Friday Roundtable: Is John Wall Worth $80 Million?

John Wall signed a new $80-million deal, yet still hasn't played a complete season in the league. (sportsillustrated.cnn.com)

BDD's Friday Roundtable is a weekly discussion among a group of our writers on a trending NBA or college basketball topic.

This week's question: Is John Wall worth the five-year, $80 million deal he just signed with the Washington Wizards?

Alex:
 Based on he early returns of his career, a five-year deal worth $80 million would be overcompensation for John Wall if he were on any team other than the Washington Wizards. The repetitive knee injuries, the aggravations from playing too much in the offseason, and the photographic evidence of his lax training resulting from the two are worthwhile risks only because Wall is supposed to be the franchise's savior, drafted as a new face for billboards after Gilbert Arenas wore out his welcome in D.C. To this point, Wall has played a comparable number of games in three years with the Wizards as Michael Jordan did in two years there during his career's twilight.

But what Wall showed in January, after returning from yet another ailment, was promise enough. His last season averages of 18.5 points, 7.6 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game, added with his career-high 44.1 percent from the field, showed Wall was capable to find the balance between scoring and distributing needed to effectively lead a high-caliber team. The Wizards' top-six rankings for offense and defense during Wall's January return are proof of that. His chemistry with rookie shooting guard Bradley Beal also gave Washington's front office confidence in their ability to surround Wall with more young pieces that could elevate the franchise to the NBA's top tier. Drafting Otto Porter while retaining Wall is a subtle co-signing of the Wizards' continuing belief in his point-guard-of-the-future (-borderline-present) status.


Kyle:
There's two ways to look at this new John Wall deal. One is that Wall will go from $7.4 million last year to roughly $16 million this season thanks to the new five-year, $80 million deal. This is a substantial price for a player who has battled through injuries and has yet to play 70 games in any of this three NBA seasons. While wall is also putting up solid numbers for his career, 16.9 points and eight assists per game, he still needs to work on his shooting, as he only averages 42 percent from the floor and 24 percent from 3-point range.

The second way to look at this team is by comparing it to other contracts around the league and the type of player the Wizards are getting for their money. Last season Amar'e Stoudemire, Joe Johnson, Chris Bosh and Rudy Gay were among the players who made more than Wall will with his new contract, and you could argue none were as important to their team as Wall was to the Wizards. Wall's teammate, Emeka Okafor, was paid $14.4 million last season for 9.7 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. Also, if looking at point guards, the Bulls paid Derrick Rose $17.6 million to sit on the bench the entire year and the Nets paid Deron Williams $18.4 million, who posted similar numbers to Wall. Wall is the face of the franchise and the Wizards have proven they are going to build around him to give him more offensive pieces (like Bradley Beal and Otto Porter) to work with. He may have had injury issues, but like Rose, his potential and the amount the teams have invested in him already makes it worth the $80 million over five years.

NBA Veteran Jason Collins is a Groundbreaker

Jason Collins is the first openly gay athlete in a major American sport. (USA Today Sports)

This is a post about Jason Collins. It is not the story of Jason Collins, which has been told over and over since Monday when, in a Sports Illustrated feature, he revealed his homosexuality and became the first publicly gay athlete in any of America's four major professional sports.

Collins' announcement is historic and should pave the way for others to follow his precedent without the fear of being ostracized, humiliated or suffering any other negative backlash that would impede a proud coming out. That Collins' announcement is a major story in a time as supposedly as progressive as 2013 could be seen as sad, but someone had to break the barrier and and there was no one better for the job than Collins — an intelligent, well-liked, amiable teammate if there is one — not that we know of, anyway. Among others, several members of the Miami Heat have already expressed their support for and acceptance of Collins and those who will follow in his footsteps.

There are two sides to every coin, of course, but the ugliness of discrimination has been mostly marginalized on the national radar in the wake of Collins' announcement. In itself, this is a sign of progress, but not one as large as Collins' act of bravery.

By no means is he an all-star; at best, Collins is a journeyman — a player who does enough of the little things correctly to keep earning contracts. He is a fringe player who, until this week, was mostly unknown outside fans of the NBA and Stanford, his alma mater. A gay basketball phenom may someday eclipse Collins' star and that will be important, but Collins' initiation of the conversation about homosexual players in the ranks of active professional athletes is going to be a longstanding benchmark. Rightly so.

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Winners and Losers of the 2013 NBA Trade Season

J.J. Redick was among the NBA players traded before the Thursday deadline (cbssports.com)

The clock for trading players in the NBA expired Thursday at 3 p.m. EST and, to be honest, the trades made didn't live up to the hype built up in the weeks before the deadline. Sure, several players changed teams, but no major names will be showing up on new rosters or appear on upcoming tickets in different uniforms. Josh Smith, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce all stayed put. For the sake of completeness, however, let's figure out who won and lost the trade season.

The Orlando Magic had a busy final day of the trade deadline, trading away four players in two deals.

The major player in the mix for the Magic — and the most valuable player moved by any team before the deadline — was shooting guard J.J. Redick, who is now a member of the Milwaukee Bucks. Redick was part of a six-player trade which also included the Magic sending Gustavo Ayon and Ish Smith for Doron Lamb, Beno Udrih and Tobias Harris.

In a separate deal, Orlando parted with another former Duke player Josh McRoberts for Hakim Warrick from the Charlotte Bobcats.

The Bucks acquire Redick during his most successful season in the NBA. The sharpshooter is averaging 15.1 ppg, nearly six points more than his career averages of 9.2. Redick is also improving in field goal percentage, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals (although the difference in the final two stats is slim).

It seems like Redick, in his sixth season in the NBA, has come into his role on an NBA team and has learned how to be successful moving from a star at Duke to a supporting character in the NBA.

The Bucks seem to have won this trade due to the fact that Redick is having the best year of his career. Brandon Jennings is already the premier scorer, so Redick can resume the role of 3-point threat and give the Bucks some needed offensive firepower. Doron Lamb is the youngest and possibly has the most upside of of any player the Magic got in return, but he is mostly unproven, averaging just 3.4 ppg. However, this was a smart time for the Magic to trade Redick if it was going to happen because his stock was looking to climb by the season's end.

We already touched on one angle of the Houston Rockets/Phoenix Suns trade, which reunites Marcus and Markieff Morris in the Suns' logjam of a frontcourt. If played at the same time, the twins' chemistry could give Phoenix a small spark. They aren't going to be beating top teams at the end of this season, but they are developing players again with rookie and social media star Kendall Marshall getting minutes as the second-string point guard, prompting a swap of Sebastian Telfair to the Toronto Raptors for center Hamed Haddadi and a protected second-round pick.

Haddadi is on his third team of the season, having been moved in the same deal that sent Rudy Gay to Toronto, but is unlikely to get minutes playing behind Marcin Gortat and Jermaine O'Neal in the desert. That deal overshadows another deal the Grizzlies made: sending Marreese Speights, Wayne Ellington, Josh Selby and a conditional first-round pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Jon Leuer. The most notable portion of this trade — other than Memphis going under the luxury tax — is the pick, as it was the only future first-rounder traded this season. Under the new CBA, first-round picks are more valuable than ever. This is the sixth first-round pick the Cavs had obtained via trade since 2010 and will continue to help Cleveland solidify a young core around Kyrie Irving.

Easily the busiest team over the course of the trade season, the Grizzlies also received Dexter Pittman, a 2013 second-round pick and cash considerations from the Miami Heat in exchange for the rights to Ricky Sanchez, a forward selected in the second round of the 2005 draft by the Portland Trail Blazers who is currently playing in Argentina.

The Blazers may have missed out on Sanchez, but shortly before yesterday's deadline they welcomed Eric Maynor into their guard rotation. Maynor had played decreased minutes with the Oklahoma City Thunder after injuring his knee last season and becoming the third point guard option after returning. The Blazers get a much needed reliable, if rusty back-up for rookie stalwart Damian Lillard while OKC shaved approximately $1 million in salary by receiving cash and the rights to 27-year-old Greek forward Georgios Printezis.

The most forward getting the most attention because of a trade, though, is Thomas Robinson. Drafted as the No. 5 overall pick less than a year ago by the flailing Sacramento Kings, Robinson was dealt to the Rockets along with frontcourt brethren Francisco Garcia and Tyler Honeycutt for fellow Kansas Jayhawk Cole Aldrich, Toney Douglas and Patrick Patterson. While Patterson is putting up better per-game numbers than Robinson this season, Robinson has been mired in a crowded rotation of big men and played 410 fewer minutes than Patterson. Comparing the per-36 minutes numbers, though, reveals that while Robinson is averaging 1.7 turnovers and 1.5 personal fouls more than Patterson, the rookie is putting up better defensive stats than his replacement with 4.1 rebounds per 36 and holding the edge in assists, steals and blocks, as well. Patterson is the better player right now. He's also more exciting at the moment, scoring more points per 36 minutes than Robinson, but this trade is another bungled move in a series of them for the Kings. Giving up on a player so early is foolish and the Rockets don't intend to do the same thing, having said they intend to keep Robinson (and, for now, they have by refusing to flip him immediately after acquiring his contract). Robinson is going through typical rookie struggles and should even out next season, if not before.

Of the more ancillary moves, Jordan Crawford landing in Boston will give the Celtics more offensive firepower in the absence of Rajon Rondo, whose back-up, Leandro Barbosa, also tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and was traded in return to the Washington Wizards along with Jason Collins. With Barbosa and Collins entering free agency this summer and only one-third of their current contracts left, the Wizards save a bit of money (Crawford's contract goes through 2013-14 with a $1 million pay raise next season) and can continue restructuring around John Wall without Crawford living in bench limbo.

Other trades included the New York Knicks sending Ronnie Brewer to the Thunder for a 2014 second-round pick and cash, and the Atlanta Hawks receiving Dahntay Jones (for Anthony Morrow) and Jeremy Tyler (for cash and future draft considerations) in separate trades with the Dallas Mavericks and Golden State Warriors, respectively. The Warriors were involved in a second trade, taking in a protected second-round pick from the Philadelphia 76ers as Charles Jenkins and a bit of cash goes to the City of Brotherly Love.

Who wins and who loses, then? Here's a quick recap, with the lessons, as always, being that most trades have more to do with pocketbooks than with play on the court and the Maloofs hate Sacramento:

Winners: Bucks, Celtics, Rockets, Thunder, Trail Blazers, Wizards
Losers: Kings (and their fans)
Line-Steppers: Everyone else


*Kyle Davis contributed to this article due to conflict of interest.

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A Conversation with Jordan Crawford

After scoring 27 points off the bench in the Washington Wizards' 105-97 win over the Orlando Magic, Jordan Crawford had few words for reporters. Attempting to find the basest meaning of success in the game of basketball, I made up what I think would be an accurate discussion with Crawford transcribed this audio clip from last night's post-game locker room chat.

There is one particular thing Jordan Crawford is not doing in this photograph. (WashingtonPost.com)

Journalist: What was the key to tonight's game?


Crawford: Making shots.


Journalist: How can tonight's success at home be translated into wins on the road?

Crawford: Making shots.


Journalist: With a record like 4-23, it must be tough to look at one game at a time. Does Coach Wittman have you focused on a season-long goal?

Crawford: Making shots.


Journalist: Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III wasn't in the crowd tonight, but fans still did the "R-G-3" chant.

Crawford: Making shots.


Journalist: Um, yeah, what I was going to --


Crawford: Making shots.


Journalist: Ok. Sure. There aren't many chances to celebrate a Wizards win. What are you going to do tonight?


Crawford: My plan is to go home and allow my body to recover from the stresses of an 82-game season by surreptitiously applying ice and heat to any ailing joints, then get a full night's rest because there is more work to do in the morning. I know some other fellows would go out and enjoy the night life after a win, particularly in the context of having only four victories in 27 games, but I choose not to subscribe to such idiosyncrasies.

Journalist: Thanks, Jordan. I'll see you tomorrow in Chicago.


Crawford: Making shots!


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Mourning and Mapping the Washington Wizards' Apatow Era

No more, Knuckleheads. (Jesse D. Garrabrant/Getty Images)

Gilbert Arenas signed with the Washington Wizards before the 2003-04 season. The only holdover from Arenas' stay with the capital city's roundball club, Andray Blatche, was ejected from the premises and ushered beyond city limits by the amnesty clause on a Tuesday this summer; July 17, to be exact.

These two events unofficially bracket the Knucklehead Era — a distinction that will forever be inseparable from a certain few players and their actions during their times under the Wizards flag. For better or worse, it will also stick with the franchise and stay in the not-so-deep reaches of its fans' minds until John Wall and Bradley Beal become a yearly threat to make playoff runs.

Or — if Wall turns his summer hoops hangover injuries into an annual ordeal — until the Wizards find the right combination of draft picks, role players, free agents and trade acquisitions to contend in the Eastern Conference.

But the legacies of Arenas, Blatche, JaVale McGee and Nick Young in Washington may as well be imprinted on the Verizon Center's court like a sponsor's name, or banging about in the rafters like specters waiting for a final "yes or no" on absolution.

Their actions played out much more like a low-brow comedy on the big screen rather than a force on the basketball court. Like it or not, that statement would probably have drawn smirks or guffaws from the Knuckleheads at a certain point.

When he was hired in the summer of 2003 and Arenas' signing was one of his first official acts as Wizards general manager, Ernie Grunfeld couldn't have known that he was crafting one of the modern era's greatest metaphors of sports and pop culture — that, silently, he had asserted himself as the NBA's version of Judd Apatow and would soon accrue his cast of Jason Segels, Paul Rudds and Seth Rogens.

Grunfeld's personnel moves and behind the scenes work makes him the de facto producer. His cohorts directing the action, obviously, are the four coaches the Wizards have employed from 2003 to 2012: Eddie Jordan, Ed Tapscott, Flip Saunders and Randy Wittman. They're the Era's Adam McKay, Greg Mottola, and whoever elicited the *ahem* fantastic performances in Drillbit Taylor and Year One. (Steven Brill and Harold Ramis, for what it's worth.)

Arenas wasn't so much a member of the Knuckleheads as he was a swaying influence whose presence mattered more than erstwhile Wizards like Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler. For all intents and purposes, the Artist Formerly Known as Agent Zero is Will Ferrell. His franchise introduction in 2003 even coincides with the production of Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. If Arenas makes his way back to the NBA from playing ball overseas and Washington finds itself in need of a veteran guard, Gil could even reprise his role a la Ferrell in the upcoming Anchorman sequel.

(By the way, this will never, ever happen. The cleansing process is effectively finished and even one of those ceremonial retirement contracts would be poison for the Wizards.)

Blatche and McGee made rebounding a science. (Getty Images)

Andray Blatche — the longest tenured Knucklehead, having been drafted in 2005 and remaining a Wizard until his amnesty expulsion — was the crew's Jonah Hill. Blatche developed as a prospect and played his last non-professional ball at Henninger High School then went straight to the NBA, you say? Hill was a bit actor who got weird for less than a minute in The 40 Year Old Virgin the same year Blatche started getting boneheaded in Washington.

In 2007-08, Blatche played his first full 82-game season, becoming a notable part of Washington's cadre of big men. Likewise, Superbad provided Hill his first starring role as the meatier member of a bumbling youthful duo in '07. The character was on a single-minded mission to bring to fruition his dream of a physical relationship with the girl of his dreams, and although it happened three years after Hill fell short of that goal in his portrayal, Big 'Dray's one-night dedication to getting a triple-double is one of the more selfish acts ever to happen on a basketball court, no matter how hilarious it is (except, probably, to Wizards fans).

The same kind of physical relations Hill sought in Superbad are the focal point of what may be Blatche's greatest hit as a Wizard. The forward was allegedly just that when he supposedly solicited an undercover police officer for sex, but the charges were dropped when Blatche attended a seminar for men who hire prostitutes. He was charged on August 2, 2007 — a mere 15 days before Superbad's release.

It doesn't stop there, though. In 2010, the NBA implicated Blatche in Arenas' firearms-in-locker-room incidents with then-teammate Javaris Crittenton and fined Blatche $10,000 for his participation. He was an ancillary player to Arenas' actions the same way Hill's Aaron Green had a supporting role in a major musician's antics in Get Him to the Greek, Apatow's flagship release of 2010.

For their parts, McGee and Young weren't any of Apatow's imagined people. Sure, JaVale cuts a slender silhouette for his 7-foot frame like Hill's Supderbad buddy Michael Cera, and if the film had been released after Young had been in the league for a couple years it would be mind-blowing if one of the more basketball-astute rappers didn't refer to him as McLovin'. It sounds like something Wale could work into a rhyme, but maybe that's because he actually did use "McLovin'" in a rhyme.

Mostly, though, they were there own characters. Sometimes it was on purpose (ex. the numerous Nick and JaVale Show clips on YouTube, including one where they attempt to eat spoonfuls of cinnamon with predictably disastrous results) and many, many other times McGee and Young were characters in the sense that their actions were outrageous enough to leave viewers in disbelief (see: the plentiful "Top Dumb Plays" compilations that exist for McGee).

It's the kind of stuff that the supporting characters from Knocked Up would revel in. Boxing above a pool, playing ping pong in a driveway, finding new ways to spread pink eye — name any number of attempts at sophomoric humor, and it's not a stretch of the imagination to think that Young and McGee — a man who only tweets by retweeting himself and has an alter ego named Pierre — could have been doing these things in their free time in Washington.

That's in the past for now. McGee is slowly finding his way as a Denver Nugget, posting triple-doubles and earning a contract extension with his playoff showing against the Lakers in the spring. Blatche pulled off a feat arguably more impressive than a triple-double by scoring 22 points on 11-12 shooting — good for a 91.7 field goal percentage — as his Brooklyn Nets team beat the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night. Young, although his statistics are slightly down across the board when compared to 2011-12, has .063 win shares per 48 minutes. That's not good at all, considering the league average is .100, but it will be the second best WS/48 of Young's career if he manages to sustain for the whole season.

Little by little, they could all be maturing. The same may be true for Arenas, who was served humble pie by missing out on a contract stateside despite working out in Staples Center for the majority of the summer. He'll be spending the foreseeable future in China after signing with the Shanghai Sharks this week.

Arenas' placement of firearms and the ensuing fallout is well documented, but the lasting touch of the Knucklehead Era that he inspired is encapsulated in a recent epilogue. Alongside two legs of the Knucklehead tripod, he spent a day on a paintball course. It's all in the video: him chiding McGee and Young; JaVale seeming completely serious at times and flaunting unnecessary flair (in this case, a paint grenade) in other scenes; and Young, being a sidekick to it all.

They may no longer be Wizards, but — in their hearts and, if we're being truthful with ourselves, in our hearts, too — they will always be real life versions of caricatures from Apatow's mind. As frustrating as it was, and as comical as it could be, maybe that's exactly what we need: something to laugh at when a game such as basketball seems perpetually serious.

Or maybe it's just what we want, regardless of what George Karl's strict coaching does to McGee in Denver, or the number of times Blatche records a ridiculous shooting percentage that no one ever expected from him, or even when Young facilitates enough through 10 games to account for nearly 20 percent of all his assists in '11-'12, as he has so far this season.

It could be as simple as us just wanting them to fit the same mold forever. But our wants don't matter. Blatche, McGee and Young will always be the tenants of the Knucklehead Era, and that's all we really need to remember.


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