There’s a world of difference between the Euroleague’s Partizan Belgrade and the Eastern Conference’s Chicago Bulls, but Vesely is learning like he plays - on the fly.
Singleton won’t make as many spectacular plays, but he could be more integral to success with his defense-first attitude and willingness to do things that aren’t celebrated.
“He brings a lot to the table as far as energy and toughness,” Grunfeld said. “He brings a mindset where he doesn’t have to shoot the ball a lot. You have to have a guy do the dirty work.”
An added bonus to having Vesely and Singleton around is their ability to push McGee and Blatche, who are trying to shed the label (just or not) of underachiever. Grunfeld is sold on both young veterans, for now, partially because of their untapped potential, age and modest contracts.
And partially due to their length.
“It’s hard to find big guys in this league, especially talented big guys,” Grunfeld said. “I’ve been around long enough to know that it takes longer for big guys to develop and come around.
“Look at the guys signed in free agency this year,” he added. “Four of the big guys were signed before anybody else. Those guys have the most value and are the hardest to find.”
Washington is trying to hoard a few.
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Deron Snyder is an award-winning journalist and Washington Times sports columnist with more than 25 years of experience. He has worked at USA Today and his column was syndicated in Gannett’ 80-plus newspapers from 2000-2009, appearing in The Arizona Republic, The Indianapolis Star, The Detroit News and many others. Follow Deron on Twitter @Its_Ball_Good or email him at deronsnyder@gmail.com.
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