Wall out 8 weeks with injury to patella

[AFM]

I liked the idea of signing TMac and having him play point forward.

[hands11]

We have to look at this situation realistically and not optimistically. Things we have to understand...

(1) Even with a fully healthy roster for an entire season, we're no better than a 40-win team
(2) Aside from the Wall injury, we aren't going to go an entire season injury-free
(3) Wall will miss 14 games at the very least and even when he comes back, he won't be 100%

So, understanding those basic points, we're not going to make the playoffs this season. Ernie and company need to be thinking long-term and this injury needs to be the impetus. Sit Wall for the season. Give Nene the most possible rest this season. Maybe give him 40 games just for posterity. Let Beal get as much experience as he can.

We'll have a top-5 pick in the draft which can be used either for adding another young impact player or trading along with one of our expirings for a star (or near star) player.

Forcing the issue this season, hurrying Wall back and scraping and clawing for 30-35 wins and the 10th seed makes no sense to me.

That has to be the internal debate.

To tank or not to tank.

One more year ?

Now they would never sell it as such and they shouldn't. They will want what they have to step it up.

Now it may be a minor thing, but it may be all we have to read the tea leaves and that is what they do at back up PG. If they make a legit move to add depth, they may still be going for it. If they do nothing, a tank may be in the plans.

Lots will depend on how Nene comes along. I'm not worried about Wall. I think they caught it early and he will be fine.

I guess as EG often says, the players will tell us what to do. If you have lots of the younger players stepping up and they can win with that, then they will go for it. If not and they are losing... well .. we know they are not afraid to tank because they do want to build young and long term. After being bad for so long, its better to take your medicine now.

We will see.

[rockymac52]

We have to look at this situation realistically and not optimistically. Things we have to understand...

(1) Even with a fully healthy roster for an entire season, we're no better than a 40-win team
(2) Aside from the Wall injury, we aren't going to go an entire season injury-free
(3) Wall will miss 14 games at the very least and even when he comes back, he won't be 100%

So, understanding those basic points, we're not going to make the playoffs this season. Ernie and company need to be thinking long-term and this injury needs to be the impetus. Sit Wall for the season. Give Nene the most possible rest this season. Maybe give him 40 games just for posterity. Let Beal get as much experience as he can.

We'll have a top-5 pick in the draft which can be used either for adding another young impact player or trading along with one of our expirings for a star (or near star) player.

Forcing the issue this season, hurrying Wall back and scraping and clawing for 30-35 wins and the 10th seed makes no sense to me.

I can't help but feel like we're dangerously close to being basically in the same **** scenario we were in 3-5 years ago. Ernie, and our entire organization, needs to learn from its past mistakes.

We can't cling onto the whole "but when we're all healthy we're good" mantra. At least last time around we could claim we were in 1st place when we were last healthy. Now it's like, if we're healthy, then we MIGHT be a .500 team. I like the idea of sitting Wall for the entire season (if he's actually seriously injured), and I like the idea of resting Nene so he doesn't get overworked any more than he already is, and of course, the tank implications. But I don't want to get trapped into thinking "oh, well next season we'll add Wall who will obviously be as good as he always was, and Nene, who also will be as good as he always was in his prime now that he's rested, AND we'll add a high end lottery pick, who obviously is destined to be a great player".

I also am scared about how much control Ernie has, and what he might do with his back seemingly up against the wall once again. We all knew that Ernie had 1 or 2 years to turn this franchise around. If we were still a lottery team with no foreseeable massive improvement on the way, then it was time to finally cut ties with Ernie (and probably Wittman too). But now we're potentially giving Ernie another benefit of the doubt year, with the built-in excuse of the Wall and possibly Nene injuries. But what happens if Ernie feels the pressure to win now, even though Wall and Nene are hurt? Or if we sit them for a lot of games this season, but then bring them back full strength next season, thinking we're adding 2 near all-stars in doing so. Then before you know it, Ernie is delusional once again, and he trades a top 5 pick for Mike Miller and Randy Foye to add some more contributing veterans because our team is clearly a playoff team somehow. I'm just saying, we probably couldn't imagine Ernie doing that same basic thing again in a million years, but his job is on the line. He can try and justify it, just like he did last time. Prepare yourself folks, this could get ugly.

[rockymac52]

I should add that even though the Wall and Nene injuries might be legitimate excuses for Ernie's job performance evaluation, it might keep him around for next season even if we end up bottom 5 once again, but then it's one year left for him and it's make or break. He won't get a contract extension at that point by making prudent moves to patiently "rebuild" the roster. We can bring someone else in to do that. He helped develop "the plan", and if we aren't a playoff team next season, then "the plan" failed. Plain and simple. "The plan" wasn't to become the 10th or 11th place team in the East. We need playoffs, at the very least.

So if you're Ernie going into next season (if this season fails to produce a halfway decent team due to Wall and possibly Nene's injuries), your job is literally on the line. Win or go home, for good. He'll make the impatient win-now moves like he did several years ago, that is, if Ted lets him. Hopefully we can keep him in check.

[VA_story]

WTF!!??! He just found out his knee was hurting one month before the season started?

Wizards are cursed I'm damn near jaded already and the season hasn't even started yet

[MJG]

We have to look at this situation realistically and not optimistically.

<snip>

Forcing the issue this season, hurrying Wall back and scraping and clawing for 30-35 wins and the 10th seed makes no sense to me.

Realistically, this is exactly what's going to happen.

[FAH1223]

Jordan Crawford at PG

sigh..

[montestewart]

Jordan Crawford at PG

sigh..

PG Crawford nicknames: The Penetruder? The Drainmaker? The Rash of God? The Hasty Gangsta?

[FAH1223]

Jordan Crawford at PG

sigh..

PG Crawford nicknames: The Penetruder? The Drainmaker? The Rash of God? The Hasty Gangsta?

Definitely Hasty Gangsta

One thing about Jordan though.. when he wants to be a facilitator, he can be pretty damn good at it. But him playing PG full time still leaves me

[closg00]

The real joke is that this wouldn't be quite so-bad if Ernie and Ted were not scrapping their pennies when they were filling-out the roster. The Wizards have needed a solid back-up PG for a while now. Ernie is praying that Shaun Livingston or someone else is waived.

[DMVleGeND]

Jordan Crawford at PG

sigh..

If the team doesn't sign anyone else, I put my money on AJ Price starting at PG.

[truwizfan4evr]

Jordan Crawford at PG

sigh..

If the team doesn't sign anyone else, I put my money on AJ Price starting at PG.

If he start it will be a long season for wizards fans.

[OffTheWall2]

I'm pretty sure regardless, it will be a long season for us.

[Knighthonor]

like I said.

Get ready to Trade Wall.

it happens every Era.

Star get a knee injury,
than get traded.

should be a pattern now.

cant really be surprised when it happens.

[FAH1223]

well, lets hope Livingston gets cut and we scoop him up

A 6 foot 7 PG

[dangermouse]

I highly doubt he would be anywhere near the trading block, Knighthonor.

We would not get good value for him right now, period. Not to mention we have no one to replace him with at that position, which is a problem we are dealing with right now anyway.

[JWizmentality]

Finally get back to the board, and it's depressing...sigh.

[Nivek]

well, lets hope Livingston gets cut and we scoop him up

A 6 foot 7 PG

One problem: He's no better than what they already have on the roster. Bring him in as another body...why not? But don't do it with any expectation that he's going to be...you know...good.

[nate33]

Yeah. I don't see the logic in adding another marginal free agent PG. We already have Mack and Price to man the position, and Crawford can do it in a pinch. I might be interested in a trade for a much better PG who could continue to be an effective player even after Wall returns (presumably because they can shoot).

I ran a screen for point guards who played less than 22 MPG last year while posting a PER above 13.

http://bkref.com/tiny/1poul

The most interesting names on the list are John Lucas, Jordan Farmar and Jannero Pargo. All have solid per minute numbers, average about 5 assists per 36, and shoot around 40% from 3-point range. Would any of them be available for a 2nd round pick or something?

[closg00]

The way I'm looking at this is that Shaun is that best PG that we realistically have a shot at getting. Houston added yet another young PG to their camp.
http://spacecityscoop.com/2012/09/29/ho ... mp-roster/