WASHINGTON DC BOXERS 
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Verizon Center Washington - Home of the DC Boxers ___________________________________________________________
UNIFORMS ___________________________________________________________
COACH 
Jeff Van Gundy ___________________________________________________________
STARTERS
Ramon Sessions PG 6-3 190 LBS 23 YEARS OLD
Stephen Jackson SG 6-8 215 LBS 31 YEARS OLD
Gerald Wallace SF 6-7 220 LBS 27 YEARS OLD
Luis Scola PF 6-9 245 LBS 29 YEARS OLD
Joel Przybilla C 7-1 250 LBS 29 YEARS OLD
BENCH
George Hill PG 6-2 180 LBS 23 YEARS OLD
Anthony Morrow SG 6-5 210 LBS 23 YEARS OLD
Julian Wright SF 6-8 225 LBS 22 YEARS OLD
Darko Milicic PF 7-0 275 LBS 24 YEARS OLD
Dan Gadzuric C 6-11 245 LBS 31 YEARS OLD
Tyronn Lue PG 6-0 175 LBS 32 YEARS OLD
Gerald Green SF 6-8 200 LBS 23 YEARS OLD
Juwan Howard PF 6-9 253 LBS 36 YEARS OLD
Kris Humphries PF 6-9 235 LBS 24 YEARS OLD
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2008 PLAYER STATISTICSPLAYER G MPG FG% FT% 3FG% APG RPG STPG BPR PER PPGJackson 59 39.6 0.414 0.826 0.338 6.5 5.1 1.49 0.53 16.20 20.7
Wallace 71 37.6 0.480 0.804 0.298 2.7 7.8 1.70 0.94 18.64 16.6
Sessions 79 27.5 0.445 0.794 0.176 5.7 3.4 1.05 0.09 17.65 12.4
Scola 82 30.3 0.531 0.760 0.000 1.5 8.8 0.83 0.13 17.11 12.7
Przybilla 82 23.8 0.625 0.663 0.000 0.3 8.7 0.41 1.18 15.46 5.5
Milicic 61 17.0 0.515 0.562 0.000 0.6 4.3 0.36 0.84 13.82 5.5
Gadzuric 67 14.0 0.480 0.544 0.000 0.6 3.8 0.48 0.64 12.24 4.0
Hill 77 16.5 0.403 0.781 0.329 1.8 2.1 0.58 0.27 11.61 5.7
Morrow 67 22.6 0.478 0.870 0.467 1.2 3.0 0.54 0.18 14.70 10.1
Wright 54 14.3 0.466 0.567 0.095 0.8 2.8 0.65 0.35 12.66 4.4
Green 38 9.9 0.439 0.844 0.304 0.4 1.4 0.26 0.13 11.49 5.2
Lue 44 11.8 0.438 0.737 0.435 1.4 1.1 0.18 0.00 10.36 4.2
Howard 42 11.2 0.510 0.676 0.000 0.6 1.8 0.17 0.14 10.91 4.1
Humphries 29 9.1 0.422 0.792 0.000 0.3 2.4 0.28 0.21 16.37 3.9
Ajinca 31 5.9 0.362 0.714 0.000 0.1 1.0 0.23 0.19 7.02 2.3
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Drafting Strategy - The DC Boxers management and ownership were extremely disappointed with the results of the Draft Lottery, but realizing someone has to pick 28th out of 30, we figured we would just do the absolute best that we could and hope for some poor luck and talent miscalculations on the part of my managing brethren. Our first thoughts were that it would probably be easiest, picking so late, to target young budding stars that could produce a solid core for a team that would be built to compete in the Future.
Towards that end we figured, after completing our talent evaluation and mocks drafts that if we could trade up to obtain 3 picks within the top 40 we would be able to land three players that would fit perfect into our mold. Our original targets were Kevin Martin, Rajon Rondo or Devin Harris and Andris Biedrins, the thought process being that we would fill the three greatest needs right away, a prolific scorer, a front line PG and a center that could dominate rebounding inside.
We were shocked when Rajon Rondo was picked 21st figuring he would still be available at either 28 or 33. After picking Martin, who was the best player still on the board at 28 we were further dismayed when Devin Harris was picked next. That completely changed our philosophy and we decided to grab an underrated star with leadership qualities in Stephen Jackson at 33. Later after a series of trades that dropped us down in the second round after trading up to get pick 40 we did get our man in Andris Biedrins.
But being inexperienced our first few trades, looking back, were ill advised and we ended up with too many late picks and not enough mid rounders. With the market set to what we felt were unrealistic costs to move significantly higher, the team decided, after reviewing past drafts, that there was still good value in rounds 9 through 11 if we could convince other GMs to take our late picks and consolidate in that area. We trusted our ability to judge talent and pluck the best talent that would be available that late after being left with only 6 picks in the top 210 selections.
The Boxers were pleased to be able to draft Raymond Felton, Ryan Anderson and Darrell Arthur when we did, seeing it as good value for procuring such good potential youth when we did. After our picks were completed in round 11. The Boxers were happy with the results of their first draft. But not thrilled. It was obvious we lost several early trades and also that we did not have what it took to be a winner of the Future Team Award.
So we changed gears. We decided the best thing to do was to attempt to win our division, hope for a good seeding and home court advantage and be happy with the results come what may. We were obviously at a disadvantage in our division picking the latest and having Orlando pick first and acquiring LeBron James and Atlanta picking 8th and selecting Danny Granger we knew we would have to look for quality and depth to beat those teams.
To that end we decided to trade our youngest stars, Martin and Biedrins, for defense and experience and depth. After much dealing and negotiating and movement that lasted right up until 2 secinds before the deadline, the DC Boxers were extremely pleased with the players who will be the first to ever wear a Boxers uniform and look forward to starting the season with the excellent men that now call themselves, The DC Boxers.
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General Game Philosophy and Rotation - Defense wins championships and I think just about every player except a couple are good to excellent defenders and I feel very confident going 12 deep on any night but figure a 9 man rotation on most nights dependent upon the matchups. Here's what I figure the seasonal minutes will probably look like broken down to a single game.
Przybilla 29 minutes
Scola 32 minutes
Wallace 35 minutes
Jackson 34 minutes
Sessions 28 minutes
Milicic 23 minutes
Gadzuric 12 minutes
Wright 13 minutes
Morrow 14 minutes
Hill 20 minutes
Offensively the goal is to run when we can and go to the basket. We will not be strictly a running team as I believe that modern defenses just do not allow for strictly fast break teams to exist anymore. But we will keep Sessions back crashing the boards, as he is a plus rebounder for his size and will outlet and run on defensive rebounds all the time with the goal being to beat the defense before it gets a chance to set itself. Our wings should be proficient at this as both are large, strong, fast and have good hands and can finish. If it is not there the ball will be kicked out and the half court set up.
The half court will feature a lot of off the ball movement with picks and multiple screens being the rule of the day. Both Sessions and Jackson are excellent passers and the offense will run primarily through them with some inside out offense on Scola's side of the ball. The plan is to keep Scola playing the high post and to set Przybilla on the low post so as to not clog the middle for my PG and wings who like to slash and are good at it.
When Morrow or Lue or Hill or Green are in the game I expect us to become more of a run and kick it out to the trailer type team with the trailer throwing up three for a more instant offense type feel being part of the second unit.
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Team Strengths - The Boxers biggest strength is their commitment to defense and the amount of very good to excellent defenders that the team consists of. In the front court there is strength and size and length and experience. In the backcourt there is speed and youth and maturity and range. There is good size all across the team and the real
steel of the team is in it's wing positions with Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace both large and long for their positions and two great individual defenders that have great leadership qualities. The youth in the wing backups are exceptional and the Boxers are expecting breakout years from both Anthony Morrow and Julian Wright. Wright is actually expected to displace Peja Stojacovic in the starting lineup of this year's real NBA Hornets after having an exceptional summer league and showing great strides in his defensive game.
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Team Weaknesses - a lack of scoring punch in the frontcourt and a lack of three point shooting prowess in the starting lineup will hinder this team offensively. Coming back quickly from deficits will be difficult unless Morrow and Hill and Jackson are in the game hitting threes. Otherwise, the team will need to create offense off it's team defense when they fall behind. I am also worried by the lack of experience coming off the bench though I am very impressed with the maturity factor of the young players. It is not often that very young players and 1st and 2nd year players can step in and produce like Morrow and Hill did last year or are known specifically for their defense like Wright.
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We Believe - that there is still good NBA games in players like Gerald Green, Darko Milicic, and Kris Humphries. We think that Milicic and Humphries will be productive players for this team and their real teams before the end of this next season. Gerald, well, we hope that he has learned his lesson and that being surrounded by Coach Van Gundy and the rest of this excellent group of pros will teach him what he needs to learn to harness the talent that we know he has.
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SCOUTING REPORTS
Joel Przybilla - A big, strong, defensive-minded center that doesn’t much to the table offensively. Has great size and strength for a center, even in NBA terms. Not an elite level athlete by any means, but shows good athleticism for a player his size. Was never that productive on the offensive end. Shows some tools, but has never been able to develop a consistent repertoire. Plays within himself more so than he used to. Makes a living with his defense. Blocks shots and especially grabs rebounds at a superb rate. Filled essentially the same role in his two years at Minnesota. Got drafted in the top-ten by virtue of his defensive abilities, size, and potential. Never developed the offensive game to be a more complete player. Bounced around the League before finding a home in Portland. Can be a great asset off the bench due to his size and aggressive mentality.
Luis Scola - Scola struggled on defense early in the year but got more comfortable as the year went on and was very good at drawing offensive fouls -- he earned 42 calls last year, tied for the eighth-most in basketball. He doesn't elevate well and had trouble with opposing forwards shooting over him in the post, and his inability to block shots was an issue at times against dribble drives. He's tough and does a decent job against screen-and-rolls, but he had a high foul rate as a rookie. Offensively, he seemed terrified of illegal screen calls in the early going and developed a habit of slipping the screen rather than setting it hard. He can hit a high-arcing set shot from the free-throw area but is more comfortable posting up or scoring around the basket. Although he can't elevate, he's an effective finisher down low, but he has a high dribble and frequently gets stripped on the way up.
Gerald Wallace - Defensively, Wallace's fundamentals have improved quite a bit. However, his ball-hawking tendencies still get the better of him at times -- he'll get caught watching the ball a lot and be burned by a quick cut. He was also beaten silly at times by the relentless pounding of bigger forwards, and should welcome a return to his natural small forward spot this season. Also, his transition D looked surprisingly slow at times -- he needs to expend more effort getting back on D. Offensively, Wallace has an awkward release from the left side of his body, but has become a competent enough shooter to open space for his drives. He's way too quick for power forwards to stop, and has the edge on most small forwards as well. Plus, he sees the court well and is very effective attacking smaller players from the mid-post on the left block. But his specialty is finishing in transition. Wallace has breathtaking speed and can finish on the run with spectacular jams, making him among the league's most dangerous players on the break.
Stephen Jackson - An above average athlete with good offensive skills who is an ideal fit for Don Nelson’s offensive system. Has good size, strength, and skills by NBA standards. Runs the floor well, and really knows how to space the floor and get open in transition. A terrific offensive player whose consistency isn’t nearly as questionable as it once was. Still has lapses in judgment on the floor, and doesn’t always play winning basketball. Took the long route to the NBA. Spent time in the CBA, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic after failing to make it to the University of Arizona out of Oak Hill Academy. Hasn’t been a model citizen by any stretch of the imagination, but has become a leader for Golden State.
Ramon Sessions - As if it weren't obvious from the assist totals, Sessions has outstanding court vision and is a pass-first guy who likes to drive and dish. He's neither a great athlete nor a great shooter, but he rebounds well for his position and made surprisingly few mistakes for a rookie point guard. Defensively, he appears to have the size to guard the position but may be challenged to stay in front of quicker guards.
George Hill - A solid athlete with a ridiculous 6-9 wingspan, Hill primarily functioned as a point guard for the Spurs, but also spent some possessions working off the ball. A dominant scorer at IUPUI, Hill still appears to be adjusting to playing the point. More than quick enough to get to the where he wants to go on the floor against most defenders in this setting, Hill did a very good job creating offensive for himself from the inside and out, but didn’t always look very comfortable distributing the ball, especially at full speed in transition. He made a handful of smart passes in half court sets, mostly when running the pick and roll, but for every good decision Hill made, he seemed to make a poor one shortly after.
Anthony Morrow - Golden State took a flier on the undrafted Morrow after he played well in Summer League. The sharpshooter from Georgia Tech hit 44.8 percent of his 3-pointers, so Don Nelson is likely to appreciate his floor-spacing capabilities. He's not an NBA athlete and is fairly one-dimensional, but has shooting guard size at 6-5 and may have a good enough stroke to have a career.
Julian Wright - A long, active defender who looks like future stopper material, Wright is big for a wing at 6-8 but has the quickness and leaping ability to pester much smaller players. He also rebounds like a power forward and might be able to play there eventually once he adds some more bulk. Offensively, Wright is a deadly finisher in transition but strictly a slasher in the half court. While he can handle the ball and sees the floor reasonably well, his erratic jumper forces him to drive into congested areas, so turnovers are a problem. Additionally, he only shot 63.5 percent from the line -- that has to improve.
Darko Milicic - Milicic has the size and timing to be a great shot-blocker, and he'd be even better if he improved his habits and effort. Milicic's defensive effort yo-yos from night to night and quarter to quarter, and he has the bad habit of turning his head at the wrong time -- like when a pass or a penetrating point guard is whizzing by his ear. When he's engaged he defends the post well, but he should be a major plus on D and right now he's not. Offensively, the Grizzlies seemed focused on getting Milicic a lot of post touches last year, but one must conclude that he'll never be very good at this. Milicic likes to set up on the right block and shoot a running hook going to his left, but he tends to get pushed out too far to shoot it accurately and is curiously unable to generate free throws from his post-ups.
Dan Gadzuric - A very long backup center who can do some nice things defensively. Good frame for his position, but it is his wingspan that helps him the most as a player. Runs the floor as well as almost any player his size, and shows pretty good leaping ability. Surprisingly quick feet. Doesn’t bring much to the table offensively. Can score by playing hard, but can’t create his own offense. No midrange game to speak of. Makes a living on the defensive end. Uses his length to alter shots when playing on the ball or when rotating over in help side. Long arms, solid frame, and leaping ability making him a pretty good rebounder as well. Did essentially the same things he does now during his four seasons at UCLA. Provides good depth due to his efficiency, but needs scorers around him to hide his lack of offensive skills.
Alexis Ajinca - A project from France who the Bobcats took a chance on with the 20th pick in the draft, Ajinca intrigued scouts with his size (7-1, 240) and athleticism and was great in workouts. The Bobcats signed Ajinca and are likely to give him some heavy D-League seasoning before throwing him to the wolves. He's going to need to add strength and game experience, so this pick won't be judged until a few years down the road, but the hope is that by year's end he can be a useful reserve.
Juwan Howard - An aging power forward who is just about reaching the end of his career. Strong and surprisingly fluid for a power forward, but nowhere near as explosive as he once was. A member of Michigan’s Fab Five. Was an All-Star for one season during his career. Has bounced around the League since. Plays with intensity, and is still a competitor. Experienced.
Kris Humphries - Humphries is strong and can battle underneath, but isn't a good post defender because he constantly tries to steal entry passes instead of just staying behind his man and forcing him into a tough shot. He's slowly getting better on D and has the physical tools to be quite good, but after four NBA seasons he should be much further along. Offensively, he needs to focus more on shots around the basket, where he's most effective. To say he has a quick release isn't quite right -- it's more like he shoots as though the ball is on fire, a la Antoine Walker, which results in a lot of front-rim misses and compromises his shooting percentage. However, he's a strong finisher in transition and a good offensive rebounder. He likes to go under from the right side and finish on the left, which is unusual for a right-handed player. Additionally, he's a poor foul shooter (60.5 percent).
Gerald Green - Green has ability as a scorer because he's big for a wing at 6-foot-8, he elevates extremely well, and he has a nice stroke. The problem thus far has been an inability to differentiate a good shot from a bad one, and more generally an inability to develop the practice habits and attitude to get the most from his skills. Green is a lethargic defender and has tunnel vision at the offensive end, tending to dribble into difficult situations and/or commit palming violations trying to go one-on-one, and though he's a good shooter he has a very poor in-between game on leaners and runners.
Tyronn Lue - A small, but quick point guard who has a solid offensive repertoire. Very short by NBA standards. Makes an impact by doing some of the things that you would expect from a shooting guard. Has tremendous quickness, but doesn’t have good vertical explosiveness, which makes his lack of height even more pronounced. Had a very impressive final two seasons at Nebraska. Has bounced around the League, but is the type of player that can be an offensive weapon in almost any setting. Won an NBA Championship with the Lakers in 2001. Lacks the physical skills to take over a game. Can be counted on for consistent contributions off the bench, and always posts a solid assist to turnover ratio.
Topic: CB Draft '09 Mock Press Conference: Southeast Divison (Read 53354 times)