The Official Washington Basketball Thread: Wizards, Mystics etc

[No Excuses]

Trevor Booker + Kevin Seraphin. I really wouldn't care if that was our starting front line every game for the rest of the year. The intensity Booker plays with is AMAZING.

Please Flip please, get these guys in the lineup. Get rid of Yi and Armstrong.

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

Does anyone care about the outcome of this game? Honestly, I'd love to win, but just seeing the young guys play like this I KNOW that we win this game if Flip had a brain in his skull.

Very impressive stuff.

That's what I've been saying since the draft. As long as Wall doesn't blow out his knee and our youngsters show improvement throughout the year, I really couldn't care less about the record at the end this season.

[BRAVEONTHEWARPATH93]

Great call ref

It was all f****** ball

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

I hope Flip takes notice......

Notice how Yi hasn't sniffed the court in like an hour now.

Great call ref

It was all f****** ball

The refs have been ****ing us all year.

---------- Post added December-8th-2010 at 02:03 AM ----------

Flip should have just let them run there imo.

[No Excuses]

Yi not getting minutes should be a sign of things to come.

This team will be deadly with another quality lottery pick talent. In an ideal world we can get Perry Jones and find a sucker who takes Blatche.

[BRAVEONTHEWARPATH93]

Lakers are letting us hang... That was a dumb shot to take

---------- Post added December-8th-2010 at 01:06 AM ----------

Flip called a timeout just to have wall throw a 3 up?

Dammit...

[Sticksboi05]

Can we just fire Flip now? WTF, you draw that up? You have Wall shooting a deep 3? Fire him Ted.

[No Excuses]

Moral victory of the game: the possibility that Yi and Armstrong are permanently entrenched as end of the bench players. There is absolutely no reason they should be getting minutes over Booker and Seraphin.

Seraphin is going to develop into a force for this team. The scary thing is that he's this athletic and powerful without any proper weight training. The more he gets pro level conditioning and coaching, the better he will get.

Edited December 8, 2010 by No Excuses

[MonkFan8]

Too bad we didn't start the game with that lineup. If Yi doesn't play I think we win this game rather easily.

Did Flip suddenly come to the realization that, hey, Nick can play SF? A lineup of Wall, Arenas and Young is dynamic, no matter who is in the front court.

Booker is going to be a really good player. Dude has great touch around the rim and hustles like crazy. Seraphin again looking more than solid.

While Wall and Gil don't look all that comfortable out there together yet, I think they just need time. Gil is one of the best spot up shooters in the league, that automatically makes him a great option for Wall's sidekick.

[Skin'emAlive]

Good game by washington tonight. I loved the intensity. If only we could secure rebounds on the offensive and defensive glass. You would think Mcgee would be a rebound monster, but i think he is too busy looking for the block. Either way, i like where this team is heading. I would like kirk and yi riding the pine though. And blatch traded.

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

This team will be deadly with another quality lottery pick talent. In an ideal world we can get Perry Jones and find a sucker who takes Blatche.

I'm trying to think of who I want in the draft. Who knows how the lottery balls bounce but right now we're slated in the 6th spot so that's what I'm going off of. There isn't really anyone that excites and intrigues me there. I'm not really all that excited by Jones or Barnes either. With the development of McGee, Seraphin and Booker a big would seem out of the question. But if we dump Blatche (God willing we do) can we expect Booker to start? Or do we need to look at drafting a replacement as a starting 4? Do we need a true SG? Or should we just focus on the obvious need of SF?

There are a number of SF and PF options. SG not so much.

---------- Post added December-8th-2010 at 02:47 AM ----------

Well actually, I kinda like what I'm reading and seeing about Terrence Jones. Freshman SF/PF/Point-Forward at Kentucky. He's got that versatility that I like and a huge upside.

Draft Express has him ranked as the 6th prospect in the 2011 draft. Right where we're currently slated. From them:

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Terrence-Jones-5708/

One of the most productive freshmen in the country six games into the season, Kentucky forward Terrence Jones has looked extremely impressive in the early going, playing with an extremely high level of confidence and maturity.

The 6'8 18 year old has a very mature physical profile for his age, boasting a thick, well-built frame in both the upper and lower body with good length to boot. From an athletic standpoint, his muscle mass doesn't hold him back much at all, as he's quick off his feet even in stride off the dribble, explosive around the rim, and has a very good first step with the ball.

On the offensive end, Jones has a versatile game and the confidence to put all his skills to use. Having a nice basketball IQ and very good scoring instincts, there isn't any one area where Jones isn't at least an adequate performer.

Doing the majority of his damage operating off quick catches on the wing and in the pinch post, Jones does a lot of work catching and putting the ball down on the floor to go to the basket. Heavily favoring his dominant left hand, Jones has a controlled albeit somewhat upright dribble that he's very confident with both in and out of space.

Being most comfortable when he has room for a quick, straight-line drive to the rim, Jones is capable of getting separation with his explosive first step and either driving all the way to the rim or pulling up for a floater with either hand. While Jones favors his finesse game perhaps a bit too much, he's capable of going up for strong dunks in traffic when he's built up enough momentum, elevating fairly effortlessly and not being shy about drawing contact, getting to the line at a very high rate, being amongst the top players in the NCAA in that category early on.

In space, Jones will occasionally show off a rangy spin move or behind-the-back dribble, both of which he can seamlessly transition into one of his floaters, though he doesn't show much ability getting off advanced moves in traffic, and to his credit he seems to recognize his limitations pretty well, rarely making ill-advised decisions with the ball considering how frequently he's been creating his own shot. He turns the ball over on just 14% of his possessions, which is an extremely low rate considering his freshman status and his style of play, which would seemingly lead to a large amount of lost possessions.

While Jones vastly prefers going to his left, he's also decently comfortable with his right hand, not having as much wiggle but being able to finish with right-handed lay-ups and floaters and still having a good degree of control with the ball.

Not just a one-dimensional scorer attacking the basket, Jones also possesses range slightly beyond the college three-point line, having a pretty consistent jump shot with a decently quick and high release. He has somewhat of a stagger stance with his left foot far in front of his right and he has a tendency to shoot some line drives while pushing the ball in front of his face, but he's shooting an accurate 46.2% on 1.2 makes per game thus far, and shows great confidence shooting the ball even with a hand in his face. While not showing anything in terms of shooting off the dribble, Jones has a very dangerous shot fake in his arsenal which he uses to open up big driving lanes to the basket.

Surprisingly for a freshman combo-forward, Jones has also shown himself to be a willing passer with strong court vision, dishing out 2.2 assists per game in the early going, doing so in transition, hitting cutters in the lane, kicking out of double teams in the post, and just moving the ball in the flow of the offense. He sometimes will get in trouble not recognizing a passing lane closing down and force the ball through, but his errors are mostly good ideas and he shows a good feel overall in this area that can be developed further.

In terms of post offense, Jones isn't very adept at the moment, having trouble getting separation and finishing over larger opponents at times, not really having much in terms of rangy moves, relying heavily on simple hooks and spinning hooks. He seems to do a much better job operating from the perimeter where he's capable of building momentum and having more initial separation from his man, looking far more comfortable in that regard.

Off the ball, Jones also does a solid job finishing on cuts to the basket and crashing the offensive boards, doing an excellent job throwing his weight around and establishing deep position, showing good instincts running to the rim when shots go up and showing good hands and getting off the floor quickly for putbacks.

On the defensive end, Jones has shown a solid effort level thus far, not giving up on many plays and being pretty consistent in closing out on perimeter jumpers, always running full speed with his arms outstretched. Unfortunately, a good deal of those situations are created when Jones gets caught ball-watching off the ball, making him prone to losing his man in the flow of offense, leading to an easy shot.

In terms of man-to-man defense, Jones actually has a good stance and moves his feet pretty well on the perimeter despite a high center of gravity and somewhat stiff movements. With more work here and consistent focus, he should be able to hold his own against most NBA small forwards, but could be overmatched against the elites. In the post, Jones has done a very good job thus far, bodying up pretty well, keeping his arms outstretched, contesting anything shot above him, and moving his feet. He also seems to be pretty far away from his potential here as he doesn't show great understanding of leverage, which makes his overall effectiveness in this area more impressive.

Looking forward, Jones was already thought of as a potential lottery pick before the season began, so the mature and confident game he's shown thus far has definitely helped, especially because its rare freshmen instantly contribute in such a complete manner. While still more of a combo-forward at the moment, Jones' early prowess with perimeter shot creation and adequate comfort with perimeter defense so early in his career also make an eventual transition to full-time small forward more likely, something that also should help his stock. With his physical tools, NBA-ready body, and strong and growing skill set, Jones has a high ceiling and should stay put firmly in the early-to-mid lottery if he can continue this play all season.

Edited December 8, 2010 by G.A.C.O.L.B.

[pjfootballer]

And against the Blazers last week, Portland got 24 offensive rebounds when Blatche got 40 minutes, Yi 10, and Booker and Seraphin 0.

---------- Post added December-8th-2010 at 01:53 AM ----------

Booker is ****ing sick.

Seriously, he goes up and you're not sure he can throw it down and not only does he dunk it, he dunks it with authority.

I live here in SC and see alot of Clemson games on TV. Most of you guys were down on Booker. I was telling you guys earlier in the year he is legit. He's a little short, but he's tough. Does alot of the dirty work.

[StillUnknown]

Young is an assassin off that bench, when he gets in that zone, he ain't missing.

as stated by so many, Yi is worthless. we would be better off playing 4 on 5

play Booker & Seraphin more

loved the effort in the 2nd half, now we just gotta stop digging such a hole in the first half of games

and please get rid of Flip ASAP

i had to rewind that block about 15 times after it happened

Edited December 8, 2010 by StillUnknown

[No Excuses]

I'll have to keep an eye on Terrence Jones. Sounds like one hell of a prospect.

That block by Wall was ridiculous. This team has some SICK athletes. Wall, Booker, McGee, Seraphin, Young... all these guys are a solid core for the future. Add in another high lotto pick and this team will have some serious talent to work with.

One thing we need to be careful with is to not go the Portland way. They stacked up so much talent that it's eventually backfired on them now. This is why I like having Gilbert on the team. You need a good balance of veterans and rookies.

[Going Commando]

I agree with you but I also want to compete as well.

And if we're in a total rebuild mode, then the coach should act like it.

I want to see heavy minutes for Booker, Seraphin,,,,,not just Wall.

Maybe he doesn't want to grind down their spirit with constant losing and failure just yet.

Aside from that, I don't mind the losing. We kept it close with the best team in the league and goddamn! Mother****ing John Wall is the best mother****ing point guard in the mother****ing league! Nick Young is a beast too. The future is very bright. We'll tank this year, maybe the age limit will be lifted, and we can get a beast of a player in this class..

It's an exciting time to be a Washington sports fan. Well except being a Redskins fan. But I'm riding high on the Nats and Wizards right now and I'm about to join the Caps bandwagon in earnest.

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

Love Phil's comment on Nick Young at 1:30

And him and Kobe both said the same thing about John Wall. That he shoots much better than they thought he did.

[Going Commando]

Yi not getting minutes should be a sign of things to come.

This team will be deadly with another quality lottery pick talent. In an ideal world we can get Perry Jones and find a sucker who takes Blatche.

Everything I've read says that Jones is a pure wing player. Don't let that 6'10 height and 10' reach fool you, he's a perimeter guy. If we want another powerforward, what I've been hearing is that your best bet is either Jared Sullinger, Derrick Williams, or one of the foreign bigs like Enes Kanter.

I want us to get a wing though. I freaking love the idea of Booker and Seraphin rotating at PF over the long term. Hell, we could start McGee and Seraphin for the rest of the year as the front court IMO. That's a long term tandem.

The 2 and 3 positions aren't spoken for, especially since:

- Hinrich is nothing more than a solid backup pure PG

- Gil gets traded

- We might want to keep Nick Young in the sixth man role

- Thornton is probably best off the bench too

- Howard comes back poorly from his injury

So by that logic, I think Barnes and Jones are our two best bets although Terrence Jones has been having a sensational season so far. He's not the athlete Barnes or Perry J. are though. Barnes is having a piss poor season but I'd still take him in a heartbeat. He's got serious skills and has the perfect mentality to seamlessly slide into our team and be a complimentary piece since we already have a superstar (Wall) to carry the team on his back.

Most of all, I wish there was no dumbass age limit rule. I'd freaking love to have either Michael Gilchrist or Austin Rivers as our starting 2 guard. You'd have like 60 points a game from one of those guys + Nick Young + Wall as your primary backcourt rotation.

Gil needs to be traded for whatever we can get. I'd take on a bad contract and a lottery pick at this point. I love him and he's our second best player, but I just don't think he works with Wall. Blatche should be tradeable IMO. He scores lots of points so the stat lines almost always look good, plus he's young and has a very manageable contract. On a bad team like ours from last year, he's proven he can be the top scoring threat. I wonder if we can trade Gil and Blatche on draft day to make sure we get Harrison Barnes.

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

Terrence Jones' numbers as an 18 year old freshman are absolutely sick:

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/team/stats/_/id/96/kentucky-wildcats

I want to watch some Kentucky games before I get a full blown mancrush but I'm getting there fast.

[BRAVEONAWARPATH]

Gil needs to be traded for whatever we can get. I'd take on a bad contract and a lottery pick at this point. I love him and he's our second best player, but I just don't think he works with Wall. Blatche should be tradeable IMO. He scores lots of points so the stat lines almost always look good, plus he's young and has a very manageable contract. On a bad team like ours from last year, he's proven he can be the top scoring threat. I wonder if we can trade Gil and Blatche on draft day to make sure we get Harrison Barnes.

I'm not opposed to trading Gil and Andray but not for Harrison Barnes.

Personally, I think he'll be a really good NBA player but not a superstar.

Then again, I could be wrong.

[Dukes and Skins]

I'm not opposed to trading Gil and Andray but not for Harrison Barnes.

Personally, I think he'll be a really good NBA player but not a superstar.

Then again, I could be wrong.

He's someone that once he settles down and lets the pressure not phase him, he'll show off just how good he really is. Harrison Barnes would be a great addition to the team because I still see the potential in him even though he's not been great

[BRAVEONAWARPATH]

He's someone that once he settles down and lets the pressure not phase him, he'll show off just how good he really is. Harrison Barnes would be a great addition to the team because I still see the potential in him even though he's not been great

Personally, I'm more intrigued by Terrence Jones.

[Going Commando]

I've been reading comparisons of Terrence Jones to Lamar Odom and I can see them. He's not as powerful as Odom is, but he'll probably grow. It's novel that he's a lefty but he doesn't look like he's got many skills with his right hand. I do like that he's got a bit of a post game and that's why I brought him up a couple of pages ago. But since we've got so many young guys at the PF position, we'd need Jones to help us at the wing. One thing about him, he's been performing very well this year where Perry J. and Barnes have both been ordinary to bad. But from what I've seen of the latter two from their senior years of H.S., they are much better and more explosive athletes than Terrence J. is. Barnes isn't even that special of an athlete, but he runs better and can explode off the floor better, plus he's got those long arms and blocked so many shots at the previous level.

I like Barnes because he doesn't have weaknesses to his game. I've followed him pretty closely so far and his problem right now is that he's just shooting like ****. Everything else has been there--the defense, rebounding, passing, ball handling, playmaking in transition, etc. He just has sucked shooting from the floor for some reason. I think he's just in a funk and hasn't been able knock it down. Plus, I believe he's deferring to UNC's older players in several games so far, and doesn't necessarily have that alpha player mentality to where he'll demand the ball like Brandon Knight or Kyrie Irving does.

What I like about Barnes is that he's probably the smartest, hardest working player in the class and he's a better athlete than most (this tends to get nitpicked on him because he's the top player in the class and has a huge target on him). I do think the Grant Hill comparisons are there with him. I think once he fixes his shot, he'll start lighting up the scoreboard. I just hope its not before he enters the draft. I want him to drop to us because he'd be such a nice fit in our lineup. He wouldn't have to be an alpha go to scorer because when John Wall and Nick Young are on the court, we've got plenty of that already.

But if we're looking for a 2 guard, the 2012 lottery will be much more fruitful. I LOVE Michael Gilchrist's game and Austin Rivers looks like a longer Stephon Curry in his level of skill. Damn I wish they were available this year, or that we'll trade and get a high lottery pick for 2012. Gilchrist would be my ideal choice for us this year if he were available, even ahead of the Jones' and Barnes.

[BRAVEONAWARPATH]

I've been reading comparisons of Terrence Jones to Lamar Odom and I can see them.

Personally, I think he has a little Jamal Mashburn in his game....with his ability to take you off the dribble, hit the outside shot as well as post up.

Edited December 8, 2010 by BRAVEONAWARPATH

[Dukes and Skins]

Personally, I think he has a little Jamal Mashburn in his game....with his ability to take you off the dribble, hit the outside shot as well as post up.

Mashburn I definitely can see as well but Odom is a pretty accurate one. I see a mix of both actually

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

Yeah T Jones is gonna be a SF in the NBA. The fact that he can post up just makes him that much sweeter. From what I see he's the complete package. And I'm always weary of drafting on potential and only potential. P Jones and Barnes ain't done ****. To me they're in Ty Thomas/Marvin Williams territory right now. And we see how they've worked out in the NBA. Nice players but not what they're potential made them out to be. You keep waiting for them to turn that corner and they never do. T Jones on the other hand is already tearing it up.

Edited December 8, 2010 by G.A.C.O.L.B.