The Official Washington Basketball Thread: Wizards, Mystics etc

[Warhead36]

Woo we squeaked by Miami's JV.

[mmzznnxx]

That was a good play drawn up by Wittman at the end there. Nice feel-good win going to next season.

Also, Nats/Caps/Wiz go 3-for-3 today. That's gotta be like Hailey's Comet passing over.

[TradeTheBeal!]

Wall looked like a young Jason Kidd tonight...everything but the jumper. Nene with the soft hands!

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

That was a good play drawn up by Wittman at the end there. Nice feel-good win going to next season.

Also, Nats/Caps/Wiz go 3-for-3 today. That's gotta be like Hailey's Comet passing over.

Like I said, and go back and read through this thread, I've been crying about that happening for two weeks bow. Always the last game of the day--Wiz, Caps or Nats--****ed it up. I finally feel complete.

Woo we squeaked by Miami's JV.

A wins a win. Enjoy it. And Miami is in the middle of a playoff race. They played the JV because they thought that's all they needed. That was proven false.

---------- Post added April-21st-2012 at 10:13 PM ----------

Just thinking, on inbound plays, why are we relying on the ref counting off five seconds? They can't get some type of stopwatch alarm or something?

Just to be clear, I tend to be a traditionalist when it comes to sports--human error and all. But if they're going to be reviewing every little thing at the end of games (and we've crossed that bridge), it seems to me that you'd want to get this right as well. Especially since the fix seems like it would be so easy.

Edited April 22, 2012 by G.A.C.O.L.B.

[SuperBash]

We can not go wrong with a top 4 pick. Any one of Davis, MKG, Trob, and Beal will have a nice career. I've got a mandraftcrush on Beal. He is the opposite of NY. He can shoot and score along with passing skills. Very unselfish and seems like a high character player we could really use. He could also potentially play a little bit of SF from time to time when running with Wall-Craw-Beal.

[Going Commando]

Wall looked like a young Jason Kidd tonight...everything but the jumper. Nene with the soft hands!

I've seen Wall compared to all types of PGs because he's got a little of everything in his skillset. But I think Jason Kidd remains the closest comparison. He's more of a scorer and athlete than Kidd, but not in the DRose caliber as that superlative scoring point.

It'd be nice for Wall to develop as a finisher and a shooter, but even more than that, I want to see Wall become an elite perimeter defender. Wall is absolutely brilliant in transition on both ends of the floor. But I want to see him become a great half court player that you can slap on the opponents best guard and have him lock the guy down. He'll become incredibly valuable if he can do that, and he's got the ability.

---------- Post added April-22nd-2012 at 08:00 AM ----------

We can not go wrong with a top 4 pick. Any one of Davis, MKG, Trob, and Beal will have a nice career. I've got a mandraftcrush on Beal. He is the opposite of NY. He can shoot and score along with passing skills. Very unselfish and seems like a high character player we could really use. He could also potentially play a little bit of SF from time to time when running with Wall-Craw-Beal.

My top eight is probably:

1.) Davis

2.) MKG

3.) Drummond

4.) TRob

5.) Beal

6.) Rivers

7.) Barnes

8.) Sully

I like Beal on potential more than on what he is today. He's got the potential to become a really good spot up shooter and he has good defensive potential at the 2 because he's long and strong and is a good athlete. I don't really like his potential as a shot creator and ball handler though, where he's below average for a 2 guard coming in. Very much more in the Ray Allen school than Dwyane Wade.

To me, MKG and Rivers have some D Wade in them with their relentlessness in attacking the rim and Rivers is already extremely skilled. He's the best perimeter scorer in the class by a very wide margin with outstanding handles and ability to create in traffic and a very wide repertoire and unlimited range. He's actually been the superior shooter and scorer to Beal this season.

For me it's a toss up between Beal and Rivers. On the one hand, Rivers is clearly the superior offensive player in almost every way. On the other hand, Beal is a bit bigger and much stronger, much more aggressive attacking the boards, and projects to be a much better defender in the NBA than Rivers. I give him the slight edge over Rivers because of his defensive potential, plus it never hurts having brilliant rebounders on the floor at any position.

But really, if we don't pick first, I think MKG is our best fit and best scenario. I want him in the locker room with John. That's a culture changing type pick and I think a hyper competitive player like him, also being a Kentucky and Calipari guy, would mesh EXTREMELY well with Wall. I could see them pushing each other to the next level and building that kind of chemistry you have to create to win.

Skill wise, I like an MKG pick because he can create his own offense, is a powerful player with above average athleticism (reminds me of Tyreke a bit), and rebounds extremely well for a perimeter player. He's bringing some PF skills to the wing spots. Best of all, I think he projects to be an outstanding defender, probably second only to Davis in defensive potential in the class. I think he can become an elite defender guarding 1-4 and I think that's such a valuable thing to have in a SF. It gives you tons of flexibility in your lineups and paired with the defensive potential of Singleton and Vesely, we could always play a top notch defender on the wing that guards multiple spots.

---------- Post added April-22nd-2012 at 08:36 AM ----------

A wins a win. Enjoy it. And Miami is in the middle of a playoff race. They played the JV because they thought that's all they needed. That was proven false.

I don't think it was a slight or that they thought they could beat us with their backups. I think it's Spoelstra cares more about getting healthy than getting the top seed. He's no fool. He knows you have to compete hard to beat any team in the NBA. Well, except for the Bobcats.

I really liked reading John's post game comments. He was glad to win even if LeBron sat out. It seems they're actually friends, which is a good thing. He basically said he'll be rooting for Miami in the playoffs. Maybe if John hangs out with LeBron, some of his brilliance will rub off on John--his preparation habits, his work ethic, his regimens, his weight room habits, his diet, so on and so forth.

Who do you all like in the East this year? I think the 3 vs. 6 matchup (Indy vs. Orlando) looks horrible. Boston vs. Atlanta looks bad too, but I think it actually provides some very interesting individual matchups and I think it should be a good series. If I'm the Heat, instead of chasing the top spot, I'd rather finish third than second and face Orlando. Philly and New York are very dangerous low seeds, and New York is absolutely a nightmare as a first round matchup. If the Heat make it out against them, then I think they've got a pretty open trip to the EC finals ahead of them.

I'm not sure who I take in a potential Heat versus Bulls matchup. The teams are evenly matched. The Heat don't have an answer for Rose but the Bulls are completely outclassed by the Heat 2-4. I think that's a fascinating playoff series that would be very good for the NBA if it happened.

[No Excuses]

Sacramento is blowing out the Bobcats by 30 so they're out of the running for the #2 slot as well.

A NOH win or a Wizards loss guarantees us the #2 slot now.

[WALL-LE]

i can already tell we will win the rest of our games. NO will lose the rest of theirs on the road @ GS and Houston

[No Excuses]

Hornets up 11 with 8 left in the fourth against the Clippers.

Moving closer and closer to guaranteed top 5 pick.

[RonArtest15]

Skill wise, I like an MKG pick because he can create his own offense, is a powerful player with above average athleticism (reminds me of Tyreke a bit), and rebounds extremely well for a perimeter player. He's bringing some PF skills to the wing spots. Best of all, I think he projects to be an outstanding defender, probably second only to Davis in defensive potential in the class. I think he can become an elite defender guarding 1-4 and I think that's such a valuable thing to have in a SF. It gives you tons of flexibility in your lineups and paired with the defensive potential of Singleton and Vesely, we could always play a top notch defender on the wing that guards multiple spots.

MKG with ABOVE AVERAGE athleticism??? Dude is an ELITE athlete. I see nothing of his game or athleticism that resembles Tyreke Evans. Nothing. I said it before, but I think MKG will be a mixture of Gerald Wallace/Iggy in terms of what he'll bring on the next level (athletically, too). Everything else you said about him in that paragraph, I pretty much agree with. However, I'm no where nearly as high on Chris Singleton as you may be. Dude looks absolutely lost on the court.

If I have a top 8, mine goes like this:

Davis

MKG

Beal

Robinson

Barnes

Drummond

Sullinger

T. Jones

[Rocky21]

Since Sacramento and Cleveland both have 21 wins we can't catch them on the race for the most ping pong balls.

Since New Orleans has 20 wins and we have 17 wins with 3 more games to go, we are locked in to the 2nd or 3rd worst winning percentage.

[SuperBash]

MKG with ABOVE AVERAGE athleticism??? Dude is an ELITE athlete. I see nothing of his game or athleticism that resembles Tyreke Evans. Nothing. I said it before, but I think MKG will be a mixture of Gerald Wallace/Iggy in terms of what he'll bring on the next level (athletically, too). Everything else you said about him in that paragraph, I pretty much agree with. However, I'm no where nearly as high on Chris Singleton as you may be. Dude looks absolutely lost on the court.

If I have a top 8, mine goes like this:

Davis

MKG

Beal

Robinson

Barnes

Drummond

Sullinger

T. Jones

Yeah after your top 4, to me, there is a big drop off. I really don't want the 5th and either have to pick between Dummond and Barnes or hope one of MKG, Beal, Trob falls out of the top 4.

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

If we don't get Davis, then Beal or MKG need to be the pick. Not even really a question in my mind.

[SuperBash]

I guess my ideal draft right now would be MKG/John Jenkins/Crowder or Kyle O'Quinn.

[Destino]

If we don't get Davis, then Beal or MKG need to be the pick. Not even really a question in my mind.

I'm hoping we can come out of it with a trade. Maybe the Hornets want our second over all and give us both of their 1st rounders or the Thunder go insane and give us Harden for our pick. I'm not entirely sold on anyone in this draft being a superstar.

[Going Commando]

I'm hoping we can come out of it with a trade. Maybe the Hornets want our second over all and give us both of their 1st rounders or the Thunder go insane and give us Harden for our pick. I'm not entirely sold on anyone in this draft being a superstar.

I wouldn't trade our pick for Harden.

I think it's reasonable to expect Harden to NEVER match his former production if he came here. He's a glorified role player for OKC. A very good one no doubt. But a sixth man wing player like him needs a certain set of circumstances to perform like he has. He would have to start for us, and he would have to shoulder the load. I don't think he's suited for it.

Don't pay premium for a player's stats for another team.

[RonArtest15]

I wouldn't trade our pick for Harden.

I think it's reasonable to expect Harden to NEVER match his former production if he came here. He's a glorified role player for OKC. A very good one no doubt. But a sixth man wing player like him needs a certain set of circumstances to perform like he has. He would have to start for us, and he would have to shoulder the load. I don't think he's suited for it.

Don't pay premium for a player's stats for another team.

Harden is also 22 years old. Did you catch the game the other night when he dropped 40? I do agree that he's not a #1 scoring option, but as a #2....you bet. On top of it all, he does so many good things on the floor to fill the stat sheet, he's well worth a max deal in this new CBA.

If we land any pick outside of the top-3, I'd be looking to deal. Especially if Harden is in play. He's a Manu clone and would be a ridiculous building-block for this team going forward.

Of course (assuming OKC lets him walk) we could wait for his FA year. Imagine if the Wizards got the #1 overall and somehow signed Harden down the road? A trio of Davis, Harden, and Wall would be flat out AMAZING and make this team contenders immediately.

[Going Commando]

And whether or not we would want to deal for Harden, I seriously doubt OKC would ever trade him for draft picks. He's young and he's their guy. They picked him over Tyreke Evans and Steph Curry because they liked him specifically for their roster construction and their chemistry. He's perfect within the structure of their organization--it's his absolute ideal fit. They're a dominant team and a legit title contender as is, they don't need to make any changes and just need to focus on keeping everyone together from here on out.

But even if he were available for our lotto pick, as good as he is, I wouldn't make the trade. I don't think we can replicate OKC's circumstances and I think he would regress here. He's not really an alpha type scorer. He's the perfect wing man--a second line energy guy that hits the limited shots he gets each game, can perform in the clutch and , and excels at creating for his star teammates. Here he'd be the go to guy on offense, have to deal with double teams, shoot far more and have to create his own shots, play far more minutes, and he wouldn't get nearly as many favorable looks.

[No Excuses]

We need to hope that magically we land a first tier scorer (how many of these are there truly in the NBA?) because apparently a 22 year old high efficiency SG who does just about everything for his position at an exceptional level isn't good enough for this team. Go figure.

James Harden is what Bradley Beal might become in a couple of years.

Edited April 23, 2012 by No Excuses

[Going Commando]

Harden is also 22 years old. Did you catch the game the other night when he dropped 40? I do agree that he's not a #1 scoring option, but as a #2....you bet. On top of it all, he does so many good things on the floor to fill the stat sheet, he's well worth a max deal in this new CBA.

If we land any pick outside of the top-3, I'd be looking to deal. Especially if Harden is in play. He's a Manu clone and would be a ridiculous building-block for this team going forward.

Of course (assuming OKC lets him walk) we could wait for his FA year. Imagine if the Wizards got the #1 overall and somehow signed Harden down the road? A trio of Davis, Harden, and Wall would be flat out AMAZING and make this team contenders immediately.

You're right that he's young and he'll probably get better. But would that happen here? I think he'd actually regress playing for us because of the drastic change in role he'd have to assume.

I too think he is just like Manu, and Manu has always been better playing with the second line and coming off the bench. I just don't think Wall or Crawford are good enough go to scoring types that we could afford to keep Harden on the bench and in that kind of 6th man role. I don't think they can consistently clear him of defensive pressure.

Harden in FA makes a lot more sense for us because we wouldn't have to surrender that draft pick and his expectations would be totally different. We could play him off the bench then, but when you trade such a high lottery pick, it's kind of assumed if you're giving up a potential star player to get him, then he should come in and be a star for us. But if you keep the lotto pick and get someone really good like Davis or even MKG and you get Harden, that's a whole different construction. The hope would be that you've got enough talent (or potential talent) around Harden by that point that you could keep him in the same role as the sixth man.

---------- Post added April-23rd-2012 at 03:14 PM ----------

If you go out and get Harden and want him to be the player here that he is for OKC, I think you need to go out and get another player who is a legit star or potential star.

Harden and Nene would be valuable complimentary players to a true star scoring forward or 2 guard because of their ability to thrive with limited shots. With Wall and a big time scoring wing or PF plus Harden and Nene, I think you'd have a contender in place.

With Harden here, I'd put everyone on the roster up for sale except Wall to get someone. Maybe someone like DeMarcus Cousins. I wonder if the Knicks would deal Carmelo Anthony?

[Destino]

I wouldn't trade our pick for Harden.

I think it's reasonable to expect Harden to NEVER match his former production if he came here. He's a glorified role player for OKC. A very good one no doubt. But a sixth man wing player like him needs a certain set of circumstances to perform like he has. He would have to start for us, and he would have to shoulder the load. I don't think he's suited for it.

Don't pay premium for a player's stats for another team.

I disagree. Wall is more of a pass first point guard than Westbrook which would greatly benefit a player like Harden that is a terrific scorer but not as good of an athlete. If Beal works out well he'll likely be very similar to Harden, although shorter, and several years behind in development. I wouldn't trade the farm for Harden (several picks) but if we don't get the first pick I would certainly make the trade. Most importantly however Harden is a scorer and that is something this team desperately needs. MKG isn't going to be a offensive monster, he's a defender with a good around the basket game. T-Rob would be nice and we need a rebounder but with the emergence of Seraphin perhaps we aren't as bad at the 4 and 5 as we thought we were.

Wall Mack

Harden Crawford

Singleton Martin

Nene Booker

Seraphin Vesely

That's not nearly as horrible a team as we've suffered through. Booker, Crawford, and Martin give us real scoring options off the bench. Nene, Wall, and Harden give us inside and outside scoring options in the starting unit. We'd lack rebounding but Rome wasn't built in a day.

Edited April 23, 2012 by Destino

[SuperBash]

Well that was a BS Flagrant 2 on Thomas haha.

[StillUnknown]

Well that was a BS Flagrant 2 on Thomas haha.

Very weak call, no way he deserved to be ejected for that.

That said, Tyrus Thomas is probably elated he doesn't have to play the rest of this game.

---------- Post added April-23rd-2012 at 07:48 PM ----------

Charlotte should be contracted

[SuperBash]

It's amazing how much of a talent disparity there is between the two worst teams in the NBA haha. The Bobcats make us look like a playoff team.

[StillUnknown]

I'm checking out at halftime.

The Bobcats belong in the d-league. This is embarrassing.

Keep up the good work Mike.

Edited April 24, 2012 by StillUnknown