Bradley Beal

[Knighthonor]

Beal needs to be more aggressive. It's fine to play with poise and be part of the offense, but a little more fire ad selfishness is needed. We don't need a roe player, we need a star....

dont pressure him.

Wizard's need wing talent all together. also keep in mind, No JWall... to space the floor off the wing like last year.

RIght now is the best time to tank.

the next two drafts have 4 potential star picks.

crazy to drive for a winning season with a team full of broken down vets.

[Mel Proctor]

I mentioned this in the 10-30-12 game thread, but is it possible that the Wiz picked the wrong guy (Beal) instead of Waiters? Just one game, to be sure, but Waiters could be a star playing next to Irving. I'm still not sold on Beal at all...

[Nivek]

Is it possible? Sure. Is it likely? I don't think so. In my analysis, Beal was the better prospect by a significant margin. Considering the two have probably another 800-1000 NBA games to play (hopefully), I think you might be a tad premature with this.

[DCZards]

Premature may be an understatement. I agree with those that have said that Beal was too passisve last night and that he needs to play with more fire and aggression. But I'm not ready to call him the wrong pick simply because Waiters may have looked like the better player last night. It was one game, folks.

[tontoz]

Beal is 19. I would be surprised if he wasn't a bit tentative.

[jivelikenice]

I mentioned this in the 10-30-12 game thread, but is it possible that the Wiz picked the wrong guy (Beal) instead of Waiters? Just one game, to be sure, but Waiters could be a star playing next to Irving. I'm still not sold on Beal at all...

I'm absolutely not worried about passing on Waiters. He's going to battle weight issues, he was horrible in SL, and was mediocre in the preseason. He's more aggressive than Beal and his shot was dropping yesterday. That's it.

I do want to see more out of Beal. This was my concern pre-draft. He's the 3rd pick in the draft. There's a fine line between trying to fit in and being passive. He needs to stay aggressive. This team doesn't need a role player; it needs a potential all star. He needs to be more aggressive off the dribble instead of settling for J's only. He showed some promise in this regards in SL, but we need to see more.

[I_Like_Dirt]

I actually really liked Beal's game last night. He's obviously got some work to do but writing him off based on his first game is hugely premature. He isn't going to be a takeover type of player but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. I think he's got a bit of a Harden-style game to him - although he may never have the freakish TS%s, they'll be good enough in their own right. I wouldn't be shocked to see him have a similar learning curve in the NBA. Waiters looked like he could get to the basket last night but also didn't show anything else besides gambling for steals and turovers. He may eventually be a very good player but I wasn't totally wowed by him, either.

I also think Beal's game looks like it will mesh pretty well with Nene's but we'll have to once Nene is back healthy.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Beal is 19. I would be surprised if he wasn't a bit tentative.

I remembered Flip starting Wall his first game. Beal is very mature for his age, but he is just 19.

Hindsight is 20/20 but it would have been better to start someone else at SG. I am so anti-Crawford, I prefer Webster or Martin start if Ariza is at SF (despite Jordan having a pretty good game--he's a chucker).

As for Beal being tentative, he's hard on himself when he messes up. In that regard I wish Beal thought more like JC. That guy Crawford is confident, regardless. Irony at work. Hopefully, Beal will develop shooting swagger in time and less of a conscience. I think he's very sensitive to not shooting the team out. That will prove to be better in the long run than gunners like Price and Crawford. Beal is going to be fine IMO.

[Zonkerbl]

You just CAN'T start Crawford. The offense grinds to a halt when he's in there.

[Mel Proctor]

I really WANT Beal to be good. We need him to be good. Like Carmelo (#3 pick in draft) good. I just haven't seen it. Not in college. Not in preseason. And not last night. I don't see the second coming of Ray Allen, or even Dell Curry. The #3 pick in the draft - a guard - should be able to step right in and be a massive, game-altering force. Every night. You could see it in Wall from Day 1. What is Beal's "plus" skill? What does he do better than the 95% of the NBA 2-guards who were NOT #3 picks in the draft?

Also, not sure why everyone is so down on Crawford. I mean, I think he is a chucker too. But the dude can SCORE. On the current, non-injured roster, he is the ONLY guy who can do so reliably, with the possible exception of Webster.

I'm worried about starting the season 9-20, as Kornheiser used to say. Nine wins in the first 29 games might actually be stretching it. Let's face it: Cleveland is a really bad team. They have exactly one player - Irving - who would start for a majority of teams in the league. And we lost to them by double figures. What team will we actually beat on the road in order to get to 9 wins out of the first 29?

[nate33]

I think he's got a bit of a Harden-style game to him - although he may never have the freakish TS%s, they'll be good enough in their own right. I wouldn't be shocked to see him have a similar learning curve in the NBA.

I agree with this. He looks like the kind of player who will let the game come to him. He'll contribute without forcing things.

[jivelikenice]

^ Got to disagree with you on Crawford. He's a volume scorer, which would be fine if he was getting to the line at a good clip. His scoring is capped in the 13-15 ppg range and it will take him 15 shots to get to that, on top of ball stopping dribbling which effects offensive flow. He's a 2 guard who can't hit an open 3 off a drive & kick! The team would be better with shooters on the floor running the offense.

I agree on Beal. A 15-18 ppg shooting guard is not worth the 3rd pick. I was encouraged by what I saw from him in SL because he was willing to attack the hoop more. He needs to stop being so passive and get back to playing all around offense, and not only settle for Js. John in his first few games (prior to injuring his foot or knee) was aggressive, and even though he made mistakes he filled up the stat sheet and got us win's or at least had us in games. I want to see that from Beal. If he can't show that, tghen we picked for need over BPA and that's a stupid way to build a team.

[jivelikenice]

I think he's got a bit of a Harden-style game to him - although he may never have the freakish TS%s, they'll be good enough in their own right. I wouldn't be shocked to see him have a similar learning curve in the NBA.

I agree with this. He looks like the kind of player who will let the game come to him. He'll contribute without forcing things.

That's ok for Harden who had Durant/ Green/ and Westbrook with him. Its not ok for Beal. We need him to be WILLING to take on a heavy offensive load. I don't care if he can't on certain nights in his rookie yr, but I want to see a willingness. He got pulled because he was tentative yesterday and another ROOKIE was all over him.

[tontoz]

^

I agree on Beal. A 15-18 ppg shooting guard is not worth the 3rd pick. I was encouraged by what I saw from him in SL because he was willing to attack the hoop more. He needs to stop being so passive and get back to playing all around offense, and not only settle for Js. John in his first few games (prior to injuring his foot or knee) was aggressive, and even though he made mistakes he filled up the stat sheet and got us win's or at least had us in games. I want to see that from Beal. If he can't show that, tghen we picked for need over BPA and that's a stupid way to build a team.

First of all you are overvaluing the 3rd pick. Secondly you are assuming that he wouldn't be the BPA if he was a 15-18 ppg sg. In reality that could be enough to be the BPA in that draft.

Here are the last 10 guys picked at 3 before Beal.

Kanter
Favors
Harden
Mayo
Horford
Morrison
Deron
Gordon
Melo
Dunleavy

Every pick after the first is pretty much hit or miss. There is really no sure thing after the first pick in most drafts.

Secondly complaining about a 19 year old rookie being too passive in his first game is ridiculous. Get a grip.

[Dat2U]

I mentioned this in the 10-30-12 game thread, but is it possible that the Wiz picked the wrong guy (Beal) instead of Waiters? Just one game, to be sure, but Waiters could be a star playing next to Irving. I'm still not sold on Beal at all...

I'm absolutely not worried about passing on Waiters. He's going to battle weight issues, he was horrible in SL, and was mediocre in the preseason. He's more aggressive than Beal and his shot was dropping yesterday. That's it.

I do want to see more out of Beal. This was my concern pre-draft. He's the 3rd pick in the draft. There's a fine line between trying to fit in and being passive. He needs to stay aggressive. This team doesn't need a role player; it needs a potential all star. He needs to be more aggressive off the dribble instead of settling for J's only. He showed some promise in this regards in SL, but we need to see more.

Well the book on Waiters watching the Cavs broadcasts during preseason and last night is that he's a gamer. He's not a great practice/scrimmage player but the higher the stakes, the better he plays. Apparently this is what the Syracuse coaching staff said and Byron Scott is trying to get him out of that mode. He looked the better player, at least last night but everyone is right to say it's just one game. Beal's passiveness is disconcerting but that's who he is. He did the same thing at Florida. I assume Beal will eventually get more comfortable and become a regular contributor.

I do like Waiters ability to get to the rack tho. He's a much better slasher than Beal at this stage but does tend to play more out of control.

[Illuminaire]

I'm not worried about Beal at all. I'd like to see him be more assertive, but he seems like a guy who takes time to adapt to his situation.

I expect him to grow more comfortable as the season progresses and he catches up to the speed of the game, and learns what he can and can't do on this level. If he's still looking scared 60 games in, then we can start to be worried.

[jivelikenice]

Secondly complaining about a 19 year old rookie being too passive in his first game is ridiculous. Get a grip.

I've been consistent about that complaint since pre-draft. If it was just one game and we had a book that proved otherwise, it would be one thing. The fact is we have one yr of college ball where he was passive for the most part, followed by a SL where he was effective, yet passive, followed by a preseason where he was passive. He's admitted it, the coaches have mentioned it. Its not one game. It's who he is until he proves otherwise.

[jivelikenice]

Well the book on Waiters watching the Cavs broadcasts during preseason and last night is that he's a gamer. He's not a great practice/scrimmage player but the higher the stakes, the better he plays. Apparently this is what the Syracuse coaching staff said and Byron Scott is trying to get him out of that mode. He looked the better player, at least last night but everyone is right to say it's just one game. Beal's passiveness is disconcerting but that's who he is. He did the same thing at Florida. I assume Beal will eventually get more comfortable and become a regular contributor.

I do like Waiters ability to get to the rack tho. He's a much better slasher than Beal at this stage but does tend to play more out of control.

Dat, what's frustrating to me is Beal looks like he has a decent handle but is so passive that he's afraid to use it. You can see Waiters and see that he was exerting himself on the court and Beal was on the defensive against him. On the flip side, Beal was playing at a slower speed and was letting the game get dictated to him. It's disconcerting. You don't see him play to his athletic attributes and at his height he needs to.

I'm overreacting to some degree, but there's a track record for Beal trying to blend in too much. He needs a little of Crawford's attitude on the court if he's going to live up to his potential. The track record for #3 picks isn't great, but by all accounts he was the consesus #2 choice on this board. We need Beal to suceed at a high level if we want any chance of being a competitive playoff team down the road. My hope is the butt kicking he got yesterday will be a wakeup call.

[tontoz]

Secondly complaining about a 19 year old rookie being too passive in his first game is ridiculous. Get a grip.

I've been consistent about that complaint since pre-draft. If it was just one game and we had a book that proved otherwise, it would be one thing. The fact is we have one yr of college ball where he was passive for the most part, followed by a SL where he was effective, yet passive, followed by a preseason where he was passive. He's admitted it, the coaches have mentioned it. Its not one game. It's who he is until he proves otherwise.

Beal attempted 5 three pointers per game in college and got to the foul line 5 times per game. Is that what you call passive for a college freshman?

[DMVleGeND]

Well the book on Waiters watching the Cavs broadcasts during preseason and last night is that he's a gamer. He's not a great practice/scrimmage player but the higher the stakes, the better he plays. Apparently this is what the Syracuse coaching staff said and Byron Scott is trying to get him out of that mode. He looked the better player, at least last night but everyone is right to say it's just one game. Beal's passiveness is disconcerting but that's who he is. He did the same thing at Florida. I assume Beal will eventually get more comfortable and become a regular contributor.

I do like Waiters ability to get to the rack tho. He's a much better slasher than Beal at this stage but does tend to play more out of control.

Dat, what's frustrating to me is Beal looks like he has a decent handle but is so passive that he's afraid to use it. You can see Waiters and see that he was exerting himself on the court and Beal was on the defensive against him. On the flip side, Beal was playing at a slower speed and was letting the game get dictated to him. It's disconcerting. You don't see him play to his athletic attributes and at his height he needs to.

I'm overreacting to some degree, but there's a track record for Beal trying to blend in too much. He needs a little of Crawford's attitude on the court if he's going to live up to his potential. The track record for #3 picks isn't great, but by all accounts he was the consesus #2 choice on this board. We need Beal to suceed at a high level if we want any chance of being a competitive playoff team down the road. My hope is the butt kicking he got yesterday will be a wakeup call.

Wrong. Most on the board wanted him, but a few others (including me) did not. I wanted Drummond or Barnes.