The Official Washington Basketball Thread: Wizards, Mystics etc

[StillUnknown]

Webster scored 30 on 13 shots, really kept us in the game after New York made that huge 3rd quarter run.

[the burgundy and gold]

Huge win, we needed this one. Pretty weird game, Wall absolutely balls in the first half and then completely disappears in the second half. Gortat with probably his worst game of the season, Webster was huge for us, Beal was fairly quite until the final minute of the game when he exploded. Either way I'll take a win but we need to play more of a complete game and desperately need Nene to play. 

[Destino]

I don't buy that. Good teams develop their draft picks and in order to do that, they play them. OKC is playing Steven Adams 16 minutes a night and he's as raw as can be. Otto should be playing at least 15 or 16 minutes a game.

He isn't going to develop on the bench. Absolutely no one does. We're not contending for anything this year, there is no reason to let Porter rot on the bench.

It's very important that this FO develops Porter because they aren't getting another high pick to fall into their laps. If they can't find minutes for him, they need to trade Ariza. That's something they've always needed to do anyway. Ariza for a big so we can weather Nene's injuries better.

And how often did we see Perry Jones and Jeremy Lamb last season? Adams is out there because he's good enough to take minutes from Perkins and Thabeet.

[Warhead36]

If Otto Porter were good enough to play, he'd play.

 

Right now he's nowhere near even league average let alone Ariza/Webster who have been a solid combo all year.

 

Looking more and more like Porter was a bad pick for us with how set we already are at the 3 spot.

[Destino]

Think the Lakers would be dumb enough to trade us Gasol for Nene and Ariza? Gasol seems to be pretty unpopular there and I'd love his big fat expiring contract and his help for a playoff run. I doubt they'd be that dumb but they did hire mike D'Antoni and sign Kobe to an absurd contract so..... Maybe? Plus Wizards fans would get to see more Otto. Yay!

Edited December 17, 2013 by Destino

[Going Commando]

And how often did we see Perry Jones and Jeremy Lamb last season? Adams is out there because he's good enough to take minutes from Perkins and Thabeet.

Fair enough. But those guys weren't #3 overall picks. And while Webster and Ariza are certainly better than Thabeet and Perkins, it's not like Porter has Durant and Ibaka in front of him. Ariza and Webster aren't good enough to stop your plans for developing a #3 overall pick.

16 minutes a game is hardly anything really. They should be able to find that for Otto in a ten man rotation without dealing Ariza. Play Webster or Ariza at SG and Temple at PG and there's minutes at the 3 right there. With Nene out and Booker playing so many minutes, there are minutes at PF too you can give to Ariza or Webster or Porter in small lineups.

If OKC had Porter sitting on their roster, they would play him. They would take a risk on him and move Ariza for a good player at a position of need to balance out their roster. They're not afraid to play young guys and they've had an enormous amount of success developing their draft picks.

[Going Commando]

Webster scored 30 on 13 shots, really kept us in the game after New York made that huge 3rd quarter run.

Yeah he was money. His shotmaking was unbelievable. That one at the end of a quarter where he tried to draw the foul, got hit, didn't get the foul, but made the shot anyway was incredible. He was feeling it.

Webster has to be in the early running for the 6th man award. Though he has had to start a lot because of injuries. Keeping Webster was huge. He's the kind of role player that you find on a contender.

[Going Commando]

Think the Lakers would be dumb enough to trade us Gasol for Nene and Ariza? Gasol seems to be pretty unpopular there and I'd love his big fat expiring contract and his help for a playoff run. I doubt they'd be that dumb but they did hire mike D'Antoni and sign Kobe to an absurd contract so..... Maybe? Plus Wizards fans would get to see more Otto. Yay!

This is actually a smart trade idea. I'd make the trade but I don't think LA is willing to shake anything up yet. And I think Kobe likes Gasol.

Nene is better than Gasol at this point, but it's clear we need to get off our dependence of him. Gasol's efficiency has absolutely plummeted the past two years, and his usage rate is way higher this season than any other. And he's not particularly fast and he doesn't run the floor particularly well. And he's not the facilitator Nene is, doesn't open up the floor like him. But he can shoot mid range shots, he can shoot FTs, and he rebounds. And he could play better defense here.

One of the things that's been kind of quiet is how Gortat has hit a wall the past several games without Nene. I think he's pretty reliant on Nene offensively because Ves and Booker don't draw defenders away from the basket and they don't pass as well as Nene. Having Pau Gasol here and playing 70+ games for the year would probably help Gortat offensively because teams would have to guard Pau. And it'd help us offensively by giving us a credible low post scorer to replace Nene.

In reality, the trade isn't dumb for LA. It gets them two good players for a declining one who they won't keep this summer. They have the money and need for both guys. Both Ariza and Nene are probably better than Gasol at this point. It'd help THEM make a playoff push too, but not help them contend.

And if the Lakers are looking for players ready to go right now for Gasol, I doubt they actually get a better offer than Nene & Ariza. And in fact, we should get something like a lotto protected draft pick back in the deal.

But in Lakers exceptionalism land, it's a dumb trade because they actually think they're getting LeBron or Carmelo in free agency and they wouldn't want Nene's salary.

Edited December 17, 2013 by stevemcqueen1

[Going Commando]

If they can't get the third, it is VERY important that the team goes for the fifth seed and hopes they finish with home court over Boston. If they can't get that, then at least have to get the 6th seed so they draw Atlanta in the first round. Probably won't win a road series against Atlanta but it's at least possible. If we get the 7th or 8th seed, it's over.

I'd also like to observe that Booker and Vesely have settled in really nicely and are giving us legit contributions from the bench now. Booker is back to the productive player he used to be. The good outweighs the really mechanical, spazzy plays he's bound to make. And Vesely is playing like an NBA player now, it doesn't surprise me when he does good things any more. He's found a home as an energy big that'll rebound, play the passing lanes, hard foul, give you a couple transition opportunities a game, and make a couple slick passes every night. He's a different player this year, the monkey has jumped off his back and onto Porter's.

[RonArtest15]

Porter had no Summer League and no pre-season.  He's just not ready.  Plain and simple.  As bad as our bench is, if he was good enough to be out there, he be playing.  This has no bearing as to how good of a player he'll be down the road...but for RIGHT NOW, he's not ready to contribute. 

 

Someone called him Young Notepad LOLOLOLOL. 

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

http://deadspin.com/the-new-york-knicks-in-one-tidy-end-of-game-bungling-1484669140

 

 

Here are your 2013 New York Knicks, Knicksing it up in Madison Square Garden against the Washington Wizards. The Wizards, incidentally, hadn't won in New York since 2006. We sayhadn't because the Knicks decided the best defense is none at all and just let a returning Bradley Beal drive unfettered to the rim in the final seconds of the game.

It's a beautiful moment, really. The Wizards clear out the lane for Beal and Beno Udrih lets Beal get by him. Udrih was clearly expecting some kind of help, but Andrea Bargnani was the closest Knick so, yeah. It somehow gets better.

Down one, with 6.9—six point nine—seconds and three timeouts left, Mike Woodson watched as Carmelo Anthony does...something for five-and-a-half seconds and then threw up a ghastly running three-pointer that was lucky to catch some glass.

I'm not even sure that Mike Breen is genuinely incredulous at this point.

Edited December 17, 2013 by Lombardi's_kid_brother

[JoeWolf990]

I don't understand Booker, plays physical against Blake, playing soft against Bargnani

Blake is actually softer than Bargnani

great win, especially for Beal. Took over the 4th and won it for us. The Knicks are a bit of a cluster-eff tho, lol. No clue what they were thinking at the end of the game, but thank you.

Webster, when healthy, seems to hit like 3 or 4 three pointers a game.

Wall was amazing in the first and then terrible in the 2nd. Garrett Temple was ran the offense better.

Edited December 17, 2013 by JoeWolf990

[Rocky21]

Much needed win. So we can't win with no Beal, Webster and Nene but it seems we can win with limited minutes from Beal, an en fuego Webster and no Nene.

Check this out. Booker was -14. Veseley was +9!

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

Bradley Beal is clutch, take notes Mr. Wall.

 

This is why I laugh at the idea of "clutch."

 

It's "clutch" to hit an uncontested layup if that happens in the last ten seconds.

[Going Commando]

I still can't believe Mike Woodson didn't call a timeout. How can an NBA coach screw that up?

He was probably tweeting or something and didn't realize the game was still going.

[RonArtest15]

I still can't believe Mike Woodson didn't call a timeout. How can an NBA coach screw that up?

He was probably tweeting or something and didn't realize the game was still going.

 

3 time outs and they had a foul to give.  A lot of the blame should go on Woodson, but some of it should also fall on the player *cough* Melo *cough*.  I'm sorry, but a 10 year vet w/ the ball in his hands SHOULD be aware of the situation.  Nothing was stopping him from calling a timeout either. 

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

I still can't believe Mike Woodson didn't call a timeout. How can an NBA coach screw that up?

He was probably tweeting or something and didn't realize the game was still going.

 

How do you not foul at half court and force the Wizards to inbound again. Also, he didn't have his best defensive unit on the floor.

 

The right sequence there is 

 

Burn a few seconds. Foul. Put in right defense. If shot is made, call timeout.

 

And Melo deserves scorn two. I love his bizarre hesitation dribble before he gets to midcourt.

[Going Commando]

3 time outs and they had a foul to give.  A lot of the blame should go on Woodson, but some of it should also fall on the player *cough* Melo *cough*.  I'm sorry, but a 10 year vet w/ the ball in his hands SHOULD be aware of the situation.  Nothing was stopping him from calling a timeout either.

It wasn't Carmelo's fault. It was Beno Udrih and Mike Woodson's fault. Woodson should have called the timeout but he just went braindead. And Udrih was stupid for immediately inbounding the ball to Carmelo. At that point the Knicks couldn't call a timeout because they would have had to inbound the ball from where the ball was when the timeout is called. You only get to inbound the ball from the 28' mark if you call the timeout before you inbound it (after made buckets) or dribble or pass it (after rebounds or steals). The damage was done when Udrih inbounded the ball and Carmelo's only option was to try and take the ball up court and create a shot in the final 6.9 seconds of the game.

I think he was actually stunned that they didn't call a timeout before the inbounds because he looked over at the bench and hesitated for a second, then realized he had to haul ass up the court and try and get a shot.

The only thing I can think of for why Woodson didn't call a timeout after Beal's layup is that he didn't want to have to try and score against a set defense after a timeout and he figured he'd be better off inbounding the ball and trying to get a fast break shot with Melo for the win. That's the stupidest plan. You take the timeout there every single time. I don't think Woodson was trying to do that, I think he just fell asleep.

[Going Commando]

How do you not foul at half court and force the Wizards to inbound again. Also, he didn't have his best defensive unit on the floor.

 

The right sequence there is 

 

Burn a few seconds. Foul. Put in right defense. If shot is made, call timeout.

 

And Melo deserves scorn two. I love his bizarre hesitation dribble before he gets to midcourt.

Yes that's what Woodson should have done. But what happened wasn't really Melo's fault. If it was any player's fault, it was Beno Udrih's because he didn't foul Beal and he inbounded the ball. But your coach needs to call that timeout. Major breakdown at the end of the game from Woodson.

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

The only thing I can think of for why Woodson didn't call a timeout after Beal's layup is that he didn't want to have to try and score against a set defense after a timeout and he figured he'd be better off inbounding the ball and trying to get a fast break shot with Melo for the win. That's the stupidest plan. You take the timeout there every single time. I don't think Woodson was trying to do that, I think he just fell asleep.

 

You do that if you have Chris Paul, Lebron, Derrick Rose or Russel Westbrook. If you have a player who can go foul line to foul line in 3 seconds, you try to get the shot off in transition. (Actually, the best in this league at this might be Durant. I swear it takes him four steps to go foul line to foul line).

 

Melo is one of the great creators in the league, but he ain't going to go the length of the floor and get anything in 6 seconds. They would have been better off with the ball in JR Smth's hands there.

Edited December 17, 2013 by Lombardi's_kid_brother

[Destino]

This is why I laugh at the idea of "clutch."

 

It's "clutch" to hit an uncontested layup if that happens in the last ten seconds.

 

I'd have agreed with you a month ago.  Sadly I've seen Wall blow too many easy layups at the rim at the end of games this season.  Apparently hitting open attempts at the rim at the end of games is incredibly difficult for him.  

[RonArtest15]

It wasn't Carmelo's fault. It was Beno Udrih and Mike Woodson's fault. Woodson should have called the timeout but he just went braindead. And Udrih was stupid for immediately inbounding the ball to Carmelo. At that point the Knicks couldn't call a timeout because they would have had to inbound the ball from where the ball was when the timeout is called. You only get to inbound the ball from the 28' mark if you call the timeout before you inbound it (after made buckets) or dribble or pass it (after rebounds or steals). The damage was done when Udrih inbounded the ball and Carmelo's only option was to try and take the ball up court and create a shot in the final 6.9 seconds of the game.

I think he was actually stunned that they didn't call a timeout before the inbounds because he looked over at the bench and hesitated for a second, then realized he had to haul ass up the court and try and get a shot.

The only thing I can think of for why Woodson didn't call a timeout after Beal's layup is that he didn't want to have to try and score against a set defense after a timeout and he figured he'd be better off inbounding the ball and trying to get a fast break shot with Melo for the win. That's the stupidest plan. You take the timeout there every single time. I don't think Woodson was trying to do that, I think he just fell asleep.

 

If the Knicks called a TO after the beal bucket, they'd have the ball over half court.  Having 6.9 seconds or whatever it was in a half-court set is a lot better than the lackadasical mess that we saw them do instead. 

 

Melo should absoltuely be held accountable.  He needs to know the situation.  Inexcusable for a 10 year vet to be that braindead in a crucial situation where they had the advantage of having 3 TOs in their back pocket. 

[Kosher Ham]

The Lakers will not take on two contracts for Gasol. Even though he is done.

 

They want either LeBron or Melo this off season.

[StillUnknown]

This is why I laugh at the idea of "clutch."

 

It's "clutch" to hit an uncontested layup if that happens in the last ten seconds.

 

I generally agree in regard to the "clutch" arguments, that was just an instant reaction.

[Going Commando]

If the Knicks called a TO after the beal bucket, they'd have the ball over half court.  Having 6.9 seconds or whatever it was in a half-court set is a lot better than the lackadasical mess that we saw them do instead. 

 

Melo should absoltuely be held accountable.  He needs to know the situation.  Inexcusable for a 10 year vet to be that braindead in a crucial situation where they had the advantage of having 3 TOs in their back pocket.

The Knicks couldn't get the ball at the 28' line out of a timeout after Melo caught the inbounds pass. If he'd called a timeout there, they'd have had to inbound it from the spot he called the timeout. That wasn't his fault. It was Woodson's. Or to a lesser extent Udrih's since he's the one who inbounded the ball. He could have called a timeout when the ball was in his hands before he passed it.