# Trading Daniels was a huge mistake



## Dre

I can't say much for Crittenton yet, but there's something wrong if he can't get oncourt in front of these guys until garbage time.

One thing I do know, the last thing this team needs is another guard who takes the ball and looks for his own shot exclusively (James). I guess it's good that at least he's willing to penetrate whereas Stephenson, Dixon and Young just jack up shots, but they definitely just further stagnated their offense with that move. Daniels was the only guard consistently willing to try and setup teammates and run the offense, and he's gone now.

Hopefully Crittenton can come in and do something, but it looks like he's still being treated like a project. 

I don't want to overreact after one game, but Mike James played last night like he has all his life, for Mike James. 

Once Gilbert gets back, there's going to be some serious issues. Good thing these guys seem to be offcourt friends, because if they were just teammates there'd be serious infighting.


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## f22egl

> Aldridge told the crew there had been some feeling that Antonio Daniels was getting increasingly negative and critical, and that with a bench filled with young kids, they didn't need that.


http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2008/12/reggie_miller_and_david_aldrid.html


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## Dre

If negative and critical means telling the guards to stop being so selfish, and telling Blatche to get his **** together, good for him. I can't imagine anything else from him.


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## c_dog

nah, daniels had to go. mike james is selfish,but he can possibly provide this team some instant offense, if he ever finds his groove. daniels looks to be done. he used to be an efficient pg who kept turnovers low, and made all the right passes, but now he's just washed up.


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## Dre

I don't see how James is any better than Dixon or Young.


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## Wilt_The_Stilt

Javaris will be a good player. Certainly better than James or Dixon. He doesn't play like Daniels though; if that is what you are looking for you will be dissapointed.


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## f22egl

According to the Wizards, Daniels wasn't capable of playing major minutes anymore. He has been playing with nagging injuries this season (a bad knee and wrist). Daniels also has also been exposed as a bad perimeter defender without Brendan Haywood. I think getting rejected by Ben Gordon at the rim summarizes how much Daniels has declined in this past year. New Orleans only needs a point guard that can play 10 minutes per game since they have Chris Paul, so at least Daniels can go somewhere where he can compete for a championship. 

Mike James already looks like best defender at the point guard position in limited minutes. Not all of the shots he took were bad shots (although none of them fell for him last night against the Celtics). In the worst case scenario, trading Daniels will allow for more time for Crittenton to play.


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## HB

Your very own Mike James will be on Super Nanny tonight


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## Dre

If you say so, I just don't see a positive spin on moving the only guard you had willing to distribute the ball for a question mark and another black hole.


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## HKF

Wilt_The_Stilt said:


> Javaris will be a good player. Certainly better than James or Dixon. He doesn't play like Daniels though; if that is what you are looking for you will be dissapointed.


How can you even say this? He hasn't even gotten tick on a bad team like Memphis and yet he's better than them? He should have at least one good NBA game first. He hasn't had one in a season in a quarter so far.


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## Wilt_The_Stilt

HKF said:


> How can you even say this? He hasn't even gotten tick on a bad team like Memphis and yet he's better than them? He should have at least one good NBA game first. He hasn't had one in a season in a quarter so far.


I said he _will_ be better. Not that he is right now. And I have no problem saying that. It's not like he has to be special to be better than those two.


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## HKF

Um, Mike James has had a 20 ppg season. Will Crittenton even do anything close to that? For all we know he could be out of the league after next season. He needs to pick it up.


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## Wilt_The_Stilt

HKF said:


> Um, Mike James has had a 20 ppg season. Will Crittenton even do anything close to that? For all we know he could be out of the league after next season. He needs to pick it up.


Yes he had a 20ppg season playing on a bad team. Almost all of his productive seasons came while he was on bad teams. I'm not really impressed by guys who can score on bad teams but don't do squat when they play for a decent team.

And it's not like James was an all-star right off the bat. Do you know that he didn't make the NBA until he was 26? Javaris is only 20 years old. I'm not ready to write him off yet.


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## jayk009

Mike James was a pretty damn good bench player before he got to Toronto. That one season ruined his mindset and made him think he was kobe bryant. I hate when people comment on players when they know nothing about them..


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## JerryWest

Trade Java back to the Lakers if you don't want him. He's better than the chumps the wizards have right now at PG. The guy could easily score if he were given the minutes.


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## f22egl

Javaris is starting to get some playing time but he looks a bit gun shy out there. He looks like someone who will compliment Gilbert Arenas well. Still, I would like to see him take more shots instead of always looking to pass first.


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## GNG

I can't comprehend how some people think Javaris Crittenton will eventually morph into a legit NBA player. He's done literally nothing to back these high hopes up.

Already two teams have moved past him, and he's played 65 career games. That's not a good sign.


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## DANNY

trading daniels wasnt bad, fact that he got traded for MIKE ****IN JAMES made it a **** move.


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## f22egl

Cinco de Mayo said:


> I can't comprehend how some people think Javaris Crittenton will eventually morph into a legit NBA player. He's done literally nothing to back these high hopes up.
> 
> Already two teams have moved past him, and he's played 65 career games. That's not a good sign.


That's like saying Caron Butler was never going to become a good player because 2 teams already moved him before he came to Washington.

I don't think he's going to be an all star player but it looks he can used effectively as a role player. From limited action, he can rebound well for a guard, he plays decent defense with the ability to guard both backcourt positions, and he does a good job setting his teammates up. He hasn't shown the ability to score himself yet, but when Gilbert Arenas comes back, scoring from the backcourt will be the least of this team's troubles.


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## f22egl

DANNY said:


> trading daniels wasnt bad, fact that he got traded for MIKE ****IN JAMES made it a **** move.


Mike James hasn't been horrible. He was shooting 41% in the month of December and averaging 12 ppg and 3apg during that month. James has struggled in the past 3 games this month but those have been against the top defensive teams in the league (Boston, Cleveland, and Orlando).


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## HKF

Caron Butler was a starter averaging 15 ppg. I mean one has nothing to do with the other.


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## f22egl

HKF said:


> Caron Butler was a starter averaging 15 ppg. I mean one has nothing to do with the other.


A player was traded twice early in his career does not mean that a player will fail.

Example:
Caron Butler

I think it was implied in my answer that Butler when he first came to Washington, was a better prospect than Crittenton. Still, Butler certainly exceeded most peoples expectations and if Crittenton can develop, he can prove his critics wrong as well. I'm just saying you can't rule out Crittenton yet because two teams have traded him. The Lakers moved Crittenton because they had an opportunity to get Pau Gasol. Sure the Grizzlies gave up on Crittenton but that's because they are already highly invested in the the point guard position with Mike Conley and Kyle Lowry (the guy I wanted the Wizards to draft instead of Pech). Crittenton certainly will have an opportunity to crack the Wizards rotation where the backcourt is depleted.

EDIT:

Although getting traded twice isn't always a good thing either (see Kwame Brown).


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## Diable

Crittendon never showed he could play the point in college,but he got drafted in the first round because people were projecting that he could play the point in the nba and because they liked his physical attributes.It seems so silly,but then nba teams never give up on this idea.It's pretty silly,but they see a guy with big biceps and good footspeed and act like they can magically turn him into a guy who can play the most difficult position in the nba.Personally I've always felt that he was a shooting guard,but he'd be in Europe if NBA personell people shared this opinion so I guess he's a point guard.


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## f22egl

Looking at Critt play significant minutes tonight, he is quite adept at passing but doesn't display show much versatility on offense. In fact, I believe he's shooting under 50% as a free throw shooter. He needs to add some kind of jumper or at least show some propensity to get quality shots by attacking the basket. Still he had a solid night contributing in other ways; he finished with 3 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, and 0 turnovers.


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## JerryWest

Critt can still blow by a lot of players with speed alone, he did it as a rookie in limited minutes when he was given the chance and he hasn't lost any of that speed at all. He's also one of the better defenders at the PG position already, capable of taking on some of the shorter SG assignments as well.

People are mistaking not getting minutes as being capable of doing nothing. Ariza is a good example of this. Just because coaches are too stupid to play young players doesn't mean they won't be good. It's when you give players minutes and they do nothing is when they are lost causes (ie morrison)


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## shyFX325

How can any move that only affects the team short term be a mistake?? With or without Gilbert this team isnt going anywhere. By the time this team gets ready to contend Antonio Daniels will have been out of the league for 2-3 years. James is only a stopgap to create some sort of offense until Gilbert returns (and then will hopefully disappear quietly into the night). Crittenton has awhile to go but is one of the few players in the league that can play defensively in a backcourt with gil (guard either pg or sg) and still get other players involved offensively.

You want to talk about huge mistakes... lets go back to the monsterous deal Gilbert signedd (someone mention him taking the "hometown discount, I dare you). Anyone who thinks this team is just going to kick into high gear when he returns has got to get their head examined. I really dont think him returning is going to impact much other then his scoring average (his #1 priority). One on One there is no question who would win between him and Mike James/Nick Young, when you start talking about team basketball though I really dont think the combo of the two of them is that far behind. 

For example lets look at the last game vs the Raptors... the james/young combo got us 19 points + 7 assists. Yeah Gil could have scored a few more points, but would he have had those 7 assists? How much more would he have allowed on the defensive end?? Even if we do say Gilbert would have given us 5 extra points is that worth the extra 10 million its costing?? It still wouldnt have been enough to beat the 15-21 Toronto Raptors.

How has a team pushed its salary all the way to the luxury tax limits and have nothing but role players (and Gil) to show for it? Jamison, as nice of a guy as he is, should be nothing more then a veteran presence tutoring the youngsters. I know alot of you guys love Caron (and i do too) but we are kidding ourselves if we think he is a legit #2 option. On an actual championship level team he would be no more then a third. If you look at our young role players (nick young, mcgee, even blatche) you would think this team has alot of room to improve and things to look forward to , but, unfortunately without one of these players making humongous steps forward (ie javale mcgee) this team was built to do no more but be the 4th/5th seed in the East.


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## Dre

LOL someone has some pentup frustration.

And the concept that because the team sucks you get a pass at making bad decisions for your team...L. It's not Mike James is some huge expiring contract who'll temporarily lower the level of play until his absence creates space for a superstar. That's the mentality of a loser in itself.


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## f22egl

shyFX325 said:


> How can any move that only affects the team short term be a mistake?? With or without Gilbert this team isnt going anywhere. By the time this team gets ready to contend Antonio Daniels will have been out of the league for 2-3 years. James is only a stopgap to create some sort of offense until Gilbert returns (and then will hopefully disappear quietly into the night). Crittenton has awhile to go but is one of the few players in the league that can play defensively in a backcourt with gil (guard either pg or sg) and still get other players involved offensively.
> 
> You want to talk about huge mistakes... lets go back to the monsterous deal Gilbert signedd (someone mention him taking the "hometown discount, I dare you). Anyone who thinks this team is just going to kick into high gear when he returns has got to get their head examined. I really dont think him returning is going to impact much other then his scoring average (his #1 priority). One on One there is no question who would win between him and Mike James/Nick Young, when you start talking about team basketball though I really dont think the combo of the two of them is that far behind.
> 
> For example lets look at the last game vs the Raptors... the james/young combo got us 19 points + 7 assists. Yeah Gil could have scored a few more points, but would he have had those 7 assists? How much more would he have allowed on the defensive end?? Even if we do say Gilbert would have given us 5 extra points is that worth the extra 10 million its costing?? It still wouldnt have been enough to beat the 15-21 Toronto Raptors.
> 
> How has a team pushed its salary all the way to the luxury tax limits and have nothing but role players (and Gil) to show for it? Jamison, as nice of a guy as he is, should be nothing more then a veteran presence tutoring the youngsters. I know alot of you guys love Caron (and i do too) but we are kidding ourselves if we think he is a legit #2 option. On an actual championship level team he would be no more then a third. If you look at our young role players (nick young, mcgee, even blatche) you would think this team has alot of room to improve and things to look forward to , but, unfortunately without one of these players making humongous steps forward (ie javale mcgee) this team was built to do no more but be the 4th/5th seed in the East.


I think this team is a playoff team with Gilbert Arenas and Brendan Haywood back. Gilbert adds something which this team desperately needs, 3 point shooting and 4th quarter scoring. 7 assists for a two guards is not that good. With Gilbert/Stevenson backcourt in 2006-07, they averaged 10 assists per game, with Antonio Daniels coming off the bench with 4/5 dimes a game. Brendan Haywood will also help this team out immensely, his presence has been greatly missed on the defensive side of the ball. Heck, his impact on the offensive end in the form of getting offensive rebounds and shooting a high free throw % have been greatly missed.

I'm going to have to disagree with you that Gilbert makes his teammates better. He spreads the court with his 3 point shooting. With Gilbert on the floor, teams can't afford to double team Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison.

Should the Wizards have matched Gilbert Arenas's contract? It's too early to say IMO. To say it's already costly to this team is premature. After Amare Stoudemire signed a max deal with Phoenix, he also missed the following season with knee surgery. But now Phoenix now enjoys the benefit of having a 20+/10 player. Arenas needs to take his time and not rush back like he did at the end of last season when he was nowhere near 100%. I the Wizards will have an opportunity to trade Arenas if EG chooses to do so.

I also think Caron Butler can be a #2 option. When Caron Butler is on top of his game, his play is close to what Paul Pierce is doing in Boston. And if you really think this team needs a new #1 option, then you should be happy that they are dead last in the standings and will put themselves in a position to at least get a top 5 pick in this year's draft; and perhaps the coveted prize; Blake Griffin.


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## shyFX325

f22egl said:


> And if you really think this team needs a new #1 option, then you should be happy that they are dead last in the standings and will put themselves in a position to at least get a top 5 pick in this year's draft; and perhaps the coveted prize; Blake Griffin.


call me crazy but I've actually got my fingers crossed we end up with the second pick and 18 year old Spanish heart throb, ricky rubio.

pg - el menudo / crittenton
sg - arenas / young
sf - caron / mcguire
pf - McGee / Jamison (maybe not next year but eventually)
C - Haywood / Blatche

Im much more excited over that possible lineup than adding to an already congested front court. I really think rubio/mcgee could turn into nash/amare pt. deux


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## GNG

f22egl said:


> That's like saying Caron Butler was never going to become a good player because 2 teams already moved him before he came to Washington.


No. It isn't.


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## f22egl

Critt with another solid outing; 4 points (2-3 from the field), 4 assists, 5 rebounds, and 0 turnovers in 17 minutes.


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## f22egl

Cinco de Mayo said:


> No. It isn't.


Say what you will but Caron Butler exceeded everyone's expectations since he's came to Washington. Jarvis Hayes started over Caron when he got here. He was thought to be too small to be a small forward and he didn't have enough ball handling skills. A lot of Laker fans believed they had gotten the best deal. 

Crittenton's expectations are much lower. But to say he can't become a legit NBA player is way out of line. I only brought up Butler as an example of player who also exceeded expectations. Trevor Ariza is another player, whom KennthTo brought up.


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## f22egl

shyFX325 said:


> call me crazy but I've actually got my fingers crossed we end up with the second pick and 18 year old Spanish heart throb, ricky rubio.
> 
> pg - el menudo / crittenton
> sg - arenas / young
> sf - caron / mcguire
> pf - McGee / Jamison (maybe not next year but eventually)
> C - Haywood / Blatche
> 
> Im much more excited over that possible lineup than adding to an already congested front court. I really think rubio/mcgee could turn into nash/amare pt. deux


I actually like Rubio as a prospect more than I like Griffin. I'm not sure how a Rubio/Arenas backcourt adds up.

Edit: I have Griffin and Curry rated ahead of Rubio now.


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## Dre

So yeah..Crittenton had a whole quarter to showcase himself...and he doesn't really look all that promising. I guess he can be a decent wing player off the bench, but he's not a point guard.


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## f22egl

I actually thought Crittenton looked pretty good in the 4th quarter; he had a few mistake but he did have 8 points, 3 assists, and 5 rebounds in the period. In one instance, Critt was too unselfish, he could have finished on the fast break but decided to pass it back to McGee. Fortunately for the Wizards, McGee still got 2 free throw attempts out of it. He's one of the few guys the Wizards have (especially without Arenas) that can attack the basket. He did this even more with Sun Yue in the game, who picked up 3 fouls in 5 minutes guarding Crittenton.


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## Dre

He does look pretty smooth and fluid attacking the basket, but I didn't see him make any good decisions or passes that left me confident of his ability to be a good point guard.


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## HKF

Sun Yue is garbage though. Critt should abuse him. He's only in the league for marketing, not cause he can play. It's obvious that a guy like Coby Karl has more skills than Yue.


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## f22egl

Yeah, his decison making was not that good in this game. But it was essentially garbage time and he was playing with other young guys like McGee, Pech, McGuire, and Young against backups of Sun Yue. The team as a whole wasn't running the offense that well, but they were beating the Lakers on the scoreboard (I think they outscored them by 10 in the period). 

Critts had better games than this one; and I wouldn't take one period of garbage time too seriously. He displayed his slashing abilty and good defense but also demonstrated that he's far from a finished product due to average decision making but his could improve with more experience. In the big picture, he could be a point guard as he's a pretty good passer, he's unselfish, and he's a pretty good defender. He's not a shot jacker like Larry Hughes. His upside at this point is a backup with a potential to play major minutes along Gilbert Arenas.


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## byrondarnell66

Crittenton with his best game as a Wizard (vs. Philly) 15 pts, 7 asst, 4 reb, 1 to, 2 stls in 20 mins. Hope to see more of this in the future.


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## f22egl

byrondarnell66 said:


> Crittenton with his best game as a Wizard (vs. Philly) 15 pts, 7 asst, 4 reb, 1 to, 2 stls in 20 mins. Hope to see more of this in the future.


He had some great passes too. His only turnover I believe came when he pickpocked by Lou Williams when he was securing a defensive rebound.


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## f22egl

Javaris Crittenton with 7 points, 7 assists, and 7 rebounds in 25 minutes


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## JerryWest

Eat **** haters. I've said all along that the problem with Critt wasn't Critt but the stupid coaches he worked with who wouldn't give him a chance.

Java the Hutt is for real *****es.


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## HKF

No one hates him, so I am not sure where you get this haters thing from. He's an average player who had some decent games for a team that's completely out of the race. Let's not go crazy.


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## byrondarnell66

I agree, im not going to get carried away, but hes showed alot a promise so far. Hes one of the only few reasons I watch Wizards games these days. The guy can drive and pass the ball, something this team lacks severely.


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## GNG

HKF said:


> No one hates him, so I am not sure where you get this haters thing from. He's an average player who had some decent games for a team that's completely out of the race. Let's not go crazy.


I remember him posting 20-point games about 11 months ago. Even the scrub guards in this league are going to put up adequate numbers if they get 25 minutes a night.

Let's see (and hope) Crittenton can build on his recent decent-ness.


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## f22egl

Crittenton was clutch last game in crunch time against the T-Wolves. In the final minute, he hit a go ahead jumper to put the Wizards ahead by 1 and he found Mike James for the open 3 pointer on the following possession. He finished with 11 points (4-6), 4 rebounds, and 4 assists (1 turnover). He was also +19 on the court.


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## Basel

I'm glad that Java is playing well with the Wizards - he's got a lot of upside, so hopefully he makes the most of it. He's getting what he wanted which is a lot of playing time, so now's the time for him to impress the coaches and management. He could become a great guy coming off the bench to backup Gilbert Arenas.


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