Washington Post: RJ A "Great" Option For The Wizards

[Licensed to Il]

Lyrical Rico actually knows his stuff and echos what I was about to type.

We (Bucks fans) know that RJ is not a shooting guard. Didn't someone here dub him "Rotten Jumpshot"? His lack of consistancy from outside would/does kill a team. RJ would be a good addition for many teams, but Caron Butler already brings a lot of the things that RJ would offer Washington... and Butler does them better.

The only reason I said that the Wiz might be interested in RJ is because they had a lot of sucess with Hughes at the 2, and Hughes is an even worse perimiter shooter than RJ. Maybe Grunfield believes that they need another slasher. Who knows. Maybe adding another slasher to the lineup frees things up for Arenas to hoist up his silly shots from outside.

But if I had to rank it between 1 and 10 with 10 being the highest, I would say that the Wiz interest in RJ would be about a 5...I think what the roster really needs is a rugged rebounder (for the 60 games a season Etan Thomas misses with injuries) and another perimiter player (who can contribute without needing a lot of shots... yet can make outside shots).

[Bernman]

I think Jefferson for #5/Thomas/Stevenson would be an excellent deal for the Bucks.

It benefits us from two major angles:

1st, we can draft a player who'll be under contract and getting close to his prime when the Bucks have a chance to do something meaningful. Unlike Jefferson would. I'd take either Harden or DeRozan w/ the pick.

2nd, Thomas' substantial expiring we could potentially add to Ridnour's or Allen's/Elson's to create cap space for another team in the all important 2010 offseason, and in return receive a star player. Worst case scenario we just let them expire and create a lot of flexibility. But if a deal for a Billups, Gasol, Sheed level player, as has been in the case in the past, we should take it and worry about the luxury tax ramifications later. We still would have Ridnour's or Allen's/Elson's being removed, and it's hardly a given that Stevenson wouldn't pick up his player option to seek a longer term contract. Plus, we could trade Redd at the break for luxury tax relief if he returns to form.

From a more minor angle the trade in the interim would provide us with a banger at the 5 and bench swingman.

I always liked the Redd for Thomas/James/5 proposal from the Bucks' perspective, but it was always implausible for many reasons. We have to wait to trade Redd until he's recovered.

[coolhandluke121]

Vince Carter is so much better than Redd or RJ it's not even funny. Even when he's giving a half-ass effort, he's STILL a little better than those two. He can post up, play point forward, rebound, shoot, get to the basket at will, and defend two positions when he wants to. What Carter and Harris did for a NJ team that should have won only about 15 games last year was remarkable. Considering RJ and Butler are both sf's, and Redd is injured, I see no reason the Wizards would prefer either of them to VC.

He also doesn't have nearly the injury history Redd has. Despite his age, he's better off than RJ as well, because he hasn't had a major ankle or knee injury and because his game is not so dependent on athleticism. And let's face it, he preserved his body for the future when he gave up on Toronto a few years back. I'm not convinced that's always a bad thing - look what happened to Redd after playing 38 mpg and carrying the offensive load for a terrible team for so long. Now he's at risk of being washed up when he should be primed for some of the best years of his career.

[nate33]

Rico is right. RJ is a lousy fit because he plays the same position as Butler. I don't see any way the Wizards give up a high pick and possibly cap relief to take on a redundant player. At the very least, other trades would have to be lined up before the Wizards pulled the trigger.

The other issue with Washington is that they're in a pretty tight luxtax bind. They're already $8M over the luxtax next year, and they project to be $5-8M over the luxtax the following year once they've paid for Haywood (and probably Dominic McGuire). Word from ownership is that they'll grudgingly pay the luxtax if they think they truly have a chance of contending, but they're not interested in wasting money. I seriously doubt they'll add significant salary obligations.

Finally, if the Wizards were willing to trade the #5 plus filler for good swing man, I think there are better options from a costs/benefits perspective than RJ at $15M a year. They'd certainly take Vince Carter over RJ because he's a SG. And Dallas seems to be dangling Josh Howard (plus they have Stackhouse's non-guaranteed contract as sweetner).

[europa]

I don't think trading for a healthy Redd or RJ makes the Wizards a contender but I feel very confident trading for Carter definitely won't. Putting two egos like Arenas and Carter possess in the same backcourt is a recipe for disaster in my opinion. I'll say again what I've said many times - this game isn't just about talent. It's the right kind of talent. RJ and Redd may not be the right type of talent for the Wizards either (if I was Ernie, I'd take Harden at 5 and do a Del Harris jig on the nearest table), but I'd rather gamble on one of them (preferably a healthy Redd) than Carter.

[fishercob]

Thanks for the invite. I basically agree with Rico. From my vantage point, a natural small forward with a career PER of 16.6 that makes what Jefferson does is uninspiring.

If the Wiz front office knows something I don't (which is possible if not likley) and for some reason thinks Jefferson is THE piece to add to our current core, the deal would have to include Stevenson and Songaila.

Really though, it's not a very good fit. Good luck to you guys.

P.S. Redd just makes way too much money for his production to even be considered.

[coolhandluke121]

Let's not forget how good the Wizards were when everyone was healthy at the same time. It's been a few years, obviously, but they were on track for an easy top 4 seed (if not top 2) and they beat that monster Detroit team twice while the Pistons were running up that sick record in 2004-2005. I could see the Wizards benefiting a lot from this kind of trade if Arenas is healthy.

It's actually a great formula for success to have multiple long-term injuries to stars and get a valuable draft pick, then bring all those stars back the next year after trading the pick for a helpful veteran or two. I could see the Wizards surpassing Atlanta and Chicago and competing with Cleveland and Boston (aging powers with thinning depth) next year. I think Orlando is far and away the best team in the East (now and for years to come), but there's more of an opening for the next 3 seeds than people think.

[europa]

And Dallas seems to be dangling Josh Howard (plus they have Stackhouse's non-guaranteed contract as sweetner).

Howard isn't a SG either so you have the same problem with him that you'd have with RJ. Plus, Howard isn't as good of a 3-point shooter and he doesn't get to the line as effectively as Jefferson does. So you're not only adding another SF, but you're adding one who doesn't do some important things as well as RJ does them. I wouldn't view RJ to the Wizards as an ideal fit either but if Howard's in the mix than I can definitely see Ernie being interested in RJ too.

[nate33]

I don't think trading for a healthy Redd or RJ makes the Wizards a contender but I feel very confident trading for Carter definitely won't. Putting two egos like Arenas and Carter possess in the same backcourt is a recipe for disaster in my opinion. I'll say again what I've said many times - this game isn't just about talent. It's the right kind of talent. RJ and Redd may not be the right type of talent for the Wizards either (if I was Ernie, I'd take Harden at 5 and do a Del Harris jig on the nearest table), but I'd rather gamble on one of them (preferably a healthy Redd) than Carter.

For the record, I wouldn't do the Vince Carter trade either. I'm just saying it's better than the RJ trade. Give the choice between the two, I don't see any way the Wizards would prefer to trade for RJ.

[Bernman]

Jefferson was better individually at shooting guard last season, and the Bucks were better with him on the floor at that position:

http://www.82games.com/0809/08MIL9.HTM" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

- 20.9 PER/13.4 Opponent PER at SG v. 16.2/12.8 at SF
- +11 in 227 minutes w/ a juggernaut lineup of Sessions/Jefferson/Mbah A Moute/Villanueva/Elson

He shot almost 40% from 3.

I don't think he'd be a bad at all for Washington if he was playing shooting guard.

[nate33]

And Dallas seems to be dangling Josh Howard (plus they have Stackhouse's non-guaranteed contract as sweetner).

Howard isn't a SG either so you have the same problem with him that you'd have with RJ. Plus, Howard isn't as good of a 3-point shooter and he doesn't get to the line as effectively as Jefferson does. So you're not only adding another SF, but you're adding one who doesn't do some important things as well as RJ does them. I wouldn't view RJ to the Wizards as an ideal fit either but if Howard's in the mix than I can definitely see Ernie being interested in RJ too.

I don't think Howard is a great fit either. But I consider him to be better than RJ. But, in the interests of not starting a flame war, let's just stipulate that he's roughly equivalent to RJ. The difference is that he is paid $3.5M a year less.

[europa]

From a contract perspective, I agree Howard's a better choice than RJ. But if Ernie's trying to get the better player, I'd give the edge to RJ. Plus, Howard's another guy who brings some issues to the table. Maybe Ernie wouldn't care for that.

[Ruzious]

Sorry Bucks fans. Michael Lee is a lightweight writer - even though he writes for the Washington Post - who has yet to show any inside knowledge of trade talks. You'd think he'd be smart enough to realize the Wiz aren't going to purposely stay in lux tax land to get a player who plays the same position as Racine's own Caron Butler, but... he isn't.

[DH34Phan]

Why anyone would want Richard Jefferson or Michael Redd at all is ridiculous.

You can get guys that make 1/3 the amount of either that will do the same thing.

[europa]

Sorry Bucks fans. Michael Lee is a lightweight writer - even though he writes for the Washington Post - who has yet to show any inside knowledge of trade talks. You'd think he'd be smart enough to realize the Wiz aren't going to purposely stay in lux tax land to get a player who plays the same position as Racine's own Caron Butler, but... he isn't.

Thanks for the info on Lee. What are your thoughts about the Draft Express report which said the Wizards are considering James/Thomas/5 for Josh Howard, who also plays the same position as Butler?

[LUKE23]

Sorry Bucks fans. Michael Lee is a lightweight writer - even though he writes for the Washington Post - who has yet to show any inside knowledge of trade talks. You'd think he'd be smart enough to realize the Wiz aren't going to purposely stay in lux tax land to get a player who plays the same position as Racine's own Caron Butler, but... he isn't.

Yep.

[smooth 'lil balla]

Yea, the deal makes no sense for RJ, but it does make sense for Redd.

[raferfenix]

What if the Bucks take back both Stevenson and Songaila?

I doubt the Wizards will find many/any teams to send a near all star wing AND take on equally long term contracts like that for a pick. If they are adding much less total salary though this becomes a whole lot more attractive to them, and if the Bucks shave enough salary to resign Sessions while gaining youth/athleticism/defense/depth it's still a huge help for us too.

[DH34Phan]

I would give them future #1s to get rid of Redd or RJ to get this deal done.

[Bernman]

I would give them future #1s to get rid of Redd or RJ to get this deal done.

I hope you're not serious