GT #80: ATL Hawks (60-19) @ Wizards (45-34) 6 PM (CSN/99.1 FM) [4/12/15]

[stevemcqueen1]

This team right now would have easily won 50 games with a competent coach. As is, they can probably win 47 or 48. What happened in February and early March doesn't happen to a team with competent coaching. We go into each season with like an 8 loss handicap because of Randy. We get so little development and production from the young players we do have because of Randy. I think the fanbase would be shocked by how much difference replacing Randy with a legitimately good coach could make.

[TGW]

This team right now would have easily won 50 games with a competent coach. As is, they can probably win 47 or 48. What happened in February and early March doesn't happen to a team with competent coaching. We go into each season with like an 8 loss handicap because of Randy. We get so little development and production from the young players we do have because of Randy. I think the fanbase would be shocked by how much difference replacing Randy with a legitimately good coach could make.

I don't see how coaching is going to make Nene run faster or PP jump higher. When your rotation is consists of broken down, old players on their last legs, there aren't many coaches in the league that can do much with that. Hell, I give Whitman a little credit for getting what he got from the geriatric unit.

I mean, people can blame Whitman for the team not reaching potential, but I honestly don't think this team underperformed. They were pretty decent considering Gortat is their second best player.

[hands11]

This team right now would have easily won 50 games with a competent coach. As is, they can probably win 47 or 48. What happened in February and early March doesn't happen to a team with competent coaching. We go into each season with like an 8 loss handicap because of Randy. We get so little development and production from the young players we do have because of Randy. I think the fanbase would be shocked by how much difference replacing Randy with a legitimately good coach could make.

You mean we can shoot for higher expectations then just having timeouts called at the correct time ?

But in fairness to Randy, he has made his mark on this franchise and will hopefully leaves a legacy as being the HC that got this franchise to have an identity as a defensive focused team. That's bed rock that I hope sticks. He can walk away proud of that and probably even get another HC job for a team that needs that foundation.

And since the key long term pieces of Wall, Beal and hopefully Otto have been through Randy Boot Camp for several years, it should pay dividends for the rest of their careers.

But like real Boot Camp.. eventually you get through it and go onto bigger and better things under the leadership with more skills








You could do worse then having a really solidly coach defensive team. I just hope we can find that in a coach, plus offense, rotations, and time outs.

[hands11]

I think that the probability of Grunfeld not screwing up either the draft pick or the replacement coach is near zero. So, keeping Checkers would be well past frustrating. Basically watching Wall's best years go poof.

What if Ted has another option year on that contract like he did last year ?

Remember how there was pretty much no news about EG being retained and they just kind slide into EG one more year ?
No headlines. We all thought EGs last year was the year before.

I could see that happening. And if Ted does that, Randy is likely back since he is signed one more year.

Now if that happens, maybe Ted throw us a bone by announcing he purchased a DL team with the money he won't be paying Dray anymore. That $8,471,339 Ted won't be paying out of pocket for NA DA

That would be an interesting move. People would be mad EG and Randy are still here one more year BUT, DL team would be a nice piece to attract an even better GM and HC in the future.

And that sets everything up for 2016

They like to keep them kind of close together so they can bus between games.

http://dleague.nba.com/franchise-map/

Maybe a team in Baltimore.

[hands11]

But none of the older players are really locked in long term right? Besides Gortat but I don't really look at him as an "old" guy as Centers can play well into their 30s and he's still a pretty solid Center. We do need to purge the likes of Pierce and Gooden though(among others)for some fresh young blood.

The Nene contract hurts though for sure. Gonna be a real big anchor the next couple of years.

Not couple of year. Next year is it.

Nene $13,000,000
Webster 5,713,500
Paul is he returns $5,543,725 Player option

Plus the cap goes up in 2016

They will have plenty of cap room. And we have WallStar to attract the top talent. And Beal should be pretty RealDeal next year.

And at least they have Hump to hold them over when Nene is gone.

Get a top flight coach and they should be able to attract talent.

And lets not forget. Cousins in 2018/19 as Gortat fades out. Wall will still be right in his prime.

The foundation is good as long as we have Wall and cap room. Any stroke of luck can put us over the top.

[hands11]

But none of the older players are really locked in long term right? Besides Gortat but I don't really look at him as an "old" guy as Centers can play well into their 30s and he's still a pretty solid Center. We do need to purge the likes of Pierce and Gooden though(among others)for some fresh young blood.

The Nene contract hurts though for sure. Gonna be a real big anchor the next couple of years.

The point is that they all need replacing, though. There's nothing cohesive or lasting being built. They have Wall. They have Beal and Porter -- if they progress. They have Gortat -- if he doesn't start aging. What else? Humphries? Okay. So, another 10 roster spots to churn. That's a major rebuild over the next couple years, and it's Grunfeld who's likely to lead it.

Its a rolling rebuild with a 2016 mile stone in it. What's wrong with that ?

Wall is a huge draw not just because of his talent, but his personality and KU connection. Just like CLE was about LeBron being the draw more then anything, we have that now in Wall. The Wade/Lebron connect won two titles. Paul has something to do with KG and Ray to Boston.

Better lucky then good. We tanked for the lottery. We got lucky and got the #1. We got lucky Wall was there. We took him. And we and he developed him into a WallStar two way player. Now we get the long term benefits of that.

That means we get shots at the best talent out there. And Cousins very likely down the road.

This off seaosn is the really just the first offseason we are really legit as a destination. We got PP last year. Nice land but dude is kind of old. Next time we get to land something good but not old.

But to do it this offseason, we pretty much would need to do a sign and trade. But in 2016 and after, we will have the pure cap to do it.

[dckingsfan]

I think that the probability of Grunfeld not screwing up either the draft pick or the replacement coach is near zero. So, keeping Checkers would be well past frustrating. Basically watching Wall's best years go poof.

What if Ted has another option year on that contract like he did last year ?

Remember how there was pretty much no news about EG being retained and they just kind slide into EG one more year ?
No headlines. We all thought EGs last year was the year before.

I could see that happening. And if Ted does that, Randy is likely back since he is signed one more year.

Now if that happens, maybe Ted throw us a bone by announcing he purchased a DL team with the money he won't be paying Dray anymore. That $8,471,339 Ted won't be paying out of pocket for NA DA

That would be an interesting move. People would be mad EG and Randy are still here one more year BUT, DL team would be a nice piece to attract an even better GM and HC in the future.

And that sets everything up for 2016

They like to keep them kind of close together so they can bus between games.

http://dleague.nba.com/franchise-map/

Maybe a team in Baltimore.

A team would be a very good move by Ted. Baltimore would be amazing.

And yes, I agree that the most likely scenario is that they are both back

[hands11]

I think that the probability of Grunfeld not screwing up either the draft pick or the replacement coach is near zero. So, keeping Checkers would be well past frustrating. Basically watching Wall's best years go poof.

What if Ted has another option year on that contract like he did last year ?

Remember how there was pretty much no news about EG being retained and they just kind slide into EG one more year ?
No headlines. We all thought EGs last year was the year before.

I could see that happening. And if Ted does that, Randy is likely back since he is signed one more year.

Now if that happens, maybe Ted throw us a bone by announcing he purchased a DL team with the money he won't be paying Dray anymore. That $8,471,339 Ted won't be paying out of pocket for NA DA

That would be an interesting move. People would be mad EG and Randy are still here one more year BUT, DL team would be a nice piece to attract an even better GM and HC in the future.

And that sets everything up for 2016

They like to keep them kind of close together so they can bus between games.

http://dleague.nba.com/franchise-map/

Maybe a team in Baltimore.

A DL team would be a very good move by Ted. Baltimore would be amazing.

And yes, I agree that the most likely scenario is that they are both back

But with everything else I spelled out, you would be like....



Eventually, they say every team will have one. That is the goal. This off season is a great time to strike. We wouldn't be the first team to do it by far, but you don't want to be the last. We aren't embarrassing ourselves yet.

CHI, LAC, ATL, IND, POR still don't have one. The timing is right this off season.

Big picture, we would still be building out. Adding a DL team would be HUGE. Specially if EG and Witless were only on one year extensions and we have 2016 to look forward to. We are only getting a 20th something pick this year. Not like EG is going to blow a top 10 pick. And there is no 2nd to sell or mess up on.

Progress, not perfection.

A DL team would be enough for me to over look not landing a great coach and great GM this year. As long as EG isn't extended more then one more year. Its a fair trade off.

Now if long shot we can sign and trade for Milsap or LMA.. then sweet. Now if we could trade Nene to a boarder playoff team looking for a vet like ORL, BOS, or we can school SAC for D Williams, even better. Luis Scola is a UFA. I would grab him if we can.

It might finally be time for Nene for Ersan Ilyasova or D Williams.

To bad we didnt just trade one of the Morris brothers.

[DCZards]

Its a rolling rebuild with a 2016 mile stone in it. What's wrong with that ?

Wall is a huge draw not just because of his talent, but his personality and KU connection. Just like CLE was about LeBron being the draw more then anything, we have that now in Wall. The Wade/Lebron connect won two titles. Paul has something to do with KG and Ray to Boston.

Better lucky then good. We tanked for the lottery. We got lucky and got the #1. We got lucky Wall was there. We took him. And we and he developed him into a WallStar two way player. Now we get the long term benefits of that.

That means we get shots at the best talent out there. And Cousins very likely down the road.

This off seaosn is the really just the first offseason we are really legit as a destination. We got PP last year. Nice land but dude is kind of old. Next time we get to land something good but not old.

But to do it this offseason, we pretty much would need to do a sign and trade. But in 2016 and after, we will have the pure cap to do it.

The problem with your "rolling rebuild" is that it relies almost entirely on Wall attracting a big time free agent(s) or, as you say, "the best talent out there" to DC. That could happen, but then again it might not. That's a very risky approach to rebuilding a team.

As currently constructed, the Zards don't have the talent it takes to get much better in the short term. Too many old guys at the ends of their careers and not enough young talent with potential. Wall is an all-star--and is only going to get better-- and Gortat has at least a few years of solid play left in him. And I'm hopeful that Beal and Otto will live up to what you'd expect from third picks in the draft. But after that the Zards, as the Temptations sing, are "standing on shaky ground."

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

"Up in the air" is probably the most salient things hands said about the team's construction. It's not a 50-win team. And it's old. They're not really building toward anything because so many guys have to be replaced...because they're old. Wall is good. Beal and Porter might be someday. And even if they are, there's still a roster that needs to be built around them, which is doable except...Grunfeld.

The Wizards should have been a 50 win team in the East IMO.

They started out 19-6. The next 57 games they easily could have gone 31-24.

Just my opinion.

[hands11]

I think some here are slow to catching up to what we actually have in Wall. And thats understandable. It wasn't long ago he couldn't shoot and looked really rough. And he was injured year after year. And the turnovers. And no change of speed. But he is vastly better now and its all coming together for him. And he will be even better next year. And the year after. For a good while.

So here is the deal I think some here are slow to catch up to. Wall is/will be one of the top players in the league. Like an AD level talent. Like a CP3. Like a Wade. Like... A HOF player.

Players like that are HUGE draws. And he is a passing PG. And a really cool dude that player would get along with. No Howard DB ness to him. Not even a LeQueen though LeQueen is an amazing talent.

Wall is a top draw type player. Even better of a draw then Harden. Harden is a DB and weird. Wall is cool and easy to get along with. And super talented. And fast as all can be. A passing PG that plays defense and is humble and wants to win and get him teammate involved. And more and more, he can shoot. And that is only going to get better. He is really becoming everything we hoped he could.

That's a big ticket. Thats a WallSTAR. Thats a player that can attract just about anyone in the league. The Big Ticket. That why there are KD rumors.

Let that sink in.

There is nothing at all wrong with relying on Wall to attract the talent. Its what LeBron did. Its what Wade did. Its what PP did. Its what CP3 did. And its what Harden did.

I suspect people don't want to let that sink in because they feel that will mask EG or excuse his errors. Well sure it will.

But it is what we have. And that's what I am describing. What we have.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

This team right now would have easily won 50 games with a competent coach. As is, they can probably win 47 or 48. What happened in February and early March doesn't happen to a team with competent coaching. We go into each season with like an 8 loss handicap because of Randy. We get so little development and production from the young players we do have because of Randy. I think the fanbase would be shocked by how much difference replacing Randy with a legitimately good coach could make.

I don't see how coaching is going to make Nene run faster or PP jump higher. When your rotation is consists of broken down, old players on their last legs, there aren't many coaches in the league that can do much with that. Hell, I give Whitman a little credit for getting what he got from the geriatric unit.

I mean, people can blame Whitman for the team not reaching potential, but I honestly don't think this team underperformed. They were pretty decent considering Gortat is their second best player.

Playing their right lineups helps.

[bondom34]

I didn't see this anywhere, and didn't know where to put it, but you guys had an epic team photo:

[tweet]https://twitter.com/KrisHumphries/status/587688088597561345[/tweet]

[DCZards]

hands, go ahead and keep telling yourself that the presence of Wall alone will attract big time talent to the Zards -- and telling the rest of us how much smarter you are than those of us who don't see it that way.

[TheSecretWeapon]

But none of the older players are really locked in long term right? Besides Gortat but I don't really look at him as an "old" guy as Centers can play well into their 30s and he's still a pretty solid Center. We do need to purge the likes of Pierce and Gooden though(among others)for some fresh young blood.

The Nene contract hurts though for sure. Gonna be a real big anchor the next couple of years.

The point is that they all need replacing, though. There's nothing cohesive or lasting being built. They have Wall. They have Beal and Porter -- if they progress. They have Gortat -- if he doesn't start aging. What else? Humphries? Okay. So, another 10 roster spots to churn. That's a major rebuild over the next couple years, and it's Grunfeld who's likely to lead it.

Its a rolling rebuild with a 2016 mile stone in it. What's wrong with that ?

Please read the message board. Or my blog. Or any of a number of Wizards/NBA related blogs. What's wrong with this "rebuild" has been dissected, analyzed and picked over for years now.

Better lucky then good. We tanked for the lottery. We got lucky and got the #1. We got lucky Wall was there. We took him. And we and he developed him into a WallStar two way player. Now we get the long term benefits of that.

Hoping to "get lucky" might be a plan for a college boy going out on a Friday night, but it's not much of one for a guy running an NBA team.

That means we get shots at the best talent out there. And Cousins very likely down the road.

This off seaosn is the really just the first offseason we are really legit as a destination. We got PP last year. Nice land but dude is kind of old. Next time we get to land something good but not old.

But to do it this offseason, we pretty much would need to do a sign and trade. But in 2016 and after, we will have the pure cap to do it.

EVERYONE will have cap space in 2016. Players will be able to get the same deals wherever they go, but they'll get the best deals by staying where they are. Plus, I remain dubious that players will be that excited to come to DC. The Wizards aren't a plug-and-play situation for a free agent. No one can come and join the playoff team and help it get better. They're coming into a major rebuild -- a roster that MUST turn over almost completely because it's ancient. Maybe a blanker slate will appeal to some free agents. But, it might deter guys as well.

[dckingsfan]

"Up in the air" is probably the most salient things hands said about the team's construction. It's not a 50-win team. And it's old. They're not really building toward anything because so many guys have to be replaced...because they're old. Wall is good. Beal and Porter might be someday. And even if they are, there's still a roster that needs to be built around them, which is doable except...Grunfeld.

The Wizards should have been a 50 win team in the East IMO.
They started out 19-6. The next 57 games they easily could have gone 31-24.
Just my opinion.

Hey CCJ, I think they could have won 50, but they could have easily been in the low 40s. Best case scenario with this team would probably be 50 wins.

But alas, they will win how many games they will win - and that is how they should be judged, IMO.

[stevemcqueen1]

"Up in the air" is probably the most salient things hands said about the team's construction. It's not a 50-win team. And it's old. They're not really building toward anything because so many guys have to be replaced...because they're old. Wall is good. Beal and Porter might be someday. And even if they are, there's still a roster that needs to be built around them, which is doable except...Grunfeld.

The Wizards should have been a 50 win team in the East IMO.
They started out 19-6. The next 57 games they easily could have gone 31-24.
Just my opinion.

Hey CCJ, I think they could have won 50, but they could have easily been in the low 40s. Best case scenario with this team would probably be 50 wins.

But alas, they will win how many games they will win - and that is how they should be judged, IMO.

I think talk like this tacitly excuses Randy. The reason this team underachieves while teams like the Hawks overachieve is coaching. Leadership. What happened to the team in February and early March was unacceptable and should have sealed Randy's fate. They were on track to win well over 50 games and they just completely fell apart. Stopped playing together, completely lost the physical identity they established early on. Randy lost Gortat months ago and even had Wall calling him out. He continued to use Beal and Gortat in the worst ways. And he dicked Porter around and ruined any chance of meaningful development for him this season.

But worst of all, throughout our struggles, Randy had absolutely zero answers. It was embarrassing. Like CCJ said, he couldn't even adjust his line ups to defend a damn small ball line up, something that's killed us the past two seasons. Being able to do things like that are minimum expectations for competent coaching.

Our coaching problem is hardly unique. Mark Jackson and Vinny Del Negro were awful coaches holding back fundamentally good teams too. Doc Rivers isn't the greatest coach but the Clippers got better by hiring him to replace Del Negro. Golden State made a huge leap after replacing Mark Jackson with a great coach in Kerr. Lionel Hollins was another fairly weak coach and Memphis made a leap by replacing him with Joerger. Hollins and Jackson are way better coaches than Randy and the Clippers have a lot more talent than we do. All the more reason we need to fire Randy. But anyway, like Randy, those weak coaches did a pretty good job squeezing effort and defense out of their teams and making them competitive. But the best coaches can do that and coach a modern offense.