Not a lot of love for the wiz from the ESPN "Experts"

by Blatche4MVP on Oct 20, 2009 1:17 PM EDT

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/preview2009/news/story?page=Predictions0910-Wizards

1 vote for 4th in the conference 1 for 5th 5 for 6th 1 for 7 1 for 8 1 for 9 So more votes for 7-9 than 4-5....ouch. I never know how to feel about these things. Part of me thinks they are worthless. Part of me thinks its good nobody is picking us, the wiz never lacked confidence and need to stay humble. Part of me thinks I am too biased to objectively evaluate the Wiz and maybe they see something I don't and that the wiz are not as good as I thought.

either way, next Tuesday we will be watching real live basketball game that count...in HD. GO WIZ!!

This represents the view of the user who wrote the FanPost, and not the entire Bullets Forever community. We're a place of many opinions, not just one.

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I don't have any issues with their predictions

Seems about right. Until they prove the ability to defend consistently it’s tough to project a huge leap from the days when the big 3 was healthy. Atleast for an unbiased observer. We have improved scoring from those teams but have not addressed the defensive problems that held those teams back.

by BayAreaBullet on Oct 20, 2009 5:08 PM EDT reply actions

I don't think they were too bad

The average seed was 5.1. That’s probably pretty close to what many here would say.

Sheridan’s prediction made you scratch your head, but I found myself doing that for all his picks, not just the Wizards’.

You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.

by Mike Prada on Oct 20, 2009 5:39 PM EDT reply actions

Adande/Hollinger/Thorpe are being extremely ignorant.

They keep comparing this years wizards team to the 04-05 wizards team.

Flip Saunders is not Eddie Jordan
Larry Hughes is not Mike Miller

This team doesn’t even resemble the makeup and system that it ran for so long under jordan.

by Knowledge92 on Oct 20, 2009 10:54 PM EDT reply actions

Not to mention Jared Jeffries is not Caron Butler

and the fact that the benches are completely different, with a huge advantage to the 09-10 squad:

2004-05 Bench = Jarvis Hayes, Juan Dixon, Etan Thomas, Kwame Brown, Steve Blake, Michael Ruffin

vs.

2009-10 Bench: (assuming Mike Miller starts at SG) Andray Blatche, Randy Foye, Fabricio Oberto, Nick Young, Deshawn Stevenson, JaVale McGee

Bullets Forever - where "Dagger ! " happens......

by Rook6980 on Oct 21, 2009 12:48 AM EDT up reply actions

With that bench, it’s almost a miracle that 2004-05 squad made the Playoffs.

Bullets Forever - where "Dagger ! " happens......

by Rook6980 on Oct 21, 2009 12:48 AM EDT up reply actions

Few reasons

1. Bad East
2. Dixon had a career year
3. Ruffin was actually extremely effective in 04/05
4. Haywood had a career year (prior to 07/08)
5. Hughes had a year on par with any of Butler’s post-07
6. Their point differential was negative, so they got a bit lucky

You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.

by Mike Prada on Oct 21, 2009 9:07 AM EDT up reply actions

Also that team was held back by not closing out the baseline

and other stupid defensive mishaps. Something that hasn’t been addressed and might have even been downgraded in this team. Plus the East is way better this year. Flip might make a huge difference defensively but you can’t expect outside(or us in reality) guys to acknowledge that until it has been seen on the court.

by BayAreaBullet on Oct 21, 2009 12:47 PM EDT up reply actions

Those are reasons to compare the 04-05 squad and how they did in the Eastern Conference to today’s squad, and how they will do in the EC this year?

Bullets Forever - where "Dagger ! " happens......

by Rook6980 on Oct 21, 2009 2:00 PM EDT up reply actions

Just listing the reasons they made the playoffs

To indicate it wasn’t a “miracle” that they did.

You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.

by Mike Prada on Oct 21, 2009 2:17 PM EDT up reply actions

sore spot..... rant coming on.

You never hear these guys (National guys like Adande, Hollinger, Thorpe etc…) say anything other than the “trio of Arenas, Butler and Jamison has never won more than 42 games together”…. It’s like a chant; or rote. They cannot seem to break through what HAS BEEN to see what IS NOW.

NO ONE out there can use an ounce of brain matter to actually think outside the previous 4 seasons to see that this Wizard’s team is MUCH, MUCH better than any other Wizard’s team in the last 20 years.

They never say that the “trio” has only been together for 115 games in the last 4 years – (that’s only 28 games a year)….

They never point out the fact that they win over 60% of the games when they ARE together.

Using their own “lazy logic” – of taking what a team has done in the past, and forecasting what they should do in the future …. 82 games X 60% = 49 wins… But then, they only use logic when they’re talking about the LA Lakers, Cavaliers, Celtics and Magic….. everyone else can go get humped….

(btw – I have the Wizards down for 50 wins this year)….

Bullets Forever - where "Dagger ! " happens......

by Rook6980 on Oct 21, 2009 2:18 PM EDT up reply actions

True, but couldn't there argument be

the reason this trio hasn’t won 42 games together is that they can never stay healthy enough to do so. That might be lazy logic, but it happens to be true.

"Would you like to shoot me now or wait till you get home." --- Daffy Duck

by George Templeton on Oct 21, 2009 8:41 PM EDT up reply actions

I dunno

There’s a lot of “veteran experience” on that ’04 bench.

by sierradave on Oct 21, 2009 11:59 AM EDT up reply actions

priceless

Bullets Forever - where "Dagger ! " happens......

by Rook6980 on Oct 21, 2009 2:20 PM EDT up reply actions

The Mag . . .

just got delivered to my house yesterday and had the Wizards finishing 4th. Not sure who contributed to the NBA preview but they basically were in 100% agreement with you, citing both Flip Saunders and the superior depth of the roster as reasons why they will most likely outperform the last healthy Wizards team.

FYI Sports Illustrated also had the Wizards 4th in the east with similar rationale.

shine like bald head, smoke trees call me log head

by ThaCaronic on Oct 23, 2009 9:37 AM EDT up reply actions