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There's plenty to go through in this first week of January so let's get to it.
Wizards go 1-2 in their last week
On Friday, January 1, the Wizards won 103-91 against the Orlando Magic. After that, the Wizards lost 97-75 to the Miami Heat on Sunday thanks to a seven point second quarter. Then on Wednesday, the Wizards lost 121-115 to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a game that really wasn't as close as the final score suggested.
Top BF Columns
The Wizards' all-in for Kevin Durant has backfired
Ben Becker wrote this must-read take on the Wizards' performance from free agency last summer through the start of the calendar year. In short, the Wizards have decided to not make any moves of consequence in anticipation of Kevin Durant's free agency in 2016. The end result is a roster of veteran role players on short-term contracts around the young core of John Wall, Bradley Beal, Otto Porter, and Kelly Oubre Jr.
If they all play well, then the Wizards could make a very nice case for Durant. However, if things fall flat, the Wizards could end up without Durant this summer AND they won't have additional younger players to add to their core. So far, Washington has missed out on their chance to get some impact free agents to improve the team this year. Hopefully, that move won't hurt their regular season worse than it already has.
...or has it?
BF community member Rook6980 wrote a FanPost in response to Ben's article that the Wizards need to stay the course and plan for Durant or a Top-5 caliber player in order to be a championship contender.
Nene must come out guns-a-blazin' if the Wizards are to succeed
The Wizards were able to manage relatively well in Nene's absence over the past month. However, they remain thin at the post position, and the team can use more traditional big men as well. Jake has more here.
Top News Stories
Bradley Beal and Alan Anderson attend U.S. President Barack Obama's announcement on executive actions regarding gun control
The President announced several executive actions he planned on taking to tighten gun purchasing procedures in the United States. Bradley Beal and Alan Anderson were among the notable guests in attendance:
You can watch the speech here, via the White House's YouTube channel.
Their attendance, as Jake noted, wasn't an accident. The NBA and its players have taken an open stand against gun violence. The Wizards did practice at noon on Tuesday when the President gave his speech, but with Beal and Anderson sideline due to injury, there wasn't any harm having them in attendance to represent the Wizards and the NBA.
Regardless of your views on gun control or the job the President is doing, it's surreal when you get to see him in person, let alone give a speech in person.
Unbelievable experience to watch The President give his speech today! Gun control is a serious issue in our ... https://t.co/M1q0EJwjZe
— Bradley Beal (@RealDealBeal23) January 6, 2016
John Wall is still fifth among Eastern Conference backcourt players in All-Star Voting
It is unlikely that Wall will be a starter now because he is nearly 70,000 votes behind Kyrie Irving for second place, and a starting position. But he is the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Month, and that should be enough to make him a reserve for Toronto. Marcin Gortat is the only other Wizard who showed up in these rankings, where he was 12th.
Jarell Eddie will be with the Wizards for the rest of the season
After a strong debut after Christmas, we'll be seeing the Virginia Tech alum for at least the rest of the season. I don't expect him to be like former Hokie star and Charlotte Hornets legend Dell Curry.
Twitter Moments of the Week
We had to post several #NBAVotes for Cavaliers players
We made a bet with SB Nation's Fear the Sword, not unlike what Golden State of Mind's Bram Kincheloe did before the Cavaliers' and Warriors' Christmas game.
hayyy @FearTheSword, wanna make a bet for tonight's game?
— Bullets Forever (@BulletsForever) January 6, 2016
@BulletsForever that works
— FearTheSword (@FearTheSword) January 6, 2016
Unfortunately, the Wizards lost, so we had to do these:
Good morning everyone. We lost a bet and now have to do some All-Star voting for the Cavs' PG today. Matthew Dellavedova #nbavote
— Bullets Forever (@BulletsForever) January 7, 2016
Ha! Just kidding we'll honor the Cavs' real PG. LeBron James #NBAvote
— Bullets Forever (@BulletsForever) January 7, 2016
.@FearTheSword Mo Williams! #NBAvote pic.twitter.com/EG9jGvdOYN
— Bullets Forever (@BulletsForever) January 7, 2016
Okay fine, we'll play along. Kyrie Irving #NBAvote.
— Bullets Forever (@BulletsForever) January 7, 2016
Kyrie Irving #NBAVote we lost a bet and we don't feel great right now
— Bullets Forever (@BulletsForever) January 7, 2016
Kyrie Irving #NBAVote (the bet was that we had to do this five times, this is number three)
— Bullets Forever (@BulletsForever) January 7, 2016
Kyrie Irving #NBAVote (the bet was still worth it because it would have been so glorious to watch @FearTheSword lose another bet)
— Bullets Forever (@BulletsForever) January 7, 2016
Kyrie Irving #NBAVote 1 RT = 1 vote. You'll also be endorsing this. pic.twitter.com/ID5wFRoKCb
— Bullets Forever (@BulletsForever) January 7, 2016
We got Emma Meesseman her 2,000th follower, and then some!
We checked the Mystics forward's Twitter this past Tuesday and noticed that D.C.'s Belgian basketball player in residence had 1,999 followers. It's so close to 2,000, so we just had to get an open call to our 12,000+ followers, most of whom don't follow her to do so. Let's get folks to follow her!
Give @WashMystics F @EmmaMeesseman a Twitter follow today. She is so close to 2000 followers! pic.twitter.com/xGePt8AUlv
— Bullets Forever (@BulletsForever) January 5, 2016
Within a couple minutes, we did it since multiple people took the call to action:
@BulletsForever @WashMystics @EmmaMeesseman Afgesproken!
— Sweden, DC (@SwedenDC) January 5, 2016
Afgesproken means "Agreed" in Dutch, which is Meesseman's native language.
Before you knew it, she took notice and we're glad to see that Meesseman has her 2,000+ followers:
@EmmaMeesseman, Graag gedaan!
— Bullets Forever (@BulletsForever) January 5, 2016
So, why all the fuss about Meesseman? One, you should understand that she is the best player on the Mystics, and this piece from before New Year's Day will give you plenty of background info why. Two, that piece gained a good amount of traction with some Belgian basketball sites this week and her Facebook page also shared it too.
Cool stuff.
BF Night is next Saturday, January 16, 2016
Get your tickets by noon today! Click here for the link. Use the code bulletsforever if needed. We're also planning to have an impromptu bar meetup in the late afternoon. A poll's here so you can say which type of place you'd like for us to have it.
That's it with the Top Wizards stories from your friends at BF. Have another link? Share it with us here in the comments!
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