76ers Vs. Wizards Preseason Game 1 Recap: Yeah, Let's Forget That One
by Mike Prada on Dec 16, 2011 9:23 PM EST
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PrintSo, yeah, that didn't exactly go as planned. The Wizards looked flat early against the Philadelphia 76ers, and the end result was a 103-78 beatdown loss that looked better than it actually was. It's only preseason, so let's be careful to make any sweeping generalizations on the game, but looking so uncompetitive in any setting is cause for concern.
A couple quick thoughts on the game.
- Everyone looked really tired: The most obvious sign of this was seeing how all those missed jump shots actually missed. The front of the rim got quite a workout tonight, as it seemed like every single missed jump shot was short. When your legs are tired, the shots miss short. You have to wonder if the Wizards' training camp was the cause of this, either because they weren't in as good a shape as was professed or because they were pushed too hard. Neither is an especially good thing.
- There were still a lot of defensive breakdowns: I didn't like JaVale McGee's defensive game tonight. He was still poor with his pick and roll defense, and he let Spencer Hawes get open too often, compromising the rest of the defense. Also, I didn't like his rebounding. But really, everyone was bad, except for maybe Chris Singleton and Jan Vesely.
- The offense was not crisp at all: Man, there was a lot of standing around. It's no wonder all those jumpers missed. There were a couple bad shots taken early and the offense was never to regain its rhythm. Chris Miller said it best: they looked like a team that barely practiced offense in training camp. It didn't help that John Wall wasn't enough of a difference-maker attacking the basket.
- If Crawford was trying to make his case for more PT, he failed: It's far too soon to jump to the conclusion that this team needs to meet Nick Young's reported demands, but Crawford really struggled with his jump shot and in the half-court offense. He still hasn't demonstrated that he can be a capable player when he needs to work off his teammates.
- On the bright side...: Jan Vesely looked a lot better than I thought -- really solid defensive instincts, and he'll learn how to use his length. Chris Singleton was OK, and Shelvin Mack played well against Philadelphia's bench guys in the fourth quarter. And ... that's pretty much it.
Give credit to the 76ers as well, because they looked regular-season ready, especially defensively. The Wizards, on the other hand, still looked like the wheels were turning slowly in their head. They looked like they were thinking rather than reacting. That's the sign of a team that isn't ready for the task at hand in a week, for whatever reason. They'll need to develop that in-game rhythm quickly if they want to improve this season.
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Singleton had a few defensive plays that made me go "whoa". Jan looked good.
Even the shots that Jan missed…I liked what I saw.
Looks like he’ll turn out a great pick if tonight was any indication.
No way
Philly can keep up that shooting, or Washington can continue to shoot that bad on the regular, I’d expect the next game to be much closer
its only preseason fellas
Jan Is going to be a real nice surprise and I was impressed with how he played considering all the talk about his confussion this week. John showed glimpses of a much better shot and form but I want him to attack the rim more. JV not a good way to show us how you changed from last year. But it is only one PREseason game so I’m not going to worry to much YET
by no more kwame's in dc on Dec 16, 2011 9:31 PM EST via mobile reply actions
oh yeah
Give Nick young a blank check and let him play. Seems like we couldn’t score. You know its bad when I’m rooting for Roger Mason to shoot every shot
by no more kwame's in dc on Dec 16, 2011 9:42 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
I'm definitely encouraged
by how well it sounds like our rookies played tonight. Seeing Jan run the court with Wall should be a lot of fun and we know what Singleton can bring to the team on defense.
by Uknowit2309 on Dec 16, 2011 10:03 PM EST up reply actions
hell yeah its gonna be fun
And maybe jvm will be running down court with them (without dribbling it down) and we could have a dunk contest in every game. Heck maybe even gets some wins in while doing it. Its to early to say we wont be good but I think we can win more games this year than last. It should be a fun season though
by no more kwame's in dc on Dec 17, 2011 1:57 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
If we're a team that didnt take time on offense, that means we spent all our time on D
and if THATS true, then all is truly lost
For people wondering about Wall
Rose shot 3-9, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 6 TO, 16 points (10-10 FT). He did not have a great game either.
This is just preseason. He’ll be fine.
I see what you are saying but
Wall did not play against Rose tonight. I would guess he was matched up against Holiday, and again I did not see the game so what I think means nothing. But, looking solely at the box score it looks like Wall was bettered by Holiday in EVERY statistical category
"Talent is God-given; be humble. Fame is man-given; be grateful. Conceit is self-given; be careful." John Wooden
Oh yeah
I was just saying, even a superstar like Rose had a horrid preseason game. It could just be rust.
by DCSportsAllDay on Dec 16, 2011 10:06 PM EST up reply actions
preseason really isnt for fans
what fans think ‘pickup ball’ is to nba players, thats actually what preseason is to nba players. Meaning this is what is real practice to them, this is where they really get to test what works and doesnt in their game, what needs work, etc. If you are watching and trying to take account the stats of the game, you will find yourself disappointed. Instead its more important to focus on the little things in preseason, the plays that are run, the system, the defense the bench players.
I dont care what the D.N.A. Says, the Guy wearing number 12 Cannot be Kirk Hinrich, he is definetly Kurt. Kirk can actually play basketball!
by piccolomair on Dec 16, 2011 10:26 PM EST up reply actions
Still
getting trounced in a pickup game isn’t anything to write home about either.
by Marine4Life51 on Dec 16, 2011 10:31 PM EST up reply actions
right, from a players perspective this is true
and you could see it on their faces, they probably hated the loss as much as you did, moreso even. I think if you see them get blown out in the next game, then you can worry a little. Id bet they make the necessary changes, maybe they wont win perse, but they wont be blown out…
I dont care what the D.N.A. Says, the Guy wearing number 12 Cannot be Kirk Hinrich, he is definetly Kurt. Kirk can actually play basketball!
by piccolomair on Dec 16, 2011 10:36 PM EST up reply actions
i wouldnt take next game to serious either
But if we get blown out again and the same players that struggled tonight struggle next game then MAYBE we’ll have something to be worried about. Am I the only one who wants to see Jon start next game for Lewis? It is preseason right? Why not start him?
by no more kwame's in dc on Dec 16, 2011 10:48 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
because its preseason?
Am I the only one who wants to see Jon start next game for Lewis? It is preseason right? Why not start him?
I dont care what the D.N.A. Says, the Guy wearing number 12 Cannot be Kirk Hinrich, he is definetly Kurt. Kirk can actually play basketball!
by piccolomair on Dec 16, 2011 10:54 PM EST up reply actions
so you want him to start or you dont?
I hated almost every minute Lewis had the ball
by no more kwame's in dc on Dec 16, 2011 10:59 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
i didnt see the game, so i dont deserve to have my opinions taken seriously
but…it was one preseason game, and as bad as lewis played, and as good as jan played, it was a sample size of one game. I think if maybe a week into the actual nba season you can consider it. But the chances that you put jan as the starter and lewis on the bench for the next game, and their production switches are pretty good. And if that happens, you go into the regular season with a ton of questions, who is better, who should start, thats a lot of turmoil in the locker room, needless i might add.
Its better to leave the normal starters in for right now, and then if lewis continues to suffer, or more importantly, if jan continues to out play lewis on both ends of the court, then you consider making the switch.
Another thing to look at might be the system, its possible lewis’ ability to spread the floor is an important cog in the flip offense. Even if he isnt hitting those shots at a good clip, its possible the threat of him being able to hit the shot is enough to allow the offense to run, you obviously lose that (reputation?) with jan, and so maybe the defense closes in more on wall.
Especially without nick young, it seems like outside shooting is lacking in your starting group, and if you take away lewis defenses will wall in and prevent inside buckets, which are blatche, wall, and even jans point of offense.
but you guys would know better about this team than i would…
I dont care what the D.N.A. Says, the Guy wearing number 12 Cannot be Kirk Hinrich, he is definetly Kurt. Kirk can actually play basketball!
by piccolomair on Dec 16, 2011 11:18 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
the locker room
The locker room will be OK with the change. It shows them that if your not performing the way we expect you to then you’ll be on the benched. That’s a good message to send to these youngsters IMO. So I say DO IT NOW. But that’s just my opinion
by no more kwame's in dc on Dec 16, 2011 11:52 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Jan looked like he belonged out there
A pleasant surprise. Singleton’s got to fall out of love with that three-point shot. Seraphin is in good shape, he could give us some good minutes this year. The new unis are cool, and so is the court. We didn’t see much of it, but Wall showed a willingness at points to take shots he wouldn’t take last season. In summary: every garden needs some fertilizer, and we got some of that tonight.
That's the shot you want Singleton taking.
They’ll start falling soon.
by jones-y on Dec 17, 2011 1:02 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
yeah, I like the uni's
But I’d LOVE them if they said BULLETS
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 Dec 17, 2011 1:20 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Yeah
The thing with Singleton is, you kinda want him to be that Three and D James Posey type guy, but his three point shot just isn’t that great yet.
by Marine4Life51 on Dec 17, 2011 11:56 AM EST up reply actions
Funniest tweet belongs to MrMichealLee
They practice against each other. RT @LocomotiveAndy How come we look good in practice but we suck when it comes to actually playing games?
by KurisuDevil on Dec 16, 2011 9:47 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
I did not see the game, but the box score is ugly
Wiz starting guards were 6-22 with 5 assists and 7 turnovers
"Talent is God-given; be humble. Fame is man-given; be grateful. Conceit is self-given; be careful." John Wooden
Blatche is a joke
I was very disappointed in him today. It doesn’t look like his conditioning has improved at all to me. He still looks slow & out of shape. And he’s terrible on rotations and recognizing when to help on D.
The guy has all the talent in the world, but I don’t think he’ll ever put in the work to reach his full potential.
Formerly know as iNFamous SWaGG
blatche was bad on D
but he looked like he was the only one who gave two sh*ts on O, and frankly, most every else besides Vesely and Singleton were horrible on D as well. We didn’t see him drift on the perimeter as much, and we saw him get to the line a lot and attack the paint. That is encouraging to me.
by Marine4Life51 on Dec 16, 2011 10:00 PM EST up reply actions
Not sure how your take away is that Blatche is the problem
His game wasn’t perfect, but his play was better than most of the team
Pierre is the smooth operator. @JaValeMcGee34 is the monster you've grown to know on the court.
by Elvin_is_my_Elvis on Dec 16, 2011 10:05 PM EST up reply actions
I mean, he wasn't the worst player on the floor, but he was a big part of the problem
Once the Sixers pulled McGee out of the paint, it was an automatic 2-points because Dray didn’t bother to contest any shots inside. And he gave up some O-rebs.
And his lack of conditioning will be exposed once the reg season starts.
Formerly know as iNFamous SWaGG
Yeah, and once again
Yes blatche was bad on D. But guess what, so was pretty much everyone else on the court.
He was the only guy on offense that did much of anything.
by Marine4Life51 on Dec 16, 2011 10:32 PM EST up reply actions
yeah Blatche was terrible on defense
To beat the Wizards its an easy plan.
run pick and roll , either attack Mcgee hard because he doesn’t square up and turn back the guard or the guard waits for wall and attacks him hard and the guard penetrates gets the Wizards in rotation and Blatche just stands there and never contests or holds the guy up to allow Mcgee to recover.
if you can pull Mcgee out the Wizards are toast at the rim.
Didn't watch the game
But judging by the box score and comments from the in-game thread it sounds to me like this team needs to resign NY pronto. $9M is too high but I think we can/should get him at $6m for 4 yrs or so. I mean who are the 3-point shooters on this team? Rashard Lewis? He can;t be counted on to be the primary deep threat at this point in his career. Crawford is a reckless gunner IMHO and is a combo guard off the bench to provide a prak — nothing more. Resign Nick Ernie…the team has money to spend and lord know they need to spend at least a little of it.
Yes, I suspect Nick is feeling a lot better about life this morning...
Nothing like a dose of harsh reality to remind management that Nick is sort of kind of necessary to this team.
Blatche sucked...
He was terrible tonight. Maybe showed a nice move in the post or two, then blew an assignment on defense or started back with his behind the back dribble that doesn’t fool anybody or the 19 footers and inexplicable fadeaways.
in other words
He played like Andray Blatche.
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 Dec 17, 2011 1:21 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Dear Nick,
“According to Bartelstein, Stevenson agreed to a two-year contract worth the NBA minimum salary. Since he has six-plus years of service, that would be $932,015 for the first year. Stevenson has a player option in the second year of the contract. The deal was officially signed on Saturday.
The deal is a pretty big blow to Stevenson financially. He opted out of a contract this spring that would have paid him $3 million and then turned down a three-year, $10 million contract from the Magic in early July."
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2538921
I believe Stevenson was smart not to take the offer, he played 1 year at the minimum and signed a 4-year 15 million contract after.
by ap3604 on Dec 16, 2011 11:44 PM EST up reply actions
I'm 0-2 today
I proved to be wrong about Mo Evans, and well I’m wrong about this. I think I’m going to sit this weekend out, haha nice catch ap!
by Emmet O'Neal on Dec 17, 2011 2:06 AM EST up reply actions
Don't overreact about what this says in regard to Nick Young?
Whatever you say! Looked to me like this team will never be able to score without Nick. Who will we depend on for made jumpers? Jordan Crawford? If we don’t sign Nick or SOMEBODY who can shoot, we’re in for an even longer, more painful season than we thought.
but ..but...but
jordan crawford thinks he can be michael jordan incarnate….
its preseason so its probably a bad idea to jump to any conclusion, good or bad
I dont care what the D.N.A. Says, the Guy wearing number 12 Cannot be Kirk Hinrich, he is definetly Kurt. Kirk can actually play basketball!
by piccolomair on Dec 16, 2011 10:29 PM EST up reply actions
I agree
this team needs either NY or another 3-point shooter. I mean, what if we get so desperate for threes Blatche starts posting up back there…
by Uknowit2309 on Dec 16, 2011 10:45 PM EST up reply actions
Blatche sucked...
He would show a nice post move, which he followed up with some terrible defense, a fadeaway, a 19 footer, or a move involving that horrendous behind the back dribble he uses. Can someone get David Kahn on the phone, please?
I think I'm torn
between feeling it’s a meaningless preseason game, and how the people on the Titanic felt after they first struck the ice.
Crawford yells out “I’m the King of the World. Suck it, MJ” and then the boat goes down.
The two Wizards who I don’t think should get a pass tonight: AB and McGee. They should have won their match-ups. They didn’t.
Blatche was the least of our problems
The starting backcourt was badly outplayed on both ends. The Sixers were hitting wide open jumpers all night. Offensively, Wall and Crawford each got a dunk but that was it. Defensively they were dominated by Holliday and Lou Williams. Hard to see how Blatche and McGee are to blame yet Wall and Crawford are allowed to skate.
There's a difference
Between guys going into their second year, and guys who are in their 7th and 4th year. I’m willing to chalk up a bad game to player development for them, more so then I am for those two players.
Hawes shot 75% with McGee guarding him. Brand shot 5-7 with McGee on him. A team can’t win when their front court can’t guard anybody. McGee was completely out of control.
there's also a difference between smalls and bigs.
bigs take longer.
Not sure
how AB was the problem tonight. He had some good buckets and got to the line. Didn’t watch the game so I can’t comment on the defense but it sounds like EVERYONE (save the rooks) phoned it in on that end of the floor.
by Uknowit2309 on Dec 16, 2011 10:47 PM EST up reply actions
When you play this bad,
there’s plenty of blame to pass around. However, AB’s looked terrible on defense. (Brand shot 5-7). He wasn’t moving the ball well (0 assists). He wasn’t particularly active on the board (4 rebounds).
That’s not to say his game was completely terrible. He did draw contact well. He shot FTs well. I think given his status as veteran, he should be held accountable.
i didnt watch the game
aside from individual players, how did the wizards system look? See anything new they were trying to implement. Were there specific plays for jan, pick and roll action with wall and some big. Or were they just running the same plays as last year?
I dont care what the D.N.A. Says, the Guy wearing number 12 Cannot be Kirk Hinrich, he is definetly Kurt. Kirk can actually play basketball!
15 wins max
The Wizards won’t win more than 15 games this season.
15 Wins...I agree
They only won 23 last year out of 82 and that was with training camps, etc. etc. 15 wins is pretty generous. There is nothing about the this team that says they can do better..I can’t think of any team that is in worse shape.
by JeffMalone#24 on Dec 17, 2011 7:39 AM EST up reply actions
I said 2 weeks ago we would struggle to win 15 games, based on our roster
and that was including the assumption NY resigns. I also said I wouldn’t mind the losing as long as we play our youngsters and everybody plays with all-out effort.
I didn’t see the game but going of the staggering 76ers boxscore and the comments, I don
’t think they lived up to the second precondition.
Who won? Who lost? Who cares?! The NBA is Back! - David Aldridge
What seems to be the officer, problem? - Randy Marsh
by Dutch Hoopfan on Dec 17, 2011 9:23 AM EST up reply actions
in the other games last night
They were all competitive…..
by thewiz06 on Dec 17, 2011 9:47 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Even though this is one preseason game
Jordan Crawford showed me that he cannot be the starting 2 guard for this team. He is good off the bench but he is not good playing off of other players as a 3rd or 4th option.
I thought Blatche defense was meh, but so was everyone else. They looked awful.
I thought Wall did a bad job getting the team in a rhythm on offense. Everyone just looked like they were confused out there. He didn’t get the team organized out there (you can blame Flip too).
McGee was completely out of control on both ends. He needs to calm down.
Vesely looked good. His defense was impressive to me.
by ThePGPhenomenon on Dec 16, 2011 10:42 PM EST reply actions
Blatche and McGee
Are getting too much flack for how atrocious Wall and Crawford’s defense’s were. The perimeter got destroyed. Holiday straight up WAXED Wall tonight. No need to even sugar coat it.
You’re asking too much if you expect both McGee and Blatche to pick up blown assignments on what seems like EVERY single defensive possession.
Geting it done.
And as bad as some of you think Blatche played.
Nobody on the court cared more than him. The guy was on the verge of tears in the locker room when describing about his teammates lack of passion during the game.
Geting it done.
by Knowledge92 on Dec 16, 2011 11:06 PM EST reply actions 7 recs
I'm as big as a Dray fan as anyone
But I’m not going to lie and cover for him. He was our weakest interior easily. He talks the talk, but doesn’t walk the walk.
Formerly know as iNFamous SWaGG
Again
It doesn’t help when your guards can’t defend the perimeter to save their lives. You can’t magically expect Blatche to turn into Dwight Howard and be perfectly capable of handling everyone else’s blown assignments.
Geting it done.
by Knowledge92 on Dec 16, 2011 11:18 PM EST up reply actions 3 recs
Agreed on the fact that too much defensive blame goes on the interior players.
It’s a two part system:
1- guards need to keep their man in front of them (unless a screen comes up)
2- if a screen does come up, then the interior player needs to help in order to avoid penetration
by ap3604 on Dec 16, 2011 11:49 PM EST up reply actions
Predictably bad
They have zero shooters on the team right now, so the lack of offense isn’t surprising. And they got killed on the defensive boards versus Phily. What else is new?
I’m not sure where the improvement is going to come from. The competition has gotten better than the Wiz have.
They have to get stops or create turnovers.
I thought they would overplay the passing lanes more, which isn’t great defense, but does create fast break opportunities.
it creates fastbreak opps on both ends
I didnt watch the game, so i dont know. But i remember hawes being more of a faceup player (despite being notorious for knowing every post move in the book) so im assuming the way he punished mcgee was by knocking down 15 footers, and if mcgee closed in on him then he probably hit cutters which could have led to wide open shots….
i think the wizards should have a rule where mcgee stays near the rim at all times, and have blatche roam around the high post on defense. It might work better with booker though. Its essentially like a quasi zone, just with those two. Mcgee’s best attribute is his ability to alter shots with his length and athleticism. In this game, i would have certainly had blatche guard hawes not mcgee…..
I dont care what the D.N.A. Says, the Guy wearing number 12 Cannot be Kirk Hinrich, he is definetly Kurt. Kirk can actually play basketball!
by piccolomair on Dec 16, 2011 11:23 PM EST up reply actions
The starters sucked.
Everyone of them.
Blatch, Javale, JC. Rashard, & even John Wall. Just horrible. Wall couldn’t get the team in rhythm. No one could hit an open shot. Looked like the first game -— Oh yeah it was.
Still I thought that JW cudda got his team going. Just a pitiful looking team. Back to the drawing board and work on the things that need fixing——pretty much everything.
Pleasant surprise was Vesely. He looked like he knew where to be on D and moved well on O. Singleton showed a couple of flashes on D also.
Next game needs to be much better or it will be BAD.
Last preseason it was the 3-guard offense
with Hinrich, Wall and Agent Nada. Now Flip thinks Seraphin is a center. What does he have against H? The kid looked decent every time he hit the floor last season.
On a positive note, I thought JaVale was better from the line. Mack looks pretty savvy in transition and Singleton did well on Turner.
by el freako on Dec 16, 2011 11:28 PM EST via mobile reply actions
That was an awesome play he had there
Hope we see a lot more of those. Definitely showed more lift on that dunk than at most points last season.
"Blake Griffin is the American Jan Vesely" - Jan Vesely
by PhenomenalSwag on Dec 17, 2011 12:20 AM EST up reply actions
reminds me a little bit when
DeShawn made a three when we were losing to the Cavs by 20 points and still did I can’t feel my face.
THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO EXCUSE FOR A TEAM TO GO OUT THERE AND PLAY AS FLAT AS THE WIZARDS DID, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!
This is a young roster that should be running up and down the floor, not walk up lazily on offense.
Fatigue? With a young team, there is NO EXCUSE!, especially when we played against another roster that is generally young, like US! Everyone should be ashamed of themselves! I don’t care if this is a “preseason” game! We have nearly and ENTIRE ROSTER and MOST of the guys from LAST YEAR’S TEAM, so many of these guys should know their hot spots, etc.! I was so shocked to the point where I just couldn’t boo!
I am fine with losing which I anticipate, BUT I AM NOT FINE WITH PLAYING LISTLESSLY FROM START TO FINISH, AND THAT INCLUDES A PRESEASON GAME!!!!!!
by thewiz06 on Dec 16, 2011 11:55 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
I was at the game tonight and I honestly don’’t know what some of you were watching. Singleton looked ordinary at best. He had a nice steal, hit a 3 but over all looked very pedestrian. At best he is a one dimensional roll player. Mack looked ordinary as well until garbage time in the fourth quarter. The guy that really disappointed me the most was Vesely! I think most you have forgotten that he was the 6th overall pick in the draft! He is not just some late round, best player available project player like Blatch was. As the 6th pick he is supposed to have game and contribute right out the box. He’s not supposed to be a guy you wait on and in a few years becomes a decent contributor but that’s exactly what you saw from him. This guy does not have the 6th overall pick skill level and I find that quite disturbing! He is a lottery pick project if there is such a thing!
For those who didn’t see the game the Wizards were down 85 to 40 in the third quarter yet some you said that the rookies showed promise and not worry about this lost? Really? People I know this is a Redskins town but this is not football! Preseason games are not the vanilla on vanilla affairs that you see in the NFL. Guys play and the results are what they are, the results are real!
I will leave you with this. Don’t do what Redskins fans do and judge the team by looking to see if there is improvement over at last years team. Take the rose colored glass off and look at the roster! Is this roster capable of winning the division, the conference, the title? As a roster, player for player, are they better than the Magic, Heat, Hawks, Bobcats? Are they competitive with the Knicks, Celtics, 76ers, Bulls, Pacers, Bucks? Player for player, roster against roster you know the answer is NO! We all know in our hearts that Ted Leonsis’s philosophy is a disaster waiting to happen! Why would you want to see this roster of mediocre player improve when you already know that no matter how much they improve they will never be A list players on the level of John Wall. This rebuild needs to be rebuilt with vets and talented players with experience. That is the only proven thing that works. Other the Spurs what other team has drafted its core and won an NBA championship?
No One! So why does Ted think he can!
Ted's plan can work
but every draft pick MUST be able to contribute immediately in a positive manner. Also, everyone gets older, so in a year or two, more of this team is closer to its “prime years.” I think we will make a FA move at some point, but we need viable pieces for any trade, and right now, we don’t really have many.
But Ted must make a change to let the players know that listlessness is unacceptable!
I think you need to curb your anger a little bit.
Your expectations are through the roof if you think just because we drafted the 6th overall pick, that means he must be NBA-ready and contribute right out of the box. When you pick high in the draft, you draft for potential, all we want is to see him contribute and improve this year. He doesn’t need to put up 20 and 10 as a rookie. He actually looked okay tonight for his first NBA action. Btw, here are the former 6th overall picks. How many were NBA-ready right out of the gate? You tell me:
Ekpe Udoh
Johnny Flynn
Gallinari
Yi Jianlian
Brandon Roy
Martell Webster
Josh Childress
Chris Kaman
Dajuan Wagner
Shane Battier
DeMarr Johnson
Wally Szczerbiak
Robert Traylor
Ron Mercer
Antoine Walker
Bryant Reeves
Sharone Wright
"Blake Griffin is the American Jan Vesely" - Jan Vesely
by PhenomenalSwag on Dec 17, 2011 12:13 AM EST up reply actions 2 recs
repeat after me: 3-year rebuild
The Wiz were terrible last night, but stepping back a little, what are you expecting this season? The Wiz have Wall, who we hope will become truly elite. They might eventually have a top-ten center in McGee, though I wouldn’t hold my breath. And they seem to have done a nice job in this year’s weak draft and with later picks from the last draft in acquiring young, high-IQ, solid roleplayers (Vesely, Singleton, Booker, maybe Seraphim, maybe Mack). Meanwhile, they will have oodles of cap room once they amnesty Lewis next year.
If you add one all-star and one borderline all-star, this team looks really good — and if they stay on the plan, they will have a good chance to do that by using both the draft and free agency. The best thing the Wizards can do this year is keep their powder dry, land an early pick in next year’s loaded draft, and then spend some money bringing in a really good free agent in a position of need. They have a good plan, and they’ve been executing it well. It takes three years, and we’re in year two. This year, I’m hoping for good effort, close games, a leap by Wall, and a record that will get them a top-5 pick. That pick will be crucial.
by Newjamarcus on Dec 17, 2011 11:44 AM EST up reply actions
then id bet you are angrier than most
since you actually paid to watch your team get killed, and were forced to sit in that seat for at least 36 minutes while your heart kept whispering “maybe john will suddenly go off” “maybe we somehow come back” “maybe…” and so you sit and watch garbage play after garbage play cuz your heart wont let you get up. And then somewhere in the 4th you realize what you always knew, they are playing like garbage, and you search for reasons and answers, but when you walked in you thought the bar had been raised and here you are, watching a worse team than you remember.
Not that i’d know or anything…..
point is, you , because were at the game, dont really come back with any extra knowledge or special view that somehow proves most of the theories here wrong (jan did have a good game statisically compared to the rest of the team, regardless of how you ‘thought’ he looked, compared to some subjective reasoning in your mind) but you came back with all of the emotion of the event. THe dissapointment of a blowout is fresh, its a wound you recieved from your visit, and more than any ‘rose colored glasses’ concept, its that wound that gives YOU a bias look at what you witnessed.
I do agree with a point of yours though, and that is about upgrading the talent. I think its naive to imagine this very team becoming a contender, and even IF this team has some super duper 1/100000 luck and lands a second star player like wall, it still will need to make changes to the foundation of the team.
The point of this season, as i got from rook, is to have the players learn, get better, and then start trading them. Wall needs better players, and the wizards need their players to produce well enough that other team will be interested in having those players, so that the wizards can pick up other assets to help build around wall. Im failry sure that is the point of this season, to teach the young guys, and create a core to build around….
I dont care what the D.N.A. Says, the Guy wearing number 12 Cannot be Kirk Hinrich, he is definetly Kurt. Kirk can actually play basketball!
by piccolomair on Dec 17, 2011 12:50 AM EST up reply actions
chill out
Wow you take the time to go to a preseason game then talk sh*t? C’mon this was a terrible game but you put a lot of energy into putting the team down. Jan just came hear a week ago from Serbia and your critizing him. Chris had come good defensive plays and more to come once he gets familiar with the system . I think your forgetting these guys only had 6 1/2 days to prep when they normally would have a month. With that said the veterans have no excuse or their performance
by Jordo on Dec 17, 2011 1:11 AM EST via iPhone app up reply actions
Didn't see the game and I'm glad i didnt after reading all this, but DAMN THOSE JERSEY AND THE COURTTTT!!!! WE LOOK GOOOOOOOOD!!!
We might have another 50 loss year but at least we’re gonna look good doing it, for the first time in a long time.
I didn’t watch the game, but judging by the comments on here, the play-by-play, recap and boxscore, it looks like 1) the young guys were pretty nervous, 2) the Sixers are a half-decent team (better than they were last year when they made the playoffs) and 3) we need Nick Young back.
So happy to hear from the comments on here that Jan “looked like he belonged.” I’m really pulling for him, I feel he’s got alot of potential as an AK47 type player and I want to see him reach that. Happy that Singleton, Vesely and Mack were three of the bright spots. The other guys will do work once they get into a rythm. You can pencil Blatche in for near 18/8 (albeit without much defense), McGee for probably close to a double double, and Wall for between 16/8 and 22/10. Everyone just had an off game today, it seemed like.
I still hate Jordan Crawford
I hope we re-sign Nick to a reasonable contract or at least start Roger Mason at the beginning of the season. I’m not a fan of Crawford’s herky jerky style of play.
this year is about fact-finding
Like you, I have great doubts about Jordan Crawford. But he does have a lot of upside potential. Nick is an average 2-guard, at best, and it’s really not that hard to find an average 2-guard down the road to plug roster gaps. I’d rather see a lot of Crawford this year to see if he can develop. This year is not about winning a lot of games, it’s about development and seeing what we’ve got.
The team will look very different next year with another high draft pick from what’s shaping up as a terrific draft, plus, we presume, a very good free agent or two. This year is about finding out which young players on the roster can really play and develop. We don’t need Nick.
by Newjamarcus on Dec 17, 2011 12:02 PM EST up reply actions
This is a poorly constructed team....
I’ve been around for a while. I’m and old dude. I’ve been on this site for a couple season now. It kills me to read some of things I’ve read over the years here about this team and this rebuild. I’m not a hockey fan so Ted gets no love from me! I’ve study what he did there, I’ve looked at what he is doing here. It’s not going to work! there is no premium or advantage for being young in the NBA like there is in the NFL Youth will get your coach fired, youth will lead to off the court incidents, youth will lead to frustration that leads to locker room issue and bad team chemistry! This team is poorly constructed from top to bottom. You can not have rookies backing up inexperienced players with D-Leaguers, mediocre and past there prime vets thrown in the mix. You can not have a roster were the over whelming majority of your players can not play on an NBA level. Somebody has to know how to play! Everyone can’t be in full learning mode all the time and all at the same time! The second unit Flip put on the floor consisted of four rookies and Roger Mason Jr. who is trying to find his game again! It didn’t produce results and it never will! You should have seen the look on Flips face. The blank discussed stare said it all. I think he see the hand writing on the wall. he knows that this poorly constructed roster is going to get him fired sooner than later and it’s probably for the best!
I’ve decided that I can’t be silent any longer! I will be respectful but I am going to point out just ridiculous Ted Leonsis philosophy is.
One more thing. Ted always talks abut developing players. Really? When is the last time the Wizard DRAFTED a rookie, coach him, nurtured him, guided him and that player made the All-star team? John Wall will probably be the first in a couple of Decades……Year after year fans continuously complain about draft picks that crash and burn and all the while I’ve said look no further than the assitant coaching staffs that have been here. Abe never put a premium on coaching! Ted is following right in footsteps. It probably makes more sense to bring a D-League coaching staff up here because of all the youth and inexperience we are going to be dealing with for the foreseeable future.
Thanks a lot Ted……….
Hey, what I heard was
the rookies and Roger Mason Jr. was that BETTER part of the roster.
So you want us to go after 2nd/3rd tier stars
like a David West, and have no cap flexibility for the forseeable future? Yeah, I’m glad you’re not the GM.
Formerly know as iNFamous SWaGG
What I want is smart ownership
Yea, like drafting late first and second rounders is so successful Like the Wizard have a reputation of coaching up rookies and transforming them in to productive starters.
What I want is smart ownership that recognizes that this is not hockey or football! What I want is ownership that recognizes that the draft is broken, that the draft is a crap shoot, that teams that win do it with free agent signings and trades of productive vets with experience! Other than than the Spurs who else has done this and won an NBA championship? One of anything is not a trend or a model to follow. One is a anomaly, a fluke, exception to the rule!
OKC?
Havent won yet though.
I agree with you to an extend. Drafting your star in Wall and surrounding him with a combination of draftpicks, trades, FA’s.
One thing to keep in mind though, DC isn’t attracting FA’s unless the team is winning. So, stockpile prospects, make some trades and add a complementary FA is probably the way to go. Currently, were still stockpiling.
Who won? Who lost? Who cares?! The NBA is Back! - David Aldridge
What seems to be the officer, problem? - Randy Marsh
by Dutch Hoopfan on Dec 17, 2011 10:19 AM EST up reply actions
I'm not sure why you think we won't ever be active in free agency.
Clearly, next year we probably will be. Who should we have picked up in free agency this year that is worth tying up cap space? Dwight, Paul?
by ronoD nagrO on Dec 17, 2011 10:57 AM EST up reply actions
This is only Year 2 of Ted's ownership.
How can you already label it a failure and poor philosophy? The large majority of our team is younger than 25, we have one of the youngest teams in the league. We have a budding star in John Wall. This is only Year 2. We are not supposed to be competitive during Year 2. This is like a developmental year for us. The time was not right to over-spend on free agents this year. No one worth it. All I can say is be patient with Ted’s process.
"Blake Griffin is the American Jan Vesely" - Jan Vesely
by PhenomenalSwag on Dec 17, 2011 11:41 AM EST up reply actions
I would certianly not say failure or suggest it
but I find some of Ted’s comments worrisome, specifically that it’s all about the process not the results. As long as we have young players and draft another young guy next year, everything must be on track because well….we have young players? Some of these guys can play and some are bums and perhaps the GM cant tell the difference and maybe the coach isnt suited to what we’re trying to do. Those are major issues that need to be determined relatively quickly as opposed to constant “it’s gonna take some time” responses. It IS going to take some time, but that is a separate issue as to whether we are heading down the right track or not
I guess I don't find them too worrisome.
Wins and losses don’t really matter much this year. Sure it would be great to go .500, but as long as the young guys play hard, have the right attitude, develop chemistry, etc., Ws and Ls are kind of a secondary thing. The process this year should be to get the young guys as many minutes as possible and evaluate them as they give 100% effort every night (hopefully). I’m not too worried about our record in just Year 2 of Ted’s plan. From some of the comments made by Ted and Ernie, I expect some pretty big moves to be made next off-season; not only signing big free agents because of our cap situation, but trading some of our assets because we’ve stockpiled so many young players. I think anyone outside of Wall, Vesely, Singleton, and McGee could be traded next year.
"Blake Griffin is the American Jan Vesely" - Jan Vesely
by PhenomenalSwag on Dec 17, 2011 12:35 PM EST up reply actions
Lakers traded a starting center from a 53-win team to draft Kobe
Celtics drafted Pierce at 10. Mavs got Dirk at 9. Lakers drafted Bynum.
Teams don’t win titles because of free agency
"Teams don’t win titles because of free agency"
Also dont win SOLEY on drafting either, its a good combo of the two, not to mention luck….lots of luck.
I dont care what the D.N.A. Says, the Guy wearing number 12 Cannot be Kirk Hinrich, he is definetly Kurt. Kirk can actually play basketball!
dan snyder woyld prob be a better owner in the nba than the nfl
But even great young players must develop. Lebron, dwight, melo, etc. all developed too. They weren’t tier one players their entire careers though the hype was there for lebron.
by thewiz06 on Dec 17, 2011 9:53 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Uniforms
I kind of liked the new look uni’s and court, but not sure. I had a hell of a time making out numbers with the black line through the back. Kind of missed the comfort of the old court. Maybe it was just the fact that the 76’rs colors are so close.
I was at the game too!
Should we play “where did we sit?” I was in the 100 section, maybe 8 rows back.
My point is obviously that we all mostly saw the same things… being there doesn’t make your opinion automatically correct. I thought Singleton looked great… contesting shots, consistently getting down the floor… there was a 4-on-Singleton play and I grabbed my fiance and thought “Oh sh**, here we go!” and he STOPPED IT. He and Jan both had great flashes like that.
One thing I did see at the game that I might not’ve seen otherwise was Wall motioning McGee to get down the court as Wall brought the ball up. I actually thought McGee was hustling well and Wall probably should’ve waited up.
Singleton=Steal of 2011.
by Juice over Whine on Dec 17, 2011 8:48 AM EST reply actions
God, I want some moments like this when Feb 20th rolls around...
there was a 4-on-Singleton play and I grabbed my fiance and thought "Oh sh**, here we go!" and he STOPPED IT.
by Bullet Nation in Exile on Dec 17, 2011 9:25 AM EST up reply actions
I was at the game too?
OK. When the score was 85 to 40 and you saw the roster they had on the floor and the look on Flips face, how good did the rookies look then? At what point do we stop being encourage by hustle and attitude and start demanding results and production. McGee still does not know how to play in a half court set offensively or defensively. Blatch is still blowing defensive assignments. Wall, Crawford and Mack were getting there lunch handed to them. They couldn’t guard anybody! And you are happy that guys who seem to be in the flow of the game? 85 to 40 in the 3rd quarter? Do you think Flip was happy with how the rookies played? Did hear him cursing and swearing on the first preseason game?
Do you remember how bad they looked on last years opening game on National TV. Do you remember that during that game they were the butt of jokes by the play by play crew? This game was worst than that!
Did you see NBA TV this morning, did you hear what Bill Laimbeer said about John Wall and his frustration level? Just remember what I said about all this youth and inexperience. When things looks as bad as they do I guess the only things you can look at positively are the subtle things
Preseason game after less than a week of prepation, in which we played
our rookies heavily. Relax.
by ronoD nagrO on Dec 17, 2011 11:53 AM EST up reply actions
NBA TV
I just watched those god awful game highlights again. It is just so embarrassing…
How Long Does Flip Last?
Either he doesn’t know how to coach young, inexperienced players or they simply refuse to put out the effort for him. Get Phil Jackson on the horn!
Bullets fan stuck in CO.
Why?
wow… Y’all need to pop some valium/xanax before you watch the next game. I’m no fan of watching my team get blown out, but I still take it with a heavy dose of reality:
1. It’s pre-Season
2. It’s a delayed Pre-Season and that has started before much of a training camp
3. It’s pre-season
4. There were young players playing for the first time in the NBA again… in pre-season without a traditional camp and yes i know the other teams are as well.
5. We were without NY
6. the only defense these players have been practicing this summer is in the bs rec leagues which leads me too
7. No summer leagues which = no youth development.
8. sixers have brand and iguodala to rely on to calm down their youngsters when things are going poorly or getting out of conrol on court… we have blatche (oh ffs) and Magee (wtf?)
by TremendousUpside on Dec 17, 2011 10:03 AM EST reply actions
I didn't get to see the game
but some people are overreacting, but the new uniforms have grown on me
STRAIGHT CASH HOMIE
by everybodylookin on Dec 17, 2011 10:42 AM EST reply actions
Well, I only caught the highlights...
Like the new unis
Thanks for letting Kirk out
by wjb1492 on Dec 17, 2011 11:26 AM EST reply actions 2 recs
"Thanks for letting Kirk out"
lol
i think he might have punched someone if he was part of this game….
I dont care what the D.N.A. Says, the Guy wearing number 12 Cannot be Kirk Hinrich, he is definetly Kurt. Kirk can actually play basketball!
I thought our offense was a bigger concern than our D even last year
And if Nick isn’t here, then its at a whole new level. It will be terrible. Flip doesn’t know what to do with these guys’ (limited) skill sets on offense.
But I think Nick will end up back here, at least for this year.
I'm a Wizards fan. We've been trying to tell you about Lebron for years. Hated the man before it was cool.
Follow @Dylan___V
by returnofswagger on Dec 17, 2011 4:13 PM EST via mobile reply actions
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