The Official Washington Basketball Thread: Wizards, Mystics etc

[RonArtest15]

Why do you think those other guys suddenly started playing well the moment Wall returned?

Exactly.

Wall is allowed to be frustrated. Kid wears his heart on his sleeve. I like seeing that he's pissed and actually cares. As Wall goes, so does our team.

*Also, Destino...Beal is another guy who has shown his frustrations on the court through body language. There have been MANY instances where he has sulked/slouched after making a poor play or shot.

[Destino]

*Also, Destino...Beal is another guy who has shown his frustrations on the court through body language. There have been MANY instances where he has sulked/slouched after making a poor play or shot.

Beal is a 19 year old rookie that isn't the team captain. As far as I know he hasn't responded to questions about his poor performance by saying his team mates were to blame and that he did great. "They were great passes" Great!

---------- Post added February-28th-2013 at 08:41 AM ----------

Why do you think those other guys suddenly started playing well the moment Wall returned?

Because Wall is a much better starter than Price, Mack, Temple, Crawford, and Pargo.... that matters a great deal in an offense that depends on a point guard pretty much controlling the ball on every single play. That brings me to the point Wittman and Grunfeld's wonderful world of changing lineup and roster wasn't helping. Neither was the health and fitness level of key players. Nene was hurt and out of shape. Okafor was out of shape. Beal was figuring out NBA basketball, and started picking it up before Wall returned. Webster was hitting over 40% from three before Wall.

Wall is a major upgrade but he clearly needs to make some decisions about his career. It's put up or shut up time next year.

edit: I want to add that as soon as I was done with Beal's horrible shooting he sold his soul to the devil and started KILLING IT from three point land. Here's hoping Wall has a similar turn around that leaves me looking dumb (and happy for it).

Edited February 28, 2013 by Destino

[Duckus]

Watching the highlights of Curry going off in MSG last night. Wow. What a performance!

What could have been . . . . the Miller and Foye trade fiasco will never stop hurting.

[RonArtest15]

Beal is a 19 year old rookie that isn't the team captain. As far as I know he hasn't responded to questions about his poor performance by saying his team mates were to blame and that he did great. "They were great passes" Great!

---------- Post added February-28th-2013 at 08:41 AM ----------

Because Wall is a much better starter than Price, Mack, Temple, Crawford, and Pargo.... that matters a great deal in an offense that depends on a point guard pretty much controlling the ball on every single play. That brings me to the point Wittman and Grunfeld's wonderful world of changing lineup and roster wasn't helping. Neither was the health and fitness level of key players. Nene was hurt and out of shape. Okafor was out of shape. Beal was figuring out NBA basketball, and started picking it up before Wall returned. Webster was hitting over 40% from three before Wall.

Wall is a major upgrade but he clearly needs to make some decisions about his career. It's put up or shut up time next year.

edit: I want to add that as soon as I was done with Beal's horrible shooting he sold his soul to the devil and started KILLING IT from three point land. Here's hoping Wall has a similar turn around that leaves me looking dumb (and happy for it).

I get that...but my point is, let's not forget that Beal often sulks on the court when things aren't going his way. Another thing...how was Beal's defense on Brandon Knight? If we're going to kill Wall for his performance, we have to look at other guys as well. He wasn't the only one who sucked out there last night.

[StillUnknown]

http://www.awfulannouncing.com/2013/february/wizards-announcer-calls-game-ending-airball-as-game-winner.html

How did both home and road announcers miss this game ending call? Memphis Grizzlies play by play man Pete Pranica tells us on Twitter that Washington is only 1 of 2 NBA arenas to put the television broadcast booths at the back of the lower bowl. The distance from the court combined with Ariza's high arcing shot that moved the net combined to produce an event where both television crews mistook a game ending airball for a game winner.

This would also explain why Buck constantly confuses players on the court.

Exactly.

Wall is allowed to be frustrated. Kid wears his heart on his sleeve. I like seeing that he's pissed and actually cares. As Wall goes, so does our team.

Every player is allowed to be frustrated or show emotion, the problem is that when Wall's mood goes south, he can't seem to play through it. Calling out teammates in the media after you played like **** is never cool.

Edited February 28, 2013 by StillUnknown

[Gator Bait]

I get that...but my point is, let's not forget that Beal often sulks on the court when things aren't going his way. Another thing...how was Beal's defense on Brandon Knight? If we're going to kill Wall for his performance, we have to look at other guys as well. He wasn't the only one who sucked out there last night.

I noticed the sulking last night....was driving me crazy. The whole third quarter all Beal did was go to the top right corner and sulk there. I couldn't believe the coaches didn't take him out of the game. That was an absolute horrible game all around....I cringed every time Booker or Singleton took a jumper.

[RonArtest15]

http://www.awfulannouncing.com/2013/february/wizards-announcer-calls-game-ending-airball-as-game-winner.html

This would also explain why Buck constantly confuses players on the court.

Every player is allowed to be frustrated or show emotion, the problem is that when Wall's mood goes south, he can't seem to play through it. Calling out teammates in the media after you played like **** is never cool.

There are a lot of guys who struggle with playing through tough times. Beal is one of them as well. There isn't much of a difference (mentality-wise) between a 19 year old and a 22 year old. I EXPECT both guys to learn from this. Beal has terrible body-language when the going gets tough, and Wall is the same. As they mature, both guys will find other ways to impact the game when their shots aren't falling etc.

I noticed the sulking last night....was driving me crazy. The whole third quarter all Beal did was go to the top right corner and sulk there. I couldn't believe the coaches didn't take him out of the game. That was an absolute horrible game all around....I cringed every time Booker or Singleton took a jumper.

Agreed. It's easy to pick on Wall due to his game and his comments last night, but there are A LOT of culprits for awful play on both ends of the court.

[Going Commando]

A dude on RealGM said it best, this kind of roller coaster reaction to good and bad performances from Wall (and each of the other players) is natural fan behavior.

I don't like seeing the team get testy with each other out in the open. I don't like seeing Wall call his teammates out in the media and I don't like seeing Beal do it either. That's the coach's job, the guys should keep it in house and confront each other directly in productive ways. But losing a close one like that when you're starting to build a little bit of a win streak and winning culture and finally getting the competitive juices flowing leads to emotional exchanges.

I think Wall is in a funk the past few weeks and I'm hoping he digs out of it during March and April and starts playing like his old self again. You can tell he's frustrated and it leads to him getting emotional out on the court and forcing the issue repeatedly. He's trying to play hero ball during stretches.

We also missed Nene. Detroit has some size on them. We really need Nene out there to match the physicality of other teams.

On a positive note, Seraphin looked good. He was way more patient and only took good shots. It was good to see him work so hard because the effort level of the team was laconic most of the night.

Ariza was terrific. Really good defender. Great in the sixth man role. I think we need to try and hang on to Ariza, maybe even over Martell. Every team needs a perimeter stopper.

---------- Post added February-28th-2013 at 10:08 AM ----------

http://www.awfulannouncing.com/2013/february/wizards-announcer-calls-game-ending-airball-as-game-winner.html

This would also explain why Buck constantly confuses players on the court.

Heard about that on the Steve Czaban show this morning. He said the reason Ted did it was because he wanted to sell those extra court side seats to generate more revenue so they moved the broadcasters back to the mezzanine. That's cheap as hell and Buck and Phil don't deserve that kind of crap. And look what it got you, your announcers blew a ridiculously inopportune call.

How many people got trolled by Buck last night? I know I was confused as hell because I saw the shot didn't go in and the Pistons were celebrating but Buck's call had me thinking I was wrong and that we really did win.

[StillUnknown]

How many people got trolled by Buck last night? I know I was confused as hell because I saw the shot didn't go in and the Pistons were celebrating but Buck's call had me thinking I was wrong and that we really did win.

WizardsTwitter blew up after the dagger call, some priceless reactions.

[RonArtest15]

A dude on RealGM said it best, this kind of roller coaster reaction to good and bad performances from Wall (and each of the other players) is natural fan behavior.

I don't like seeing the team get testy with each other out in the open. I don't like seeing Wall call his teammates out in the media and I don't like seeing Beal do it either. That's the coach's job, the guys should keep it in house and confront each other directly in productive ways. But losing a close one like that when you're starting to build a little bit of a win streak and winning culture and finally getting the competitive juices flowing leads to emotional exchanges.

I think Wall is in a funk the past few weeks and I'm hoping he digs out of it during March and April and starts playing like his old self again. You can tell he's frustrated and it leads to him getting emotional out on the court and forcing the issue repeatedly. He's trying to play hero ball during stretches.

We also missed Nene. Detroit has some size on them. We really need Nene out there to match the physicality of other teams.

On a positive note, Seraphin looked good. He was way more patient and only took good shots. It was good to see him work so hard because the effort level of the team was laconic most of the night.

Ariza was terrific. Really good defender. Great in the sixth man role. I think we need to try and hang on to Ariza, maybe even over Martell. Every team needs a perimeter stopper.

---------- Post added February-28th-2013 at 10:08 AM ----------

Heard about that on the Steve Czaban show this morning. He said the reason Ted did it was because he wanted to sell those extra court side seats to generate more revenue so they moved the broadcasters back to the mezzanine. That's cheap as hell and Buck and Phil don't deserve that kind of crap. And look what it got you, your announcers blew a ridiculously inopportune call.

How many people got trolled by Buck last night? I know I was confused as hell because I saw the shot didn't go in and the Pistons were celebrating but Buck's call had me thinking I was wrong and that we really did win.

SM, I didn't really think about that. On one hand, we're lambasting Wall for his comments post game where he's calling out his teammates...on the other hand, not much is said about Beal's comments (insinuating that he's referencing Wall).

BOTH guys need to learn to keep things in-house. I think a lot of these things will be learned over time, but we need to understand that there will be growing pains with their play and also with how they conduct themselves after games.

Missing Nene was huge. I now understand why he was deemed "off limits" by the team at the deadline. His value goes far beyond the basketball court. All this nit-picking and in-fighting probably doesn't happen if he's on the floor.

[Destino]

I didn't say anything about Wall calling out his team mates, I took issue with him blaming his team for a major aspect of his terrible game. Again he said his passes were "great" and that his team couldn't handle them. There is a rather sizable difference between that and what Beal said, though I do agree with Steve in that Beal shouldn't have said anything more than "Wall is awesome and he'll bounce back" or something along those lines. If Wall was a star that comments we'd be hearing them on ESPN all day.

[RonArtest15]

I didn't say anything about Wall calling out his team mates, I took issue with him blaming his team for a major aspect of his terrible game. Again he said his passes were "great" and that his team couldn't handle them. There is a rather sizable difference between that and what Beal said, though I do agree with Steve in that Beal shouldn't have said anything more than "Wall is awesome and he'll bounce back" or something along those lines. If Wall was a star that comments we'd be hearing them on ESPN all day.

I hear you. There were some fumbled passes, but he doesn't need to come out and say it.

[Destino]

I hear you. There were some fumbled passes, but he doesn't need to come out and say it.

Are we even sure those were attributed to Wall as turnovers? Often passes that players get their hands on but can't control aren't counted as turnovers for the person that passed the ball.

[StillUnknown]

Watching the highlights of Curry going off in MSG last night. Wow. What a performance!

What could have been . . . . the Miller and Foye trade fiasco will never stop hurting.

Steph wasn't missing last night, he's one of my favorites to watch this year.

[Going Commando]

I didn't say anything about Wall calling out his team mates, I took issue with him blaming his team for a major aspect of his terrible game. Again he said his passes were "great" and that his team couldn't handle them. There is a rather sizable difference between that and what Beal said, though I do agree with Steve in that Beal shouldn't have said anything more than "Wall is awesome and he'll bounce back" or something along those lines. If Wall was a star that comments we'd be hearing them on ESPN all day.

Yeah I understand. But I wouldn't put too much into those comments, just as I'd roll my eyes if ESPN was running 24 hour coverage of LeBron saying something like that during a down stretch for Miami. I don't think the players get nearly as invested in negative comments as the outside world does, and they are prideful, competitive guys. They know each other though and they know how they really feel about each other.

[SuperBash]

I had to watch the game on a crappy internet feed since I don't have CSN + and the Caps were on CSN. I heard, "DAGGGERRRRR," and it was kinda blurry so I was real excited. Then, the feed came in clearer and Ariza was walking with his head down. Man, I was pissed but we really didn't deserve that game. Calderon owns Wall and we've never really matchup well with the Pistons. This team has a lot of fight and Ariza is playing some grade A ball right now. If him and Okafor keeps up their play even just for the rest of this year and next year, then the trade with NOH will have been worth it. Oh well, on to the next one.

[Going Commando]

SM, I didn't really think about that. On one hand, we're lambasting Wall for his comments post game where he's calling out his teammates...on the other hand, not much is said about Beal's comments (insinuating that he's referencing Wall).

BOTH guys need to learn to keep things in-house. I think a lot of these things will be learned over time, but we need to understand that there will be growing pains with their play and also with how they conduct themselves after games.

Missing Nene was huge. I now understand why he was deemed "off limits" by the team at the deadline. His value goes far beyond the basketball court. All this nit-picking and in-fighting probably doesn't happen if he's on the floor.

Well I think it's actually a symptom of something positive. The guys aren't forlorn any more. They've gotten a taste of winning and now they are in the moment and they care and losses sting more. They are more emotional. I think that heightened competitiveness is a byproduct of starting to develop a winning culture.

Now we've obviously got a ways to go still before we have a true winning culture, but I think you can already sense it starting. Fans are pissed by losses once again. They are expecting to win again. A three game winning streak doesn't have us going nuts like a thirsty man finding a canteen in a desert.

Regarding Beal last night, yeah overall it wasn't the best performance but I was pleased with his scoring. I thought he did contribute pretty well all in all and he really scored the ball in a variety of ways. He demonstrated he can be a lot more than a spot up shooter. He had the floater and the mid range game working and he showed off some strength to finish through contact. I really do think he can be a star scorer like Ray Allen. He'll most likely never match Allen's numbers, that's an extremely high bar. But he can play a similar role.

[Destino]

None of the guards did very well defensively but Beal did manage to hit 50% of his shots, and that's despite going 0-5 from three point land. He also got 6 rebounds and 3 steals.

[RonArtest15]

None of the guards did very well defensively but Beal did manage to hit 50% of his shots, and that's despite going 0-5 from three point land. He also got 6 rebounds and 3 steals.

No FT attempts and got cooked on defense.

I guess if there's a silver lining, that's it....otherwise it was a "meh" performance from him.

[Shabby]

If we had Porter for that last possession, we woulda won. The coaching staff oughta bench Wall. He needs to earn his starting role. We need to stop coddling him.

So our record before and after wall came back is just a coincidence?

[Going Commando]

No FT attempts and got cooked on defense.

I guess if there's a silver lining, that's it....otherwise it was a "meh" performance from him.

He should have gotten to the line. He got hit on at least two drives. He finished one of them anyway.

The defense was my only big complaint last night. He didn't do a great job staying on his man and working through screens. Usually he does but he and the rest of the starters were very lackadaisical to start the game. Only reason we stayed in the game was we were hitting our shots at an abnormal rate.

---------- Post added February-28th-2013 at 02:08 PM ----------

Well with us being unlikely to pick in range of Zeller and Noel, I think Porter has really become the no-brainer option for us this draft. Like Beal was this year after it became clear Davis was out of reach. He strengthens any lineup we put him in because he can rebound and shoot the three. Looks like he's got the perfect intangible make up and is cut from the same cloth as Beal. I want those two playing together.

[RonArtest15]

He should have gotten to the line. He got hit on at least two drives. He finished one of them anyway.

The defense was my only big complaint last night. He didn't do a great job staying on his man and working through screens. Usually he does but he and the rest of the starters were very lackadaisical to start the game. Only reason we stayed in the game was we were hitting our shots at an abnormal rate.

---------- Post added February-28th-2013 at 02:08 PM ----------

Well with us being unlikely to pick in range of Zeller and Noel, I think Porter has really become the no-brainer option for us this draft. Like Beal was this year after it became clear Davis was out of reach. He strengthens any lineup we put him in because he can rebound and shoot the three. Looks like he's got the perfect intangible make up and is cut from the same cloth as Beal. I want those two playing together.

I think Otto Porter is going top-3. Got a ringing endorsement from Jim Boeheim last night when he said he should be NPOY.

Also, if we were to look at a center, I think I like Kelly Olynyk's fit for this team more so than Alex Len. I think Len will be drafted before KO, but I think KO is going to be a much better pro.

[nuposse87]

So our record before and after wall came back is just a coincidence?

His coming back mostly fixed depth on the roster, he's an average PG at this point. He just makes the 1st/2nd units less stable. I'd attribute most of our victories to the increased production from Beal, Okafor and the unusually good play outta Ariza and Webster. Wall does have some imprints on our victories, but he's probably the 3rd or 4th best player on the roster. Nene and Beal are better then him, and Okafor is arguably better as well. Wall can fix that, but he needs to start busting his ass. He should take a page out of JR Smiths book (never thought those words would ever be said) and quit the night life and earn that max money. He needs to put in A LOT of work on the offensive facets of his game.

---------- Post added February-28th-2013 at 02:41 PM ----------

I think Otto Porter is going top-3. Got a ringing endorsement from Jim Boeheim last night when he said he should be NPOY.

Also, if we were to look at a center, I think I like Kelly Olynyk's fit for this team more so than Alex Len. I think Len will be drafted before KO, but I think KO is going to be a much better pro.

I'm honestly hoping Porter's combine scorers come in a little lower than I think they will, he won't last past the 4th pick at the rate he's going.

[CrypticVillain]

Somebody come up with a scenario where we can get two top ten picks in this coming draft. If we can get Noel/Len/Zeller and Porter/Muhammad/Bennett that would be sweet.

[Skins4Life6388]

From what I've seen watching all the Maryland games, I don't find the prospect of Alex Len on the wizards enticing at all