WAS at DET Preseason Game Thread

[hands11]

That was the play Randy came up with?

Who else was going to shoot it? It had to be Rice with that group on the floor. I'm not sure he ran the play right, which is why I don't think he'll playing much this season. Maybe a few minutes here and there unless somebody gets hurt.

Wasn't actually a half bad attempt by Rice in the end. Unless Rice steals most of the back-up minutes at the 2, I don't foresee him playing much this year either. There's almost no minutes available at the 3 for now, at least until Ariza is traded.

Nene and Trevor A for Dirk

Asik ?

[nuposse04]

I don't think I've ever seen a team that black/white between halfs Starters/bench sucked in the first half. Starters/bench were good in the 2nd half. There must be something in the air that causes Wall to play crappy against them. It's like he's allergic to bankrupt piece of crap cities :/ He needs to show up for every game. Or at least 85% of em this season.

one thing though.... WTF AT THE FT SHOOTING IN THE FIRST HALF?!?!?! DO THESE MOFOS EVEN PRACTICE FTS??? JAN **** VESELY HAD MORE FT MAKES AND A BETTER % THEN BOTH WALL AND BEAL............ O___o WTF


Beal was nice once again, had some careless things here and there but he's a keeper, through and through.

Nene did his job offensively, kinda got abused here and there defensively but otherwise was fine.

Wall didn't shoot terribly, but he just wasn't aggressive or looking to do as much against them....Either he was actually saving his arsenal for opening night...or he just didn't give a ****.

Ariza, 2/9...I swear this lanky douche has made a castle and a half this pre season. I can forgive that offensively since he's not an elite shooter, but when you play questionable D for an entire half, not a winning recipe. Porter needs to get healthy asap, at least he can do things now that Ariza can't.

Webster needs to get in the starting lineup, he just has such better spacing there. Maynor is a **** head so he's not getting normal looks me thinks.

Temple and GR JR played decent once again, especially defensively. I'd like to see GR JR be a bit more aggressive offensively, I'd rather he ISO than Maynor.

Seraphin and Jan....a tale of two halfs. They were seriously sucky in the first half...but actually looked rotation players for once in the 2nd half. I realize some of that was DET's effort, but the 2nd unit came in by the time Cheeks got his team's attention, so kudos to them for taking it to DET's starters and Bench. Now I want to see it again. Preferably tomorrow.

I don't care so much if the team loses, I care about the quality of play from our starters and if there is ANYTHING to build off of from Seraphin/Jan. I blame some of these struggles on Randy as well. He shouldn't need halftime to light a fire under his team's ass. That and this bastardization of the starting lineup doesn't seem to be working.

I'd like to see Wall, Beal, Webster, Jan and Nene on the floor together. With Temple, GR JR, Ariza, Booker, and Seraphin in the 2nd unit.

Maynor just sucks way too much cock right now.

[dandridge 10]

I know its only preseason and I really don't care about their 1-5 record, but there are serious red flags with this team that can't be ignored.

Seraphin and Vesely looked good in the second half when it was basically a blowout and Pistons were coasting, but they sucked a^^ in the first half when the Pistons were trying. I've seen Seraphin play well too many times before when it was garbage time to believe he is going to be able to sustain that play when it counts. He still can't handle double teams, still is crap on the boards, and most often lost on the court. Vesely hit some free throws (finally) and played ok defense. However, half the d leaguers out there can do the same. So far, this preseason has done nothing more than to confirm what I have believed all along...our frontcourt, without Oakafor, is really going to struggle this year. I think the only hope is that Harrington can return to form from a few years ago, because the trio of Booker, Seraphin and Vesely are really nothing more than energy players that probably would not get off the bench on 85% of the teams in the NBA.

The other red flag is Wall's jump shot. So far this preseason, I have not seen any marked improvement. Moreover, he continues to struggle with dumb turnovers. He really has to stop picking up his dribble in the halfcourt offense, because it usually results in him forcing a pass and turning it over.

To me, the only bright spot this preseason has been Beal. Aside from him, everyone else that played on the Wiz last year seems to be about the same or worse. As for the new players, Rice looks like he has some promise, but I am not expecting much of a contribution from him. Maynor looks worst than Price. Harrington has looked pretty decent thus far, but is coming off a major injury and Otto can't seem to get on the court. So far, I have not seen anything to make me believe that this is a playoff team, particularly if Oakafor misses significant time.

[long suffrin' boulez fan]

I agree. Not a playoff team

[dandridge 10]

Moreover, I agree with others that say Webster needs to start. This team just can't afford to get behind at the start because it is unlikely that the second unit is going to make up any ground when they get in. I'd rather have another shooter in the starting line-up to get off to a good start, and just hope that the second unit can lock down enough where they can stay even until the starters can be reinserted.

Moreover, its not like Webster is a scorer that is going to produce points on his own in the second unit. He is a shooter, not a scorer. He aint going to produce unless he gets open looks and that is not going to happen in the offensively handicapped second unit. I agree with the BulletForever post that Wittman is overthinking this issue. Go with what worked last year...and that is the trio of Wall, Beal and Webster.

Personally, I would go with Wall, Beal, Webster, Booker and Nene as the starting unit and go with Maynor, Temple, Ariza, Harrington, and Seraphin in the second unit. Fit in Vesely when you can.

[DANNYLANDOVER]

I know its only preseason and I really don't care about their 1-5 record, but there are serious red flags with this team that can't be ignored.

Seraphin and Vesely looked good in the second half when it was basically a blowout and Pistons were coasting, but they sucked a^^ in the first half when the Pistons were trying. I've seen Seraphin play well too many times before when it was garbage time to believe he is going to be able to sustain that play when it counts. He still can't handle double teams, still is crap on the boards, and most often lost on the court. Vesely hit some free throws (finally) and played ok defense. However, half the d leaguers out there can do the same. So far, this preseason has done nothing more than to confirm what I have believed all along...our frontcourt, without Oakafor, is really going to struggle this year. I think the only hope is that Harrington can return to form from a few years ago, because the trio of Booker, Seraphin and Vesely are really nothing more than energy players that probably would not get off the bench on 85% of the teams in the NBA.

The other red flag is Wall's jump shot. So far this preseason, I have not seen any marked improvement. Moreover, he continues to struggle with dumb turnovers. He really has to stop picking up his dribble in the halfcourt offense, because it usually results in him forcing a pass and turning it over.

To me, the only bright spot this preseason has been Beal. Aside from him, everyone else that played on the Wiz last year seems to be about the same or worse. As for the new players, Rice looks like he has some promise, but I am not expecting much of a contribution from him. Maynor looks worst than Price. Harrington has looked pretty decent thus far, but is coming off a major injury and Otto can't seem to get on the court. So far, I have not seen anything to make me believe that this is a playoff team, particularly if Oakafor misses significant time.

I agree with your analysis. The thing that I would hate to see, is ending up like the Raptors/Bucks, i.e. not good enough to make the playoffs/be competitive in it and not good enough to get a high lotto pick. All I can say is that if we miss the playoffs and EG is resigned, I will quit rooting for this team.

[dandridge 10]

I am afraid that is the path we are going to take, unless EG can pull a bunny out of his hat and trade Ariza + other pieces/draft picks for a quality frontcourt player. I am not counting on that happening though, at least without him giving up too much.

[GhostsOfGil]

I'm going to continue to follow Beal's second half production. All preseason and much of last season he started off hot then cooled off. Is it fatigue? Looks like he is much less aggressive after the first quarter.

[popper]

I hate to say it but maybe we need to tank this year. Fire EG immediately and see if the new GM can make something happen to strengthen the team before the trade deadline. If not, full tank mode. I cannot understand why EG just didn't sign Nate Robinson and JJ Hickson in the off season. We would be a very solid team with those two additions.

[rockymac52]

Tanking is impossible at this point. We're not trading away Wall or Beal. Unless one of them gets hurt and we pretend to be super cautious with their return, the fact that we have both of them on the court for most of the game will ensure that we win a decent amount of games. Maybe not enough to make the playoffs, but no matter how hard we try to orchestrate a tank, I find it very hard to believe we're going to be worse than the Jazz, 76ers, Bobcats, Magic, Suns, Kings, or (probably) Celtics. That means our best (worst?) case scenario would leave us as the 8th worst team, which probably won't result in a top 3 pick (again). Is the 8th pick better than the 12th pick? Of course. But it's not THAT much better, and it's not worth tanking for.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I am afraid that is the path we are going to take, unless EG can pull a bunny out of his hat and trade Ariza + other pieces/draft picks for a quality frontcourt player. I am not counting on that happening though, at least without him giving up too much.

It wouldn't surprise me if the Wizards did something like trading Ariza, Okafor, Singleton and a pick for Zach Randolph and Tayshaun Prince.

http://basketball.realgm.com/tradecheck ... de/6342322

Randolph and Prince are 33 and 32, both on the way down. Wizards would be giving up cap space. Grizzlies want to move forward with Ed Davis.

Knowing how EG rolls, the Wizards would add a first round pick to the Grizzlies.

Prince and Randolph would give the Wizards a quick fix playoff first round exit. EG would re-up and fans would be appeased for the time being.

[tontoz]

That alley oop from Seraphin was the first glimpse of this new athleticism he was supposed to bring to the table after getting in shape all summer.

Man, I admit it: I swallowed that preseason kool-aid hook, line, and sinker. Other than that oop, Seraphin doesn't look any quicker or any springier than he did last year.

Seraphin was in good shape last year. He may be in better shape now which will help him if he plays big minutes, but conditioning wasn't his problem last year. His problem was poor decision making on offense.

He was good on D last year and i expect more of the same this year. I think people are giving Okafor too much credit for the Wizards defense. I expect them to be a good defensive team without Okafor assuming they don't get hit with more injuries.

KS needs to face up more often when he posts up. That way the defender can't put his hand on him and he can see double teams coming.

[tontoz]

Watching Siva is really pissing me off.

Watching everybody's backup point this preseason really pissed me off.

Bynum would look good in a Wizards jersey. He was a free agent this summer.

[rockymac52]

I am afraid that is the path we are going to take, unless EG can pull a bunny out of his hat and trade Ariza + other pieces/draft picks for a quality frontcourt player. I am not counting on that happening though, at least without him giving up too much.

It wouldn't surprise me if the Wizards did something like trading Ariza, Okafor, Singleton and a pick for Zach Randolph and Tayshaun Prince.

http://basketball.realgm.com/tradecheck ... de/6342322

Randolph and Prince are 33 and 32, both on the way down. Wizards would be giving up cap space. Grizzlies want to move forward with Ed Davis.

Knowing how EG rolls, the Wizards would add a first round pick to the Grizzlies.

Prince and Randolph would give the Wizards a quick fix playoff first round exit. EG would re-up and fans would be appeased for the time being.

Wow, great post, CCJ. That honestly looks like a very realistic EG Wizards trade. Maybe we wouldn't include the draft pick, since Ted seems to put a premium on keeping our future draft picks, but it's still a classic Wizards trade in the making.

[nuposse04]

I am afraid that is the path we are going to take, unless EG can pull a bunny out of his hat and trade Ariza + other pieces/draft picks for a quality frontcourt player. I am not counting on that happening though, at least without him giving up too much.

It wouldn't surprise me if the Wizards did something like trading Ariza, Okafor, Singleton and a pick for Zach Randolph and Tayshaun Prince.

http://basketball.realgm.com/tradecheck ... de/6342322

Randolph and Prince are 33 and 32, both on the way down. Wizards would be giving up cap space. Grizzlies want to move forward with Ed Davis.

Knowing how EG rolls, the Wizards would add a first round pick to the Grizzlies.

Prince and Randolph would give the Wizards a quick fix playoff first round exit. EG would re-up and fans would be appeased for the time being.

Wow, great post, CCJ. That honestly looks like a very realistic EG Wizards trade. Maybe we wouldn't include the draft pick, since Ted seems to put a premium on keeping our future draft picks, but it's still a classic Wizards trade in the making.

That is frightening. Similar stuff to that has gotten tossed around on the trade board, and most people are aware that we get hosed in such a scenario. My only hope Ted really is about championships, and realizes that such a trade will never lead to one. Unfortunately I'm sure EG has some compromising Polaroids of Ted so Ted might not be the one calling the shots.

[jivelikenice]

I think w/o knowing what Otto can provide, we're a 35 win team. We're the same team as last year, with the only real difference being better healthy and continued maturation from Wall/Beal, and the addition or Al Harrington to the bench. If GR3 steps up, that could = a couple extra wins but until I see how Wittman uses him I won't count on it. The problem is we're going to be a pretty good home team, but we're going to continue to suck on the road. Why? Because we can't score. Having Ariza in the starting lineup throwing up bricks is going to dig us soo many holes early in games. And I see what they're trying to do w/ Webster on the 2nd team,but since he can't create his own shot that idea doesn't work either. Signing a Nate Robinson would have addressed this issue. Ernie is going to have to make a move. That's why I like the idea of pursuing Faried. He'll add energy/ toughness/ and will get our inept road offense additional possessions.

[rockymac52]

I think w/o knowing what Otto can provide, we're a 35 win team. We're the same team as last year, with the only real difference being better healthy and continued maturation from Wall/Beal, and the addition or Al Harrington to the bench. If GR3 steps up, that could = a couple extra wins but until I see how Wittman uses him I won't count on it. The problem is we're going to be a pretty good home team, but we're going to continue to suck on the road. Why? Because we can't score. Having Ariza in the starting lineup throwing up bricks is going to dig us soo many holes early in games. And I see what they're trying to do w/ Webster on the 2nd team,but since he can't create his own shot that idea doesn't work either. Signing a Nate Robinson would have addressed this issue. Ernie is going to have to make a move. That's why I like the idea of pursuing Faried. He'll add energy/ toughness/ and will get our inept road offense additional possessions.

Agreed, for the most part. Otto is a huge question mark at the moment, so I'm not expecting anything more than average play from him this season, at least until I have a reason to believe otherwise.

I think we might be a .500 team, but with no Okafor, we'll probably take a hit. And in the 10 games or so, if not more, that Nene misses from injuries/rest, we're going to get clobbered. So that makes 35 wins a pretty reasonable estimate.

[Knighthonor]

Kevin show improvement. 11 rebounds 14 pts in 26 minutes.

Wall had zero assists. How is that possible ?

Beal was playing Point Guard a lot in this game

[Knighthonor]

I think w/o knowing what Otto can provide, we're a 35 win team. We're the same team as last year, with the only real difference being better healthy and continued maturation from Wall/Beal, and the addition or Al Harrington to the bench. If GR3 steps up, that could = a couple extra wins but until I see how Wittman uses him I won't count on it. The problem is we're going to be a pretty good home team, but we're going to continue to suck on the road. Why? Because we can't score. Having Ariza in the starting lineup throwing up bricks is going to dig us soo many holes early in games. And I see what they're trying to do w/ Webster on the 2nd team,but since he can't create his own shot that idea doesn't work either. Signing a Nate Robinson would have addressed this issue. Ernie is going to have to make a move. That's why I like the idea of pursuing Faried. He'll add energy/ toughness/ and will get our inept road offense additional possessions.

Again I ask, why you Wizards fans with this view are afraid of tanking?

The staff can mix things up and experiment when there is a tank in mind.

[rockymac52]

I think w/o knowing what Otto can provide, we're a 35 win team. We're the same team as last year, with the only real difference being better healthy and continued maturation from Wall/Beal, and the addition or Al Harrington to the bench. If GR3 steps up, that could = a couple extra wins but until I see how Wittman uses him I won't count on it. The problem is we're going to be a pretty good home team, but we're going to continue to suck on the road. Why? Because we can't score. Having Ariza in the starting lineup throwing up bricks is going to dig us soo many holes early in games. And I see what they're trying to do w/ Webster on the 2nd team,but since he can't create his own shot that idea doesn't work either. Signing a Nate Robinson would have addressed this issue. Ernie is going to have to make a move. That's why I like the idea of pursuing Faried. He'll add energy/ toughness/ and will get our inept road offense additional possessions.

Again I ask, why you Wizards fans with this view are afraid of tanking?

The staff can mix things up and experiment when there is a tank in mind.

I just explained this in another post, but tanking is not possible. How do you propose we tank? Make up an injury for Wall and sit him out the entire season?

You might want to see us have another bottom 10 year so we can get one more high draft pick before we "compete," but it's just not possible.