Wizards @ Nuggets - 1/18/13 - 9:00 PM EST Nene vs McGee

[closg00]

Whoot, fun times are back, we are no-longer a laughingstock.

[popper]

Love our effort and result but our TO's are an area where Wittman really needs to focus on. Some of our recent wins would have been blowouts if we valued the ball more.

[thebigE]

4 of 5? Oh my...

This is not a fluke.

At the start of the thread I predicted this win. Randy Wittman is a good coach. I love the way he gets multiple players involved.

Agreed. Witt is a sick coach who seems to love what he does and appears to be more than capable. Most importantly, the players are responding to Witt. Good sign.

[jivelikenice]

My issue with Witt has to do with his slow trigger when it comes to substituting when teams are on runs. Lawson was eating up Price and AJ wasn't even contesting shots which indicated fatigue, yet he kept waiting to bring Wall in....I've also seen numerous instances where we need to get someone into the game down the stretch, and he waits 2-3 minutes for a dead ball versus calling a TO. He also at times has ice'd out his own ht players by waiting to long to reinsert them back in......

He seems like a decent patch, but needs to be better with game mgmt....

[nate33]

My issue with Witt has to do with his slow trigger when it comes to substituting when teams are on runs. Lawson was eating up Price and AJ wasn't even contesting shots which indicated fatigue, yet he kept waiting to bring Wall in....I've also seen numerous instances where we need to get someone into the game down the stretch, and he waits 2-3 minutes for a dead ball versus calling a TO. He also at times has ice'd out his own ht players by waiting to long to reinsert them back in......

He seems like a decent patch, but needs to be better with game mgmt....

Wall was on a minutes cap. I think he had to wait. I suppose he could have brought in Temple though.

These criticism are always easy to make in hindsight, but I think they're generally a bit unfair. Yes, Lawson was hot, but he could just have easily have missed his last few shots. You only know it's a 23-point quarter for him after the quarter is over.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

The win probability section at Basketball Reference pegs the Wizards chances of winning tonight at 19%. 1-in-5 chance? That seems about right.

Seems right to me but I am leaning toward the 1.

The points they're giving seem very generous, and like easy money if you care to wager.

Good call, CCJ!

Dude, I'm going to Vegas.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

My issue with Witt has to do with his slow trigger when it comes to substituting when teams are on runs. Lawson was eating up Price and AJ wasn't even contesting shots which indicated fatigue, yet he kept waiting to bring Wall in....I've also seen numerous instances where we need to get someone into the game down the stretch, and he waits 2-3 minutes for a dead ball versus calling a TO. He also at times has ice'd out his own ht players by waiting to long to reinsert them back in......

He seems like a decent patch, but needs to be better with game mgmt....

Noted, jivelikenice. I wonder if there's a discipline or planned rotation pattern that Randy believes in sticking with? That might be the only way to get so many players decent burn. It could explain why he's slow to switch combinations that might seem to not be working. I don't know...

Washington has dropped a lot of close games that might have been wins. At the same time, Randy has held it together under duress and he's shown that he can string some wins together with a patchwork lineup.

Ultimately, wins and losses will determine Randy's coaching tenure with the Wizards. Expectations are going to rise. Right now, I'm just ecstatic with the team chemistry, the defense, the emerging talent of Beal, the players who are reviving their careers, and the way Randy has been a stand up guy throughout. jive, I'm not evaluating Randy on the wins and losses per se.

Perhaps he can become a better game manager?

[doclinkin]

My issue with Witt has to do with his slow trigger when it comes to substituting when teams are on runs. Lawson was eating up Price and AJ wasn't even contesting shots which indicated fatigue, yet he kept waiting to bring Wall in....

Um, you do like still having a franchise PG right? Or you would rather have him on the bench with a blown out knee. We just got the dude back, let the coach massage his minutes a little so we can keep him alive and upright, srsly.

[dobrojim]

just noticed the wiretap feed with the Karl wants McGee to play
like Duncan. Well, I remember Glen Consor euphemistically saying
JaVale 'struggles with concepts'. So no, I don't think he's likely
to resemble The Big Fundamental any time soon. Nothing personal.

Long as we are at it, I'd like every other big man ON THE WIZARDS to play like Duncan starting with Seraphin and Vesely.

fixed

[tontoz]

Watching the 4th quarter now and just saw Seraphin use a drop step. I don't think i have ever seen him do that before.

[thebigE]

Chemistry. Chemistry. Chemistry. That's what Witt brings to the table. He's tinkering with the lineup while learning along the way. Let's not forget he's new to this head coaching thing himself. Arguably, the greatest asset for a head coach is the ability to connect to a team through adversity. Witt is proving himself quite capable in this regard.

[MikeTheKid]

So I was drunk and partying at Inauguration parties but I did see the last 2 mins of the game and I shed tears last night I was so happy for Nene, Wall and the team. S*** we really could've been very good this year. Now EG needs to solidify that bench and were set.

[tontoz]

Nice to see Seraphin actually make a contribution to a win. It's been awhile.

The Wizards outscored Denver by 11 in the 4th quarter. There haven't been many tight games when the Wizards had the upper hand in the 4th.

Scary to see Beal bounce off the floor. Ugh

Too many carely turnovers.

[jivelikenice]

My issue with Witt has to do with his slow trigger when it comes to substituting when teams are on runs. Lawson was eating up Price and AJ wasn't even contesting shots which indicated fatigue, yet he kept waiting to bring Wall in....

Um, you do like still having a franchise PG right? Or you would rather have him on the bench with a blown out knee. We just got the dude back, let the coach massage his minutes a little so we can keep him alive and upright, srsly.

Where did i say play him above his minutes cap? You can manage the minutes differently if Price is getting lit up, or give Temple some run as Nate mentioned.

Or you can ask Wall how he feels and let him decide how much he wants to play

Sincerely,

Mike Shanahan

[barelyawake]

Mentality is something statistics are awful at capturing/predicting -- whether personal development or team unity. Of course, part of what Wall brings to the table is the thought that winning is possible. When a team of players who haven't developed chemistry play together, they need to learn they can win. And when that team is based around a star pg whose job is to create spacing for a group who can't create their own shot, then it's hard to believe you can win. Ball movement is awful. Spacing is horrible. Every move gets blocked. Desperation sets in.

We better sell high on our players this offseason and not be happy with what we got. This isnt a finished product. We still need a high draft pick or a trade for a star (like Cousins). But, this is the team I've been expecting when I said next year we will have the best collection of talent we have had in decades. Hope people are changing their minds on some of the moves we have made. Vets do matter to a young, developing team.