Washington Wizards (nee Bullets) Team Thread

[FreoRicci]

Man this team can fight! What a game. Loving Otto porter work. Nene finally stepping up. Next game at home. Massive.

 

[Rough_Edges]

Agree.

If we can win at home as push it to at least 7 it'll be massive.

 

[FreoRicci]

Be huge for sure, think the team does have the will to do it. Beal and Porter really stepping up these playoffs.

 

[FreoRicci]

Man oh man. Great to see Wall back, what a warrior. But that last 2 minutes or so. Shoulda Woulda coulda. This team really is rallying. Must win obviously next game..

 

[FreoRicci]

Shattered from that. Two games 1 or 2 seconds could've gone either way. This series shouldv'e gone a different way. Tough leaving on that note. Nene needs to go tbh, and Gortat/Humphries.

 

[Rough_Edges]

**** that sucks.

To go out like that is real shitty.

A funny season. Started well , then were pretty shit for like 3 months and limped into the playoffs.

I didn't expect us to do much and in reality we really should've been playing in the conference finals, or at least game seven.

Wall took his game to a new level this year. Easily one of the premier PGs in the league.

Beal was fantastic in the post season.

I think we need to do something about Nene. Unfortunately, he's got a contract for next season - 13m as well. Can't imagine anyone taking that contract.

Wish we'd get rid of Randy Wittman but I cant imagine it happening. Beal would be so much more damaging if he had a coach who could run offence.

 

[FreoRicci]

Hope we keep Pierce, just that mentoring and high profile helping Washington fan base grow. Made back to back 2nd round playoffs so that is something given this franchise's history, but still cant help but think the season deserve a berth in the Conference finals. Beal really came of age this playoffs, that is massive going forward. Hoping make some smart changes in regards to Nene, Wittman. Porter deserve more mintues, we have the nucleus there with the three there.

 

[Hodge2NormSmith]

Tough luck guys, watched the last quarter on the phone, wasn't surprised yet couldn't believe it (if that makes sense) when Pierce hit the shot, shame it didn't count.
What an amazing player even in his twilight, he is so clutch, could be 0-20 and still most likely on the floor to hit the game winner.
Good signs for the future for the Wiz, Wall and Beal are only gonna get better.

 

[wowlace]

Just think, if Nene simply boxed out in game 5. We'd have a game 7 to look forward to.

 

[wowlace]

Also, can we go after Love? I didn't realize how young he is.

 

[FreoRicci]

Also, can we go after Love? I didn't realize how young he is.

Not bad thinking but wonder what his contract could be.. I'd be up for it for sure, but LA is probably his one and only destination

 

[wowlace]

Not bad thinking but wonder what his contract could be.. I'd be up for it for sure, but LA is probably his one and only destination

I've got Love for Love. Surely inquiries will be made.

Speaking of LA, can we land the other LA? Surely he would see his chances at a ring would be higher if he came over to an eastern contender?

 

[FreoRicci]

I've got Love for Love. Surely inquiries will be made.

Speaking of LA, can we land the other LA? Surely he would see his chances at a ring would be higher if he came over to an eastern contender?

Ditto here but just can't see him doing anything else cept stay with Cavs or go to Lakers. He would slot in very nicely for us, type of player we definitely need. You talking about Aldridge right? Again he would be a huge huge get for us but he's Texan born so that's the same scenario there. For us to get anything it would be via aggressive trading (which we suck at until recently) or max contract for free agent..

 

[FreoRicci]

This is a great article summing up what Washington needs to do this off-season:
http://www.bulletsforever.com/2015/...n-questions-2015-ernie-grunfeld-randy-wittman

 

[wowlace]

This is a great article summing up what Washington needs to do this off-season:
http://www.bulletsforever.com/2015/...n-questions-2015-ernie-grunfeld-randy-wittman

A new coach maybe?

I'm neither here nor there with Randy.

 

[FreoRicci]

This is a list of big men Free agents at the end of the season:
Marc Gasol
Lamarcus Aldridge
Brook Lopez
Greg Monroe
Al Jefferson
Tyson Chandler
Deandre Jordan
Kevin Love

Alot of changes and scrap fests will be happening. Like DC to have a shot at Monroe, Jefferson and Love. Lopez is another handy option to have.

 

[FreoRicci]

Sad to see but Atlanta gonna be swept this conference finals. Can't help but think perhaps with Wall healthy Washington would've mad a fist of it.. Hawks players dropping left right and centre.

 

[Rough_Edges]

Probably weren't quite good enough this season.

**** I'd love to have a coach who could run offence so we found Beal more often on his spots. Beal is wildly inefficient from mid range, he should be putting up Klay type numbers.

Pierce deciding between Washington and LA, I think he'll go but hope he stays.

Temple has opted in as expected.

Otto continues to improve and will see a lot more minutes if truth goes.

Our cap is pretty full, I can't see us being that active this season IMO.

Gortat/Nene are both on big contracts as well if I remember correctly.

 

[FreoRicci]

Washington selct Kelly Oubre with 15th pick. Sent 19th pick and Two future 2nd Rounders to Atlanta. Surprising piece of business.

http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2015/6/...raft-results-atlanta-hawks-washington-wizards
Also picked up Aaron White with 2nd Round pick (Pick 49).

 

[FreoRicci]

Thought get some predictions going given only 25 days until the 2015/16 Season starts.
Pass mark: Semi Final Conference Play Offs. Should aim to make the Conference Finals as the benchmark.

Win/Loss Record: 50+ Wins. This is something that should be achieved. Were 23- 11 before only ending on 46 - 26 last season. Hoping to make 4th/5th Seed in the East.

All Stars: John Wall and Bradley Beal. Beal is ready to make the jump from B Grader to All Star this season. Has been injured with a few niggles here and there, but hopefully with a solid season will start to make the SG position his.

Most Improved: Otto Porter. Did some solid numbers in the Playoffs, and with Pearce leaving, should get some minutes at PF/SF. Only 23 next year, so he;s definitely a player to improve.

 

[SirRoyTucker]

Most Improved: Otto Porter. Did some solid numbers in the Playoffs, and with Pearce leaving, should get some minutes at PF/SF. Only 23 next year, so he;s definitely a player to improve.

Will probably be the most talked about thing this season with the looming figure of Kevin Durant's Free Agency. He's looked pretty confident this pre-season so far though. What are your thought's on Randy extending the small ball + pace line ups into this season?

 

[FreoRicci]

Will probably be the most talked about thing this season with the looming figure of Kevin Durant's Free Agency. He's looked pretty confident this pre-season so far though. What are your thought's on Randy extending the small ball + pace line ups into this season?

Tbh, much needed as Wizards' offense was ranked 22 overall last season. Washington played the stretch 4 really well early in the season until the playoffs, where it was shelved or loss importance by Randy.
Nene hasn't been the player we would thought he would become, particularly with Wall/Beal, so just a case of where does he fit now with Gortat. They're too much of the same type, and think that's why someone like Jared Dudley has been picked up.
Something like Wall/Beal/Porter/Dudley/Gortat would be alright..

 

[FreoRicci]

Here's Son of Skeletor 's brilliant Season Preview write up for Washington

2014/15 Record: 46-36 (2nd in Southeast, 5th in East), lost 4-2 to Hawks in second round

2014/15 Stats: Ranked #22 offensively, ranked #5 defensively

2014/15 Leaders: John Wall (17.6 ppg), Marcin Gortat (8.7 rpg), John Wall (10.0 apg)


In the House: Alan Anderson (1/4), Gary Neal (1/2), Jared Dudley (trade), Ish Smith (1/min)

Voted Out: Paul Pierce (Clippers), Kevin Seraphin (Knicks), Rasual Butler (tbd)

Draft: F Kelly Oubre (#15), F Aaron White (#49)

Notable: Re-signed Drew Gooden (1/3), yet to reach early extension with Brad Beal


The Lowdown

The girl with the curl will be back to tease us once more in 2015/16.

Few teams confound expectations as often as these Wizards. Just when you think this talented bunch has figured it out, they'll go and lose five on the bounce. A team that was riding high on the back of an impressive playoff run in 2014 started off with a solid enough 29-13 record. They then however proceeded to falter down the stretch, losing by 40 to Brooklyn and well as falling to the Sixers, Wolves and Pistons in the space of a week.

Understandably written off as pretenders on the back of that maddening inconsistency, Washington of course promptly swept the Raptors before giving the Hawks all they could handle in the second round. So what gives? Are these guys a conference power in waiting, or merely a mermaid's siren song?

Looking at Washington's season stats, it's pretty clear where the improvement must come from in the short term if the Wizards want to take the mantle as Cleveland's biggest challengers in the East. The Wiz have been a top-10 defensive team for three straight years, but under Randy Wittman the offence is unforgettable in name only. A team with the variety of weapons that Washington boast simply shouldn't rank in the bottom quarter of the league. They don't get to the free throw line or shoot the three enough, while they turn over the ball too much - in short the Wizards numbers suggest congestion and confusion at the offensive end, hence 'clogged toilet'.

Long term, the Wiz will be counting upon incremental improvements in the games of their trio of former high lottery picks: John Wall,& Brad Beal & Otto Porter. The good news for them is that glimpses of this young core's potential were very evident during the 2015 playoffs. Whether tomorrow's potential has shone bright enough in DC to catch the attention of certain others will be the over-arching story-line for Washington this season.

The girl with the curl has some serious flirting to do in 2016, and needs to be on her best behaviour... unclogging that toilet would be a good place to start.

The Roster

GUARD: Charles Barkley's anointed 'Best Backcourt in the League' return for their fourth season together.

Wall probably had his best pro season in 2014-15, handing out double-digit assists and being voted onto the All-Defensive team (somewhat controversially he missed all-NBA selection). His turnovers numbers are still a little higher than the Wizards would like, and an increase in shot attempts at the rim would probably increase his overall efficiency - both these quibbles might be a question of 'chicken and egg' vis a vis the Wizards' lack of spacing. If anyone stands to benefit from the potential unclogging of the Washington toilet, it's Wall.

Brad Beal meanwhile faces a momentous 2015/16 season, not least because the Wizards (very likely with an eye to 2016 FA) have yet to throw a lucrative extension his way. We'll start with positives - Beal's a wonderful catch and shoot weapon, who (much like his team) has shown a propensity to step up his game in the playoffs.




The bad news is that Beal (much like his team) has also developed the bad habit of falling in love with the mid-range jumper, a below-average NBA shot that he's demonstrated below-average talent in making consistently. The simple solution to a more efficient offence would seem to involve having Beal shooting more threes off assists and less pull-up twos. Unfortunately Washington also badly need a consistent second source of offence besides Wall, and they lack any go-to options up front. With Pierce's departure, the pressure falls squarely on Beal's young shoulders - his task therefore is not an easy one. He needs to develop his dribble-drive game while reducing the number of inefficient pull-up jumpers he takes - a delicate balance to get right. Promisingly, he did demonstrate playmaking potential when Wall went down during the playoffs.

As far as depth goes, Ramon Sessions did OK late-season after a horrible few months in Sacramento, although like Wall he's not a reliable shooter. Gary Neal is a bit of a feast or famine option to relieve Beal, while the more-rounded veteran Alan Anderson also figures to see some minutes here too.

FORWARD: 2012 - Martell Webster. 2013 - Trevor Ariza. 2014 - Paul Pierce. 2015... ?

Small forward has been a revolving door in DC, although they've had some good contributions from their stop-gap solutions. The Wiz actually missed Ariza's three point corner shot as much as his defence last season, despite the veteran Pierce's steady shooting numbers. Of course now that Pierce has bolted to LA, there will always be an inkling of
'what if' attached... sometimes the truth hurts.

In his stead, the Wizards may opt to fill this position by committee. After an eyebrow-raising playoff performance (seems to be a theme here), Otto Porter figures to have the right to call first dibs. His athleticism and wingspan could bolster Washington's already-formidable defence and rebounding; the trick will be attempting to incorporate him into an already spacing-challenged offence. If Wittman and co. were paying attention, clues might be found in Porter's shot distribution makeover during the playoff run:

Washington fortunately can also call upon two newly added vets to shore up this position. Jared Dudley doesn't have nearly Porter's physical gifts, but brings considerable intangibles as well as badly need perimeter shooting to the table. Meanwhile the underrated Alan Anderson isn't quite the knockdown shooter that Dudley is, but will bring a scrappy toughness that the Wizards occasionally lack. Between the three of them, Wittman should be able to find enough '3 & D' to blend with most line-ups. Washington also traded up to land Kansas forward Kelly Oubre in the draft, giving them yet another option here. As for 2016, well...

At the other forward position, the Wizards also appear to have options galore, albeit with no obvious solutions. Nene is slowing down, and is no longer the post presence he once was. Conversely, he still makes that elbow jumper pretty regularly:

Coupled with Nene's abnormally high turnover rate last season, and the answer should appear obvious to Wittman - Nene is strictly a pick and pop option on offence nowadays, not a viable one-on-one option in the half court. Used in this way, Nene could open up the paint for Wall and improve the Wizards limited spacing, simultaneously limiting their turnover numbers. Defensively the big Brazilian still has solid instincts, if not the mobility of yesteryear.

As Nene slows further, Washington will count more on Mr. Kardashian himself to hold down the fort here. The Hump had a somewhat injury-marred first season in the capital, never quite finding his niche. Drew Gooden returns, largely on the basis of his ability to knock down the perimeter shot - he's pretty much the power-forward equivalent of Gary Neal. Elsewhere Dajuan Blair still lives... we think.

CENTRE: The Polish Hammer holds down the middle in DC, and he does a pretty good job of it.

He rebounds and defends the basket well - Washington ranked 3rd in defensive board percentage in 2nd in defensive FG%, and Gortat is a major reason why. Offensively he'll never be confused with Olajuwon:

... however he IS a good pick'n'roll partner for Wall, able to finish at the rim with either hand. And if John Wall is Candidate A in the list of Wizards who could expect to see improvement in their efficiency with a better-thought-out offensive strategy, Gortat is probably next in line to benefit;

One of Washington fandom's greatest gripes with Wittman last season was his habit of sitting Gortat in the fourth quarter of games. Now that the man who frequently took his place, Kevin Seraphin, has become a Knick, it'll be more incumbent upon Wittman than ever to manage Gortat's workload without sabotaging the team's chemistry. Presumably Hump or even Gooden will spell Gortat here given the absence of any viable alternatives.


Pick & Pop - where we pick a soft target and pop them with a Nerf gun

In the Gun: Randy Wittman

It's not that he's a bad guy - quite the contrary, his players seem to like him and more importantly play hard most of the time. And it's not like he's a complete muppet - he's won more playoff series in two years than the woe-begotten franchise had managed in the prior thirty! It's just that it's hard to escape feeling that Wall & Beal could average more than 32 ppg combined when Steph and Klay average 45, or that to follow Byron Scott's anti-analytic blueprint is to commit coaching hari-kari...

Is a Gun: Wall

The experts that select the all-NBA teams might not concur, but what would they know. If the Wizards ever manage to unclog that toilet, we might get a little more of this...

Needs Improvement: Do you need to ask?

If you're 28th in three point attempts, 22rd in free throw attempts and 24th in turnovers, your offence is going to have a bad time /southpark.jpg

Big Question: Have the Wizards played their cards right?

We all know what Washington has had on its mind re. the free agent crop of 2016. In the last couple of years the Wizards have chosen to complement their young core with solid vets as opposed to hitting the lottery again - remember the team was criticised for adding Okafor and Ariza, and spending a first round pick to acquire Gortat. Has the team's growth in maturity during the last couple of seasons (think less McGee and Swaggy P) gone some way to mending their tattered reputation as a perennial basketcase, especially when it comes to wooing potential signings?


And now, a word from our sponsors:

FreoRicci , fancy saying a few words about your boys?


The Magic Eight Ball:

I foresee a Grim Reaper knocking at the door of the House of Wittman - a coaching coup d'etat in the manner of Jacko/Kerr, Thibs/Hoiberg & Monty/Gentry.

I also see another Reaper - a slimmer Reaper. Perhaps, just maybe it could be the Wizards of Washington who are soon knocking at heaven's door.

 

[FreoRicci]

Tough but solid first win away.. Wall with 22 Pts, 6 Assist, 7 Rebounds, 5 Blocks! Ended with the game winner floater. Good signs all round. Porter was very inconsistent with his shooting but will improve. Beal with 24 pts and 6 rebounds. Humphries started ahead of Nene, so definitely an emphasis on Small Ball

 

[SirRoyTucker]

Got the 'W' as they say. I only caught the last 22 seconds, just enough to watch Wall's floater and the controversy around the 'goaltend'. It wasn't an amazing shooting night from either team by the looks of it. Gortat, Wall and Beal solid from the floor though, although Wall missed 4 of 6 freethrows :/ Porter kept busy without having much impact on the scoreboard which is heartening.

Hopefully the turnovers start to recede as they continue to get used to the pace.