Game Thread: WAS @ ORL

[montestewart]

I want Blatche off the team too but lets not act like were a Blatche subtraction away from being competitive. Blatche is a problem but honestly he's a minor issue.

I can't imagine this going on for much longer. Something has to give. Whether it's Flip, Ernie or both. We look historically bad right now.

Agreed, we are an awful team with or without Blatche... but without Blatche we are an awful team with young, hungry players who care about the game, give effort, and may get better. In short, awful, but watchable. The only thing Blatche does is set a bad example for the young players, and take time away from their development.

Perfectly said. I would much rather watch Seraphin, Mack, Singleton, Booker, Vesely or N'Diaye try and fail than watch Blatchemo's routine. For those at the arena or watching on TV, it gives a reason to watch.

[7-Day Dray]

Blatche and Flip need to go ASAP. Blatche is a cancer that plays with no effort, and Flip is blind and doesn't see when guys don't play with effort.

[Dat2U]

One positive about Wall. I thought his effort was excellent tonight. Wasn't incredibly effective and he continues to play out of control but it's good to see the franchise guy be the one to play the hardest even when he's struggling. Unfortunately it looks like his confidence has taken a major hit and he's really out of sync right now. He's really pressing.

I continue to like what I see from Singleton. Definitely getting the young James Posey 3 & D type vibe from him. He's our best SF option IMO.

Booker did some good things. Got lost a few times on defense but hit a couple of 20 footers which was a shock to see. He could carve out a nice role for himself off the bench with improved consistency in that jump shot.

Dat- I don't disagree with you, but I think we are all grasping at sh*t here.

Ted needs to clean house. Fire Flip and maybe Ernie as well.

Regime change is overdue. This team is mired in a culture of losing.

Ha, your speaking to the choir. I've been calling for Ernie's head for years now. I think Flip might be gone soon. I just hope Ernie goes with him.

[just1bullet]

Look at us! We are all sad! Year after year we get excited for nothing. We care more about this then the guys who have been on this team for as long as I can remember! 22 years I have been a true fan and for most of those years I lose interest in the actual basketball and spend more time looking for our next move. The trae deadline and the draft are what I look forward to not the basketball! It's just sad!

Who do we play Friday?

I will add one thing to this post... My 7 year old son put his Wall jersey on for the first 4 games, got his ball out, and sat and watched the games with me, Tonight we started watching late he looked at the score and said this team sucks! I have never even heard him use that word before...not even with the Redskins!

[closg00]

And this is why both Flip and Blatche need to go ASAP. As long as other guys play lazy/stupid and the coach doesn't care because he wants to get fired, everybody else is going to also develop bad habits. Allowing this to go on for an entire season could poison the well for the existing young players, which would make the last two drafts meaningless. They need veterans. Now!

And what say you concerning Mr. Grunfeld?

[dangermouse]

Fire Flip! Trade McGee to NO for Kaman and the Minn. draft pick. Trade Young for a draft pick! Trade AB for a draft pick and play all the new guys and wait til next year! This team has no desire, no heart, no feel, they thought it was going to be like summer league and when people started to play D they have already quit on the season!

If there's anything we're gonna learn from watching them this year is inconsistency. One game they'll seem like they are really starting to get it (last game), and the next it will be like they never learned anything. The solution isn't to blow up the team again. I don't know what it is, but I know that ain't it. I think we should be judging them in week increments, not in game increments. Perhaps in the 3 week of the season, we'll notice they were better than in the first week, etc.

Great post sfam.

This young team is going to look different probably every single game.

[Ruzious]

I know Singleton works hard out there and occasionally makes the fine defensive play, but wow - he's a bad basketball player at this early stage of his career - and not just offensively. He's out of position all the time, and he doesn't block out anyone out - making it awfully easy for the other team to get offensive rebounds. What I'm saying is... he stinks - if that wasn't clear.

And how does that make him different from anyone else on the roster?

I think the tools are there. I'd let him learn on job, Lewis simply isn't a SF anymore.

Don't get me wrong - he's not different. And Lewis is just awful, because he can't move his feet. It's just that people seem to be excited about Singleton - and while I appreciate that he's trying - I just don't see the optimism about him. He really has no positive offensive skills, so he's gotta make it on defense - and block his man off the boards. Too often, he's playing like a free safety covering nobody. I guess what Rico said is right - this is as much a coaching problem as it is a personnel problem.

[tontoz]

Flip just said mcGee has a cold so that is why he wasn't playing as much.

[Ruzious]

Fire Flip! Trade McGee to NO for Kaman and the Minn. draft pick. Trade Young for a draft pick! Trade AB for a draft pick and play all the new guys and wait til next year! This team has no desire, no heart, no feel, they thought it was going to be like summer league and when people started to play D they have already quit on the season!

If there's anything we're gonna learn from watching them this year is inconsistency. One game they'll seem like they are really starting to get it (last game), and the next it will be like they never learned anything. The solution isn't to blow up the team again. I don't know what it is, but I know that ain't it. I think we should be judging them in week increments, not in game increments. Perhaps in the 3 week of the season, we'll notice they were better than in the first week, etc.

Great post sfam.

This young team is going to look different probably every single game.

I still haven't seen that one game where they seem to get it.

[Jay81]

this is the worst basketball team I have ever seen....who assembled this piece of shitz? every game this season before i eat my first potatoe chip, we are down by 18 in the 1st quarter.

Thank God this season just started and didnt start in Late October.

[The Fax]

I didn't see much effort tonight. This team lacks heart and discipline. John Wall looks like he's checked out, wtf is wrong with him? He's not even setting up his teammates like he was last year when he was only playing at "65%". Smh, from the Redskins to the Wizards this town is so disappointing.

[Ruzious]

I didn't see much effort tonight. This team lacks heart and discipline. John Wall looks like he's checked out, wtf is wrong with him? He's not even setting up his teammates like he was last year when he was only playing at "65%". Smh, from the Redskins to the Wizards this town is so disappointing.

HE HAS NOBODY TO SET UP!

Did I say that loud enough? Probably not.

[just1bullet]

Fire Flip! Trade McGee to NO for Kaman and the Minn. draft pick. Trade Young for a draft pick! Trade AB for a draft pick and play all the new guys and wait til next year! This team has no desire, no heart, no feel, they thought it was going to be like summer league and when people started to play D they have already quit on the season!

If there's anything we're gonna learn from watching them this year is inconsistency. One game they'll seem like they are really starting to get it (last game), and the next it will be like they never learned anything. The solution isn't to blow up the team again. I don't know what it is, but I know that ain't it. I think we should be judging them in week increments, not in game increments. Perhaps in the 3 week of the season, we'll notice they were better than in the first week, etc.

Great post sfam.

This young team is going to look different probably every single game.

We have been watching these guys in week to week, month to month, year to year shoot decade to decade....same story over and over. This franchise does the same thing every time..falls in love with three or four guys, think they are going to "get it", wait for to work and find out they are a bunch of knuckle heads that waisted all our time and the franchise's money....Let's try something different blow it up now and try again and save three years of frustration!

[Jay81]

5 things that drive me crazy

1. Stupidiy--we average like 4 illegal defenses a game
2. No hustle--we never get a loose ball
3. No reboundinng--we are a terrible defensive rebounding team. And how many times do we allow offensive rebounds on missed free throws
4. Shooting..we cant shoot from the outside and were just as bad from the inside. Ive never seen a team miss so many 1-2 footers
5. defense--we dont play it

[The Fax]

I didn't see much effort tonight. This team lacks heart and discipline. John Wall looks like he's checked out, wtf is wrong with him? He's not even setting up his teammates like he was last year when he was only playing at "65%". Smh, from the Redskins to the Wizards this town is so disappointing.

HE HAS NOBODY TO SET UP!

Did I say that loud enough? Probably not.

He has the exact same teammates as he did last season when he was racking up 8 assists in a single quarter. I don't see what you're getting at.

[LyricalRico]

And this is why both Flip and Blatche need to go ASAP. As long as other guys play lazy/stupid and the coach doesn't care because he wants to get fired, everybody else is going to also develop bad habits. Allowing this to go on for an entire season could poison the well for the existing young players, which would make the last two drafts meaningless. They need veterans. Now!

And what say you concerning Mr. Grunfeld?

I put the Blatche debacle squarely on Ernie's shoulders, and have said so for some time. But I tend to think of Flip as Ted's call because of the money he's owed.

As for the overall lack of veterans, I think that was by design and I understand the reasoning behind it. But I think the organization (both Ted and Ernie) underestimated how much a lazy Blatche and an unhappy Flip would affect the team. As it is now clear that the effect is nothing short of cancerous, they HAVE to step in and do something because sticking to the original plan is meaningless if they ruin the guys they've already been tanking for. Waiting until the summer would be a mistake IMO. If they don't resolve this DURING THE SEASON, I'll be highly disappointed with the entire organization. That includes Ernie, but Ted will also deserve a lot of the blame for letting it happen.

[Ruzious]

I didn't see much effort tonight. This team lacks heart and discipline. John Wall looks like he's checked out, wtf is wrong with him? He's not even setting up his teammates like he was last year when he was only playing at "65%". Smh, from the Redskins to the Wizards this town is so disappointing.

HE HAS NOBODY TO SET UP!

Did I say that loud enough? Probably not.

He has the exact same teammates as he did last season when he was racking up 8 assists in a single quarter. I don't see what you're getting at.

Sigh. I didn't say it loud enough.

You tell me - who should he have been setting up?

[The Fax]

5 things that drive me crazy

1. Stupidiy--we average like 4 illegal defenses a game
2. No hustle--we never get a loose ball
3. No reboundinng--we are a terrible defensive rebounding team. And how many times do we allow offensive rebounds on missed free throws
4. Shooting..we cant shoot from the outside and were just as bad from the inside. Ive never seen a team miss so many 1-2 footers
5. defense--we dont play it

Blatche is responsible for 75% of each of these problems. Speaking of Blatche, dude has zero ups anymore. I remember 2 or 3 games back, someone threw him a lob and he didn't even jump for it. Instead he caught it and landed, tried a reverse layup and failed miserably.

[Ed Wood]

No, look Lyrical, you're supposed to swoop in with a smiley and an airy allusion to a ride soon to be taken on a certain mustache; well thought out and reasonably balanced simply isn't what I need from you right now. Maybe you could propose we trade for someone expensive and terrible? This isn't working for me.

Ernie should probably be fired, also. Thought you ought to know.

[mohammed10]

No, look Lyrical, you're supposed to swoop in with a smiley and an airy allusion to a ride soon to be taken on a certain mustache; well thought out and reasonably balanced simply isn't what I need from you right now. Maybe you could propose we trade for someone expensive and terrible? This isn't working for me.

Ernie should probably be fired, also. Thought you ought to know.

Probably? PROBABLY?

No - Ernie MUST go!