It is known around the league the Warriors have long been interested in JaVale McGee. I have been on the fence with what to do with JaVale for a while now and I am still not sure I have an answer. Part of me wants to keep him around because a 24 year old 7'1" center with freak athleticism is so rare and I feel like he is close to becoming a good starting C in the league. The other part of me thinks we should take a chance and send him off before it is too late. The Warriors have some pieces that intrigue me and they obviously have a hole at Center. McGee would fit well with them. I don't want to get into all the needs we have so I am just going to throw out my proposal:

JaVale McGee + Chris Singleton

For

Dorell Wright + Klay Thompson.

The Warriors get their much needed Center as well as something else they are sorely lacking, a potential defensive specialist in Chris Singleton. The Wiz fill their shooting needs and could slide Klay Thompson in at 2 next year as well as Dorell Wright starting at the 3 right away. I think the warriors might make this move. I would probably throw in a 2nd round pick if we had to. What do you guys think?

At this point all I can hope for is that another core piece emerges from this season besides John Wall. Right now that piece looks like it will be JaVale McGee. Sure he looked silly last night, but Dwight Howard will do that to 90% of the Centers in the league. After the core piece is identified my next hope is that we find a REAL contributor on the roster. Does not have to be a starter but if someone like Chris Singleton or Jan Vesely proves they can be in a 7-8 man rotation on good team then that is also great for us in the future. Lastly, I really believe we should go HARD after DeMarcus Cousins. I would offer anyone on the roster except Wall and McGee at this point. However, I would make the Kings choose between Vesely or Singleton. They cannot have both. Acquiring Cousins is HUGE for us from a personnell standpoint. McGee and Cousins would be a formidable frontcourt and it would allow us to focus on a wing in the draft. I know people want to say this draft is deep with PF's but none of them appeal to me. Anthony Davis is too frail and raw, Drummond has a great body but he's not even averaging 10pts right now, too raw. I love Sullinger as a college player but his body is already showing signs of deteriorating health and his narrow frame + lack of height and athleticism makes me think he wont be more than solid in the NBA. We dont want just solid right now. We need a potential All Star. I think it is safe to say Nick Young is gone after the season so the two guys who appeal most to me are Jeremy Lamb and Harrison Barnes. Lamb is an ideal backcourt mate for Wall because he is ultra athletic, can really stoke it, hits the glass, is a tenacious defender and can create scoring opportunities for himself as well. He is averaging close to 20 and 5 this year on a top 5 UConn team. Barnes is a classic 3 and would be great on the perimeter with Wall. Both of these guys bring what the Wiz need most, competetiveness and shooting. I would take either one in a heartbeat. I know you could argue "why draft a SF when we just took Singleton and Vesely"? I agree, that is why I would offer either Vesely or Singleton in any package to trade for Cousins. Barnes and Lamb both have the potential to be all star players in the league and we need to collect as many stars as we can. I really think Cousins would be a huge "get" for us and for our offseason plans. Offer Chris Singelton or Jan Vesely, Jordan Crawford, a protected pick + one of our 2nd rounders and anyone else on the roster not named John Wall or JaVale McGee. I know people will also say "why trade Vesely before we have seen him play" and those people are right. It is definitely a gamble, but we need to make a bold move. And I would trade the #6 pick from this past year's draft for the #5 pick (Cousins) in the previous years draft all day so I don't really look at it as a wasted draft pick.

Let' s say the Kings choose Vesely. If you go into the offseason with 4 core pieces in John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, JaVale McGee, and Chris Singleton you are in OKAY shape. You have two legit starting NBA big men in Cousins and McGee, an all star point guard in Wall (hopefully) and a defensive monster on the wing who can also play the 4 in Singleton who may or may not be a starter (I think he is more of a 6th man type). Our pick will almost certainly be in the top 4 where Lamb and Barnes will probably both be available. You take one of them depending on who your main targets are in free agency. I would love for us to make a run at Eric Gordon. I know the Hornets just traded for him but they are such a mess with ownership and from an organizational stand point that I think we could steal him away. We will have a ridiculous amount of cap space once we amnesty Andray Blatche and hopefully trade Rashard Lewis' expiring contract (by the way I also fully support trying to buy him out if we can't find any trade takers). We could afford to overpay for Gordon so the Hornets won't match. If you get Gordon then you draft Barnes, if you cannot land Gordon then take your pick between Lamb and Barnes. Lets say we do steal Gordon away- your starting 5 would look like this after the draft:

John Wall, Eric Gordon, Harrison Barnes, DeMarcus Cousins, JaVale McGee

With Chris Singleton as your 6th man. Resign Ronny Turiaff, Draft William Buford from Ohio State with one of our 2nd rounders as a shooter off the bench. You still have Shelvin Mack as a backup PG. Then use the rest of our cap money (we will still have a ton) on good veteran role players like CJ Miles as G/F off the bench or Mickael Pietrus (not so high on him), would Kirk Hinrich ever come back? I'd take him as a 3rd guard. Matt Barnes, Boris Diaw, Chris Kaman, Marcus Camby. One BIG we should really go after is Omer Asik from the Bulls. I am not saying I want these guys but just using them as example. If went into the year with an 8 man rotation of: John Wall, Eric Gordon, Harrison Barnes, DeMarcus Cousins, JaVale McGee, Chris Singleton, CJ Miles, Omer Asik then I would be pretty damn happy. I don't think all this is that far fetched at all. But first we need to go after Cousins. Sorry for rambling.

I don't even feel like getting into the game yesterday. I just wanted to get a discussion going identifying the offseason positions of need and which improvements we can realistically make via draft and free agency.

Starting Offense:

QB- This is obvious. Beck/Rex at this point look like sub-par backups, let alone starters. This needs to be addressed in RD 1 of the draft. I think I would be happy with Barkley, RG3, or Tannehil. If we had the opportunity to stay put in our draft slot and draft Barkley or RG3 we should do it. If both are off the board by the time we pick we could trade back and eventually take Tannehill in RD 1. Either way, we have to take a QB in the 1st RD.

RT- Jamal Brown sucks. Yesterday there was a play where he just dove at the DLineman's legs, completely whiffing, instead of even trying to block. I think a RT needs to be taken with our 2nd rd pick.

Interior OLine- This area of our line was a pleasant surprise until Kory went down. However, it is still an area where we could upgrade. Kory and Montgomery are both solid starters and Chester is about average. I would try look to sign a big time free agent G or C (some free agent names: Carl Nicks, Ben Grubbs, Chris Meyers, Scott Wells). I would let Chester, Kory, and Montgomery battle it out for the final two spots. I would also like to use one of our 4th rounders on a G/C for depth.

WR- We have a bunch of solid, okay WR's but no true gamebreakers. Gaffney is an okay #2/#3 WR, Santana is a good slot WR, Hankerson is developing but I still think his ceiling is a solid #2 WR, Paul is developing but I don't know how much to expect of him, Stallworth is gone after this year, Armstrong I guess could be a solid #4 WR but he needs to make some plays to prove it, Banks is gone after this year. I believe we need to go hard after a WR in free agency and there are quite a few good options. We cannot just keep drafting late round guys and expect our WR corps to be good. I think a true #1 could open up the offense for everyone. Free agent names include: Reggie Wayne, Wes Welker, Vincent Jackson, Desean Jackson, Dwayne Bowe, Marques Colston, Steve Johnson, Brandon Lloyd, Mario Manningham. Sign one of those guys so our WR corps looks like #1/ Gaffney/ Moss/ Hankerson/ Paul/ Armstrong and that would be pretty solid.

Starting Defense:

CB: Coming into the season I thought Hall/Wilson would be a formidable duo. They are not horrible but they are not that good either. I think they are both #2 CB's. This position is much like our WR position where we have some solid guys but no true #1. With our first 2 picks in the draft going to the Offense, we would have to look at free agency for this position and there are not a whole lot of options. The biggest name out there might be Brent Grimes. We might be screwed.

MLB: Fletcher will be 37 and I pray to god he doesn't retire and wants to come back although I dont see why he would. Even if he does come back, we still need another stud in the middle. Rocky was looking good early on but he has regressed these last couple weeks. He is a free agent after this season and I just don't see us resigning him. Perry Riley hasn't seen much time which is not a good sign. I think we need to draft a MLB with either our 3rd or 4th RD pick as well as look to sign a free agent. The free agent is not very impressive and the bigger names are: Curtis Lofton, Dan Connor, Stephen Tulloch, and EJ Henderson. The only real upgrade in that group would be Curtis Lofton. Drafting a MLB needs to be a priority

Realistically I think we could possibly take care of my entire list on offense. QB and RT in the draft, WR and G/C in free agency. I am a little concerned about how we go about upgrading the D however. Getting Jenkins back will be huge because he was going to be a day 1 starter and Carriker would be a very legit 4th DLineman. We could still use upgrades depth wise on the line, however.  

Let me know what you guys think.       

What's up everybody, first time poster here on federal baseball. I have read FB for a while and always appreciated all the commenters, who seem to really know what they're talking about. My boys and I have been debating for a while about what to do this offseason, which seems like the most important offseason the Nats have ever had. I really am not sure what approach we should take. There are some big names out there and it seems like the Nats are always mentioned as being linked to about half of them. Clearly we still need our leadoff man and at least another top of the rotation pitcher. There are some names out there I like and some guys I am scared of. The other issue that is still a little murky is who are we identifying as core players that are staying put and what positions definitely need upgrading. To me Ryan Zim, Espinosa, Morse, Werth (I guess?), Ramos, Stras, J Zimm, Clipp, and Storen are guys that have solidified, or are on their way to solidfying themselves as every day players on this team. Off our bench I like Nix and Ankiel a lot. So I guess that leave SS, CF, and at least another top 3 pitcher? The remainder of the year is huge for Desmond, he needs to put it together. If Desmond continues his "so-so" ways, What do you guys think about going after Jose Reyes? The other day was my first time watching him in person and I came away extremely impressed. He would solve the leadoff hitter problem thats for sure. At the same time, however, I know a lot of people on this website like Lombardozzi coming up. I can't say I know much about him. If he really is legit, I wouldn't want to stunt his growth. One pitcher I would like to go after hard is CJ Wilson but he's another guy who will break the bank. I have seen us linked to Prince Fielder a bunch of times but he scares me a little and I like Morse at first. I dont know, I guess I am confused as to what sort of moves we should make. I wanted to see what you guys thought. I know one thing, a lineup of 1- Reyes    2- Espinosa  3-Zimm   4-Morse   5- Werth   6-Harper   7-? (Bernadina??)   8-Ramos  would look good to me. Rotation of Stras, Wilson, J Zimm, Lannon, Livo? Sorry if i rambled. What are your ideas?

I am definitely watching the CAPS game tonight but I am going to have a close eye on these games:

Washington @ Cleveland (obviously): I actually think this is going to be a tough game for the Wiz tonight regardless of who plays. The CAVS have been playing better and Baron Davis is still dangerous. Don’t forget we are 3-36 on the road and the CAVS have to be a little bitter about us snapping our winless road record against them. It is the CAVS last home game so I am sure they will want to win the last one for the fans (much like the WIZ vs. Boston). I could see the CAVS stealing one against us.

Miami @ Toronto: I see no possible way Spoelstra plays the BIG 3 tonight. They already have the 2 seed locked up, and if one of them were to get injured in a meaningless game, it would be awful. We all know Miami’s backups suck, especially because big Z will probably be suspended because he was ejected the other night. Last home game in Toronto, against a Heat team that will not care at all, Toronto takes it.

Nets @ Bulls: Chicago already has the 1 seed in the east locked up, but they could still be playing for home court advantage throughout the playoffs. I am not sure what they will do here. Do they go for home court advantage in the NBA championship or do they give their guys some rest and avoid injury before a deep post season run. If the Bulls rest all their guys, it could still be a game but I would give the edge to the NETS. If the Bulls play their guys, Chicago takes it.

Lakers @ Kings: Lakers still have playoff seeding to play for but who knows what Phil Jackson will pull. Bynum going down last night could scare them into resting their guys. Right now it’s a 3 way race for the 2 seed between Lakers, Dallas, and OKC. Both the Dallas, and OKC games will be done before the lakers game so they will know where they stand going into the game. If Dallas loses to the Bucks, the Lakers have the 2 spot locked up and I bet they rest their players. If Dallas wins, I guess it's up to Phil how much homecourt advantage matters against Dallas. Could be the last game in Sacramento for the Kings, so they have some extra motivation to win. I still think the Lakers take it regardless of who plays for them.

Since the Kirk Hinrich trade the Atlanta Hawks have really been struggling. They are 3-7 in their last 10 games and their schedule does not get much easier. As of right now they are 40-32 and their draft pick is sitting at 18/ 19 (Tie=same record as Memphis). Their upcoming schedule still has games against top teams including a brutal 4 game stretch against Orlando, Boston, Houston, and San Antonio. They also have to play Miami and Indiana (I think Indiana is better than ATL right now). It is not unreasonable to think they could end these last 10 games with only 3 wins. New York and Philly are right on ATL's heels (philly 2 games back and NY 4 games back). I know New York has been struggling but the remainder of their schedule is CAKE (Bucks, Bobcats, Nets, Cavs, Raptors, Nets again). I would not be surprised if both Philly and NY leapfrogged ATL. If that were to happen Atlanta's pick could end up at #16 (Indiana will have the worst record of any team to make the playoffs so they will have the 15th pick). A selection that high is a great asset. I would love to see a BOYD strategy where we pick up another top 20 pick and use that extra pick to package with Atlanta's pick at #16 and trade back into the top 10. Even if we cannot move up, however, I think we will be able to select a player who can make an impact at 16 (Chris Singleton, John Henson, Marcus Morris, Jordan Hamilton). I hate to say it, but I will be rooting for the Knicks and Sixers the rest of the season.

Hey everybody,

I know this past month has been really rough for us fans. There have been some bright spots with some of our young guys ( John Wall, Nick Young, Trevor Booker, Kevin Seraphin at times, and Jordan Crawford at times) but for the most part we have been frustrated as hell. A hot topic as of late is the play of JaVale McGee. I won't go into his positives and negatives because the subject has been exhausted here the past couple weeks. For me, I think he will improve and eventually turn out to be an OKAY center AT BEST. I hate to say it but I don't think he has much of a future on this team. However, I do think McGee could be better off on another team. One team that I think could use him is the Minnesota Timberwolves. They have one of the best PF's in the game in Kevin Love and Michael Beasley has done well there at the SF position. If you look at their roster they really do not have a Center. They have a bunch of forwards in Anthony Randolph, Love, and Darko Milicic. The only real center on the roster is Nikola Pekovic and he is pretty bad. The player on their roster that I want is Wesley Johnson. He is a guy I loved coming out of Syracuse last year and I actually wanted us to draft him until the ping pong balls landed us the #1 pick. He was drafted at #4, is a natural SF who is ultra long and athletic and has a smooth stroke from the outside. He is a GREAT locker room guy who is all about team and always played so hard at 'Cuse. I have not seen him much this year on the Wolves but I do know it has been tough for him with the emergence of Beasley at the 3 spot. He plays about 26 minutes a game and averages 9 pts, 3 rebs, and 2 asts per game. His percentages have not been great  at 41% from the field and 36% from 3 point land but that isn't terrible either, especially for a rookie who only plays half the game and is on a terrible team. My proposal for a trade is:

JaVale McGee + Jordan Crawford for Wesley Johnson.

The salaries work and if Minny would not accept that offer I would not be afraid to throw in our 1st rd pick from Atlanta to get him. He could potentially solve our SF problem and fits the youth plan. This would allow us to focus on drafting a front court player like Sullinger or Kanter with our top 5 pick. I would not be too worried about losing that Atlanta pick either because come draft time I guarantee you we can get another top 20 pick using the BOYD strategy where I believe you could draft someone that could easily replace Crawford. I think the deal works for both teams. The Wiz get a 2nd year player who was drafted top 5 in Wesley Johnson to possibly fill our SF position long term and the Wolves get a guy in McGee who could be a potential starter with Love while their 3 position is occupied with Beasley. 

What do you guys think?

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/02/09/danny-ainge-confirms-celtics-are-looking-for-deadline-trade/

Maybe Ernie should be looking into this. I feel like a guy like Al Thornton or Josh Howard could fit it nicely with that team. Obviously their starter is Paul Pierce but they were so thin at that position even before Marquis Daniels went down. He could be out a month or two and they clearly need a capable backup, especially while they still have their "championship window" before KG, Ray Ray, and Pierce get too old. Al Thornton and Josh Howard both could mesh well with the Celtics. The C's are one of the top defensive teams in the league which is something Howard and Al are exceptional at. They could also produce some offense for them which would be gravy for that team. I think most would agree here that neither Al or J Howard are in this team's longterm plans. I don't even expect either of them to be back next year seeing how both their contracts are expiring this year. The fact that their deals are expiring could also be attractive to the Celtics. 

Who do the Celtics have that we might want?

Looking at their roster, there are not too many guys I would want. I love Ted's philosophy of trading guys for a "player and a prospect". I think it might be asking a little too much for a 1st rd draft pick for either Al or Howard although that is probably what I would prefer. It might not be totally impossible, however, since their pick will be around the bottom 5 of the 1st round and on a team like the Celtics that player might not ever see the court (we traded away our #5 pick for two 1 year rentals...holy shit... hindsight is 20/20 I guess).

Anyway, another option that intrigues me on their roster is Avery Bradley, the rookie guard out of Texas. The C's drafted him #19 overall and I really liked him coming out Texas. He is a 6'3" point guard/ shooting guard who possesses elite defensive potential as well as natural scoring ability. I think one of the questions with him coming out was that scouts were unsure if he was a point guard or shooting guard. I remember watching him at Texas and thinking he could definitely be a point at the next level. I love his explosiveness and the main attraction is definitely his defense. Here is a scouting report on him before last years draft:

http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/05/18/avery-bradley-nba-draft-profile-and-scouting-report/ 

He has only appeared in 14 games for the Celtics and was recently on their D league squad for the past month. They already have Nate Robinson backing up Rondo so minutes have been tough for him. I would really like to have him here where he can be a 3rd or 4th guard. Trading away a guy like Al or Howard who wouldn't be here next year for a a rookie drafted at #19 sounds good to me. Bradley, Wall, and Young could grow together to form a nice rotation and they all possess the tools to be great perimeter defenders. 

What do you guys think?

I caught a little of the Duke - FSU game last night and was impressed with Singleton. I have watched him play before and always thought of him as an undersized big who would be a good college player but a game that would not translate to the pros (like a lot of FSU guys). He showed me a variety of moves last night, however, and scored from all over the place. I came away impressed. I still do not know too much about him, it looked like he had potential as a wing player in the league with his great size 6'9" 220 and athleticism. Does anyone know more about his game? Would he possibly be a player you guys would like to see the Wiz take a look at in the late 1st?

I was watching the UMD-Duke game the other night and made it a point to pay close attention to Jordan Williams from Maryland and Kyle Singler from Duke. I have loved Jordan Williams since he came to Maryland. I really like his great work ethic and his competitiveness. I never really thought of him in terms of a pro prospect, however, until the other night. After last year, I figured at some point he would make it to the league and would be pretty decent. I was never scouting him as a prospect for the Wizards until a couple weeks ago. It is hard to make judgements based on dominant performances against teams like Elon when he is putting up monster numbers so I decided to really check him out against Duke. He had another extremely strong performance versus the Blue Devils  and is establishing himself as one of the top 3 big men in the ACC as a sophomore. To this point in the season he is averaging 18 pts, 12 rebs, and 1 block per game. He stands at 6'10" and weighs in at 260 lbs. In the offseason he shed about 15 pounds of unwanted weight and now looks lean and athletic while still possessing great strength. He possesses all the skills us Wizards fans have been clamoring for in a big man at the PF position. He has great size and strength, as well as athletic ability. He has a motor that seems to never quit, which was displayed perfectly when he ran the floor hard the other night as trailer and finished with a MONSTER dunk. He PARKS his ass DOWN LOW and has some good post moves that are still developing. He doesn't ever try to do things he can't do (like shoot 3's and 18 footers like someone we know) and it seems like he cleans up every rebound that comes off the iron, which is evident in his 13 double doubles this year. He has a great shooting motion and his mechanics are sound but that part of his game has yet to come to fruition which is shown in his 55% free throw shooting. However, the fundamental skills are there, now it is just a matter of practice. I am not worried about that aspect of his game and believe by next year he will be knocking down 15 footers and could get his FT shooting up to 70%. What I really love about his game is the IMPROVEMENT he has shown from his freshman to sophomore year. He went from an overweight big who was a strong role player on a very good maryland team to a slender 6'10" PF who is now THE MAN on HIS team as a sophomore. I have no doubts that he will come back next year even better with an improved jump shot and a polished all around game. Having said all this I do not think he will be coming out this year and will return to Maryland for 1 more year. Our scouting department should pay close attention to him and I would love to see us target him in the 2012 draft. IF he did come out this season I still would take him with a late 1st rounder. He has shown he can dramatically improve and I really think he could be a starting PF in the league one day. He would be a breath of fresh air if this whole Blatche situation does not work out. 2012 looks to be the year we can get him, however.

Kyle Singler is a guy all of us MD fans love to hate. Ugly looking white guy who kills Maryland. He is one of those guys that annoys the shit out of you if you are an opposing teams fans because he always seems to be in the right place at the right time while burying you with a DAGGER 3. I personally love the guy's game and he is another player who has improved every year. He is finally a Senior and is playing like it. The kid has great size at 6'9" and has one of the quickest releases on his jump shot in the NCAA. He only needs a little bit of space to get it off and is lethal from downtown. To steal a tiny scouting report from NBADraft.net:

"When he's not spotting up, he shows offensive versatility in that he can hit a number of different types of shots in different ways ... Reliable mid-range game with ability to shoot off dribble, although prefers to catch and shoot... High basketball IQ, high awareness of what's going on around him which helps him defensively off the ball, as well as with the ball in his hands in regards to finding teammates cutting to the hoop... Sees court well for 6'9 forward ... Fiery and competitive kid who just has a great overall feel for the game".

They go on to praise his winning attitude a little more and then focus on his weaknesses. The main knock they have on him is his "athletic ability". They try to pinpoint him as a classic "tweener", too small and skinny to cover the 4, not quick enough to cover the 3 spot. I disagree with this assessment. I think his athleticism is good overall. He runs the floor very well and is so active on the boards, which is evident with his 8 rebounds a game. A great example of this was the other night at the end of the 1st half when he attacked the offensive glass and finished off an extremely difficult and athletic tip in buzzer beater which took back a lot of momentum going into the half. Once again, in the right place at the right time. This is not luck, however. He places himself in these situations because of his relentless motor and high basketball IQ. He is a WINNER. He would bring a WINNING attitude. 

Most Mock Drafts have Singler going anywhere from 14- 20 and I believe that is about right for him. I am with ROOK when he says with our lottery pick most likely being in the top 5 (hopefully) we should target a guy like Terrance Jones. A long, athletic wing player who has a great all around game and tremendous upside as well as a surprising amount of polish for a Freshman. He would fit in perfectly on the perimeter with Wall and Young, forming a young, long, athletic nucleus that can defend, shoot, and attack the rim. What I would really love is to draft a guy like Singler, assuming we pull a move like the move we made for Hinrich, taking on salary to gain another 1st round pick, even after drafting Jones who plays the same position. We would be using the later part of the 1st round to draft role players who can carve out a niche with the team and grow with it, much like Ernie is trying to do with Booker and Seraphin. I believe Singler would be an ideal guy to come off the bench for a player like Jones or even Nick Young. He fits the mold of being long and is an underrated athlete. His dead eye shot is a perfect match for a point guard like Wall to distribute to. Imagine him bringing energy off the bench, knocking down 3's and just being an overall pain in the ass for the other team. While he may only be an OK on ball defender his high IQ and work ethic has made him one of the best off ball defenders around which would be another breath of fresh air for this team. A guy who takes charges? YES PLEASE. It is evident Thornton will not be back and Howard probably will not be either. We will need to bring in backup SF, why not bring in Singler with a late 1st rd pick. Let me know what you guys think, I really respect most of your opinions.  

I am with the majority here and believe we HAVE to build through the draft. Enough trading away picks, if anything we should be trying to trade some of our guys who we could get some value for. That being said I also do not believe we should just sit out free agency, especially this year where the free agent market is the strongest it has been in years. There are 2 guys at 2 key positions of need we should target. Both of them are young and are realistic possibilities:

1.) Name- Ryan Kalil

      Position- Center

      Age- 25

      Height- 6'2"

      Weight- 295

      College- USC

Kalil is a center for the Carolina Panthers and is poised to hit the market as an unrestricted free agent. He is in his 4th season and is coming off a year in which he was named a pro bowl alternate and ended up playing in the game due to another players injury. This year he has been great once again on a horrendous Panthers team. It looks like John Fox is out next year in Carolina and they are a team that needs to completely start from scratch. I do not see the appeal in resigning with Carolina and I seriously doubt the panthers franchise him 2 years after they just franchised Jordan Gross at LT. Not only that but if they did Franchise him he would be making top 5 Left Tackle money which means they would be vastly overpaying for the center position. They are a team that needs to be slashing payroll instead of increasing it, especially after they will be forced to sign the #1 overall pick a ton of guaranteed money. Offensive Linemen WANT to play for Shannahan, they know he produces great lines and a great running game. Shannahan and Allen should do everything in their power to get this guy. He's YOUNG, he fits the system, and he's GOOD.

2.) Name-  Sidney Rice 

      Position-  WR

      Height- 6'4"

      Weight-  202

      College- South Carolina

Rice is a WR for the Minnesota Vikings who had a breakout season last year. He caught 83 passes for 1300 yards and 8 TD's. This year he began the year on the PUP list and did not return until week 9 when mixed reports were coming out saying he was thinking of not playing once the 8 week PUP was up. He got into a little tisk with Vikings management and the relationship with that front office has been rocky. He has returned this year and performed well despite the chaotic state the Vikings are in and despite catching balls from T Jackson the past 2 games. I don't see why he would want to resign w minnesota, They have no QB, no head coach, NO STADIUM, and minneapolis isn't exactly the most desirable place to play for NFL players. He would instantly become the #1 WR here and big play receivers are definitely still interested in playing with McNabb despite some of his struggles. He is young, BIG, and possesses big play ability, a guy we should go after hard.

Signing these 2 guys would set up a plan of action for the draft and I would still look at trying to sign a starting OLB in free agency (the 2 biggest names out there are Lamar Woodley and Tamba Hali, not saying we should do it). I think we will end up 6-10 on the year and we will end up with a pick between 9-12. Ideally, Shannahan would move down from that spot with a team who has an extra 2nd rd pick. The top O linemen will still be there in the second and with a late first rounder I would take a stud DLinemen (Dline is LOADED this year in the draft) and with the 2 2nd rounders an interior O linemen and best player available between Free Safety, OLB (depending on free agency), DLine, and Interior Oline. However, if the skins stayed put and took a DL with the first rd and OL with the second i wouldnt complain. 

Signing Kalil and Rice gives the skins the luxury of not having to use a high pick on a WR and maybe only 1 high pick on an interior OLinemen. I would be comfortable going into next year with Brown at RT, TWilliams at LT, Kalil at C, Rookie at Guard, and an open competition between Montgomery, Licht, Hicks, Cook and maybe a late rd pick for the other guard spot. Actually I would be ecstatic with that line. I also would be happy with Rice, Moss, Armstrong as our top 3 receivers. Kalil and Rice are very realistic possibilities and fit the plan of getting younger. We should make signing them a priority. 

If anyone watched the Eagles vs Texans game Thursday night you saw what I did; The Texans D is the softest in the league. I'm not telling you guys anything you did not already know, after all, our miserable offense put up 500 yards on them. Their secondary is one of the worst I have seen in a long time and they are very soft up front despite having Mario Williams. Heading into the offseason they will not be a team that needs rebuilding, however, because their offense is so dynamic and ready to win now. They are going to have to focus their entire offseason on D. Sure, they will draft young defensive talent but they will still be rookies and will face steep learning curves. What I am getting at is that I think the Texans making a play on Haynesworth is entirely possible. They run the 4-3 D, have an elite pass rusher in Williams as well as a playmaking LB in Cushing, adding Haynesworth would give their D line instant credibility and might be able to cover up some holes in the secondary. As I said before, their O is ready to contend right now and that window won't be around forever; they desperately need playmakers on D now. Shanny's dreams of getting a 2nd rd pick for Fat Al seem to be far fetched, but I could definitely see the Texans offering up a 3rd pick for him. The deal would be great for both sides; we will get a mid 3rd rd pick for a guy who plays 30 percent of the snaps for us and they get an instant impact player they most definitely would not have found in the 3rd rd. If I am Bruce Allen I would even try Wieseling one of their players on O, Steve Slaton perhaps? I know the guy kind of sucks but with our RB corps the way it is now I would love to at least have the guy in camp to see what he can do. What do you guys think, is a Fat Al trade with Texans possible? 

Let's say we were to trade Albert to the titans for a 3rd and 6th round pick. That means we are going into next years draft with almost all our picks intact more or less with a 1, 2, 3, possibly two 5's, two 6's, and a 7. Obviously I would be thrilled with having our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd rd picks, however it makes me think harder about trading for Vincent Jackson. I know the asking price is a 2nd rounder and maybe a 6th rounder but I am tempted because the guy is coming off great back to back year and is only 27 and is about  to his prime. He would be a monster addition and give our offense much more credibility. The only part that really makes me hesitate is VJ's extension wishes, no chance im paying him Brandon Marshall money but at the same time I cannot tell if he is making those demands to San Diego bc he wants out or if he actually feels thats his worth. With VJ, and Santana as your starters and Armstrong in the slot (I think Armstrong is perfect for the slot) along with your two tight end sets with McNabb at QB plus a much improved O-line we could do serious damage. VJ's impact makes a huge difference, which is crazy because it's just 1 player but that's how weak our WR corps looks right now. I think I would make that deal for Vj if a trade for AH goes through. The only thing that makes me hesitate is the contract thing. What do you guys think

The only way we even have a shot at Melo is if Denver waits until the trade deadline to deal him. In order for us to have a chance, Gil has to be playing at an all star level and generating national buzz—- in a positive way this time. Getting an all star back in the trade would ease the blow a little for Denver fans, which ownership is definitely thinking about. Also, McGee needs to be playing well too because he will definitely have to be included in the deal. If he is averaging 10 and 10 and producing highlight reel dunks Denver will certainly be demanding him. An exciting 22 yr old 7’1" center with an expiring contract that includes a team option plus an all star with Gil could give us at least a chance. I just dont know if denver would be willing to take Gils contract even if he is an all star. They probably would want us to take on one of their scrubs like renaldo balkman who makes 1.7 mil for the next three years. They would also want a first rounder to sweeten the deal. 

Analyzing that trade:

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Overall I would have to say I am pretty happy with the way the offseason went....

At first, I was really upset about the Hinrich trade because the $8 mil owed to him next year. It seemed like we could take on a much less contract in order to obtain a draft pick in the top 20 (see OKC taking on Daquen Cook's 3 mil expiring and the #18 pick). While I would have preferred OKC's move, I am coming around to our trade. Grunfeld has stated that his goal was to make this team tougher, and add more character and Hinrich, while expensive, adds exactly that. He brings playoff experience and veteran leadership to lead by example with these young guys. While I am still not thrilled with the trade I am okay with it because it fits the get tough plan.

Drafting Wall, Seraphin, Booker, and N'Daye was also Okay in my book. Wall was the obvious no brainer and our BIG offseason acquisition. When we took Seraphin at 17 I wasn’t too happy about taking a frenchy. However, after learning he was 6'10" 260 with athleticism who apparently likes to bang down low and has a mean streak I was once again okay with it because we were getting tougher down low, it fit the plan.

I got to say, going into the draft I was hoping we would pick Booker with our second round pick at #35. I loved his toughness and grit at Clemson; he was exactly the type of player I wanted on this team. I wasn't too excited about trading up to get him but whatever. He is another tough guy added to the roster.

I like the resigning of Howard at a 1 yr deal. He is definitely our best wing player when he is fully recovered. He is another veteran to add to the young guys. Once he is ready to go he will definitely be the starter at the 3 spot. Signing him at a 1 yr deal gives us options. If he does not really recover and performs poorly then we cut ties with him at the end of the year. If he does perform he could be used as a trade asset around the trade deadline. He is the type of player who could be a good final piece for a team looking to make a deep playoff run. In return we might have to take on a little longer term salary but we could also get a draft pick out of it. The trade would fit Ted's plan of trading an asset for a "player and a prospect". This same situation applies to Gilbert Arenas, if he performs well he could be another piece a contending team is looking to add. I like the fact that we are setting ourselves up with options without really hurting ourselves long term.

The re-signing of Howard however really makes me question the trade of Ross for Yi. How does Yi fit the plan at all? Sure he has a little talent and is another 7 young footer, but that addition seems completely random to me. We gave away a 1.5 mil contract with Ross for a contract close to 5 mil with Yi. It would be one thing if Yi was a center who could provide minutes in case McGee doesn’t work out but he is a stretch 4 who doesn't fit our plan at all. His contract is expiring but so was Ross's. This move makes no sense to me. Right now we are going into the season around 5 mil under the cap which is nice bcuz we have some flexibility but if we don’t make that trade we are going in around 8.5 mil under even after the Howard resigning. Not to mention we drafted Booker and Seraphin to become role players and develop who play the same position as Yi. Where will the minutes be for those guys? I would hope we just sit Yi on the bench unless someone’s injured but then once again, why did we make that move? That pisses me off.

Another move that is questionable to me is not addressing the backup center position. I definitely do think McGee needs a large majority of the minutes and it certainly appears he will get them which is great. However, adding Hilton Armstrong just seemed like a "whatever we'll just take this guy" move. I guess Seraphin and N'Daye will provide some insurance too but the Center position is definitely the biggest question mark going into the season which is alarming because Center is a very important position. We are really going to need McGee to deliver, and I really hope he does.

I think we should sign Cartier Martin to fill out the roster and play him as a guard so that we can still go into the season around 5 mil under the cap.

Once again, overall I am happy with the offseason. The only move we made that will put any restrictions on us next year is the trade for Hinrich and who knows maybe next offseason someone will be looking for a complimentary piece and could use a guy like Hinrich with an expiring contract. He could bring back more assets for us. I am not saying that is likely but you never know. We have given ourselves options as well as assembled a team that could possibly compete. I have to say I would not be completely surprised if we end up being in contention for those final 2 or 3 playoff seeds. If we do wind up getting into the playoffs, you cannot discount the invaluable experience it would bring for these young guys, especially a guy like Wall. If we end up 10th in the East or something which is totally possible then hey, we end up with another lottery pick to continue adding pieces. Here is what I think the final roster will look like:

PG- Wall, Hinrich

SG- Arenas, Young, Martin

SF- Howard, Thornton, (martin)

PF- Blatche, Booker, Seraphin, Yi  

C- McGee,  Armstrong, Ndaye, (Seraphin) 

Not bad, go wiz.