Preseason Game Thread Wiz vs. Hornets

[badinage]

Oh ffs, are we going to do this? Really? Bitch about how bad they are, after pleading for years for the team to set a bold and ambitious vision and to have the will and patience to enact it? Seriously? Is that what this season is going to bring — bitching game after game about the rebounding and depth? Whoever talked about not being able to take watching this team beyond February — I won’t be able to take reading 6 months of moaning/griping/despairing.

[DCZards]

Oh ffs, are we going to do this? Really? Bitch about how bad they are, after pleading for years for the team to set a bold and ambitious vision and to have the will and patience to enact it? Seriously? Is that what this season is going to bring — bitching game after game about the rebounding and depth? Whoever talked about not being able to take watching this team beyond February — I won’t be able to take reading 6 months of moaning/griping/despairing.

It’s a “game thread” tradition….and it needs to end.

Otherwise, the game thread will turn into its usual echo chamber by midseason.

[TGW]

Poole is not going to be happy here. At the Warriors games, there was always a large supply of snow bunnies that Poole had at his disposal for post-game entertainment. Not so much here, where the stadium is normally 3/4ths empty.

Currently his alcohol of choice his shotjacking. Cures his sadness momentarily.

[mhd]

I'm not sure I have the patience to watch this crap for 82 games this season. Should have expected it. Can't believe Ted didn't charge $400 a season instead of $200 for that wonderful Monumental App.

I should have known that Kuz and Poole were just going to jack up shots, but it's ok to pass it every now and then. It's ok to not have to dribble up the court and jack up a 28-footer before ever looking to anybody. Bilal struggled early on and like everyone else, doesn't rebound (at least he has an excuse, he's 190 lbs). But he keeps progressing, scoring from the mid-range and starting to make his 3s.

Kispert? I know it's one game, but I expect more after last season's improvement.

If that's the offensive gameplan, to just shoot as many threes as we can, not sure I'm going to watch this garbage in February.

But this is what most of us wanted, right? A terrible team so we can get a great pick in a bad draft. As a casual Orioles fan, it took a few years, but those draft picks turned that team around.

League Pass is only $100 and you get the whole league. You also have the ability to not listen to Baghdad Bob Chris Miller (that is worth is at least $500 itself LOL) and choose the away feed. With that, no more crappy superimposed court Ads and bad production value.

[long suffrin' boulez fan]

Conundrum of the day.

Is complaining about complaining worse than just garden variety complaining?

[badinage]

Complaining about complaining is infinitely better. Clearly.

[Dark Faze]

We're going to be horrendously bad lol. Vegas has us as the worst team in the league by a significant margin.

We can only hope that the reputation of the draft improves over the coming months.

[doclinkin]

I enjoyed watching.

Kuzma had some insane shots early on. Then he let it go to his head. It's fun when they go in.

Bilal is a phenomenon. His ability to get those wraparound tap steals reminds me of a Euro player from way back, "the Octopus" Dimitris Diamantidis. His inanely long arms and footwork/positioning are a potential disaster for opposing attackers.

As usual nobody can hit 3's on the Wiz home court. A survey of shooting %'s in various arenas has shown that all teams shoot the worst here, including us. I swear it is something about the lighting and how blue and dim everything looks. Okay the chairs are all black now, but somehow everything still looks blue. The team should practice on the home floor every chance they get so they can iron out the kinks and turn that into a defensive benefit on their behalf, but personally for those of us who want the 3's to fall, it is a problem that should be solved. Players who arrive here from elsewhere watch their 3FG%'s die. It's no good.

Yes Gafford struggles against other legit centers unless he can get space. Mark WIlliams is huge and surprisingly mobile. Nick Richards is Gafford plus 2 inches. If the 3 ball falls Gaff will be okay on offense where his speed out of the screen/roll game is an asset, but he is not a lynchpin defender and won't be since he has to jump to defend. Too easy to fake off his spot. That's fine. Our hole in the middle is a benefit, as nate has pointed out. A deliberate design flaw. We need to lose for the next couple years at least. (Maybe 3. What year does Alijah Arenas come out? Can we get Baby Zero in dc? Hibachi Jr?) We will rebound better when Deni is on court, especially with Kuz sharing the court, but still, nobody is scared of our frontcourt.

Poole is in cruise control. He animates for big games. Maybe that means his game will fall off. I still think there is a chance for significant offensive output once he gets rolling. I don't think he sulks the whole season. Plus DC still does have honeys if not bunnies.

Anyway win or lose I'm here for it. We will get a few games where we get blisteringly hot, and many where we succumb to body shots from getting beaten down low. Ultimately though: we have 8,000 draft picks over the next few years. This year I expect to watch a mess of G-League Elite games in addition to the Wiz. It's all good.

[dobrojim]

One observation: I hope is just one game but did not like Poole’s body language at all. It looked he did not care,

And this is independent of his nightmare evening shooting the ball, 2/13 FGs…

too cool for school.

was Poole

(finishing the rhyme for you)

[dobrojim]

I'm not sure I have the patience to watch this crap for 82 games this season. Should have expected it. Can't believe Ted didn't charge $400 a season instead of $200 for that wonderful Monumental App.

I should have known that Kuz and Poole were just going to jack up shots, but it's ok to pass it every now and then. It's ok to not have to dribble up the court and jack up a 28-footer before ever looking to anybody. Bilal struggled early on and like everyone else, doesn't rebound (at least he has an excuse, he's 190 lbs). But he keeps progressing, scoring from the mid-range and starting to make his 3s.

Kispert? I know it's one game, but I expect more after last season's improvement.

If that's the offensive gameplan, to just shoot as many threes as we can, not sure I'm going to watch this garbage in February.

But this is what most of us wanted, right? A terrible team so we can get a great pick in a bad draft. As a casual Orioles fan, it took a few years, but those draft picks turned that team around.

League Pass is only $100 and you get the whole league. You also have the ability to not listen to Baghdad Bob Chris Miller (that is worth is at least $500 itself LOL) and choose the away feed. With that, no more crappy superimposed court Ads and bad production value.

I know I'm being unfair and it's really not that big a deal but if I never hear CM pronounce
Anthony Gill's last name again my ears will feel better. Hey CM, it's a single syllable word.

[dobrojim]

Complaining about complaining is infinitely better. Clearly.

It's what social media is for after all

[dobrojim]

Bilal may end up being a compelling reason to watch this year. Yes his body is still immature
but his game instincts are remarkable for a 19 yo.

Kuz still has the same flaw, horrible efficiency (that car ain't changing his stripes).
Poole may end up similarly. Jones looked meh.
Gallinari might end up with a much bigger role than I had assumed. Agree with whoever said
said Deni should start ahead of Kuz.

FWIW, I'm complaining about none of it. It's all about if and how quickly we get better.