The Official Washington Basketball Thread: Wizards, Mystics etc

[MonkFan8]

Didn't get the game here in Philly...how'd we look?

I heard Beal was cooking

Beal was nice. Still not getting enough looks for being our best offensive option. He's stuck playing with Price and Pargo because Wittman thinks it's a good idea not to play our stud SG with our probable day one PG (Mack). Other than him, Okafor was decent and Webster missed some open shots but again didn't force things and playe dwell.

Literally everyone else was complete and utter garbage. I couldn't tell you how the Nets didn't blow us out. Ariza looks uninterested, Randolph, Vesely and Barron missed numerous easy buckets and acted like sieves on defense. Pargo was respectable but Price was again horrible. No handles, bad timing, can't shoot.

Really need to get healthy.

I can't figure out how drafting a total dud like Vesely on top of the rest of EGs resume doesn't get him fired.

[No Excuses]

Ariza has been a bum for years. This shouldn't be surprising.

Vesely is disappointing. His play at the end of the year was encouraging. He looks scared right now.

Edited October 16, 2012 by No Excuses

[Skin'emAlive]

I just hope Barron and Randolph are not getting any minutes during the regular season. That would be scary. I think Aliza will pick it up. But I would much rather have martin / Webster / and singleton at sf. Two scores, and singleton has been able to hit spot up 3 s at times.

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

I just hope Barron and Randolph are not getting any minutes during the regular season. That would be scary. I think Aliza will pick it up. But I would much rather have martin / Webster / and singleton at sf. Two scores' date=' and singleton has been able to hit spot up 3 s at times.[/quote']

I doubt Randolph makes it out of preseason.

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

No mention of Blatche scoring 18 points? I'm surprised he found a job.

Oh please. He's on a one year deal. He'll be in shape this season, play well, get paid and then do his Blatche thing next year. I hope by now Wiz fans realize this and don't overreact to him having a good year.

[Destino]

No mention of Blatche scoring 18 points? I'm surprised he found a job.

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

And he's in NYC? Hahaha. I'm sure that's going to end well.

[Destino]

And he's in NYC? Hahaha. I'm sure that's going to end well.

He hasn't even had time eat apparently. The poor guy has already lost 25 pounds running from club to club.

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

He hasn't even had time eat apparently. The poor guy has already lost 25 pounds running from club to club.

Like I said, contract year. He probably won't even hit a club until next year. He's basically a con man, playing a role to get paid.

[RonArtest15]

At this point, I don't see how anyone can defend Jan Vesely. Upside? I don't see it. Dude is a bust and is completely lost on the floor. Excusable if he was a teen, but this guy had pro experience and was a little older than most rookies last year. He looks AWFUL. I can't see Witt giving him more than 10mpg. If that.

Martell Webster on the other hand...he's looking REAL good.

[Destino]

At this point, I don't see how anyone can defend Jan Vesely. Upside? I don't see it. Dude is a bust and is completely lost on the floor. Excusable if he was a teen, but this guy had pro experience and was a little older than most rookies last year. He looks AWFUL. I can't see Witt giving him more than 10mpg. If that.

Martell Webster on the other hand...he's looking REAL good.

On a team loaded with problems he's just not high on the list, especially at a position where he isn't even needed to play. Ariza, Webster, Singleton, and Martin are all available to play the 3. He's likely to see the floor at the 4 or the 5 as a rotation player.

Damn shame this team is entirely unable to develop any talent. Ernie Grunfeld needed to be fired and wasn't, my hope died right there. Until he's gone the wizards won't do anything good.

[StillUnknown]

Damn shame this team is entirely unable to develop any talent. Ernie Grunfeld needed to be fired and wasn't, my hope died right there. Until he's gone the wizards won't do anything good.

I try to forget that he's still running shop, your reminders do not help sir.

[WALEOVECHKIN]

NEW YORK -- Brooklyn Nets point guard Deron Williams ripped Washington Wizards point guard A.J. Price after the two got into a shoving match in the final minute of Brooklyn's 98-88 preseason victory on Monday night at the Barclays Center.

Price was assessed a flagrant foul for hacking Williams hard as he tried to finish a layup. The two then came together and exchanged words. Each was hit with a technical foul.

Williams said Price, who was raised and played his high school basketball on Long Island, kept saying, 'I'm home. I'm home.'"

"I hate when people just start talking for no reason," Williams said. "That's pretty much what he did.

"Maybe he had some boys in the crowd he wanted to impress while he can with the little minutes he's going to get this year.

"'It's my home now.' I told him that."

Price, 26, holds career averages of 6.0 points and 2.0 assists in 14.9 minutes during his three-year career.

"Miscommunication," said Price. "In the heat of the moment, guys say things all the time and one thing led to another, but all in all, it's part of the game."

D-Will is playing with an edge this season, I wonder if this carries over to the next time they play

[hunterx]

I didn't watch, but just wondering why you guys thought Webster had a good game? Just glancing at stats, is 3-10 something we want? Wasnt our team FG % one of the worst in the league?

Again, I didn't watch, but I just wish we took better shots or at least made the ones we have.

[Going Commando]

I doubt Randolph makes it out of preseason.

This may be a dumb question, but when did we even get him? I had no idea he was on the team until I watched the game and said, "... who is that white dude? Randolph... Shavlik Randolph?"

[RonArtest15]

On a team loaded with problems he's just not high on the list, especially at a position where he isn't even needed to play. Ariza, Webster, Singleton, and Martin are all available to play the 3. He's likely to see the floor at the 4 or the 5 as a rotation player.

Damn shame this team is entirely unable to develop any talent. Ernie Grunfeld needed to be fired and wasn't, my hope died right there. Until he's gone the wizards won't do anything good.

I beg to differ. We're absolutely a team loaded w/ problems, but he's up at the top. For a #6 pick, I would have expected to see a huge jump in his development, but it looks like he's either remained stagnant or even worse...regressed. For the reasons I mentioned earlier (age/pro experience), this doesn't bode well for the team. At all.

[Going Commando]

Vesely's problems stem from him not having a position. He's a PF without the strength to play PF. Or he's a SF but can't shoot well enough to even be a passable option at SF on the offensive end.

If he were even just 20 pounds of muscle stronger, he'd be a solid defensive option at PF and we wouldn't have to stress about his development.

Also, wanted to add that it's pretty pathetic Brooklyn played their starters so much just to win a preseason game. That tells you what you need to know about their expectations.

---------- Post added October-16th-2012 at 12:36 PM ----------

I beg to differ. We're absolutely a team loaded w/ problems, but he's up at the top. For a #6 pick, I would have expected to see a huge jump in his development, but it looks like he's either remained stagnant or even worse...regressed. For the reasons I mentioned earlier (age/pro experience), this doesn't bode well for the team. At all.

1. He's not old. He's 22.

2. He's only got one year of NBA experience, and it was a lockout year. Getting burn as a role player for a Euroleague team does not a seasoned NBA veteran make.

Vesely will be fine eventually if he gains muscle bulk. The average development time for NBA bigs is something like 4-6 seasons--of NBA experience. He's got a ways to go before we start worrying about him being a bust.

[RonArtest15]

SM...you're glossing over the fact that he was the #6 pick and making excuses for him.

Yes, he's 22 (23 at seasons end)...but he's an older 2nd year player in comparison to other guys who are usually picked in the top-10. On top of it all, he's got PRO experience. Where the hell is the development? I guess you can fault the Wizards on this one...looks as though they completely blew the pick.

I don't see it with him. You don't draft a guy that high JUST to do things that don't show up in the stat sheet - and who knows if he can even do that consistently?

Honestly, I'm curious if he'll even crack the rotation once everyone is healthy. Pains me to say it, but I think Chris Singleton has more value to the team right now than Vesely. And you all know how I feel about him.

[Going Commando]

So what if Vesely was the #6 pick? First off, when you've only ever got 2 or 3 stars in an NBA class and about that many who are ready to contribute early, it's not like the 6th pick is some big ticket selection like it is in the NFL. Second, that draft class was horrible. What's the 6th pick in a horrible class worth? Who would have been immediately better for us to take?

Second, Vesely being the 6th pick doesn't change anything about his game. We drafted him to play defense and finish plays at the rim. Give him some time to develop and he can fulfill those expectations.

Vesely was a role player coming off the bench for Partizan Belgrade. You're make it sound like he was getting major burn and should be fully developed coming in. Why would you expect that any more than a guy who actually started for a big conference NCAA team?

And 22 is pretty much a current college senior. He's not old by NBA standards. He's got five years before you expect him to be in his prime. And the simple reality of the NBA is that bigs take 4-6 years to develop. I'm not making excuses for him. I'm acknowledging the realities of the situation.

[RonArtest15]

So what if Vesely was the #6 pick? First off, when you've only ever got 2 or 3 stars in an NBA class and about that many who are ready to contribute early, it's not like the 6th pick is some big ticket selection like it is in the NFL. Second, that draft class was horrible. What's the 6th pick in a horrible class worth? Who would have been immediately better for us to take?

Second, Vesely being the 6th pick doesn't change anything about his game. We drafted him to play defense and finish plays at the rim. Give him some time to develop and he can fulfill those expectations.

Vesely was a role player coming off the bench for Partizan Belgrade. You're make it sound like he was getting major burn and should be fully developed coming in. Why would you expect that any more than a guy who actually started for a big conference NCAA team?

And 22 is pretty much a current college senior. He's not old by NBA standards. He's got five years before you expect him to be in his prime. And the simple reality of the NBA is that bigs take 4-6 years to develop. I'm not making excuses for him. I'm acknowledging the realities of the situation.

So what if he was the #6 pick???? You serious? HE WAS THE #6 PICK!!! If we drafted a guy to only play defense and finish around the rim, this team would have been better suited to take someone else at that spot or trade back. This is looking like a wasted pick. I'm sorry, but there is no way you can spin this to me to make it seem like Ves has a bright future. Some guys are busts. It's the nature of the game and draft. Not every pick is going to be a home run, and it's looking like Ves falls in that category. You don't draft a guy #6 overall to do things that don't show up in the stat sheet. He's a non-contributor whose game looks like it hasn't gotten a lick better since last season. This is not just me getting caught up in the moment. This goes back to summer league.

22 going on 23 is old by 2nd year player standards of guys picked in the top-10. If he can't crack the rotation or is only getting around 10mpg, what does that tell you? "Oh...let's wait 3-4 years and then we'll have something." What exactly has Vesely shown you so far that makes 1) the pick justified and 2) him a valuable asset of the team's future?

[BRAVEONTHEWARPATH93]

Finally everyone realizes how useless Jan is...I said that last season and everyone freaked out on me lol.

We spent a 6 on a hustle player...who sucks at everything even hustling.

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

And 22 is pretty much a current college senior. He's not old by NBA standards. He's got five years before you expect him to be in his prime. And the simple reality of the NBA is that bigs take 4-6 years to develop. I'm not making excuses for him. I'm acknowledging the realities of the situation.

If this was 1979, I would agree with you. But this is 2012 (I think...I just checked...this is 2012). Good college seniors are in their third year in the pros now. He needs to show something now. Otherwise, in five years, he is going to be in Europe or pulling a Darko and making a living off one-year contracts.

The way I judge players is by a simple question "What NBA skill do they have?" Even Darko - on his worse day - can protect the rim for a 10-minute stretch. Kwame Brown is a pretty good post defender. Both are horrific busts considering where they were drafted, but both at least have a skill.

What is Vesely's skill? What is the one thing you know that he can do in the NBA for the next ten years?

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

This may be a dumb question, but when did we even get him? I had no idea he was on the team until I watched the game and said, "... who is that white dude? Randolph... Shavlik Randolph?"

Picked him up to fill our summer league roster and he survived to the next round. I actually remember him coming out of high school. He was supposed to be the **** at Duke. One of Coach K's biggest recruits ever. Then he went on to completely bust there (had injury issues), entered the draft after his junior year and then went undrafted.

---------- Post added October-16th-2012 at 04:13 PM ----------

I think some of you are forgetting how epically bad the 2011 draft class was. I mean Kemba Walker went in the top 10. Kemba Walker, arguably the worst player in the league (yes, he's that bad).

---------- Post added October-16th-2012 at 04:16 PM ----------

Ooh and Enes Kanter. Enes Kanter who MANY of us on here wanted, went #3. He ****ing sucks big time.

[nuposse87]

Unless he pulls a seraphin and shows dramatic improvement throughout the course of the season we're prolly best off trading him for w/e we can get. His best asset right now is his pick and roll defense. We drafted him to be a 3, while he has the body of a 4, but the skillset of a 5. Makes for a very awkward positioning. He has defense down, you can't deny that, I think with so much depth in the front court he's afraid to make mistakes in fear of losing playing time. You need defined roles for young players so they know what to excel at IMO.

[StillUnknown]

http://washingtonexaminer.com/wizards-crawford-embraces-position-battle-with-beal/article/2510948#.UH66cMVZWSq

"It really comes down to if I make the shot, it's a good shot," Crawford said.