Training Camp

[nate33]

Training camp footage is up at washingtonwizards.com:

http://www.nba.com/wizards/video/2012/1 ... index.html

Beal looks terrific. He is showing very good ball-handling skills. He's driving and kicking and creating shots for himself and others. He's going to be a very good all around player. He made a few threes on the video, but there's no way to know if that's just creative editing or not. Notably, Jordan Crawford had very few highlights which might mean that Beal is doing his job on the defensive end as well.

Seraphin looks HUGE. The guy is a monster.

[FAH1223]

Wittman said Crawford has had his best practices of his career...

[MikeTheKid]

Thanks for making the thread, Chris Singletons looks pretty good so far

[GhostsOfGil]

Good clips of Seraphin and Okafor going at it. This should really help develop his offensive and defensive game... man that turn around hook is looking money.

[long suffrin' boulez fan]

Help! Help me my poster brothers.

I'm in need of an intervention.

Typically at this time of year, I can't wait for the season to start. I mark the beginning of October practically twitching to see if Harvey Grant has added any muscle, or if Googs spent the summer developing his perimeter skills, or what Brent Price will look like in the blue, white and red, or whether Chris Webber had improved his free throw shooting, if Gil would come back healthy from his knee operation, or if John Wall's college game would translate to the pros.

Even when the Boulez/Wiz promised to be modest, I couldn't wait to see them... hope springs eternal, I guess.

But something feels different this year. Could it be the re-signing of the designer of the Titanic? Or a realization that Digital Ted may not really be the savior? Or my sense that it has been a thoroughly mediocre off-season of missed opportunities? Or John Wall's injury? Or Trevor Ariza?

Help!

I need Hans and Franz to tell me to stop being such a girly man, to tell me they are here to "pump you up!"

I need a soul vaccination, an injection of Bullets Fever, anything.

So help! Please write something to get me off the ledge and back on couch -- beer and remote in hand. Please give me reason to believe that the, literally, thousands of hours that I will spend watching, posting, driving to the Phone Booth won't be in vain.

[rl25g]

open practice this evening for season ticket holders.
was anyone able to go and get some observations ?

[montestewart]

So help! Please write something to get me off the ledge and back on couch -- beer and remote in hand. Please give me reason to believe that the, literally, thousands of hours that I will spend watching, posting, driving to the Phone Booth won't be in vain.

Beal, Seraphin, Vesely, Wall, when (if?) he recovers. There will be some good young players to watch. There will be some tough, defensive players up front. Don't get your hopes up, but it's not as if there's no interesting story lines and no chance for any positive developments. A different GM with a different approach might really be able to build on what's currently in place.

[dangermouse]

Singo impressed me the most. Some nice dribble moves to the basket and stuff of that nature. I think he could turn out to be a real well-rounded player.

Oh, and Seraphin looks even beastier. And I can't believe Beal is an 18 year old rookie. He's so solid, i mean physically and his game, both.

[REDardWIZskin]

"One of the players potentially in line to replace the injured Wall. guard A.J. Price, turned in a solid if not at times impressive performance playing largely with those expected to start at Cleveland on opening night."
From CSN washington

[fugop]

The closest thing to e Vesely highlight was an out of control drive along the baseline.

[W. Unseld]

long sufferin'--if you can appreciate good defense, I think you will appreciate this Wizards squad (hmm, mabye the Mayans were on to something); OTOH I foresee a lot of tough effort games where the better offensive team pulls away in the end and given that our offense is apparently now predicated on our bigs consistently making 15 footers, I've managed to depress myself while trying to cheer you up. Anywho, things to look forward to:

1. Beal--you have to be kind of excited to see this guy develop
2. Seraphin--I LOVED watching that hook shot go in from EITHER hand--I can't remember the last time in the past ten years a player for any team could do that
3. Velsey--what if he has a jump shot?? Even if he doesn't, he will provide the type of non-basketball off court entertainment that Wiz fans have been accustomed to in lieu of actual wins
4. Wall--make or break year

[nate33]

The closest thing to e Vesely highlight was an out of control drive along the baseline.

True. I take solace in the fact that Vesely was invisible during the last training camp as well. He just isn't the kind of player that stands out in a practice setting. His impact is more subtle. It's like what Nick Collison once blogged: "nobody is going to put together a youtube mix of me blowing up 5 pick and rolls in a row".

[dandridge 10]

open practice this evening for season ticket holders.
was anyone able to go and get some observations ?

I went last night, although I was about a 1/2 hour late. Some observations:

1. Beal looks in great shape. Didn't do anything spectacular during the scrimmage, but his handle looked good and he had a couple of nice steals. His shot did not fall though (not that he took many).
2. Our defense is going to be good. I liked the intensity from everyone on the court and the way they communicated. It is going to be tough to score on us.
3. There were a lot of clangs and bricks thrown up on offense. Couldn't tell if it was because the defense was that good, or we were that bad on offense. I think it was a little of both.
3. A liked our big men...Okafor, Booker and Seraphin really stood out to me. Booker showed a pretty good outside shot. Okafor also had a nice touch from 10-15 feet. Seraphin's baby hook is sweet.
4. Unfortunately, Crawford looked like the same player as last year. Took a lot of bad shots during scrimmage. Made a few, but missed more. I would have liked to see the coaches say something to him after a bad shot, but did not see any communication.
5. A.J. Price looked really good. Much better than Mack or Pargo in running the offense. Had a couple of nice assists and hit his only 3 pointer. I dont think he will be anything special, but I do think he will get us in our sets much better than Mack or Pargo while Wall is out.
6. I also like Martell Webster. Played tough D and made a couple of nice mid-range shots.
7. Ariza looked alright. Good on the defensive end, but not so good on the offensive end. Bricked one shot.
8. Nene and Wall were there, but were limited to stretching and kettleball work. They did shoot free throws at the end.
9. Vesely kind of disappeared out there. For some reason, he did not get much run during the scrimmage portion.
10. They had a chalk talk session afterwards with the new players. We got a lot of really good personalities on this team and they genuinely seem to like each other. Martell Webster was very, very funny...he will definitely be the team jokester. Ariza hazed Beal a little and made him tie his shoe. I think this team will be much more professional and hardworking than last years team, but it also looks like they know how to have fun too.

[dobrojim]

I also went to the practice last night and would agree 100% with BobbyD's take on it.

Lots of defensive intensity, lots of clanged shots, esp Craw.

I really liked Martell Webster and got to meet him after the 'chalk talk'.
He was really personable and said he feels better than he has in years.

AJ Price look decent; Beal was not hitting but looked decent in other aspects.
Seraphin is a beast. Okafor will be solid (or better) I think. Not sure why but Brian Cook
is in camp. I think Randolph would have a better chance of making the team.
That said, Cook did shoot threes after practice and was dropping them with regularity.
Too bad that's his only NBA skill.

I was quite impressed by Cartier Martin. He played with intensity and hit shots.

Sorry I missed seeing you Bobby D.

[dobrojim]

maybe this should be a different thread but I just went to the Wiz schedule at Wiz.com
and noticed that NONE of the pre-season games are currently listed as being broadcast on TV.

[truwizfan4evr]

Who will start for us vs the Bobcats.

[Wes_Tiny_Abe_]

I haven't paid attention to training camp since the 1996-1997 season.