The Official Washington Basketball Thread: Wizards, Mystics etc

[Enforcer_FFX]

Awesome.  1 down!  Love the attitude as well - Beal's comments after the game showed their businesslike, take nothing for granted approach....Indeed - CWebb was solid.  And Sir Charles was still talking 'em up like has been since the all-star break.

[DallasBlowsBig]

Bradley Beal, if not already, is going to be one of the best players in this league and maybe an MVP in a year or two, will go down as one of best bullets players ever.

[Dub70s]

Here's one of ESPN's writers that picked the Pacers to win the series in 5:

 

Dub70s ‏@Dub70s 10h

@bbdoolittle the Wizards are going to make a believer out of you!

 

Bradford Doolittle ‏@bbdoolittle 9h

@Dub70s Every game has me a little more convinced! Going to be working on a #Wizards piece tomorrow.

No team rediscovers their mojo after showing up for one game. Wiz need to strike first and lead hard for a period. Talking about rattling the Pacers, that will put the fear back in them (Hibbert).

 

This will happen.

 

Ha ha....I knew they were who we thought they were!

Edited May 6, 2014 by Dub70s

[@DCGoldPants]

Listening to post-game comments it almost seems like these guys have been practicing their speaking. Not only are they saying the right things and not giving the other team bulletin board material. It is almost like their choice of words are growing up too. Smart, Articulate, well thought out stuff.

 

“The way I think about it, I’m 20 years old, playing in the playoffs, something I always dreamed about, so why not embrace it? Why not accept that challenge?”

 

 

“Yeah, we won one game here in Indiana, but at the same time, we still got to get three more, and we have to be more desperate each and every game because we know Indiana is a great team and anything can happen in the playoffs.”

 

 

 

They are acting like they belong here while also showing respect to the other team and their players as much as they can. It might be boring, but it is smart.

 

Meanwhile Arenas is still acting like a child by taking shots at Hibbert on Instagram. Thanks, Gil. How about not saying anything?

Edited May 6, 2014 by @SkinsGoldPants

[StillUnknown]

[RonArtest15]

There is no other PG in the league who gives you what Wall does on the defensive end of the floor.  That chasedown block is a PERFECT example.  For as good as guys like Steph Curry and Dame Lilliard are offensively, they ain't seeing Wall's COMPLETE game.  For that reason alone, I have no problem putting Wall as a current top-3 PG in the league. 

[Dub70s]

http://www.pacersdigest.com/showthread.php?96167-The-NBA-needs-to-move-the-three-point-line-back

Well we're at this point in the the stages of grieving earlier than I thought we'd be.

 

They are talking about the Pacers playing like they did in game 7 against the Hawks?

 

I guess they failed to realize that the Hawks were a dejected team after losing a close out game 6 in Atlanta and were easy to dominate in game 7, plus not having to face Al Horford helped a lot.

 

That's something the Wiz are determined not to let happen....they'll have to face Lady Gaga fans if this game goes to game 6, lol.

[Destino]

There is no other PG in the league who gives you what Wall does on the defensive end of the floor. That chasedown block is a PERFECT example. For as good as guys like Steph Curry and Dame Lilliard are offensively, they ain't seeing Wall's COMPLETE game. For that reason alone, I have no problem putting Wall as a current top-3 PG in the league.

He's still weak when it comes to staying in front of scoring point guards but he's certainly a better defender than guys like Curry or a Irving, that are virtually all offense. Can't win in the post season without defense.

Meanwhile Arenas is still acting like a child by taking shots at Hibbert on Instagram. Thanks, Gil. How about not saying anything?

He talked s throughout the bulls series too. S talk isn't for everyone but I've been entertained.

[Dub70s]

 

 

Some wish they had gotten the earlier edition of this controller before XBox put out an update - feeling bad for this dude....but it's on him.

Love this one:

 

Edited May 6, 2014 by Dub70s

[CrypticVillain]

 

 

Let me just say that I love CSN. Their shows are must watch for the Washington Sports fan. However, they have been having some problems lately. I work audio and visual, so I know there are some hiccups along the way, but stuff like this is unacceptable. Step up your game CSN, you're better than this. 

[SuperBash]

Hibberts stats look like a damn binary code

[Burgold]

Gott admit. Gortat of war is pretty cool.

[RonArtest15]

Would love to see Gil in the building on either Friday or Sunday.  It's great to know that he's a fan of the team after their messy divorce.  It was sad to see him go out the way he did, but is it too soon to welcome him back?  If he did make an appearance, I'd have to think that the building would be even more electric.

[Renegade7]

 

Would love to see Gil in the building on either Friday or Sunday.  It's great to know that he's a fan of the team after their messy divorce.  It was sad to see him go out the way he did, but is it too soon to welcome him back?  If he did make an appearance, I'd have to think that the building would be even more electric.

 

Time has a funny way of healing certain wounds. I'd want this, too. A lot of good memories from the Hibachi days, and brought us back to relevance, at least for a second.

I'm also back on the fence with the letting Ariza walk mindset for the chance to get Durant or whatever. Especially after I saw the idea posted in here of trading Webster to help make the cap space for keeping Gortat and Ariza, moving Porter up the depth chart. An ideal situation would be something like a 3 year contract for Ariza that by the time is over, Porter is ready if not already taken over the starting SF position. This would better then some 4 or 5 year deal based on how well he's playing right now knowing he isn't going to be the player we're looking at 4 or 5 years from now.

The idea of this interfering with us getting better doesn't make sense if we're on the fast track for the conference finals or further with what we already have. Different conversation now then before we started the playoffs, results tend to do that. I wouldn't max deal Ariza, but if we can work something out, I would not be against it in hopes of getting Melo here, ya know what I'm saying?

Edited May 6, 2014 by Renegade7

[Sticksboi05]

Bradley Beal, if not already, is going to be one of the best players in this league and maybe an MVP in a year or two, will go down as one of best bullets players ever.

 

Let's slow down a bit, he's a very good shooter and is a pretty good penetrator but he is not eclipsing Durant or LeBron.

There is no other PG in the league who gives you what Wall does on the defensive end of the floor.  That chasedown block is a PERFECT example.  For as good as guys like Steph Curry and Dame Lilliard are offensively, they ain't seeing Wall's COMPLETE game.  For that reason alone, I have no problem putting Wall as a current top-3 PG in the league. 

 

Only Rajon Rondo.  He's an elite defender.

[Sticksboi05]

Honestly, I'm not amused by Arenas acting like a child as usual and giving the other team bulletin board material (to an extent).

[Warhead36]

Honestly, I'm not amused by Arenas acting like a child as usual and giving the other team bulletin board material (to an extent).

Meh, never been a big believer in bulletin board material. I'm sure there are Pacers fans all over the web talking trash as well. That's essentially what Gil is at the moment, just a fan albeit one more well known.

 

If you need a guy trolling you on the internet to get you motivated you're probably in the wrong line of business.

[LetMeSeeYourWarFace21]

 

 

Let me just say that I love CSN. Their shows are must watch for the Washington Sports fan. However, they have been having some problems lately. I work audio and visual, so I know there are some hiccups along the way, but stuff like this is unacceptable. Step up your game CSN, you're better than this. 

 

Saw this to. Loving seeing us on nationality televised games. Good to hear positive commentary from non bias analysis. Also LOVE that the rest of the country is seeing what us die hard Wizard fans have been watching all season. This is like a dream. By FAR my best time as a Bullets/Wizards fan. Going back to the Bernard King days.....WE HAVE TO WIN THIS SERIES....

[RonArtest15]

This is a MUST read:

 

We wondered all season why the Wizards used Bradley Beal like they did. A pure shooter with a beautiful stroke and an advanced off-ball game was suddenly being used in a hundred pick and rolls while having to quarterback a second unit devoid of other offensive threats. He was encouraged to pull up for long twos, even though these aren't especially efficient shots as is and he wasn't exactly nailing them at a proficient rate. Hell, I wondered it too at one point myself.

But there was always one silver lining to the Wizards' approach. Sure, Beal would struggle to read pick and roll coverages now, but he wasn't going to struggle forever. For Beal to approach stardom, he needed experience learning how to create shots for himself and others. Rather than avoid this and try to turn Beal into a specialist, the Wizards felt his confidence would hold up by being challenged, even if failure resulted early on. Thus, the Bradley Beal Sampling Period was born.

 

Link

 

Ok...this was a BRILLIANT approach by the Wizards.  I'll be the first to admit that I was VERY critical of the approach they were taking with Beal.  However, after reading the article, it all makes perfect sense.

 

One of the knocks on Brad was his body language when things weren't going right.  We all saw this.  ****, if we're seeing it, so were his teammates, coaches, etc.  By putting Brad in a position where he was uncomfortable and would fail, he had no choice but to figure out a way to get over his mental hurdles and adapt.  Well, we're seeing him reap the rewards of taking his lumps early on.  This kid...yes, KID, is only 20.  He's maturing and developing right before our eyes.  The team was correct in how they were coaching him up and for that, I couldn't be happier. 

 

I was completely wrong with my criticism and as George McPhee arrogantly said...if you knew the game, you'd be in it.  LOL.  Well, that applies to me.  I never looked at the big picture.  The Wizards did.  As a whole, maybe the front office and coaches deserve more credit than what we initially gave. 

[No Excuses]

Arenas being Arenas. Hopefully he shows up for the home games. I hold nothing against him.

 

Wittman is all but guaranteed to come back at this point. On one hand, I think he's easily replaceable. But for whatever reason, this team responds to him. One can hope that with time, he can work on his biggest issues. Those would be an obsession with the long 2 and out of time out offensive sets.

 

The only way he doesn't come back is if he lands another job, which may end up being a possibility if this team keeps rolling.

[RonArtest15]

Arenas being Arenas. Hopefully he shows up for the home games. I hold nothing against him.

 

Wittman is all but guaranteed to come back at this point. On one hand, I think he's easily replaceable. But for whatever reason, this team responds to him. One can hope that with time, he can work on his biggest issues. Those would be an obsession with the long 2 and out of time out offensive sets.

 

The only way he doesn't come back is if he lands another job, which may end up being a possibility if this team keeps rolling.

 

Wizards could lose the next 4 games and Wittman will be as hot of a coaching commodity this offseason that you could find. 

 

There isn't a chance in hell that Ted lets him walk.  He needs to be retained.  The fact that the team 100% buys in to what he's doing speaks volumes. 

[No Excuses]

This is a MUST read:

 

 

 

Link

 

Ok...this was a BRILLIANT approach by the Wizards.  I'll be the first to admit that I was VERY critical of the approach they were taking with Beal.  However, after reading the article, it all makes perfect sense.

 

One of the knocks on Brad was his body language when things weren't going right.  We all saw this.  ****, if we're seeing it, so were his teammates, coaches, etc.  By putting Brad in a position where he was uncomfortable and would fail, he had no choice but to figure out a way to get over his mental hurdles and adapt.  Well, we're seeing him reap the rewards of taking his lumps early on.  This kid...yes, KID, is only 20.  He's maturing and developing right before our eyes.  The team was correct in how they were coaching him up and for that, I couldn't be happier. 

 

I was completely wrong with my criticism and as George McPhee arrogantly said...if you knew the game, you'd be in it.  LOL.  Well, that applies to me.  I never looked at the big picture.  The Wizards did.  As a whole, maybe the front office and coaches deserve more credit than what we initially gave. 

 

They've botched the development of just about every other player they brought in. Blatche, McGee, Young, Crawford, Seraphin, Singleton, Vesely, Booker etc. That's a lot of young potential that has failed to maximize even an ounce of its talent. I understand a few of them becoming busts, but all? Otto Porter remains to be seen but I'm not too confident about him either. For some weird reason, I have a bad feeling that this team may see him as a stretch 4 back up next year.

 

Wall and Beal are such high quality talents, that they would both be superstars in any other setting. I think Beal benefits a lot from having Wall as well, just like the rest of our starting line up. There is so much more to Wall's game than just his stats. IMO I wouldn't take any other PG in this league over him and this includes Chris Paul. We haven't seen the best of John Wall yet.

Edited May 6, 2014 by No Excuses

[bearrock]

I don't know how to reconcile the first 7 seasons with what we are seeing now, but unless some HOF coach is stepping into the job, I'm not sure how much better we can do than Randy Whittman.  Combine that with the obvious chemistry he has with his players, it's almost a lock at this point.  A more interesting question to me is Grunfeld (who will likely be retained as well, I imagine).  Horrible at drafting, good to very good at trading.  Maybe Ted can have a contractual clause that says Grunfeld will have no say in drafts?  Maybe monkey with a dart should be given a chance. 

[No Excuses]

I can't think of a better example for the laziness that the Pacers are playing with.

 

 

Everyone stopped. If even one player bothers trying, it's a jump ball or contested shot for Nene.

[RonArtest15]

They've botched the development of just about every other player they brought in. Blatche, McGee, Young, Crawford, Seraphin, Singleton, Vesely, Booker etc. That's a lot of young potential that has failed to maximize even an ounce of its talent. I understand a few of them becoming busts, but all? Otto Porter remains to be seen but I'm not too confident about him either. For some weird reason, I have a bad feeling that this team may see him as a stretch 4 back up next year.

 

Wall and Beal are such high quality talents, that they would both be superstars in any other setting. I think Beal benefits a lot from having Wall as well, just like the rest of our starting line up. There is so much more to Wall's game than just his stats. IMO I wouldn't take any other PG in this league over him and this includes Chris Paul. We haven't seen the best of John Wall yet.

 

I disagree. 

 

You put Blatche on a veteran-laden team and he'd contribute.  Asking him to lead, which the Wizards did, was a mistake.  I don't think they botched his development because he could have been a better player had the environment been different.  Plus, he's a LATE 2nd round pick who is almost 10 years in the league. 

 

McGee - still a goof and never reached his potential.  Would you say that the Nuggets have botched his development?  He couldn't even get minutes over Mozov or Koufous. 

 

Young - he is what he is.  Inefficient chucker who puts up meaningless stats on bad teams.  He's the same player now as he was back for the Wizards. 

 

Crawford - 5 teams in 5 years, or something along those lines?  Says a lot. 

 

Seraphin/Singleton - meh...

 

Ves - Bust and should have never been picked where he was.  Still the same guy in Denver. 

 

Booker - key rotational player who is finding his niche right now. 

 

Bottom line, for where a lot of these guys were picked (16 and later), I'm not sure what you can expect.  This organization was a mess up until we rid ourselves of the knuckleheads on the roster.  There wasn't a good enough structure in place for guys like Blatche to carve out a role on the team.  It is what it is.  If you're putting all your resources into trying to bring along guys like Ves and it doesn't work out, then so be it.  Guys are busts for reasons. 

 

As far as Porter...I'm more than confident that the team is taking the right approach with him.  After reading Michael Lee's article on Ariza yesterday, I'm 80% sure that he's going back to the West Coast.  I think Porter knows what's at stake and what he needs to do to contribute next year.  We can revisit this next year and see if it is a case of botched development or the team knowing what it's doing.