More Wizards drama via Peter Vescey -- Wall Suspension

fishercob · Post #1 » by **fishercob** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 12:22 pm

Regardless of what we may WANT to be true, remember it was Vescey who broke Gungate. He has a source or sources on the inside.

[Tweet]https://twitter.com/PeterVecsey1/status/720150125625085952[/Tweet]

[Tweet]https://twitter.com/PeterVecsey1/status/720150571018231808[/Tweet]

A few issues here.

1) Wall

2) And more interesting at the moment for me, is that Vescey has a source on the inside that has, for the second time, leaked an unflattering story about the Wiz. I think this person is clearly disaffected and anti-Grunfled -- certainly understandable and not bad things in and of themselves.

Perhaps these leaks in the dam are what finally do Grunfeld in, which would be for the best.

TGW · Post #2 » by **TGW** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 12:39 pm

In other news, the sky is blue.

Honestly, nothing surprises me with this team. This front office has fostered a dysfunctional, toxic atmosphere for over a decade.

I find it funny that Wall cursing out a **** coach is cause for internal discussions on Wall's leadership, but those same idiots who are having those internal discussions never look in the mirror and question their own leadership and judgement.

Post #3 » by **nate33** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 12:42 pm

My guess is that both Wittman and Wall said and did some things wrong here. This kind of discord is understandable for a team that was expecting to make the playoffs. There's lots of blame to go around. Hopefully, the takeaway from all this is that the team is in turmoil and new management is needed. Ted may be loyal to EG, but at this point, if the choice is between EG or Wall, I'm hoping Ted understands that Wall is more difficult to replace.

tontoz · Post #4 » by **tontoz** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 12:46 pm

If I was in Wall's place I know I would be pissed off. Although I don't know the details I am inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt.

We already know Randy isn't a goner anyway and EG is a clueless buffoon. This is good news to me.

ozthegap · Post #5 » by **ozthegap** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 12:58 pm

The discussion on Wall's leadership part sounds like someone is trying to fight for there job by saying Wall is the problem on the team.

80sballboy · Post #6 » by **80sballboy** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 1:16 pm

This is a good thing, shining light on not having a true leader on and off the court. Why was this not done during the season>? John played every game until the last few and gave it his all...at least on the offensive side of the ball. Maybe he's looking at his own stats and wondering why the rest of the team didn't follow him. But "winning" isn't all about stats. Now it's time to clean f-ing house and you wonder if Beal and Wall are on the same page. Is is worth it bringing Beal back? But what are the other options at the 2? BTW, everybody is getting the max from Beal to Barnes to Batum. They don't deserve what KD is going to get. It's a max year.

Post #7 » by **TheSecretWeapon** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 1:23 pm

Rarely a good look for a team's "best" player to cuss out coaches AND teammates. It's a pretty selfish thing to do -- effectively blaming others for a team failure.

The beat guys will dig up more details. I'll be interested to see them.

dandridge 10 · Post #8 » by **dandridge 10** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 1:37 pm

I'm glad that this all coming out. Honestly, there is enough blame to go around for this year's failure.

Obviously, the primary blame should rest with Ted/Ernie because they constructed the team and advocated pace and space when they did not have the horses to run it.

Wittman deserves blame for lack of ingenuity and the failure to motivate the team.

Wall deserves criticism for lack of leadership and taking nights off on the defensive end. Wall may be a really good player, but I'm convinced that he is not the type of "star" that will ever, on his own, lift this team up to become a contender. Don't get me wrong, I think Wall can be on a contender team. I just don't see him as the leader on a contender team. We desperately need someone on this team that cares less about being liked and more about holding other players accountable.

Again, though, Ted/Ernie have been the biggest problems. Can't do anything about Ted, but Ernie has to go or nothing else will matter.

keynote · Post #9 » by **keynote** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 2:06 pm

I agree that Wittman and EG have both long overstayed their welcome. But I also have questions about Wall's leadership.

I think he needs to take better care of his body, for example. He's mentioned being tired at the end of games in the past (he once credited a missed end-of-game dunk/layup to fatigue, if memory serves); meanwhile, Kyle Lowry transformed his body and Steph Curry is the 2nd strongest player on the Warriors in deadlifts (acc. to the Dubs' former strength trainer).

Wall has also failed to set a tone of excellence and intensity every night. Coaches can only do so much -- so when the star sleepwalks, others will eventually follow suit. It's not surprising that some of the best talents in the league who get accused of lacking consistent intensity on both ends of the court are either out of the playoffs (Wall, Cousins) or on the bubble (Harden).

Hopefully, this season is the kick in the pants Wall needs to have a Lowry-like offseason.

On a side note: I'm struggling to think of the last player who transformed his body for the better while in a Wizards uniform. There's usually 1-2 guys in the league per offseason who tell some story ("I cut out candy/become vegan/ran up a mountainside/etc.") and added the proverbial 15 lbs of lean muscle, or shed 15 lbs of flab. But I can't remember the last time one of ours had that story to tell. Can anyone think of the last real fitness success story?

closg00 · Post #10 » by **closg00** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 2:07 pm

tontoz wrote:If I was in Wall's place I know I would be pissed off. Although I don't know the details I am inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt.

We already know Randy isn't a goner anyway and EG is a clueless buffoon. This is good news to me.

This is totally understandable, perhaps not excusable, but totally understandable considering they had just been eliminated from the playoffs and John is the hardest working player on the team and only star. Yeah, this mess is going to be attractive to free agents. All the more reason for Ted to finally grow a pair and clean-out the FO. The Wizards are a joke of a franchise.

keynote · Post #11 » by **keynote** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 2:12 pm

FWIW, I think Wall's insecurity impedes his ability to lead. He's hyper-conscious of his standing in the minds of his peers, of NBA Basketball, of the fans, etc. He's hyper-conscious about other guys' contracts and endorsement deals. He's talked on the record about how he's the #3 PG om the league (behind Curry and Westbrook) -- but that seems less like bravado and more like he's trying to convince himself that it's true.

On some level, this is all part and parcel of being competitive. But I also think he's frustrated and uncertain about the future -- the team's roadmap; the likelihood of him ascending into true superstar status -- which is making him insecure.

Post #12 » by **nate33** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 2:16 pm

keynote wrote:On a side note: I'm struggling to think of the last player who transformed his body for the better while in a Wizards uniform. There's usually 1-2 guys in the league per offseason who tell some story ("I cut out candy/become vegan/ran up a mountainside/etc.") and added the proverbial 15 lbs of lean muscle, or shed 15 lbs of flab. But I can't remember the last time one of ours had that story to tell. Can anyone think of the last real fitness success story?

Good question.

We've certainly had a few "gym rats" who are dedicated to getting as strong and fit as they possibly can, guys like Okafor, Gortat, Booker and Arenas. I can't think of anyone who has really improved their physical fitness mindset while on the team. Maybe Martell Webster? We've certainly had more than our fair share of doughy out-of-shape guys like Blatche and Dudley. I was never enamored with Vesely's fitness level either.

Post #13 » by **nate33** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 2:17 pm

keynote wrote:FWIW, I think Wall's insecurity impedes his ability to lead. He's hyper-conscious of his standing in the minds of his peers, of NBA Basketball, of the fans, etc. He's hyper-conscious about other guys' contracts and endorsement deals. He's talked on the record about how he's the #3 PG om the league (behind Curry and Westbrook) -- but that seems less like bravado and more like he's trying to convince himself that it's true.

On some level, this is all part and parcel of being competitive. But I also think he's frustrated and uncertain about the future -- the team's roadmap; the likelihood of him ascending into true superstar status -- which is making him insecure.

I wonder if this insecurity is what causes him to shoot so much to the detriment of the team?

Kanyewest · Post #14 » by **Kanyewest** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 2:42 pm

Not a good look for Wall; sounds like something that Cousins would do and Wall may receive similar criticism from
the media.

FAH1223 · Post #15 » by **FAH1223** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 2:59 pm

This is good. The more bad press, the better

Illmatic12 · Post #16 » by **Illmatic12** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 3:03 pm

fishercob wrote:Regardless of what we may WANT to be true, remember it was Vescey who broke Gungate. He has a source or sources on the inside.

[Tweet]https://twitter.com/PeterVecsey1/status/720150125625085952[/Tweet]

[Tweet]https://twitter.com/PeterVecsey1/status/720150571018231808[/Tweet]

A few issues here.

1) Wall

2) And more interesting at the moment for me, is that Vescey has a source on the inside that has, for the second time, leaked an unflattering story about the Wiz. I think this person is clearly disaffected and anti-Grunfled -- certainly understandable and not bad things in and of themselves.

Perhaps these leaks in the dam are what finally do Grunfeld in, which would be for the best.

Vecsey did not break Gungate. He was the one who wrote a column about it several days after that initiated the national ***storm.

If the team's franchise player was supposedly suspended, how would Vecsey be the ONLY one to know? You wouldn't need inside information for that, every single beat reporter would be aware

[Tweet]https://twitter.com/BenMehicNBA/status/720236047930667008[/Tweet]

[Tweet]https://twitter.com/BenMehicNBA/status/720258388198821888[/Tweet]

Wizardspride · Post #17 » by **Wizardspride** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 3:04 pm

FAH1223 wrote:This is good. The more bad press, the better

Exactly.

Puts the onus on Ted to make a decision.

Either it's John or Randy/EG.

lastemp3ror · Post #18 » by **lastemp3ror** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 3:05 pm

If Wall's outburst means Grunsfeld gets fired, I can care less of how this makes John Wall appear to everyone.

John Wall has been professional until this incident. Most of us would of had an outbreak many months/years ago with the management of this team. Let's not put too much weight on how this outburst makes John Wall look.

Post #19 » by **LyricalRico** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 3:08 pm

Kanyewest wrote:Not a good look for Wall; sounds like something that Cousins would do and Wall may receive similar criticism from
the media.

Which is why we don't need both of them in the same locker room. I've never bought the "Wall will tame Cousins" argument because Wall hasn't shown himself to be that type of leader. This just reinforces that for me.

FAH1223 · Post #20 » by **FAH1223** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 3:13 pm

Illmatic12 wrote:Vecsey did not break Gungate. He was the one who wrote a column about it several days after that initiated the national ***storm.

If the team's franchise player was supposedly suspended, how would Vecsey be the ONLY one to know? You wouldn't need inside information for that, every single beat reporter would be aware

[Tweet]https://twitter.com/BenMehicNBA/status/720236047930667008[/Tweet]

[Tweet]https://twitter.com/BenMehicNBA/status/720258388198821888[/Tweet]

Either way, I think Vescey has done a hit job!