Do you believe John Wall can win a championship someday?

[TheBomb81]

Does anyone believe that John Wall can one day bring home a championship to Washington?

[The Fax]

With Ernie Grunfeld as GM? Definitely a no. With a competent GM I'd say there's a chance at least.

[Illmatic21]

First off, ^what he said. Not under Grunfeld, that's for sure.

Secondly, I think he could but not as the best player on the team. There would need to be a legit first option next to him who can handle the scoring load. That pretty much goes for any pass-first point guard. Chris Paul is the greatest pg of this generation, but even he needs to play next to an MVP-caliber player (Griffin) to seriously contend for a title.

[FAH1223]

Now with Grunfeld as GM. Not even LeBron James or Tim Duncan could win a championship with that horrid of GM or Wittman on the sidelines with horrible offensive system.

[mohammed10]

With Ernie Grunfeld as GM? Definitely a no. With a competent GM I'd say there's a chance at least.

Agree - cannot think of a championship team built by Ernie...or one even close to a championship since...Milwaukee?

[stevemcqueen1]

Not on his own. But he should always have Beal. Hopefully. I think they can.

Really hoping we don't kill that golden goose.

[MJG]

John Wall can absolutely win a championship some day. I mean, if you think about it, very few players spend their entire career with one organization.

[stevemcqueen1]

John Wall can absolutely win a championship some day. I mean, if you think about it, very few players spend their entire career with one organization.

More will do it since they got rid of the old kind of sign and trades and made the repeater tax. Teams have advantages for keeping their own players now that are significant.

But the only players that the team will want to keep for their whole careers are franchise players like Wall. So you're already working with a small list.

[long suffrin' boulez fan]

Of course... And I desperately hope it's with the Wiz.

But all that will be determined this summer. If EG is re -upped, the window here will have closed.

If Ted gets a competent GM who will have to spend a few years reloading assets after the awful drafting and salary cap management of Grunfeld, then yes, Wall and Beal are two decent pieces to start with.

[pancakes3]

No. I think it will take a lot of things to go right for it to happen (EG or not) and I don't think the odds are even remotely in our favor. There are just too many better individual players to contend with. After Lebron tails off, there's still Durant to deal with. The Houston squad projects to win 1 if not more. Paul George and Hibbert looks to reign the East for at least another 5-6 seasons.

After that there's a slew of all-star talent that are at least comparable to Wall: Lillard/Aldridge, Curry/Iggy/Bogut & co., Love wherever he ends up, Drummond and who he gets surrounded with, Anthony Davis...

But, I do think we'll win a boatload of games and I'm happy with us fielding a perennial 50-win team.

[FAH1223]

With Ernie Grunfeld as GM? Definitely a no. With a competent GM I'd say there's a chance at least.

Agree - cannot think of a championship team built by Ernie...or one even close to a championship since...Milwaukee?

Knicks fired him in 1999 and then went to the Finals a few months later.

[hands11]

Not sure if the question is a pointed as it could be. What are you really asking ? Will Wall get a ring as the best player on the team ? As the core reason they won it all as a max player. Sorry, but I think the answer to that is NO. The CP3, D Rose, Gil, Nash, AI model has yet to yield a title.

I have voiced this for years now. Max'd out PGs are rarely the reason you get rings. I would never pay CP3 what he makes. But I sure as hell would pay a Parker the 12.5M he makes and a max'd out Duncan.

Lots of players have rings because they were primary core pieces like Pippen or support pieces like 100s of players, but it primarily because teams have players like Dirk that the team won it all. Marion and Kidd are core support, then there is the rest of the team. Dirk was the central piece. Even a PG as great as Nash isn't getting a title without a player like prime Dirk on the team. Even one of the greatest combos ever in Mailman and Stockton aren't getting you a ring because a great SG/SF/PG like MJ is better. That type of player will almost always win titles over even great combinations like Mailman and Stockton.

Tons of Lakes have rings like Trevor A, but it was become they had Kobe. Even players as good as Shaq aren't getting you there without Kobe or Wade.

Ton of Miami players have rings, but its because of LeBron. Prime Wade was the type of player you could ride to a ring if you paired him with the right players but he was a SG/SG/PG type. LeBron is SF/PF/PG. Those are the types that rule the league. KD is a SF/SG/PF/PG. Just unstoppable.

So will Wall get a ring, that depends on if the Wizards or other teams he plays for adds a player like the names I listed above. It won't be because he is the best player on the team at PG. A real good PG can help for sure, but a max'd out PG is rarely if ever the core of why they got a title. It was an old Kidd with Marion that helped Dirk win that title, not Nash.

CP3 isn't getting you a ring, its going to be because B Griffin becomes the best player on the team or they add a stud SF. If you could trade P George for CP3, you do that immediately. Adding George can get you in title contention CP3 is less important. Collison is probably a good enough PG. Hell, I would put Nick Calathes at PG and win with Nick Calathes, SG, P George, B Griffin, DeAndre Jordan

To be fair, any of these great players I'm mentioning needs at least one other really good player out their with them. Wade wouldn't have won without Shaq, but it was Wade who was the driving force of that title. Even MJ needed Scottie but MJ was the driving force. It was his team. What they had a center and pg was important, but no the driving force to rings.

Kobe, LeBron, MJ, Tim Duncan, PP/KG, Dirk/Marion, The Dream, Bird, etc. Thats the type of player that wins you titles.

When I look over the league to see who will win it all, I review the entire team. Sure they need a good PG, but that is never enough for me to count them as a title team. I always focus on SG, SF, PF to see do they have a legit stud at those positions. Do they have at least a defensive center. All I really care about at PG is can that player play efficient, drive and score in some way when needed. Not saying I don't value a player like Parker as a core player, I do, but I'm not paying him 18M a year to be that. But I will pay Duncan, KD, LeBron, P George that.

MIA is an interesting example. Center and PG aren't where their stars are.
CHI under MJ was the same. It was MJ and Pippen.

So focusing on PG first as your core player to me is focusing on the wrong position if you want a title. The Wiz Wizards would never win a title with Gil max'd out as the best player. Its just way less likely to yield you a ring compared to the other positions of importance. Only exception to that is Magic Johnson who was a 6-9 PG who could play every other position on the floor.

With the new CBA, I think max'd out PG is going to be an even worse model for a title team. Its to easy to get a really good PG for 13M or less. The team that wins the titles are going to be spending those valued dollars to get their best players at other more important positions where you need a transformative player.

Right now, this is the era of LeBron and KD. Kobe is fading with age. The up and comer to watch is P George. He is next in line to reach that level. Duncan/Parker will make a last run. So will PP/KG. IND is getting close but a George Hill PG only cost you 8M for the next 3 years. P George with a solid supporting cast would be why they win it all. They will go as far at P George takes them.

You want to get in line for a potential stud of the future. Someone that can be that player in maybe 6 years. Go get the Greek Freak.

[hands11]

No. I think it will take a lot of things to go right for it to happen (EG or not) and I don't think the odds are even remotely in our favor. There are just too many better individual players to contend with. After Lebron tails off, there's still Durant to deal with. The Houston squad projects to win 1 if not more. Paul George and Hibbert looks to reign the East for at least another 5-6 seasons.

After that there's a slew of all-star talent that are at least comparable to Wall: Lillard/Aldridge, Curry/Iggy/Bogut & co., Love wherever he ends up, Drummond and who he gets surrounded with, Anthony Davis...

But, I do think we'll win a boatload of games and I'm happy with us fielding a perennial 50-win team.

Right, they can be good, but not a title team. Not without adding a player like KD, LeBron, P George.

Names like Aldridge, Curry, Iggy, Boget don't make the list. Nice support pieces but not reasons you win a title. Nor is Wall or Beal. At best, Beal can be a core support piece like Ray Allen.

You want to win it all in the near term, all you can do is dream that KD comes here. You want to swing for the fence on the next KD type, get the Greek Freak.

[dlts20]

with the right coach/system, yes. That is not Witt and my biggest fear is that we fire Witt but replace him with someone who runs another system that doesnt play to Wall's strengths. You should get a coach that has the perfect system for your franchise guy but I dont trust Ted to do that

[JWizmentality]

[Sonny Carson]

If Kevin Durant comes to DC. Sure

Wall is a #2 on a championship team.

[Wes_Tiny_Abe_]

You guys need to win a playoff series first before you start talking about championships.
Hell, you all have not even won a single playoff game in years.

That is a Bullet's championship trophy in that overpriced rain soaked arena of yours not a Wizard's trophy.

[hands11]

If Kevin Durant comes to DC. Sure

Wall is a #2 on a championship team.

So if Wall is a #2, where does that leave Beal ? 2b ?

Should be interesting to see how much better Beals handles get. As a core title piece, Beal as a Wade type would be more important then Wall. And if he can become that, while that would be awesome, it kind of makes you need Wall less as a max'd out PG.

I don't want to count anything out but so far, I don't see that upside in Beal. Not at that level. It could be there but its not obvious yet. But we will see next year. That's the big year for Beal. Hopefully Beal is still growing. They have him listed at 6-5 now.

This is why I'm not comfortable about the long term design of this team. Its fine for getting back in the game. Wall is a great face to the team, but I never like the best player on my team to be a PG. Just not a title design.

[spaceman_E]

Yes, because I think his upside is higher than even Rose, Westbrook and Paul.

And I think the prototype lineup to do it would look something like Wall/Hayward/Ariza/Bosh/Noah or M Gasol

skilled passers and shooters who can all defend without much gap between your best and 4th best player. That's my vision anyways.

[dobrojim]

depends on a lot of things - one thing being how much better he gets.
Hopefully he's not done improving yet, if we're lucky not by a long shot (metaphorically speaking).