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Re: Wizards in the Media Thread
Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2012 9:43 pm
by dandridge 10
Nivek wrote:I think "lying" is a bit strong, but words like "misleading" or "incorrect" definitely apply.
When Buckhantz says, "The Wizards are the third best offensive rebounding team in the league..." and CSN puts up a stat showing team offensive rebounds per game...well...that stat doesn't mean what he's saying it means.
Whether they're intentionally misleading, I don't know. It's possible they're just ignorant. That's kind of a stretch considering how much information is readily available, but it's possible.
Sounds like what all the politicians do!
Re: Wizards in the Media Thread
Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2012 9:57 pm
by maljanNBAfan
dandridge 10 wrote:Nivek wrote:I think "lying" is a bit strong, but words like "misleading" or "incorrect" definitely apply.
When Buckhantz says, "The Wizards are the third best offensive rebounding team in the league..." and CSN puts up a stat showing team offensive rebounds per game...well...that stat doesn't mean what he's saying it means.
Whether they're intentionally misleading, I don't know. It's possible they're just ignorant. That's kind of a stretch considering how much information is readily available, but it's possible.
Sounds like what all the politicians do!
The media can be the BIGGEST offenders of misleading the public and "exaggerating" the truth. I hate that they also use the tactic when giving us the latest sports news.
Re: Wizards in the Media Thread
Posted: Sun Nov 4, 2012 9:18 pm
by LamarMatic7
Thought that you guys might enjoy my latest youtube uploads from an '98 Wizards - Warriors game:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctEOnb7M3hU[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYNf7bzE0so[/youtube]
Didn't know whether this deserves a thread for itself or not, so I figured that I'll drop this off in this thread.
Re: Wizards in the Media Thread
Posted: Mon Nov 5, 2012 11:54 am
by closg00
Some basketball sages I know think Jan Vesely’s game is very one-dimensional, all activity around the basket, no real touch or discernible nose for defense. They call the Wizards’ second-year forward Yawn Vesely.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/wi ... story.html 
Yawn Vesely
Re: Wizards in the Media Thread
Posted: Mon Nov 5, 2012 12:52 pm
by Chocolate City Jordanaire
maljanNBAfan wrote:dandridge 10 wrote:Nivek wrote:I think "lying" is a bit strong, but words like "misleading" or "incorrect" definitely apply.
When Buckhantz says, "The Wizards are the third best offensive rebounding team in the league..." and CSN puts up a stat showing team offensive rebounds per game...well...that stat doesn't mean what he's saying it means.
Whether they're intentionally misleading, I don't know. It's possible they're just ignorant. That's kind of a stretch considering how much information is readily available, but it's possible.
Sounds like what all the politicians do!
The media can be the BIGGEST offenders of misleading the public and "exaggerating" the truth. I hate that they also use the tactic when giving us the latest sports news.
I love it when relevant, descriptive stats are used objectively to inform. What i don't like is the media, even in basketball games, just like with politics, only shows one side or what they want to report. I get sick of hearing ad nauseum about Lebron or D Wade's hangnail. The stats they show are how many points Lebron and other stars show. Same guys over and over, and nothing beyond the obvious stuff, too. I would much rather see a stat that points to why the Heat are a good defensive team, despite having superstars. I don't worry too much about the game stats because I generally will follow box scores, too, while watching a game. (No life and a bit scary, I know!)
I agree, Nivek, that stats can help viewers understand things a lot better. I do believe, unfortunately, that many people misunderstand statistical presentations. A local football coach (Norm Chow) made a statement the other day that really set me off. I've heard this statement before. I'm not a numbers guy. I just go by results."
When it comes to dollars and cents, everybody is real specific about the numbers. Why don't they appreciate stats as a tool to indicate trends in sports?
Re: Wizards in the Media Thread
Posted: Mon Nov 5, 2012 2:22 pm
by Nivek
I agree that many folks don't understand statistical presentations -- at least initially. But, in most cases stats can be explained quickly in a way that folks can understand -- even advanced stats. I actually have practice with this from watching games with my kids. If I can successfully explain offensive rating, rebound percentage, effective field goal percentage, etc. to (at the time) children 10 years old or younger in less time than it takes a PG to bring the ball up the floor and initiate an offensive set...TV broadcasters could sufficiently explain the stats for the average viewer.
Now, of course, my kids are a bit older. My daughter (17) just gives me these patronizing nods when I start talking hoops stats. My 13-year old son does the equivalent of, "Hey, how 'bout that." My 15-year old is already taking math more advanced than I ever took. He'll look at a formula and say stuff like, "There's a more efficient way to do that..."
Re: Wizards in the Media Thread
Posted: Wed Nov 7, 2012 9:45 pm
by nuposse04
http://mybspn.com/gilbert-arenas-blames-halo/lol. Somebody posted this site on the general board, has some funny gems in it. I made an article real quick to show some friend but it sucks comparatively to some of these other ones. I guess it counts as wizards in the media.
Re: Wizards in the Media Thread
Posted: Wed Nov 7, 2012 9:47 pm
by Chocolate City Jordanaire
SB Nation and Bullets Forever generate a lot of good discussion topics. This is article lists media polls and weekly Wizards rankings.
Ted Leonsis should be apprised that for all of Ernie Grunfeld's veteran acquisitions, a consensus rank the Wizards 29th of 30 teams.
http://dc.sbnation.com/washington-wizar ... on-wizardsThe Washington Wizards have fallen in the majority of power ranking polls following an 0-2 start to the 2012-13 regular season. Following losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics, the Wizards, who were already near the bottom of most lists, find themselves even closer to No. 30 overall.
Re: Wizards in the Media Thread
Posted: Fri Nov 9, 2012 3:44 pm
by LyricalRico
A Washington Wizards fan’s guide to watching a terrible team
By Jason Reid, Published: November 8
If you like top-notch basketball, don’t waste your time on the Washington Wizards. Only three games into a new season, the winless Wizards again find themselves at the bottom of the NBA standings. Their history indicates they’ll probably stay there.
But if you’re a Wizards supporter (yes, there are still some) or simply a sports fan channel surfing for a hoops fix, then the Wizards do have something to offer. It’s all a matter of how you look at things. We’re happy to provide a viewing guide.
Full article
Re: Wizards in the Media Thread
Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 2:19 pm
by closg00
The Wizards are being ripped apart in the media, we have replaced the Clippers as the laughingstock of the league.
Just one of the many articles in recent days.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dc- ... -disgrace/
Re: Wizards in the Media Thread
Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 2:44 pm
by GhostsOfGil
Did you watch Michael Jenkins' post game clip at the bottom? It's come to the point where we're embracing the losing.. Just turn it into a joke i guess...
Re: Wizards in the Media Thread
Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2013 11:48 am
by Jimmy Recard
Coach Nick breaks down the Wiz-Okc game. Check it out when you get a chance, definitely worth watching. Also, special appearance from Mike Lee
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAnAT6ZAoYY[/youtube]
Re: Wizards in the Media Thread
Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2013 2:05 pm
by tontoz
Coach Nick loves to point out Westbrooks brain farts. When your primary ball handler has a low IQ that is a pretty big problem, especially for a team trying to win a title.
Re: Wizards in the Media Thread
Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 4:14 am
by Knighthonor
LamarMatic7 wrote:Thought that you guys might enjoy my latest youtube uploads from an '98 Wizards - Warriors game:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctEOnb7M3hU[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYNf7bzE0so[/youtube]
Didn't know whether this deserves a thread for itself or not, so I figured that I'll drop this off in this thread.
You if you would say the Wizards were good at some point, I call you a liar after seeing the total sum of these past 3 seasons.
Re: Wizards in the Media Thread
Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 11:24 pm
by mhd
Zach Lowe with another awesome piece.
http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-trian ... the-throne"It's sort of a "duh" thing, but the Wizards for the rest of the season will serve as a useful reminder that having good NBA players is sort of important. The Wiz have been a disaster offensively this season, spending almost the entirety of it ranked dead last in points per possession, with a mark rivaling Charlotte's historically bad figure from last year's messy lockout season. Their shot selection profile has been dreadful; the Wiz rank last in shots per game at the rim and "first" in long 2-point attempts.
But Washington's offense hasn't looked that bad, aesthetically, with the exception of some horrific crunch-time disorganization (shot clock violations, Jordan Crawford recklessness) here and there. They've moved the ball, assisting on a higher-than-average share of their baskets, and they've made an effort to run some almost artful NBA sets. Even Crawford, perhaps the league's premier ball-hog, upped his assist rate to a career-best level while spending significant time running the offense in John Wall's absence.
The team just had bad or untested NBA players, at almost every position. Things changed when Nenê returned and started playing more minutes; the Wiz have actually outscored opponents by about 5 points per 100 possessions with Nenê on the floor, a mark that would rank 6th overall — pretty remarkable for a 7-29 team. It's amazing how much better those semi-artful sets work with a big guy who can actually shoot, pass, and cut in smart ways — and how many more sets become possible for Randy Wittman to actually use.
Now Wall is back, too, and though the returns haven't been quite as robust, you can already see the Wall/Bradley Beal duo bearing fruit. Beal is 12-of-22 from the floor in his very limited minutes with Wall, and his 26-point explosion against Sacramento last night showed Beal has already learned one very important Wall-related lesson: Run to the corners when Wall pushes the ball, and spot-up for wide-open 3's. We even saw Washington run a Wall/Beal pick-and-roll, with Beal screening and fading to the left wing for open 3's.
Here's a prediction: I'll bet the Wizards end up outscoring the opposition for the season when both Wall and Nenê are on the court."
Re: Wizards in the Media Thread
Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2013 3:09 pm
by fishercob
Zach Lowe again.
This time on those Israeli heat-seeking cameras that Ted has blogged about a few times.
The article is dense, but it provides some insight into how these cameras are useful. And a wiz mention (oy).
Hilarious confirmation of the eye test: If Kevin Seraphin gets the ball in the post, he’s shooting — 66 percent of the time, to be exact. He’s dished only six assists from the post in recorded games, and almost never draws fouls.
Tom Ziller gave the article this shout-out this morning:
Most interesting to me were two items. The first is that there are still only 15 teams using the service. And something tells me the other 15 franchises don't have their own rig and staff doing the same thing. I'm not sure it's a huge advantage for the teams that subscribe, but it's certainly an advantage. Yet so many of the worst teams in the league (Charlotte, Sacramento, Detroit, the Lakers) don't utilize it. It's not cheap. But when you're dropping $50 million on a set of players at the low end, any other investment pales. The second interesting point: teams are on average more efficient on drives (defined as when a player dribbles a ball from at least 20 feet from the rim to within 10 feet) than on non-drives, even when not including transition possessions. Having watched the Kings so closely, I would have thought the exact opposite!
The Lowe piece talks about how drives really seem to help even with the turnover factor (hi John Wall).
The Ziller piece actually initially focus on the Wiz, sure to enrage many here given the ages of Okafor and Nene:
good things happen when Nene, Emeka Okafor and John Wall play together. The crew has 200 minutes under its belt now, and is outscoring opponents by five points per 100 possessions in that time. Particularly important for Okafor has been Nene's presence: Emeka is a +3 overall but a +7 with Nene. The Brazilian has an off-the-charts plus-minus (+15), thanks largely to how stunningly awful (-10) the Wizards have been when Nene sits. Wall is a +14 after 400 minutes, including a +6 when playing.
Forget about Beal for a second. Just those three core Wizards -- with the shot creation and scoring of Wall, the efficient scoring and defense of Nene and the defense of Okafor -- are making a big difference for the team. Based on the numbers, which are admittedly limited due to Wall's long injury recovery, the Wizards can be a good team with this three-man core, barring injury.
Lots to discuss!
Re: Wizards in the Media Thread
Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2013 3:32 pm
by tontoz
The problem with the Wall/Nene/Okafor trio is that none of them are reliable jump shooters. They need other guys to be making jumpers otherwise the offense can really bog down.
Re: Wizards in the Media Thread
Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2013 3:34 pm
by fishercob
You play 5 guys at a time though. Adding Beal and Webster -- and maybe some more shooters this summer -- and it seems to work ok.
Re: Wizards in the Media Thread
Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2013 3:39 pm
by tontoz
fishercob wrote:You play 5 guys at a time though. Adding Beal and Webster -- and maybe some more shooters this summer -- and it seems to work ok.
If the two guys are hot from 3 it can work. If they have an off game the spacing can be a mess. I think this is why Randy frequently goes small late in games, to open up the floor. Three non-shooters in the same lineup can make the spacing tough.
Defensively obviously that trio brings it.
Re: Wizards in the Media Thread
Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2013 3:47 pm
by nate33
fishercob wrote:You play 5 guys at a time though. Adding Beal and Webster -- and maybe some more shooters this summer -- and it seems to work ok.
I still think the solution is to get a quality stretch-four and start him. Play Nene off the bench to carry the second unit, and bring him back with the starters during crunch time at the end of the 2nd and 4th quarters. He would still average about 28-30 minutes a game a la Manu Ginobili.