Wizards wake-up call: The trash talk continues

The five things you need to know about the Wizards, every morning. Enjoy. Name subject to change.

It seemed slightly irrelevant, a somewhat obvious answer to the question of who is the best backcourt in the NBA, yet Bradley Beal's answer (and subsequent Dion Waiters response) has come full circle back to Beal...

1. The trash talk won't die

Shout out to @MikeDSykes for continuing the string of trash-talking going on between the Wizards backcourt and, well to this point, Waiters. This is what he heard Beal say on ESPN 980 radio yesterday:

Bradley Beal on Dion Waiters: Some guys just get the talking. That's what he's doing right now.

— Michael Sykes, II (@MikeDSykes) October 1, 2014

Looks like he really has learned a thing or two from Paul Pierce's trash-talking.

2. Big Panda!

Speaking of Beal, thanks to our guys over at Truth About It for this tid-bit of info yesterday: BRADLEY BEAL HAS PANDA BLING AND HE WEARS IT PROUDLY.

He has really taken a liking to his Big Panda nickname that John Wall gave to him.

3. Paul Pierce, Trailer?

As @HoopDistrictDC shared via Twitter, Wall told the media yesterday after practice that he plans on using Pierce in a role that we saw Trevor Ariza fill many times last season:

John Wall said he looks to find Paul Pierce on trailing 3's more so than in the corner. #Wizards

— Hoop District (@HoopDistrictDC) October 1, 2014

It's doubtful Pierce will ever catch up to John in a fast break situation, so why not se this option as well? It's nice to see that there is at least a plan in place and some ideas brewing between the two on how to use one another in certain situations.

4. Pierce explains his private jet-outing with Al Pacino

When Pierce decided to sign with the Wizards this offseason, he was in Las Vegas, having just bowed out of the World Series of Poker tournament. Soon after, he posted this picture on a private jet with Pacino:

Questions were asked. None were answered. Until now.

Pierce explained his chance encounter with Pacino on ESPN 980 and Dan Steinberg relayed the information unto us all.

When asked if he was interested in the rendez-vous 40,000 feet in the air with the on-screen legend, Pierce, a legend himself, turned into an excited schoolboy:

"I was like, 'You know what, I'll think about it. I don't know if I want to fly with Al Pacino. I don't know.' No, I was like 'Of course!' "

If you're interested in how it all went down or simply wondering what kind of hotel room Pacino stays in, it's definitely worth your while to give it a read.

5. The Real Beal

Beal has a 30-minute all-access show on October 6th, entitled The Real Beal, airing on Comcast SportsNet at 6:30 p.m. CSN put up a quick snippet of the show yesterday as Beal talks NBA 2K with Chris Miller. It seems like a cool deal to get to know our budding star.

6. BONUS: Stretch 4?

Drew Gooden's midrange magic appears set for a bigger stage this season. Jorge Castillo got the scoop from Gooden yesterday regarding the news:

Drew Gooden said he’s been told to work on his 3-point shooting because they want him to be more of a stretch 4 at times. #Wizards

— Jorge Castillo (@jorgeccastillo) October 1, 2014

Gooden and Al Harrington were the stretch 4's on the team last season but neither was a dead-eye shooter from downtown. This season, with Al gone, the team seems set to rely on Gooden for a bigger role. He hit some big shots from beyond the arc last season. We'll see if he can add a consistent three-point shot to his game this season.