in particular, was a bit of an humbling experience for him, and I'm hoping he learns from that and comes out better for it, especially as far as efficiency's concerned.

I doubt he'll be an All-Star. Because of our team-oriented style, our guys rarely put up the overwhelming stats necessary to get votes, and that's not even factoring in the stiff competition for those spots. Damion is the only Wizard to be an All-Star in the past 10 years. Phil would probably have to be at least a top 10 scorer to make it in.

[garbageman]

Sham Smith, Bulls.com: Despite losing to the Nuggets in the Finals, the team got plenty of playoff experience. What were some of the more positive takeaways from burning through the Omega Conference leading up to the Finals?

[false9]

It looks like you still have very good team, but an accompanying repeater tax with it. Given the right offer, will you “cash out” your team to duck the tax at the expense of making the playoffs? Or are you committed to a winner this season?

[Xist2Inspire]

Sham Smith, Bulls.com: Despite losing to the Nuggets in the Finals, the team got plenty of playoff experience. What were some of the more positive takeaways from burning through the Omega Conference leading up to the Finals?

For one, I was glad to see just how resilient we are. We didn't exactly storm through the conference, the Bucks had us down 3-1 in the second round. They took us down last season, but this time around we won 3 straight and moved on. James Shaffer also really stepped up whenever we needed him to. He's a guy who deserves to start, and would on 90% of the other teams in the league, but he's accepted his role as a 6th man here. We're really grateful for that.

[Xist2Inspire]

It looks like you still have very good team, but an accompanying repeater tax with it. Given the right offer, will you “cash out” your team to duck the tax at the expense of making the playoffs? Or are you committed to a winner this season?

Given the right offer? Definitely cashing out. That being said, the right offer probably isn't coming. Last season gave me hope that we could still contend without Damion on our roster. As long as that holds true, I see no reason to hastily blow things up just to avoid another bill.

[WigNosy]

How satisfying was it to say this to the conference last season?

[Xist2Inspire]

How satisfying was it to say this to the conference last season?

Even though I don't have any rivals to gloat over, it was amazing.

[AngryBanana]

Are you more worried about your front court producing or your bench showing up if an injury occurs.

[Xist2Inspire]

Are you more worried about your front court producing or your bench showing up if an injury occurs.

I'm more worried about our frontcourt. We have a lot of new pieces, and Robison/Kingston set a high standard defensively. We don't have the strongest bench, true, but depending on who gets hurt, we do have a few bench players who are ready to start.