pre-season game II was game 112/16 vs PHL

[badinage]

monte, sometimes the preacher just shuts up as soon as the message has been delivered. No need to preach on and on to the choir. What I am reading now is what I have been thinking about Flip for a long time.

Posters pancakes, dandridge, and JAR69 write clearly and without a lot of emotion or self-aggrandizement. I have gone overboard a lot saying this about Flip and attacking people who have disagreed with me. No need for me to go there any more, because I think people see what I have been talking about. It is not personal against Flip.

Now, I am just trying to think of what would work for this team. IMO all they need is ONE dominant rebounder to improve significantly. They could also use a real, veteran PG. Something like Blatche and Owens for Blair and TJ Ford would work real well for the Wizards. Blair is a beast of a player, and the Spurs are currently looking for help at C. Wizards need help at PF.

Seems to me a Blair/Blatche swap is the single quickest way for the Wizards to improve not a little--but a lot.

I wholeheartedly agree with this (though I don't think this is the trade to make).

One "dominant rebounder" who also played great interior D would improve us considerably.

McGee would be a huge beneficiary. Actually, I'm of the mind that ONLY with a player like that can we hope to maximize what we have in McGee.

[closg00]

Did anyone see Vesely get injured during the 1st Philly game? Now he has a "Nagging hip injury"

[dandridge 10]

To add what Fishercob said about coaching, I also coached at the HS level and know one college coach. Pancakes raises issues regarding basic fundamentals, such as setting picks, not face guarding, etc. which it appears some players on this team are deficient in. I can guarantee you every coach (including Flip) that has been involved with these players in their lifetime have stressed these fundamentals. Sometimes, players just are not capable of learning the fundamentals or, more importantly, don't care to take the time to learn the fundamentals. Sometimes, it takes players years of experience so that these fundamentals are ingrained in their heads so they don't have to think about them, they just do it. I would be shocked beyond belief if every person who has coached Wall, McGee, Young has not repeatedly told them to slow down and let the game come to them, told them to make themselves wide during picks and not to roll to the basket until the pick is complete, and told them not to faceguard their man and always keep one eye on their man and one eye on the ball. If these players are unable to accomplish these basic fundamentals at this level of professional basketball, it is on them.

[sashae]

Folks,

Are we really surprised that this team is bad? Really? Blatche is and always has been fool's gold -- million dollar talent with nickel will. Nick Young is an inveterate gunner with a pretty shot and no ability to see what's going on in the offense on the floor other than what he's doing, Wall is a 2nd year guy with speed for days but some questionable decisionmaking, and (oy vey)... JaVale.

We're staffed with D-league guys, newbies, wannabes, and never-will-be's. Until we get some real, honest-to-God top-flight talent, all the coaching and practice and whatever in the world doesn't matter a lick. I appreciate what EG and Ted are trying to do -- it's nothing more than Ted /said/ he'd do when he took over the team. But expecting anything more than a car accident in a meat packing plant on the floor this season is unrealistic.

We're a /bad/ team. We're a bad team whose hope is predicated on Wall growing up, the hope of immense cap space and a nicer jersey drawing in a true, proven All-Star, and the ministrations of a crooked NBA and a set of lottery balls potentially landing us some young gun that continues the cycle of hope.

I'm sick and tired of watching losing basketball. When our last hope was Gilbert in '06-'07, that's pretty damned miserable.

[montestewart]

I only coached rec league, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

Look at the bright side sashae. At least you didn't buy a bunch of lousy Wizards tickets like I did.

Or did you?

12/26 game thread won't be a moment too soon.

[TheBigThree]

sashae's post should be in its own thread, locked and stickied at the top of this forum. Pretty much perfectly describes the current state and direction of the team.

Well said.

[sashae]

Look at the bright side sashae. At least you didn't buy a bunch of lousy Wizards tickets like I did.

Or did you?

I live in NYC, so I'll likely only see a couple of games (either Knicks or Nets) depending upon how high my pain threshold is.

[dobrojim]

I've re-watched this game a couple times (boredom?)
I was not that worried about the 2nd game and thought they played
reasonably well. PHL may or may not be a solid team this year.
I say more likely they'll be pretty decent. But from the Wiz,
I just saw more energy from up and down the roster.

don't get all the Dray hate wrt this game. He wasn't great obviously
but he was a little better than mediocre but just couldn't quite finish
plays a couple times. I'm definitely from Missouri
on him as far as the near-to-long term future goes.

One of my biggest concerns is now Crawford given the statement
he made where he kinda blew off the need to actually have a conscious.
That said, in between bricked/awful shots, he showed some good hustle
esp at the end of the 1st half when he stole a rebound from Hawes
and got Hawes' 3rd foul, then drew the 3rd foul on Iggy right after that
after another hustle play. But JC better keep working and an eye in
the rear view mirror as there is a Mack truck about to pass him if
he doesn't play smarter and within a team concept.

Re Singleton - small sample size and yes his O is in need of improvement,
but it seems to me the whole energy of the team picks up when he steps
on the floor.

PHL won at home with Iggy hitting jump shots to carry their O in the
4th Q. Otherwise, we coulda stole it. And that's with Wall, JC and Lewis
all being pretty bad. If Iggy hits jumpers for them, they'll be pretty good
this year.

McGee might just turn the corner into a serious talent this year. Might.
It's amazing how well he can play for a 5 min burst sometimes. Of course
we've seen this before. But lawdhavemercy he can stun you at times.

I know this might be crazy and probably is, but I wonder what a frontline of
1ton, Book and JV play like. No jump shooters in the bunch but they all
'play the right way' as a matter of habit (based again on small sample size
wrt to the 2 rookies).

PS- Drue Holiday is a tough matchup for Wall as he is one of the few PGs
that is close to matching Wall in size and speed so Wall having 2 subpar
games against him only concerns me somewhat.

now over to the prediction thread