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The Official Washington Basketball Thread: Wizards, Mystics etc


BRAVEONAWARPATH

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We need to shake the tree a little bit. Webster and Blair are giving us nothing and we have exactly three legitimate guards on the entire roster. We need a real back up SG and a back up PG that can hang with quick opposing PGs.

Why doesn't Gooden or Blair get a little time when Gortat or Nene struggle? Gooden brings energy and would Blair be good for defense on other bigs?

They're the fifth and sixth bigs, so they'd have to jump over Seraphin and Humphries for PT.

I think we got the last few months of useful basketball out of Drew Gooden last season. And Blair isn't the answer defensively.

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That Beal for Harden potential trade is looking much worse right now than it did at the end of last season.  Wall and Harden would be serious contenders for being better than the Warriors back court and we'd have two big time play makers the offense could depend on .

Edited by Destino
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1-1 in this big 4 game stretch. We got to beat San Antonio at home. Otherwise I think we are looking at 1-3 and a ton of doubts in my mind if we are good enough to grab a top 3 seed. 

Edited by Duckus
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This team was never going to be a true title contender without Beal taking that leap. We are improved from last year but so are several other eastern teams. I think our win in Houston gave us a glimpse of what this team could be on a night when Beal played like an AS. But I'm less optimistic about that happening now, though Wall didn't take that leap until late in his third year, and that was a year which he rode the bench early on due to injury, as happened with Beal this year, so it's still possible.

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That Beal for Harden potential trade is looking much worse right now than it did at the end of last season.  Wall and Harden would be serious contenders for being better than the Warriors back court and we'd have two big time play makers the offense could depend on .

 

Hard to argue that.  But I also wonder about Wall's effectiveness in being paired with a ball-dominant guard like Harden?  I think in the long-run, the Wall/Beal combo WILL be held in the same regard as Curry/Thompson. 

 

We have to remember that Beal is VERY young.  I think he might be the youngest guy on our roster...and that's hard to belive because he's in his 3rd year.  By the time he's in his 5th year, and ONLY 23 years old, I think we're going to see a guy who truly made the leap into the elite category. 

 

The loss yesterday was expected.  Atlanta is playing on another level.  Their ball-movement is a thing of beauty and they spread the court so well.  I'm not down on the team as they've exceeded my expectations so far.  Long way to go, but we'll be fine. 

 

*anyone else a little surprised that Nate Wolters wasn't claimed?  I don't know what our roster situation is as far as #'s, but I'd love to give him a look.  He did well as a rookie for the Bucks last year. 

Edited by RonArtest15
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This team was never going to be a true title contender without Beal taking that leap. We are improved from last year but so are several other eastern teams. I think our win in Houston gave us a glimpse of what this team could be on a night when Beal played like an AS. But I'm less optimistic about that happening now, though Wall didn't take that leap until late in his third year, and that was a year which he rode the bench early on due to injury, as happened with Beal this year, so it's still possible.

Wall was out until January, iirc.

Beal was out until early December. Not the same. Im just not sold on Beal.

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Hard to argue that.  But I also wonder about Wall's effectiveness in being paired with a ball-dominant guard like Harden?  I think in the long-run, the Wall/Beal combo WILL be held in the same regard as Curry/Thompson. 

 

We have to remember that Beal is VERY young.  I think he might be the youngest guy on our roster...and that's hard to belive because he's in his 3rd year.  By the time he's in his 5th year, and ONLY 23 years old, I think we're going to see a guy who truly made the leap into the elite category. 

 

 

 

 

Agreed. (Not sure about SAME regard as Curry/Thompson but I hear what your saying.)

 

Beal is indeed very young. If he has as good a 4th season as Wall's 4th season, we're on our way.

Edited by Chachie
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That Beal for Harden potential trade is looking much worse right now than it did at the end of last season.  Wall and Harden would be serious contenders for being better than the Warriors back court and we'd have two big time play makers the offense could depend on .

 

 I disagree, mostly because I hate Harden's game. He dominates the ball alot, and he wouldn't be able to do that here. 

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I disagree, mostly because I hate Harden's game. He dominates the ball alot, and he wouldn't be able to do that here.

He wouldn't need to. I doubt Harden would mind Wall getting him open looks 15 times a game. There is no one in Houston that can do that for him and OKCs offense is entirely built around hero ball.

I also hate his game btw. I just think that this team is very close to being a contender but lacks that second star. Not pulling the trigger on that reported trade may have hurt the Wizards more than expected.

Edited by Destino
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He wouldn't need to. I doubt Harden would mind Wall getting him open looks 15 times a game. There is no one in Houston that can do that for him and OKCs offense is entirely built around hero ball.

I also hate his game btw. I just think that this team is very close to being a contender but lacks that second star. Not pulling the trigger on that reported trade may have hurt the Wizards more than expected.

 

Also, would we have the cap space we need to potentially bring in KD in two years? 

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This is known as the Mark Jackson principle.

We might be getting there. Where a coach you appreciate dragged a team back from the wilderness but can take them no further. Wittman changed the culture in the locker room and that was no small task... but now what?

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I don't think you can let go of Wittman just yet. I think he gets at least this year and next year. If by next season we aren't legitimately contending for the Finals, then you make a push for Durant and a dominant head coach that can get you over the top.

 

I agree. Outside of the team completely cratering, I don't think there is a chance Witt gets removed before the end of the next season.

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Beal is the age Wall was in his second season. Wall was a bigger talent playing for an awful team where he was the only starting caliber player on the team and the onus of handling the ball, creating, and putting up numbers was all on him. And even his results in his age 21 season were pretty up and down.

Beal is also the same age James Harden was in his second season, when he averaged 26 minutes and 12.2 points a game on .436 shooting (.349 from three) and had a 16.4 PER. Beal is a better and more productive player than Harden was at the same age.

Or compare him to Jimmy Butler, who during his age 21 season was a junior at Marquette, and four years away from becoming an All Star caliber player. Guarantee Beal gets there faster than that.

Beal will be a perennial All Star eventually, I have zero doubt about that. He's an NBA baby playing big minutes for a good team. We're in the phase of his career where the results are going to be very inconsistent. We'll get a taste of utter dominance like the Houston game and then we'll through a stretch where he ranges from ordinary to invisible. What's important is that he keeps flashing, keeps expanding his skill set, and keeps expanding his role. And in the meantime, he is a super talent so there are going to be areas of his game that are already elite, such as the fact he makes every other three pointer he takes.

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