Respectablity is Reached?--Washington Wizards 2014-2015 Regular Season (1 Viewer)

[TobiasFunke]

OK, now we see that this is some sort of elaborate practical joke. Their mistake was that they had two completely preposterous extended losses under ridiculous circumstances in a row for losses 10 and 11. One is believable, but two in a row like that was just too much. I mean, come on. There are action movies that are more believable than this Wizards season.

I wonder who's behind the scam? I'm thinking Leonsis, trying to distract from his role in the NHL lockout.

 

[TobiasFunke]

Here's a great look into how this continued prank was executed on Saturday night.

On the off chance that they aren't losing intentionally, Wittman needs to go. He's a fine motivator, but a truly awful in-game coach. Coming out of a time-out with 39 seconds left (perfect for a two for one) down one and getting a shot clock violation is inexcusable. Same for the wasted "kill the clock" possession up three with two minutes left.

 

[Don Quixote]

Wittman has definitely got to go. Blowing 2OT games they should have won is just poor game management.

I'm not sure who they can get at this point in the season though. Maybe promote Cassell? I guess Mike Brown is now available.

 

[TobiasFunke]

Wittman has definitely got to go. Blowing 2OT games they should have won is just poor game management.I'm not sure who they can get at this point in the season though. Maybe promote Cassell? I guess Mike Brown is now available.

Stan Van Gundy maybe?It's actually a somewhat attractive gig, if they make a move soon. The team is clearly gonna get better after the next 2-3 weeks, when Wall comes back and they clear the coming rough patch in the schedule, especially if Nene stays semi-healthy. If they bring in someone he'll get the credit for turning around a team that was off to one of the worst starts in league history.

 

[Don Quixote]

Van Gundy is a good coach, but I'm not sure how well the personnel would match up with him. His teams typically shoot a lot of 3's. Maybe Beal can develop into a solid 3 point shooter, but it is definitely not the Wizards strong point.

The more I think about Cassell, the more I like it. He gets along good with Wall. I also always thought he'd make a good coach when he was a player.

I may also just be tired of the Wizards hiring retreads as head coaches. I just looked it up, and last one they hired who was not a former NBA head coach was Leonard Hamilton (though comparing Cassell to Hamilton probably does not help Cassell's case).

 

[tom22406]

If you're gonna let Wittman go(and he should)why does Grunfeld get a pass?

I say clean house of them both,trade away what you can to free up cap space(over the cap this year and next)and build around Wall and Seraphin(and I would trade Seraphin away as well for the right price).

Okafor is due almost 13.5 million this year and 14.5 next

Nene is due 13 million for the next 4 seasons

Ariza is due over 7 million for the next 2 seasons

Vesely is due a little over 3 the next 2 seasons,4 and then 5 million after

Unload those guys as quick as you can.I like Nene but his health is a major concern and IMO never will live up to the worth of that contract.

Bring in a GM who knows how to develop younger players and basically start over with Wall the centerpiece,the rest of the players on this team are strictly role players or ones that need proper coaching(Wall on his jump shot,Beal to learn the game and Seraphin how to be a force).

When I said earlier about Grunfeld and his drafting I was more pointing out that his success rate turning those players into viable players has been really low.Some showed real potential but for one reason or another never really got much better and in fact regressed in most cases.

Looking forward to 0-12 tonight as the Spurs are in town.

 

[TobiasFunke]

If you're gonna let Wittman go(and he should)why does Grunfeld get a pass?

I say clean house of them both,trade away what you can to free up cap space(over the cap this year and next)and build around Wall and Seraphin(and I would trade Seraphin away as well for the right price).

Okafor is due almost 13.5 million this year and 14.5 next

Nene is due 13 million for the next 4 seasons

Ariza is due over 7 million for the next 2 seasons

Vesely is due a little over 3 the next 2 seasons,4 and then 5 million after

Unload those guys as quick as you can.I like Nene but his health is a major concern and IMO never will live up to the worth of that contract.

Bring in a GM who knows how to develop younger players and basically start over with Wall the centerpiece,the rest of the players on this team are strictly role players or ones that need proper coaching(Wall on his jump shot,Beal to learn the game and Seraphin how to be a force).

When I said earlier about Grunfeld and his drafting I was more pointing out that his success rate turning those players into viable players has been really low.Some showed real potential but for one reason or another never really got much better and in fact regressed in most cases.

Looking forward to 0-12 tonight as the Spurs are in town.

Agree 100% about the blame falling on him. Michael Lee's column in the Post this morning was right, the Ariza/Okafor deal was inexcusable. It's one things for excitable fans to talk themselves into it, but an experienced, highly paid NBA GM should have known better.But Ernie is 11 games into a two-year extension, and there's not much that can be done about the roster at this point. Nobody's taking those guys off our hands. He's gotta go, but there's not much to gain from doing it now and having to do a mid-season search. Wittman, however, is disposable.

Leonsis's blog post about the importance of stability was silly. The best sports teams have stability because they're successful (and thus don't need to replace anyone), not the other way around. Ted has cause and effect backwards.

 

[dgreen]

Free tickets if the Wizards lose

Interesting way to sell tickets.

 

[tom22406]

If you're gonna let Wittman go(and he should)why does Grunfeld get a pass?

I say clean house of them both,trade away what you can to free up cap space(over the cap this year and next)and build around Wall and Seraphin(and I would trade Seraphin away as well for the right price).

Okafor is due almost 13.5 million this year and 14.5 next

Nene is due 13 million for the next 4 seasons

Ariza is due over 7 million for the next 2 seasons

Vesely is due a little over 3 the next 2 seasons,4 and then 5 million after

Unload those guys as quick as you can.I like Nene but his health is a major concern and IMO never will live up to the worth of that contract.

Bring in a GM who knows how to develop younger players and basically start over with Wall the centerpiece,the rest of the players on this team are strictly role players or ones that need proper coaching(Wall on his jump shot,Beal to learn the game and Seraphin how to be a force).

When I said earlier about Grunfeld and his drafting I was more pointing out that his success rate turning those players into viable players has been really low.Some showed real potential but for one reason or another never really got much better and in fact regressed in most cases.

Looking forward to 0-12 tonight as the Spurs are in town.

Agree 100% about the blame falling on him. Michael Lee's column in the Post this morning was right, the Ariza/Okafor deal was inexcusable. It's one things for excitable fans to talk themselves into it, but an experienced, highly paid NBA GM should have known better.But Ernie is 11 games into a two-year extension, and there's not much that can be done about the roster at this point. Nobody's taking those guys off our hands. He's gotta go, but there's not much to gain from doing it now and having to do a mid-season search. Wittman, however, is disposable.

Leonsis's blog post about the importance of stability was silly. The best sports teams have stability because they're successful (and thus don't need to replace anyone), not the other way around. Ted has cause and effect backwards.

Yeah I read the article in the Post this am and he was right on.No excuse at all for taking on those 2 and the contracts with the team he already had.I'm more worried that this loser mentality is gonna kill Wall's will at some point unless they clean house from top to bottom and start over.Give him a reason to want to stay around once his contract is up.

I have seen enough of Grunfeld to say he is not the man to do this the correct way and see no reason to delay this process any longer in building a team the correct way with the right pieces.

 

[tom22406]

Well the Generals really did well last night by keeping it close for a little over 2 quarters and then the Spurs woke up and destroyed them in almost every way possible.

Yes I know the Zards are terrible but that was pathetic.Spurs are clearly on another planet but were on the road coming off a long,hard fought 2 OT game the night before so you would expect a little letdown and all it seemed like was early in the 3rd they turned it on and the Generals folded up like a stack of cards and had no answer at all for anything they did.



Even worse the TNT crew were clowning them when I switched it over to a real game.Ted must be so proud

 

[TobiasFunke]

Well the Generals really did well last night by keeping it close for a little over 2 quarters and then the Spurs woke up and destroyed them in almost every way possible.Yes I know the Zards are terrible but that was pathetic.Spurs are clearly on another planet but were on the road coming off a long,hard fought 2 OT game the night before so you would expect a little letdown and all it seemed like was early in the 3rd they turned it on and the Generals folded up like a stack of cards and had no answer at all for anything they did. Even worse the TNT crew were clowning them when I switched it over to a real game.Ted must be so proud

I think they threw in the towel on this one before it started. They knew they didn't have much chance of a win so they rested Nene to let his foot heal, and let Livingston and Booker rest and get healthy too. I bet we see at least two of them tomorrow night, maybe all three.I'm kind of OK with this tactic. When you're as bad and causing as much embarrassment as the Wiz right now, you gotta pick your battles to try to get off the schnide.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

This team went into a dark dark place when Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittendon decided to take personal matters into the locker room. It has been downhill since.

I liked them better when they were the Bullets.

 

[Swing 51]

Charles Barkley says Steve Buckhantz deserves ‘hazard pay’

“Hey, what’s your boy, Steve Buckhantz?” Barkley asked. “Steve Buckhantz, we’re gonna get you hazard pay. You and Phil Chenier. C’mon man. It’s hard to lose 12 games in a row. C’mon man. You know, I ain’t seen Robin Ficker down there. He don’t even go to the games any more, that’s how bad they are. Robin Ficker ain’t behind the bench talking.”

As for Buckhantz, he’s holding steady.

“We talked about how frustrating this is for everybody involved,” the longtime play-by-play man said on Comcast SportsNet after the game. “Players, coaches, owners, fans, broadcasters. For Randy Wittman, you just have to feel for the guy….You have to think that the next game might be the game you win….The next game will be Portland Wednesday night. That would be the game they have to try to come out here and win.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dc-sports-bog/wp/2012/11/27/charles-barkley-says-buckhantz-deserves-hazard-pay/

 

[QuizGuy66]

So the Capitals have won more recently than the Wizards...

-QG

 

[tom22406]

Charles Barkley says Steve Buckhantz deserves ‘hazard pay’

“Hey, what’s your boy, Steve Buckhantz?” Barkley asked. “Steve Buckhantz, we’re gonna get you hazard pay. You and Phil Chenier. C’mon man. It’s hard to lose 12 games in a row. C’mon man. You know, I ain’t seen Robin Ficker down there. He don’t even go to the games any more, that’s how bad they are. Robin Ficker ain’t behind the bench talking.”

As for Buckhantz, he’s holding steady.

“We talked about how frustrating this is for everybody involved,” the longtime play-by-play man said on Comcast SportsNet after the game. “Players, coaches, owners, fans, broadcasters. For Randy Wittman, you just have to feel for the guy….You have to think that the next game might be the game you win….The next game will be Portland Wednesday night. That would be the game they have to try to come out here and win.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dc-sports-bog/wp/2012/11/27/charles-barkley-says-buckhantz-deserves-hazard-pay/

Feel for Buck having to try and put some excitement in the broadcast with the product they are throwing out lately.Barkley and crew were even doing the Globetrotters theme while the highlights were being shown and called them the Generals numerous times(very fitting actually because I was doing the same last night as well).

 

[tom22406]

Andray Blatche just got done doing an interview for 106.7 a little while ago and was quite interesting to hear.The end of the interview though is priceless so if you don't want to hear all his excuses skip directly to the end(last 3 minutes or so).He will never get it IMO.Click on the audio link in center of page for full interview.

http://washington.cbslocal.com/2012/11/27/andray-blatche-blasts-wizards-talks-prostitution-and-fighting-fans/

 

[dgreen]

This team went into a dark dark place when Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittendon decided to take personal matters into the locker room. It has been downhill since. I liked them better when they were the Bullets.

They were on their way down before that.

 

[TobiasFunke]

This team went into a dark dark place when Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittendon decided to take personal matters into the locker room. It has been downhill since. I liked them better when they were the Bullets.

They were on their way down before that.

Hell, they've been down almost exclusively for 30+ years.

 

[tom22406]

Does Jan Vesely even deserve any playing time at this point except to prove once and for all he is completely useless at both ends of the floor?

Maybe when Wall returns and they up the tempo he might fit in a little better but I really see no improvement from him at all and doubt even Wall running the point will help because Vesely has no offensive game at all except open layups on the run.

Out of the league very soon at this rate.

 

[tom22406]

This team went into a dark dark place when Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittendon decided to take personal matters into the locker room. It has been downhill since. I liked them better when they were the Bullets.

They were on their way down before that.

Hell, they've been down almost exclusively for 30+ years.

No season with more than 45 wins since 1979 and 0 Division titles in that span

 

[tom22406]

0-12 and the Blazers in town tonight and I think they have a real shot at getting that elusive 1st W tonight.



If not when they will get it

 

[TobiasFunke]

0-12 and the Blazers in town tonight and I think they have a real shot at getting that elusive 1st W tonight. If not when they will get it

Eh, plenty of chances. They've already come as close as humanly possible to winning @ Atlanta, missing it a point and a tenth of a second. Golden State at home next Saturday is winnable too.I think they get a W tonight, though. That is, if my prediction that they were resting Nene for tonight holds. If Nene is still out, all bets are off.

 

[Don Quixote]

Almost blew it tonight, but still nice to see them pick up the win.

 

[tom22406]

GENERALS WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1-12!!

15 point lead with 9 minutes to go in the game for the Zards and they go scoreless for almost 7 minutes to let the Blazers tie the game up but thankfully they pulled it out late and got that 1st win in a very ugly game from both teams with the Blazers shooting a Wizard like 34% from the floor while the Wiz hit on 43% which is actually a good shooting game for them.

Even with Wall set to return in the next month I just don't see anything making that big a difference in the win column.Of course they can't continue this putrid pace but 25-30 wins would be the ceiling IMO anyways with everyone healthy.

At least they didn't get to that point of all-time worst starts like some were predicting so that's a plus

 

[Swing 51]

GENERALS WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1-12!!

 

[TobiasFunke]

 

[Abraham]

GENERALS WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1-12!!15 point lead with 9 minutes to go in the game for the Zards and they go scoreless for almost 7 minutes to let the Blazers tie the game up but thankfully they pulled it out late and got that 1st win in a very ugly game from both teams with the Blazers shooting a Wizard like 34% from the floor while the Wiz hit on 43% which is actually a good shooting game for them.Even with Wall set to return in the next month I just don't see anything making that big a difference in the win column.Of course they can't continue this putrid pace but 25-30 wins would be the ceiling IMO anyways with everyone healthy.At least they didn't get to that point of all-time worst starts like some were predicting so that's a plus

25-30 wins? That would basically mean turning in to a .500 team when Wall returns. I'm not sure Chris Paul or Kyrie Irving could make this a .500 team.

 

[TobiasFunke]

GENERALS WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1-12!!

15 point lead with 9 minutes to go in the game for the Zards and they go scoreless for almost 7 minutes to let the Blazers tie the game up but thankfully they pulled it out late and got that 1st win in a very ugly game from both teams with the Blazers shooting a Wizard like 34% from the floor while the Wiz hit on 43% which is actually a good shooting game for them.

Even with Wall set to return in the next month I just don't see anything making that big a difference in the win column.Of course they can't continue this putrid pace but 25-30 wins would be the ceiling IMO anyways with everyone healthy.

At least they didn't get to that point of all-time worst starts like some were predicting so that's a plus

25-30 wins? That would basically mean turning in to a .500 team when Wall returns. I'm not sure Chris Paul or Kyrie Irving could make this a .500 team.

It's as much or more about a healthy Nene as Wall. Check out the +/- for him on a 1-12 team.Still, seems a little high, but not that much. 25 seems doable, that's just 24-45 over the last 69. Definitely in good position for Shabazz Mohammed, Nerlens Noel or Cody Zeller.

 

[Don Quixote]

They won 20 games last year, despite a similar start and a lockout-shortened season. So, I don't think 25 is out of reach.

I also don't think they are as bad as their record indicates. Don't get me wrong, they are bad, but they have had a lot of close losses, including 3 in OT.

 

[tom22406]

GENERALS WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1-12!!15 point lead with 9 minutes to go in the game for the Zards and they go scoreless for almost 7 minutes to let the Blazers tie the game up but thankfully they pulled it out late and got that 1st win in a very ugly game from both teams with the Blazers shooting a Wizard like 34% from the floor while the Wiz hit on 43% which is actually a good shooting game for them.Even with Wall set to return in the next month I just don't see anything making that big a difference in the win column.Of course they can't continue this putrid pace but 25-30 wins would be the ceiling IMO anyways with everyone healthy.At least they didn't get to that point of all-time worst starts like some were predicting so that's a plus

25-30 wins? That would basically mean turning in to a .500 team when Wall returns. I'm not sure Chris Paul or Kyrie Irving could make this a .500 team.

Should have said a full season with a healthy team.25 wins at this point seem like a dream given the lack of talent they have so I was speaking to a full season with both Wall and Nene healthy.Right now I would say 20 would sound about right.

 

[QuizGuy66]

there goes the perfect season :(

-QG

 

[sporthenry]

GENERALS WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1-12!!

15 point lead with 9 minutes to go in the game for the Zards and they go scoreless for almost 7 minutes to let the Blazers tie the game up but thankfully they pulled it out late and got that 1st win in a very ugly game from both teams with the Blazers shooting a Wizard like 34% from the floor while the Wiz hit on 43% which is actually a good shooting game for them.

Even with Wall set to return in the next month I just don't see anything making that big a difference in the win column.Of course they can't continue this putrid pace but 25-30 wins would be the ceiling IMO anyways with everyone healthy.

At least they didn't get to that point of all-time worst starts like some were predicting so that's a plus

25-30 wins? That would basically mean turning in to a .500 team when Wall returns. I'm not sure Chris Paul or Kyrie Irving could make this a .500 team.

It's as much or more about a healthy Nene as Wall. Check out the +/- for him on a 1-12 team.Still, seems a little high, but not that much. 25 seems doable, that's just 24-45 over the last 69. Definitely in good position for Shabazz Mohammed, Nerlens Noel or Cody Zeller.

What a difference a year makes in draft classes. If I'm the Wiz, I'd trade this years pick to another putrid team for their 2014 pick for another lottery ticket for either Jabari Parker or Andrew Wiggins.

 

[tom22406]

1-13 after getting beat down by a very hot shooting Knicks team who rested the starters for much of the 2nd half.The one thing that really stood out was how good teams shoot from the outside against the Generals and how few shooters they really have.Another was what a pathetic offense(or lack of one)they try to run.Some of the time you may see one pass or possibly 2 and then a shot but for the most part it was gimme the ball and shoot.Knicks on the other hand were running a fluid offense that set up other players for easy open shots all night.

Watching the Spurs and Knicks destroy them really shows how far this team has to go to even compete against the best teams.Wall will help some but not enough to drag along most of these bench players to any success on a frequent basis.

Sticking with 20 wins as a celing but will not be shocked if it falls below that.

 

[Don Quixote]

I can't say I was expecting that tonight.

 

[tom22406]

I can't say I was expecting that tonight.

I have knocked them when they have played bad(and rightfully so)and I will be the one to say that was by far the best they have looked in a very long time.The team actually passed the ball around to open men and hit the shots when they got them.Shooting almost a full 10% highger than the seasons average and going to the free throw line more than the opponent in any game for this team is almost unheard of but was fun to watch.Sure looked like a case of the Heat thinking they could turn it on at any time and beat the Zards at will but it never played out the way they wanted.Missed wide open looks late,terrible D and a general lack of effort at certain points = a loss to the worst team in the league.2-13

 

[dgreen]

Wizards could have acquired James Harden this Summer.

 

[tom22406]

Wizards could have acquired James Harden this Summer.

Was coming in today and talk about this and how absurd it was to not take this deal considering what they shelled out for Ariza and Okafor(money wise).Harden paired with Wall would have been a killer combo to build around and couple that with Seraphin really starting to show he belongs and will be a contributor on a regular basis would then be 3 great building blocks for a future winning team and also make it more appealing for potential free agents to want to come and play here.

Maybe it's true that all Leonsis cares about is the bottom line afterall or it could be they have no idea how to build a winner?

Either way adding Harden to a team full of journeymen was not gonna solve anything or make them an instant playoff team but it sure would have been a much wiser move instead of the silly deal they got involved in to get Okafor and Ariza.

Life as a Generals fan

Speaking of Wall,anyone else getting very concerned over him still a ways away from playing?

No need to rush him clearly since this team sucks but this has to be alarming that it's taking so long to get back and no real timetable still as of today as to when he will.

 

[Don Quixote]

My quick read was that they rejected the deal because they already had Ariza and Okafor, and Harden would have pushed them well over the cap. I can't really complain about rejecting the trade in that case.

 

[tom22406]

My quick read was that they rejected the deal because they already had Ariza and Okafor, and Harden would have pushed them well over the cap. I can't really complain about rejecting the trade in that case.

Yeah I get the money side of things here and why they turned it down but that just makes taking on Ariza and Okafor that much more terrible to begin with when other players right around the same figure could have been had instead.And why not do what you can to move those 2 contracts(Ariza and Okafor)if it means adding a clear upgrade that could help your team better for the future?Of course that is easier said than done give the size but it could be done at some point.Worst case is you pay the penalty and still have Harden and move the 2 later.Just another great example of the Generals terrible management IMO.

 

[TobiasFunke]

My quick read was that they rejected the deal because they already had Ariza and Okafor, and Harden would have pushed them well over the cap. I can't really complain about rejecting the trade in that case.

I don't know about "well over the cap." It would have put them barely over the cap. Article says even with the salaries up to the cap plus the luxury tax plus the $ owed to Blatche, their payroll would have been $90 million. Subtract the $8 million to Blatche (which is just a cost of doing business badly in the past) and you're only like $10 million over the cap, even with the tax. And remember, it only would have been a 1 year problem post-extension for Harden after this season, with Ariza and Okafor coming off the books after 2014. And of course on a much simpler level, Grunfeld is the one who made the move for Ariza and Okafor in the first place, with Leonsis's approval obviously. This is EXACTLY the reason people criticized the deal at the time- loss of payroll flexibility wasted on questionable talent. Totally fair to hold them accountable for it, especially considering what we're getting out of Ariza and Okafor.This episode has tried my patience with the Wiz more than anything in recent memory.

 

[tom22406]

Did not catch the game last night but looking over the box score why was it that Seraphin got less than 20 minutes?

Not really getting a full grasp of what Wittman's rotation plan exactly is but I do get that no matter who he starts the bench always outscores them.

 

[TobiasFunke]

Did not catch the game last night but looking over the box score why was it that Seraphin got less than 20 minutes?Not really getting a full grasp of what Wittman's rotation plan exactly is but I do get that no matter who he starts the bench always outscores them.

Seraphin seems like he's kind a struggling with his more prominent role this year. I think he's forcing his shot inside a bit (whereas last year he'd only shoot when the situation demanded it) it's not going that well. Been complaints on twitter that he's seemed a bit soft this year, too.Wiz are deep; that's pretty much the only thing they have going for them this season. Because their 1-10 or so guys (various with injuries) are basically interchangeably mediocre players, the ones that start almost always struggle out of the gate against the other team's starter-quality players. Then the bench guys feast off the other team's reserves. There's also the more basic fact that EVERYONE is better when Nene's on the floor, and he hasn't made a start yet this year.

 

[tom22406]

Did not catch the game last night but looking over the box score why was it that Seraphin got less than 20 minutes?Not really getting a full grasp of what Wittman's rotation plan exactly is but I do get that no matter who he starts the bench always outscores them.

Seraphin seems like he's kind a struggling with his more prominent role this year. I think he's forcing his shot inside a bit (whereas last year he'd only shoot when the situation demanded it) it's not going that well. Been complaints on twitter that he's seemed a bit soft this year, too.Wiz are deep; that's pretty much the only thing they have going for them this season. Because their 1-10 or so guys (various with injuries) are basically interchangeably mediocre players, the ones that start almost always struggle out of the gate against the other team's starter-quality players. Then the bench guys feast off the other team's reserves. There's also the more basic fact that EVERYONE is better when Nene's on the floor, and he hasn't made a start yet this year.

One good thing for Seraphin in his favor is he loves Nene and is soaking up whatever knowledge he can from the guy.I agree on the soft comments,he has talent but needs to be taught better down low(especially D).No concerns on Wall for you?

 

[TobiasFunke]

Did not catch the game last night but looking over the box score why was it that Seraphin got less than 20 minutes?Not really getting a full grasp of what Wittman's rotation plan exactly is but I do get that no matter who he starts the bench always outscores them.

Seraphin seems like he's kind a struggling with his more prominent role this year. I think he's forcing his shot inside a bit (whereas last year he'd only shoot when the situation demanded it) it's not going that well. Been complaints on twitter that he's seemed a bit soft this year, too.Wiz are deep; that's pretty much the only thing they have going for them this season. Because their 1-10 or so guys (various with injuries) are basically interchangeably mediocre players, the ones that start almost always struggle out of the gate against the other team's starter-quality players. Then the bench guys feast off the other team's reserves. There's also the more basic fact that EVERYONE is better when Nene's on the floor, and he hasn't made a start yet this year.

One good thing for Seraphin in his favor is he loves Nene and is soaking up whatever knowledge he can from the guy.I agree on the soft comments,he has talent but needs to be taught better down low(especially D).No concerns on Wall for you?

I have significant concerns about Wall coming back any time soon. Don't like what I'm hearing. But I can't imagine it's a career ender. And if it's not, what's the concern really, when you get down to it? That he won't return soon to lead us to the promised land of a 30 win season this year? This season's already lost.

 

[tom22406]

Did not catch the game last night but looking over the box score why was it that Seraphin got less than 20 minutes?

Not really getting a full grasp of what Wittman's rotation plan exactly is but I do get that no matter who he starts the bench always outscores them.

Seraphin seems like he's kind a struggling with his more prominent role this year. I think he's forcing his shot inside a bit (whereas last year he'd only shoot when the situation demanded it) it's not going that well. Been complaints on twitter that he's seemed a bit soft this year, too.Wiz are deep; that's pretty much the only thing they have going for them this season. Because their 1-10 or so guys (various with injuries) are basically interchangeably mediocre players, the ones that start almost always struggle out of the gate against the other team's starter-quality players. Then the bench guys feast off the other team's reserves. There's also the more basic fact that EVERYONE is better when Nene's on the floor, and he hasn't made a start yet this year.

One good thing for Seraphin in his favor is he loves Nene and is soaking up whatever knowledge he can from the guy.I agree on the soft comments,he has talent but needs to be taught better down low(especially D).No concerns on Wall for you?

I have significant concerns about Wall coming back any time soon. Don't like what I'm hearing. But I can't imagine it's a career ender. And if it's not, what's the concern really, when you get down to it? That he won't return soon to lead us to the promised land of a 30 win season this year? This season's already lost.

Bolded what my view is as well and was more to my point.The second half of what you said is a given for any sane fan Speed is his game and if this slows him down any he is in big trouble but let's wait and see him play before calling it anything more than it is(a concern).

 

[tom22406]

One good thing came out of last nights loss was Okafor displayed some offense so let's hope he keeps that up so he is easier to move(I'm dreaming!)

Seeing Harden do pretty much anything he wanted pissed me off even more thinking about that trade proposal they turned down(team of course denies this).

Also seems like Seraphin has found his way into the doghouse,limited minutes again.

And reports are that Wall will see a specialist to examine his knee tomorrow

 

[Swing 51]

####housed by Detroit. Only had 9 players available. Do it again tomorrow in DC.

 

[tom22406]

25 games into the season and a 3-22 record and things are only looking worse for this team after the Pistons did pretty much anything they wanted in a home and home series where the Generals were destroyed in both.

Show you how messed up this team is.Shaun Livingston and Earl Barron both have started in the last week and then promply got waived after last nights loss.

This team has no idea what to do and with the talent(or lack of it) and I can see why.Jordan Crawford has been asked to step in and run the point and at times looks completely confused as to either create for other players or try and get his own shot so my guess is that experiment will end pretty soon and put Crawford back at the SG where he can just try to score.And this is not saying he is at fault here because he has been a pretty much lone bright spot for an otherwise horrible team the last few weeks.

Really curious what players they bring in now but unless they trade it can't be of much help long term.I would hope Ted does the right thing and cleans house and start over.Grunfeld and Wittman need to go now,no need to wait any longer.

 

[sporthenry]

Not a Wiz fan, so what is the deal with the Wiz? Okafor and Nene are just stop gaps and Ariza probably won't be more than just a bench guy. But what about Jan? Is he already being labeled as a bust and on his way out or is he displaying any hope for the future. Certainly this team is killed by not having Wall. Beal looks like a good starting SG who could be something special so once Wall gets back with Beal and Crawford on the bench, that is a pretty good back court.

And what about Singleton? He seemed to show some signs as someone who could be either a decent starting SF or a great defender off the bench. Has he regressed? Does Seraphin show any hope for the future.

B/c assuming Wall gets back to his old form and they win the lottery and are able to draft Noel, that would seemingly give them #1 picks at the 1 and 5 along with a pretty good #2. So a lineup consisting of Wall, Beal, and Noel along with Singleton, Seraphin and Crawford would seem like something to build off.

 

[TobiasFunke]

This is not going well.

Yesterday Wall said that he expects to return "sometime in January," but that's just, like, his opinion, man.