The Official Washington Basketball Thread: Wizards, Mystics etc

[Going Commando]

2 hours ago, BRAVEONAWARPATH said:

Seems to me this was Bradley-driven and once Wall found out it destroyed the trust.

 

 100% agreed.  I think he had a genuine friendship with Brad before this and found out with the rest of us that little church boy Brad is actually pretty fake and ruthless.  Probably said **** it, trade me then.  I'll go play with Harden.

 

Ugh.  I loved Brad but this was nasty.  I believe he was behind this and Ted and Tommy are so desperate to appease him they compromised their integrity for him.  He's going to burn the team down on his way out.  This city will never love him like they love John.  The way people feel about John is 100% a shibboleth of who was a real fan and who wasn't.

[Heisenberg]

I have to admit I'm shocked to see so many Wizards fans upset about Wall leaving. I know he was a great PG at his peak, but I totally missed that he was so beloved by a segment of the fanbase like this. I'll go ahead and say I think Westbrook is a huge upgrade - even compared to pre-injury Wall - but I obviously missed something over the past several years since it seems people are negative about this trade.

[CRobi21]

Wonder how much the instagram post over the summer had to do with this. Of Wall partying and throwing up gang signs.

 

He's done it in the past. Maybe ownership told him to cut that **** out, and if he did it again they'd start shopping him around.

[Destino]

2 hours ago, mammajamma said:

ya i'll admit the russ following is crazy. already seeing people on twitter now becoming wizards fans, just because of him

 

i personally dont understand that - changing favorite teams by following 1 player around.. i mean, pick a team. but thats pretty nuts

The nba is plagued with tumble weed fans that go wherever the wind blows.  

[method man]

I'm going to miss Wall because he was our draft pick and the face of this team for the best run it has had during my time as a fan (~25 years). The shot in game 6 vs the Celtics was one amazing moment as was the sweep of the Raptors in round 1. At the same time, I'm not going to miss him like I did Gil. One reason why is that I care less and less about the NBA and the Wizards with each passing year. Like baseball, you have only a few teams that have a realistic chance of winning the whole thing. Unlike baseball, NBA stars are unlikeable prima donnas who have to form superteams to win championships 

[86 Snyder]

1 hour ago, stevemcqueen1 said:

 

 100% agreed.  I think he had a genuine friendship with Brad before this and found out with the rest of us that little church boy Brad is actually pretty fake and ruthless.  Probably said **** it, trade me then.  I'll go play with Harden.

 

Ugh.  I loved Brad but this was nasty.  I believe he was behind this and Ted and Tommy are so desperate to appease him they compromised their integrity for him.  He's going to burn the team down on his way out.  This city will never love him like they love John.  The way people feel about John is 100% a shibboleth of who was a real fan and who wasn't.

 

Its a ...shibboleth....of who cannot identify good modern NBA basketball players.

 

He is GARBAGE.  Team killing garbage.  

 

The worst kind of NBA player is someone who is billed as a superstar, thinks they're a superstar, gets paid like a superstar, and puts a glass ceiling on the franchise where they simply cannot come close to competing for a championship.  Except Wall did all that while he looked like a good player and was putting up pretty numbers.  Now thats hes been out of the league for 2 years and has no legs, the ceiling is maaaaaaybe a playoff berth.  Maybe.  In the East.

 

He's THE most garbage player in the NBA.  

 

James Harden is #2, which is what makes the mother****ing trade so delicious.  The Rockets just created the absolute worst possible backcourt of all time.

[RichmondRedskin88]

5 hours ago, method man said:

I'm going to miss Wall because he was our draft pick and the face of this team for the best run it has had during my time as a fan (~25 years). The shot in game 6 vs the Celtics was one amazing moment as was the sweep of the Raptors in round 1. At the same time, I'm not going to miss him like I did Gil. One reason why is that I care less and less about the NBA and the Wizards with each passing year. Like baseball, you have only a few teams that have a realistic chance of winning the whole thing. Unlike baseball, NBA stars are unlikeable prima donnas who have to form superteams to win championships 

Yep It’s super low on my viewing totem pole.  Hard to care when you already know who will be in the finals every year. The finals ratings the last 6-7 years reflect that too.  They’ve been steady dropping and then flat lined this year.  That definitely corresponds with the super teams.  Which is why I think a certain person will be remembered for destroying the competitiveness of the NBA for easy rings rather than how good they were. 

[Spaceman Spiff]

6 hours ago, stevemcqueen1 said:

 

 100% agreed.  I think he had a genuine friendship with Brad before this and found out with the rest of us that little church boy Brad is actually pretty fake and ruthless.  Probably said **** it, trade me then.  I'll go play with Harden.

 

Ugh.  I loved Brad but this was nasty.  I believe he was behind this and Ted and Tommy are so desperate to appease him they compromised their integrity for him.  He's going to burn the team down on his way out.  This city will never love him like they love John.  The way people feel about John is 100% a shibboleth of who was a real fan and who wasn't.

 

Dude, do you write romance novels?  

[Spaceman Spiff]

6 hours ago, method man said:

I'm going to miss Wall because he was our draft pick and the face of this team for the best run it has had during my time as a fan (~25 years). The shot in game 6 vs the Celtics was one amazing moment as was the sweep of the Raptors in round 1. At the same time, I'm not going to miss him like I did Gil. One reason why is that I care less and less about the NBA and the Wizards with each passing year. Like baseball, you have only a few teams that have a realistic chance of winning the whole thing. Unlike baseball, NBA stars are unlikeable prima donnas who have to form superteams to win championships 

 

What?

 

There hasn't been a back to back WS winner since the year 2000.  There have been some teams that have made it to the World Series in back to back seasons, but if you look at the different teams that have appeared in the WS for the past 20 years, it's pretty widespread.  It's absolutely nothing like the NBA where it's LeBron vs. someone else for 10 straight years.

[Llevron]

Wall is def my fav Basketball Player ever. And its not close honestly. How could be not be? When he was on we were a tough team to beat. And when he was determined to win, we usually did. His seemingly fickle focus, though, was a problem. Just being honest some days it was like you would have to kill him to beat him, but more often than not he seemed disinterested unless it was a playoff game and its hard to be able to just turn it on and keep it on whenever you want. That's going to be a big difference between him and Russ and I suspect that's the main reason the move was made. 

 

Sucks to see him go, like I said he was my fav player and the best we have had here since I knew what I was looking at. When he wanted to be. 

 

Also If this was pushed by Brad, I don't think there is anything wrong with that. These dudes didn't like each other. It couldn't have been more obvious. And why wouldn't Brad want to play with a guy who wanted it more? That's the point. 

 

Also Russ looks like a ****ing goblin 

[Rocky21]

9 hours ago, CRobi21 said:

 

 

It's good to see Jake Russell and (haven't missed him one ****ing bit) Dan Steinberg focus on what's really important.  Everyone knows it's Twitter followers, not wins that matter.  Thanks guys for focusing on what's truly important.

 

[justice98]

7 hours ago, stevemcqueen1 said:

 

 100% agreed.  I think he had a genuine friendship with Brad before this and found out with the rest of us that little church boy Brad is actually pretty fake and ruthless.  Probably said **** it, trade me then.  I'll go play with Harden.

 

Ugh.  I loved Brad but this was nasty.  I believe he was behind this and Ted and Tommy are so desperate to appease him they compromised their integrity for him.  He's going to burn the team down on his way out.  This city will never love him like they love John.  The way people feel about John is 100% a shibboleth of who was a real fan and who wasn't.

 

I disagree.  I think that beef they had a few years ago was real and the extent they patched it up got them to being cool and friendly. I'm skeptical of this genuine friendship business.  I dont think there was any bromance going on where either guy is losing sleep about not being together.

 

I also dont see this "This city will never love him like they love John."  First, does the city love John Wall?  I mean, really.  When did Wall become......whoever is the most beloved sports figure in DC?  But second, why does Beal care about that either way? 

[Going Commando]

6 hours ago, CRobi21 said:

Wonder how much the instagram post over the summer had to do with this. Of Wall partying and throwing up gang signs.

 

He's done it in the past. Maybe ownership told him to cut that **** out, and if he did it again they'd start shopping him around.

 

David Aldridge wrote that it was the last straw for Ted, and that trading him was ultimately Ted's call.  This was an ownership-level decision.  But I do think Beal played a part in it and that pisses me off.  I think Wall finding out that Beal and Tommy and Ted were all working on this plan to trade him destroyed the relationship and that was it for him.  Tommy had to call Houston back and take the deal.

[TradeTheBeal!]

The roster has been upgraded.

 

We’re gonna be a #4 seed.

 

Harden might be traded before lunch.

[Rocky21]

21 minutes ago, Llevron said:

 

Also Russ looks like a ****ing goblin 

QFT.  Also pretty ****ing funny!  😆

[Going Commando]

10 minutes ago, TryTheBeal! said:

The roster has been upgraded.

 

We’re gonna be a #4 seed.

 

Harden might be traded before lunch.

 

Apparently I'm the only one who thinks this, but I don't see why Houston should play ball with Harden's trade request.  He's got two guaranteed years left in his contract.  If he was closer to his walk year, then OK.  But why not let this season play out and see if he ends up liking the new regime while waiting for someone to put an asset package together that's actually half decent?

[Spaceman Spiff]

10 minutes ago, Llevron said:

Wall is def my fav Basketball Player ever. And its not close honestly. How could be not be? When he was on we were a tough team to beat. And when he was determined to win, we usually did. His seemingly fickle focus, though, was a problem. Just being honest some days it was like you would have to kill him to beat him, but more often than not he seemed disinterested unless it was a playoff game and its hard to be able to just turn it on and keep it on whenever you want. That's going to be a big difference between him and Russ and I suspect that's the main reason the move was made. 

 

Sucks to see him go, like I said he was my fav player and the best we have had here since I knew what I was looking at. When he wanted to be. 

 

Also If this was pushed by Brad, I don't think there is anything wrong with that. These dudes didn't like each other. It couldn't have been more obvious. And why wouldn't Brad want to play with a guy who wanted it more? That's the point. 

 

Also Russ looks like a ****ing goblin 

 

I liked Wall a lot, too. And I like your take on him.  But I think there's a big concern about him coming back from his Achilles.  I posted it earlier, the track record of explosive guards coming back from Achilles tears isn't pretty.  It took Kobe from an immortal to a guy who'd average 18 ppg.  And Wall isn't Kobe, not close.  If Wall makes it back from his Achilles and can still be close to what he was, he's a big exception.  To your point about him being determined to win vs. being disinterested, it's a difficult combination to have when coming back from an injury like that.  I think the reason why Kobe still remained effective is because of his mamba mentality.   I don't think Wall has that, Jennings and Billups certainly didn't.  

 

I don't have a problem with Beal not wanting to play with him either, I'm fine with that too.  But we're acting like this is Shaq vs. Penny or Kobe vs. Shaq here.  I don't pay attention like I used to but this manufactured drama that Beal is the driving force here seems a bit silly.

 

Anyway, I always thought Russ looked like a Ninja Turtle.

 

 

[TradeTheBeal!]

6 minutes ago, stevemcqueen1 said:

 

Apparently I'm the only one who thinks this, but I don't see why Houston should play ball with Harden's trade request.  He's got two guaranteed years left in his contract.  If he was closer to his walk year, then OK.  But why not let this season play out and see if he ends up liking the new regime while waiting for someone to put an asset package together that's actually half decent?

Nevertheless, Houston has spent quite a bit of energy collecting draft picks the last month or so.  It’s a trend.

[Going Commando]

17 minutes ago, TryTheBeal! said:

The roster has been upgraded.

 

Also, I think this is going to be a mixed bag.  The team is going to want to frame this as a culture upgrade, but there are caveats.  Westbrook is a fanatical worker and serious personality on the one hand.  But he's also a shockingly selfish player with a massive ego who is totally willing to say **** it to playing winning basketball if he wants to prove a point.

 

The point that bothers me is Westbrook is a superstar point guard who we can't honestly determine if he makes his teammates better.  That was never a question with Wall.  Westbrook isn't going to change his game at all because he only plays one way well. It's going to be my turn, your turn and we'll play 4 on 5 basketball on offense for 2/3rds of games.

[Llevron]

I wanted Wall to retire here though. That arena loved that man. Like on a personal level. His general **** you attitude is such a DC thing it couldn't have fit this fanbase better. 

 

But also I can see it not being the easiest attitude to build around consistently. But. **** that. 

 

24 minutes ago, Spaceman Spiff said:

 

I liked Wall a lot, too. And I like your take on him.  But I think there's a big concern about him coming back from his Achilles.  I posted it earlier, the track record of explosive guards coming back from Achilles tears isn't pretty.  It took Kobe from an immortal to a guy who'd average 18 ppg.  And Wall isn't Kobe, not close.  If Wall makes it back from his Achilles and can still be close to what he was, he's a big exception.  To your point about him being determined to win vs. being disinterested, it's a difficult combination to have when coming back from an injury like that.  I think the reason why Kobe still remained effective is because of his mamba mentality.   I don't think Wall has that, Jennings and Billups certainly didn't.  

 

I don't have a problem with Beal not wanting to play with him either, I'm fine with that too.  But we're acting like this is Shaq vs. Penny or Kobe vs. Shaq here.  I don't pay attention like I used to but this manufactured drama that Beal is the driving force here seems a bit silly.

 

Anyway, I always thought Russ looked like a Ninja Turtle.

 

Yea I didnt even get into the injury thing and i didnt even notice it until you said it. But my biggest concern with him since he got injured was that dude cant shoot. His speed and athleticism is what makes him the baller he is. And if hes lost a single step hes done. He was already prone to being out of shape. 

 

**** he does look like Donatello lol 

[@DCGoldPants]

Haven't the stories of Beal/Wall not getting along been around for a while? 

[Mooka]

3 minutes ago, @SkinsGoldPants said:

Haven't the stories of Beal/Wall not getting along been around for a while? 

 

Everybody eats.

[Renegade7]

I slept on this, this still feels about as gross as Nationals going to the white house and Trump tatty grabbing Suzuki.  I haven't felt the same way about that baseball team since, I have a Wall jersey, it will be a while before I get another.

 

Now I can think about closure on this trade, we need to keep it moving. Doesn't help seeing articles saying same thing about what Wall meant to the fan base, its not a secret.

[Sticksboi05]

8 hours ago, Destino said:

The nba is plagued with tumble weed fans that go wherever the wind blows.  

 

It's Gen Z, this is the new normal for fans of that generation. They pick players over cities.

 

And yes NBA fans are front runners too.

[ClaytoAli]

 

Some things just don’t feel right!

Edited December 3, 2020 by ClaytoAli