Otto Porter

[Dat2U]

Alex Len is now in the starting lineup and balling meanwhile Otto gets a CD-DNP under Witt's new rotation. One team had a long term plan in place to develop their high lottery pick meanwhile we dump Otto out of the rotation for Martell Webster.

Wall is helluva player and we got some nice vets but it's appearing that we really screwed the pooch with our draft picks outside of Wall & Beal.

I wouldn't write Otto's obit just yet, nor do I think it's fair to say that his DNP means anything permanent.

Webster has been absolutely putrid since his return. I think the team wants to get him into a rhythm and help him work the rust off -- most likely because they want him ready to help come playoff time, but possibly in an effort to shine him up in an effort to deal him.

Otto's having a good year and I think he'll be fine.

I'm about ready to write Otto's obit here in DC. It's clear we have bigger priorities. Some teams can focus on winning & developing talent at the same time, it appears we can only focus on one thing. Meanwhile Tony Snell has over 1,500 minutes for the Bulls.

[Ruzious]

As Webster's been putrid, and Butler is clearly declining - it's puzzling why Otto isn't getting playing time. It's fine that Wittman has made good use of aging veterans, but at some point - the over-the-hill guys will fail, and Otto needs to get more PT. Come playoff time, I think it's a bad idea to be depending on Butler and Webster combining for 25 minutes a game. Otto isn't just for the future. Yes, he needs to make more 3's, but how is he going to get into a rhythm when he plays so sparingly.

[stevemcqueen1]

Webster looks pretty bad out there. There really is no reason to play him over Porter. Having him play his way back into shape isn't worth burying Porter.

[closg00]

Alex Len is now in the starting lineup and balling meanwhile Otto gets a CD-DNP under Witt's new rotation. One team had a long term plan in place to develop their high lottery pick meanwhile we dump Otto out of the rotation for Martell Webster.

Wall is helluva player and we got some nice vets but it's appearing that we really screwed the pooch with our draft picks outside of Wall & Beal.

Porter is the only lottery pick not in his teams rotation. Grunfelded

[keynote]

I wouldn't write Otto's obit just yet, nor do I think it's fair to say that his DNP means anything permanent.

Webster has been absolutely putrid since his return. I think the team wants to get him into a rhythm and help him work the rust off -- most likely because they want him ready to help come playoff time, but possibly in an effort to shine him up in an effort to deal him.

I don't like Porter getting a DNP, but I'd also note that this change in the rotation came in response to our bench unit's struggles on offense. The second unit really needed an injection of aggressiveness. Porter is a better overall player than Webster right now, but Webster is definitely less reticent about pulling the trigger. That being said, I also think this DNP is Wittman's way of pushing Porter to become more aggressive in his own right. If memory serves, the last time Wittman gave Porter a DNP or two, Porter responded by being more aggressive about taking shots in subsequent games (I'd have to go back and look at the box scores to be certain). At this point, Porter needs to be reminded of that lesson on a consistent basis until it clicks.

[TGW]

Quickly looking like another failed Grunfail pick.

I personally don't hate Porter, but he wasn't worth the #3 pick. We already had several small forwards under contract, and no young bigs worth a damn on the roster. Noel and Len were both there (and both were my preferred picks).

As of now, Wall is only legtimately good player on this team. Gortat is an above average center getting paid elite money. Beal is disappointing. Pierce is average and declining. Nene is declining. The roster lacks any upside at all.

[stevemcqueen1]

As Webster's been putrid, and Butler is clearly declining - it's puzzling why Otto isn't getting playing time. It's fine that Wittman has made good use of aging veterans, but at some point - the over-the-hill guys will fail, and Otto needs to get more PT. Come playoff time, I think it's a bad idea to be depending on Butler and Webster combining for 25 minutes a game. Otto isn't just for the future. Yes, he needs to make more 3's, but how is he going to get into a rhythm when he plays so sparingly.

I think it's short-sighted and the wrong move ultimately, but the reason Rasual Butler is playing is because he's second in the league in 3P %. He'd be in the rotation for any team because of that. He's taking the minutes that would go to Otto otherwise because they play the same position, Butler isn't really a credible 2, Otto doesn't have a confident 3 ball, and the second unit needs a 3 point shooter.

[Ruzious]

I wouldn't write Otto's obit just yet, nor do I think it's fair to say that his DNP means anything permanent.

Webster has been absolutely putrid since his return. I think the team wants to get him into a rhythm and help him work the rust off -- most likely because they want him ready to help come playoff time, but possibly in an effort to shine him up in an effort to deal him.

I don't like Porter getting a DNP, but I'd also note that this change in the rotation came in response to our bench unit's struggles on offense. The second unit really needed an injection of aggressiveness. Porter is a better overall player than Webster right now, but Webster is definitely less reticent about pulling the trigger. That being said, I also think this DNP is Wittman's way of pushing Porter to become more aggressive in his own right. If memory serves, the last time Wittman gave Porter a DNP or two, Porter responded by being more aggressive about taking shots in subsequent games (I'd have to go back and look at the box scores to be certain). At this point, Porter needs to be reminded of that lesson on a consistent basis until it clicks.

I wouldn't have disagreed with this, but looking at the +/- numbers on 82games.com, the Wiz are 3.7 points per 100 possessions better offensively with Otto on the court and 9.7 points worse defensively. I think the defense part is largely because of who he's playing with - most of the Wiz reserves are MUCH poorer defensively than the starters. Really, there's no good reason Otto shouldn't get significant PT, imo.

[Ruzious]

As Webster's been putrid, and Butler is clearly declining - it's puzzling why Otto isn't getting playing time. It's fine that Wittman has made good use of aging veterans, but at some point - the over-the-hill guys will fail, and Otto needs to get more PT. Come playoff time, I think it's a bad idea to be depending on Butler and Webster combining for 25 minutes a game. Otto isn't just for the future. Yes, he needs to make more 3's, but how is he going to get into a rhythm when he plays so sparingly.

I think it's short-sighted and the wrong move ultimately, but the reason Rasual Butler is playing is because he's second in the league in 3P %. He'd be in the rotation for any team because of that. He's taking the minutes that would go to Otto otherwise because they play the same position, Butler isn't really a credible 2, Otto doesn't have a confident 3 ball, and the second unit needs a 3 point shooter.

Ras is the only backup 2 on the team - Webster's way too slow at this point and Temple is Temple, so I don't have any problem with him getting all the backup 2 minutes. It's mainly Webster's minutes that should go to Otto.

[FAH1223]

Quickly looking like another failed Grunfail pick.

I personally don't hate Porter, but he wasn't worth the #3 pick. We already had several small forwards under contract, and no young bigs worth a damn on the roster. Noel and Len were both there (and both were my preferred picks).

As of now, Wall is only legtimately good player on this team. Gortat is an above average center getting paid elite money. Beal is disappointing. Pierce is average and declining. Nene is declining. The roster lacks any upside at all.

Otto needs to play with the starters

He can't develop if Wittman benches him because of his youth.

I did want Noel though and he's playing well. Len is coming on strong too. It would be so nice to have a young big on this roster.

[jangles86]

All these people come out now and say they wanted Nerlens Noel but at the time of the draft noone was willing to stick their neck out and say it.

[stevemcqueen1]

I wouldn't write Otto's obit just yet, nor do I think it's fair to say that his DNP means anything permanent.

Webster has been absolutely putrid since his return. I think the team wants to get him into a rhythm and help him work the rust off -- most likely because they want him ready to help come playoff time, but possibly in an effort to shine him up in an effort to deal him.

Otto's having a good year and I think he'll be fine.

I think you're right. I think DNPing Porter is entirely about trying to get Webster's game legs back under him. A shooter like him needs to play to thrive.

But rehabilitating Webster shouldn't come at Porter's expense IMO. The coaching staff is making a mistake in burying Porter.

[fishercob]

Guys, you're not going to get any argument from me that Otto should be playing more. He's playing well and he has really nice upside.

The Wizards have a "problem" in that they have four** players on their roster whose natural position is SF, and one whose natural position is SG (Beal).

The 4 SF's are Pierce (who starts), Butler, Otto and Webster. Butler came on out of nowhere to create this problem a bit. He should be taking Webster's minutes right now, but he seems to be alternating taking MW's and Otto's. Again, I think that has something to do with them trying to help Martell shake the rust off.

Good news = more butts than seats when it comes to viable rotation players. Bad news = roster imbalance.

Before yesterday's game, someone (Adams McGinnis? ) asked Randy about why the WIz are taking so few 3's when they shoot them so well. Peep the 5:25 min mark or so:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIE-sznaZ6M[/youtube]

His basic answer is that only our point guard and wing shoot 3's, so we don't shoot as many as other teams who shoot them from more spots on the floor. Well, that was basically the case last year as well and we're shooting 5 fewer 3's a game this year. On top of that, someone may want to let Randy know that Pierce is now shooting 39.4% from deep. Moving a chunk of Pierce's minutes to the PF spot makes perfect sense and would allow Otto to get the time he (a) deserves and (b) needs to develop and be ready for the playoffs.

Gortat looks tired. Nene's minutes clearly have to be limited. So get Pierce playing the 4 and we'll have a bit less of a minutes crunch.

The other thing we need is to just replace Butler or Webster -- SF's who can get away with a bit of SG -- with someone who can defend the 2 more naturally. Whether that's swingmen who are more natural two's (Gerald Henderson) or a combo G like Corey Joseph, that would help the overall problem as well.

Free Otto!

[Ruzious]

Exactly Fish. Play Pierce at the 4 - 15 minutes a game or so. That solves a lot of issues.

[tontoz]

This logjam at the wing goes back to resigning Webster in the first place. We already had Ariza and had just drafted Porter. We badly needed help at backup pg and inside but we spend the whole MLE on Webster.

Here we are two years later and we still need help inside and at backup pg.

[stevemcqueen1]

As Webster's been putrid, and Butler is clearly declining - it's puzzling why Otto isn't getting playing time. It's fine that Wittman has made good use of aging veterans, but at some point - the over-the-hill guys will fail, and Otto needs to get more PT. Come playoff time, I think it's a bad idea to be depending on Butler and Webster combining for 25 minutes a game. Otto isn't just for the future. Yes, he needs to make more 3's, but how is he going to get into a rhythm when he plays so sparingly.

I think it's short-sighted and the wrong move ultimately, but the reason Rasual Butler is playing is because he's second in the league in 3P %. He'd be in the rotation for any team because of that. He's taking the minutes that would go to Otto otherwise because they play the same position, Butler isn't really a credible 2, Otto doesn't have a confident 3 ball, and the second unit needs a 3 point shooter.

Ras is the only backup 2 on the team - Webster's way too slow at this point and Temple is Temple, so I don't have any problem with him getting all the backup 2 minutes. It's mainly Webster's minutes that should go to Otto.

I'd say Butler has actually been playing SF more because they've had Beal play with the second line recently and Otto guard the opposing 2 when he's been in. Butler isn't a real back up 2, neither are Webster and Porter. The team has four rotation-worthy SFs and one SG and Randy does not like going small. The logical move is to trade Butler and replace him with a credible back up SG but I think the team is too afraid to lose his 3 ball right now. Plus it takes two to trade.

[miller31time]

Exactly Fish. Play Pierce at the 4 - 15 minutes a game or so. That solves a lot of issues.

The problem then becomes, who do you kick out of the rotation (or lessen their minutes)? If we put Pierce at the 4 for 15 minutes a game, that's 15 less minutes for Humphries and/or Seraphin. Nene and Gortat can't get any less minutes as they're already playing so few as it is.

No way Randy is giving Seraphin less minutes seeing as how he is the #1 fan of the Kevin Bandwagon. And Humphries shouldn't be bumped down. He's getting the proper amount of minutes per game currently (21).

I don't think there's a right answer to this dilemma other than wait and see who starts to play really poorly and take them out of the rotation accordingly. That seems to be the only thing a team with too much depth can do.

[keynote]

I wouldn't write Otto's obit just yet, nor do I think it's fair to say that his DNP means anything permanent.

Webster has been absolutely putrid since his return. I think the team wants to get him into a rhythm and help him work the rust off -- most likely because they want him ready to help come playoff time, but possibly in an effort to shine him up in an effort to deal him.

I don't like Porter getting a DNP, but I'd also note that this change in the rotation came in response to our bench unit's struggles on offense. The second unit really needed an injection of aggressiveness. Porter is a better overall player than Webster right now, but Webster is definitely less reticent about pulling the trigger. That being said, I also think this DNP is Wittman's way of pushing Porter to become more aggressive in his own right. If memory serves, the last time Wittman gave Porter a DNP or two, Porter responded by being more aggressive about taking shots in subsequent games (I'd have to go back and look at the box scores to be certain). At this point, Porter needs to be reminded of that lesson on a consistent basis until it clicks.

I wouldn't have disagreed with this, but looking at the +/- numbers on 82games.com, the Wiz are 3.7 points per 100 possessions better offensively with Otto on the court and 9.7 points worse defensively. I think the defense part is largely because of who he's playing with - most of the Wiz reserves are MUCH poorer defensively than the starters. Really, there's no good reason Otto shouldn't get significant PT, imo.

That all makes sense, seeing as Porter is a solid bench player. I'm not surprised that the stats bear that out. And, I don't doubt that Porter's had an overall positive impact on the bench unit's offense over the course of the season. But in the past few games -- while Butler has cooled off, Temple has regressed his way out of the rotation, and Miller hasn't been quite as effective -- the bench unit has gone through long arid stretches. Now, ideally, Wittman should be able to adjust by calling offensive plays for Porter, but I dunno if Porter is ready to shoulder that burden on a nightly basis. Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if Wittman *had* tried to run plays for Porter, only for Porter to pass up opportunities that Butler or Webster would have attempted to exploit.

Now, Webster hasn't been the answer, either. He's been beyond rusty since he came back. But at least Wittman can use him as an object lesson for how aggressive Porter needs to be coming off a curl, or squaring up in the corner, or whatever.

Either way, I don't expect Porter to be out of the rotation for much longer.

[stevemcqueen1]

Exactly Fish. Play Pierce at the 4 - 15 minutes a game or so. That solves a lot of issues.

The problem then becomes, who do you kick out of the rotation (or lessen their minutes)? If we put Pierce at the 4 for 15 minutes a game, that's 15 less minutes for Humphries and/or Seraphin. Nene and Gortat can't get any less minutes as they're already playing so few as it is.

No way Randy is giving Seraphin less minutes seeing as how he is the #1 fan of the Kevin Bandwagon. And Humphries shouldn't be bumped down. He's getting the proper amount of minutes per game currently (21).

I don't think there's a right answer to this dilemma other than wait and see who starts to play really poorly and take them out of the rotation accordingly. That seems to be the only thing a team with too much depth can do.

Or make a trade or wait to see who gets hurt. Everyone on our roster is healthy at this current moment. That's not going to last. Also, I think we should take a gamble and try and sell high on Rasual Butler. He probably wouldn't net a lot of return, but his numbers and contract are such that other teams would be interested in him. Trading Porter should be out of the question right now, we'll never get an offer back that'd make it worth it. Butler would be far easier to move than Webster.

I'm pretty confident we're getting the last good basketball out of Butler and I don't have a lot of confidence in him sustaining his play through the postseason this year. I'd make a move before the AS break and give the team time to adjust to new rotation pieces and then cross my fingers that none of my SFs get hurt.

Blair should be on the table too.

[fishercob]

Exactly Fish. Play Pierce at the 4 - 15 minutes a game or so. That solves a lot of issues.

The problem then becomes, who do you kick out of the rotation (or lessen their minutes)? If we put Pierce at the 4 for 15 minutes a game, that's 15 less minutes for Humphries and/or Seraphin. Nene and Gortat can't get any less minutes as they're already playing so few as it is.

No way Randy is giving Seraphin less minutes seeing as how he is the #1 fan of the Kevin Bandwagon. And Humphries shouldn't be bumped down. He's getting the proper amount of minutes per game currently (21).

I don't think there's a right answer to this dilemma other than wait and see who starts to play really poorly and take them out of the rotation accordingly. That seems to be the only thing a team with too much depth can do.

Perhaps Nene and Pierce should alternate sitting out on some B2B's. Six of the Wizards next 9 games are of the B2B variety.

Randy should also plan on going smaller against teams that kill us in our two-big alignment, namely Toronto and Atlanta, whom we both play in the next month.

That will create opportunity for PP at the 4.