The Official Washington Basketball Thread: Wizards, Mystics etc

[StillUnknown]

Yi is out as well, maybe Seraphin can see some minutes tonight

[BRAVEONAWARPATH]

Yi is out as well, maybe Seraphin can see some minutes tonight

I wouldn't mind seeing Nydiaye either.

[BRAVEONAWARPATH]

How long is Josh Howard supposed to be out?

Hopefully he'll be back in mid-december.

[No Excuses]

Gilbert looks awesome so far. He's getting close to regaining his athleticism.

[ACW]

This is what you call a good performance

[Duckus]

Good game. We needed that one.

Glad to see Gil getting back to form.

[Warhead36]

To be fair the Raptors might be the worst team in Da Association.

[Going Commando]

Well we're not much better, if at all. I'll take a win no matter how it comes.

Seraphin and H both got on the court... for 4 minutes combined. McGee continues to bring a monstrous amount of per minute value to my fantasy team with 4 blocks and 9 rebounds tonight. Arenas got me 3 three pointers as well. Good job guys .

In other news, Perry Jones had a pretty good first game tonight shooting 50% from the floor, scoring 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 blocks. He looks like he's going to be a hell of a combo forward. Jared Sullinger had 26 points and 10 rebounds for Ohio State.

Edited November 17, 2010 by stevemcqueen1

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

Good game. We needed that one.

Glad to see Gil getting back to form.

Yup. You couldn't ask for a better match up when your top player and one of your top of the rotation guys are both out. It was still encouraging to see them dominate the Raptors as they should.

Kirk Henrich's best game as Wiz. He completely owned the game.

I've come to the conclusion that Gilbert will never get his quickness back. Casual fans think he's a gun slinger who fires it from outside but his big thing in the past was driving and getting to the line. You used to regularly see a line from him like 30 points, 14 of 17 from the line. Not anymore. But he's still one of the top scorers in the league. He's still quick as can be getting his shot up with the littlest of space.

I feel bad for Nick Young. He's the type of player that he NEEDS to be the man when he's playing. That's his game. To single-handedly take over for long stretches. But he's just barely not good enough to get those long stretches most of the time. I think he's the type of player who could go into exile some really ****ty place and be the leading scorer. But it won't be real. He'll just be the best of the bad.

Not sure what was up with McGee. He STRUGGLED hard tonight. Not his game, he's really been impressing me on the boards. That's been one of the consistent knocks on him since college. He can't rebound like he should (ditto Blatche). I think he averaged only 6 or 7 boards a game at Nevada which is pathetic considering his size, athleticism and level of competition there. He's been working hard lately though. He really gets up above everyone else and fits for every contested rebound. Tonight though he looked like one of the most out of shape players I've seen. He'd have a short, short stretch where he would fight his heart out and then he'd be done, gasping for air. I know Buck and Phil talked about his asthma but I haven't seen him like that before. (He's probably got a bug or something. I know when I get sick, I can breath for ****.)

Hilton Armstrong really stepped up though. He's been really, really impressing me lately. People absolutely killed the signing of him. Someone on here or over at WE even wrote an email to Ted about it. But he's playing hard. He's got more offensive moves then McGee but he's not as athletic.

On a sidenote, anyone remember all those years where it was like not a single player on our team could/would dunk. Or Michael Ruffin, Darvin Ham, whatever random scrub were our best dunkers? The only ones who would dunk. Isn't it beautiful to see dunks on the regular? McGee is one of the best dunking 5's in the league. Armstrong brings it. Nick Young. Al Thorton, our PG John Wall. Hell, even Blatche is dunking every now and then. It really does get your blood pumping.

Anyway, I also really like something about Seraphin. I'm not sure what. He just seems like the type of dude who will hurt you and not even blink. See that Jarret Jack illegal pick where he knocked the absolute **** out of him. I think every team needs someone like that. Hopefully he develops his skills enough to get burn and put that toughness in effect.

Oh and Trevor Booker is a beast...at fouling people. He look scared out there tonight. He started to warm up as it went on though.

McQueen, who would you take Isiah Thomas or Michael Jordan? In their primes of course.

And BOAW, I'm in the camp that believes Jordan made Pippen. That you could have put someone else there and at least offensively they would put up similar number. I think Jordan wins with Thunder Dan at the 3. Not six, and not 72 but he would have gotten at least one. Pippen is one of the best defenders of all time, no doubt. But I think Jordan pushed him to that. And Pippen NEVER showed up in the playoffs. Never. I think he shot 40% for his career in the playoffs. And when he went to Houston and Portland, with both really good, really, really talented squads, he never could take the team to the promised land.

Sorry I've been MIA. Life is hectic. End of the semester and I'm working on renting a house (BTW I got a room for rent, in Gainesville, $275 a month plus a quarter of utilities. Anyone interested or know someone, PM me) so I've been working my ass off. Plus I broke down and bought NBA2K11 (first game I've bought in almost a year.) The best sports game ever. Period. My little bit of free time is consumed by that. I have to relearn how to play basketball video games. (Of course Wall twists his ankle against Orlando in the first game of the year and is out 2-4 weeks.)

Edited November 17, 2010 by G.A.C.O.L.B.

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

Question for Caps fans: I know the Phonebooth is sold out and packed every night for the Caps. How was it when Ovechkin first got here? Before they started winning?

I ask cause on TV the crowd looked absolutely horrible tonight. I know Wall was out, and the Raptors have no name players, but man. I guess that's a good thing though. Ted is a businessman first and foremost so having a ****ty team hurts the bottom line. This is gonna compel him to do whatever it takes to build a winner. I think Abe was happy with a eh crowd. Ted isn't going to be like that. I don't think it's a coincidence that after Ted got involved with Abe you saw Abe bring in Jordan (our Jagr) and then the Big Tree. Bold moves to win.

[ACW]

GACOLB, even the 1st half of the 2007-2008 season before we got Gabby IIRC it wasn't too packed. Win and they will come. Who's the Big Tree?

[No Excuses]

I thought last night was McGee's most impressive game so far. His asthma problems seemed to be kicking in but his man to man defense is really improving. Once he understand help defense, he's going to be a monster on the defensive end. I'm liking how his game has been improving steadily.

Edited November 17, 2010 by No Excuses

[gbear]

Is it just me or does Blatche look far less defined this year? Last year he was cut. This year he looks softer, and I mean that both in terms of being in shape and in his play style. I haven't gotten to see much of the Wizards yet this year, but I've caught a few min of 3 of the games thus far.

Am I imagining things?

Edited November 17, 2010 by gbear

[No Excuses]

Is it just me or does Blatche look far less defined this year? Last year he was cut. This year he looks softer, and I mean that both in terms of being in shape and in his play style. I haven't gotten to see much of the Wizards yet this year, but I've caught a few min of 3 of the games thus far.

Am I imagining things?

Nah, Blatche is definitely not in shape right now. He missed about two months worth of conditioning due to a broken foot over the offseason. I think he returned back on the court in September. He's will working to get back in shape but he's played well so far this year.averaging 17 and 8 with decent shooting numbers. His efficiency will go up as he gets in shape and gets used to playing with Wall and Gilbert (who he didn't play with last year)

Edited November 17, 2010 by No Excuses

[Rocky21]

Man did we need that last night or what?

If this team is going to be successful we need Gilbert to be a consistant threat / scorer like last night. Agree with GACOLB that Armstrong had a great game last night. Also agree it was Heinrich's best night as a Wizard. I'm still waiting to see Wall and Gilbert develop a chemistru together but I can wait a little while for that to fully develop.

Nice win last night. Let's see what happens tonight in Bahston.

[Going Commando]

McQueen, who would you take Isiah Thomas or Michael Jordan? In their primes of course.

If the team's are identicaly, I'd take Jordan there. Isiah from the 80's used to whup up on Jordan from the 80's, but his team was clearly better and more competitive. There is a clear difference in their caliber as players. Jordan is unquestionably the best two guard ever while I'd put Isiah behind Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, and at least John Stockton in PG rankings. I think Gary Payton might have been considered better than Isiah if he'd ever been able to win a championship in his prime. At least, I know I would rather have Payton than Thomas.

Plus when you've got a scoring 2 like Jordan who was also a great defender and ball handler, I don't think there is a huge difference in positional value between him and a true PG. You can run the offense through Jordan and it will go smoothly. But I do still maintain there is a difference in positional value between that type of 2 guard and a dominant true center like Kareem, Wilt, or Russell in his era. Wilt and Russell came from such a different era it's hard to say whether or not I'd take them on a team over Jordan. Would Russell have dominated in the paint against the type of bigs Jordan played against? Would Wilt have?

I'd consider taking Magic or Robertson over Jordan if I were trying to build a championship team. Again, Robertson is tough to say though because he did his damage in the 70's. But when you get into a discussion of Jordan versus Magic, Kareem, Robertson, Chamberlain, and Russell, you're probably talking about 6 of the 7 greatest to ever play the game. You could clearly build around any of them.

Edited November 17, 2010 by stevemcqueen1

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

GACOLB, even the 1st half of the 2007-2008 season before we got Gabby IIRC it wasn't too packed. Win and they will come. Who's the Big Tree?

Come on man. Typo. The Big Three. And the few games I was able to afford to go to back in their heyday, the Phone Booth was packed. While the home opener wasn't as empty as some made it out to be *cough*chadflukes*cough* but it wasn't filled like it should be. Strasburg's debut was insane, you'd think Wall's would be similar. I know he wasn't nearly as hyped as Jesus but the Verizon Center is a third of the size of Nats Park.

I still contend that DC is a basketball town though. Wall is going to wake up that sleeping giant.

Vishal, maybe I was too zoned in on Javale's breathing issues last night. He has REALLY impressed me lately though. I'm a believer. Focus on defense and rebounding and just dunk it when Wall throws it to you. He's gonna be a top 5 center. A Grunfeld steal at 18. (And he's leading my NBA2K league in blocks, 2.8 per.)

And yeah, Blatche is a fat slob right now. They did a piece about it in the Post last week. Had a bum wheel and couldn't work out. Then he's got sleep problems so he just watches TV and eats junk food all night. (It's a dedication, maturity, and professionalism issue imo)

[TD_washingtonredskins]

Strasburg's debut was insane, you'd think Wall's would be similar. I know he wasn't nearly as hyped as Jesus but the Verizon Center is a third of the size of Nats Park.

I still contend that DC is a basketball town though. Wall is going to wake up that sleeping giant.

DC is not a professional basketball town. DC is an amateur basketball town. The Bullets/Wizards will never be as popular as successful DC football or baseball, though it should easily eclipse hockey if/when the basketball team becomes contenders.

[Going Commando]

DC is not a professional basketball town. DC is an amateur basketball town. The Bullets/Wizards will never be as popular as successful DC football or baseball, though it should easily eclipse hockey if/when the basketball team becomes contenders.

I wouldn't be so sure of that. First, winning will change things, especially if the Redskins remain inept. Is Boston still a hockey town? Plus, D.C. gets so much new blood every year and a lot of people seem to move there from the north east. With them comes a love of baseball and basketball. More casual fans will abandon their old teams if the DC ones get good.

Edited November 17, 2010 by stevemcqueen1

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

I picked Isiah because he was the last PG to star and be THE guy on a championship team. (And I agree that Payton was prob the superior PG.) But to my point, positional value is important, we agree there. But you have to look at the individual players. The top 1 isn't automatically more valueable than the top wing player. I think Durant is the next Jordan. He might not be the defender that Jordan was, yet, but the sky is the limit for him. He will be universally recognized as the best basketball player in the world in two years. And I think he is the type of player (perimeter/wing or not) to take a team to a championship. I'm taking him over everyone in the league right now. So our disagreement is that. How we view Kevin Durant. Not whether a PG is more important than a 2 or a 3.

And he did carry the U.S. to the FIBA gold. They lose the game against Brazil if not for him. And I think he scored a FIBA record in the gold medal game.

[pjfootballer]

I have a strange feeling that the Wiz are about to turn the corner.

I could be wrong but its just a feeling I have.

That's just the burrito you ate.

DC is not a professional basketball town. DC is an amateur basketball town. The Bullets/Wizards will never be as popular as successful DC football or baseball, though it should easily eclipse hockey if/when the basketball team becomes contenders.

Agree. DC is a football town when you talk about popularity of the pro sports teams. Overall, if you include college basketball or HS basketball, Basketball may be the most popular.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

I wouldn't be so sure of that. First, winning will change things, especially if the Redskins remain inept. Is Boston still a hockey town? Plus, D.C. gets so much new blood every year and a lot of people seem to move there from the north east. With them comes a love of baseball and basketball. More casual fans will abandon their old teams if the DC ones get good.

You're qualifying what I'm saying. Success being equal, the NBA franchise will always play third-fiddle in my opinion. Of course if the Redskins and Nats struggle for 10 more years while the Wizards challenge for the Eastern Conference each year, there will be an uptick just like we saw with the Caps (as they've been the only successful team for the past couple years). However, if the teams have similar success, the order will always be football, baseball, basketball, and hockey.

Also, you think transplants from the northeast will abandon their teams to follow the DC sports teams? This town is filled with out-of-town fans...why would people suddenly become loyal to their current city in 2010 when they haven't for decades? At this point in time, there is no incentive to abandon the team you grew up rooting for since it's so much easier to follow in the age of internet, TV sports packages, etc.

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

DC is not a professional basketball town. DC is an amateur basketball town. The Bullets/Wizards will never be as popular as successful DC football or baseball, though it should easily eclipse hockey if/when the basketball team becomes contenders.

We'll have to agree to disagree. But SteveM is right. Give the area a winning team and a top 3 player and the Verizon Center will be bumping and Bullets jersey's will be all over the place. And I'm not sure how you can claim that DC is a bigger baseball town than a basketball town. We had two teams and lost them. And our current one isn't exactly spurring conversations in the masses outside of the hype sideshow of Strasburg.

Me personally, I'm about sick of the Redskins. I'll take a Wiz championship over a Skins Super Bowl. The whole thing is just so tainted and played out at this point. From the ownership to the media to the fanbase. The whole thlng is just one big headache. It's not fun anymore. But that's just me.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

Agree. DC is a football town when you talk about popularity of the pro sports teams. Overall, if you include college basketball or HS basketball, Basketball may be the most popular.

Yep, high school and college basketball has a rich tradition here. Professional basketball does not.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

We'll have to agree to disagree. But SteveM is right. Give the area a winning team and a top 3 player and the Verizon Center will be bumping and Bullets jersey's will be all over the place. And I'm not sure how you can claim that DC is a bigger baseball town than a basketball town. We had two teams and lost them. And our current one isn't exactly spurring conversations in the masses outside of the hype sideshow of Strasburg.

Me personally, I'm about sick of the Redskins. I'll take a Wiz championship over a Skins Super Bowl. The whole thing is just so tainted and played out at this point. From the ownership to the media to the fanbase. The whole thlng is just one big headache. It's not fun anymore. But that's just me.

I can't comment on what teams mean more to individuals. You may well be a bigger Wizard fan than Redskin fan. But you're the exception. Agree or disagree all you want, it's true.

As I said, of course a sustained run by ANY local team while the other local teams play horribly is going to give that team a temporary position at the top. What I'm saying is, success being relatively equal, basketball won't challenge football or baseball. A winning Redskin and Nationals team will garner more attention and support than a winning Wizards team.