The Official Washington Basketball Thread: Wizards, Mystics etc

[MonkFan8]

Can't stand Blake, actually glad we didn't win that lottery. His game is tremendously overrated and he is a grade A *****.

Cousins is 100% right.

[Destino]

I like bigs with a little too much anger... And Blake is a flopper.

[Destino]

The battle for "at least we aren't the ........" continues tonight. Wizards v Bobcats, I bet the crowd is still bigger than the one at that public library the Pistons call home.

[SuperBash]

Why isn't this game on ESPN or NBA TV or something? It's a prime matchup...

[Destino]

Why isn't this game on ESPN or NBA TV or something? It's a prime matchup...

Should be on ABC.

Edited April 9, 2012 by Destino

[SuperBash]

This is like a pickup game that nobody cares about

[MonkFan8]

This is like a pickup game that nobody cares about

I've seen pickup games with better fundamentals, lol

As bad as the Wiz are, the Bobcats should be contracted. They are flat out terrible.

[StillUnknown]

I'm mad I fell asleep before the game. I would miss the one time we look good, albeit against a woefully inept team.

I truly feel bad for the Charlotte Bobcat fans of the world. There is absolutely no hope for that franchise.

[No Excuses]

I could be wrong, but I read that they will likely have to two top 5 picks this year? Or at worst, two top 10?

But seriously, any team that gets clobbered this bad by us should be relegated to the D-league.

[Destino]

Not just clobbered by the wizards... But the wizards without their arguably best player (Nene) and only NBA caliber PF on the roster (Booker). If that wasn't bad enough the wizards scored all those points with John Wall going 1-6 and scoring 2 points (granted 12 assists).

New low for the bobcats. Well... Until they find out they are picking 4th or 5th.

Edited April 10, 2012 by Destino

[No Excuses]

Yeah I saw that Wall only had two points and I didn't know whether to be happy that we beat a team that bad without him, or be concerned that he couldn't do much against garbage competition.

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

He actually looked pretty damn good passing the ball. I didn't even realize he only had two points until Buck mentioned something toward the end. To me, it was one of those games where he didn't score because he didn't need to. It was the best gamers of Vesely's career though I thought, and Kevin Seraphin is a ****ing beast.

On a sidenote, Kemba Walker is sooooooo small. I've seen people say we shouldve drafted him. I don't see it.

[Destino]

He actually looked pretty damn good passing the ball. I didn't even realize he only had two points until Buck mentioned something toward the end. To me, it was one of those games where he didn't score because he didn't need to. It was the best gamers of Vesely's career though I thought, and Kevin Seraphin is a ****ing beast.

On a sidenote, Kemba Walker is sooooooo small. I've seen people say we shouldve drafted him. I don't see it.

James Singleton was the player of the game. 12 boards, 18 points (6-9 shooting), 3 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals, and no fouls.

[Thinking Skins]

I'm mad I fell asleep before the game. I would miss the one time we look good, albeit against a woefully inept team.

I truly feel bad for the Charlotte Bobcat fans of the world. There is absolutely no hope for that franchise.

I really don't think we're one to talk. We (as a franchise) have been horrible since I can remember. That's like the Cardinals laughing at the Browns. Yeah, the Cardinals had a decent run a few years back, but (throughout history) they've sucked just as bad, if not worse. At least Charlotte has looked good two years ago and had a better record than us last year.

[Burgold]

I really don't think we're one to talk. We (as a franchise) have been horrible since I can remember. That's like the Cardinals laughing at the Browns. Yeah, the Cardinals had a decent run a few years back, but (throughout history) they've sucked just as bad, if not worse. At least Charlotte has looked good two years ago and had a better record than us last year.

Did Charlotte really look better than the Wiz did during the good Gil years?

but I think your overall point stands. This team has very little to beat their chest about and for them to look down on any franchise is a bit silly.

[RonArtest15]

James Singleton was the player of the game. 12 boards, 18 points (6-9 shooting), 3 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals, and no fouls.

I wish we never let him go a few seasons back. Dude goes 110% all the time.

[Rocky21]

It's funny I have read posters on this very board say that Charlotte will be a playoff team in a few years. Uhhh, what?

As long as Michael Jordan is prominently involved that franchise is ****ed. Sorry fanboys. Great player does not equal great manager for a multi-million dollar business.

Edited April 10, 2012 by Rocky21

[Going Commando]

but I think your overall point stands. This team has very little to beat their chest about and for them to look down on any franchise is a bit silly.

This franchise is utterly second rate.

From the GM down to the video staff and training staff, you can point to how second rate we are. The proof is in the pudding.

How come we never hear stories about how innovative our medical staff is? How obsessive and hardworking our coaching staff is in their preparation? How nuanced and well evidenced our gameplans are? How cutting edge and proficient our video team is? How slavish our players and coaches are in their film prep? How far ahead of the curve our advanced statistic analysts are? How hard working our players are in the weight room and the gym? How come we see our star player spending his summer uselessly playing glorified pickup games all summer instead of spending it obsessively training and developing skills like, say, Derrick Rose has the past two sumers, LeBron did when he fixed his jumper after his fourth season, or CP3 did the summer he became a great shooter? For that matter, how come we never hear about any of our players using the summer to perfect or add portions in their game?

How come the only stories we hear about are how our players are a bunch of stupid clowns that brings guns into the locker room and take dumps in each other's shoes?

How come we've pretty much done nothing but add defensive specialists to the roster for the past two years and we're still one of the most abysmal defensive teams in the NBA?

To me that, even more than the absurd coloring book offense, damns the level of preparation and work our coaching and auxiliary staff and our players are putting in before and after the games.

The answer to all of those questions is that we're second rate, and we will always be second rate until those things change. Talent is not enough to win in the NBA, and we don't have a ton of that anyway. But even still, teams like the Spurs, Bulls, and Heat, who, outside of their few core stars and even fewer reliable role players, are composed of a bunch of guys that none of us would want on the Wizards are ELITE because they are first rate organizations.

Ted should have cleaned house the moment he became owner. He barely changed anything but the roster and uniforms and started holding alumni events--mostly cosmetic stuff while leaving the true organizational rot in tact.

It's not too late to turn things around for the Wall era IMO. What I wouldn't give to have someone like Pat Riley or Sam Presti come in and completely reorganize our entire franchise into a competent, first rate structure.

---------- Post added April-10th-2012 at 09:43 AM ----------

Night in and night out, we're one of the least prepared NBA teams I've watched. Our silly and simplistic offense and horrible defense and absurdly low team basketball IQ is evidence that our team is so far behind the preparation curve that the good, well prepared teams just have their way with us. Our players literally do not know how to handle the situations they run into on the court, and so much of the time, we just coast on an instinctual transition offense and rely on raw physical talent. To me, that's unacceptable.

---------- Post added April-10th-2012 at 10:00 AM ----------

Does anyone else think that, in retrospect, the mild success the Wizards had with the Big 3 was due almost entirely to the fact that the Leastern Conference was putrid at the time, over half the teams in the NBA make the playoffs, and Gil, Twan, and Caron were all good shooters and thus gave the team a shooter's chance each night?

[Rocky21]

McQueen I have a tear in my eye reading that post.

And with the second worst record in the league, will we be getting the #2 pick? Somehow I doubt it. The curse of les boulez.

[Destino]

You need talent and health to get into the playoffs or be in contention for those final two spots late in the season. The difference between the middle of the pack and the top however is usually effort and preparation. Miami made themselves an allstar team... but that talent isn't what makes them one of the best defensive teams in the league. That's all effort from guys that are good enough to half ass it on the defensive end and still get max contracts. The Wizards get very little consistent effort and guys here just don't give a ****.

I've hated Lewis more than anyone on the team since he got here because I realize that his "injuries" are absolutely bull****. That guy can't wait to find a reason to put a suit on and this season is no different. Blatche can't be bothered to show up in shape. It gets even worse when you look at the actual team on the floor. We heard rumbles about players here being entitled and it's obvious that this criticism is well earned. The GM, coaches, and any player that doesn't want to give max effort all the time needs to be thrown out. That includes John Wall that is known to half ass it on the defensive end of the floor. I don't want him gone but if the team is going to turn it around there can't be any underachievers thinking they deserve minutes.

Only way any of that happens is if the GM sets the tone from the top and works to eliminate anyone that disagrees.

[StillUnknown]

I really don't think we're one to talk. We (as a franchise) have been horrible since I can remember. That's like the Cardinals laughing at the Browns. Yeah, the Cardinals had a decent run a few years back, but (throughout history) they've sucked just as bad, if not worse. At least Charlotte has looked good two years ago and had a better record than us last year.

I'm not really trying to talk down on the Bobcats, if anything Wizards fans have a pretty good idea with what they're going through.

I was just looking at the team and its immediate future projections, and there's not much to look forward to. At least in DC we have Wall who has shown flashes of being a dominant player someday, and hopefully a new GM/Coach to right the ship. If you're a Bobcat fan, even if you get a high draft pick, Michael Jeffrey Jordan is selecting the player. Not sure anyone has confidence in that guy to pick the right player.

[Thinking Skins]

I'm not really trying to talk down on the Bobcats, if anything Wizards fans have a pretty good idea with what they're going through.

I was just looking at the team and its immediate future projections, and there's not much to look forward to. At least in DC we have Wall who has shown flashes of being a dominant player someday, and hopefully a new GM/Coach to right the ship. If you're a Bobcat fan, even if you get a high draft pick, Michael Jeffrey Jordan is selecting the player. Not sure anyone has confidence in that guy to pick the right player.

I mean, if they wind up with a top 3 pick this year, then it won't be hard for them either. Davis, MKG, and Robinson are all studs. Now, if MJ wants to pick Harrison Barnes then I say go right ahead and "help" the Bobcats like you "helped" us (honestly, even that pick won't be nearly as bad as the K. Brown pick).

[Destino]

I mean, if they wind up with a top 3 pick this year, then it won't be hard for them either. Davis, MKG, and Robinson are all studs. Now, if MJ wants to pick Harrison Barnes then I say go right ahead and "help" the Bobcats like you "helped" us (honestly, even that pick won't be nearly as bad as the K. Brown pick).

I could see him drafting Drummond. If they had the third overall pick I could see him taking a Barnes or even a PJ3.

[Going Commando]

I could see him drafting Drummond. If they had the third overall pick I could see him taking a Barnes or even a PJ3.

Drummond screams Kwame. I can definitely see Charlotte drafting him.

---------- Post added April-10th-2012 at 12:46 PM ----------

You need talent and health to get into the playoffs or be in contention for those final two spots late in the season. The difference between the middle of the pack and the top however is usually effort and preparation. Miami made themselves an allstar team... but that talent isn't what makes them one of the best defensive teams in the league. That's all effort from guys that are good enough to half ass it on the defensive end and still get max contracts. The Wizards get very little consistent effort and guys here just don't give a ****.

I've hated Lewis more than anyone on the team since he got here because I realize that his "injuries" are absolutely bull****. That guy can't wait to find a reason to put a suit on and this season is no different. Blatche can't be bothered to show up in shape. It gets even worse when you look at the actual team on the floor. We heard rumbles about players here being entitled and it's obvious that this criticism is well earned. The GM, coaches, and any player that doesn't want to give max effort all the time needs to be thrown out. That includes John Wall that is known to half ass it on the defensive end of the floor. I don't want him gone but if the team is going to turn it around there can't be any underachievers thinking they deserve minutes.

Only way any of that happens is if the GM sets the tone from the top and works to eliminate anyone that disagrees.

Absolutely. Our people just don't care. I really hope Nene can come in and help influence things positively over time as a mature, dedicated professional. But changing a player here and there is putting lipstick on the pig. The FO is dysfunctional and second rate.

[Rocky21]

The great basketball exec Jordan passed on Jason Richardson, Pau Gasol, Tony Parker, Bobby Simmons and Gil Arenas for # 1 overall pick Kwame Brown . "We don't know what this kid is capable of doing, that's the beauty of why we drafted him," Michael Jordan said, in one of the all-time best quotes. "We don't know. In a couple of years he may be a star."

Uhh, or maybe not. Dumbass.

His next high profile pick was (not Brandon Roy or Rudy Gay) but Adam Morrison with the # 3 overall pick for the Bobcats who turned into one of the biggest busts in modern history and was traded for a handful of magic beans. What a great evaluator of talent.