- 2 days ago
Tony Massenburg joins The Junkies to discuss AJ Dybantsa and where the Wizards go from here now that the No. 1 pick is official.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Tony, thanks for the time, man. Good morning.
00:03I appreciate it, guys. Thanks for having me.
00:05Yeah, thanks for coming on.
00:06You know what? It's so great. Let's just start right at the beginning.
00:10How great is this pick for this franchise, AJ?
00:14Well, it's the right pick from a talent standpoint.
00:18It's the fit for the franchise.
00:21When you look at the type of players that they have been building
00:26in the system that they're building of just long, lengthy wings,
00:30athletic guys, guys who can all do multiple things,
00:34three-level score types.
00:36So when you think about the frame of this team
00:40and the type of team that they're building from a defensive standpoint,
00:44long, lengthy guys that can guard multiple positions,
00:47can play multiple positions offensively.
00:50So the Bonson fits into that.
00:52And then from a character standpoint,
00:53everything you hear about the kid is on point.
00:56From a work standpoint, commitment standpoint,
00:59he's everything that you want.
01:01And from a talent standpoint, clearly,
01:03he stood out amongst his peers.
01:06And Tony, he also has just something you can't teach or give to somebody.
01:11He's got star power.
01:12He's got face of the franchise.
01:13He's got the rigs.
01:14Yeah, he's got the face of the franchise, star power.
01:17Let's be honest, this franchise desperately needs.
01:21Absolutely.
01:21He's the right pick for the – he's the face of a franchise
01:25that needs a guy like this at a time like this.
01:29And so one of the things that I think is the greatest thing about this pick
01:33is that this kid doesn't have to come in and save the franchise.
01:36He actually has veteran players.
01:38He has a great mix of guys around him from the last couple of classes
01:43of draftees for the Wizards that have all developed
01:47into what they were projected to be.
01:49Some of these guys are even ahead of schedule, guys like Keyshawn George
01:53and Will Raleigh.
01:54And then you obviously paired with the second pick two years ago
01:58and Alex Saar.
01:59So when you look at the Wizards now from a talent standpoint,
02:03you mix these young guys in with AD and Trae Young,
02:07now the Wizards have a roster that's built to compete.
02:10So, Tony, what's your vibe on the AD situation?
02:14What do you think is going to happen?
02:15You know, we've been kind of speculating whether or not he wanted to be traded
02:18in the offseason.
02:19I know he wants an extension, but he still has a couple more years left
02:22with some big salaries.
02:25I would assume he would want to play here because this team is on the rise
02:29and he's got, you know, a point guard that can get him the ball
02:32and some wings will get him the ball.
02:33But what's your vibe on AD?
02:35Do you think he's going to be here for at least a year,
02:37or do you think maybe he dealt at the trade deadline?
02:40Well, at the end of the day, none of us know what's going on with him
02:43and his camp and ultimately what he'll do.
02:46But for everything that you just said, I think it's a great situation for him
02:52and maybe he sees it that way as well.
02:55And this is not even a topic, you know, in the future as far as where he wants
02:59to be.
03:00But clearly there's a supporting cast here, I think,
03:04that could put him in a position to be competitive for the next couple of years.
03:08And so at this stage of his career, I would think, you know,
03:12that's all you could want.
03:13And this team could, you know, someday be in championship contention
03:17down the road if everybody continues to grow and develop.
03:21I have to ask you, Tony, you had the privilege of playing one year
03:27with Lenny Bias.
03:30And obviously we all, just an icon here, terrible how it all went down,
03:35but just an icon, everybody looked up to him as a player.
03:38And then when AJ was asked about who he kind of compares his game to
03:42or whatever that other people don't, he mentioned Lenny.
03:46And I'm just mad at myself that I didn't think of that because I do see a lot
03:51of similarities.
03:52Now, do you see some of the same similarities?
03:56You know, just like you, I really didn't, hadn't thought about that because
04:01quite honestly, I gave up looking for Len Bias comparisons.
04:06I mean, literally, I got drafted in 1990.
04:09I played with him in the 85, 86 season at Maryland my freshman year.
04:14And ever since that year, I've been trying to compare somebody to him.
04:19And honestly, guys, I mean, with all the guys,
04:21the all-time greats that I've played with, never seen anybody like Len Bias.
04:26I mean, in the, you know, the true sense of the word,
04:29he was ahead of his time as a big guy that could shoot the basketball
04:33from a three-point range, which, you know,
04:36they didn't have a three-point line this year.
04:38But if they had a, a lot of his shots at the top of the key
04:41and in the corners would have been threes.
04:45So when AJ said that, I just, I almost had a proud popper moment.
04:49Right.
04:50Because it just really touched me that a guy in his generation
04:54would even recognize him and then compare himself to him.
04:57And a sensible comparison.
05:00Right.
05:01I mean, it's a good comparison.
05:02Like, I was like, wow, the modern day version of Lenny.
05:06Okay.
05:06Lenny was a grown man, you know, by the time he was a senior.
05:10He's 22 years old.
05:11AJ's 18.
05:12Okay.
05:12All right.
05:12I see the 19.
05:13I see the difference there.
05:16But when you think about what AJ could be, yeah, great comparison.
05:20Cause you know, he's going to get stronger.
05:21He's already athletic.
05:23Len bias wasn't Len bias at AJ the bunch's age.
05:27So if you think about some weight room development and continued development
05:31in the game, man, yeah, I think AJ made a great comparison.
05:34Yeah.
05:34I agree with you.
05:35Tony, what do you make of Gilbert arenas is proclamation that he thinks
05:39this team can make a deep playoff run in AJ's rookie season.
05:42What do you think of that?
05:43Is that just him being, you know, like a little bit outrageous or do you think
05:47that's a realistic possibility?
05:49I think that's a realistic possibility.
05:51And again, call me and Gilbert and a couple other people that I know crazy
05:56for even mentioning the Wizards and playoffs this year in the same sentence.
06:00But the facts of the matter are these, if Trey and AD are healthy, as with any team,
06:10any team, health plays a role.
06:11So with these guys are healthy, which I understand, you know, AD's had some issues
06:17in the past, but just to assume the best, you know, that if these guys are on the court
06:23and they're healthy, I think that it's almost impossible that they don't make it.
06:27When you consider the supporting cast, the development of these guys, how these guys
06:33like Keyshawn George, Will Rowley, Bug Carrington, Trey Johnson, you know, these guys will contribute
06:40at a high level.
06:41You know, we're not even talking about a guy like Justin Champinney, who obviously had a
06:45great season last year.
06:46And this is the bench that I'm talking about.
06:49Now, and then you're going to tell me that in the East, that if you have Trey Young at
06:54the point, Keyshawn George at the two, AJ Devonsa at the three, Alex Saar at the four, and a
07:00healthy Anthony Davis at the five, that you're not going to get to the playoffs?
07:04Come on now.
07:06So I don't expect these guys to play 82 games, but if they're healthy and they can play, you
07:11know, 68 to 70 plus games, yeah, this team is going, absolutely going to be in a playoff
07:17run.
07:17So Tony, now this is kind of, it's all about AJ because he was the number one overall pick
07:23and everyone was talking about him.
07:25No one, we're not really, you just mentioned Alex Saar.
07:27Now he's going to have a foot injury here in the summer, but he says he'll be ready for
07:31the start of the season.
07:33But what's Alex Saar's role?
07:35I mean, they took him number two overall, and if they had the top pick that year, they
07:39would have taken him number one.
07:41So what's his role now that AJ's in and obviously AD and Trey are here?
07:46Is he kind of just a role player or can he still be a star going forward?
07:51His numbers were pretty good last year in year two.
07:55Yeah, but I think that it depends on what you expect, meaning you're not looking for
08:01Alex Saar to be a 24 and 12 rebound guy.
08:06Like, I don't think that's who he's going to be on this team because he's not going to
08:12be the focal point of the offense.
08:14Right, right.
08:15But I think that he will have a great season, and I think he will continue to develop and
08:21potentially be an all-star because let's understand this.
08:25He's a deterrent on the defensive end.
08:27Okay, the Wizards' defensive rating goes up every time he's on the floor.
08:31He was one of the best shot blockers in the league all of last year.
08:35And when he's there, the Wizards are much better defensively.
08:39Now, you couple that with the fact that he's got a guy like Trey Young at the point guard
08:44who averages 10 assists and can pass the ball to anybody, basically, and turn them into
08:51a lob threat.
08:52Well, Alex Saar is a great lob threat, so it's just a matter of time before that starts to
08:57work out.
08:57And then the fact that the defense has to respect AD on the other side, so there's only so much
09:03help available combined with the shooters that they will have spaced out around the
09:09court.
09:09So when you think about Alex Saar, he's going to play a pivotal role, but he may not be
09:13the focal point, but he will continue to develop and do what he's done, which has made him
09:20look like the first pick in his draft more so than the second pick, and that should be
09:24a defensive deterrent, an offensive rebounder, a great rim runner, and a guy that I think from
09:30a pitch standpoint works perfectly with the Wizards.
09:33Tony, were you always an A.J. guy, or at some point did you think Peterson might be a better
09:40fit?
09:42I like a lot of people.
09:43I love the talent of both these guys, but I just thought from a number one pick franchise
09:48standpoint that the Barnsville was a better pick, particularly for the Wizards, because
09:55a lot of times when you're in a situation where you have the potential to have a generational
10:00talent, you want to go ahead on and close that deal.
10:03And I think that's what the Wizards did, and it just so happened that the guy is a great
10:08fit for the organization.
10:10I have to be honest.
10:11I kind of talked myself into Peterson.
10:13I don't think Peterson's going to be a star, too.
10:15But I think I needed the benefit of meeting him in person, because when I saw the picture
10:22of him with Coach Keefe and with Michael Winger and Will Dawkins, and just see him towering
10:28over him like a Lenny Bias would, just the pure size, I was like, well, that's why.
10:34I mean, how could you pass on that?
10:36All that ability in that size?
10:38It's impossible.
10:39Yeah.
10:40Impossible.
10:40Impossible.
10:41Impossible to pass.
10:42Hey, guys, I got to roll.
10:44I really appreciate you having me.
10:46Thank you, Tony.
10:47Thanks, Tony.
10:48We'll get you on again.
10:49We'll do the season, guys.
10:49We'll go to the season.
10:51Thank you, buddy.
10:52Thanks, Tony.
10:53It's Tony Massenburg, Wizards analyst for Monumental Sports Network on the Rude Guest Hotline.
10:59You know, he does a lot of shows with Wes Hall.
11:01Wes Hall's been on the show.
11:02Really good guy.
11:03I ran into him.
11:03My wife was doing this fitness thing in the park, and he came out to it.
11:09And Wes and Tony and those guys, they're dying for winners as much as anybody.
11:14Jimmy Patzos, too.
11:15All those guys that have to do postgames, that have been doing postgames, game after game
11:19after game.
11:20Can you imagine doing postgame every game for a 17-win team?
11:25And they try and be positive.
11:27When they're trying to lose on purpose.
11:28When they're trying to lose, and you barely recognize any of the guys on the floor.
11:31How about trying to interview the coach and GM every week when you know you're trying
11:35to lose on purpose?
11:36That is true.
11:36And try to dance around the obvious.
11:38Now, hopefully, we're going to be talking about some wins.
11:40Yeah.
11:40Playoff success.
11:41I'm telling you, when I saw Wes, he was just, I can't wait for this season.
11:45Had to be giddy about it.
11:46I know he does mystic stuff and he does other things, but the Wizards doing that game after
11:51game, trying to find the positive.
11:54Because that's what they do on those shows.
11:55It's a local show.
11:56Of course.
11:57They're like, well, did you see?
11:59You know, now they don't have to sugarcoat as much.
12:03Right.
12:04And don't forget, after this show is done, Demich and Finley, they're down at the wharf
12:09for the introduction of A.J.
12:10DeBonsa.
12:11He will join them on the air here on 106.7 The Fan at some point.
12:14So you have to keep listening all day to hear A.J.
12:17DeBonsa here on The Fan.
Comments