The Official Washington Basketball Thread: Wizards, Mystics etc

[Going Commando]

I would be OK with Wittman if I didn't question whether he's got the mental aptitude to be a good coach. He's not an Xs and Os guy, I'll say that. Our offense was painfully simple with him. He needs to install something more sophisticated if he gets an extension. And we need to really improve defensively team wide. I like that he's motivated the team and actually gotten them to play together and care. But can he get us to take the next step of a super well prepared, professional unit that can take care of its business each game? I have my doubts.

---------- Post added April-27th-2012 at 07:19 AM ----------

Not really true, plenty of people were backing Randy shortly after the trade with the way he had them playing. I'll say this, unless an amazing option appears, I'd greatly prefer Randy over D'Antoni. No question about it.

I'd honestly be very surprised at this point if Randy isn't back, given the EG extension.

I too would rather have Wittman than D'Antoni. Thib's Bulls is the model we need to try and emulate, not D'Antoni's seven seconds or less teams.

[pjfootballer]

wow, we just won 20 for the year and nobody's commenting on it?

Win me 50 games next year and then will talk. And remember, yes they won 20, but they lost 46.

[Going Commando]

Can we start a petition that the Bobcats not be awarded a guy like Anthony Davis for their season? Their reward for that embarrassment should be contraction.

---------- Post added April-27th-2012 at 08:16 AM ----------

Win me 50 games next year and then will talk. And remember, yes they won 20, but they lost 46.

That's not going to happen. Personally, I would be thrilled with 40 wins though. That would represent a massive step forward for me. Getting to .500 is something. And in the East, 40 wins could very well mean playoffs.

[Rocky21]

I'm seriously doubting that LeBron can ever win a championship with Miami with this roster construction. ...

Eight years in and counting and the LeBron James Will Never Be A Champion Era is moving right along as expected.

[Going Commando]

Eight years in and counting and the LeBron James Will Never Be A Champion Era is moving right along as expected.

LOL, I was waiting for this. Don't speak too soon though. Anything can happen in this playoffs. Everyone is hurt and exhausted and the chemistry is all out of wack this year.

---------- Post added April-27th-2012 at 10:22 AM ----------

How hilarious would it be if the Cavs won a championship and Miami never did? Think Dan Gilbert will be gracious about it?

[Thinking Skins]

Win me 50 games next year and then will talk. And remember, yes they won 20, but they lost 46.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wizards-insider/post/wizards-finish-with-six-straight-wins/2012/04/27/gIQAjbFZkT_blog.html

Say what you want about the season-ending six-game winning streak, but this team went 10-34 before the Nene trade, 10-12 afterwards and 7-4 when Nene suited up. Anybody still think that trade was a bad idea? [Washington Post]

This is what I was getting at earlier.

[Going Commando]

That still doesn't mean we'll carry that momentum into the next season.

But I like ending on a streak like that. It makes me feel good about basketball having all of that positivity for a change, and it gives me something to look forward to for next year. Ending on a 23 game losing streak like Charlotte... that has to be the worst.

I really think John learned a lot from the season about himself, what he needs to do going forward, etc. I think he ate some humble pie, but I don't think he lost his confidence. I think he'll make the most of this summer and try and do like the stars do. Hopefully.

[Thinking Skins]

That still doesn't mean we'll carry that momentum into the next season.

But I like ending on a streak like that. It makes me feel good about basketball having all of that positivity for a change, and it gives me something to look forward to for next year. Ending on a 23 game losing streak like Charlotte... that has to be the worst.

I really think John learned a lot from the season about himself, what he needs to do going forward, etc. I think he ate some humble pie, but I don't think he lost his confidence. I think he'll make the most of this summer and try and do like the stars do. Hopefully.

I'd only say that the main thing about last season that transferred on to this season was the player development. Last year we saw Crawford and Booker emerge as decent guys who could have spots off the bench and this year they kept/improved from that image. So going into next year, I think it would be a lot to expect to continue this winning streak. But I don't think it would be asking a lot to expect Seraphin, Vesely (Martin, J. Singleton?) to continue their improvements. That says a lot about our team. We may not have 5 quality starters yet, but we are developing these young guys into players that can at least be a good bench or decent starters if they're next to some quality players.

[SuperBash]

A great draft and a few nice signings and we could be looking at a really deep team next year.

[Warhead36]

I'd rather end the year winning then losing. It'll give the young guys motivation to work on their games in the offseason.

Depending on what we do in FA and the draft, I think this team can be a low seeded playoff team next year with upside for the future.

Gotta amnesty Blatche and buy out Lewis though, then upgrade the 2 and 3 spots.

[No Excuses]

“At times it was tough because you had guys like Nick and JaVale; they wanted the ball a lot and took a lot of shots. It’s kind of tough to find what kind of team it was with them,” John Wall said, throwing his support behind the deal for Nene. “I think it was the right decision. We had a lot of jokes and stuff going around the locker room, but [now] the energy is more serious, everybody is being on time, taking things more serious, being professional about everything. We just interacting more as a team.”

Ouch.

[SuperBash]

Music to my ears

[Thinking Skins]

Gotta amnesty Blatche and buy out Lewis though, then upgrade the 2 and 3 spots.

Quick question on that though. If we do both these moves, would we be paying guys enough (salary floor) or would we need to sign somebody?

[CrypticVillain]

Music to my ears

+1 I don't care if McGee and Young feelings are hurt. Maybe it is something that both of them needed to hear for them to get better.

Anyways, I am happy that the Wizards finished strong. Beat the Heat twice and the Bulls during this streak. Yeah, they might not have had their stars, but the fact that they beat the teams they were supposed to beat means that we are going the right way. I think Wittman deserves to comeback at least one more season.

[Warhead36]

Quick question on that though. If we do both these moves, would we be paying guys enough (salary floor) or would we need to sign somebody?

Nene's salary should keep us above the floor either way, but I'm not sure. I'd love to sign Eric Gordon at SG if we don't draft Beal.

[pjfootballer]

That's not going to happen. Personally, I would be thrilled with 40 wins though. That would represent a massive step forward for me. Getting to .500 is something. And in the East, 40 wins could very well mean playoffs.

Fine for "this" particular team, but eventually I want a team that wins 50 games a year and competes for a top seed. Not the garbage we had with both versions of the "Big 3" in the late 90s and mid 2000s. Eventually, we as fans need to stop "settling" for 42-40 records with a #7 or #8 seed. For next year, I'd take 40 wins as this year equated to about 26 wins in a regular 82 game season.

---------- Post added April-27th-2012 at 11:42 AM ----------

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wizards-insider/post/wizards-finish-with-six-straight-wins/2012/04/27/gIQAjbFZkT_blog.html

And?

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

I really think John learned a lot from the season about himself, what he needs to do going forward, etc. I think he ate some humble pie, but I don't think he lost his confidence. I think he'll make the most of this summer and try and do like the stars do. Hopefully.

I'm always impressed by his interviews. He's got this weird mumbled way of talking, and I think that probably throws people off a bit. Dude is smart though. And he knows basketball. He honestly sounds like a coach when they interview him.

I hit a patch of doubt about him a few weeks back, but he's completely restored my confidence. We just need to surround him with talent. And he's gotta work on his shot. The sky's the limit from there.

---------- Post added April-27th-2012 at 12:05 PM ----------

And you know what else is great about this winning streak to end the season? We didn't **** up our lottery position with it. Best of both worlds.

[No Excuses]

Jan

“I got more confident at the end of the season. I feel much better. There’s a lot of time in the summer ahead of me and I’ll just try to work hard and to improve my skills. I need to work on my outside shot. That’s the first thing I’ll work on.”

His entire game will open up if he can become even a mediocre outside shooter. He's smart and a hard worker, which keeps me optimistic about his long term prospects.

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

Good to see everyone is recognizing what Vesely brings to the team. Listening to the local sports-talk radio (both stations), you'd think the guy is just another Pecherov. Not even close.

Edited April 27, 2012 by G.A.C.O.L.B.

[MonkFan8]

Good to see everyone is recognizing what Vesely brings to the team. Listening to the local sports-talk radio (both stations), you'd think the guy is just another Pecherov. Not even close.

Heh, in fact, they are basically polar opposites.

[StillUnknown]

Good to see everyone is recognizing what Vesely brings to the team. Listening to the local sports-talk radio (both stations), you'd think the guy is just another Pecherov. Not even close.

That name refuses to die.

[No Excuses]

He was such an irrelevant pick. Don't even remember him. Did he even play more than a 100 minutes for this team?

You have to be a blithering moron to make that comparison. The only thing Vesely has in common with him is skin color. They are polar opposites when it comes to skills and athleticism.

[StillUnknown]

He was such an irrelevant pick. Don't even remember him. Did he even play more than a 100 minutes for this team?

You have to be a blithering moron to make that comparison. The only thing Vesely has in common with him is skin color. They are polar opposites when it comes to skills and athleticism.

Exactly, so far Vesely's only weakness is his jumpshot and lack of physical strength. He shown skills in just about every other area.

Edited April 27, 2012 by StillUnknown

[RonArtest15]

I agree with you all...it's really refreshing to see that Wall knows his shortcomings. He even admitted that he spent too much time playing in summer leagues and charity games. I think he's going to come back as a MUCH different player next year. Realistically, I'd like to see him have a FG% between 44-46% and a FT% over 80. If he can work on changing pace instead of going 100mph all the time, he'll cut down on his TOs and find that life can be MUCH easier if the defense doesn't know which gear he'll be in while with the ball. Say what you want about the 6 game win streak, but I'm encouraged going forward. I'd love to see this team win around 35 games and be in contention for the 8th seed next year. I think it's an attainable goal.

oh yeah...I think you guys will find this amusing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VY7dxRhDIbU#!

[Destino]

Wall needs as much shooting as he can get. A three ball would greatly help spacing and give him a much easier time beating his man off the dribble. A pull up j would open passing lanes and greatly improve his scoring.