Draft predictions (Fire)

I say Andy will likely go first....

as far as who gets protected? I would bet Henry

 

I think Andy will be first. If not, he will be first to be added to the protected list. Henry would not go to the protected list unless DJ gets drafted (and vice versa). I also think Beute and either Boucicaut or Whitfield will go.

 

Given Whitfield's surgery, do you still believe this to be the case? I certainly think A. Williams would be attractive to expansion teams.



Personally, I find it highly amusing that anyone on a team that performed as poorly as the FIRE did would be considered for an expansion draft.

 

I say Countess, Williams and Buete.

 

My prediction of how it will go:

Round ...... Taken ................. Pulled Back
1 ...... Andy Williams ................. Buete
2 ...... Dipsy ................. Whitless
3 ...... Ring ................. Alex Boucicaut

After that it becomes irrelevant because after we lose three we get to protect the remainder, right?

Regarding the remainder:
D.J. Countess - only question is will he get a chance to compete with Pickens for 2nd string before going to A-League.

Orlando Perez - will be kicked to the curb and then bounce around before winding up with Chivas.

That's my guess based on what I think team management sees as value - not what I see as value. What I didn't take into account is the order of the pick and any restrictions on Chivas roster - Don't they have to take spanish-speakers, Latinos or Los Angelenos - or some such crap like that?

 

Taken = Andy Williams Pulled back = Evan Whitfield
Taken = Orlando Perez Pulled back = Henry Ring
Taken = Henry Boucicaut Pulled back = Buete

 

Taken: Buete Pulled back: Williams (perhaps reversed)
Taken: Whitfield Pulled back: Ring (holds some trade value)
Taken: None (but maybe Perez very late)

 

"Mr. Whitfield to the courtesy phone."


Could we give him away twice, if it means keeping Andy?

 

Round 1: RSL takes Williams, Fire protect Whitfield.
Round 7: Chivas stupidly takes Perez, Fire protect Buete.
Round 8: RSL takes Selolwane

I wish we could have Williams, Buete, Selolwane, AND Countess at RSL.

 

Just because we didn't have a good team does not imply that we did not have very good talent.

Williams is gone, unless RSL and Chivas are idiots. In that case, Whitfield, Perez and Countess are first out of the starting blocks.

That said, there is a lot of good talent out there available, the Fire may not have three people taken. Someone may take Nelsen just in case his European trip falls through, and Preki may still have a season in him.

 

Well, in hindsight, I'd say that's still subject to conjecture. If we define "talent" as one of the key components to performing well, this statement remains, at best, dubious.

Agreed. However, as El Guapo said in "The Three Amigos," the club does have a plethora of allocations, including the highly valuable YSA to enable Fire fans to forget A Williams.

I maintain that the Fire may not have more than one player taken, given the team's performance in 2004 and the limit of 20 total draftees.

 

There is talent on the Fire. Individual talent remains different from being an actual team, thus, the statement remains very valid. We are arguing semantics, and I see your point, but to say that the Fire lack talent takes away from everyone on the team.

We may have 3 allocations, but now we need to find someone to spend them on who is a good playmaker willing to work for MLS peanuts.

I think we may get two drafted at best myself, and have a bad feeling we're saddled with DJ's salary in 2005.

 

Let me offer up a double.

Andy Williams will be the first Fire player taken and he will lead his new team in assists.

 

There's talent and there's how you use it. Which, I guess on some level, is also a talent.

I said last week in my column that nobody read that the key problem wasn't with individuals themselves, but with how the team played together. That is to say, almost like total strangers on a game-to-game basis. Given how young this team is, that's not altogether surprising.

A few more veterans and a little more lineup consistency -- and I'll be the first to admit that I don't know how much of the latter comes from extenuating circumstances and how much comes from Dave trying to maybe over-coach -- and we've got a vastly different season.

I'm going to go with Williams going to RSL (Whitfield back) in one of the first two rounds and Countess a little later (Bucky or Beute back). If Ellinger wants him, he probably doesn't need to burn an early pick, since Chivas is rumored to be going for Jonny Walker.

I'm also going to predict that we trade a goalie to whoever sends theirs to Metro. I'm guessing Adin Brown, Tony Meola or Nick Rimando, roughly in that order. Although that might fall through if it's Brown, 'cause Reis is a legit starter.

Later,
COZ

 

You have a column?

 

NOW you're gettin' the hang of it!

Later,
COZ

 

There's a reason nobody reads it...

 

I agree - it's a shame. I know he's not universally popular with Fire fans, but he was one of a very few bright spots this past season.

 

Despite the disappointment that was this past season, I maintain my confidence in the Fire front office. A. Williams is decidedly an MLS-quality player, and I don't think PW would risk losing said player without having a plan. What that plan is, we don't know yet:
A) PW may have a playmaker in line for an allocation signing, [Most Likely]
B) PW may have worked a trade to acquire a playmaker from withing MLS [Less Likely]
C) PW may believe that said playmaker already exists on the roster [least likely]

I hope not. There was a reason why DJ asked to graduate P40; I think this was a prelude to afford him the opportunity to play elsewhere.

In any case, given:

1. The losses of the bigger salaries in Bocanegra and Beasley, and
2. The likely loss of A Williams' salary, and
3. The plethora of allocation money,

I doubt the team will be cap-fvkced next season. So even IF DJ continues to steal money in Chicago in 2K5, and PW signs a high quality player to replace A Williams, it shouldn't be a major issue. But then, that's merely my opinion. I see this expansion draft as an opportunity for the FO to re-make the team and to speed up the rebuilding process. After all, market volatility routinely drives market volume [in trades, signings, etc...] in any league.

 

Pastorino was on the radio here in SLC this morning and talked a little about the draft. We indicated that the team was very interested in Williams so I bet they pick him quickly. He also said that they would most likely draft Countess but not until later in the draft.

 

I think you've got it right. I'll go a little further and say if the goats take walker as expected, we won't protect a keeper no matter what. I think it would be easy for us to swallow loosing one of the keepers in the draft and I can't imagine either of the expansion teams burning a pick on a second keeper. I think we'll do better to protect our field players and will still wind up with one of the two keepers afterwards.

 

If anyone wants to photoshop Peter Wilt in Frankie's place, be my guest.

 

My prediction:

Williams drafted by RSL in 2nd rd.(Buete pulled back)
Countess drafted by RSL in 6th rd.(Ring pulled back)
El Falco drafted by Chivas in 9th rd.(can't have more than 3 players taken, so thats it)

Immediatley following the draft we trade Thorton to Metros for whatever they're willing to give up. If we can get Clark or Pope, great, if not we'll take some picks or something, just get the salary off our books and allow Pickens to backup Ring. Just my $.02

 

I think any potential trade of Zach is pretty much dead now. ZT will start and Pickens will back him up, and we will trade Henry.