The Official Washington Basketball Thread: Wizards, Mystics etc

[BRAVEONAWARPATH]

Click on the link to read the rest.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wizards-insider/wp/2014/07/31/wizards-bradley-beal-i-still-have-something-to-prove-to-myself-every-year-and-im-going-to-get-better/

 

 

 

Wizards’ Bradley Beal: ‘I still have something to prove to myself every year’

 

 

LAS VEGAS – Bradley Beal celebrated his 21st birthday with a lavish party in his hometown of St. Louis that included women wearing body paint of his Wizards jersey and doing circus tricks from the ceiling. Beal had a slightly more laidback gathering Washington two weeks later that attracted several of his teammates, including John Wall and Marcin Gortat, who was ready to revel for other reasons after having just signed a five-year, $60 million contract.

 

The largesse of the extended celebrations countered Beal’s laid back demeanor but, like the little hairs beginning to huddle on his chin, they were also acknowledgments that the kid is growing up.

 

“I feel older. My bones are starting to wear down now,” Beal said, cracking a smile. “Getting old, man, for sure.”

 

But this week, at Team USA training camp at UNLV’s Mendenhall Center, Beal is also out to show he is getting better while matching up in practice with all-stars and other rising talents in the game. Unlike last summer, when he was in Las Vegas as a spectator limited to shooting stand-still jumpers as he recovered from a stress injury in his right leg and watching Wall compete, Beal is often sharing the floor with his Wizards backcourt mate.

 

Edited August 1, 2014 by BRAVEONAWARPATH

[Destino]

Guys....

Washington Wizards to host New York Knicks on Christmas Day, according to report

So does that mean we get one of those ugly giant logo and sleeves pajama looking jerseys? We big time now!

[Going Commando]

Team USA scrimmage is on ESPN at 9.

[Going Commando]

Wall's not helping his case. Very weak start offensively for him.

But to be fair, DeRozan is the only player on that second line with him looking good.

Drummond is making Plumlee his ****.

[Going Commando]

Wall is playing like crap.

[CRobi21]

Brad playing well though.

[Going Commando]

Wall's been outplayed by Lillard. Just a couple awful turnovers and Lillard has scored on him a couple times.

Brad playing well though.

Yeah he's showing well for himself. But his problem is that DeRozan and Thompson have been better.

[Going Commando]

If Wall is going to pass a driving Irving off to Plumlee, he's going to have to try and box Cousins out and get him to foul.

[Destino]

Wall has looked as unimpressive as possible. If this scrim matters, no way he makes the team.

[ZRagone]

Well....the wizards road to the #3 team in the conference just got easier. Damn was that a nasty injury. Pacers are done for probably the next two seasons as any kind of real contender

[Going Commando]

Wall started finding a rhythm in the third quarter but it wasn't enough to outshine Lillard's play and then everything went to hell when PG got injured. That happened early in the fourth and Wall didn't get a final shift.

I wonder if that ball wasn't an issue. None of the shooters were really shooting that well and it looked like a lot of people had trouble catching the ball. Davis flubbed two great passes Wall gave him that should have led to dunks. The alley-oop timing was off for almost everyone too.

Wall started to find his footing with Plumlee though. Plumlee played like ass in the first half too, but they both got it going after the break.

The story of the game before the PG injury was the play of the bigs IMO. Namely, Davis got outplayed by all of them. Cousins and Faried looked fantastic. Drummond and Millsap did their things. And Plumlee really made an impact in the third quarter.

For us to bring our best team to Vegas, Faried and Cousins should be on it.

[EvilMonkeyBoy]

Looks like this one is about near official. We better at least get a second rounder to sell for cash out of this.

http://www.twitter.com/JaredZwerling/status/495641217305423872

RT @JaredZwerling Hearing Sam Cassell will become a Clippers assistant coach. Announcement to come this week. Clippers had been trying to get him (post Lue)

[CRobi21]

****..

[Gamebreaker]

That really sucks. Cassel has been a great coach for us.

[Rocky21]

Cassell leaving is in no way good news. It has been so sweet lately I was waiting for the bitter.

[CRobi21]

Both Wall and Beal cut today from team USA. Along with Paul Milsap.

Edited August 4, 2014 by STBonecrusher21

[Gamebreaker]

Both Wall and Beal cut today from team USA. Along with Paul Milsap.

 

Oh well...fresher legs for the regular season. 

[BRAVEONAWARPATH]

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/kevin-durant-earn-30m-year-armour-article-1.1891586

 

Kevin Durant could sign with Under Armour for $30 million a year, could help Wizards in pursuit of MVP 


Kevin Durant won’t hit the free agent market until July 2016 but the NBA’s Most Valuable Player is on the verge of landing a blockbuster endorsement deal that could influence his future on the court as well.

According to a person familiar with negotiations, Durant, whose seven-year, $60 million deal with Nike is expiring, could earn as much as $30 million annually if he signs with Under Armour Inc., whose headquarters are in Durant’s home state of Maryland.

Nike and Adidas are also in talks with Durant, whose combination of brilliance on the court and marketability in the aftermath of his emotional MVP speech has made him the darling of Madison Avenue.

“I’m just going to let my team be the ones who handle that behind the scenes, I guess,” Durant told ESPN last week. “When you look at stuff like that, it’s great problems to have because people want you for what you know and do on the basketball court, the work you put in, so I’m going to continue to put my work in, let them focus on that on the other end, and we’ll come together at some point.”

A deal with Under Armour could also be beneficial to the Washington Wizards, one of several teams, including the Knicks and Nets, putting themselves in position financially to make a run at Durant in two summers.

Wizards owner Ted Leonsis and Under Armour Founder/CEO Kevin Plank, a University of Maryland graduate, have been involved in several philanthropic endeavors in the D.C. area.

A potential Durant deal with Under Armour doesn’t guarantee the Wizards of landing Durant but for the star-crossed franchise any connection to the Maryland/D.C. area doesn’t hurt either.

 

Edited August 5, 2014 by BRAVEONAWARPATH

[BRAVEONAWARPATH]

Jeff Ermann @insidemdsports · Sounds like Kevin Durant to Under Armour is close to done. Would be the seminal moment in UA's basketball climb.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jeff Ermann @insidemdsports · Hearing the Under Armour deal for Kevin Durant could be in the neighborhood of $325 million over 10 years.

[Duckus]

 

Jeff Ermann @insidemdsports · Hearing the Under Armour deal for Kevin Durant could be in the neighborhood of $325 million over 10 years.

 

 

Sweet baby jesus.

Edited August 6, 2014 by Duckus

[TradeTheBeal!]

My body is ready...

[757SeanTaylor21]

I mean GOODNESS GRACIOUS. That is a TON of money to have one person sponsor them by wearing their shoes and gear.

[Destino]

That's more than two 5 year nba max deals. Durant getting paid! Didn't think they paid athletes like that, they didn't even put Curry's name on the shoes he's wearing for them.

[Rocky21]

I guess Under Armour feels damn sure Durant isn't going to found with coke and a dead hooker any time soon. 

[StillUnknown]

for 30mil per year, I'm wearing just about any shoe they want