The Official Washington Basketball Thread: Wizards, Mystics etc

[Going Commando]

Ok here we go. Apparently this is why McGee played for the Drew League team: http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/showdown-between-drew-goodman-leagues-finally-has-arrived/2011/08/18/gIQAAlkYOJ_story_1.html

McGee spent part of his youth in Los Angeles when his mother played for the WNBA’s Sparks.

---------- Post added August-21st-2011 at 11:50 AM ----------

From that same article, apparently DeMarcus Cousins played for the Goodman team because he works out in DC during the offseason. Hmmm...

[ACW]

Yeah, why'd KD have to sign an extension with that ******* Clay Bennett? :mad:

And too bad we can't get Blake Griffin and Dwight.

Wall, any SG, Durant, Griffin, Dwight.

Guaranteed ESPN top play every night.

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

I still think we're sleeper front runners in the Dwight sweepstakes. Especially if he makes it to free agency (isn't traded and reupped.) After that, Blake is a real possibility. And then Cousins is the fall back plan. The combination of Ted and Wall have changed everything. People are going to want to play for Ted and with Wall. The whole Agent Zero era was a helluva ride, but im not sure ive ever been more excited as a Wiz fan than now. Maybe the day we traded for CWebb and played the eventual-champion Bulls TOUGH in the playoffs. Hopefully, for once, we have aa happy ending on this one. I have Faith in Ted.

[BRAVEONAWARPATH]

I still think we're sleeper front runners in the Dwight sweepstakes. Especially if he makes it to free agency (isn't traded and reupped.) After that, Blake is a real possibility. And then Cousins is the fall back plan. The combination of Ted and Wall have changed everything. People are going to want to play for Ted and with Wall. The whole Agent Zero era was a helluva ride, but im not sure ive ever been more excited as a Wiz fan than now.

As much as I like Wall I don't feel the same excitement over him that I felt about Gil. :2cents:

In fact, I believe that Gil could do everything that Wall can do and more.

But thats just my opinion.....

[No Excuses]

Gil had zero leadership qualities. He was as focused as they got but I wish he was held accountable on defense and off court conduct (in regards to maturity). Wall seems like the guy who would demand respect out of other players in the locker room. Gilbert being the prankster he was, defected this role to Jamison and others.

[BRAVEONAWARPATH]

Gil had zero leadership qualities. He was as focused as they got but I wish he was held accountable on defense and off court conduct (in regards to maturity). Wall seems like the guy who would demand respect out of other players in the locker room. Gilbert being the prankster he was, defected this role to Jamison and others.

Leadership qualities I completely agree with you about but as for who was the better basketball player.....you know who I'd choose.

[No Excuses]

Leadership qualities I completely agree with you about but as for who was the better basketball player.....you know who I'd choose.

Offensively in terms of scoring probably not. Prime Gilbert was the most lethal offensive guard in the league, behind Kobe.

But I do think Wall will be a much better PG and overall player. Better size, most likely better defense, and he's already a better floor general. He might eventually fill out into the size of a SG, with the skill set of a PG. If he dramatically improves his scoring ability, he can be a freak of a player.

[StillUnknown]

[MonkFan8]

Definitely a great game to attend. Been wanting to go to one forever now and finally had the chance. Wall looked nice but his jumper is still a major issue. McGee had several characteristically amazing athletic plays but really struggled against Cousins.

[Going Commando]

Hypothetical situation here: If the Wizards extend JaVale and then acquire DeMarcus Cousins, how do you play them?

Keep in mind this will probably be two to three years into the development of each.

Do you play Cousins at PF and JaVale at center?

Personally I don't know how hypothetical this situation really is. We'll probably try and keep JaVale if he puts up similar numbers from last year and I think it's only a matter of time before DeMarcus Cousins is here. I'd put the odds a little better than even that he comes to D.C. when his rookie deal is up (if not sooner).

[AboveLegit]

Hypothetical situation here: If the Wizards extend JaVale and then acquire DeMarcus Cousins, how do you play them?

Keep in mind this will probably be two to three years into the development of each.

Do you play Cousins at PF and JaVale at center?

Personally I don't know how hypothetical this situation really is. We'll probably try and keep JaVale if he puts up similar numbers from last year and I think it's only a matter of time before DeMarcus Cousins is here. I'd put the odds a little better than even that he comes to D.C. when his rookie deal is up (if not sooner).

Why would we go after Cousins?

[StillUnknown]

Why would we go after Cousins?

Mainly because he's close to Wall. I'm on the fence about him. He has a dominant skillset, but he's a loose cannon. I'm not sure being here with Wall would fix it that much.

And I see no way to play Cousins & McGee together. Offensive spacing would be horrible

[AboveLegit]

Yeah a frontcourt of Cousins/McGee wouldn't work. Bringing him in goes against what we're trying to do, which is building through the draft. Not to mention it defeats the purpose of shipping out all of the headcases (Blatche), Cousins is arguably more of a problem.

2012 has a good crop of PF's we can go after, no point in trading for Cousins.

[Going Commando]

Yeah a frontcourt of Cousins/McGee wouldn't work. Bringing him in goes against what we're trying to do, which is building through the draft. Not to mention it defeats the purpose of shipping out all of the headcases (Blatche), Cousins is arguably more of a problem.

2012 has a good crop of PF's we can go after, no point in trading for Cousins.

Cousins is a rising sophomore, that's still building with youth.

The reasons we would go after Cousins are because he's a rare talent. He's got the potential to be the second best center in the league. I realize that's not saying a ton since Dwight Howard is the only great center in the league. This is a bit stronger--Cousins has the potential to be a top 5-8 PF in the league too. Physically, he's a freak of nature. Super quick, pretty good leaper, extremely strong, ~280 pounds, great footwork around the basket and a pretty soft touch. Coachability and maturity is the only real concern with him as a player. But it didn't stop him from dominating the college level as a true freshman playing with John Wall.

I've actually followed his young career a fair amount and I think he's a classic case of a big who has to great PG play to be effective. The difference in his style of play from year 1 in Sacramento with horrible PG play and year 1 at Kentucky with great QB play is night and day. He basically abandoned his post game because he couldn't get the ball in his spots and settled for Blatche style jump shooting and high usage rates. He lost his efficiency and his physicality and looked disinterested. His post game was utterly dominant in college and by far his greatest offensive strength. Wall unlocks it for him, gets him involved in the offense without needing the super high usage rate, puts a spark in his play on the defensive end and gets him to be a dominant rebounder.

A frontcourt of JaVale and Cousins would work if you play Cousins at PF on offense. JaVale can guard quick centers and opposing 4s and Cousins can defend the block pretty easily. Cousins has a decent jump shot, but you'd be utilizing a front court of him and McGee like Memphis used Gasol/Randolph. You have JaVale defend the ball and Cousins play for the rebounds. It's a good pairing athletically and Cousins has much high upside than Blatche. Then when you need to go smaller/quicker you can do a JaVale/Vesely duo. When you need length you play Vesely at SF.

I'm not advocating trading anything big for Cousins, although I'd certainly trade Blatche and some other peripheral pieces for him. I think we're going to straight up sign him in FA when his contract is up three years from now.

[AboveLegit]

Great post, but here's my problem with this whole scenario... No GM in this league will give up anything significant for Blatche, so we'd have to deal one of our young assets for Cousins. Instead of doing that, why not go after Anthony Davis, Andre Drummond, or even Jared Sullinger (although I'm not a fan of him, wouldn't be a good fit on our team).

I think the risks (attitude issues, giving up multiple young talent) outweigh the reward (him being a star big man), we're better off seeking a PF through a very strong 2012 draft class.

Cousins also needs to be better conditioned. I constantly saw him wearing down late in games (particularly the fourth quarter), which obviously effected his performance because he was shooting more outside the post and was being more and more passive.

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

As much as I like Wall I don't feel the same excitement over him that I felt about Gil. :2cents:

In fact, I believe that Gil could do everything that Wall can do and more.

But thats just my opinion.....

I think Wall makes those around him better in ways Gil never could. Thus why you're going to see star players wanting to play for him.

I'm also not convinced that you could win it all with a score-first PG as THE guy. As far as I can tell, it's never been done. Real PG's--in the John Wall mold--yes. Plus I think Wall's upside is that big.

[StillUnknown]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/wizards/wizards-john-wall-im-back/2011/08/22/gIQA2GR7WJ_story.html

“I’m back. I’m back, man. I’m back to myself,” Wall said after an electrifying performance. “Now I feel I can do whatever I want to do again, blow past people, get to the basket. I think those things that I started the season with last year, I got that back. It’s coming back. You’re going to see some stuff this year, it’s just whenever — hopefully the season starts as soon as possible. The main thing is just working on my game.”

Much more in the link.

[Warhead36]

I'd trade McGee for Cousins. Cousins is going to be dominant. I don't think McGee will ever be more than the guy who gives you highlight reel plays but has low IQ and gives points up routinely. Wall can control Cousins the way Jordan controlled Rodman and Kobe controls Artest. People fall in line for greatness.

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

I'd trade McGee for Cousins. Cousins is going to be dominant. I don't think McGee will ever be more than the guy who gives you highlight reel plays but has low IQ and gives points up routinely. Wall can control Cousins the way Jordan controlled Rodman and Kobe controls Artest. People fall in line for greatness.

I tend to agree with this. I still have some hope for McGee but I'm about 80/20 toward him never amounting to much of ****. Telling you all, going to that Clippers game last year and seeing McGee act/play like a loser really ruined me on him.

---------- Post added August-23rd-2011 at 01:41 PM ----------

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/wizards/wizards-john-wall-im-back/2011/08/22/gIQA2GR7WJ_story.html

Much more in the link.

Goddamn I hate David Stern

Edited August 23, 2011 by G.A.C.O.L.B.

[WALL-LE]

i would trade Mcgee for cousins in a heart beat

[StillUnknown]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wizards-insider/post/jan-vesely-will-not-play-in-europe/2011/08/29/gIQAwFkEnJ_blog.html

Wizards top draft pick Jan Vesely has finally made a decision about where he will be in the fall. And the 21-year-old, 6-foot-10 power forward from the Czech Republic is not going to play for Partizan Belgrade -- or any other team in his native continent. Vesely is going to wait out the lockout, so that the next uniform he wears is the red, white and blue of the Wizards.

“He will not play for any club in Europe. He will come to USA by end of September to work out till end of lockout,” Vesely’s agent, Alexander Raskovic, said in an email on Monday.

Raskovic, who works under power agent Arn Tellem at Wasserman Media Group Management, said two weeks ago that there was a chance that Vesely might not play for any team in Europe. It now appears that Vesely has elected to stay focused on his NBA career, without distraction or risk of getting hurt playing professionally elsewhere.

“We don’t want to risky any injury,” Raskovic wrote. “Why put in risk future career and why not show respect to the Wizards? They drafted him! He should come ready and healthy to play with the Wizards.”

When Vesely was introduced at his news conference after being selected sixth overall in the draft, Tellem said that Vesely would likely work out in Los Angeles until the lockout ends. Vesely had spent the past three years at Partizan Belgrade, and, in an expanded role last season, averaged 10.4 points and 4.3 rebounds in Adriatic league play and 9.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in Euroleague play.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wizards-insider/post/joe-abunassar-on-john-wall-hes-as-fast-as-ever-now/2011/08/26/gIQAQ1fvgJ_blog.html

Wall decided to take about two months off immediately after the season before heading out to Los Angeles, where he began focusing on getting back to his old ways of leaving skid marks on the hardwood. He has trained with Abunassar, commuting back and forth between the Impact Basketball facilities in Las Vegas and Reseda, Calif., and the results have been evident through his performances in pro-am games across the country. Wall declared himself “back” after scoring 28 points in the Goodman League’s victory over Drew League at Trinity last week, and Abunassar agreed.

“I think that he’s back,” Abunassar said in a telephone interview. He added that Wall had a great season regardless of what ailed him but noticed at times that “something was bothering him.”

Wall has trained with Abunassar since he declared for the NBA draft out of Kentucky and has already agreed to play in his proposed NBA-only summer league in Las Vegas next month, which should give him an opportunity to show off how much he has improved physically against his peers. If you haven’t noticed already, Wall hasn’t been wearing the padding, tights and knee supports that he wore after sustaining the right knee injury.

“I know he battled some injuries, so getting him healthy and his knee feeling great was the first priority and we do different things,” Abunassar said. “Our performance side and what we’re doing with John is really basketball related. Just getting him out on the court and getting back to exploding and getting him to changing his speeds the way that not many people can; using his athleticism when he can go from stop to go so quickly.”

Abunassar said they have focused on helping Wall strengthen different muscles in his lower body that needed improvement and “getting them to fire a little bit quicker. For the most part, he just got into great shape and he’s as fast as ever now.”

Edited August 29, 2011 by StillUnknown

[pjfootballer]

Saw on TV (Sorry no link) Jarvaris Crittenden wanted for murder.

Edited August 29, 2011 by pjfootballer

[StillUnknown]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=mc-spears_john_wall_090611

Wall still had moments when he showed his talent. He dished a record 22 assists and scored 12 points to win Most Valuable Player honors in the rookie game during All-Star weekend. It was about the only time Wall took the spotlight from Los Angeles Clippers rookie forward Blake Griffin(notes). Griffin scored 14 points for the rookies, won the dunk contest, played in the All-Star Game and easily won Rookie of the Year.

“What Blake did kind of stuffed it down the drain because he was so athletic and was on so many highlight reels,” Wall said of his own season. “That’s not all that he is about, but that’s what everyone was talking about. I’m not disappointed in that. I’m happy for him to win Rookie of the Year. That was my goal. But that just puts something else on my goal list.

“You will see the real me back with my athleticism, back at my full speed … and that’s what I want to prove to people. Whenever the season starts this year or whenever we play again, I want them to see the real me.”

Another goal for Wall is to prove himself against a pair of All-Star point guards.

“Derrick Rose, the MVP, he took advantage of me at times,” Wall said. “Russell Westbrook did that when we played at Oklahoma, and I’ll never forget it. Those are the types of things I’m keeping in my head [for] when we play them next season. It’s not going to be a one-on-one battle, but I’m going to prove that I’m back to myself and I can guard these guys.”

Wall has played pick-up games at UCLA this offseason, worked out in Santa Monica, Calif., and represented Washington, D.C.’s Goodman League in an exhibition game against Los Angeles’ Drew League. He currently isn’t interested in playing overseas during the lockout, and says he’s focused on making the Wizards better for next season – whenever that is.

[Warhead36]

Wall will lead this team to great things in the next 10+ years. He is the best thing to happen to this franchise since probably Unseld in the 70s.

[BRAVEONTHEWARPATH93]

Best feeling I've had about my team since the that one night we were first in the East and Jamison went down