The Official Washington Basketball Thread: Wizards, Mystics etc

[Renegade7]

10 hours ago, Warhead36 said:

The Nats and Caps both tanked and bottomed out and became championship contenders.

 

The Wiz and Skins refuse to do so, and are stuck in perpetual mediocrity.

 

Sports isn't hard. If you're not gonna be great, then suck.

 

Not that simple, research has been done that solid front office is more important long run then lottery picks.

 

 

[CRobi21]

 

[Hersh]

Important draft pick game on Tuesday. Beal should get the game off vs the Lakers. If the Wizards had any sense. 

[Going Commando]

The Wizards will probably end up picking around 8th in the draft, but it could be as high as 6th if they lose out.  That puts them in the range for Jarrett Culver, the UNC kids, Rui Hachimura, DeAndre Hunter, and Cameron Reddish.  Quite a few shooting guards and small forwards.  But Hachimura is the only natural PF (more of a combo guy TBH) and not much in the way of C.

[Llevron]

On 3/24/2019 at 1:02 AM, Hersh said:

Beal should get the game off vs the Lakers. If the Wizards had any sense. 

 

Hes going to play 42 minutes 

[ixcuincle]

On 3/21/2019 at 12:09 PM, Warhead36 said:

The Nats and Caps both tanked and bottomed out and became championship contenders.

 

The Wiz and Skins refuse to do so, and are stuck in perpetual mediocrity.

 

Sports isn't hard. If you're not gonna be great, then suck.

 

a full out tank would have been good in 2018-19 as it would have made it more likely that the Wiz get Zion, and that Ernie would be fired

 

Now that the team is likely out of playoff picture and still middling around in mediocrity nothing will change

 

 

[Going Commando]

Getting a new coach, new GM, and Brandon Clarke and Jarrett Culver/DeAndre Hunter could go a long way towards changing the defensive culture of the team.

[Spaceman Spiff]

I would be way more interested in the Wizards if they somehow got Ja Morant.

[ixcuincle]

4 minutes ago, Spaceman Spiff said:

I would be way more interested in the Wizards if they somehow got Ja Morant.

i thought the biggest need right now was forward or center for Wiz

 

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

Just now, ixcuincle said:

i thought the biggest need right now was forward or center for Wiz

 

 

 

Probably, but I'm ready to put an end to the Wall era, get a new PG and start all over.  

 

None of this matters without a new GM and coach.  Of course, I'd be more interested in the Wiz if they did that, too.

 

 

[Going Commando]

The Wizards need everything, but PG and SG are probably the two lowest needs.

 

They need a transcendent talent now that Wall's days of being a perennial All Star are probably going to be over.  They're not going to get it in this draft though.  Not without winning the lottery.

 

But they also desperately need defenders.  The defense is god awful and everything is wrong with it--culture and talent.

 

It hurts the Wizards that John and Brad don't play defense.  Embiid, Giannis, and Kawhi are all DPOY caliber defenders in addition to being MVP caliber.  Myles Turner is DPOY caliber.  In addition to those guys, they have role players who are excellent defenders like Middleton/Brogdon/Lopez/Bledsoe, Gasol/Ibaka/Siakim/Lowry, and Simmons/Butler/McConnell.  Boston defends very well as a team.  Oladipo and Sabonis are really strong defenders.

 

The Wizards have nothing like those guys on their team and absolutely no foundation for defense.  Ariza is literally the only good defensive player on the team now, and he's going to be a 34 year old UFA.  Also, he made zero defensive impact for us, I'm not sure he is still the defender he once was.

 

The defense is bottom of the league bad and the #1 reason this team sucks ass.  Without Dwight, there is not a single big man on the team whose worth a damn on that end of the floor.  So they need to address this by firing our whole coaching staff and front office and hiring a group that can coach defense, and then going out and getting players with some legitimate talent and mentality for playing defense.  Jarrett Culver is probably the guy the Wizards need to hope is there for them.  If he's gone, then DeAndre Hunter is probably their next best option.  And then they need to move back into the late first to go after Brandon Clarke.

[Barry.Randolphe]

Give me Tacko. I want that giant inside presence....plus he can run the floor.

 

I'd be fine with Bruno Fernandez too

Edited March 25, 2019 by Barry.Randolphe

[StillUnknown]

39 minutes ago, Barry.Randolphe said:

Give me Tacko. I want that giant inside presence....plus he can run the floor.

 

I'd be fine with Bruno Fernandez too

 

I dont see tacko as much of an nba prospect.  nba will exploit his lack of agility, they will pick and roll that man to death.

 

Also if we re-sign bryant, thats probably close to 30 mil committed to the center position next season between 3 players, 2 of which likely will not play for one reason or another 

Edited March 25, 2019 by StillUnknown

[Barry.Randolphe]

9 minutes ago, StillUnknown said:

 

I dont see tacko as much of an nba prospect.  nba will exploit his lack of agility, they will pick and roll that man to death.

 

 

If guys like Shawn Bradley and Muresan can have long NBA careers, I don't see why he can't....he's way more athletic. He just needs to develop some more muscle and touch at the FT line. You can't teach height and he's a double-double machine waiting to happen with proper coaching.

[StillUnknown]

4 hours ago, Barry.Randolphe said:

 

If guys like Shawn Bradley and Muresan can have long NBA careers, I don't see why he can't....he's way more athletic. He just needs to develop some more muscle and touch at the FT line. You can't teach height and he's a double-double machine waiting to happen with proper coaching.

 

The game aint about height anymore. Its shooting and versatility on defense. Tacko has shown neither. I'm rooting for him, hope i'm wrong on him, i just dont see it

[Going Commando]

It's been a while since I looked, but there is a fairly low limit to what Bryant can sign for.  NBA cap rules are weird.  Players who don't have a lot of veterancy have very restrictive extension rules.

[Going Commando]

8 hours ago, Barry.Randolphe said:

 

If guys like Shawn Bradley and Muresan can have long NBA careers, I don't see why he can't....he's way more athletic. He just needs to develop some more muscle and touch at the FT line. You can't teach height and he's a double-double machine waiting to happen with proper coaching.

 

Problem is his conditioning and lack of ability to handle switching.  He already plays fairly limited minutes at the college level, it'll be worse in the NBA.

[Going Commando]

The defensive big I want from this class is Clarke.  His rim protection is flat out awesome.  I heard the color commentator say that he had more blocked shots than missed field goals this season.  That is incredible for a full time starter who scored like 17-18 PPG.  Pogo stick jumper and great hands and instincts.  The lateral quickness to shut down pick and rolls.  He's the new prototype for the modern defensive power forward/center.  Like Still said, the game isn't about height any more, it's about speed and length and versatility.

[StillUnknown]

21 minutes ago, stevemcqueen1 said:

The defensive big I want from this class is Clarke.  His rim protection is flat out awesome.  I heard the color commentator say that he had more blocked shots than missed field goals this season.  That is incredible for a full time starter who scored like 17-18 PPG.  Pogo stick jumper and great hands and instincts.  The lateral quickness to shut down pick and rolls.  He's the new prototype for the modern defensive power forward/center.  Like Still said, the game isn't about height any more, it's about speed and length and versatility.

 

if we miss out on top 5, I'd be cool with taking the chance on Bol Bol, as long as we feel good about his recovery

[Going Commando]

10 minutes ago, StillUnknown said:

 

if we miss out on top 5, I'd be cool with taking the chance on Bol Bol, as long as we feel good about his recovery 

 

Redshirt him to tank next season?  That could be a good plan.  But I've read that the foot injury is fairly serious and he's so tall that I'd be hesitant to take a chance on him in the lottery.  I don't want to tempt Les Boulez.

[Hersh]

13 hours ago, stevemcqueen1 said:

And then they need to move back into the late first to go after Brandon Clarke.

 

They have no assets to give up to do that. 

[Hersh]

The only way the Wiz tank next season is if they trade Beal. Otherwise they will win just enough games to not be at the top of the draft.

 

The Wiz should be looking to deal him before the next draft looking for a high pick in the lottery plus more. See if Boston has interest if they decide they won't get AD. Check in with Phoenix to see if they would entertain a Booker/Beal back court. It really is a shame they didn't deal Ariza or Green for some kind of 2nd round pick or something useful. 

 

 

[abdcskins]

I'm fine with DeAndre Hunter.  Maybe Rui Hachimura falls back far enough.  I'm cool with Bruno too.  I'm fine taking best player available, if we get another SG/SF type player then so be it. I haven't seen Jarrett Culver play yet, looking forward to seeing him on Thursday.

 

To state the complete obvious, Wizards need a player who can bring it on both ends of the floor.  Someone who can create their own shot and run up and down the floor like a gazelle.  Someone with energy and ball handling skills. 

 

And this is sad, but I just looked up recent Wizards draft picks.  What in the hell happened in 2016 and 2017?  Zero draft picks?  I'm sure it was some wonderful trade Ernie made.  I've just removed myself from all things Wizards front office related.  Jerian Grant?  Aaron White?  Where are these people?  Is Issuf Sanon going to save the day?

 

What a wack team.

 

[@DCGoldPants]

Feels like most are fine with anything as long as Ernie isn't making those decisions.

[Going Commando]

6 hours ago, abdcskins said:

To state the complete obvious, Wizards need a player who can bring it on both ends of the floor.  Someone who can create their own shot and run up and down the floor like a gazelle.  Someone with energy and ball handling skills.  

 

Culver is a good shot creator.  He has a fluid midrange game and he will pull up and shoot threes off the dribble. 

 

I was blown away by watching him in the first two rounds, but those were the only two games of his I'd seen.  Digging deeper, I don't like what I'm seeing as much as I thought I would.  Specifically, he's a chucker who takes a lot of bad shots, and he turns it over.  That was one of the main issues holding Oubre back.  I always hoped Oubre would eventually have the lightbulb turn on and become a smarter player, but he just never seemed to improve in that part of the game.  Now I'm wondering if it is even realistic for a player to significantly improve his BBall IQ?  You can improve your jumper quite a bit, as Wall (and countless others) demonstrated.  You can improve your handle quite a bit, as Beal demonstrated.  But has anyone heard of a player getting smarter and less selfish before?

 

Maybe it's a function of the system he plays in at Texas Tech, but there could be some real issues with shot selection and floor vision that lead to selfish and inefficient play.

 

There is still a lot to like about him though, and where the Wizards will be picking, they won't be getting an obvious stud player.  They're going to have to hope to strike gold on a developmental guy like the Pacers did with Paul George and Myles Turner.  For starters, Culver does have a nice little mix of dribble-pass-shoot skills.  The foundation for a good jumper is there, although I don't know if I can see him ever becoming a true knockdown catch and shoot guy like Otto or Paul George or Kawhi.  The feet are clean and he elevates well but the release is a little segmented.  it's not a gorgeous, fluid process like you see with the most gifted shooters.  He can get better here, but the guys who end up being the very best shooters are usually better and more natural than him when they get to the league.  Not always though, as we saw from Kawhi.

 

His instinct isn't to shoot either, it's to catch and then put the ball down, lower the shoulder, and fight to the basket.

 

The first step is nothing special, and the handle is still loose, and it looks like he is still lacking upper body strength.  But his frame is actually really good, and I think that's the source of a lot of the projections of his upside.  He differs from another thin guy like Nerlens in that he has broad enough shoulders and size in his joints to support a lot more mass.  And he's different from Otto in that he's already got some strength in his legs, whereas Otto has always been very top heavy. 

 

I see him having good defensive potential.  He's a spidery off-ball defender who is very effective playing ball denial and playing the passing lanes.  Strong legs to fight through screens.  Good arm length to bother shooters.  His feet are quicker than Otto's and he's better at changing directions.  Otto always kind of trailed behind ball handlers as they changed hands/directions whereas Culver should be able to mirror them better.  I don't think he'll be as good a rebounder as Otto, nor as good a shot blocker.  Definitely not as smart and patient as Otto was, and not as silky on his shot.  But he has better defensive potential because he should be able to guard the ball better.  And he's a much, much more aggressive offensive player who has a scorer's mentality.

 

Just from a BPA standpoint, he could be our best option.  You have to swing big on these mid lottery picks, and sometimes drafting a guy who has a great frame and hope that the skills and the strength and the situational awareness can be developed over time.  I think Culver is a good bet to get a lot stronger and I think he can become a significantly better outside shooter, but I'm not sure that the basketball IQ will get there too.  This is why he is a target from 6-10 rather than a top five lock.