Wizards in the Media Thread

[dobrojim]

ROTFLMAO post on the Wiz Insider comments re Gil return

the post said something to the effect that Gil should have
AJ guard him in practice so he can avoid contact.

If that was someone from RealGM, that deserves HOF post status.

[fishercob]

I highly suggest the recent Bill Simmons piece on the dire financial state of many NBA franchises:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/st ... ons/090227

The news for WIz fans is that Simmons -- who seems to have gone out of his way recently to take shots at the Wiz -- doesn't mention them among financially distressed teams. Anyway, it's a good read, including this absolute lambasting of T-Mac:

And by the way, nobody loves basketball more than me. I mean, NOBODY. But when an NBA player with two years remaining on his contract for a total of $44 million shows up for the season out of shape, complains most of the year, lets down his teammates and fans again and again, lands in some trade rumors and decides, "Instead of getting traded to a team I don't like, I'm going to announce that I'm getting microfracture surgery four days before the trade deadline and kill any potential trade, and even better, I'll be healed by next spring, just in time to showcase myself for another contract," and successfully pulls this off -- with no repercussions from anybody -- then yes, the system is broken and needs to be fixed. Because that was disgusting. Tracy McGrady, you are officially indefensible for the rest of eternity. Even your cousin Vince wouldn't have done that. And that's saying something.

[dobrojim]

get rid of guaranteed contracts

[closg00]

^^^^^^^

There should be a clause that allows for a reasonable payout should a player become injured. No-more T-Mac's, Grant Hill's etc.

[dobrojim]

i was thinking less about injuries and more about players
who cash in having career years in a contract year, then return
to mediocrity shortly thereafter.

I'd prefer something more like the football system where
a team can unload a player that isn't performing up to the
value of their contract.

And generally speaking, I'm a lot more sympathetic to players
in the whole mgmt v players dynamic.

But even more sympathetic to fans in the fans v mgmt dynamic.

[LyricalRico]

^^^^^^^

There should be a clause that allows for a reasonable payout should a player become injured. No-more T-Mac's, Grant Hill's etc.

That's not a bad idea. Something akin to "longterm disability payments" where teams can get out of contracts for chronically injured players and the player still gets some financial security. For example, if a player misses more than X number of games due to injury over X number of seasons (DNP-CD doesn't count towards this) the team can exercise an automatic 60% buyout clause, or something like that.

Of course the issue would be teams abusing this provision by not clearing guys for play when they're actually healthy. Maybe the player has the option to appeal the buyout to the league and the team has to have an NBA doctor verify that the player is still injured. There would definitely have to be some checks and balances in place but it could be done.

[keynote]

Bumped with the recent news (welcome to some) that Ivan is leaving the Wizards beat and moving on to host Washington Post Live on CSN. Mike Lee will fill in for the rest of the year, but nothing's set in stone for next season, according to the Bog.

So, Kev: are you going to take another swing at it?

[fishercob]

Bumped with the recent news (welcome to some) that Ivan is leaving the Wizards beat and moving on to host Washington Post Live on CSN. Mike Lee will fill in for the rest of the year, but nothing's set in stone for next season, according to the Bog.

So, Kev: are you going to take another swing at it?

I think Ivan's more interested in being famous than in being a reporter. And that's not a crime. Newspapers are dying, and Ivan can make a good living as a talking head. I found it interesting how he talked about how much he liked seeing his byline as opposed to takign joy in the actual writing.

[newslowsad]

Bumped with the recent news (welcome to some) that Ivan is leaving the Wizards beat and moving on to host Washington Post Live on CSN. Mike Lee will fill in for the rest of the year, but nothing's set in stone for next season, according to the Bog.

There is a god. Good riddance.

[closg00]

Seriously, I wonder if Ivan lying about Gilbert's workouts (The Express scoop) had anything to do with his leaving, or is it just part of newspapers down-sizing?

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Hmmm, let's see: Cover this inept franchise full of hard luck stories and veterans throwing young guys under the bus and young guys acting like they need to watch Sesame Street and have a nap ... or a raise and a career on television?

That's real easy. F the Wizards.

[Wizards2Lottery]

Good move by Ivan. Becoming a full time member on CSN opens up the door for many opportunities.

As far as whoever the new guy will be, I'm not getting my hopes up that we'll get an actual insider. This is based on how much Jason LaCanfora sucks, how TAB has one interesting story every month for the Capitals and how boring Ivan was. I don't think teams in this area reveal much to sports reporters just because of how intense the media scrutiny is and how fans are ready to bring out the pitch forks with the slightest bad news (especially for the Redskins who are hovering on thin ice with majority of the fanbase).

[Benjammin]

Good move by Ivan. Becoming a full time member on CSN opens up the door for many opportunities.

As far as whoever the new guy will be, I'm not getting my hopes up that we'll get an actual insider. This is based on how much Jason LaCanfora sucks, how TAB has one interesting story every month for the Capitals and how boring Ivan was. I don't think teams in this area reveal much to sports reporters just because of how intense the media scrutiny is and how fans are ready to bring out the pitch forks with the slightest bad news (especially for the Redskins who are hovering on thin ice with majority of the fanbase).

Maybe the Redskins media coverage is intense, but probably not compared not to some markets (NY, Chicago, Boston, etc.). The coverage of the Wizards/Bullets has never been intense and hard-hitting yet talented reporters like David Aldridge, Ric Bucher, J.A. Adande covered with team with great skill. Ivan seems to be a nice guy who enjoyed the position but didn't really want to work to go the extra mile in breaking stories. I think he will fit the TV role well.

[closg00]

Did anyone catch Ivan's chat earlier today on the Post site? I tried to pull up the transcript and got an error message. I assume Ivan was saying his goodbyes and giving his thoughts on the Wiz.

[keynote]

I wasn't able to pull up Ivan's chat either. I figure WaPo will fix the link soon.

On a side note, here's an excerpt from Ivan's most recent Wizards Insider blog:

Quick note: I'm not on the current four-game road trip that opens in Utah tonight for budget reasons. Michael Lee will be covering later road games, however, as he gets back into the beat writing groove.

First of all, I can't imagine the Post not sending Jason Reid or Jason La Confora somewhere to cover the Skins for "budget reasons." But that aside, it sounds as if there won't be *any* beat writer covering this road trip in person. Given how things are going at papers across the country, I don't blame Ivan one bit for transitioning into television.

[Rafael122]

Lee will be watching the game from DC and will probably have interviews set up via text message and AIM after the game.

As for Ivan leaving the Wiz gig, kinda confirms what I thought about him, he was never too gung ho about being a good beat reporter. It's a nice job when this team is winning and having fun.

[fishercob]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/s ... iem-090319

1. Washington: The Wizards have several things in their favor heading into next season.

First, they're likely to have starters Gilbert Arenas and Brendan Haywood back in the lineup after each has missed all of 2008-09 so far -- which will fill major holes at point guard and center. Whether Arenas can be the Agent Zero of old is an open question, of course, but whether he'd be an improvement on Mike James and Javaris Crittenton is not. His return alone should add several wins to Washington's ledger.

Additionally, the Wizards are likely to have a top-five draft pick that should bolster their talent base, especially if the lottery nets them beastly Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin. The only downside is the salary of a top-five pick will add to the potential luxury tax bill for next season -- so it's possible they'll need to trade either the pick or Antawn Jamison to get under the tax threshold.

And there's one other really good sign -- Washington's stable of young talent. JaVale McGee is going to be a monster once he figures out how to play, Andray Blatche and Nick Young already are productive reserves and Dominic McGuire is developing into a defensive ace on the wings. While each has his shortcomings -- McGee is clueless on D, Blatche doesn't always play hard, Young passes only as a last resort and McGuire can't score to save his life -- together they should make a pretty potent second unit when Washington's starting lineup is intact.

[Rafael122]

Jeez...that's harsh.

"McGuire can play defense, Young and Blatche can play.......BUT....McGuire can't shoot, Young can't pass, and Blatche is lazy. But other than that, they should be fine."

Seems like he thinks highly of Blake. Looking forward to seeing what he writes about him as we get near the draft.

[Pass_The_Sticks]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=hollinger_john&page=PERDiem-090319

1. Washington: The Wizards have several things in their favor heading into next season.

First, they're likely to have starters Gilbert Arenas and Brendan Haywood back in the lineup after each has missed all of 2008-09 so far -- which will fill major holes at point guard and center. Whether Arenas can be the Agent Zero of old is an open question, of course, but whether he'd be an improvement on Mike James and Javaris Crittenton is not. His return alone should add several wins to Washington's ledger.

Additionally, the Wizards are likely to have a top-five draft pick that should bolster their talent base, especially if the lottery nets them beastly Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin. The only downside is the salary of a top-five pick will add to the potential luxury tax bill for next season -- so it's possible they'll need to trade either the pick or Antawn Jamison to get under the tax threshold.

And there's one other really good sign -- Washington's stable of young talent. JaVale McGee is going to be a monster once he figures out how to play, Andray Blatche and Nick Young already are productive reserves and Dominic McGuire is developing into a defensive ace on the wings. While each has his shortcomings -- McGee is clueless on D, Blatche doesn't always play hard, Young passes only as a last resort and McGuire can't score to save his life -- together they should make a pretty potent second unit when Washington's starting lineup is intact.

1. Wizards
2 .Thunder

My two favorite teams! lol

[newslowsad]

Screw Hollinger. DMAC's shot has come a long way.