We're gonna kick some tail from now on (Optimism thread)

[doclinkin]

Better effort and a few line-up tweaks in the Nix game showed glimpses of the future in what we hope this team to be. Our squad did their best work when Ray and Dray were out of the game, replaced by Singleton and Booker, singly or together. With JaVale up front we saw flashes of how indomitable this frontcourt could be, with some experience, chemistry, continuity-- and perhaps different guidance.

Here is the infusion and upgrade in competitive instincts, know-how, willpower and effort that we've all perceived the squad as lacking over the years. Tough, strong, fierce, willing to go down swinging. Making heady plays even while falling out of bounds. I think it's instructive that these two are players our team managed to land by collecting extra picks in clever trades. This follows Teddy Dotcom's mandate: whenever possible trade for a prospect and a pick. When possible pick up defense and character.

I love various quotes from CSing that he'd worked on his 3-ball specifically over the summer in part because people doubted he had one. I love his stated desire to make all opponents pay for passing him over. He's got the right sort of focus, following the 'Outliers' maxim detailed by Malcolm Gladwell: that a huge part of talent is simply the drive to work harder than the next guy.

One risk in the NBA is to get sorta good, too early -- before you have your second superstar, or collection of complementary talent. Look we knew this was going to be a tough year, a tank year. Young teams, with no training camp were projected to struggle early, compared to veteran teams, we jettisoned our vets on purpose. Committing to a total rebuild. But if you have to suck, this is the year to suck righteously. There is potential dominant two-way talent a few slots deep in this draft (and we've picked up an extra 2nd rounder from the faltering Mavs this year). And we only have to suck for 66 games. Meanwhile we have few veterans likely to clot the roster by sucking up necessary PT from the young puppies.

Here we make a virtue of necessity. In building our bench with glue guys, intangibles, character and depth, we lay the foundation for a winning program without endangering the future by selecting for incremental upgrades at positions of 'need'. We suck in part by design: we're young, learning, not overpaying to add free agent talent at the expense of development. Now that we all know the layout of the new CBA we retain the future option to add players who best fit this team's needs, as well as retaining players who appear to be developing the way we hoped.

We all knew we'll have success only when we have a real upgrade for Dray Blatche (or Jamison, or Kwame, or whomever) in the frontcourt. Hope against hope said that maybe Dray himself would be this upgrade. At this point looks like we've got better odds of, you know, winning the lottery. But hey, here we are...

[fishercob]

I think we may have to start our own "It Gets Better" project.

Take a look at some of the worst teams in NBA history: http://espn.go.com/nba/features/worstteams

Then look up their franchise index on basketball reference and see that they all improved; some quickly and some more deliberately. The Detroit Lions were 0-16 just three seasons ago. Baseball has had 9 teams go from last in their division to first. So, it will get better. By definition, it has to.

By bottoming out so completely -- and it is an ugly and gut-wrenchingly painful and toxic process -- we are enabling more upside on the other end. We're not saddled to any cap killing long term contracts. We are not beholden to any aging stars. I think we are in a better position for the next 10-15 years than Charlotte, Milwaukee, Detroit and other better teams. We may have better future prospects than Orlando and San Antonio.

It sucks right now, but we'll have our day in the sun.

[Wizards2Lottery]

I really like Chris Singleton and I wish half our team had the basketball smarts, tenacity and focus that he shows on the court. He's going to be a good player for this franchise.

[daSwami]

Remember 5 years ago when we had the best record in the Eastern Conference going into January, Gil had just dropped 60 in Kobe's house and EJ was named coach of the All-Star game. Good times.

[daSwami]

Ronny Turiaf leads the league in FG%!!!!

We're #1! We're #1!

[Zonkerbl]

Bought NBA league pass, watching Minnesota vs. Toronto. I had forgotten what crisply executed, high quality professional basketball looks like.

Ahhhhh.

[queridiculo]

Bought NBA league pass, watching Minnesota vs. Toronto. I had forgotten what crisply executed, high quality professional basketball looks like.

Ahhhhh.

I'm a big fan of what Adelman is doing with the Timberwolves. With the way things are shaping in the West they're a year or two away from being a perennial playoff team.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I am a big fan of Real GM and you guys who I argue with all the time.

[Shorty]

Bump for the following happy thought:

The Wizards won the regular season series against the champs, whoever they turn out to be.

[bawizards]

Here is my dream offseason. I put it in here because a lot of optimism is required but it is possible.


Using our salary cap situation from this site.

1) Amnesty Blatche making our salary cap 51,978,760

2)Trade Rashard Lewis for Ariza or Okafur and the 10th (I will go w/ okafur here)

This makes our salary cap at $41,828,760

3)With the 3rd and the 10th overall pick we select Beal/MKG then our choice of Sullinger/Moultire/Leonard/Zellers/Henson. I will say Beal/Leonard here. With our 32nd pick I say we take a combo guard like Tony Wroten at 32, and at 45 we take Kris Joseph. I couldnt find how much $ Joseph and Wroten would be getting but lets say they are getting 800,000 (A high estimate but its better guess high then guess to low)

Making our salary $48,738,460

4)Sign and trade for Batum. We give them booker and next years first (trying to get some cap space here) Say most $ we give Batum is 12 million. This makes the salary $59,353,190


2012/2013 roster


Wall/Wroten/Mack
Beal/Crawford
Batum/Singelton/Kris Joseph
Nene/Vesley
Okafur/Leonard/Seraphin

This will let our young raw big men learn from vets who have been around the block and have good attitudes while our young pg/sg/sf who are more NBA ready will get to gain experience together. Okafur and Nene both have injury issues the rotation at PF/C will be able to keep them fresh and be able to play the majority of the 82 games so our young guns will get their minutes to develop. I believe if Okafur and Nene play the majority of the 82 games we can be fighting for a low playoff spot.

2014-2015 is the season we become contenders. We will have these guys under contract as our main group.
with their age

John Wall(24) (9,697,901)
Beal(21) (3,754,400)
Batum (26) (12,000,000)
Vesley (25) (4,469,547)
Leonard (23) (2,033,200)
Nene(32) (13,000,000)
Crawford (26) (3,206,866)
Seraphin (24) (3,898,691)
Singelton (24) (2,626,473)

Thats a solid 9 man rotation with everyone besides Nene being very young that total salary is 54,687,078

Giving us 5,312,922 million to play around with veterans with playoff experience to help out or if a 2nd round pick like Mack,Wroten,Joseph emerges. We can also use our mid level exception on veterans with experience to help us out.

[nate33]

Your numbers are wrong, in this thread and the other.

[bawizards]

I meant Ariza or Okafur let me edit that.

[doclinkin]

Back from a week in the mountains, what'd I miss?

...


...

...


oh.

Hmmn. This may take a minute...

[doclinkin]

Um...

Okay. Still working on this. But here's the gist of it. Uh, forget about the future for a moment, and ramifications of any of this, understanding that everything on this team is in a stall pattern for the next two years when the contracts become due on GMEG and Coach Witt and John Wall and now for Oak and the RZA.

There is probably a reason we are non participants for the next couple years, a reason why we'll need to keep our heads down and allow the new CBA to begin to take full effect before we can ourselves take advantage. Never know. Something I'm not seeing, not being a billionaire with a business minded research squad working on my behalf. Some part of that may have to do with how many teams have actually already cleared cap space and will be bidding against each other over the next couple years, devaluing cap space for the short term, and earning old-style CBA contracts for the few non-mediocre free agents on the market.

Some part of it surely has to do with setting ourselves up to retain our #1#1 franchise player, both with a commitment to a changed culture and with money expiring at the right time, but without appearing cheap (the old reputation) by simply preserving cap-space, adding no one, and failing to spend to improve the team. Alienating a less savvy fanbase than those on here and potentially our star. Under a new CBA.

This kicks the capspace can down the road, while appearing plausibly competitive, tough, big, deep, with high BBIQ on court if not necessarily being visionary in the front office. Sets things up for the next GM, next coach, at a time when the ramifications of the new CBA will have focused somewhat. Until then, for now good enough is good enough.

So setting aside all of that, on court right now, what does it mean? Is it 'good enough'?

Well what it means is we're 'all in' on defense in the short term. Active, strong, smart, maybe not over-long on the interior, but athletic and tough. If you credit Ted's stated aims in building a team (no jerks, add smarts, add defense, add savvy vets at key positions when you have good talent to be tutored) they have checked a number of boxes.

Bitchy as we all are, with sand in our shorts right now, thing is, when the ball tips in the Fall it will be really easy to cheer for this team. Okay, offense right now looks like it may be a fiasco, but on defense we are set up for some really dynamic and surprisingly ferocious play. This is a never-give-up defensive squad. Ariza is an excellent defensive role-model for John Wall to shadow. And in the front court we add both shotblocking, rebounding and defensive positioning in Okafor. Do we suffer from redundancy? Maybe, or turned to an asset you can say we have added an arsenal of hard fouls or interchangeable muscle even when we inevitably take our usual run of injuries.

Personally I love the short term synergy between Nene, 'Meka. Both are smart, savvy, tough, good character team oriented guys. What is more their games may surprisingly supplement each other pretty well. Both have shown flashes of an underrated mid-range game, despite being known for their interior brawn. Developing this trend should allow either one a little more room on the inside, and allow each to set outside screens while leaving room on the inside for John Wall to rip down the lane. Left alone on the pick each ought to be able to shoot well to make an opponent pay if their man collapses to block the lane and leave them alone for JWall's kick out. Neither one has been given much freedom to explore this aspect of their game in the past, but we've seen Witt allow Nene whatever leeway he needs, encouraging this in Seraphin as well.

And when you think about it neither has played with another player as strong and athletic as the other here. There will probably be positive mismatches for one or the other on court at any given time.

In other complements, Nene is notable for raising the defensive rebounding percentage of his teammates, boxing out well and using his width to seal multiple opponents from snatching the board. 'Meka should see a lift in his already solid rebounding stats. This team has lacked the ability to secure a board after stopping an opponent shot. First requirement of a running team is to secure the ball. Both run the floor well and willingly, forcing opponent bigs to labor to keep up. And here is where redundancy adds a benefit. We can switch out and platoon interchangeably these two with the young and similar Kevin Seraphin, who now has two ideal tutors for his game (muscle, underheight, developing midrange game, current shortfall in rebounding prowess). Supplement with fresh legs in the uptempo fast break threats Jan Vesely and Trevor Booker and we can run 'em until their tongues hang out.

Yeah okay we need improved shooting from Wall, and at the 2-guard position, and the 3-spot. True. But what we may lack in offensive finesse, I suspect fans will cheer our effort at both ends of the court. Today you hate it, but again at least with this roster they won't embarrass you with oncourt slack or defensive idiocy, and you won't have to worry about offcourt shenanigans.

Really though we have some of the game's smartest players (especially when retaining Mason and Evans as assistant coaches for our summer squad). Meka finished at UConn in 3 years with a heavy academic course load graduating in the top of his class. He'll love being in the DC area with access to policy makers and political big brains. Consider too he grew up in Houston and has always counted Olajuwon as a role model, studying with him in past offseasons. I suspect he'll only be a positive influence on our developing front court talent in Vesely and Seraphin. Put it this way, you won't flinch in the offseason when you see the name of one of our players in the news. And after all, as a Wiz fan, what more can your really ask than that?

[montestewart]

Really though we have some of the game's smartest players (especially when retaining Mason and Evans as assistant coaches for our summer squad).

Is that the case? Hadn't heard. Really, I don't think anyone here has questioned either Okafor's or Ariza's intelligence or character, I think some are overstating or understating their worth at this point. Really, if Leonsis bought out Lewis and amnestied Blatche, the remainder looks like a hardworking, team-oriented squad (well Crawford's a little erratic, but he's not lazy).

OK, thanks for a realistic positive. Starting together, the Nene-Okafor rebounding synergy is a realistic counter to redundancy, in addition to the very real beef twins aspect as far as fouls, muscle, and (combined with Seraphin, Booker, and Vesely), true physical and defensive depth in the middle. I guess the next two years is an open-air "who's gonna shoot" workshop. I can't keep buying tickets to this farce, but at least there's a few reasons to watch fast-forwarded DVRs of non-blowout games in between rereading Finnegan's Wake and Thus Spoke Zarathustra.

[doclinkin]

I can't keep buying tickets to this farce, but at least there's a few reasons to watch fast-forwarded DVRs of non-blowout games in between rereading Finnegan's Wake and Thus Spoke Zarathustra.

Oh then, in Joycean torrent let me explicate and try to onvince a doubting Tom'r'monte:

For there in the runaround shortpants we re-beefed the frontcourt, with man after mannigan strong and atlas flexing. Massive manbeef in front of any wee-dribbler in the lanes, rises to meet him roaring and foaming like Cerberus snapping his iron chain to chase them back and back and back from Hells gate to stop frozen and instead flinch a midrange fleaflick of getitawayfromme weak ass shot.

Then once shot, the arc of the parabola sailed to the jumbotron domey and desecending proper pinewards to the iron hoop, like Icarus lost his waxens in its plummet, it bounces unhappy with the resonant clang of haephestus shoeing the feet of pheobus or whatsuchrot. And in that hesitate-y mobble, the ball in it's tentative rebounce off the miss, is met by greedy grasping hands, then snug secure in the breast of a kindly beasty giant, and none with the temerity to dare to tickle it away from his bosom.

What's an Okafor? One might ask the gods of old what is in a name like this. Okafor. A man or mecha: made of both wood, a sturdy oak, or machine in form of man this mecha, this holy destination.

Next to him too another doughty stoutwise gentlegreat, a man whose name's itself a soft denial: gentle but sure as a mother who knows what's best. "Nay. Nay cry not, it is never good to try too hard when of a surety you have been refused for sartain. Nay. There there, you wee 'Bronny pamper wetter. Check yer puss for blood if you will but try not to enter my home again or again find a door slapped all face in face'. His very name is a wagging finger of Mutombo, meaning 'thou shalt not' and 'do not try this shzt you four-stepping fraud of a self fellating pantload...'

Who could deny the great glorious roar of laughter and vindication in victory, when minute after minute comes filled with huge god-natured giants, calling out switches and meeting cowardice with honest sweat, sinews like bosky forests, thews like sequioa, and chastising backswatting justice meted out to sour faced whiny children corrected in terms with stinging remonstrance and a sore rear from spanking: 'get that weakness gone'. And let fly for our side a fast break run:

Loose the fleet foot hounds! Our turn now, evoporate into offense like the shadows of clouds blown on hurricane stream-- upcourt gone as quick as shadow meeting light, in savage pursuit of two points sprinting. Exclamation rung! jammed home with clanging like churchbells: as regular, as sacred, each finish a fast break dunk and no mistake.

Let pundits wonder. 'Who will score?' Indeed. And while they wonder, the answer will ever be: never you. Never these Heat or Celtics, or Bulls or pickapponent. But instead the answer will be a high flying lob to a racing Czech or sudden Trevor of any Book'or'riza, Who will score? Will be: these wizards: fast in the freedom of an upcourt run --- and as fast to slam the door and say: 'Nay, Nay, sir, not you sir, and not today...'

Come the whistle and tweet, and fall the final buzz,
none will keep his seat, none will whinge and cuss
as we brothers in misery stand to roar away the years,
finally to a man we have a squad 'at's worth the cheers,
hard working to the last, earn your pennies every match,
never cheating you of effort...

unless we're keeping Andray Blatche.

[montestewart]

^
I just hope we're on the winning end of 67-63 games, but if I get bored, I can just reread that. Aloud. It was pretty damn entertaining. Maybe I can get through the next two years if we can collectively attach an oral tradition of epic saga, that we have to write, because...

[montestewart]

Okafenoko plagiarizations of manic Javalated negations, cannonizing an easy two into a home run swat not to me or thee but to the net down court, a really long three

[doclinkin]

Maybe I can get through the next two years if we can collectively attach an oral tradition of epic saga, that we have to write, because...

And so it willl be done, in chinks and bits of grout. The brick by brick of it. Wall off your doubts here in this thread, in this wise. Come here for comfort when you worry, we'll grave it off and make those bones a home in memory only. Like so:

And can a Wall be fast? How 'fast'? In what whence? 'Fast' like held unbroachable? Unembreachable? Sturdy? How can a Wall, a foundation, be both here and there in but a whisker of an instant-- 'lest he already be all places at once, as in the sages of physics suggest we superstring the lattice nets of possibility we each of us-- and so it must be so.

But can a fast wall be a foundation? That is sure and sure enough. For a Wall that isn't fast is sure to show a crack or two. And this wall seems to only ever grow. Wizards build a tower to be seen and strike an awe. We stand in it's shadow, this Wall, so worry not, my weary, worry nay at all. We yet have Wall.

[gesa2]

Sometimes I think the only thing keeping me a Wizard fan is that I couldn't let go of the pleasure I get reading this board. Thank you Doc.