Washington Wizards Schedule To Feature 48 Conference Games, 18 Non-Conference Games
by Mike Prada on Nov 27, 2011 8:40 PM EST
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PrintBeen traveling all day, but here are some critical updates to the way the Washington Wizards' schedule will look in this shortened 2011-12 season. The NBA announced that the 66-game schedule will feature 48 conference games and 18 non-conference games. That means the Wizards will face only three teams from the Western Conference twice this season.
Here's the breakdown:
- Four games: Six Eastern Conference teams
- Three games: Eight Eastern Conference teams (four come to Verizon Center twice, four come once).
- Two games: Three Western Conference teams.
- One game: 12 Western Conference teams (six come to Verizon Center, six don't).
Also, each team will have between 1-3 stretches of back-to-back-to-back games. Here's hoping the Wizards only have one.
In an unrelated piece of news: the new Amnesty clause will likely include some sort of auction for those players who are axed from their teams. The whole thing is described here, and this could get very interesting.
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Maybe too early for this
Nick Young said something along the lines of, we can make the playoffs this year with a short schedule. John Wall obviously thinks its possible.
So what do we prefer, a playoff push this season? Or another bottom of the barrel year that results in (a shot at) a true second best player next to Wall?
I'm a Wizards fan. We've been trying to tell you about Lebron for years. Hated the man before it was cool.
by returnofswagger on Nov 27, 2011 8:52 PM EST reply actions
Don't want to lose
But if we do then this years draft looks far stronger than the last one,
Hopefully whatever the outcome we see signs of a upturn.
by wuds100 on Nov 27, 2011 9:11 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Before the season even starts?
No chance I’m hoping for losses. The last thing we want is our young guys getting used to being losers.
Where do they teach you to talk like this? In some Panama City "Sailor wanna hump-hump" bar, or is it getaway day and your last shot at his whiskey? Sell crazy someplace else, we're all stocked up here.
by CJHutch on Nov 27, 2011 9:28 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
theres no way im hoping to lose
last year was our first true rebuilding season (imo) and we havent been very good the past 4. i would be dissapointed to not see atleast a lot more effort. i think we do have a chance at the playoffs and thats not the kool aid talking
by no more kwame's in dc on Nov 27, 2011 9:44 PM EST up reply actions
@CJHutch
That argument is so cliche and old, and I’m getting tired of it. Professionals shouldn’t need to be part of a winning team to be motivated. If they do, then they shouldn’t be in the NBA. And just look at OKC. In KD’s first two years with the team, they were terrible, and look how he’s doing now.
I’m not advocating tanking, but I just think that’s a poor argument.
Formerly know as iNFamous SWaGG
Kevin Durant has a losing attitude...
He got used to losing his first two years….
Stephen Curry is the same way – he’ll never be able to get over being on a bad Golden State team….
Ray Allen’s first two seasons in Milwaukee – they only won 33 and 36 games… He’s NEVER recovered… He was a loser then, and he’s still a loser today.
The League is chuck full of guys that lost their first few seasons in the NBA, and they have NEVER become winners. It never happens.
You have to establish a winning culture early in a player’s career, or he’s damaged goods forever.
I used to have super powers until my psychiatrist took them away.
Jesus, you all better start admitting it
we are the Clippers of the East. But worse.
You gotta start actually winning at some point.
Acceptance of a losing season before training camp even starts? If the fans are ok with losing and the team is ok with losing then the players are going to be losers.
It’s just pathetic and leaves a sour cloud hanging in the air.
I for one would like to win some games, build some momentum and start to become a decent team. Let the ping pong balls fall where they will.
Time for everyone to man up, pull their own weight and stop looking for help at the end of some rainbow.
by MR on Nov 28, 2011 3:30 AM EST up reply actions 4 recs
The purpose of this season...
just as last season, should NOT be to win as many games as possible; but rather to develop the Wizards young players…
Wall, Crawford, Seraphin, Booker, Hamady Ndiaye, Vesely, Singleton and Shelvin Mack. That’s 8 players with ONE year experience or less.
The fans expectations should be set accordingly; and that means that we should see erratic play – flashes of brilliance, followed by long periods of ineptitude. Slow, halting steps forward, followed by steps backward… These young Wizards need to be tempered by the fire of losing before they will be strong enough to withstand a grueling NBA season and come out winners.
The reason LeBron James has not won a Championship yet – is because he has never lost….. Not in High School… Not in the NBA… so he doesn’t know how to win.
I wrote a piece last year about patience…. it still applies.
I used to have super powers until my psychiatrist took them away.
by Rook6980 on Nov 28, 2011 8:22 AM EST up reply actions 2 recs
The problem with that
Is that players check out if they have nothing to play for. You go from Andray Blatche passionately talking about how the team needs to improve to make the playoffs (at 4-10) to John Wall talking about having “no heart and no fight.”
You still want to win games. How many times in recaps do I have to write “the Wizards couldn’t close….” it becomes a running joke. Personally, with our kajillion dollars in cap space, I rather make a run at a premier FA next year to show Wall we are committed to winning, rather than take on another project.
The artist formerly known as ledellforlife.
i concur
winning as many games as possible and rebuilding the steam from the ground up are not necessarily mutually exclusive. however our primary goal right now is to rebuild the right way so what we do have a perennially successful team, we will win for a much longer time.
by thewiz06 on Nov 28, 2011 5:58 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Go back and look at the drafts
Look at who gets picked at 3 or 4 vs who gets picked at 9 or 10. It’s not a huge difference.
I’m not saying we don’t need more talent. I’m just saying that high lotto picks are a crap shoot, especially outside of the top 2.
A strategy of losing and hoping for a top 2 is foolish. A strategy of losing to move from 9/10 to 4/5 is not worth it.
We are far better off being the tough scrappy young team nobody wants to play and hoping for luck with who we pick rather than what position we land in.
by MR on Nov 28, 2011 7:32 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
rec'd!
I mean shouldnt John Wall’s improvement alone cause us to win more games? Are people hoping his J doesnt start falling? We dont want to see Mcgee take a major step forward? Blatche start earning the money and faith the organization has put into him? J Craw be legit rather than just a player who looked good for a minute on a horrendous team? Jan be worth his draft status?
Another 20ish win campaign (or whatever that is in a 66 game season) means the team really, really sucks. Again. That is not good no matter how you slice it. And losing definitely infects players, it lowers expectations. This Wiz team feels like they have accomplished something if they win 3 games in a row, that mentality will not improve until the team starts winning and most importantly playing meaningful games late in the season.
We barely play any West Conf teams this season, that’s a golden opportunity to make a little noise in the shitty East. Surprise a few people, be in position for a late playoff push, etc. Ping-pong balls be damned
Improvement is an upwards trend with many up's and downs along the road.
Like Rook said, we have 8 players with 1 year of experience or no experience at all. Blatche, McGee and Young also only have 1 year of experience as starters/serious rotation players. Expect a bumpy ride and for a 66 game season that means about 15 to 20 wins I recon.
Secondly the team isn’t very good indeed. Except for Wall there is no second star (or potential second star) on this roster, just a bunch of nice prospects that could or could not become good additional pieces to John and his second banana.
That second banana is probably obtained via the 2012 draft or a huge trade involving some of the current prospects and possibly the capspace saving contract of Lewis. This could happen next off season or as quickly as this season’s trade deadline.
by Dutch Hoopfan on Nov 28, 2011 9:47 AM EST up reply actions
How much did our team really improve?
We are adding Vesely, Singleton and Mack. Two of them won’t even be on the court at the same time, or and none of them is a starter. It’s not like we drafted or signed a guy we are expecting to radically impact this team ever. We drafted role players.
And how many wins do you expect John Wall’s jumper to add? How much better do you actually expect Blatche to be? And my opinion is, it’s going to be years before Javale grows up.
As I type, I realize, I DO NOT have faith in this core behind John Wall. We need another significant impact player. If that doesn’t happen, we will be a middling Eastern Conference team throughout Wall’s tenure here.
I'm a Wizards fan. We've been trying to tell you about Lebron for years. Hated the man before it was cool.
by returnofswagger on Nov 28, 2011 12:16 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I dont have much faith in this crew either
but that doesnt mean I want them to lose so we can draft someone else. If they make the playoffs this season it’s because they are better than I thought they are….preferable to being as bad as I am afraid they are
by DCrez on Nov 28, 2011 3:00 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
Exactly
The whole point of playing is to win. A high draft pick is a nice consolation prize, sure. But I don’t care how you slice it, players get tired or playing for losers. If anyone thinks that John Wall would be happy to keep racking up top five picks, you’re delusional. We all love Wall, and are excited about having a potential superstar. But don’t think for a minute he won’t pull a Lebron and beat feet to a winner willing to pay him money the first chance he gets.
Again, a top five pick is cool to have, but I’d rather start picking later in the draft. WAY later.
Where do they teach you to talk like this? In some Panama City "Sailor wanna hump-hump" bar, or is it getaway day and your last shot at his whiskey? Sell crazy someplace else, we're all stocked up here.
by CJHutch on Nov 28, 2011 9:54 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
couldnt have said it bettter myself
I agree 100% with this. The season hasent even started and I’m hearing about the draft? That’s not cool. If we have a chance at playoffs ( even 8th seed) hell yeah ill take it. We got our star and players around him and I wanna see those players in the playoffs. If we are playing bad and not winning games then we can talk about the draft. Lets just be happy we get to see a exciting young wizards core for. Now
by no more kwame's in dc on Nov 28, 2011 10:15 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
But
If we “start to become a decent team” like you say, there really could be a significant difference in the talent on this team next year, rather than if we sucked and drafted an all star.
If I thought the difference between us drafting 3 or 11 would only hurt our chances of drafting a REAL star a little bit, then I would say the answer is obvious. But if the difference is drafting Quincy Miller, or some role player, then it really isn’t worth it to almost make the playoffs or lose 4-1 in the first round.
I'm a Wizards fan. We've been trying to tell you about Lebron for years. Hated the man before it was cool.
by returnofswagger on Nov 28, 2011 12:09 PM EST up reply actions
Just cuz it's cliche
Dosnt mean its not true. It’s the same thing with saying players should be able to motivate themselves. Sure, but it doesn’t always happen.
And I’m not necessarily talking about players beig ruined because of all he losing. I’m talking about players being tired of playing for a losing organization. You think THAT can’t happen?
Where do they teach you to talk like this? In some Panama City "Sailor wanna hump-hump" bar, or is it getaway day and your last shot at his whiskey? Sell crazy someplace else, we're all stocked up here.
by CJHutch on Nov 28, 2011 10:07 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Best case scenario
Wizards come together… play well as a team… but fall just short of making the playoffs… 29 wins, 37 losses (equivalent to a 37-38 win season in a regular 82 game schedule).
Then they get really, really lucky with the ping pong balls – and get a top 2 pick in a loaded draft….
Ernie does his magic, using some of our Cap space to swing another BOYD trade with a second first round pick attached.
One lottery pick, and another first rounder in a LOADED draft. Jared Sullinger will fit in nicely at Power Forward (after Andray Blatche comes into camp out of shape for a third consecutive year and puts up another sub-par year) – and Mouphtaou Yarou (6’10" Villanova Center) might be a nice pick later in the first round…. Yarou is strong, mobile and aggressive. He’s got a terrific motor and a high basketball IQ – but not much of an offensive game….
I used to have super powers until my psychiatrist took them away.
Knowing nothing but what you said...
Doesn’t Yarou sound a little like Hamady? What’s the upside to drafting a younger, less experienced version?
I hope we get a top pick too
but Sully worries me, he isnt a gifted athlete at all, which would be fine except he plays against garbage competition. The loss of weight is impressive but i still dont think he can even stand up to Dejaun Blair, or even Seraphin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C569718Wzaw -he’s lookin good
Keveen looks like he would manhandle Sully now
Basically the Frenchman got paid and decided to eat his way into a terrible rookie year….now he is looking awesome and I really hope he gets minutes at PF, could be the banger we need tho I wonder if his rebounding will have improved enough
The day Seraphin starts taking minutes from Javale, is the day Javale might start taking learning how to play his position, more seriously.
I'm a Wizards fan. We've been trying to tell you about Lebron for years. Hated the man before it was cool.
by returnofswagger on Nov 28, 2011 12:19 PM EST up reply actions
Pass on Sullinger please.
He’s not gonna be able to score or defend the post in the league.
we will probably have three back to back to backs.
by thewiz06 on Nov 27, 2011 9:19 PM EST via mobile reply actions
As to those detail on the amnesty clause
I am anxious to see a list of the potential candidates that will be available. Maybe none of the (likely) older guys will be someone this team looks into picking up off the waiver wire. Or maybe one of the vet PG’s or big’s Flip is interested in fall into his lap.
Either way, it does make for some very interesting player movement.
I'm a Wizards fan. We've been trying to tell you about Lebron for years. Hated the man before it was cool.
by returnofswagger on Nov 27, 2011 10:16 PM EST reply actions
On the amnesty clause
There is nothing precluding Lewis from agreeing to take half of the shortfall between his current salary and the highest bid for his services. If he wants to play for a championship caliber team, such a deal would incent Leonsis to invoke the amnesty clause.
sorry
But we need one more I can’t believe we are that bad season and then we can start nthe ascension. We need to get a top 5 pick and get one more serious difference maker lots of good 3’s in the coming draft a couple good bigs.
Not time for a respectable failing season we need one more belly up one. Then we’re straight.
Whichever scenario we end up with this year
I hope John Wall arrives at the top table of superstar players and develops that jump shot.
by wuds100 on Nov 27, 2011 11:55 PM EST via mobile reply actions 1 recs
Make the playoffs and see what happens
Wanting the wizards to lose for a better draft pick is for LOSERS.
Leave that for the Kings and Bobcat fans.
by jmpalomo on Nov 28, 2011 12:50 AM EST via mobile reply actions 1 recs
We're still not a very good team. So I'm gonna root for a win every night but know we are very likely to not make the playoffs anyway.
We have 1 stud. Thát’s it. No way you make the playoffs with this roster.
by Dutch Hoopfan on Nov 28, 2011 5:33 AM EST up reply actions
Root for a win but expect to lose
Unless someone really blossoms into an All Star along with JW we ain’t going anywhere this year. All I hope for is that we play hard the whole game all season.
The off season is a time for optimism but someone has to be the realist——-the Wizzies won’t be very good this year either : (
If Wizards gets to playoffs
Draft was better than thought and/or players improved a LOT during summer. If not we get better draft pick. I can live with either.
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