Wizards: NBA Draft Lottery

The Washington Wizards enter Wednesday's NBA draft lottery a lot like they did in 2001 when they took prep-prodigy Kwame Brown with the No. 1 overall pick.

This year, only the Orlando Magic and Chicago Bulls have a better chance of getting the first overall choice for the draft, June 24. This rookie class, like in 2001, is loaded with unproven prep players, young foreigners and college underclassmen. Should the Wizards gamble on another high-schooler again -- or will Washington's 25-57 season prod the team to parlay the pick in a trade for immediate gain?

Washington Post Staff Writer Steve Wyche was online Monday, May 24 at 11 a.m. ET, to discuss Wednesday's NBA draft lottery.

Submit your questions and comments before or during the discussion.

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

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Alexandria, Va. : Is the '04-'05 season the make or break season for Kwame Brown? He showed flashes last year of why he was a #1 overall pick. In your opinion, is Brown headed to be in the class of Jermaine O'Neal and Kevin Garnett or will he join Kenny Green and Mel Turpin in the long list of Bullets/Wizards draft busts?

Steve Wyche: Hey everyone. I'm here in Indianapolis for tonight's second game of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Pacers and Pistons. should be a good one. Thanks for having me on and I hope I can add some insight to your questions. So, in the words of Mills Lane, Let's get it on....The next season will be make of break for Kwame. It's a contract year and he'll have to prove whether he's worth an extension or if the Wizards should cut their losses. Kwame has the ability to be great but he has to want that. That is the greatest unknown with Kwame. He's a wonderful kid with more gifts than about 90 percent of the NBA but he has to realize that, work at maximizing his strengths and develop consistency.

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Alexandria, Va.: Hey Steve. Thanks for doing this chat...I've been dying to talk about the wizards since the season ended.

Is this going to be Kwame's breakout year? Is there any word of what Kwame has been doing this summer from Kwame himself or the front office? I think at the rate over the last 3 years, Kwame should average 15 pts and 10 rebounds a game. Is there still hope for Kwame?

Chris, Alexandria

Steve Wyche: There is definitely hope for Kwame. He's only 21 and has limitless potential. As for what he's been doing this summer, so far he's been taking it easy and rehabilitating an ankle sprain that kept him out of the final few games of last season. Once he heals, he needs to work harder than he ever has because he's entering a contract year and if he doesn't perform well, he'll cost himself some money and possibly a career -- at least with the Wizards. Players are often made in the offseason and he must understand that.

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Baltimore, Md.: What do you think is the biggest need for the Wizards in this upcoming draft?

washingtonpost.ocm: Wizards Sit to See Where They Stand in Draft Lottery (Post, May 23)

Steve Wyche: This is real dicey territory because, to me, the Wizards are such a young team that they really don't need any players that are going to need time to develop, such as a high-school player. If they get the top pick, UConn's Emeka Okafur would seem to be the obvious. If they don't land the top pick, trading a lesser pick and maybe a player for a veteran and lower pick might be the right move. If they keep the pick, they need to draft someone who is skilled, mentally tough and has somewhat of a track record. The Wizards are fairly deep in the backcourt, so a frontcourt player could be the way the team goes.

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Reno, Nev.: Oh, yes, let's trade 'tomorrow' for 'today' and get another Mitch Richmond or Jerry Stackhouse. We don't have the time to wait for a high schooler to develop.

Marcus Camby; Shareef Abdur-Rahim; Stephon Marbury; Ray Allen; Antoine Walker; Lorenzen Wright; Kerry Kittles; Samaki Walker; Erick Dampier; Todd Fuller; Vitaly Potapenko (from Washington) were picked before Kobe Bryant, the 13th pick in the 1996 draft. Jermaine O'Neal was picked 17th in 1996

Joe Smith; Antonio McDyess; Jerry Stackhouse were picked before Kevin Garnett, the 5th pick in the 1995 draft.

Keith Van Horn; Chauncey Billups; Antonio Daniels; Tony Battie; Ron Mercer; Tim Thomas; Adonal Foyle were picked before Tracy McGrady, the 9th pick in the 1997 draft.

Al Harrington was picked 25th in 1998 after such impact players as Bryce Drew; Radoslav Nesterovic; Mirsad Turckan; Roshown McLeod; Brian Skinner; Felipe Lopez. Rashard Lewis was picked in the 2nd round, the 32nd overall pick.

Steve Wyche: Wow. You've done your homework. If the Wizards trade the pick, I don't think they'd deal for someone late in their career. It could be a younger player who's been in the league for four or five years, like an Al Harrington. They could use some of their free-agent exceptions (5.1 million and $1.5 million) to try and land a veteran, like an Eric Williams, Brent Barry type, but not at the expense of a young player they feel is part of their nucleus.

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Washington, D.C.:
Who do you think the Wizards will select if they land one of the top 3 lottery spots or worst case, in the lower-tier spots (5 to 7)?

Steve Wyche: It's hard to say what they would do but if they land a top three pick, they'll have some teams offering up deals that could be too attractive to bypass. They also might feel strongly enough about a player, like Emeka Okafur, to keep the pick. If it's a pick between 5-7, they'll likely have to use the pick because that is a lot less attractive selection in a draft heavy on high schoolers and young foreigners. They could get a good player in that range, though.

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Fairfax, Va.: What do you think the Wizards will do with Jerry Stackhouse? It looks like he is unhappy in Washington, and other teams do not seem interested in taking on his large contract in a trade. It seemed as though he didn't provide the veteran leadership he promised a couple years ago, and he isn't getting any younger. Will the team still try to keep him, knowing that he is now injury-prone and less productive?

Steve Wyche: The Wizards will explore trades that involve Jerry Stackhouse but it could be hard for them to move him. I think he's still got some good years left in him. He is only 29. However, the three years, $25 million left on his contract is turning off some teams. That is a fairly heavy salary and most teams are trying to curtail spending. However, a team might feel a player of Jerry's ability is the missing piece and be wiling to make a deal. It could be what another team is willing to give back the Wizards that makes of breaks any trade. He very well could be back, though, and if he is, the Wizards need to figure out if he's going to be their small forward or shooting guard and how they're going to find playing time for Jarvis Hayes, who is a rising big-time talent. Jerry must also establish himself and work harder than he's ever worked.

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Washington, D.C.: Is it bad luck? Last season, the draft had 5 blue chippers(Lebron, Carmelo, Bosh, Hinrich, Wade) and we missed out on them. Don't get me wrong, Hayes will be a very good player, but I find it comical to see that the Wizards, once again with one of the worst records in the NBA, are stuck in the same situation as in 2001. No "true" number 1 pick, and a bunch of unproven players.

Steve Wyche: As my colleague Tony Kornheiser would say, maybe it's the curse of Les Boulez? But who knows? There will be some good players in this draft. There always are.

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Washington, D.C.: The "best international prospect" right now in the draft is a 7'3" by the name of Martynas Andriuskevicius who some compare to Sabonis. He's 18, and supposedly very raw. I take it the Wizards won't take a chance on him?

Steve Wyche: I would not assume anything about what the Wizards will do. If they feel he's someone who can help them, now and in future years, they'll take him. Ernie Grunfeld is not known to be conservative in his personnel moves.

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Washington, D.C.:
Do you see Coach Jordan and Ernie Grunfeld having a problem of co-existing in the Wizards organization? How much credence should be given to reports that they had some heated arguments over personnel/personnel issues during the past season?

Steve Wyche: First off, to answer the last part of your question first, credence should be given to some of those reports because I reported them and they are accurate. I don't think any of their arguments, as you wrote, were heated, though. They are both grown men who've been in the league a long time and they treat each other with respect. They do need to come to a meeting of the minds about what type of team they want to build, though. Jordan clearly wants players who can run his system. Grunfeld typically tries to find players that suit the coach's style. However, Grunfeld has gone against his coach's wishes before -- trading John Starks for Latrell Sprewell and Charles Oakley for Marcus Camby, both in NY -- which caused a rift between him and Jeff Van Gundy. At the same time, those deals worked out better for the team.

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Oakton, VA: The draft is a crapshoot and hindsight is always 20/20, so with that in mind, should Wizards fans simply be assured that Ernie Grunfeld is probably the most sophisticated GM the Wizards have ever had? Is he a good GM or not?

Steve Wyche: Hard to say if he's the most sophisticated GM the Wizards have ever had because they won an NBA championship before with someone else running things. Grunfeld's track record says he's a good GM and his is considered, by his peers, to know what he's doing. However, he's never had to build a team before. Every team he's run has had built in superstars -- Patrick Ewing, Ray Allen, Glenn Robinson. So this is new ground for him, which could determine if he's as good as his reptutation.

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Arlington, Va.: What will the Wizards do with Larry Hughes? Is he going to stay here or not, maybe traded? He carried the team most of the season and had a great year. I think Larry Hughes and Gilbert Arenas play great together.

Steve Wyche: I think the Wizards want to keep Larry Hughes. He is talented and versatile, and last season he proved his also pretty tough. However, if there is a player or players the team wants in a trade, Hughes might have to be included. Teams love his skill and the fact that he has just one year at $5.5 million left on his contract.

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I miss Hoops: When is the draft lottery?

Where do you think Devin Harris from Wisconsin will go in the draft and would he be a good fit for the wizards?

Steve Wyche: The draft lottery is Wednesday and Devin Harris, from what I've heard, is a lottery (top 13) pick. He could be a good fit for the Wizards because, if things stand as they are, he could back up Gilbert Arenas and Larry Hughes since he's a combination guard. He might play more shooting guard because the Wizards really feel Steve Blake will develop into a nice backup point guard.

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Columbia, Md.: Do you think this "Princeton Offense" that Eddie Jordan has brought to the Wizards is just a flash in the pan? Just like in college, when teams see a ton of the offense they learn how to defend against it, it seems like it is losing its cache in the NBA. Sacramento's offense wasn't crisp at all in their loss, and the Nets' offense looked horrific in the half-court vs. the Pistons? Do you think that Eddie Jordan is doomed to failure trying to institute a gimmicky offense (that is based on having people who understand basketball fundamentals, which today's pros don't unless that fundamental is talking trash while driving for a dunk) that may be past its time?

Steve Wyche: I think Eddie has learned that the Princeton offense works best when Jason Kidd is the point guard and Richard Jefferson and Kenyon Martin are on the wings. He adjusted it somewhat last season and seems prepared to tinker with it some more to fit his personnel. From my discussions with him, the principles of the system will remain intact but the execution could be somewhat different. How this works remains to be seen because, to me, more of the problem lies with the players' propensity to turn the ball over and lackluster defense. More attention might need to be focused on the defensive end of things rather than on the offense.

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Washington, D.C.: No offense to you, Mr. Wyche, but why are we talking draft now? None of the teams even knows their position yet. This time last year, about the only thing that was certain was the conspiracy theorists were sure the Knicks would end up with LeBron. And we know how that turned out.

Plus, we all know what the Wizards are going to do anyway. Since they need help everywhere but the 2 and the 3, they'll enither draft a 2 and a 3, or trade their picks for over-the-hill big men.

Steve Wyche: The reason we're talking draft now is because the draft lottery is Wednesday.

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McLean, Va.: It is amazing to me that nobody is talking about the Wizards lack of a solid center. Yes, Thomas has shown flashes and occasionally Haywood (rock hands) does something. But these guys are BACKUPS on any other solid NBA team.

We need a center, as we haven't had one in years here.

How about BYU's Rafael Araujo? He is better than ANYONE the Wizards have right now. Wilbon would back me up, given his column on him during the NCAA tournament.

Steve Wyche: The Wizards would like to upgrade at center and that could be the way they go in the draft or via trade (Erick Dampier and Adonal Foyle could be available). On that note, there are about 20 other teams in the NBA that would like to upgrade at center as well. I'm sure all options will be explored.

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Oakton, Va.: Thanks for doing this. Luol Deng is an enticing pick at #3, active player, can rebound and hit the long jumper... could he be as good to better than Tayshawn Prince?

Steve Wyche: I don't know if he'll be as good or better as Tayshaun Prince but he seems to have the potential to be a big-time player. Developing potential is one of the hardest things for players to do. He could be very enticing for Washington, if it sticks at No. 3 in the draft.

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Nate - Alexandria, Va.: Do you think the Wizards would consider taking 6-7 PG Shaun Livingston to pair with Arenas? I think we definitely less selfish play from our guards (to get Kwame more involved) and Livingston gets mentioned as having rare passing & ball skills for a kid his size.

Steve Wyche: I'm sure Washington will work Livingston out and figure out if he could factor into the short and long-term plans for the team. He is supposed to be a dynamic talent but do the Wizards want to take the time to develop him? The word from the franchise is that it will be patient to building a winner but patience in the NBA is a matter of interpretation. Is it one season or three? You don't see too many coaches or GMs get that much leeway.

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Washington, D.C.: Gilbert Arenas, Kwame Brown and Jarvis Hayes are considered the future of this team. What do you think about this?

Steve Wyche: I think these three are all good, young talented players. Gilbert needs to mature, Kwame needs to mature, recognize his potential and work hard in the offseason and Jarvis, I think, is on the right track. He's a tough kid who had the normal confidence issues of most rookies, but he can shoot and leap and plays hard on both ends. If he tightens up his ball-handling, he could really be good. As a nucleus, on paper it looks promising but those players need to recognize the responsiblity of being an NBA player to make things work out well.

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Washington DC: What do you think about Dwight Howard? Obviously, I've heard good things, but never seen him play. Is he as good as people say?

Thanks. I'm enjoying your discussion.

Steve Wyche: Unfortunately, I have never seen him play either (too busy covering Wizards' games). Everything I've heard is he has the POTENTIAL to be great, which was the same thing you hear about most high school kids jumping to the pros.

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Washington, DC:
Hey Steve. What happened to that combo guard Navarro (sp.) from Spain that the Wizards drafted 2 years ago in the 2nd round? Will they sign him for next season? Thanks.

Steve Wyche: Good question. Juan Carlos Navarro is playing in Europe and just signed an extension with his club team (sorry, the name slips me right now). He apparently has a pretty heavy buyout this season so it is unlikely he could be here right away. He's a promising player but, like Manu Ginobili and other foreign players, he might need a few more years to develop overseas before being tabbed for the NBA.

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Crofton, MD: Steve,

Do you think that Washington is going to make a move to free up cap space? They could expose Stackhouse in the Expansion Draft but Charlotte might not take him with his injury history.

One other option is to give Charlotte Larry Hughes if they agree to take Laettner in the expansion draft (we could throw in $3M in cash to soften the financial blow). That would free up about $12M in cap space. We could use the cap space to go after Kenyon Martin.

Have you heard any similar rumors with Hughes on the block? I figure he is our most tradeable commodity given his age, ability and contract.

Steve Wyche: Is this Jerry West? Rod Thorn, maybe? I think these are pretty idealistic goals but you never know. The Wizards could throw in the $3 million to get Charlotte to take Christian ($6.2 million on his salary) in the expansion draft and work out a trade with the Bobcats (or any other team for that matter) for Larry Hughes. However, the Wizards would have to get something back for Hughes that equals his $5.5 million salary since trades have to be almost dollar-per-dollar in the NBA. Right now, the Wizards are not looking to have any cap money other than the $5.1 and $1.5 million league-allotted exceptions. However, that was their approach last season too and a series of events occured that gave them enough room to sign Gilbert Arenas to a six-year, $64 million contract. As for Hughes, I have not heard of any deals but he is attractive because of his skills, salary and expiring contract.

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Washington, D.C.: What do you think the Wizards chances are of getting Tracy McGrady? I am proposing a Kwame Brown/Jerry Stackhouse and anyone else on the roster (except Gilbert, L.Hughes, and E.Thomas). Also a pick swap if we receive the higher choice. Is this feasible?

Steve Wyche: You never know what can happen in regards to a trade for McGrady. It would all depend on what Orlando would want back. If they're willing to make and of the deals you propsed, who knows? The Wizards would have to ask themselves if they'd want to give up a chunk of their team for a great player who's had some back problems and who's team lost the most games in the NBA last season. I'm sure they're going over some scenarios but they'll have some stiff competition.

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Charlotte NC: Thanks for the chat.

Who is actually going to make and own up to the pick this year?

Is Wes involved? Sue? Abe?

Steve Wyche: Ernie Grunfeld and his staff will make and own up to the pick.

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Ben (Silver Spring): hey steve,
it seems to me like what this team really needs is some time to grow together. i'm not sure anything will help this team as much as just going into the year with a healthy squad with a year's worth of experience playing together under it's belt.

That said, other than okafor and maybe deng, i don't see anyone in this draft that can really help this team anytime soon. so why not - if you're drafting at 5-7 - take a flier on a guy like podkolzin?

Steve Wyche: I'm in agreement with you. I think there need to be some changes, for chemistry reasons, but the brunt of this team needs to grow together with an injection of a few strong-backed veterans who can demand respect and make players accountable for the production and behavior. If the Wizards are drafting 5, 6 or 7, just about anyone they would take would need time to develop and a big center like Podkolzine (I don't have my guide with his spelling in front of me so sorry if the name is spelled wrong) could be a possibility.

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Dan (New York, NY): Hi Steve:

Are the Wizards totally averse to picking another HS player given their experiences with Kwame Brown (ie not drafting Howard or Livingston if Okafor is not available)? With the growing trend of young kids (either international or HS) of entering the draft before they're ready to play, can they afford to not take such risks again?

Steve Wyche: Hey, I've got time for one or two more questions. I really want to thank you guys. You're very wise to the game and I hope I've answered some of your questions.
I don't think Kwame's experience would deter than from drafting another high school player. Kwame could turn out to be really good. So could another high school player. It's just if management wants to take the time to develop a young player after a disappointing season. As mentioned before, coaches and GMs only get so much time to show progress in today's pro sports' climate.

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Raleigh, NC: What type of player do you think Arenas will be next season...it was reported in the WP that EJ was going to take Gilbert to a playoff game to watch PGs play.

Steve Wyche: Gilbert attended Game 1 of the Knicks-Nets series with Eddie Jordan. I think Gilbert is an incredible talent. He is not a true point guard but he seems to play better with the ball in his hands. He's the type of player who will work on his weaknesses, which are his turnovers and decision-making. He needs to mature, which I think will happen. Some of his antics did not sit well with teammates and coaches but he's not self-destructive like Dennis Rodman. I think he'll grow up and realize how great he can be.

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Steve Wyche: Hey folks, sorry I didn't get to all of your questions but I'll be back soon. Again, thanks for taking your time and all the best. You guys were great.

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