The Official Washington Basketball Thread: Wizards, Mystics etc

[Bozo the kKklown]

1 hour ago, BRAVEONAWARPATH said:

 

 

Asked directly about the RFK site, Leonsis at one point said, “I don’t know. All I know right now [is] I’m working my way through a really massive real estate morass, where I’ll eventually own the building.”

Leonsis purchased 100 percent of the Capitals and 44 percent of the Wizards and Verizon Center from the late Abe Pollin in 1999 and acquired the remaining stakes in 2010. Largely because of the unfavorable mortgage, Leonsis said he is now paying $14 million annually in interest and $9 million in principal, as well as maintenance costs that last year totaled $13 million. By comparison, he said, most teams pay rent of $3 million to $4 million to play in municipally owned arenas.

The mortgage costs are a leading factor in what Leonsis estimates will be a loss of $40 million in 2016 for his company, Monumental Sports and Entertainment. But with naming rights for the building set to come available in 2018, and with the mortgage paid five years after that, Leonsis said he expects the company to become profitable eventually.

“No more paying four, five times the rent compared to other teams that we compete with,” he said. “I know that sounds silly. But you’re competing with a team that pays $3 million in rent, and you’re paying $40 million in [building costs] . . . When we finish paying the mortgage, that will right-size the business, and for once we would be advantaged [economically], as opposed to disadvantaged.”

this is what a bad sports owner looks like.

[Bozo the kKklown]

50 minutes ago, stevemcqueen1 said:

I hope you're wrong, but I'm afraid you're right.

I don't really question Wall's talent.  IMO he's the most physically gifted PG in the game.  And he used to play with a ton of heart and he's always been a really smart player.  But I think Wall has picked up some bad habits in his career, I don't think he keeps himself in as good of shape as he needs to, and I don't think he's the kind of self starter that you need for a one star construction.  Someone who can play at a consistently high level for an entire season.

I think Wall has to be in a cast of other high level players with the kind of hunger to be great like Boston had in the Pierce/KG/Allen/Rondo era.

People forget that, before the KG and Allen acquisitions, Pierce was in a pretty similar situation to Wall on some dead end Boston teams.  We think of Pierce as being the perfect competitor now, but he was dogging it on some of those Celtic teams with Ricky Davis.

Anyway, the only way I think you can build a contender here is if you get Blake Griffin or DeMarcus Cousins to come in Free Agency.  Short of that, I'm not sure how you do it.  And even if you got them, you might be able to beat Cleveland, but you wouldn't beat the Warriors.

I don't want to be right about this either. I have felt that way about Wall for the last two years or so, but I did not want to admit it to myself. We have seen top tier players. We know what they do. I see Wall, and I dont see that.

I think he is the most talented point guard in the NBA. But I do not see someone that is transcended. He keeps crying about no one respects him. Make a conference finals. Work on your jumper. Have a damn floater. Something. I really thought he was gonna take a step forward after he hurt his knee cap in 2012-13, and refined his jump shot, but it has not happened. Stop letting bum point guards light you up.

Wall needs to be around other top players to be great, like you said. Nothing is wrong with that at all, but no top talent is coming to DC unless we get lucky and Cousins and Paul George wants to come or something.

[Destino]

14 minutes ago, BenningRoadSkin said:

this is what a bad sports owner looks like.

Why do you say that?  Was the bad mortgage deal his doing or was that just the downside of acquiring the team?

[Bozo the kKklown]

7 minutes ago, Destino said:

Why do you say that?  Was the bad mortgage deal his doing or was that just the downside of acquiring the team?

downside of acquiring the team

But he has not put a product out there that should be demanding public financing for a new arena.

[RonArtest15]

I think I convinced myself a year or two back that Harden/Wall wouldn't have worked...

yup. 

[CBass1724]

I reallllly want to love John Wall, but the only way I will is if they don't let him shoot the ball ever again outside of the paint.  Dude is a horrible shooter and has not improved at all.  I wish he'd play more like a Stockton/Kidd type and just dish out assists all night.  He has games where I'm like "wow, we have an elite top player!"  Then he has the games where he can't get out of his own way.  And I swear to God/Allah/Yahweh/BabyJeebus/Etc if he attempts anymore game winners, I'm gonna go postal.  I especially love when he dribbles the clock down at the end of games from 20 seconds and attempts an off balance buzzer beater with 2 guys draped all over him.  That's my favorite. 

I know we're not trading him, but I wouldn't be sad if we listened to offers.

[BRAVEONAWARPATH]

23 minutes ago, CBass1724 said:

I reallllly want to love John Wall, but the only way I will is if they don't let him shoot the ball ever again outside of the paint.  Dude is a horrible shooter and has not improved at all.  I wish he'd play more like a Stockton/Kidd type and just dish out assists all night.  He has games where I'm like "wow, we have an elite top player!"  Then he has the games where he can't get out of his own way.  And I swear to God/Allah/Yahweh/BabyJeebus/Etc if he attempts anymore game winners, I'm gonna go postal.  I especially love when he dribbles the clock down at the end of games from 20 seconds and attempts an off balance buzzer beater with 2 guys draped all over him.  That's my favorite. 

I know we're not trading him, but I wouldn't be sad if we listened to offers.

He's not a great shooter (obviously) but this is an exaggeration.

[CBass1724]

1 minute ago, BRAVEONAWARPATH said:

He's not a great shooter (obviously) but this is an exaggeration.

Part hyperbole, mostly truth.  But you got the point.

40.9%, 42.3%, 44.1%, 43.3%, 44.5%, 42.4% - those are his FG percentages each year.  And he's a career 31.8% from 3 point range.  I cringe when dude takes a jumper because it's usually not going in.  His best two-point shooting year was in 2014-15 and he shot 47.8%. The rest of the seasons are around 45% and below.

I'd rather him shoot the ball less and create for other players, that's all I'm saying.  

[Bozo the kKklown]

42 minutes ago, CBass1724 said:

I reallllly want to love John Wall, but the only way I will is if they don't let him shoot the ball ever again outside of the paint.  Dude is a horrible shooter and has not improved at all.  I wish he'd play more like a Stockton/Kidd type and just dish out assists all night.  He has games where I'm like "wow, we have an elite top player!"  Then he has the games where he can't get out of his own way.  And I swear to God/Allah/Yahweh/BabyJeebus/Etc if he attempts anymore game winners, I'm gonna go postal.  I especially love when he dribbles the clock down at the end of games from 20 seconds and attempts an off balance buzzer beater with 2 guys draped all over him.  That's my favorite. 

I know we're not trading him, but I wouldn't be sad if we listened to offers.

this makes no sense.

 

Kidd only became an acceptable shooter when he was near 40.

 

And Stockton is one of the greatest shooters in NBA history.

Edited November 3, 2016 by BenningRoadSkin

[BRAVEONAWARPATH]

Just now, CBass1724 said:

Part hyperbole, mostly truth.  But you got the point.

40.9%, 42.3%, 44.1%, 43.3%, 44.5%, 42.4% - those are his FG percentages each year.  And he's a career 31.8% from 3 point range.  I cringe when dude takes a jumper because it's usually not going in.  His best two-point shooting year was in 2014-15 and he shot 47.8%. The rest of the seasons are around 45% and below.

I'd rather him shoot the ball less and create for other players, that's all I'm saying.  

He's a career 31.8% 3pt shooter but he's been at 35.1% two of the last three seasons...so definitely some improvement. 

 

I get your point about Wall not shooting as much but honestly, who else is going to shoot on this team?

You have a bunch of guys who can't create their own shots and most importantly lack "offensive aggressiveness". 

[CBass1724]

5 minutes ago, BenningRoadSkin said:

this makes no sense.

 

Kidd only became an acceptable shooter when he was near 40.

Come again?  Kidd was a terrible shooter and didn't shoot much late in his career.  That's what I want Wall to do.  I think you misunderstood what I was saying.  Wall shouldn't be scoring 20+ a night because when he does it's usually based on volume. 

5 minutes ago, BRAVEONAWARPATH said:

He's a career 31.8% 3pt shooter but he's been at 35.1% two of the last three seasons...so definitely some improvement. 

 

I get your point about Wall not shooting as much but honestly, who else is going to shoot on this team?

You have a bunch of guys who can't create their own shots and most importantly lack "offensive aggressiveness". 

I knew we'd get back to Ernie somehow!  

 

Edited November 3, 2016 by CBass1724

[Bozo the kKklown]

3 minutes ago, CBass1724 said:

Come again?  Kidd was a terrible shooter and didn't shoot much.  That's what I want Wall to do.  I think you misunderstood what I was saying.

i did. my bad.

[Skin'emAlive]

With wall cutting his shot attempts in half last year from the year before, he still led the team in scoring. So, clearly he is our best offensive option. He should play exactly like he did last night, and we will win more often than not. ( provided of course that brad starts hitting more shots). 

Speaking of gortat. I talk about him the most because he plays a position where there were max players available last offseason and we chose to stand pat. We needed either a max guy at the 5 or a backup to Brad and ended up with our 5th sg option of last year after Sessions, Neal and Temple while standing pat with Marcin. That's no good. It's why we see the same problems right now. 

Going forward, his position is still the easiest position to replace. Moving brad will be extremely difficult, and we won't get a fair return. 

I also meant that we need a guy that at the very least, can do one of those things: defend the paint/rebound or be athletic enough to switch on screens and sky for some oops. Marcin is kind of in between, and is aging. 

 

[Destino]

Here's the thing with Wall, he's having to play a style of basketball that doesn't suit him nor maximize his potential because Ernie Grunfeld sucks at his job and Ted Leonsis refuses to fire him.  In an ideal world Wall isn't forcing up contested shots, he's picking his spots like most widely successful points guards are able to do.  The problem is that a guy who should be focused on passing the ball, also happens to be his teams leading scorer.  The last guy to average more points per game on the Wizards was Nick Young.  Wall spends a ton of energy on the offensive end and that is going to take it's toll on the other side of the floor.  Especially during the regular season where guys aren't as locked in defensively most of the time.  It has to be frustrating know that you could be so much better if you just had a damn team around you.  

Give Wall a legitimate second star that is clearly a better scoring option and a talented roster, then sit back and watch the man work.  Right now you've got a pass first point guard being asked to carry the scoring load on a team that all wants to be near the rim.  It's a bad situation because Ernie has failed consistently and this past offseason especially so.  The bench is so much worse that the head coach can hardly stand to play them.

Speaking of which, do we know if Beal solved his recurring injury?  I ask because the only game in which he's played less than 39 minutes was because of foul trouble.  At this rate he'll be out with a stress injury before Christmas. 

 

 

 

[Skin'emAlive]

5 hours ago, Destino said:

... because Ernie Grunfeld sucks at his job and Ted Leonsis refuses to fire him. 

Speaking of which, do we know if Beal solved his recurring injury?  I ask because the only game in which he's played less than 39 minutes was because of foul trouble.  At this rate he'll be out with a stress injury before Christmas. 

 

 

 

 

This is exactly how Beal got injured the last 3 times... Clearly, the organization is stupid and incompetent because Leonsis has to pay too much for the Verizon Center. 

... Meanwhile up in Boston Avery Bradley, defensive specialist, is busy putting up another likely 30 point game. Against the cavs no less...Smh. 

Edited November 4, 2016 by Skin'emAlive

[tshile]

Leonsis criticizing wizards fans for a "win now" mentality is hilariously hypocritcal and out of touch.

Edited November 4, 2016 by tshile

[Renegade7]

59 minutes ago, tshile said:

Leonsis criticizing wizards fans for a "win now" mentality is hilariously hypocritcal and out of touch.

Where'd you see that? (may have missed it)

[Gamebreaker]

1 hour ago, tshile said:

Leonsis criticizing wizards fans for a "win now" mentality is hilariously hypocritcal and out of touch.

What? Are you serious? 

How dare Wizards fans want a winner after waiting 38 years for a championship? Why can't we be patient? We shouldn't be inconsiderate, look at Browns fans. 

Edited November 4, 2016 by Gamebreaker

[TradeTheBeal!]

16 hours ago, Destino said:

 

Speaking of which, do we know if Beal solved his recurring injury?  I ask because the only game in which he's played less than 39 minutes was because of foul trouble.  At this rate he'll be out with a stress injury before Christmas. 

 

 

 

 

To be fair, Beal is mostly just lounging around out there.  His "wheels" should be fine at this pace.

[tshile]

52 minutes ago, Renegade7 said:

Where'd you see that? (may have missed it)

 

7 minutes ago, Gamebreaker said:

What? Are you serious? 

How dare Wizards fans want a winner after waiting 38 years for a championship? Why can't we be patient? We shouldn't be inconsiderate, look at Browns fans. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2016/11/03/ted-leonsis-isnt-deaf-to-criticism-from-wizards-fans-but-stands-by-the-plan/

Quote

“I think that fans [believe] in the win-now [mind-set], and if you don’t win now, if you lose two games in a row, make a change,” Leonsis said. “And they should be. It’s fantastic. It generates click streams. Right now, we developed a plan. I was in the middle of it. We were executing against the plan and the plan is working slower than I wanted it to be. But I’m in the middle of it.”

Yeah Ted, write the criticism off as Wizards Fans being in a "win-now" mindset.

You ****ing doof.

Your arena sits empty many of nights. When it's full, there's a 99% chance it's because the opposing team is popular and people are there to see them, not you.

Your star player you claim to building around even commented on this last season.

It was your front office that abandoned all the building you did to go after Durant. It was your front office that cleared space.

For a guy that wouldn't even talk to you.

YOUR win-now mentality is what has put the team in the spot it is now.

You're lucky you have ANY fans left.

To accuse those you still have of being in a win-now mentality is utterly ridiculous and you deserve to be repeatedly beaten with a rubber hose for thinking that, much less saying it.

Edited November 4, 2016 by tshile

[CBass1724]

16 hours ago, Skin'emAlive said:

With wall cutting his shot attempts in half last year from the year before, he still led the team in scoring.

This is factually incorrect.  Last year he averaged 17.5 FG attempts per game, which was the highest of his career.  The year before was 14.8.  Also, with the more shots last year, his FG% also went down.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/walljo01.html

Anyway, enough of my Wall hating, lol.  This team has a legit shot to be 0-9 before facing the 76ers!  Hopefully Scotty can turn things around for us.  I have no idea if Mahini would help things or not.

Also, F Ted.  Probably a nice guy but not a good sports owner at all.  +1 on tshile's post.

[@DCGoldPants]

Leonsis' quote there is infuriating. 

[Renegade7]

52 minutes ago, tshile said:

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2016/11/03/ted-leonsis-isnt-deaf-to-criticism-from-wizards-fans-but-stands-by-the-plan/

Yeah Ted, write the criticism off as Wizards Fans being in a "win-now" mindset.

You ****ing doof.

Your arena sits empty many of nights. When it's full, there's a 99% chance it's because the opposing team is popular and people are there to see them, not you.

Your star player you claim to building around even commented on this last season.

It was your front office that abandoned all the building you did to go after Durant. It was your front office that cleared space.

For a guy that wouldn't even talk to you.

YOUR win-now mentality is what has put the team in the spot it is now.

You're lucky you have ANY fans left.

To accuse those you still have of being in a win-now mentality is utterly ridiculous and you deserve to be repeatedly beaten with a rubber hose for thinking that, much less saying it.

There's no way they're in the middle of any plan.  Their last plan just blew up in their face less then 6 months ago.  He really does believe in Ernie, not sure what its going to take to change that.

Edited November 4, 2016 by Renegade7

[Taylor703]

Ted doesn't get it nor has he ever. He's not a sports guy, he's a nerd. He just so happened to get in early on the dot com era and made a **** load of money that afforded him the ability to buy sports teams. It's too bad the Lerners don't own the Wizards. 

[CBass1724]

Quote

He’s also confident that the Wizards will achieve the same level of success in the NBA as the Capitals have in the NHL.

^^ This quote in the Leonsis article is gold.  Just what we all want, another local team to make the playoffs and lose in the first round.  If that's his plan, then he'll probably succeed.

Edited November 4, 2016 by CBass1724