The Official Washington Basketball Thread: Wizards, Mystics etc

[StillUnknown]

[Destino]

Wizards stole this game. This has has been a wonderful northeast road trip. 3-0 versus New York, Brooklyn, and Boston on the road.

I like Nene and Webster coming off the bench. Second unit has more punch and the team can still lean on them to close the game if needed.

[TradeTheBeal!]

It's been said before but it bears repeating, when Ariza is on his game he is spectacular.  Great win!

[CRobi21]

What a great comeback win today. Great team effort with Ariza leading the way.

[Going Commando]

Yeah when Ariza is feeling that corner three, he can't miss from there. He's pretty good with those transition threes from the FT line extended too.

When he's gotten to set his feet, he's been so reliable. Wall finds him so well too. Those two have a good connection.

When Webster is feeling it, he's truly spectacular. It doesn't matter where he is on the floor and what kind of pressure they get. He just tosses anything up towards the basket and it goes in. His knack for And 1s and 4 point plays off jumpers is unbelievable.

[RonArtest15]

Ariza/Webster is a GREAT 1-2 punch.  It's a shame that this season is most likely Ariza's swan song with the team.  He's really in a groove and seems comfortable with his role.  He deserves whatever huge contract that is out there on the horizon.  He's earned it. 

Edited December 21, 2013 by RonArtest15

[StillUnknown]

Ariza/Webster is a GREAT 1-2 punch.  It's a shame that this season is most likely Ariza's swan song with the team.  He's really in a groove and seems comfortable with his role.  He deserves whatever huge contract that is out there on the horizon.  He's earned it. 

 

He needs to go to a team that has a good PG. He's fulfilling his role here brilliantly, but if you sign him thinking he can put up these numbers while creating for himself and others, you're asking for trouble.

[RonArtest15]

He needs to go to a team that has a good PG. He's fulfilling his role here brilliantly, but if you sign him thinking he can put up these numbers while creating for himself and others, you're asking for trouble.

 

Agreed....hope no GM out there views him as a #1 option.  Well, there's always Steve Mills and Billy King LOL

 

*FWIW, Randy Wittman deserves some props.  Dude is easy to tear down, but he's done a great job coaching thus far.  Guys really buy in to what he's preaching. 

[StillUnknown]

Agreed....hope no GM out there views him as a #1 option.  Well, there's always Steve Mills and Billy King LOL

 

*FWIW, Randy Wittman deserves some props.  Dude is easy to tear down, but he's done a great job coaching thus far.  Guys really buy in to what he's preaching. 

 

I'm still not buying Wittman. I think we win in spite of him to be honest.

[the burgundy and gold]

Awesome win, my boy Seraphin was a real spark in the first half, he played very well today. Real team win today, basically everyone played well after the first quarter. Ariza is playing the best ball of his career for sure, his offensive game is really impressive right now. Also love the fact that we don't have any "gunners" or chuckers on this team, no one really forces shots which really plagued this team in years past. This definitely had the potential to be a typical Wizards' let-down game, glad to see a better product out there than we've had in the last five to ten years. 

[Going Commando]

Agreed....hope no GM out there views him as a #1 option.  Well, there's always Steve Mills and Billy King LOL

I'd say we should trade Ariza to one of those idiots but the only thing they've got that we would actually want is Melo or Brook Lopez. The fools already traded their draft picks.

You wouldn't think it possible, but those guys actually make me thankful for Grunfeld.

[Going Commando]

Awesome win, my boy Seraphin was a real spark in the first half, he played very well today. Real team win today, basically everyone played well after the first quarter. Ariza is playing the best ball of his career for sure, his offensive game is really impressive right now. Also love the fact that we don't have any "gunners" or chuckers on this team, no one really forces shots which really plagued this team in years past. This definitely had the potential to be a typical Wizards' let-down game, glad to see a better product out there than we've had in the last five to ten years.

Yeah Seraphin played well. That's like two or three games in a row where he's played well. I hope this Seraphin sticks around for awhile.

The key is Nene IMO. Nene gets Seraphin to play a LOT better when they're on the floor together. Not just by feeding him on offense. Nene gets on him and gets him to play smarter. He actually passes the ball and moves his feet on defense

I think I agree with you guys who've said that Nene should come off the bench moving forward. First and foremost, it'll help us manage his minutes better. Second, our possessions are soooo much better when Nene is on the floor. We've got enough offense with Wall, Beal, Ariza, and Gortat to get by. Nene + Webster gives us inside and outside scoring, keeps us in games when our starters aren't clicking early, and keeps them fresh for a late game run like we saw today. Wall was a lot better in crunch time. And we've been able to keep Beal's minutes in that 28 MPG range without too many problems.

- Nene needs to be at 25 minutes a game max. Biggest reason to bring him off the bench.

- Gortat is playing too many minutes. He's been durable but 34.4 MPG is the most he's played in his career. I think he should be at 30 MPG.

- Ariza is probably playing too many minutes too. 32-33 instead of 36+ doesn't seem like a big difference, but it is over time.

- Webster is certainly playing too many minutes so far. 32.7 MPG is asking for it with him. Tonight was nice, I would try and get him to around 25 a night if possible. He's very capable of thriving off the bench if he's playing with Nene.

- Wall is probably playing a bit too many too on the whole. 36 is ideal for him, if we could play him every night like we did tonight, that'd be terrific.

- And Beal was definitely playing too many minutes before he got shut down. He's still at 39 MPG on the year despite the restriction since he got back. Just to be safe with his stress fracture, he probably needs to stay around 32 a game for the rest of the season.

So if you manage all that, there's about 60 minutes a night left you have to split up (240 total - 36 - 32 - 32 - 25 - 25 - 30).

Give all 12 MPG left at PG to Temple. Give the last 18 minutes at C to Seraphin. Then take the remaining 30 minutes at the SG and forward spots and divy them up between Porter and Booker/Vesely.

[Destino]

He needs to go to a team that has a good PG. He's fulfilling his role here brilliantly, but if you sign him thinking he can put up these numbers while creating for himself and others, you're asking for trouble.

 

He's definitely not a shot creator.  What he is however is a good athletic 3&D player that can drive to the basket and finish at the rim off of a shot fake.  He's not a star or a primary scoring option but this skill set makes for a long NBA career and good teams love having these players to compliment their stars.      

So if you manage all that, there's about 60 minutes a night left you have to split up (240 total - 36 - 32 - 32 - 25 - 25 - 30).

Give all 12 MPG left at PG to Temple. Give the last 18 minutes at C to Seraphin. Then take the remaining 30 minutes at the SG and forward spots and divy them up between Porter and Booker/Vesely.

 

The team needs a third guard.  Webster is getting a lot of minutes because he's playing SF and SG because he's the best option available behind both Beal and Ariza.  He'll probably be a starter next season ahead of Porter and the lack of a third guard will really be felt.  

Edited December 22, 2013 by Destino

[Going Commando]

The team needs a third guard.  Webster is getting a lot of minutes because he's playing SF and SG because he's the best option available behind both Beal and Ariza.  He'll probably be a starter next season ahead of Porter and the lack of a third guard will really be felt.

We need a PG. We've got a lot of true wings, even after we lose Ariza this summer. We'll have Porter and GRJr.

Wall is the only real NBA caliber PG on the roster. Maynor was a big fail. Gambled on him and lost. Maynor's knee injury ended his NBA career. The league was just a bit slow to catch on to that.

That'll be our MLE goal this summer. Get a PG. I would rather keep all of Ernie's kids and get a nice PG with our money, than spend a bunch of money on better forward and C depth and end up having to rely on Temple at PG again.

Pisses me off that Maynor has a player option for next season. How asinine. I was a fan of his going back to VCU and I never would have given him a damn player option.

Trading Nate Wolters for GRJr also stings a bit now. We could have used him more than another pure wing in the short term.

Looking at the FA list, Ramon Sessions looks like a good option this summer. Looks like the best option. Unless for some reason Tony Parker or Eric Bledsoe fixing to take a major pay and minutes cut to come be Wall's back up.

Hell, I'd be on board with Jimmer Fredette or Patty Mills. Don't know if they can run point but they can both shoot the lights out. So they're already more useful than Maynor.

Wouldn't mind Jordan Farmar either if he's healthy.

[abdcskins]

Ariza having a career year. In the 4-5 games I've watched his shot has looked so smooth.

[Going Commando]

Wall is third in the NBA in steals and assists. He's been doing some good point guarding.

Wall is a really disruptive defender. He's arguably the best defensive "star" pg. Most disruptive anyway.

[BRAVEONAWARPATH]

Click on the link to read the rest.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wizards-insider/wp/2013/12/23/wizards-otto-porter-tastes-some-fourth-quarter-minutes-in-boston/

 

 

 

 

Wizards’ Otto Porter tastes some fourth quarter minutes in Boston

 

To ease Otto Porter Jr. into the rotation, Coach Randy Wittman has given the rookie a chance to show what he can do during harmless stretches in the first half or midway in the third quarter; never at a time when the game could potentially slip away.

 

But that changed on Saturday afternoon in Boston, where Wittman called on Porter to replace Trevor Ariza with 11 minutes 23 seconds left in the fourth quarter with the Wizards trailing by four points. When Porter left the court about five minutes later, the deficit was just six – despite a torrent of buckets from Celtics guard Avery Bradley – and the Wizards were in position to stage a rally that resulted in a 106-99 comeback victory.

 

“We have to come off the bench and we have to produce, have to give our starters some time to rest and come back in to finish the game,” Porter said. ‘That was my main focus coming in, to try to do as much as I could to keep our team in it.”

 

Porter, the third overall pick last June, matched his season high with four points and brought the Wizards within 88-84 when he caught a pass from Garrett Temple and made a reverse layup. “Otto played really good,” Wittman said. “He’s getting his feet wet. He battled. I just want to see him continue with the effort, focus and belief, going out there and being Otto Porter.”

 

Edited December 24, 2013 by BRAVEONAWARPATH

[Going Commando]

Bet money that these things happen:

- Team finishes with like 44 or 45 wins.

- Gortat gets an expensive extension.

- Ariza gets an extension.

- No other big personnel

And...

- Randy and Ernie get 2 or 3 year extensions.

[Burgold]

Bet money that these things happen:

- Team finishes with like 44 or 45 wins.

- Gortat gets an expensive extension.

- Ariza gets an extension.

- No other big personnel

And...

- Randy and Ernie get 2 or 3 year extensions.

I think that's a pretty good bet.  Not sure if it's a wise play, but I think they would put their chips there.  Certainly at the moment no one is talking about replacing either Randy or Ernie.

[StillUnknown]

Bet money that these things happen:

- Team finishes with like 44 or 45 wins.

- Gortat gets an expensive extension.

- Ariza gets an extension.

- No other big personnel

And...

- Randy and Ernie get 2 or 3 year extensions.

 

And...

 

- we enter basketball purgatory for the next 3 years 

 

 

Also, extending Ariza probably means their not that confident in Porter moving forward.

Edited December 24, 2013 by StillUnknown

[Renegade7]

I'd have a hard time letting Ariza walk the way he's playing not really knowing yet what we have with Porter.  Even if Porter gets his shot going, Ariza is still arguably one of our best defensive players.  If we can afford it, especially if Nene retires, we should make it work and keep Ariza.  Let history be the judge...

[Chachie]

I'd have a hard time letting Ariza walk the way he's playing not really knowing yet what we have with Porter.  Even if Porter gets his shot going, Ariza is still arguably one of our best defensive players.  If we can afford it, especially if Nene retires, we should make it work and keep Ariza.  Let history be the judge...

 

 

 

I have a hard time believing this team will maintain it's vast improvement on the fundamentals if Nene retires. He really is like a point/power forward.

 

Without Nene, Ariza or anyone else who is not a starting guard will become less important.

[Destino]

Nene isn't walking away from 26 million when he can just sit in a suit on the sidelines injured and collect it.

This team will improve on fundamentals when we get a GM that selects complete basketball players. I think Porter and Rice are great for the roster long term because both know how to play basketball on both sides of the court even if neither proves to be all that great. We need more players like that instead of Vesely, Singleton, and Seraphin that have major gaps in their basic basketball fundamentals. Which one of those three guys can dribble a basketball while defended without it likely resulting in a turnover? None. You can't have your entire depth at the 4 and 5 be so completely helpless in the NBA on the offensive end. You don't normally want your bigs to dribble but they have to be able to handle two bounces without falling apart.

I think Temple is too limited as well but he's actually proven more effective with the second unit than Maynor. Not sure how much of that is having Webster and Nene and how much is his understanding of Randy's bad offense. I'm just not a fan of guards that can't drive or shoot at least well enough to keep the defense honest.

[SuperBash]

I can't see us resigning Ariza when considering his cost, the cost of Gortat (more of a need), and the cost of Beal down the road. I gotta think Ariza is gonna look for a long term deal, at least 3 or 4. A team will bite and overpay. At this rate, he could get around 7-9 mil a year from someone. 

[Renegade7]

 

I have a hard time believing this team will maintain it's vast improvement on the fundamentals if Nene retires. He really is like a point/power forward.

 

Without Nene, Ariza or anyone else who is not a starting guard will become less important.

 

I don't know how I feel about this, because I've watched Ariza go off with or without Nene in the lineup. Ariza is doing his job, don't we need players that do their job???