Official Thread -- Wizards vs Blazers (1/18/16)

[long suffrin' boulez fan]

Didn't see the game. I can ignore my family, but not my work for this awful obsession we call Wiz fandom.

Sounds like there was some serious suckitude. Didn't see it coming - not against the Trailblazers.

Our record against the bottom half of the Western conference is Chris Singleton sucky.

For those who watched, what was up with Wall. His line is bad.

[Kanyewest]

The only positive takeaway from the game is that Beal has now looked sharp in three games since his injury. He's letting the game come to him more, which has resulted in fewer turnovers. He's also hitting the 3 at a high (unsustainable) rate. I feel like he's turning down open looks too much though.

Yeah, I wouldn't expect Beal to keep shooting 60% from 3 point range. Perhaps Beal could have shot a few more 3s although I did like the fact that Beal got to the free throw line 6 times and had 5 assists. While I like that Beal has picked up the play as of late, I wish Beal had picked it up earlier in the season. Perhaps Beal is better with fewer minutes and hopefully Wittman has learned not to play Beal 36 minutes per game.

[Kanyewest]

For those who watched, what was up with Wall. His line is bad.

Wall settled for too many mid range jumpers. He didn't really attack the basket; and didn't have a single free throw for the game. It seemed like he had low energy which could have been due to a combination of factors- an early start time or having to guard Damian Lillard. Also, since the Wizards defense wasn't all that great, it made it more difficult for Wall to create transition opportunities. It also seemed like the Wizards were playing 4 on 5 offensively at times when Kelly Oubre was in the game who was held scoreless in 12 minutes; hopefully Oubre can bounce back.

[long suffrin' boulez fan]

For those who watched, what was up with Wall. His line is bad.

Wall settled for too many mid range jumpers. He didn't really attack the basket; and didn't have a single free throw for the game. It seemed like he had low energy which could have been due to a combination of factors- an early start time or having to guard Damian Lillard. Also, since the Wizards defense wasn't all that great, it made it more difficult for Wall to create transition opportunities. It also seemed like the Wizards were playing 4 on 5 offensively at times when Kelly Oubre was in the game who was held scoreless in 12 minutes; hopefully Oubre can bounce back.

Thanks for the rundown.

Gotta be hard to be John... Have to be at your best every night just for your team to have a chance.

I would so love for him to get rewarded for his hard work and loyalty with a KD under his tree.

[TGW]

How can Spurs east lose a game like they did today? It doesn't make sense.


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[pineappleheadindc]

How can Spurs east lose a game like they did today? It doesn't make sense.


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Again, where's MIllie?

[montestewart]

How can Spurs east lose a game like they did today? It doesn't make sense.


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Again, where's MIllie?

Yes, some comic relief would be welcome right now.

[AFM]

that's why I'm here fam

[queridiculo]

Coincidence that the Wizards defense disappeared with Gortat inserted back into the starting lineup?

I see lots of activity when he's in there, just seems like he's always out of position. Whether it's setting picks on offense, or being in the right spot defensively.

Dudley is another guy that's overmatched more often than not.

Also seemed like whatever the Wizards defensive game plan was, it was woefully inadequate and at no point did the Wizards make an adjustment on how they were defending the high pick and roll. The Blazers basically got every shot they wanted. They made it like they're running shooting drills.

Didn't help that Wizards never made a sustained effort at getting into the lane for some easier shots and jacked up jumper after jumper.

Not optimistic for those next three home games (Heat, Jazz, Celtics). Would anybody really be surprised if they dropped at least two of those?

[gambitx777]

Back on the slide we go, Wall just can't carry this team forever by himself. Maybe once we get otto and Beal back healthy but man we need otto back. Wittman is doing nothing to build up this kids confidence.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Portland played rebounders Plumlee, Vonleh, and Davis. They won the rebounds by a lot.

Randy Wittman only plays small lineups, and leaves Blair on the bench.

[Jaekast]

.500 ball is our ceiling for this year. I'm ok with that; let's prepare for the draft.

[krii]

Coincidence that the Wizards defense disappeared with Gortat inserted back into the starting lineup?

I see lots of activity when he's in there, just seems like he's always out of position. Whether it's setting picks on offense, or being in the right spot defensively.

Dudley is another guy that's overmatched more often than not.

Also seemed like whatever the Wizards defensive game plan was, it was woefully inadequate and at no point did the Wizards make an adjustment on how they were defending the high pick and roll. The Blazers basically got every shot they wanted. They made it like they're running shooting drills.

Didn't help that Wizards never made a sustained effort at getting into the lane for some easier shots and jacked up jumper after jumper.

Not optimistic for those next three home games (Heat, Jazz, Celtics). Would anybody really be surprised if they dropped at least two of those?

I don't know, it seems to me like his play is just fine (or more precisely: very consistent, probably the second best player on this team) and most of the opinions on him are exaggerated.

First of all this entire system is full of holes. I appreciate the idea, I thought it would be a great system for Wall, Beal and Otto, whilst Gortat, Nene and couple other players could have added their skills without confidence loss. However, it turns out that Wittman is clueless, the team was possessed by the ghost of the injuries, entire November Gortat together with Wall and a couple of others spent on this spaceship after short meet-up with Nerdlucks ... and all of that was just an interlude to what is happening now.
Wittman is still clueless, Wall and Gortat came back angry enough to play their best basketball in months but the team has more ups and downs than standard ECG output. Even if Temple is a nice guy he is not starting caliber SG, Beal wasn't able to produce anything since he was modelling on the bench because of the injuries, Otto couldn't decide whether he prefers to be Tayshaun Prince from his prime or Tayshaun Prince from 2013/14 and Neal was about to become more hated than Vesely/Singleton/McGee/Seraphin combined together (with their best skills excluded).
But hey! Now it's a different story! Not really. The system was humiliated so Randy Witles... I mean, Randy Wittman had to change a few things. Then Nene and Beal came back and some folks started to believe something changed. 'Remember-remember-the-5th-of-November' - Wittman is poor coach, this team is not filled in a good way, our players are skilled but not in a way to play up-tempo, aggressive-oriented, offensive, unbalanced style that RW wanted them to play. All of sudden some believes that we could be 2nd best team in the East.

This system is not suited for this players. Responsibility isn't spread over Gortat and - let's say - Beal. Wall, Beal, Otto, Gortat and few others can play open-court basketball as they proved in the past. For all the haters here - Marcin played in this Suns team with Nash, I mean it wasn't the same Suns and Nash as in his MVP years but that was good team.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DN3uTbDmnTU[/youtube]
I know you argue it was Nash and Gortat was just finishing - the point is that this Suns team was balanced, they had great 3 point shooters, they had Nash, they had Dudley and Frye. It isn't Marcin who cannot guard/play defense - it is defensive style that use him as modern-PF-like center on defense. It ends up with Gortat not being able to guard perimeter and the rim, he is somewhere in between not focused on either of them. In the past he was able to effectively guard the rim so I assume he did not forgot how to do it? He will never be Whiteside in terms of blocks, nor DMC able to run to every perimeter shot. But he can play defense and is very effective on the offensive end - why not use that in a game scheme? Why it's a system that players have to fit in, not a system that is suitable for this roster?

By the way Nene is (and was throughout his career) more talented and skills-packed than Marcin, he could have been one of the best big guys in this league for years. I'm fine with that, I always liked him. But Nene is 34, he has proven track of inability to play in the NBA team on a constant basis. He is very inconsistent: in one game he can drop 20 on 90% FG with total domination/annihilation on defense followed by very mediocre if not weak performance with average-to-good defense. Of course he is still a great player, however his value is higher if used wisely. It means that you can use his presence with the second unit, he can dominant reserve centers and reserve teams whilst once a time (or for a couple of minutes in a game) support first unit with his style of play.
In the same time Gortat is very consistent, I'm not talking about November as most of the team was in turmoil back then. I love this argument "he is just finishing PnR's'. Yay, just finishing. What a loser. Everybody can finish PnR's, it's easier than throwing a can to the bin. I mean from one meter. Standing. While it's not a bin but rather a garbage dump all around.

If used wisely Nene and Gortat can make a duo of highly efficient centers. The offensive and defensive schemes may differ and could be drawn to fit certain opponent so that in one game Nene would play 20 minutes, most of which with the first unit and in the other 30 minutes, most of them with the second unit. They would use their pack of skills and so on. Will it change the output? Well, if Beal and Otto would play up to their standards and Dudley/Humphries/whoever-plays-on-4 would not be eaten alive by some opposite power forwards, than this team could be a bit higher in the East. They still lack of one-two good players in the roster to be considered good.

[m1chal]

Coincidence that the Wizards defense disappeared with Gortat inserted back into the starting lineup?

You guys gave up 17 out of 31 on 3-pointers. Perimeter defense is where I would start looking for a reason for this loss. This and Wall playing way below his standard.

[m1chal]

For all the haters here - Marcin played in this Suns team with Nash, I mean it wasn't the same Suns and Nash as in his MVP years but that was good team.

Nah, 2010 was the last good and fun to watch Suns team. Before Gortat. Żałuj, że wtedy nie oglądałeś

[krii]

For all the haters here - Marcin played in this Suns team with Nash, I mean it wasn't the same Suns and Nash as in his MVP years but that was good team.

Nah, 2010 was the last good and fun to watch Suns team. Before Gortat. Żałuj, że wtedy nie oglądałeś

Well yeah, true;-) I had this emotional link with Frye, Dudley and some other parts of this team. I actually came back to watch NBA sometime around 2008, when Marcin started his career in Orlando. I had like 7-8 years break, since my old Utah team broke down in 2000/01 ...

ps.
Trochę oglądałem ale nie wszystko ... wtedy troche mniej czasu na NBA miałem

[long suffrin' boulez fan]

So Pine. I'm guessing you were watching yesterday until early in the third quarter, then just so happened to run out to rob a convenience store or something, then came back in the early fourth wondering what happened.

[TGW]

How can Spurs east lose a game like they did today? It doesn't make sense.


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Again, where's MIllie?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_troll

[pineappleheadindc]

So Pine. I'm guessing you were watching yesterday until early in the third quarter, then just so happened to run out to rob a convenience store or something, then came back in the early fourth wondering what happened.

I was at the game at Verizon Center. I was posting on this thread until my battery ran out -- in the mid-4th quarter when it was clear we were gonna lose.

sigh.

[fishercob]

I was there.

Not only a putrid performance, but thousands of unsold seats on what used to be keystone home game. Loud chants of "let's go Blazers" rang out audibly several times throughout the game.

The fans have checked out. A far cry from past MLK crowds:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBqysjxznkA[/youtube]