Wizards Fantasy Draft Rounds 1 & 2

As I posted on Saturday, I started a Wizards history fantasy draft with a few friends of mine. Here is the first two rounds of the draft. The write ups on each pick are done by the drafter.

1(1). Team Shook - Preki - We were very excited to have the first pick in this draft, and we did a very thorough search to determine which player was deserving of the honor of the #1 pick.

We considered such stalwarts as Sergei Raad (who provided us with 22 heart-stopping minutes in 2006) and Yari Allnutt (still the only player in Wizards history to score a goal in every match he played in); as well as such fan favorites as Francisco Gomez (who else has been kind and thoughtful enough to give fans so many souvenir balls during the course of the games he played?).

But ultimately our search came back to the man in the middle with the virtually unpronounceable last name. Preki still holds (by a wide margin) every Wizards career scoring record with 71 goals, 98 assists for 240 points career points (next closest is 39/45/123 respectfully). Number 11 also holds the Wizards records for shots, shots on goal, is second in points per game, and is third in games played, games started, and minutes played for the Wizards franchise.

Preki also came up big in the playoffs, holding the career records for playoff goals (8) and playoff assists (4), and was a driving force of the offense as the Wizards won the 2000 MLS Cup. Preki is also one of only two Wizards to win MLS MVP awards (1997 and 2003), and the only player in MLS history to win multiple MVP awards and multiple scoring titles (also in 1997 and 2003).

By any measure, Preki (who played 9 seasons with the Wizards from 1996-2000 and 2002-2005) is the greatest player in Wizards history, and is deserving of the number one pick.

Perhaps if Yari Allnut had played in more than one game for the Wizards, he would have gotten more consideration...

1 (2). Team DTB - Tony Meola - With the second pick of the draft, Team DTB selects the only other Wizards player to ever win the MVP award. As I'd thought, the Shooks didn't pass on Preki, and honestly, who really could.

After a rough start to his KC career, where he missed most of the 99 season due to injury, came back with a vengeance in 2000, setting team and league records. Meola had 16 shutouts, a .92 GAA, along with winning Comeback Player of the Year, Goalkeeper of the Year, MLS Best XI honors, and MVP of the league and MLS Cup. Possibly the best single season in a Wizards players career. Meola holds basically every single team record for goalkeepers, games played (125), wins, (49), shutouts (37), and a GAA of only 1.22. He holds the same records for the Wizards in the playoffs as well, except for GAA, where he's only .01 out of first place in that category.

1 (3). Bravado FC - Mo Johnston - While the two previous selections are both solid, there is no player more important to the success of the Wizards franchise than Mo Johnston. He has demonstrated heart and courage beyond that of most players. By sacrificing his body, he helped create the goal that led the Wizards to the 2000 MLS Cup.

His presence in the attack will give us the spark that we need to prevail.

2 (1). Bravado FC - Miklos Molnar - Although Miklos played just one season with the Wizards - and not a full season at that - he showed a knack for finding goal that the strike force of today's squad would be well-served to notice. Even though he missed fully a third of the 2000 season on international duty with the Danish National Team, he scored the most game-winning goals of any player in MLS with six. Adding three playoff game winners cements his legacy in the minds of many Wizards fans and is good enough to warrant a second overall selection.

2 (2). Team DTB - Jimmy Conrad - The current Wizards captain will help lead our defense in front of Meola. Conrad has blossomed as a player while here in KC, going from an undrafted rookie, to captaining the national team last year. He's been a named MLS defender of the year, as well as being a multiple team MLS Best XI player.

2 (3). Team Shook - Nick Garcia - Nick is the all time leader in games played and minutes played for Kansas City and has been a rock in KC's defense for 8 years and on two cup championships(2000 and 2004) and also a leader on the team that went to MLS Cup 2004.