The Official Washington Basketball Thread: Wizards, Mystics etc

[Gator Bait]

Good tank loss. Strong play from a lot of our young players. Booker and Singleton had great games offensively, which is fantastic to see.

this is how i see it

[Going Commando]

The only way he gets dealt, is if we take on a ridiculous contract in return.

At this point, unless we find a gm on cocaine, the smart strategy is to just let him rot on the bench the rest of the way and amnesty him in the offseason.

I'd rather go that route than bringing in a bad contract.

What's the difference to us in amnestying a bad contract and amnestying Blatche? Ted's wallet is the only thing that should care.

If we get a bad contract + something valuable in return for Blatche, that's better than simply amnestying Blatche. An ~8 million per year deal is just not big enough to use amnesty on. You've got to save that trump card to get something good out of it.

[Skin'emAlive]

Ive never liked Dunleavy.

[StillUnknown]

Ive never liked Dunleavy.

Wizard's don't like him either, they wouldn't even get close enough to contest a shot.

[Going Commando]

Good tank loss. Strong play from a lot of our young players. Booker and Singleton had great games offensively, which is fantastic to see.

I really wanted this win. To come back like that and get my hopes up and then lose in such a way is heartbreaking.

Losing so much is making me ill. I'm tired of everyone making fun of us.

[milellie111]

Good tank loss. Strong play from a lot of our young players. Booker and Singleton had great games offensively, which is fantastic to see.

LOL @ the reverse effect being a fan of Washington sports team has on fans gradually over the years. Fans are now excited to lose!

[Destino]

Wizard's don't like him either, they wouldn't even get close enough to contest a shot.

The 37 free throw attempts didn't help either.

[MonkFan8]

LOL @ the reverse effect being a fan of Washington sports team has on fans gradually over the years. Fans are now excited to lose!

Well, I would have been more excited had we won. I was hoping Wall would stuff that Jennings shot back in his face.

Definitely true that being a fan of the Os, Caps, 'Skins and Wizards at my age has made me appreciate the small victories, like when our team actually plays a bit like a team, lol.

[Going Commando]

When you say NY I'm assuming that you are talking about the Nets. There is no room for him on the Knicks. That would work, and he's already said he'd be happy to go there, and being paired with D-Will would certainly be a great duo. The Magic don't appear to want to make that trade.

I think there is a 99.99% chance DWill is a Dallas Maverick this summer. The one single thing that could keep him in New Jersey is a Howard trade and extension. But the trade isn't going to happen. NJ can't offer an acceptable package for Dwight that doesn't involve Williams. They shot their load to get Williams. They can't beat the Bynum offer.

The only deal I can see Orlando taking for Dwight is one with the Lakers. But I don't even think they take that one. I think they call him, make one last playoff run, and then see if he really will leave 30 million dollars on the table this summer to go play somewhere else.

If Dwight Howard walks this summer, then it's a two team race. He'll be in Dallas or Chicago next year.

[Destino]

Is it wrong that I secretly want him to go to OKC? Durant, Westbrook, and Howard... To quote dirk "turn off the lights! Let's go home!"

[Going Commando]

How is there no room on the Knicks? If they move either Melo/STAT to go along w. Chandler (and filler) they could get it done. It's going to be a bit more difficult for the Lakers to do this via trade, and they'd have to clear a lot of space on their roster (salary wise) to make it happen.

Melo/Amare/Chandler are all HUGE long term contracts in their initial years. The logistics of trading any two of them for Dwight are complicated enough to make that kind of trade untenable. For better or worse, the Knicks made their bed with Carmelo, Amare, and Chandler and are going to have to see this thing through.

If Otis Smith is going to sit on any potential trades and let him walk at the end of the year, he'll be in Brooklyn w. D-Will.

Not likely, as DWill hates playing for the Nets and will be on the first train out of town this summer himself. He'll be in Dallas with Dwill and Dirk if they can make some space, or in Chicago with Rose.

I'm still curious if he's going to leave so much money on the table in Orlando just to leave. This isn't a given by any means.

---------- Post added February-28th-2012 at 11:07 PM ----------

The Knicks could trade Melo for Howard straight up (if he doesn't have a no trade clause) or they could trade Amare and Chandler for Howard and Turk.....that would be better for Orlando than getting nothing at all.

Olando isn't getting nothing in return for keeping Dwight. They're getting a playoff run in a wonky year where the championship race is wide open. Not only that, they're calling Howard's bluff. Will he really leave 30 million on the table? It's never been done before.

[Going Commando]

12 assists for Wall late into the 3rd quarter.

He will lead the league in assists when we upgrade his running mates.

Don't judge me, but a little while back I made an NBA 2k12 association with a fantasy draft and finagled my way into a roster of:

PG: John Wall, Eric Maynor

SG & SF: Kyrie Irving, Evan Turner, Gordon Hayward, Kawhi Leonard, J.J. Redick, Ronnie Brewer

PF: Blake Griffin, Justin Harper

C: Greg Monroe, Brad Miller

I know, it's filled with people I'm supposed to hate (and some I actually do) but That. Team. Is. Amazing.

It's funny how easy it is to win when ten of your twelve guys hit the majority of their shots. Wall is averaging like 17 APG in the first season and that's a young team that's set to make a huge leap by year three or four.

[Gator Bait]

I think there is a 99.99% chance DWill is a Dallas Maverick this summer. The one single thing that could keep him in New Jersey is a Howard trade and extension. But the trade isn't going to happen. NJ can't offer an acceptable package for Dwight that doesn't involve Williams. They shot their load to get Williams. They can't beat the Bynum offer.

The only deal I can see Orlando taking for Dwight is one with the Lakers. But I don't even think they take that one. I think they call him, make one last playoff run, and then see if he really will leave 30 million dollars on the table this summer to go play somewhere else.

If Dwight Howard walks this summer, then it's a two team race. He'll be in Dallas or Chicago next year.

here's the question. If the Magic do call his bluff and don't trade him, we have have to ask two questions:

A) Like you said, is Dwight Howard willing to leave 30 million in salary on the table (which he could likely recoup other ways in a large market)

Does Howard want to follow in Shaq's footsteps (who he doesn't like) and does he mind looking like a villain for leaving Orlando high and dry?

I'm not sure the answer to any of these question. If I was a betting man, I'd say if he hits the FA market, him and Dwill get together and decide where the two of them want to play (Dallas).

Another scenario to consider is the Nets knowing they aren't going to be able to retain Dwill and trading him (and maybe even Brook) at the deadline.

---------- Post added February-29th-2012 at 07:09 AM ----------

Olando isn't getting nothing in return for keeping Dwight. They're getting a playoff run in a wonky year where the championship race is wide open. Not only that, they're calling Howard's bluff. Will he really leave 30 million on the table? It's never been done before.

I agree that they could be calling his bluff, I disagree that the championship is wide open. If you aren't Chicago or Miami....you aren't gonna play for the championship. The race in the west is wide open....depending on the trades at the deadline, I could see either LA team in the finals (never count Kobe out), I can see Dallas going back, and of course OKC.

---------- Post added February-29th-2012 at 07:11 AM ----------

Is it wrong that I secretly want him to go to OKC? Durant, Westbrook, and Howard... To quote dirk "turn off the lights! Let's go home!"

It's wrong if you ever want to see a John Wall Wizards team win the finals in the future.....You put Durant and Howard together for the next 10 years, they will win 8/10 championships......****, they might even 10 peat

---------- Post added February-29th-2012 at 07:15 AM ----------

Don't judge me, but a little while back I made an NBA 2k12 association with a fantasy draft and finagled my way into a roster of:

PG: John Wall, Eric Maynor

SG & SF: Kyrie Irving, Evan Turner, Gordon Hayward, Kawhi Leonard, J.J. Redick, Ronnie Brewer

PF: Blake Griffin, Justin Harper

C: Greg Monroe, Brad Miller

I know, it's filled with people I'm supposed to hate (and some I actually do) but That. Team. Is. Amazing.

It's funny how easy it is to win when ten of your twelve guys hit the majority of their shots. Wall is averaging like 17 APG in the first season and that's a young team that's set to make a huge leap by year three or four.

That's almost as impressive as my 2013 roster in NBA 2k10:

pg: Wall/Knight

sg: Henry/ Terry

sf: Durant/gallinari/Batum/Singleton

pf: Griffin/R. Anderson/Blatche

c: Noah/Ibaka

for some reason xavier henry is an absolute monster on that game. this is the last year of his rookie contract, so I'll have to trade him (to avoid giving him the max).

Edited February 29, 2012 by Gator Bait

[pjfootballer]

Washington Weezers!

[RonArtest15]

I honestly believe the Adidas sponsorship will deter Howard from playing in Chicago w. Rose.

[MattFancy]

Is it bad that when I saw this, I thought, this really could happen?

From Buzz Feed:

Javale McGee Will Throw Down One Of The Most Spectacular Breakaway Dunks Of The Season With One Major Drawback

JaVale McGee is the absolute best. He planked during an exhibition game last summer. He ran down to play defense last week during a Wizards offensive possession. He is going to make John Wall the first player to have a heart attack during a game. I don't think I could love him more.

[Going Commando]

JaVale makes theatrically clownish faces when the refs make a bad foul call. I think that's 50% of why people think he's so stupid. The other 50% you can probably divvy up between on court awareness and twitter posts.

[Samuels]

Whitman told it like it was in the post game presser.

We have to find guys who know how to play fundamental basketball on both ends. If you have no clue on how to stop the ball or defend a pick&roll you should'nt play.

[Going Commando]

That's almost as impressive as my 2013 roster in NBA 2k10:

pg: Wall/Knight

sg: Henry/ Terry

sf: Durant/gallinari/Batum/Singleton

pf: Griffin/R. Anderson/Blatche

c: Noah/Ibaka

for some reason xavier henry is an absolute monster on that game. this is the last year of his rookie contract, so I'll have to trade him (to avoid giving him the max).

Henry is still overvalued by the game. He's got like 3+ stars in trade value. The trick for me was to do do a fantasy draft and I had pretty much memorized who the high trade value low overall rating guys in my draft ranges were so I had value to burn come trade time. For instance, Enes Kanter is like a 63 overall and easy to draft but gets like four and a half stars of trade value. Guys like Anthony Randolph, Greg Oden, and Daniel Orton are absurdly valuable for trades. Greg Monroe and Evan Turner are also way undervalued IMO, they were basically thrown into the deals for Irving and Wall.

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

Don't know if it's been discussed yet, but here's why McGee didn't play AT ALL in the 2nd:

---------- Post added February-29th-2012 at 11:15 AM ----------

More from Randy:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/wizards-vs-bucks-washington-stages-rally-but-roger-mason-jr-travels-with-last-chance-to-win-it/2012/02/28/gIQATNVIhR_story.html

“I’m done with young guys” as an excuse, Wittman said after his record dropped to 5-12 since replacing Flip Saunders. “If they don’t want to play the right way, young guys aren’t going to play. It does us no good. They’re not going to learn anything when they want to play the game the way they want to play. You get no development out of them. . . . All they’re developing is bad habits. I went with guys who I knew were going to go out there and bust their rear ends.”

But McGee, who had earlier awed the fans at Bradley Center with an impressive dunk, again mixed the magnificent with the mystifying, as he helped the Wizards enter the locker room at halftime down 67-53. He fouled Bucks center Drew Gooden (15 points, 10 rebounds) on a three-point attempt with one second left in the period.

Wittman put his hands on his head, as if ready to yank out his hair. A few of McGee’s teammates shook their heads on the bench. McGee didn’t play in the second half. Young, the Wizards’ leading scorer, returned but didn’t score in a brief stint, finishing with just seven points on 3-for-11 shooting.

“Coach’s decision. It was a good decision,” Young said of the benching. “They played hard, fought all the way to the end. Could’ve gone either way.”

“Coach Wittman is a good coach,” Wall said. “He knows how to motivate us.”

I really like Randy. But that's just me.

Edited February 29, 2012 by G.A.C.O.L.B.

[JdoubleU]

Did Nick Young even get 1 assist? Four letters you won't find in his name: T-E-A-M. I'm one of those guys who've stuck by McGee, but it's an everygame thing with him now.

[Gator Bait]

Henry is still overvalued by the game. He's got like 3+ stars in trade value. The trick for me was to do do a fantasy draft and I had pretty much memorized who the high trade value low overall rating guys in my draft ranges were so I had value to burn come trade time. For instance, Enes Kanter is like a 63 overall and easy to draft but gets like four and a half stars of trade value. Guys like Anthony Randolph, Greg Oden, and Daniel Orton are absurdly valuable for trades. Greg Monroe and Evan Turner are also way undervalued IMO, they were basically thrown into the deals for Irving and Wall.

I don't think they have the star trade values in 2010...so i'm not familiar with that. I started off with the 2010 wizards and played a season with the original roster. The big three were super valuable after that season...I ended up trading Caron Butler for a lottery pick that ended up being #1 overall. Traded Arenas for Dwight Howard, who I traded a season later for durant. I traded Jamison for for Noah. I traded some of the other players for draft picks and took on bad contracts for draft picks....I ended up drafting these players in my first draft:

Wall, Cousins, Monroe, Turner, and Henry. Pretty stupid that I could end up with that draft....but that's a video game for ya.

Monroe and Cousins got disgruntled about playing time, so I traded them both for Blake Griffin. Can't remember what I got for Turner, but I traded him too because he was so stupidly robotic in the game.

Edited February 29, 2012 by Gator Bait

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

Lol, I can't get over how dumb that foul to end the half was by McGee. I mean that's as selfish as you can get. Going for the block stat. That's all that is. But hey, I'm sure in year FIVE he'll pull his head out of his ass and finally get it. Resign baby!!!

[Gator Bait]

Don't know if it's been discussed yet, but here's why McGee didn't play AT ALL in the 2nd:

---------- Post added February-29th-2012 at 11:15 AM ----------

More from Randy:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/wizards-vs-bucks-washington-stages-rally-but-roger-mason-jr-travels-with-last-chance-to-win-it/2012/02/28/gIQATNVIhR_story.html

I really like Randy. But that's just me.

I like him a lot as well, but i doubt he is back next year.

[StillUnknown]

I really like Randy. But that's just me.

I like what he stands for and what he tries to accomplish, but there is nothing about the guy that suggests he'll ever be a good coach.

Whitman told it like it was in the post game presser.

We have to find guys who know how to play fundamental basketball on both ends. If you have no clue on how to stop the ball or defend a pick&roll you should'nt play.

I wonder how Ted/Ernie feel about him killing the "we're a young team" excuse. His comments really stress how badly Ernie has assembled this roster. Wittman is in a spot where he has to play the young guys even if he doesn't want to because the 3 veterans we have (Lewis/Mason/Evans) rarely exhibit anything resembling NBA level talent, last night being the exception. With the compressed schedule, even if he played those vets good minutes, they'd have dead legs after a week of playing time.

Edited February 29, 2012 by StillUnknown