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The Washington Wizards (1997-), Formerly The Washington Bullets (1974-1997) and The Capital Bullets (1973-1974)


DaveO

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On November 20, 2016 at 9:06 AM, farmer john said:

Fire Ernie now.

I think the team, coaches, and everyone associated with them heard you then.  They are a completely surprising 10-6 since that point. 

I'm stunned at the turnaround.

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On 11/20/2016 at 9:06 AM, farmer john said:

Fire Ernie now.

Man:  They are tuned into your comments.  Following that November game the coach changed their style, and the team went on a run 10-6 immediately afterwards.  Then they played a home and home against Milwaukee.  I watched parts of that series.  In game 1 the Bucks simply slaughtered the Wiz in Milwaukee.  The Wiz came back to win a tough game at home, in which the 5 starters averaged 40 minutes/game.  And the Wiz won a close one.   As of the last couple of games one upside on the Wiz attack is they are using and finding Porter more from the 3 pt line and he is connecting.  That adds diversity to the shot attempts from the 3 beyond Beal.

But the amazing thing to see happened in that first Milwaukee game.  The Bucks have an emerging star; an athletic freak...with a very long name but an easier Nickname:  The Greek Freak -- Giannis Antetokounmpo   In the first game he crushed the Wiz, hitting his career high of 39 points, getting rebounds assists and blocking shots.   He is 6 11"/ taller than the Bucks starting center and mobile.  He just crushed the Wiz.   His highlights:  He is tall, mobile and if he isn't a great jumper he is a quick jumper...and then he handles the ball like a guard, and passes.  Watch out for this guy:

 

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On 11/20/2016 at 9:06 AM, farmer john said:

Fire Ernie now.

Shhhh!  Don't let the cat out of the bag.  Don't speak too loudly for fear of a jinx.  This team must consider Ernie as the most endearing lovable essential family member ....... or they fear your wrath.  Since this cry of desperation the Wiz are 24-11 and playing comparable to the better teams in the league.  Holy cr@p.  Who could have seen it?  I didn't.

What a turnaround.  The reserves are still weak and hardly play--in fact the starters are playing more than that of any team but one.  Wall is better as is Beal who (shhhh- not too loud) hasn't taken a signicant injury.  Morris is significantly better and Porter has become a KEY deadeye shooter racking them from the 3 and he's been The Man on several wins in the streak.  Gortat is playing strong and taking amazingly few shots and seems to be okay with that.        And they are winning big time.  

I watched virtually the entire home and home series against the Bucks and boy did the Wiz scrap and play tough to control The Greek Freak and eke out a victory after getting humiliated in the first game.  They played with heart.

They must absolutely adore Ernie and be scared shitless of you, farmer John.  Can't explain it otherwise.        Shhhhhh.....

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It really has been amazing. I have watched a lot of games and the effort is pretty much there every night. The minutes will add up on them eventually but right now every single starter (and Oubre) have elevated their games considerably. Scott Brooks is doing something right. They really need an Andre Miller to drop in their lap again though.

 

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On 1/30/2017 at 6:47 PM, farmer john said:

It really has been amazing. I have watched a lot of games and the effort is pretty much there every night. The minutes will add up on them eventually but right now every single starter (and Oubre) have elevated their games considerably. Scott Brooks is doing something right. They really need an Andre Miller to drop in their lap again though.

I've been stunned by the turnaround.  When they got Morris last year I was very optimistic, but he did nothing outstanding last year and early this year.  I see him as more limited than I thought....but he has been playing very tough and positive.  Porter picked up his game last year but nothing outstanding.  Now he is drifting into 3 pt range and connecting...and bingo he is a big positive.  Wall and Beal have picked up their games as the season progressed and Wall is completely Mr Wiz. 

Its such an amazing and significant uptick across the board.  I'm fascinated at Gortat's evolution this year as he simply accepts the fact that he is getting very few shots and plays tough in every other way.  Meanwhile Oubre a raw talent IS playing well now.   Holy Crap.  An amazing evolution all across the board.  Gotta give credit to the coach and the players. 

I was as down as you when they hit rock bottom.  It was driving me back to Bullet/Wizard despondency.  Decades of mediocre to lousy basketball.  Decades.  And I saw them in person enough during the 70's their single prominent decade.   Parenthetically do you realize there was one year when they had Howard, Chris Weber and Rasheed Wallace (as a rookie).   That was a lot of talent with Weber being a very creative passer on top of other attributes and Wallace turning into one of the better team players in the game ...and the both of them being absolutely premier power forwards during the hey day of power forwards.    And they traded them all away.  Despair, despair, despair. 

So I hope this group continues to play well.  I too am nervous about the enormous minutes the starters are accumulating.  They are playing very well and they are very very thin.  Keep your fingers crossed!!!!

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Slipping to the 4 seed may actually help now that it looks like Boston may be the 1. I think the Wiz match up better with the Celtics than they do with either the Cavs or the Raptors. (I am still of the opinion that the East goes through Cleveland and also of the opinion that with their full compliment of players on the court the Raptors are the second best team in the East.) Plus the Wiz and the Celtics genuinely cannot stand one another which will make for good viewing. (Of course I am assuming the Wiz can take care of business against either the Hawks or the Bucks.)

The Cavs have managed to play down for so long at this point that they have done something i thought impossible at the start of the year- generate legit interest in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Can they flip a switch and compete with the Warriors? I don't think so. Can Lebron beat the rest of the East by himself yet again? Probably.

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On 4/11/2017 at 8:14 AM, farmer john said:

(Of course I am assuming the Wiz can take care of business against either the Hawks or the Bucks.)

"Wizards To Face Hawks in First Round of 2017 NBA Playoffs" by Jake Whitacre on bulletsforever.com

---

NOTE: If any of our members have blogs about certain subjects (as just one example, "The Wizards,") let me know, and I'll be glad to reference your blogs whenever I can.

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In their last 10 games the Wizards have gone 8-2.  That is without John Wall in the lineup, who was injured, went for surgery, and is projected to be out till the end of the regular season give or take some days either way.  Wall has been their singular star, (supported in the "star world" by Bradley Beale in the last two seasons).  Wall probably played his best basketball ever during the mid season run last year starting in Dec and running to almost the end of the season.  It was their best stretch in years.   (I'm adding that because since Wall has been injured there are rumblings and comments that the team is playing better team ball without him.).  Can't argue with this short term record--and in my eyes they are playing a different level of team ball-they are playing differently.  It is "better" in my eyes and one can't dismiss the record.  It is different.

To get a feel for the differences one can parse through the detailed advanced stats provided by nba.com on the team.   Where things stick out --is that the teams assists went from about 23/game to 30/game since Wall has been sidelined.  With that they are assisting on baskets at a league leading rate and their "hockey assists" or pass that leads to an assist has soared.  Its visible in the games and the advanced stats describe the differences.  The Wiz are hitting a few more baskets/game, driving less, and getting fewer foul shots.  The ball is being distributed.  It is a more team oriented sharing level of basketball.  According to the advanced stats (geek source of data).  They pass more per game and run more.  (there are a TON of little itty bitty and aggregated advanced stats, such as how many miles does the team in aggregate cover in a game---whew!!!)

Replacing Wall in the starting lineup has been Tomas Satoransky, a second year player who now holds the all time all NBA record for most points in a game by a player from the Czech Republic.  ;)  Satoransky is a completely different stylistic player than Wall with different physical dimensions and different strengths and weaknesses.    What he is doing is distributing the ball quickly.  In the first few games that he started he seemed reluctant to shoot, but he has picked up that pace and when open is letting it fly--and hiitting!!!!

To get a perspective of his game and share in the excitement of seeing someone break the all time NBA single game scoring record for a player from the Czech Republic here is Satoransky at a his shooting best....

 

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Sato is a beast. I've liked him since watching his Euroleague highlights. Took him a year to get his shooting up to snuff but he's really making an impact. Reminds me of a less creative version of Ginobili (both scoring and passing wise). The upside is he rarely makes mistakes and plays much better defense than I expected.

The Wizards are looking good for 80% of recent games. The hardest part to watch is the Beal at PG lineup. It made no sense keeping Sato on the bench until 3 minutes left in the game last night. The ball movement that's giving them success completely bogs down with Beal running point, and Meeks is a negative NBA player so I don't understand the fascination with playing him. I have a bad feeling the infamous Scott Brooks 4th quarter iso offense is going to be our undoing in the playoffs (though credit him for the significant development of Wall, Beal, Sato, Otto, Oubre). 

When Wall gets back, I'd like to see him play reduced minutes and try to apply more energy on the defensive end and trust his teammates to continue the excellent ball movement without dribbling out the entire possession. The Wizards would be really dangerous with John wall playing 30 minutes a game at max speed.

Long term the Wiz have a collection of strong young guards and wings, but declining and limited big men. We really need to hit on an athletic Capela-type in this years draft to continue our success. The Mahinmi contract is killer but at least he's been playing somewhat serviceably recently.

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22 hours ago, Shaho said:

Sato is a beast. I've liked him since watching his Euroleague highlights. Took him a year to get his shooting up to snuff but he's really making an impact. Reminds me of a less creative version of Ginobili (both scoring and passing wise). The upside is he rarely makes mistakes 

Comparing him to Ginobili is a great compliment.  I don’t see it but he is playing well the team has been winning and he makes it work.  I didn’t see this in him at all.  

Actually I’d grown into a Wall fan over the years so I’m both pleased and perplexed.

Well despite last night’s game I hope they keep winning and I look forward to watching Sato’s game

The reason I don’t see the comparison is...

 

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2 hours ago, DaveO said:

Comparing him to Ginobili is a great compliment.  I don’t see it but he is playing well the team has been winning and he makes it work.  I didn’t see this in him at all.  

Actually I’d grown into a Wall fan over the years so I’m both pleased and perplexed.

Well despite last night’s game I hope they keep winning and I look forward to watching Sato’s game

You got me, somewhat of a lazy comparison based on size and skin color ;) I see a little bit of Ginobili in Sato's smarts, athleticism, ability to run an offense and defend, though he obviously lacks the creative flair and knack for doing the seemingly impossible that have defined Manu's storied career.

And sadly, I and probably a lot of Wizards fans fully expected them to beat the Cavs and lay an egg against the Hornets. Seen this story enough times this year...

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On 2/23/2018 at 1:09 PM, Shaho said:

Sato is a beast. I've liked him since watching his Euroleague highlights. Took him a year to get his shooting up to snuff but he's really making an impact.

You and the coaching staff have been following Sato.  I missed it and him.  Prior to becoming a starter he was getting more minutes than most of the reserves.  I missed all that and have been surprised by his play as a starter.

He is playing a great quality of Euro Ball.  His shot is good and hot.  He passes well, smart and quickly.  He is doing a lot of great things. He works hard on both sides of the ball.

I hope he becomes a stud!!!!!!

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I thought this an excellent review on the Wizards current play, their recent positive record since Wall has been injured, how Beale has stepped up, how Satoransky has been a positive influence, how the advanced stats tie in to what is visually in front of us, specifically referencing volume of passes per game plus the big increase in assists per game along with the concomitant drop in drives, fouls and foul shots.  

Okay I liked it because it "confirms" things I've seen/said in most of the past 13 games.  Way beyond that though it additionally focused on Porter picking up his game to fill the void that losing Wall has meant.  That has been a big part of the positiveness in this streak.  Also I like its concluding part which is that when Wall comes back the Wiz will need him and his unique talents.

In the meantime though I, for one, have enjoyed watching this version of Wiz teamwork.  Its a refreshing style of play.

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On 2/23/2018 at 12:09 PM, DaveO said:

In their last 10 games the Wizards have gone 8-2.  That is without John Wall in the lineup, who was injured, went for surgery, and is projected to be out till the end of the regular season give or take some days either way.  Wall has been their singular star, (supported in the "star world" by Bradley Beale in the last two seasons).  Wall probably played his best basketball ever during the mid season run last year starting in Dec and running to almost the end of the season.  It was their best stretch in years.   (I'm adding that because since Wall has been injured there are rumblings and comments that the team is playing better team ball without him.).  Can't argue with this short term record--and in my eyes they are playing a different level of team ball-they are playing differently.  It is "better" in my eyes and one can't dismiss the record.  It is different.

To get a feel for the differences one can parse through the detailed advanced stats provided by nba.com on the team.   Where things stick out --is that the teams assists went from about 23/game to 30/game since Wall has been sidelined.  With that they are assisting on baskets at a league leading rate and their "hockey assists" or pass that leads to an assist has soared.  Its visible in the games and the advanced stats describe the differences.  The Wiz are hitting a few more baskets/game, driving less, and getting fewer foul shots.  The ball is being distributed.  It is a more team oriented sharing level of basketball.  According to the advanced stats (geek source of data).  They pass more per game and run more.  (there are a TON of little itty bitty and aggregated advanced stats, such as how many miles does the team in aggregate cover in a game---whew!!!)

Replacing Wall in the starting lineup has been Tomas Satoransky, a second year player who now holds the all time all NBA record for most points in a game by a player from the Czech Republic.  ;)  Satoransky is a completely different stylistic player than Wall with different physical dimensions and different strengths and weaknesses.    What he is doing is distributing the ball quickly.  In the first few games that he started he seemed reluctant to shoot, but he has picked up that pace and when open is letting it fly--and hiitting!!!!

To get a perspective of his game and share in the excitement of seeing someone break the all time NBA single game scoring record for a player from the Czech Republic here is Satoransky at a his shooting best....

On 2/23/2018 at 1:09 PM, Shaho said:

Sato is a beast. I've liked him since watching his Euroleague highlights. Took him a year to get his shooting up to snuff but he's really making an impact. Reminds me of a less creative version of Ginobili (both scoring and passing wise). The upside is he rarely makes mistakes and plays much better defense than I expected.

The Wizards are looking good for 80% of recent games. The hardest part to watch is the Beal at PG lineup. It made no sense keeping Sato on the bench until 3 minutes left in the game last night. The ball movement that's giving them success completely bogs down with Beal running point, and Meeks is a negative NBA player so I don't understand the fascination with playing him. I have a bad feeling the infamous Scott Brooks 4th quarter iso offense is going to be our undoing in the playoffs (though credit him for the significant development of Wall, Beal, Sato, Otto, Oubre). 

When Wall gets back, I'd like to see him play reduced minutes and try to apply more energy on the defensive end and trust his teammates to continue the excellent ball movement without dribbling out the entire possession. The Wizards would be really dangerous with John wall playing 30 minutes a game at max speed.

Long term the Wiz have a collection of strong young guards and wings, but declining and limited big men. We really need to hit on an athletic Capela-type in this years draft to continue our success. The Mahinmi contract is killer but at least he's been playing somewhat serviceably recently.

To date in the playoffs the Wiz just tied it up with the Raptors:  2-2, both teams winning at home.  The Wiz have to pick up the intensity to keep pace and possibly win.

Interesting about Satoransky, following his terrific start he leveled off till the end of the season and when Wall rejoined the team at the end of the season, with Wall picking up starter minutes in the games he played.

What happened with Satoransky?  Did teams pick up on his tendencies and somewhat "shut him down".  Following the initial great stretch were the Wiz playing better teams and the team accumulated losses while Sato's stats and play took a dive????

I'm not sure. 

With the playoffs coming up the Wiz picked up long time pro Ty Lawson.  Lawson is now the second point guard behind Wall, replacing Sato and picking up more playing time.  Sato is shifting positions at both guard spots and guard/small forward. 

Well I would like to see the Wiz pull off this upset of Toronto.  Best 2 out of 3.  Meanwhile I hope the best for Sato.  Not sure how he will progress, but he had a positive run and has upped his opportunities going forward.

 

 

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12 hours ago, DaveO said:

Interesting about Satoransky, following his terrific start he leveled off till the end of the season and when Wall rejoined the team at the end of the season, with Wall picking up starter minutes in the games he played.

What happened with Satoransky?  Did teams pick up on his tendencies and somewhat "shut him down".  Following the initial great stretch were the Wiz playing better teams and the team accumulated losses while Sato's stats and play took a dive????

I'm not sure. 

With the playoffs coming up the Wiz picked up long time pro Ty Lawson.  Lawson is now the second point guard behind Wall, replacing Sato and picking up more playing time.  Sato is shifting positions at both guard spots and guard/small forward. 

Well I would like to see the Wiz pull off this upset of Toronto.  Best 2 out of 3.  Meanwhile I hope the best for Sato.  Not sure how he will progress, but he had a positive run and has upped his opportunities going forward.

I think Sato would benefit from a more defined role and playing time, I feel like he should have earned it with his play this season. At the same time, he's been too passive and unconfident in the playoffs, and Lawson has been solid (at least we're not benching him for Tim Frazier). Still, like Otto, I feel like Sato can contribute in a variety of ways and should be utilized more than he has been; by advanced metrics, he was one of the Wizard's 5 best players this season. Playing Wall entire halves at a time isn't going to work in the long run, as Game 7 in Boston showed last year. But maybe it will be what we need to get past Toronto. Excited for Game 5, this one is pivotal!

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Wizards lose in playoffs: Wall points to front office

Disappointing season.  I generally try and stay away from judging the front office but have to acknowledge it has not been among the sharper front offices for decades—that is long enough.

Injuries and overworked starters had to contribute to a backwards slide in the regular season and a first round playoff loss.  

Wait till next year.   

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By December last year I was finding the Wizards depressing.  Then Wall got injured, Satoransky became a starter and the nature of the overall team changed.  They were interesting, played differently and had a hot winning streak.

This year they have been outright miserable.  I believe Porter must be injured.  He has been a no show.  But the real problem is Wall.  I think he has plateaued and too often he doesn’t try hard.

A far better description comes from premier basketball analyst Zach Lowe at ESPN.

I think he is being generous at the end.  Break them up.  Start over again.

Meanwhile the calm serene Stephen A had this to say about John Wall and the Wizards:

http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=25205865

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And Jerry Brewer of the Washington Post identified the biggest problem....as least as I see it.  Its John Wall.  He came into the league as a talent, kept improving, became a star....and he has plateaued.   His game no longer enhances and improves the team.

Lah di dah.   Since 1979.  More of the same wherein mediocrity is as good as it gets here in Wizard land

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There must be something wrong with us  say the Wizards season ticket holders , especially those that keep buying year after year.  Ooh I can relate to that.  I held partial season ticket plans for years and years and years.....all while they stunk. (More in mediocrity at best)..

I feel their pain.....but I reformed.... now I buy discount seats on the secondary market.    Uggghhhh

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Should the Wizards Tank This Season??

As a fan I never liked the idea for any team.  But I’m neither a general manager tasked with setting a direction and (ultimately) competing nor the owner.  It’s a strategy that can work wherein high draft choices might resuscitate a team in future years. 

This past December (and earlier) the idea gained popularity in press and social media.   The team record was dismal, the star, John Wall was out for the season, the effort was listless and the results in play and record were discouraging.  This piece in the Washington Post  was one of many opinions in favor of tanking.

This past Thursday the Wiz played overseas with owner Ted Lionsis at the game and interviewed on the subject:  The Wizards will never tank (not this season) was his reaction.

Hmmm......  Having been watching this team for too many decades, having attended countless games, having seen them flounder this season, having actually recognized and acknowledged they have been overall below average (i.e.  BAD) for now almost 4 straight decades this season, for the first time, I relished the idea of tanking.

It ain’t gonna happen- not this year.  And they have had a winning (playoff quality) record since Wall went out.

“Wait till next year”.  Hmmmm...... How about waiting for the next several decades.....

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Breaking:  With John Walls 2nd injury and probable loss for both the remainder of this season plus all of next season plus unknownss about his ability to recover—- it might be that the Wiz are moving into drastic overhaul status:  It appears Otto Porter and his big contract have been traded:    https://mobile.twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1093307081040560128

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The Curse O' lez Boulez

Tony Kornheiser coined that apt phrase decades ago.  I'm not sure when.  Here is an article by Kornhieser from 2014 that summarizes decades of Bullets(Wizards) despair and ends with the "Curse o' lez boulez" description.

Fast forward 15 years.  Since then the Wizards have had two totally different versions of a "big three"  (that simply never were "big or good enough").  One ended with a bizarre gun fiasco and injuries (the Arenas era) and the other recently ended with 2 leg injuries to John Wall.  Once again the Bullets/Wizards will not win 50 games (that is 40 years in a row now)--they probably won't finish over .500.

Being a fan of this team is "TOUGH".  

Charles Barkley, an old teammate and friend of Wizards Coach Scott Brooks had this to recently say about the Wiz  Over the last 2 years I can see his point--Wall and Beal have not been a great match.  Some folks root for the New England Patriots or the NY Yankees or the San Antonio Spurs.   Bully for them.   I would suggest as an exercise in learning humility they start rooting for "lez boulez" for the next decade. 

On a side note since this is a food blog I learned the following the other day while leading a "placement session" for the bartending school.  One of the grads has been a long long term manager at concession stands at the Capital One Center.  She goes back decades.

  • Cap fans drink more
  • Wizards fans eat more
  • Concert fans both eat and drink more than fans of the teams.
  • The guests of the suites REALLY REALLY spend big on food and drink.
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What is the Impact of a Player

11 games ago the Wizards "blew up their roster".   John Wall was diagnosed with a second injury that will probably wipe him out of not only the remainder of this season but possibly all of next season.  Additionally the scope of the injury is such it puts his future "stardom" at question.   The Wiz were tied into enormous salaries for Wall, Bradley Beal, and Otto Porter going forward (3 former high draft choices).   The injury forced the Wiz to reverse course on a pledge to keep their 3 high priced "stars" going forward.

The Wiz traded Porter to the Chicago Bulls for two forwards.  Since then the Wiz are 4-7, and Chicago is 6-5.   The Wiz are losing ground on their effort to get to the playoffs, losing some winnable games.  Chicago's record has improved and Porter is playing better and more vitally on behalf of the Bulls than he showed for the Wiz this season.

All that being said I agree with the effort.  The most recent team had a "big 3" in Wall, Beal, and Porter that wasn't big or good enough.  At best they were a mid level candidate for the playoffs.  Not that different from the former "Big 3" of the earlier 2000's with Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler, and Antwan Jamison--a trio that was good but not good enough.

Porter, at his best, was a complementary player;  he developed into a fine 3 point shooter, he filled many roles, but he never took over.  His role was limited. Interestingly though, since that trade, admittedly a move to "blow up" the roster and restart, they are simply not as good.   Porter, a middling player seemed to add wins. 

In any case as a long term fan of the Wiz/Bullets, I muddle along as with other long term Wiz fans.  They have never been as despicable as the SnyderSkins.  They just can't rise above mediocrity, and for most of the time since the end of the 70's they have been worse than mediocre.

Its more fun to eat well and drink.

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On 2/23/2018 at 1:09 PM, Shaho said:

Sato is a beast. I've liked him since watching his Euroleague highlights. Took him a year to get his shooting up to snuff but he's really making an impact. Reminds me of a less creative version of Ginobili (both scoring and passing wise). The upside is he rarely makes mistakes and plays much better defense than I expected.

The Wizards are looking good for 80% of recent games. The hardest part to watch is the Beal at PG lineup. It made no sense keeping Sato on the bench until 3 minutes left in the game last night. The ball movement that's giving them success completely bogs down with Beal running point, and Meeks is a negative NBA player so I don't understand the fascination with playing him. I have a bad feeling the infamous Scott Brooks 4th quarter iso offense is going to be our undoing in the playoffs (though credit him for the significant development of Wall, Beal, Sato, Otto, Oubre). 

When Wall gets back, I'd like to see him play reduced minutes and try to apply more energy on the defensive end and trust his teammates to continue the excellent ball movement without dribbling out the entire possession. The Wizards would be really dangerous with John wall playing 30 minutes a game at max speed.

Long term the Wiz have a collection of strong young guards and wings, but declining and limited big men. We really need to hit on an athletic Capela-type in this years draft to continue our success. The Mahinmi contract is killer but at least he's been playing somewhat serviceably recently.

More people recognize that Sato is a quality player.  He is NOT an athletic star that jumps higher, moves more quickly, or is faster than everyone else.  He knows how to play:

Here is a recent piece on his overall game from Zach Lowe at ESPN.   When Sato is in the game the Wiz move the ball better.   Overall there are more shots of better quality:

Lowe on Satoransky's play this year:  (go to espn to see the video's.  They aren't remarkable plays featuring athleticism, they are smart plays that create good shots)

Tomas Satoransky just knows how to play

Every trade deadline leaves two or three makeshift teams in its wake: random collections of free-agents-to-be, guys acquired for reasons that are no longer relevant (Trevor Ariza), guys acquired later and for different reasons than the first guy (Bobby Portis, Jabari Parker), and maybe Dwight Howard holding a player option for reasons only Ernie Grunfeld understands. (The Grizzlies have the most fun Flotsam Team.) Everyone is marking time until the season ends.

But these Wiz are fighting, and Satoransky is a joy. Viewed with the wrong perspective, he might leave you wanting. He doesn't run the offense as much as a traditional lead guard. You might not trust his jump shot. Elite point guards and physical scorers give him trouble on the other end.

But Sato just knows how to play. It would be really fun to be on his team. He's unselfish, and a very smart passer. Few guards cut with his sense of timing, and such revved-up urgency.

Some ball handlers disengage when other guys run the show. Satoransky is always searching out little ways he can help, and he sees those opportunities earlier than most. Why stand still or beg for the ball when you can plow away the defense with an improvised screen?

The Wizards have posted a healthy scoring margin for two years running now when Satoransky and Bradley Beal share the floor. Satoransky is shooting 43.5 percent from deep combined over the last two seasons.

Satoransky will be a restricted free agent this summer, and he will have a market. He can play real minutes on a good team.

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As a dismal season comes to a close, rife with injuries, various conflicts, and a terrible record the Wiz fired long term GM/President Ernie Grunfeld. 

Probably should have changed GM's years ago.   Ernie had 16 years with the Wiz, which is far too long considering the record during that stretch.  In fact Grunfeld had a total of 28 years as a senior NBA basketball exec.  (good job if you can find it). 

Hard to explain or understand how one (me, myself, and I) can stay a fan of this team after so many lousy seasons, occasionally brightened by a ray of hope--only to be dashed in a few years.   The team really needs to start fresh.  They are burdened by Wall's long term, uber high salary.  On top of that the seriousness of his leg injuries suggest he will never again approach his peak skill level--though we probably won't know that for at least two seasons.

For next season they have Beal, who is good, they have Wall's contract and no player, they are stuck with a big waste in Mahinimi, and they pretty much have to figure out what to do with the rest of the roster.   Quite a few players are free agents.

Might be a good time to root for James Harden's team (God forbid)

 

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8 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Well, Bradley Beal is now the only person in franchise history (dating all the way back to the 1961-1962 Chicago Packers) to average 25/5/5 over the course of a full season.

As a long term fan of the Bullets/Wizards and one who roots for them to win (I know that is pretty pathetic) this statistical achievement does nothing for me.  This was the worst season in years.  Everything fell apart.  Injuries abounded.  By the end of the season only Beal of the expected starting team remained.  The starting forwards were traded.  The team is embarking on a new "program".  They will be encumbered by not having Wall next year, not knowing if he will ever regain his skill level, and paying him a salary that his skill level (at its best) doesn't merit or translate into enough wins. 

Beal is not as good or valuable as the other players in modern play who have achieved those totals.  He did it in a season where he took on more responsibilities because of the loss of other stars. Its a little like the unreal scoring totals Harden had earlier in the season while valuable teammates were hurt.   The difference there is that Harden's scoring turned into wins. 

Anyway.  Good for Beal.  Its an achievement.  If someone had done this on a team I don't follow it might mean more to me.  But that 25/5/5 on a team that went 32-50 and is going down hill doesn't do much for me as a fan who wants wins.

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53 minutes ago, guanabana said:

Even better/worse: Beal could be named to one of the All-NBA rosters this season, which would make him eligible for a supermax extension. (Wall's supermax takes effect next season)

I agree.   Giving Beal a super max contract would completely strangle the Wiz payroll structure.  He spoke to the issue at the end of the season and acknowledged the situation also acknowledging he has plenty of money. But heck, if he merited the supermax and got it what a great coup for he and his family.  Oh my what a mess.  

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1 hour ago, DaveO said:

I agree.   Giving Beal a super max contract would completely strangle the Wiz payroll structure.  He spoke to the issue at the end of the season and acknowledged the situation also acknowledging he has plenty of money. But heck, if he merited the supermax and got it what a great coup for he and his family.  Oh my what a mess.  

This is interesting - a relatively great player on an overall poor team still has the stats of a truly great player, so the overall poor team can become "locked into mediocrity" over the long-term.

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With the lottery odds flattening out starting this year, rebuilding by trading away your best players and tanking for high draft picks is even more of a crapshoot than it has been in the past. The Wizards actually stand to benefit from this change, as even with a mediocre team and the 6th worst record overall, they have a 38% chance for a top 4 pick this year. Their best bet is to draft a good player this year, hold Wall out next year and remain mediocre enough to get another good pick, and build around the still young core of Beal, Troy Brown Jr, Thomas Bryant, and 2 high draft picks. If Wall can come back to at least 80% effectiveness, we still have a slim possibility of becoming a contender despite our salary cap limitations. The move to essentially give away Otto Porter hurts from a talent perspective, but frees up enough financial flexibility to work around even 2 supermax deals with draft picks and value free agency signings like Jeff Green.

This year's draft lottery will be critical, as obviously a game changing talent like Zion could change the trajectory of this franchise completely. Even if we don't land him, Ja Morant, Bol Bol, Darius Garland, and R.J. Barrett (my preferences in order) have All Star-level upside. I'll be watching the draft lottery, draft, and new GM selection with great interest. Replacing Ernie Grunfeld with a forward-thinking GM who understands scouting, team-building, and has a long term vision for real success could be the turning point the Wizards have long needed. 

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1 hour ago, Shaho said:

With the lottery odds flattening out starting this year, rebuilding by trading away your best players and tanking for high draft picks is even more of a crapshoot than it has been in the past. The Wizards actually stand to benefit from this change, as even with a mediocre team and the 6th worst record overall, they have a 38% chance for a top 4 pick this year. Their best bet is to draft a good player this year, hold Wall out next year and remain mediocre enough to get another good pick, and build around the still young core of Beal, Troy Brown Jr, Thomas Bryant, and 2 high draft picks. If Wall can come back to at least 80% effectiveness, we still have a slim possibility of becoming a contender despite our salary cap limitations. The move to essentially give away Otto Porter hurts from a talent perspective, but frees up enough financial flexibility to work around even 2 supermax deals with draft picks and value free agency signings like Jeff Green.

This year's draft lottery will be critical, as obviously a game changing talent like Zion could change the trajectory of this franchise completely. Even if we don't land him, Ja Morant, Bol Bol, Darius Garland, and R.J. Barrett (my preferences in order) have All Star-level upside. I'll be watching the draft lottery, draft, and new GM selection with great interest. Replacing Ernie Grunfeld with a forward-thinking GM who understands scouting, team-building, and has a long term vision for real success could be the turning point the Wizards have long needed. 

NBA compensation rules are complex with many features, exceptions, and require skill and luck in creating a strong team.  Its not enough to give me a headache but too complex for me to devote too much time to fully understand all the permutations.  On a simple basis though I strongly doubt the Wiz could develop a strong team with two contracts both North of $40 million/year devoted to Wall and Beal.  As a prime unit at best they helped the Wiz get to a mediocre level of competitiveness that gets them into the mid range of the playoffs.  I can only assume that Wall's skills will diminish as a result of the severity of his injuries.  For the sake of the Wiz I hope Beal doesn't make NBA all pro this year (its probably close). 

I think upper management needs to be good and lucky with future draft choices.  (Lucky as in choosing Giannis 15th as a "future" and seeing him develop into the best player in the world this year-6 years after being drafted). 

Theoretically who is really worth the "supermax"?   Here are a few players off the top of my head:

Lebron, Giannis, Curry, Harden, probably Anthony Davis, probably/maybe Durant, probably/maybe Embiid (dependent on health).  They seem to me to be players that can push a team toward the title.   

Who else?   Any of my choices that you would opt to remove?

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With the off-season free agency season moving forward the Wiz have revealed themselves as among the clear bottom fishers.   This is one pathetic team.   They are encumbered with the worst contract in the NBA.  Their spending is encumbered with two max level salaries and some bloated ones.  Their "max max" "star" is out for the season with bad leg injuries.   He'll never justify it. 

They really need a complete house cleaning.  Get rid of everyone and start over.   They traded Otto Porter and they just lost the big forward and are unlikely to resign Jabari Parker.  They lost Sato and signed two PG's who are 6 foot and shorter.  They just lost Ariza and Jeff Green.  

The team is simply pathetic.  Start over.  And then probably start over again.  

What is amazing is that there well could be teams worse than them (looking at you, Charlotte).

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Okay...so the Nats are going to the World Series!!!!  (Oh man is that amazing!!!!!!!)

The Mystics just won the WNBA championship  (best woman's team in the world!!!!!)

A new hockey season just started, the Caps are highly rated and they won the Stanley Cup less than two seasons ago!!!!!!  (that was celebratory--to the max)

The Redskins--(oh yeah, the team that formerly dominated the local landscape and had some of the best (at least one) teams in NFL history) are in midseason and showing us again how an owner can f*ck up everything and even more!!!!  Peeee Uuuuuu

And the Wizards just made the news.  Well who cares???  (okay--I care for about the 40-50th year).  Bradley Beal resigned and is off the market for a trade   News story 

Hey don't feel bad for Brad.  He is resigning for beaucoup bucks--more than any other athlete in DC (save his teammate John (big bucks) Wall.  NBA stars rack up!!!!!   Its a good news story in my mind.  I like rooting for a team wherein you have local stars that stick around.  Brooks and Cal in Baltimore, Art Monk and Ovi in DC, a guy named Mickey Mantle for the Yanks, Stan Musial for St Louis, Tony Gwinn in San Diego, Tim Duncan for the San Antonio Spurs, etc etc.  Fandom connects the team and the loyal star. 

The Wiz/Bullets haven't had a player like that since Wes Unseld who both played then coached and was GM for a long time.  They need a good news "guy'.  Beal might be the right person.  He is not at the star of stars kind of level.  But if he plays like he did last year he will be close--and he is a very high quality outside shooter--with a bevy of additional skills.

Now this years team looks like it will "stink".  I'm guessing lottery level stink.  They have a "find" at center.  One can hope he will progress and be competitive.  They have among the shortest guards in the league;  one is decidedly second or third rate and the other, well he achieved stardom and then suffered horrific injuries.  Can he return??   Completely unknown.   Their forwards are pretty much unknown or career reserves.  They have a high draft choice....and who knows if he will be any good.

But Brad is sticking.   Thanks Brad.  Someone to root for.

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The Wizards have traded Russell Westbrook to the Lakers, with other players, draft picks and consideration. This is a massive trade, perhaps a good trade for Washington, but it's a *great* short-term trade for Los Angeles who is clearly trying to make another title run in 2021-2022. With a team of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook, by definition, one of those superstars must be the third-best player on the Lakers. That may not pan out in five years, but next season, I can't imagine anyone defeating them for a championship.

"Reports: Lakers Agree to Russell Westbrook Trade" on nba.com

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