Washington Wizards links for September 10: John Wall on Team USA?

by Mike Prada on Sep 10, 2010 11:09 AM EDT in Links

Eighteen days until training camp. Get excited!

Anyway, onto the links:

You figure John Wall will eventually be under consideration for Team USA, but when will that happen? [Michael Lee]
A good counterpoint to "Midnight Madness:" would it have been done if the Wizards didn't get John Wall? [Truth About It]
Another "don't forget about Gilbert Arenas" piece. [Dime]
Wall says that he doesn't plan on doing the John Wall Dance at "Midnight Madness," which is too bad. [Michael Lee]
A comprehensive season preview of the Wizards, which I'd take more seriously if they didn't list JaVale McGee as the team's best defensive player. [HoopsWorld]
Yi Jianlian played well in the FIBA World Championships, but that doesn't necessarily mean his success will translate back to the NBA. [Roblog]
An argument that we shouldn't expect John Wall to come roaring out of the gate in his rookie year. [Evans Clinchy, NESN]
You knew that the Wizards could have had Ricky Rubio, but what you probably didn't know is that the player the Wizards would have picked with the 35th pick they traded to Minnesota this year is playing for Serbia at the FIBA World Championships. [Michael Lee]
Flip Saunders is listed as one of four coaches that will be on the hot seat this year. My take: firing coaches quickly doesn't seem like the Ted Leonsis way. [Matt Moore, CBS Sports]
Because Basketball Reference is fun, and because history is fun, a two-part series taking a look at some interesting Bullets/Wizards statistical quirks. [Truth About It: Part 1 | Part 2]
Michael Lee breaks down the Wizards' April schedule. [Wizards Insider]
Ernie Grunfeld and Ed Tapscott participated in the Players Association's inaugural leadership training seminar. Very cool to see. [Ken Berger]
The Dakota Wizards, Washington's D-League affiliate, is holding tryouts in D.C. on September 16 and 17 [KXNet.com]
In light of the NBA Jam rosters being released, here's a question: who makes up your ultimate four-team Wizards/Bullets roster, using only players from 1990 and beyond. [SB Nation D.C.]
Apparently, the producer of "Sports Science" is a big Wizards fan. That probably explains the John Wall episode. [Dime]
Does Trevor Booker have a Cowboys tattoo on his arm? It sure looks like it. [@jakewhitacre]
If you're looking for updates on former Wizards fringe players Paul Davis and Corsley Edwards, here's your answer. [Ridiculous Upside]
Josh Howard's outfit here is ridiculous. [Truth About It]

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Is it the Kool-Aid talking?

In the NESN article the author made the Wizards out to seem like an especially bad place for Wall to land:

He’s not exactly in the right environment for finding success overnight in the NBA. He’s on a Wizards team that’s going nowhere fast, and he’s going to have to compete with Gilbert Arenas for control of the ball on every possession.

Obviously, we’ve already heard a lot of discussion about the efficacy of a Wall-Arenas backcourt, but separate from Gil, are the Wizards really that bad of a spot to end up as a rookie? We’ve got a hyper-athletic center, a potent offensive power forward, and two physical rookies in the frontcourt, all of whom are younger than 24. Of the lottery-eligible teams, only perhaps the Nets have a stronger core in place than the Wizards in my estimation. Certainly Wall wouldn’t want to end up in Minny, Golden State is still struggling, Philly has Jrue Holiday, Sacramento has Tyreke Evans, and the Knicks were gutted of young talent and draft picks long ago. Indiana needed a point guard at the time of the draft, plays at a fast pace (which maximizes Wall’s talents in transition), and has a few pieces in place, but the Pacers have been hogtied by their tight cap situation and don’t project to be better than mediocre for a while. In DC, Wall has playing time, a proven coach, young talent around him, a great owner, and a chance to be an uncontested leader of the team right from the get-go

Am I wearing homer glasses, or were the Wizards really not that bad of a place for Wall to land?

by mr. 91 on Sep 10, 2010 9:25 PM EDT reply actions

From a rational perspective

Market/city
Washington isn´t a bad place to be.
New Jersey would have been better. Minni, Philly or Sacramento worse.

The Roster
Wizards are young and definitely have some intriguing yet talent.
New Jersey already had 2 or 3 really good pieces to complement his game. Minny is a mess. Sacramento already has Tyreke as the main ball handler and roster/cap wise Philly is going nowhere.

Franchise situation
With the new ownership and the fact that the Wiz are completely starting over its a fresh situation. Arenas being here is not ideal for him but probably not as bad as the media make seem.
New Jersey is a similar situation with a new owner and arena while again Minni is a mess. Sacramento would not have been a particularly bad or good situation. While Philly are stuck between relevancy and total rebuild and their hands are tied cause of the big contracts.

So, yeah, rationally Nets would have been a slightly more ideal situation for him but i think he is happy that he did not land in Minni, Philly or Sacramento. Other draft lottery possibilities like Indiana, Detroit or Golden State are no better.

All in all Washington is not bad at all. Plus at a personal level it might be special to him that his father was born in DC

by Dutch Hoopfan on Sep 11, 2010 2:40 AM EDT up reply actions