The Official Washington Basketball Thread: Wizards, Mystics etc

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

I'm guessing they'll have a recap of the interview on BF later on.

Dude on RealGM who sits near Leonsis said that he was visably pissed last night. Change(s) might be coming. Hopefully.

*Why doesnt hands11 post here anymore? I see him on realGM all the time, but I was wondering why he split from ES?

Did he cry when we amnestied Blatche?

[Going Commando]

Blatche, paying you 35 million dollars for what you left out on the court wasn't having your back? STFU, count your millions, and be grateful there was a team stupid enough out there for you to dupe into that kind of money. You're going to be hoping there's another one out there like us this summer.

[spjunkies]

Here is a link to the interview.

http://washington.cbslocal.com/?podcast_url=http%3A%2F%2Fcbswashington.files.wordpress.com%2F2012%2F11%2Fblatche.mp3&podcast_name=ANDRAY+BLATCHE&podcast_artist=HOLDEN+AND+DANNY&station_id=&audio_link=true&config_file=config.xml&dcid=CBS.WASHINGTON

[WhoRUSupposed2Be]

Blatche, paying you 35 million dollars for what you left out on the court wasn't having your back? STFU, count your millions, and be grateful there was a team stupid enough out there for you to dupe into that kind of money. You're going to be hoping there's another one out there like us this summer.

Has he even been getting any minutes off the bench?

[StillUnknown]

http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2012/11/27/3696922/wizards-spurs-recap-2012

Monday's Spurs game was what rock bottom looks like. Imagine watching an NBA exhibition game, surrounded by people who don't know why or how they got there, interrupted every few minutes for the Chipotle Burrito Dash or cheerleaders dancing to an ear-splitting David Guetta song, and ending with the (meaningless) outcome guaranteed by halftime. A bad regular season basketball game is a special circle of hell. Monday was even worse because it was a definitive barometer for everything the Wizards have never, ever been. Especially not recently.

To put the recent past in perspective: The English Premier League relegates the three worst teams to a lower division every year. This costs the teams millions in revenue, and hijacks the entire franchise for years at a time. If the NBA relegated teams, the Wizards would've been relegated in three of the last four years. In the odd year they finished one game better than the Raptors as the fourth-worst team in basketball. In a rational universe, this would make the Wizards a failing business. Instead they charge full price, sponsors and TV revenue help them turn profits, and the Chipotle Burrito Dash rolls on.

Sure, some of the failure has been by design to overhaul the roster with lottery picks. But at what point does "sucking by design" become "sucking by nature"? These are the questions that pop into your head when you watch your favorite team get methodically destroyed at home, in front of a crowd that's more or less apathetic except for the Verizon T-Shirt Toss.

It stung even worse because they were playing Spurs, the team that can sign cast-off veterans and turn them into weapons and take misfit rookies and make them stars. The team whose fossilizing superstars have every excuse to take games off all year long, but still show up every night and beat the hell out of teams. The Spurs are all the cliches about professionalism and culture brought to life.

The Wizards are the team that spent a summer adding cast-off veterans for the sake of professionalism and culture, only to see the whole thing fail miserably. Even with classy veterans who aren't Andray Blatche, the Wizards are still the Wizards. The Wizards always find a way to be the Wizards.

more in the link

[Going Commando]

Has he even been getting any minutes off the bench?

Yeah he's been playing in Brooklyn. He's had a few good games so far, been scoring better and playing harder. He's on a one year deal. He's trying to trick some team into paying him this summer.

[@DCGoldPants]

everybody on twitter should send a link to that article to @TedLeonsis with a note that its true.

[SuperBash]

Part of me just wants to give up and follow the Memphis Grizzles. I really like that team

[StillUnknown]

everybody on twitter should send a link to that article to @TedLeonsis with a note that its true.

He will just brush it off as "negative pixels from the blogosphere"

[@DCGoldPants]

He will just brush it off as "negative pixels from the blogosphere"

Oh well. Its not like they have a fan base to get behind a "fan card" thing like we did with the Skins and Vinny.

[endzone_dave]

Nets trade for Williams and Johnson and now they are a playoff team. I can be done EG, you just don't know how.

[Going Commando]

http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2012/11/27/3696922/wizards-spurs-recap-2012

more in the link

He completely nailed it.

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

The march to 0-19 begins now. Can they do it?

Nov 28 vs Portland - Game 13

Nov 30 at Knicks - Game 14

Dec 4 vs Miami - Game 15

Dec 7 at Atlanta - Game 16

Dec 8 vs Golden State - Game 17

Dec 11 at New Orleans - Game 18

Dec 12 at Houston - Game 19

I don't know. There are some winnable games there. Portland is struggling and the Wizards are catching them in the middle of a long eastern road trip. It will be their third road game in three nights, and the first two were losses. That's a home game that a normal team wins. If they lose that, 0-16 is practically a lock, I think.

Golden State at home is a winnable game in theory. But that game may just turn into a shooting contest. And who likes the Wizards in a shooting contest?

New Orleans is a bad team. If they lose that, they may go deep into the 20s.

I just don't see it happening. I think they will be 2-16 when they play Houston. It's damn hard to lose 19 games in a row.

[AsiaticSkinsFan]

the 3 games against Portland, Golden State, and New Orleans are pretty much must win in order to end the streak.

If they lose these 3 games I think it gets to 22 games before the home and home with the Pistons.

[RonArtest15]

Probably would never happen, but the Wizards need to find a way to get in on the Pau Gasol sweepstakes (if he is on the market). If not with trying to be the lead suitor, but at least as the 3rd team to shed some of these terrible contracts on the roster.

It would be a pipe dream, but I would love for the FO to figure out a way to bring in Gasol. Yes, he's 32 and CLEARLY on the downside of his career...but he's a smart player who would contribute immediately for the short term.

I'm grasping at straws here, but a serious effort needs to be made to fix this roster. Gasol is owed a GRIP for the next two seasons, but I wonder if that could be offset by at least dumping any combination of Okafor/Ariza/Singleton/Ves/Booker/Seraphin/future picks? I didn't include Nene, because I don't think there would be much interest for his services due to his age, durability, and years left on his contract.

A 2 year nucleus (I say 2 years b/c Gasol's deal expires after the 13/14 season) of Nene/Pau/Wall would be more than enough to get this ship headed in the right direction. Assuming these guys can play at least 85-90% of the games from here on out.

The key through this Okafor/Ariza mess is the 2014 season - we HAVE to be trending upwards by then. No more excuses.

*If we're the third team, let's see if we can bring in some younger talent...find a way to bring in players like Gortat or Pekovic...might have to take on a bad contract or unproven player (Derrick Williams), but SOMETHING has to be done to shake things up around here.

*David Aldridge alluded to this in one of his trade proposals:

http://www.nba.com/2012/news/features/david_aldridge/11/26/morning-tip-bobcats-turning-things-around/index.html?cid=nba_12_twitter_L

Edited November 27, 2012 by RonArtest15

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

the 3 games against Portland, Golden State, and New Orleans are pretty much must win in order to end the streak.

If they lose these 3 games I think it gets to 22 games before the home and home with the Pistons.

I saw those games on the schedule. That's practically a fire stop, I think.

[DCranon21]

Now you know it's bad when Blatche is trolling the Wizards. And Kenny and the crew made fun of the Wizards, playing the Globetrotters music in the background.

http://www.sbnation.com/2012/11/27/3696804/andray-blatche-wizards-nets-troll-tuesday

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

Probably would never happen, but the Wizards need to find a way to get in on the Pau Gasol sweepstakes (if he is on the market). If not with trying to be the lead suitor, but at least as the 3rd team to shed some of these terrible contracts on the roster.

It would be a pipe dream, but I would love for the FO to figure out a way to bring in Gasol. Yes, he's 32 and CLEARLY on the downside of his career...but he's a smart player who would contribute immediately for the short term.

I'm grasping at straws here, but a serious effort needs to be made to fix this roster. Gasol is owed a GRIP for the next two seasons, but I wonder if that could be offset by at least dumping any combination of Okafor/Ariza/Singleton/Ves/Booker/Seraphin/future picks? I didn't include Nene, because I don't think there would be much interest for his services due to his age, durability, and years left on his contract.

A 2 year nucleus (I say 2 years b/c Gasol's deal expires after the 13/14 season) of Nene/Pau/Wall would be more than enough to get this ship headed in the right direction. Assuming these guys can play at least 85-90% of the games from here on out.

The key through this Okafor/Ariza mess is the 2014 season - we HAVE to be trending upwards by then. No more excuses.

*If we're the third team, let's see if we can bring in some younger talent...find a way to bring in players like Gortat or Pekovic...might have to take on a bad contract or unproven player (Derrick Williams), but SOMETHING has to be done to shake things up around here.

*David Aldridge alluded to this in one of his trade proposals:

http://www.nba.com/2012/news/features/david_aldridge/11/26/morning-tip-bobcats-turning-things-around/index.html?cid=nba_12_twitter_L

They need to do something. The roster as constructed is a disaster (again). Half the roster is projects (and as I keep saying, even good franchises can only develop one or two players at a time). The other half is useless vets with bloated contracts.

There are so many problems on this team that it is hard to list them in order. But a big one is that outside of Nene and occasionaly Ariza, there is no one on the roster that actually knows how to play basketball. Even Wall mostly just goes on instinct and natural skill.

I just don't know what the Wizards could offer and/or get back if Wall and Beal were off the table. Maybe a team like San Antonio or Houston or OKC thinks they could develop one of the kids, but what would they really offer in return?

If I were hired as GM tomorrow, I would be tempted to just burn the thing down and start all over with everyone - including Wall and Beal - available for the right price. Of course, even that plan would be on hold until I knew what was going on with Wall's knee.

Edited November 27, 2012 by Lombardi's_kid_brother

[Taylor703]

For the price of a McDouble you can go to a Wizards game...pretty sad.

[StillUnknown]

http://www.tedstake.com/2012/11/27/a-step-back-last-night/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

It was a very tough game last night, as we continue to play shorthanded, against a great team with Hall of Fame players. A tight unit that plays really beautiful basketball. A team that has been together for a long time and communicates very well on the floor.

We were only competitive with them for the first 20 minutes or so.

The Spurs are just an efficient team. A team that runs a system that is intrinsic to them – they hit their shots, they ran their plays. We were out-classed and out-gunned last night; no doubt about it.

It is getting tough to write loss after loss. I know it is getting old for our fans too. But there is nothing for us to do right now but to heal and bond as a team to get our first win of the season.

I understand the anxiety and pressure that is out there. It is all on us, and we must find a way to navigate through it all.

Last night’s game showed us how far we have to develop to become a good and very competitive NBA team. The Spurs have the most wins in the NBA – it showed last night.

:blahblah:

[Sticksboi05]

Kiss my ass Ted, you're Sgt. Pepper and this is your Lonely Hearts Club Band...

[SuperBash]

Who gets a win first, the caps or Wiz?

Edited November 27, 2012 by SuperBash

[H@iL2Gibb$]

Who gets a win first, the caps or Wiz?

The Nats

[SuperBash]

Ted: "Yes we are 0-67 but you have to admire the Pistons effort last night. Drummond is really coming into his own, Stuckey looks like a stud, and Prince is a future HOF. He'd be a very fine addition and I'd like to lock him up for 2-3 more years around 40million. He could be the vet to put us over the top. We are close, so close my Wiz fans. Speaking of close, any day now John Wall should be able to start practicing. The midseason trade of Seraphin for Samuel Dalenbert hasn't quite panned out like I hoped but his veteran presence in the locker room alone was worth the trade. The sun will come out tomorrow, just stick with us, guys. Finally, even though Nene had his foot surgically removed, there is still hope that his new prosthetic foot might allow him to get back on the court within the next 2-3 years."

Edited November 27, 2012 by SuperBash

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

http://www.tedstake.com/2012/11/27/a-step-back-last-night/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

:blahblah:

I get that Ted is an internet guy and this is what internet guys do.

But, seriously, what the hell is he achieving by writing this stuff? All he is going to do is piss people off.