The Official Washington Basketball Thread: Wizards, Mystics etc

[Rocky21]

I know I'm posting late in this thread for this subject but on Friday night the Wiz played the best I have seem them play all year. Intimidating defense, good ball movement, hustle, rebounding...It was borderline shocking (in a good way).

[RonArtest15]

I know I'm posting late in this thread for this subject but on Friday night the Wiz played the best I have seem them play all year. Intimidating defense, good ball movement, hustle, rebounding...It was borderline shocking (in a good way).

Speaking of....

The Washington Wizards have allowed 95.1 points per 100 possessions since John Wall returned, a mark that would rank 1st overall.

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/226040/Wizards-Have-Leagues-Best-Defense-With-Wall-In-Lineup

I still want Grunfeld gone, but I STRONGLY feel as though Wittman has earned the right to coach this team going forward.

[Going Commando]

Len isn't strong, but he's very athletic. His mobility for his size is excellent.

A video is worth a thousand words. Fast forward to the 1:00 mark.

He grew up doing gymnastics in Ukraine. Agility and coordination aren't going to be problems for him IMO. And I think the strength will come in time. He's so young and he's 7'1 with a 7'6 wingspan. That frame is pretty big, I bet he gets up to 250-260 pounds pretty easily by the time he's 23 or 24. I think he's going to be a beast physically, his physical attributes will be well above average for his position.

I like that he's a true five with freak length and great shooting touch. He already has command of several different shots. Consistency is my only notable concern with him because he's got such a great package of athleticism and skills for his age.

What he does at age 19, playing for a mediocre team in some random college game against UVA means next to nothing in determining the draft stock of a player like him. He's already shown flashes of dominance at the college level anyway. What matters with him is the upside. What kind of player can he be playing the NBA game at age 24 and up?

I don't think he'll be a franchise player and I think he's a long term project, but I think he can be one of the best true centers in the league eventually. I don't see the consistency and ability to elevate a team on his own to become that franchise player. But if you draft him at five or six, you can get good value.

[Renegade7]

Speaking of....

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/226040/Wizards-Have-Leagues-Best-Defense-With-Wall-In-Lineup

I still want Grunfeld gone, but I STRONGLY feel as though Wittman has earned the right to coach this team going forward.

Hard to argue with results. He's running into that Haslett type of redemption territory, so even if he keeps it up, he still needs help on his coaching staff going forward (like a better offensive minded assistant). He needs somebody in his ear to stop throwing people in the dog house when he's supposed to be developing his young talent (prime example is Singleton).

[Going Commando]

Speaking of....

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/226040/Wizards-Have-Leagues-Best-Defense-With-Wall-In-Lineup

I still want Grunfeld gone, but I STRONGLY feel as though Wittman has earned the right to coach this team going forward.

I think Wittman is a good enough caretaker for the team as they start to grow into a potential playoff team. The team respects him and plays hard for him. But I think long term, we need a coaching upgrade. He's got hairbrained rotations, he doesn't seem to care about developing most of our young players, and the team did become a laughing stock on his watch. His level of preparation for the start of the season was terrible. Nobody had a role or a sensible expectation of MPG. That's pretty inexcusable because the whole offseason should be used by the coach to establish roles and build the team.

Will he grow as a coach and put the worst behind him? Hopefully. Hopefully the worst is behind him. Hopefully most of this team will still be in tact for next season so we don't have to start from square one again with nobody understanding what their role is. He can be familiar with the players he's got and how to play them.

But I don't think he has it in him to be a top notch coach. For this team to grow into an actual contender, one of the things that needs to happen is upgrading to a top notch coach IMO.

---------- Post added February-11th-2013 at 09:23 AM ----------

You are right that there are benefits to being with the team but I think Jan is miles ahead of where he is now if this team developed him properly. He should have been in the D league last season and this season Randy shouldn't be pulling him every time he misses a jump shot. He worked on that shot all summer and showed it in the preseason. The head coach should be aware of that and not undercutting his confidence. He's never going to be a strength player and that shot is something he absolutely needs to develop. I don't care if he gets yanked for fouling too much but I've seen Randy yank him for missing a bucket more than a few times and it annoys the **** out of me.

I agree. Wittman was such a good shooter in his time, I'm surprised he would ever do that. He should know better than to punish guys for misses.

In general, Wittman has too quick a hook with the bigs sometimes.

I've slowly come to believe that the timeline for the development of the bigs is much slower than we originally thought. Seraphin gets burn, but the fact we went out and traded for Oak means we're not planning on him being a starter before his fifth season, if ever. Ves and Singleton are being developed so slowly too. They don't get consistent run and probably will not be big contributors for almost all of their rookie contracts.

I don't necessarily disagree with the approach of keeping young talent on the bench until it's pretty much fully mature. It's what the Spurs tend to do. But you've got to have worthy veterans in front of them to justify it. It's starting to look like that finally may be the case, Ariza, Okafor, Martell, and Nene have all been surprisingly good IMO. I think each of these guys are a better Wizard than the players they were for their previous team. That's pretty shocking given our history.

---------- Post added February-11th-2013 at 10:10 AM ----------

Otto Porter's lack of athleticism worries me. There is obviously a case to be made for rail thin small forwards in the NBA but he doesn't seem to be able to jump or move very quickly. Can he stay productive facing long, strong, and fast defenders every night? SF in the NBA may be the most athletically demanding spot on the floor currently. I'm not saying he can't but I'm interested in what the combine results for him will be.

Me too. He does look like a grounded player and he has below average speed, strength and agility for the position at NBA standards IMO. The strength will hopefully come in time. Hopefully increased body control will too. If he can become more coordinated and much stronger, I think he could become a pretty dang good starter at the 3. Or if he manages to get a LOT stronger, he could have the skillset to play some stretch 4. He is long and he does rebound very well. That's a long way away though. He's very skinny right now.

I like the skill set he has today. I think you could draft him and expect him to become a solid starter that you can win with fairly soon. I like that he doesn't take away much from the table because he can shoot and he doesn't really take bad shots or make lots of bad plays. And I love his rebounding and I think he's become a pretty good finisher around the basket with a nifty below the rim game. But I thin you're right to question his athleticism. If you notice, almost every star player in the NBA has something that sets them apart physically. Carmelo and LeBron have their strength and size plus great quickness. Durant has his length and his mobility. Kobe had his speed and strength and size back when he was in his prime. Westbrook and Rose are ridiculous athletes and big PGs. CP3 has his strength and he used to be one of the fastest guys at his position until guys like Rose and Wall got drafted. So on and so forth. Porter doesn't have any physical attributes that help him stand out from other NBA forwards. Maybe his height, but it's not like he's a 7 footer.

I think that means Porter will always be a role player. As such, I don't think you draft him over a big man with high potential like Isaiah Austin or Alex Len.

[lovetoaster]

He's already shown flashes of dominance at the college level anyway.

But that's the thing for me. For someone that is as highly regarded as Len is, he has to do more than show flashes for me to have him slotted as high as most people do. Averaging 12.5 points and eight boards is a pretty big disappoinment after the hype he had coming into the season. He had a great game against Kentucky to start the year and that really got the hype train rolling, but he really has not repeated that kind of performance since. And its true that he plays for a mediocre team, but its not like he is playing against superior talent every night. Maryland's schedule has not been all that tough. Outside of Noel in his first college game, Len has not really gone against any other dominant big men.

And I discounted his athleticism earlier, and I might have misspoke, but something is just missing to me. Maybe its instincts, but it just seems like he is a little slow to react and passive sometimes. The stuff that seem to be issues now are not going to get any easier in the NBA.

I don't mean to dump on the kid, but there is no way I would take him as high as some mock drafts have him. I have to see more to justify taking him in the top 5-7 picks like a lot of people have him. And I know a lot of NBA picks are based on potential, but that leads to a whole lot of busts.

[RonArtest15]

This Wizards team doesn't need to draft based on potential. They need to draft based on who can come in an contribute RIGHT AWAY. I don't see that with Len and I don't trust our management with developing him properly unless things change. Like I said before, I want no parts of him here in DC. It's not to say he won't be a good pro, but the situation here in DC isn't for him.

*I'd take Otto Porter 10x outta 10 over Alex Len.

Regarding Wittman...how do we know his level of preparation was poor to start the year? That's an assumption. What we do know is that guys weren't healthy and the roster was really bad. On top of it all, I don't know of many other coaches who would have had better results with the hand that they were dealt. What I do know is that guys were playing hard for him DESPITE the lack of talent.

He had folks like Nene and Wall VOUCHING for him to return this year. That goes a long way with me. The players like/believe in him. There have been some ups and downs, but that's to be expected. He seemingly has a good thing going and I'd like to watch what happens over the next year. I mean, he has these guys getting after it defensively. We have all the horses back and Wizards basketball has been fun to watch. It's weird, but I now EXPECT them to win every time they hit the floor. Wittman has a lot to learn (rotations), but I think that will come in due time with experience. He's grown along with the rest of the team. Whether he's here 3-4 years from now, who knows? But like I said before, I think he's earned the right to coach this team going forward (for the time being).

Edited February 11, 2013 by RonArtest15

[Going Commando]

I think I'm going to finally put Isaiah Austin over Alex Len. Mostly for what Austin has been doing lately. He's been rebounding and blocking shots like a fiend lately.

But the real kicker for me is how fast Austin is. He is so mobile. He gets from the 3 pt line to the rim in a flash.

He's a unique player. I think there are some fundamental strength concerns with him, but the same is true of pretty much all the top bigs. All of these guys are going to take years to shape their bodies.

Austin's ability to face up and shoot all the way out to the 3 pt line is very appealing to me. You can actually see him getting onto the court as a rookie and sophomore in spot duty at the 4 because he can rebound and on offense you can park him at the 3 pt line and use him as an outlet.

I'm thinking:

1.) Noel

2.) Shabazz

3.) Zeller

4.) McLemore

5.) Austin

6.) Len

7.) Smart

8.) Bennett

9.) Porter

10.) McAdoo

11.) Plumlee

12.) Oladipo

13.) Carter-Williams

14.) McCollum

15.) Burke

Actually I think those three PGs are probably better than Oladipo but we could use Oladipo a lot more than the PGs.

I left Goodwin and Poythress off. I think they go back to school. They need to anyway.

[StillUnknown]

I still want Grunfeld gone, but I STRONGLY feel as though Wittman has earned the right to coach this team going forward.

I still can't get past his terrible rotations and his distinct lack of X's & O's on offense.

In all honestly, I think Don Newman could be credited with the turnaround in our defensive play.

[Skins199021]

I want Len everything says he is a freak athlete, and a hard worker. The guy couldn't even speak english a year ago, and now by reports he can speak it fairly well. He has also gained around 30 pounds since last year. I mean he came from the Ukraine, I am willing to bet that the ACC is much better than wherever he was playing before.

How many times does a 7-1 guy have a jump shot like his? Not many. If we can trade Okafor for a pick or a young piece and draft Len that would be great.

[nuposse87]

Isaiah Austin is slowly becoming my favorite big man in this draft class. He's huge first off, 7'1 220, clearly needs to add weight, but if AD's skinny ass did it, I don't think it should be improbably for him either. He's already got some solid shooting touch (even out to 3 pt land) and has been really hitting his stride as of late. If this continues, into the tourney, I think his potential+production should warrant a top 3 pick out of him. I'd love for him to sit behind Okafor for year just to learn how to play center effectively. Clearly he'd still be a bit of a project, but I think we'd see dividends in year two.

Still think Otto Porter provides the best fit+good talent, but I think he can be had out of the top 5. Ernie needs to get his hands on another lottery pick.

[Going Commando]

Anyone else realize that Samuel Dalembert is going off right now? He averaged about 20 PPG, 66% FG, 12 boards, 3 blocks last week. Hopefully he's not feeling it this week.

[delmarvan]

I like Nerlens Noel/ Shabazz Muhammad/Ben McLemore/Otto Porter in that order.

-Noel mostly because of his potential and his ability to get up and down the floor. His passing skills for a big-man is elite. If he develops his offensive game, he would be unstoppable.

-Muhammad is just a scorer, which is what the team needs. He has plethora of offensive moves to go along with MUCH-MUCH improved three point shot.

-Mclemore is just special, reminds me of a young Ray Allen. Clean and quick stroke to go along with crazy athletic ability for the SG position. He does need to improve upon his ball handling but his passing skills make up for it.

-I am really starting to like Porter, he is a true definition of a do it all SF. He has gotten stronger, improved his shooting and his ball handling all in one year. His length bothers defenders, he could be like a Nic Batum in the NBA.

[Going Commando]

Just a heads up, Porter is on TV on ESPN at 7 and McLemore is on ESPN at 9.

[SuperBash]

We're playing some crappy defense to start the game.

[Going Commando]

Good end to the quarter for Beal.

[SuperBash]

Good end to the quarter for Beal.

I loved seeing Beal get his stroke back. Shaking some rust off. Those 2 swishes will be great for his confidence and rhythm.

---------- Post added February-11th-2013 at 08:48 PM ----------

Illysova would be one hell of a Vampire for Halloween.

Edited February 12, 2013 by SuperBash

[mmzznnxx]

That was incredible awareness and timing on the steal by Beal there.

Nene has incredible ballfakes. I wish I could palm a basketball like that.

Edited February 12, 2013 by mmzznnxx

[MonkFan8]

I love Beal. Dude is so under control.

[lovetoaster]

Ummmm...yeah that Beal kid just might be a keeper.

[Going Commando]

Wall and Nene are dropping dimes. I love that lineup with those two, Beal, Seraphin, and Singleton.

[StillUnknown]

Nene has incredible ballfakes. I wish I could palm a basketball like that.

Shame he missed the short range attempt after that beautiful move, he did manage to get the elbow jumper though.

Edited February 12, 2013 by StillUnknown

[SuperBash]

Let's go on an Oakland A's 2002 tear

[Going Commando]

Porter had a very nice game tonight. He's getting better as the season progresses, growing really fast as a player.

[Gator Bait]

I'm glad Blatche is gone, but I don't hate him. If I were there, I don't think I would boo him or cheer when he missed shots. Not too loud anyway.

...catching up. I was at the game and greatly enjoyed Booing Blatche as he missed his 50 free throws (felt like he missed 50 of them anyway).