GT #69 Hornets @ Wizards 7:00 PM

[nate33]

Wizards are playing zone because they can't stop Kemba. Charlotte is manipulating it into some easy corner 3 attempts.

[TheBabyMaker]

They can't even beat the lolcats Bobcats. or the hornets on their home court. I'm out.

[80sballboy]

Beal played 45 minutes in tank loss. Entire second half. Hope Sato is ok. Impressed with Troy Brown. Keeps getting better. Defense was abysmal as has been the case all year. Portis was horrendous tonight. Gave them nothing against Biyombo and Kaminsky. We're getting close to "load management" time for Beal. Rest him on the road.

[truwizfan4evr]

instead of being a smart team and tank. Ernie wants to keep winning to save his job.

[TheBabyMaker]

instead of being a smart team and tank. Ernie wants to keep winning to save his job.

Ernie job is secured. Wiz fans ?

[Jay81]

wow we got to close for comfort. I would sit SATO for 2-3 weeks and play Troy brown 35 a night

[queridiculo]

Portis is awful, so is Parker. That means they will both be back with the Wizards next season.

[nate33]

Portis is awful, so is Parker. That means they will both be back with the Wizards next season.

?

Parker hasn't been awful at all.

Tonight he had 17, 11 and 4 with a .618 TS%, only 1 turnover, and he led the team in +/-.

In a Wizards uniform, on a per 36 basis, he has averaged 19 points, 9.7 boards and 4.3 assists with a TS% of .620 and a team leading +7.6 on/off differential. Those are All-Star caliber numbers except for the horrific turnover rate of 3.9 to's per 36. But even factoring the turnovers, his ORtg is 106 which is worse than the team average of 111, but still respectable. (It's a better ORtg than 8 of 9 of Wall's seasons, and 4 of 7 of Beal's.) Parker's defense hasn't been great, but thanks to his plus rebounding from the PF position, his DRPM is actually second best on the team behind Bryant.

I agree that Portis has been pretty bad. I hope nobody is fooled by the handful of hot nights shooting from 3. Even though he is shooting an unsustainable 44% from deep, his TS% is just .541 and he is awful on defense. And if you ignore that first outlier game when Portis scored 30, his TS% drops to .515 and his ORtg is 96. Teams can't survive with lousy defense from the center position unless their center is an absolute monster offensively. Portis certainly is not.

Ultimately, I can definitely see a pathway for Parker to be a starter on the Wizards in the future, and maybe even a good one if he cleans up the turnovers and continues play with effort and force. I see no such path for Portis.

[Dat2U]

Portis is making Parker's on/offs look better because they they don't play much together and Portis has been living up to his rep defensively.

The front line of Portis, Green & Ariza has been brutal since Portis was inserted into the starting lineup.

[nate33]

Portis is making Parker's on/offs look better because they they don't play much together and Portis has been living up to his rep defensively.

The front line of Portis, Green & Ariza has been brutal since Portis was inserted into the starting lineup.

Even if you just look at the "on" numbers, rather than on/off, Parker is still +4.3 and leads the team. (Well, Troy Brown has a higher on rating, but that incorporates a lot of garbage time in the first 50 games of the season.)

I totally understand any skepticism about Parker. His track record so far in his career is poor. But, objectively, he has been a pretty good player for the Wizards. Maybe it's sustainable, maybe not.

[Willie Colon]

I agree that Portis has been pretty bad. I hope nobody is fooled by the handful of hot nights shooting from 3. Even though he is shooting an unsustainable 44% from deep, his TS% is just .541 and he is awful on defense. And if you ignore that first outlier game when Portis scored 30, his TS% drops to .515 and his ORtg is 96. Teams can't survive with lousy defense from the center position unless their center is an absolute monster offensively. Portis certainly is not.

Agreed, I don't believe Portis will ever be good enough to be a full-time starter, but he can be a quality backup when used accordingly. When he's hot, keep him in the game and he'll get you 20. Portis himself has stated that he prefers to come off the bench so maybe it's a mental thing.

[nate33]

I agree that Portis has been pretty bad. I hope nobody is fooled by the handful of hot nights shooting from 3. Even though he is shooting an unsustainable 44% from deep, his TS% is just .541 and he is awful on defense. And if you ignore that first outlier game when Portis scored 30, his TS% drops to .515 and his ORtg is 96. Teams can't survive with lousy defense from the center position unless their center is an absolute monster offensively. Portis certainly is not.

Agreed, I don't believe Portis will ever be good enough to be a full-time starter, but he can be a quality backup when used accordingly. When he's hot, keep him in the game and he'll get you 20. Portis himself has stated that he prefers to come off the bench so maybe it's a mental thing.

Maybe so. But with our salary structure, we can't devote the $10-15M per year Portis wants only for him to be a backup. He is a casualty of the John Wall contract.

[doclinkin]

With our salary structure, we can't devote the $10-15M per year Portis wants only for him to be a backup. He is a casualty of the John Wall contract.

...hopefully...