Quinton Ross

[Red+BlueDude]

I live in Washington D.C., and I want the Wizards to draft Quinton Ross in the second round. Desperately.

I don't know Ross, but I have seen him play when I've been in Dallas. Washington is in an uproar this morning after Wizards owner showed Michael Jordan the door yesterday. And from what I gather, Jordan needed to go, and Ross would be exactly what the team needs.

The team is young, and will get younger now that Jordan is gone, Charles Oakley is on his way out and Bryon Russell likely will follow Oakley out the door. And if he has any pride, Jerry Stackhouse will exercise his option to skip town, too.

That leaves the Wizards with a core of young players, many of whom have talent. Brendan Haywood and Jahidi White are marginal but serviceable centers. Juan Dixon is a fearless, reliable defender extraordinaire who can be a sizzling shooter when he's "on." But the key to the team's fortunes rely on 6-11 small forward Jared Jeffries (who's coming off a knee injury) and super-talented-but-disappointing forward Kwame Brown. Brown clashed frequently with head drill sargeant Doug Collins (who probably will be shoved back to the broadcast booth now that his top ally - Jordan - is out) and had his confidence squashed by Jordan's constant complaints. Brown should be entering his junior season in college this fall, and is still learning how to work hard -- he's still growing up.

He, more than anyone, needs Quinton Ross as a teammate. In the games I've seen, Ross is the anti-Brown. He's the ultimate warrior. He defends like a madman. He rebounds fearlessly in a battle among men taller and heavier and stronger. In the games I saw, he got thrown to the ground on his way to the hoop and never complained, to the SMU coaches or the referees.

Ross will never score like Jordan, and he's not likely to be an All-Star. But based on what I've seen, he will be the consumate professional who will take direction from older players and coaches and learn from it. This horrible team needs a team player like Ross.

[Corso]

I know you're not sugggesting that Q will replace Jordan in the scoring or the ticket sales areas. But you might be right - he might be just the kind of quiet no-ego soldier that munch of misfits needs (although from all reports, Juan Dixon has the same kind of character and personality.)

Personally, I'd like to see Q go to a much better team.

[Hoofprint]

Q deserves better than to start his career in that insane assylum up there.

[GrapevineMustang]

Like most PonyFans, I'd like to see Q end up with the Mavericks, just so I can see him play once in a while. But I agree with the ideas from R+BD about how Q does the little things (rebound, defense, etc.) that make teams better. I foresee a long, successful career for Q.