11/2 | G8: Oklahoma City Thunder at Washington Wizards - 7PM CST

[bondom34]

They just play like a bunch of guys who hate each other.

[getrichordie]

Guys, I'm going to make the extremely bold prediction that Scott Brooks will soon be available for other coaching positions. I can't recall seeing a team with halfway decent players like Wall and Beal look more disjointed, dysfunctional and just lifeless.

Wall and Beal are more than halfway decent players.

John Wall has been an All-Star the previous five seasons. Beal was an All-Star last year. Wall is 28 years old and Beal is 25. On top of that Otto Porter Jr. is a very viable 3rd option on a playoff, but non-true-championship-contending, team.

Wall, Beal, and Porter Jr. have played in all 8 games. The Wizards are 1-7. On average, their games end in a score of 124-112. Four of their seven losses have been by double digits and have three of those losses have been by 20+ points.

But you're right, it's very strange that they are this bad and this dysfunctional. It makes little to no sense.

The defense was as bad as I've seen outside of a team that is actively tanking. Like, there was little to no communication, really lazy rotations when they rotated at all. Guys just out there barely going through the motions.

Sounds very much like a coaching/front office issue. They should be staying ahead of that stuff. If guys aren’t giving effort, you’ve got to ask why and get it fixed.

To be honest, the Wizards look stale. The league is changing and the Wizards haven’t adapted.


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[slick_watts]

To be honest, the Wizards look stale. The league is changing and the Wizards haven’t adapted.

ernie grunfeld has done nothing to improve this team much and he got a contract extension. dwight might help a bit but not if he defends like he did today.

john wall is basically russell westbrook in the sense that the league is passing him by, but he lacks the gifts westbrook has to stay relevant as a super star. that contract is a killer for washington-- how do they get any better? and wall has been a malcontent trouble maker.

they probably have to fire brooks at minimum but even then, what do you do from there if wall is going to throw wrenches into everything? they even played better last year without him.

scotty will definitely get canned, deservedly or not, because the wizards owe wall nine figures and wall is basically sabotaging him. that grunfeld got an extension amidst all this nonsense is unbelievable. zero accountability.

[Dn4sty]

Schroder and Russ together is still really awkward, but Schroder by himself with 2nd unit has played pretty well the last two games. He’s not a good defender but he helps a ton with stagnation and his 4-0 run to end the 3rd quarter was a thing of beauty.

I think if his legal stuff gets behind him, and he can continue to build back his in court credibility he will be pretty valuable for OKC, and quite possible a decent trade chip.

[dakomish23]

I told you guys it’s an a long season

[CROklahoma]

Abrines, Schroeder and Noel are reason why sudenly we gain rhytm in the middle of games.
We're a lot more dangerous with those 3 on the floor with any combo of other carriers of our team.

I just hope Alex stays healthy as he adds a whole other "euro" dimension to our team. He is defending really well, and teams know he is knockdown shooter, which gives us unlimited space on offense because of the rotations on him.

Presti should strenghten up our Euro scouting department, there are a bunch of Ingles and Abrineses around the EU waiting to get picked up.

[spearsy23]

One thing he always did in OKC was get guys to play hard. That locker room must suck

Dwight Howard solved their winning problem. The last time Washington was this bad they had Nene, Ariza and Livingston on the roster that season.

Jeff green effect is alive and well

[ThunderBolt]

“If you're getting stops and you're making threes and the other team's not scoring, that's when you're going to see a huge point difference there,” coach Billy Donovan said.

[Pillendreher]

Excellent, excellent game. They went down by 10 after not even 3 minutes and then went on a 74-35 run to close out the first half. Defense really picked up after the first couple of minutes. Especially in the 2nd quarter every player, even Russ, was engaged. Rotations were on point, they were abusing the Wizards in the passing lanes and once they got the ball they got out and ran. It also helps when suddenly the non-shooters start making shots.

[Bergmaniac]

Great game by you guys, that second quarter was beautiful. Westbrook with only one turnover and 12 assists was impressive. But this Wizards team is just sad to watch, even blatantly tanking teams don't look this disinterested out there. Once upon a time Wall was a good defender, these days he isn't even trying on that end. Dwight seems to have caught this affliction too, I've never seen him this disinterested in defense.

[NaturalThunder]

“If you're getting stops and you're making threes and the other team's not scoring, that's when you're going to see a huge point difference there,” coach Billy Donovan said.

Not posted here, Donovan later informed reporters that when you score more points than the other team, that's when you're going to win the game.

[hardenASG13]

Guys, I'm going to make the extremely bold prediction that Scott Brooks will soon be available for other coaching positions. I can't recall seeing a team with halfway decent players like Wall and Beal look more disjointed, dysfunctional and just lifeless.

One thing he always did in OKC was get guys to play hard. That locker room must suck

Funny how you guys always give Brooks credit for getting the team to play hard, despite the fact that his system and rotations were as bad as Donovans, maybe worse considering the talent he had. Brooks coached them when the were a young, up and coming team! Of course they would play hard, they were all hungry and trying to establish themselves! Donovan got a team of vets, already established stars, and vets don't tend to always play as hard. And I hate Donovan, too!

On the plus side, all the criticism (Schroeder sucks, grant can't play, abrines can't defend) can stop. Grant has continued to develop, and in addition to his elite length and athleticsm he looks good shooting angle 3s when open. Abrines has turned into a pro (finally). Schroeder doesn't suck. He's an awesome addition. Not always the most efficient time, but he can get where ever he wants. Russ can actually go to the bench now and the team can stay even or extend leads.

[spearsy23]

Guys, I'm going to make the extremely bold prediction that Scott Brooks will soon be available for other coaching positions. I can't recall seeing a team with halfway decent players like Wall and Beal look more disjointed, dysfunctional and just lifeless.

One thing he always did in OKC was get guys to play hard. That locker room must suck

Funny how you guys always give Brooks credit for getting the team to play hard, despite the fact that his system and rotations were as bad as Donovans, maybe worse considering the talent he had. Brooks coached them when the were a young, up and coming team! Of course they would play hard, they were all hungry and trying to establish themselves! Donovan got a team of vets, already established stars, and vets don't tend to always play as hard. And I hate Donovan, too!

On the plus side, all the criticism (Schroeder sucks, grant can't play, abrines can't defend) can stop. Grant has continued to develop, and in addition to his elite length and athleticsm he looks good shooting angle 3s when open. Abrines has turned into a pro (finally). Schroeder doesn't suck. He's an awesome addition. Not always the most efficient time, but he can get where ever he wants. Russ can actually go to the bench now and the team can stay even or extend leads.

Donovan has had a young team his entire time here.

And no, Grant does not look good shooting threes. He looks good rolling to the basket.

[Bergmaniac]

Grant shot 27% on corner 3s last season. That's beyond atrocious, considering he's almost always wide open when he takes them. So far this season, the percentage is 25%.

[Pillendreher]

And no, Grant does not look good shooting threes. He looks good rolling to the basket.

Grant is literally 39/135 from 3 since the beginning of the 17/18 season. Among the 250 guys with at least 100 attempts over the last two season's, Grant is at #238 with that shooting percentage. But yes, he does look good shooting it.

[slick_watts]

Guys, I'm going to make the extremely bold prediction that Scott Brooks will soon be available for other coaching positions. I can't recall seeing a team with halfway decent players like Wall and Beal look more disjointed, dysfunctional and just lifeless.

One thing he always did in OKC was get guys to play hard. That locker room must suck

Funny how you guys always give Brooks credit for getting the team to play hard, despite the fact that his system and rotations were as bad as Donovans, maybe worse considering the talent he had. Brooks coached them when the were a young, up and coming team! Of course they would play hard, they were all hungry and trying to establish themselves! Donovan got a team of vets, already established stars, and vets don't tend to always play as hard. And I hate Donovan, too!

On the plus side, all the criticism (Schroeder sucks, grant can't play, abrines can't defend) can stop. Grant has continued to develop, and in addition to his elite length and athleticsm he looks good shooting angle 3s when open. Abrines has turned into a pro (finally). Schroeder doesn't suck. He's an awesome addition. Not always the most efficient time, but he can get where ever he wants. Russ can actually go to the bench now and the team can stay even or extend leads.

you need to find a happy medium.

[ThunderBolt]

And no, Grant does not look good shooting threes. He looks good rolling to the basket.

Grant is literally 39/135 from 3 since the beginning of the 17/18 season. Among the 250 guys with at least 100 attempts over the last two season's, Grant is at #238 with that shooting percentage. But yes, he does look good shooting it.

I thought both Grant and Ferguson looked better without the braids. Just my humble opinion.

[spearsy23]

And no, Grant does not look good shooting threes. He looks good rolling to the basket.

Grant is literally 39/135 from 3 since the beginning of the 17/18 season. Among the 250 guys with at least 100 attempts over the last two season's, Grant is at #238 with that shooting percentage. But yes, he does look good shooting it.

I thought both Grant and Ferguson looked better without the braids. Just my humble opinion.

Every time Grant misses a shot I get irrationally angry at how far apart his eyes are... Like it somehow makes it more difficult for him to shoot.

[getrichordie]

Great game by you guys, that second quarter was beautiful. Westbrook with only one turnover and 12 assists was impressive. But this Wizards team is just sad to watch, even blatantly tanking teams don't look this disinterested out there. Once upon a time Wall was a good defender, these days he isn't even trying on that end. Dwight seems to have caught this affliction too, I've never seen him this disinterested in defense.

Westbrook has impressed me the most. I felt like a change was coming with his game and he’s showed it, but I’m still bullish on if he will be able to continue this against better teams. He has been taking really smart shots and playing with more control. I think a lot of that has to do with having more help on the offensive end this year. Schroder also does a great job of setting the pace when Westbrook is off the floor which I think Westbrook is actually watching and learning from.

I’ve never been more excited about Thunder basketball.

All hail Billy Donovan and Sam Presti.


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[hardenASG13]

One thing he always did in OKC was get guys to play hard. That locker room must suck

Funny how you guys always give Brooks credit for getting the team to play hard, despite the fact that his system and rotations were as bad as Donovans, maybe worse considering the talent he had. Brooks coached them when the were a young, up and coming team! Of course they would play hard, they were all hungry and trying to establish themselves! Donovan got a team of vets, already established stars, and vets don't tend to always play as hard. And I hate Donovan, too!

On the plus side, all the criticism (Schroeder sucks, grant can't play, abrines can't defend) can stop. Grant has continued to develop, and in addition to his elite length and athleticsm he looks good shooting angle 3s when open. Abrines has turned into a pro (finally). Schroeder doesn't suck. He's an awesome addition. Not always the most efficient time, but he can get where ever he wants. Russ can actually go to the bench now and the team can stay even or extend leads.

Donovan has had a young team his entire time here.

And no, Grant does not look good shooting threes. He looks good rolling to the basket.

Looks more comfortable shooting them to me. Agree he looks good rolling to the basket, although guys like pilendreher seem to prefer he set stationary screens and try to hold them and pop instead of slipping which he's great at.

The team could be young overall, I'm referring to Russ, kd, harden, and ibaka, you know, the stars of the team Brooks had. They were all extremely young, proving themselves, and had the legs to go 100% every game. Donovan has had established late 20's KD Russ and Paul George. Harder to get them to go 100%every night or expect it. Role players played hard for both. Brooks is/was a clown, glad he's about to get canned again he cost the thunder at least 1 title.