The Official Washington Basketball Thread: Wizards, Mystics etc

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

Lmao. Just saw the Cavs traded for Brenda. Now he's on the other side of the DC/Cle rivalry. That's funny. He used to absolutely kill LeBron in the media.

[JoeWolf990]

Don't sleep on Miami, especially if they sign Deng. Bosh, Wade, and Deng as a third option make for a very talented core. The Cavs, Bulls, Pacers, Raptors, Hornets, and Heat will likely all start the season with playoff quality teams. Not sure what the Nets and Knicks will look like but you can't write them off as easy wins either. Atlanta will be getting Horford back too.

Wizards aren't going to fall laughing into the playoffs. Those teams may not be as good as their western counterparts but the East will likely be more challenging than last year.

Im a very pessimistic and negative Wizards fan, and I believe we are winning at least 50 games and the Southeast division next year.

The Wizards are better than their Southeast division counterparts. I don't know about winning the east, but we are def a team that can do it, but we have the best team in that division.

provided Wall and Beal get better, which is what I am expecting.

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

Can't wait to see how Wilbon hates on this on PTI Monday.

Anyway...

And I'm done

Edited July 13, 2014 by G.A.C.O.L.B.

[abdcskins]

I like the Pierce signing. I wish he were 30 years old instead of 37, but hey. Dude can still pour in 16 or more a night.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Stoked about Pierce, this is awesome news.  Swift move by EG to replace Ariza.  

[ixcuincle]

welcome NBA legend

 

Ariza who

[No Excuses]

I LOVE it.

He still has offensive game and hell get be getting wide open threes ALL game. Plus he's a vet who can hold down the locker room.

Just in time to bring in LeBron or KD to play with Wall and Beal

Good job Ernie. Thanks Houston.

[@DCGoldPants]

I'm ok with this. Pierce is well into accepting his role. Ariza appeared to be a good mentor to the young guys. Now maybe Pierce can do it too.

18-20min productive minutes a game from him would be nice. Hell, I'd take KG on a similar deal so he can play when Nene misses games.

Edited July 13, 2014 by @SkinsGoldPants

[BRAVEONAWARPATH]

ESPN Stats & Info @ESPNStatsInfo · 

 

 

Paul Pierce trailed only Kevin Durant and Damian Lillard in clutch time 3-pointers (final 5 Mins of 4th/OT when score is within 5 Pts).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kyle Weidie @Truth_About_It

Trevor Booker likely to be back with #Wizards in consideration of move to sign Paul Pierce for the MLE.

Edited July 13, 2014 by BRAVEONAWARPATH

[Going Commando]

They still have to strengthen the PF and C rotation for that to happen and they have to hope Randy coaches better in the regular season. Remember, Chicago and Cleveland will be better and Miami, if they sign Deng, won't be terrible. Plus, Ariza was just as good offensively and better defensively then Pierce last year. 45+ wins, contending to win the division, another playoff series win and Otto Porter development would be a great year to me.

That would be a solid year, but neither Chicago, Cleveland, nor Miami should be better than us next season. Miami takes a huge step back without LeBron and they and Indy were the only teams in the EC really better than us last season.

Another year of continuity and another year of growth from Wall and Beal should be enough on it's own to get to 50+ if all other things remained equal. Remember, Beal wasn't really close to performing like an AS last season. If he breaks out this year, this team takes a huge jump forward.

But the situation around them will be even better IMO. I think Pierce is an upgrade over Ariza, and I think Porter is ready to give us something. Pierce and year 2 Porter is better than Ariza & Webster from last season IMO.

Plus knowing you're a playoff team that won a series against Chicago is pretty big. A wellspring of confidence. One of our issues has been that we didn't really believe we were good. You have to have the confidence that you can take on anyone and beat them.

But our key guys are still so young. I hope we don't go too far the other way and get arrogant. I hope we don't develop the culture of "me" and the sense of entitlement that the Pacers did.

[Going Commando]

I'm ok with this. Pierce is well into accepting his role. Ariza appeared to be a good mentor to the young guys. Now maybe Pierce can do it too.

18-20min productive minutes a game from him would be nice. Hell, I'd take KG on a similar deal so he can play when Nene misses games.

I would love for Pierce to mentor our guys. Especially Otto. Otto is super smart, he can see the big picture of things and he can learn the advanced old man game Pierce could teach courses on. But he's super young and inexperienced and is going to need guidance because the league is so rough on young players. I hope Pierce takes him under his wing.

I think Pierce has more than 18-20 MPG in him still. He played 27 MPG last season. I think we can get 25-27 MPG out of him too. And we're going to need that from him early in the season because Otto is the only other SF on the roster and GRJr is our only backup SG until Webster gets back.

Speaking of KG, he's still got a year left on his contract. I think he's pretty much done too. Last year was a low point for him and he missed so many games and only played 20 MPG. He'll be 39 next year. I think he retires at the end of this season.

[Going Commando]

Kyle Weidie[/size] @Truth_About_It

Trevor Booker likely to be back with #Wizards in consideration of move to sign Paul Pierce for the MLE.

I would like to see Cook Book come back. He's our garbage man and he's a solid player. You can put Cook Book in the rotation and he'll hold his own. Good teams have guys like him on their bench to go to rather than Daniel Ortons.

We'll bring back Seraphin, Harrington, and Gooden too hopefully. Then we'll be alright for next season.

If everyone on our roster can play, then we'll be able to handle all the injuries we're going to have.

[MonkFan8]

Really like this signing. Hopefully the team defense doesn't suffer much with an Ariza/Pierce swap, but good deal for sure.

[@DCGoldPants]

I would love for Pierce to mentor our guys. Especially Otto. Otto is super smart, he can see the big picture of things and he can learn the advanced old man game Pierce could teach courses on. But he's super young and inexperienced and is going to need guidance because the league is so rough on young players. I hope Pierce takes him under his wing.

I think Pierce has more than 18-20 MPG in him still. He played 27 MPG last season. I think we can get 25-27 MPG out of him too. And we're going to need that from him early in the season because Otto is the only other SF on the roster and GRJr is our only backup SG until Webster gets back.

 

 

I think you COULD get that much out of him. But I want him to be fresh all year while giving a guy like Otto plenty of run. We'll see how it plays out. But not often do you guys at that age have an even slide in MPG. Its usually dropped in chunks. He'll definitely be the leader of the AARP squad. 

Edited July 13, 2014 by @SkinsGoldPants

[BRAVEONAWARPATH]

Mike Prada        ✔ @MikePradaSBN

 

Bottom line: I don’t think the Wizards valued Ariza as much as many felt they did. They know John Wall can make wings better.

Edited July 13, 2014 by BRAVEONAWARPATH

[RonArtest15]

 

LOLOLOLOLOLOL....I'll take it!  HELL of a signing.  Trevor, who? 

 

ierce still has plenty of game left, putting up a 16.8 PER and a scorching 59.5 percent true shooting percentage in 28 minutes a game for the Nets. It helped that he played a lot of power forward in small lineups, but he should still be able to transition back to the 3 if needed. He's not nearly the player he once was, of course, but he's still really effective in a limited role and will be able to do that with John Wall and Bradley Beal around. Better yet, it saves room for the summer of 2016 rather than giving away a lot of that flexibility to Ariza.

 

Link

 

EG actually making moves that are sensible?  What the? 

 

*slow claps and leaves thread*

[the burgundy and gold]

I like the move. I'm more happy we didn't over pay Ariza, that was my fear for this off-season. Not sure how Pierce will fit in with our running/fast break offense, I would almost prefer to see him come off the bench when Wall needs a rest to be a primary scorer.

[Sticksboi05]

Fantastic signing.

 

Let's remember he was playing with a washed up Deron Williams last year in Brooklyn.  If there is one thing Pierce can still do it's make an open shot.  He is going to get tons of open shots playing with John Wall.  He brings a championships caliber presence and feels no pressure in the playoffs because he's been there, done that.  If he can just knock down open shots, he is well worth the cheap contract.  Ernie actually did a fantastic job with this one.  Can't believe I'm saying that.

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

But our key guys are still so young. I hope we don't go too far the other way and get arrogant. I hope we don't develop the culture of "me" and the sense of entitlement that the Pacers did.

I just don't see that happening with Wall and Beal. I just don't see that in their character. If that was the case, Wall being the #1 overall pick and so highly praised, would've shown something like that by now and he definitely hasn't. All he does is work and lead. As far as Beal goes, he's basically a monk at SG. I mean he throws up a shoutout to God seemingly every time there's a stoppage in play. Plus, even if there is a slight chance of that, Pierce is the prefect teammate to keep youngsters in check.

Now if this was those Agent Zero teams, with Baltche, McGee and NY, can you imagine if they ever actually had any type is success. That's scary just thinking about. Our team today is the complete opposite of that team. On so many levels.

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

Also agree whole heartedly about Booker coming back. He's the type of player legit contenders have coming off their bench to put in dirty work when needed

[Going Commando]

Yeah Pierce can definitely shoot, that's for sure. But he can create too. Melo is the only other guy with a triple threat game like Pierce. Great footwork on those step backs and spins. Great post game. Incredible with his ball fakes. And not many players see the floor as well as Pierce and have his instincts for scoring. He's a truly great technician and that's why his game has aged so well.

Ariza's championship experience was hugely important for the team. Paul Pierce has a ring AND a Finals MVP. That kind of pedigree is worth it's weight in gold for young guys like Wall, Beal, and Porter. The dude commands respect.

I'm really excited about watching him this season. It'll be fun watching him in lineups with both Wall and Miller. Miller & Pierce on the floor together is a delight for any old school basketball lover.

[DallasBlowsBig]

If Pierce means we can bring back Booker, then I'm fine with Ariza leaving. I agree Pierce is about as decent 2 year stop gap to make up for Ariza loss. 

 

My question is did Ernie and Pierce's representatives been talking undercover for a while for plan B, or was this just all planned up within a few hours yesterday? Just interesting to wonder about it. 

[RonArtest15]

If we can somehow get Kris Humphries, then Booker can go...other than that, Trevor SHOULD come back. 

[Hersh]

That would be a solid year, but neither Chicago, Cleveland, nor Miami should be better than us next season. Miami takes a huge step back without LeBron and they and Indy were the only teams in the EC really better than us last season.

Another year of continuity and another year of growth from Wall and Beal should be enough on it's own to get to 50+ if all other things remained equal. Remember, Beal wasn't really close to performing like an AS last season. If he breaks out this year, this team takes a huge jump forward.

But the situation around them will be even better IMO. I think Pierce is an upgrade over Ariza, and I think Porter is ready to give us something. Pierce and year 2 Porter is better than Ariza & Webster from last season IMO.

 

 

I like the Pierce deal cause they didn't over pay for Ariza, but I think people are seriously undervaluing Ariza to this team last year now that he is gone. He was a really good perimeter defender who could guard multiple positions and put up really good numbers defensively.

 

Pierce will come in as a below average defender but could possibily improve his three point shooting with more open shots in the Wiz offense. He brings great leadership and championship experience which is really important but we don't know how much he has left in the tank.

 

As far as the other teams go, for Chicago, it depends if Rose is healthy cause they have upgraded more than the Wiz this off-season with his return and the signing of Pau.

Remember when LeBron left Cleveland and they went from 60+ wins to worst in the league. He is capable of making them that much better as the best player in the league.

 

It should be a fun season, but I don't trust Wittman at all just cause he had one decent playoff run. He hasn't exactly been stellar in the regular season. I prefer to keep my own fan expectations lower since my teams generally never live up to their high expectations.

[Destino]

I like Pierce because he's a third ball handler and this team has entirely too many guys that can't put the ball on the floor without killing the flow of the offense. Hopefully Otto shows some ability to simply dribble twice and shoot or pass without stopping and pivoting around looking for someone to help him. I like his price, his experience, and the attention he brings to the team. Great signing.

I do not see the wizards as being all that great in the East however. What exactly has the team does that makes them better than Toronto, a team that the wizards just couldn't seem to beat last season? I see ten teams that have playoff expectations next season in the east, and three teams getting back allstars that were injured. Next year will be a test. If the Wizards can stay healthy they should be able to get into the playoffs and maybe win the SouthEast. If Wall, Beal, or Gortat miss much time... things could get interesting. I don't mention Nene because he will miss games, that's a certainty.