Are the wizards better without John Wall?

[nate33]

Read on Twitter

Maaaaan... **** Gortat for opening this can of worms and damn Wall's candor for keepin it far too real. If anything trading Gortat becomes harder as we lose leverage... >.>

This is not a perfect response. I suppose Gortat deserved it, but it doesn't help matters to fight this out in the media. Of course, the reality is, it doesn't really matter much. Gortat has one year left. They're both pros. They can get through one more season while not liking each other very much.

[FAH1223]

Read on Twitter

Maaaaan... **** Gortat for opening this can of worms and damn Wall's candor for keepin it far too real. If anything trading Gortat becomes harder as we lose leverage... >.>

This is not a perfect response. I suppose Gortat deserved it, but it doesn't help matters to fight this out in the media. Of course, the reality is, it doesn't really matter much. Gortat has one year left. They're both pros. They can get through one more season while not liking each other very much.

“I keep telling everybody it’s not a shot at John,” Beal said. “Especially not me, and I’m sure Gortat didn’t mean anything by his [tweet]. We understand — nobody is sitting here saying we’re a better team without John. That’s just nonsense. I’ll say it a thousand times if I have to. I’ll go on every media outlet if I have to to get that point across: We’re not a better team without John. I want to nip that in the bud ASAP. He’s a tremendous player. He’s our leader. We need him back but we want him to be 110 percent before that happens.

“I hope he didn’t take offense to what I said because it’s ‘Paid In Full,'” Beal said, referencing the movie from which he took the “everybody eats” line. “‘Paid In Full’ is one of [Wall’s] favorite movies. I know he shouldn’t take offense to it. It’s going to be the same thing when he gets back. We just need him to be healthy. We understand he was playing injured and that’s never fun for the team or for yourself. I think it was blown out of proportion. The media is always trying to stir it up and create a story out of something, rather than focusing on our success and what we’re doing as a team. They always try to break you down. We’re tight in here. We don’t feed into it. John, he’s not going to feed into it. We’ll talk about it when we get back to D.C. You know, scratch it all out because there’s no beef in here.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wizards-insider/wp/2018/02/07/marcin-gortat-responds-to-john-walls-comments-whos-attacking-who/?utm_term=.0fa956811c7a

[NatP4]

Wall is out, this team is playing good basketball, and what is everyone talking about here and on social media and on ESPN? John Wall

[DCZards]

“I keep telling everybody it’s not a shot at John,” Beal said. “Especially not me, and I’m sure Gortat didn’t mean anything by his [tweet]. We understand — nobody is sitting here saying we’re a better team without John. That’s just nonsense. I’ll say it a thousand times if I have to. I’ll go on every media outlet if I have to to get that point across: We’re not a better team without John. I want to nip that in the bud ASAP. He’s a tremendous player. He’s our leader. We need him back but we want him to be 110 percent before that happens.

“I hope he didn’t take offense to what I said because it’s ‘Paid In Full,'” Beal said, referencing the movie from which he took the “everybody eats” line. “‘Paid In Full’ is one of [Wall’s] favorite movies. I know he shouldn’t take offense to it. It’s going to be the same thing when he gets back. We just need him to be healthy. We understand he was playing injured and that’s never fun for the team or for yourself. I think it was blown out of proportion. The media is always trying to stir it up and create a story out of something, rather than focusing on our success and what we’re doing as a team. They always try to break you down. We’re tight in here. We don’t feed into it. John, he’s not going to feed into it. We’ll talk about it when we get back to D.C. You know, scratch it all out because there’s no beef in here.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wizards-insider/wp/2018/02/07/marcin-gortat-responds-to-john-walls-comments-whos-attacking-who/?utm_term=.0fa956811c7a

This whole "controversy" sucks and is an unnecessary distraction that puts everyone in a bad light, including the franchise. I really wish Gortat hadn't gone there with his tweet and that Beal remarks didn't come off like they did. That's the root of the problem. But John shouldn't have responded as he did, at least not publicly. I typically like Wall's candor but this is an issue that's best addressed in-house.

The good news is this comment from Beal: "We’ll talk about it when we get back to D.C. You know, scratch it all out because there’s no beef in here.” That's exactly what needs to take place now...and it's the kind of leadership I hope to see more of from BB.

[DCZards]

Hmmm...I see this thread had fallen all the way to the fourth page. I wonder why.

[dckingsfan]

Because Otto is hurt?

[LyricalRico]

Looks like we're not the only ones discussing this...

Despite qualifying for yet another postseason, the Washington Wizards feel like they're running in place and the recent return of John Wall hasn’t come with the late season boost the team was hoping for. For the most part, the Wizards should enter the playoffs as an afterthought, even in a wide open Eastern Conference. Yet as the postseason begins, a lot of intrigue will surround D.C.’s basketball team because we may finally get an answer to a question that bounced around the Wizards since January: Is Wall still an essential ingredient to the team’s success?

Read the rest here: https://basketball.realgm.com/analysis/249476/Washingtons-John-Wall-Question

[payitforward]

This thread asks a fake question.

You can't ask whether a team is better w/o a player, unless you include the question of what that player earns & what the effect of his salary is on the team's ability to make positive changes.

Leaving aside the controversies around where John ranks among NBA point guards, he is obviously a good player! How could we be "better" without a good player?

The team's problem is not John Wall. The team's problem is an unworkable salary structure that is also unsustainable. If being "without John Wall" meant being without that problematic salary structure, then that is the way the team would be "better" without him.

Perhaps one would say "better off" rather than "better" so as not to give the impression that our play would improve b/c he left.

[long suffrin' boulez fan]

Amen PIF.

Makes me sick that this conversation is even going on, especially nationally.

It essentially provides cover to Grunfeld who has failed to assemble anything like a team or coaching staff around Wall to maximize his strengths... despite having every possible asset at his disposal over the course of John's career.

It's professional malfeasance... almost tortious interference (although the fact that Wall makes a gazillion dollars mitigates this).

[barelyawake]

I’d like to change the name of this thread to, “Is John Wall better without the Wizards?” People complain John isn’t a leader. Who asked him to be? Our management. Who didn’t make him a second option, by packaging pieces for a better “star” to pair with him? Our management. Who constructed a roster around him of players who can’t create their own shot? Who asked him to put too much on his shoulders? Who didn’t give him a finisher in the paint?

[truwizfan4evr]

I don't think it john fault as much as beal and brooks. Otto Porter needs to take 15 to 20 shots a night. Beal needs to stop Ball hogging.

[closg00]

I’d like the change the name of this thread to, “Is John Wall better without the Wizards?” People complain John isn’t a leader. Who asked him to be? Our management. Who didn’t make him a second option, by packaging pieces for a better “star” to pair with him? Our management. Who constructed a roster around him of players who can’t create their own shot? Who asked him to put too much on his shoulders? Who didn’t give him a finisher in the paint?

Here-here

[The Consiglieri]

I don't have a huge issue with Wall, my issue at this point and there is zero chance this team can win the East, let alone the title, as constructed, and I don't see a way through this problem without a big trade. When I look around the roster, Beal and Porter will be 25 during next season while Oubre will turn 23 early on. Wall will be 28 when next season starts.

Looking around the team, and the roster, what piece would fetch the most in a trade? Not sure, but I think it's necessary. The core as built can't win squat. Toronto, Boston and Philly to begin with, are all way ahead of us, and we don't have the pieces to catch really any of them during the prime of these guys as constituted.

So sit tight and be an '80's version of Dominique's Hawks? Or do something about it?

My next objective would be in trying to figure out who'd fetch the most, and when would said player fetch the most, and then I'd be looking at which teams have the assets and might be willing to make the deal.

It's not going to happen, probably, unless Ernie gets s canned, because this debacle is all his fault as everyone knows, so no chance in hell he actually owns it, but a huge chance he keeps trying to make tinkering moves that shrink the possibility of reopening a window in the future that do nothing to improve the chances tangibly.