barelyawake wrote: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.
Dat2U wrote:barelyawake wrote: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
This is the only part of your post I agree with. i'm not seeing the talent on the roster your seeing.
And frankly the whole "learning to win" thing is a bunch a bull to me.
IMO the best way to learn how to win is to
acquire the talent to do so consistently. We don't have the talent yet IMO, so learning how to win is going to be an exercise in futility.
doclinkin is fond of this quote: "First you win, then you get good." For the life of me I don't know who said it first. I did find a nifty link that applied it to the (then) 4-3 Redskins.
http://www.bgobsession.com/blog.php?b=165Dat, I agree with ba on this. OKC was a really bad team that had talent but they needed time to get better, get good, and now they are great. The personnel the Thunder had were very young 3 years ago. The acquisition of Kendrick Perkins didn't make them better nor did Jeff Green leaving. They matured and got great. The difference is the level of talent was better to begin with in OKC.
I have posted many positive comments about Vesely in the Vesely thread and about Seraphin in the Seraphin thread. I have cited the last 15 games of last season. Five losses followed by and 8-2 finish. All of which Wall, Seraphin, and Vesely started. It wasn't a feel good finish and it wasn't teams resting stars for the playoffs that let them win 8 of 10. It was young, emerging talent, and as barelyawake pointed out, guys developed a feel for playing with one another. I posted the positives because many people looked at 4-28 as the Wizards record as proof positive Vesely is to blame and Seraphin sucks.
Beal is growing into a confident player. Crawford thinks the same but is clearly improving (I still want him traded but he's grown by leaps this season). Vesely plays terribly EXCEPT when he's on the court with Seraphin and Wall--and he plays with confidence then.
I am all for upgrading talent! By all means, there's a good deal for Cousins that can be made. I'm just saying right now I would leave the roster alone. Wait and see how this team plays. Get good trade offers for someone who would obviously make a huge difference but don't overpay. I would even try and make sure Vesely is showing his best play and try and get value IF he's traded. I don't even want him traded right now.
Singleton, Crawford, and mostly because of injury history and upcoming contract, Booker would be the chips I would bargain or trade with. I STILL would look at Wall trades that rob other teams of Fort Knox. There's always an offer too good to refuse, but right now that deal would have to be so good I don't think another team will come forth with a good enough offer for John Wall.
I think the wins are legit and not Fool's Gold. I am content with players whose stock will rise. No one says rest on you laurels but at the same time don't sell these players short, either. ba, the mentality is improving to where they expect to win. I won't be surprised if John Wall can expect to make a three one day, or if Vesely can expect to approach 65-70% on FTs sooner than later. Things are changing for the better.
This is the time having veterans like Okafor and Nene with Webster and Ariza really can provide young guys with good mentoring. Don't be in such a hurry to disrupt a good thing.