#SLOE: People's Basketball Sim League

Well , that was one wild season...and offseason.

All the usual media faces were there at the Wizards' conference. The oppressive gloom of last season has faded, but it still wasn't exactly the fun atmosphere of years past. Sitting behind the podium were Xist, Danny Granger, Kirk Hinrich, and Troy Murphy, who was grinning his usual dopey smile.

So first off, last season was our first without Rashard, and as warned, it was a rough one. All throughout the year things were up-and-down. Despite facing some accusations of tanking, we attempted to compete as always, and our fans were treated to some breakout performances from players like Carl Landry and Jarrett Jack. And despite the controversy surrounding Granger, or perhaps because of it, he remained a Wizard throughout the season.

And just to clear things up, there aren't any hard feelings between me and the organization. Xist has been upfront with me from the start about the trade talks. I'm happy to be here.

Thanks, Danny. Going into the draft, we were overjoyed to land Darren Collison, a player we'd scouted all throughout last season. He was slated to be another key piece for our future. Then came RFA, and though both Granger and Jack were offered contracts by the Hawks and Hornets, respectively, both were matched and thus returned to DC. Conspicuously absent from our RFA re-signings was Gerald Green...more on that later. On the first day of free agency, we were surprised for two reasons: One, Ricky Davis and Corey Maggette signed with us for the minimum. We honestly had no idea that our talks had such an effect on both guys, and were extremely pleased to have them on board. Two, Gerald Green decided to sign with the Grizzlies. Gerald was very vocal in his dislike for being benched in favor of Ray Allen, and I have to think that played a factor in his decision to leave. As Green was the centerpiece of the younger generation of Wizards, suddenly we found ourselves a team leaning more towards winning now rather than later. And that's where Kirk comes in.

So you guys all know that it was at about this time when news of the Chandler trade broke, and the Kings officially announced their plans to rebuild. Jarrett called me up and said "I think you'd be good down with us in DC, what do you think?" I said, sure, it's as good a place as any, not really thinking much of it. So next thing I know, NOLA tells me that I'm 95% heading to DC, and once Tracy was sent to New Jersey, I figured that was it, I'm next.

The Kings have always been a team we've tried to keep in touch with, and when news broke that they were looking to rebuild, we decide to ask about it. We knew that any offer would have to include Collison as well as our 2012 1st. However, we also knew that any offer would also have to include Ray Allen, which would give us just enough cap room to sign someone else in the remainder of free agency. We went back and forth on it before finally pulling the trigger, and thus Kirk Hinrich became a Wizard. We also used the cap room to bring back a familiar face in Troy Murphy to help shore up our lacking frontcourt.

DC's like a second home to me, and when they reached out to me to come back, I just couldn't say no.

And so here we are, at the start of another season, hoping to do something that'll bring the fun back a bit. Any questions?

The Atlantic is going to be a BEAST this year. Where do you guys see yourselves ending up in the standings?

We'll probably be in the mix for 3rd in the division and 4th/5th in the conference. Despite what LogP says, I think the Heat are the clear front-runners in the division, with their mix of starpower and depth. From there I have the Nets as #2, purely because of T-Mac. Then you have the rest of us. The Magic and Celtics are basically the same team now - excellent guard/wing rotation, average frontcourts. The Sixers have Chandler and Balls, but will have to rely on excellent performances from role players at the forward spots to legitimately compete. Then you have the us and the Knicks, who have legit starting fives, but questionable depth. Conference-wise, with the Hawks, Heat, and Nets taking the top 3 spots, I think another Central team will be right there with whichever two Atlantic teams will be fighting for 4th and 5th. It's going to be an interesting and difficult season for sure.

We here in Sacramento will always have a special remembrance of Hinrich, and we know he will serve the Wizards well. What are your expectations for him in terms of production?

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Basically, I'll be doing the same things in DC that I did in Sacramento, which is making sure the ball gets to where it needs to be, and keeping the defense honest with my 3pt shooting. Now I'll probably look to score a bit more, since we don't have a true finisher on offense yet,but for the most part you'll be seeing the same things from me that you've already seen, only on a larger scale hopefully. I'm going from being a secondary ballhandler to the primary floor leader.

Talk a little about Carl Landry. He just seems to be one of those "first in the gym, last out" guys. What are his chances to be a starter for this team?

Carl was hands-down the best thing to come out of last season for us. We absolutely love the energy he brings to the team, both on the court and off. He'll be starting for us once the season starts without a doubt. Troy only started to get acclimated with the offense.

GWR: Are you concerned about Roy's poor camp?

There was a lot of concern last season, not so much this season. When looking purely at the numbers, Roy gained more than he lost this camp. He may not be the potential superstar that he was once seen as, but we're confident that he'll remain a solid, productive part of our roster.

There's been a buzz around your team. Where do you see this team finishing in the highly competitive Atlantic?


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TrayWithAnA wrote:There's been a buzz around your team. Where do you see this team finishing in the highly competitive Atlantic?


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I see that the Portland media outlet beat me to this question so let me rephrase. Do you see the buzz around your team being a distraction or inspiring your guys to deliver for The District?

It's inspiring, most definitely. All of us who were here last season experienced firsthand just how much the departure of a franchise player can affect a fanbase. For there to be any kind of buzz surrounding us, the new Wizards, it's a huge boost to us. We really want to justify the fans' cautious interest in us and give the whole DMV something they can really get behind.

Nick Melon; The Advocate: With bringing in Henrich, is their any regret to also bringing back Jarrett Jack to that 4 year contract?

Not at all. Having a PG of Kirk's caliber is great, but that doesn't mean one can just neglect the importance of a good bench. Had we both traded Darren for Kirk and let go of Jarrett, we would've been thin in that area. But now we have two starting-caliber PGs on our roster, which is a definite luxury. Also, Jarrett's a pretty big deal to our fans, since he's from this area.

In one of the less-noticed moves of the off-season you brought back Troy Murphy, a guy you drafted several years back. Did familiarity with his game influence your decision to bring him back after a four-year hiatus?

Oh yes, definitely. Going into the second wave of Free Agency, we knew we'd need another big in order to seriously compete after Hakim Warrick left and Jamal Sampson remained unsigned. Once the Hinrich trade freed up some extra cap space, we had the ability to go after some, and Troy was one of the on our list. Not just because of his history with us, but because of how he'd grown as a player since he left.

For me, it was just great to have the opportunity to return. I have fond memories of my time here, and not to toot my own horn or whatever, but the Wizards were having some of their best year ever back then, and I'd like to think I played a role in that. I'd love to help this city regain that same energy again.