GT #13 : Washington Wizards (3-9) @ Houston Rockets (6-9) - 9:00 PM

[WallToWall]

I'm baffled by Westbrook. He looked physically awful for most of the game, but in the 4th quarter, he looked almost like his old self. He still did some inexplicable things like dribbling the ball out of bounds for no apparent reason and making a couple of horrible passes, but still - somehow he looked much quicker in the 4th quarter than he did in the 1st 3 quarters. Maybe he took a shot of something?

I saw this as well. For a few plays, he looked almost "normal". A drive to the hoop with speed. A quick 3 pointer. Quick hands on D. Etc. Almost like he got his mojo back. I can't explain it. Is it just in the mind?

[queridiculo]

I'm baffled by Westbrook. He looked physically awful for most of the game, but in the 4th quarter, he looked almost like his old self. He still did some inexplicable things like dribbling the ball out of bounds for no apparent reason and making a couple of horrible passes, but still - somehow he looked much quicker in the 4th quarter than he did in the 1st 3 quarters. Maybe he took a shot of something?

I saw this as well. For a few plays, he looked almost "normal". A drive to the hoop with speed. A quick 3 pointer. Quick hands on D. Etc. Almost like he got his mojo back. I can't explain it. Is it just in the mind?

Adrenaline?

There was a lot of **** talking in the 4th.

[Dat2U]

Forget the final score.

John Wall +13
Russell Westbrook-11

If the Wizards had John Wall plus that first round pick...

Wall destroyed Westbrook - though the Wiz most likely are not going to lose that 1st pick - since it's heavily protected and then turns into a 2nd rounder. The Wiz would have to be a high quality team for that protection to not protect them, and what's the likelihood of that happening in the next few years? Think of it this way - It'd be good to lose that pick, because it'd mean the Wiz actually had a good season.

I'm baffled by Westbrook. He looked physically awful for most of the game, but in the 4th quarter, he looked almost like his old self. He still did some inexplicable things like dribbling the ball out of bounds for no apparent reason and making a couple of horrible passes, but still - somehow he looked much quicker in the 4th quarter than he did in the 1st 3 quarters. Maybe he took a shot of something?

Drew Gooden really needs to stop with the homer bs on Westbrook. Everyone but him knows Westbrook has been a disaster so far - except for his role as tank commander.

This is a great point and I saw it as well. We've being seeing Russ go 60 this season when he's gone 100 his whole career. After Wall talked smack, he looked to be going 80 but it still wasn't himself. He is clearly not right. I don't want to see Russ in a Wizards uniform unless he's completely healthy and going 100 again. Its a disservice to him and his teammates to have a guy like that gut it out at half speed.

[trast66]

I thought we won the Westbrook-Wall trade, as thought Russ more tradable than John to some sucker this year or next. That does not look to be the case so far. John may yet break down again, but Russ looks worse than imagined. Have to hope he is injured and its not that his athleticism disappeared.

Its not that John is playing great, he is not, but Russ looking like he's done.

[Dat2U]

I'm baffled by Westbrook. He looked physically awful for most of the game, but in the 4th quarter, he looked almost like his old self. He still did some inexplicable things like dribbling the ball out of bounds for no apparent reason and making a couple of horrible passes, but still - somehow he looked much quicker in the 4th quarter than he did in the 1st 3 quarters. Maybe he took a shot of something?

I saw this as well. For a few plays, he looked almost "normal". A drive to the hoop with speed. A quick 3 pointer. Quick hands on D. Etc. Almost like he got his mojo back. I can't explain it. Is it just in the mind?

Adrenaline?

There was a lot of **** talking in the 4th.

Bingo. He was clearly fired up but Wall still took control and the Rockets pulled away. The Westbrook we knew up until this year would always treat Wall like his ugly step child and dominate the matchup b/w the two. Oh my, have the tables turned!

[pcbothwel]

Yooo, yall remember how much hope all us Wizards fans had when Ernie Grunfeld was fired? The future was so bright I needed shades to look at it. Less than two years in and its feels even more hopeless than when EG was here because you know Ted ain't firing Shepp or himself anytime during this decade.

Oh boy, Masai Ujiri, Barack Obama, Tim Connelly, those were the days.

My enthusiasm was zapped immediately after the Wizards arduous effort to find a successor culminated in a Grunfeld lifer taking the reins.

I wish Ted would just sell the team.

Ted couldn't find a better GM because good GMs are smart enough to avoid working for Ted.

Everyone really piling on Tommy for no reason. Most things directly in his control worked out really well:
- Draft: Brown, Rui, Deni, Winston, Mathews - TS has clearly done a really good job here.
- Trades/FA: Bonga/Wagner, Bryant, Ish, Neto, Lopez, Bertans - All low cost acquisitions that outperformed their previous destinations.

Things NOT in his control:
- Wall: Tommy was excited about Wall and wanted to get him back on the court with Beal. I blame the trade on 3 other factors WAY before Tommy. 1) Walls actions off court, 2) Walls ENORMOUS contract, 3) Ted's pearl clutching/reactionary attitude... Those 3 factors dealt Tommy an unimaginably terrible hand.
- Availability: Tommy could not anticipate Bertans being out of shape, Rui getting pick eye, and then half the team being quarantined.
- Russ: Tommy is NOT the coach. He cant change Russ's shot selection. Russ is shooting at or above his career averages at the rim, from 16+feet, and from 3. But he is shooting 16% of his FGA at the rim instead of his normal 38% from the last 3 years. Russ is an elite athlete, with an elite work ethic, and no major injury history. I still think he can be what he was the last two years. He is clearly not healthy. Poor IQ and skill set sure as hell dont help though.

As far as the Wall trade, people are really getting over their skis about Walls. His ORtg, USG, AST:TOV, and BPM are lowest of his career and certainly worse than anything Westbrook had produced until this year.
Tommy HAD to include an asset with moving Wall, and the protected 2023 pick was a savvy choice in order to keep the rebuild moving along without jeopardizing the future. If we move Beal and rebuild, that pick will likely be in the mid/late teens in 2025... ehhh.

Look, this has been a tough year for lots of people and the NBA is just as wacky.
The heat went from Finals team to 6th worst record in the NBA, the Cavs and Knicks are fighting for a playoff spot, and the Mavs with an MVP candidate are under .500 and behind a Memphis team with no Ja or Jackson. Also, Zion looks to be on the fast lane to Ben Simmons status of generational talent => 3rd piece on contender.
Crazy time

[nate33]

Oh boy, Masai Ujiri, Barack Obama, Tim Connelly, those were the days.

My enthusiasm was zapped immediately after the Wizards arduous effort to find a successor culminated in a Grunfeld lifer taking the reins.

I wish Ted would just sell the team.

Ted couldn't find a better GM because good GMs are smart enough to avoid working for Ted.

Everyone really piling on Tommy for no reason. Most things directly in his control worked out really well:
- Draft: Brown, Rui, Deni, Winston, Mathews - TS has clearly done a really good job here.
- Trades/FA: Bonga/Wagner, Bryant, Ish, Neto, Lopez, Bertans - All low cost acquisitions that outperformed their previous destinations.

Things NOT in his control:
- Wall: Tommy was excited about Wall and wanted to get him back on the court with Beal. I blame the trade on 3 other factors WAY before Tommy. 1) Walls actions off court, 2) Walls ENORMOUS contract, 3) Ted's pearl clutching/reactionary attitude... Those 3 factors dealt Tommy an unimaginably terrible hand.
- Availability: Tommy could not anticipate Bertans being out of shape, Rui getting pick eye, and then half the team being quarantined.
- Russ: Tommy is NOT the coach. He cant change Russ's shot selection. Russ is shooting at or above his career averages at the rim, from 16+feet, and from 3. But he is shooting 16% of his FGA at the rim instead of his normal 38% from the last 3 years. Russ is an elite athlete, with an elite work ethic, and no major injury history. I still think he can be what he was the last two years. He is clearly not healthy. Poor IQ and skill set sure as hell dont help though.

As far as the Wall trade, people are really getting over their skis about Walls. His ORtg, USG, AST:TOV, and BPM are lowest of his career and certainly worse than anything Westbrook had produced until this year.
Tommy HAD to include an asset with moving Wall, and the protected 2023 pick was a savvy choice in order to keep the rebuild moving along without jeopardizing the future. If we move Beal and rebuild, that pick will likely be in the mid/late teens in 2025... ehhh.

Look, this has been a tough year for lots of people and the NBA is just as wacky.
The heat went from Finals team to 6th worst record in the NBA, the Cavs and Knicks are fighting for a playoff spot, and the Mavs with an MVP candidate are under .500 and behind a Memphis team with no Ja or Jackson. Also, Zion looks to be on the fast lane to Ben Simmons status of generational talent => 3rd piece on contender.
Crazy time

Tommy isn't awful, but he's not great either.

He had a hand in the way that the Wall/Houston trade talks went. He either didn't communicate to John, or he lied to him. I'm not sure which. But more importantly, he was at least intrigued enough with the idea of Westbrook that he was willing to discuss the trade (which involved us sending picks) in the first place.

And I wouldn't say his picks have been great. Brown and Hachimura are mediocre. They're not busts for their draft position, but nobody is singing their praises either. He also made the head-scratching move of declining Wagner's option year.

He has been good at finding some playable guys off the trash heap: Neto, Mathews, Bonga, Wagner, Bryant. But being playable on a 30-win team isn't something to write home about.

The Bertans trade was probably his best move, but he squandered it by not turning Bertans into a 1st round pick. Instead, he allowed a positive asset to become a neutral asset (at best) by paying Bertans a market value contract.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Trade request coming soon to a theatre near you:

Read on Twitter

http://www.espn.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=y3kpapsl


Dallas includes three first round picks (2021, 2023, 2025)
Oklahoma City gets Russ for one round two pick

Blow it up but rapidly reload with tons of cap room and picks.

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I saw this as well. For a few plays, he looked almost "normal". A drive to the hoop with speed. A quick 3 pointer. Quick hands on D. Etc. Almost like he got his mojo back. I can't explain it. Is it just in the mind?

Adrenaline?

There was a lot of **** talking in the 4th.

Bingo. He was clearly fired up but Wall still took control and the Rockets pulled away. The Westbrook we knew up until this year would always treat Wall like his ugly step child and dominate the matchup b/w the two. Oh my, have the tables turned!

John Wall even said as much in the presser after the game. He said they always trash talk and that he's only won something like 3 times his whole career against Westbrook.

I knew before this game that Westbrook would be at his best, whatever that would be. I'm concerned that this is all he has. Sometimes, players sharply decline. Robert Pack, after the Wizards he flamed out. Rod Strickland never was the same after hamstring issues. Gilbert wasn't the same after Eddie Jordan brought him back playing 40 minutes plus gimpy.

This 80percentatbest Westbrook could be chronically diminished.

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[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Ted couldn't find a better GM because good GMs are smart enough to avoid working for Ted.

Everyone really piling on Tommy for no reason. Most things directly in his control worked out really well:
- Draft: Brown, Rui, Deni, Winston, Mathews - TS has clearly done a really good job here.
- Trades/FA: Bonga/Wagner, Bryant, Ish, Neto, Lopez, Bertans - All low cost acquisitions that outperformed their previous destinations.

Things NOT in his control:
- Wall: Tommy was excited about Wall and wanted to get him back on the court with Beal. I blame the trade on 3 other factors WAY before Tommy. 1) Walls actions off court, 2) Walls ENORMOUS contract, 3) Ted's pearl clutching/reactionary attitude... Those 3 factors dealt Tommy an unimaginably terrible hand.
- Availability: Tommy could not anticipate Bertans being out of shape, Rui getting pick eye, and then half the team being quarantined.
- Russ: Tommy is NOT the coach. He cant change Russ's shot selection. Russ is shooting at or above his career averages at the rim, from 16+feet, and from 3. But he is shooting 16% of his FGA at the rim instead of his normal 38% from the last 3 years. Russ is an elite athlete, with an elite work ethic, and no major injury history. I still think he can be what he was the last two years. He is clearly not healthy. Poor IQ and skill set sure as hell dont help though.

As far as the Wall trade, people are really getting over their skis about Walls. His ORtg, USG, AST:TOV, and BPM are lowest of his career and certainly worse than anything Westbrook had produced until this year.
Tommy HAD to include an asset with moving Wall, and the protected 2023 pick was a savvy choice in order to keep the rebuild moving along without jeopardizing the future. If we move Beal and rebuild, that pick will likely be in the mid/late teens in 2025... ehhh.

Look, this has been a tough year for lots of people and the NBA is just as wacky.
The heat went from Finals team to 6th worst record in the NBA, the Cavs and Knicks are fighting for a playoff spot, and the Mavs with an MVP candidate are under .500 and behind a Memphis team with no Ja or Jackson. Also, Zion looks to be on the fast lane to Ben Simmons status of generational talent => 3rd piece on contender.
Crazy time

Tommy isn't awful, but he's not great either.

He had a hand in the way that the Wall/Houston trade talks went. He either didn't communicate to John, or he lied to him. I'm not sure which. But more importantly, he was at least intrigued enough with the idea of Westbrook that he was willing to discuss the trade (which involved us sending picks) in the first place.

And I wouldn't say his picks have been great. Brown and Hachimura are mediocre. They're not busts for their draft position, but nobody is singing their praises either. He also made the head-scratching move of declining Wagner's option year.

He has been good at finding some playable guys off the trash heap: Neto, Mathews, Bonga, Wagner, Bryant. But being playable on a 30-win team isn't something to write home about.

The Bertans trade was probably his best move, but he squandered it by not turning Bertans into a 1st round pick. Instead, he allowed a positive asset to become a neutral asset (at best) by paying Bertans a market value contract.

pcbothwel and nate33, thanks for balanced insights on Tommy! I'm just disappointed. Westbrook is terrible and 3-10 is on pace for a 17-55 season. Someone's head needs to roll.

I'm thinking reboot. Fire Brooks for starters. Shepherd is associated fairly or unfairly with Grunfeld. I'd rather have winning GM hire the next head coach. I don't think TS is a winner.

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[TGW]

Sheppard has clearly done a good job in the draft? Really?

To say it's "clear" that TS has done a good job in the draft is a stretch at best. TBJ barely plays now and is in the doghouse. I'm still waiting for Hachimura to do anything well. Deni is fine, but he's too young and underdeveloped to say definitely that he's going to pan out. Winston is a fat nothing so far.

Anyone who says it's clear that TS has done a good job in the draft definitely has rose-colored glasses on.

[Frichuela]

I'm thinking reboot. Fire Brooks for starters. Shepherd is associated fairly or unfairly with Grunfeld. I'd rather have winning GM hire the next head coach. I don't think TS is a winner.

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This. 100% agreed. Let’s not beat around the bush.Very unlikely there are NBA franchises looking to hire Tommy as GM.

Again, the problem is Terd ,who should know better and fully delegate on a first-class GM instead of meddling in...

[closg00]

I know Bonga got his fan club on this board.

He's not an NBA player. He stinks. Come at me.

I am not part of the fan club, he is a charity case IMO

[Doug_Blew]

I know Bonga got his fan club on this board.

He's not an NBA player. He stinks. Come at me.

He's better than Westbrook and as good as everyone else on our team other than Beal.

[Ruzious]

Looking at the glass half full (of liquor), we successfully tricked Wall into playing his best - helping us stay ahead of Houston in ping pong balls.

[doclinkin]

I thought we won the Westbrook-Wall trade, as thought Russ more tradable than John to some sucker this year or next. That does not look to be the case so far. John may yet break down again, but Russ looks worse than imagined. Have to hope he is injured and its not that his athleticism disappeared.

Its not that John is playing great, he is not, but Russ looking like he's done.

I think that COVID hit him harder than we know about. Even his quad injury, we know so little about the virus but from what I understand it is sand in the engine of pretty much every human system. Delaying recovery; affecting fitness, stamina, etc. He is later in his career and was due to tail off, had shown signs before, but he really fell off a cliff after the COVID diagnosis. He claims he was mostly asymptomatic but that seems to be happytalk. From July:

“I don’t have a feel for whether I can make a layup at this point,” Westbrook said with a laugh, referring to his time away from the court. “I’ve got to start there, and then I’ll work my way from there.”

....

Though his bout with COVID-19 and the associated quarantine might cause some initial rust, Westbrook doesn’t think it will limit him for long.

“Before I had to quarantine, I was in pretty good shape, so I should be alright,” Westbrook said Wednesday regarding his current playing condition. “When I’m back at 100 percent, you’ll know.”

[Dat2U]

Yooo, yall remember how much hope all us Wizards fans had when Ernie Grunfeld was fired? The future was so bright I needed shades to look at it. Less than two years in and its feels even more hopeless than when EG was here because you know Ted ain't firing Shepp or himself anytime during this decade.

Oh boy, Masai Ujiri, Barack Obama, Tim Connelly, those were the days.

My enthusiasm was zapped immediately after the Wizards arduous effort to find a successor culminated in a Grunfeld lifer taking the reins.

I wish Ted would just sell the team.

Ted couldn't find a better GM because good GMs are smart enough to avoid working for Ted.

You could be right, I still think Connelly interviewed with the Wizards with every intention of taking his dream job and Leonsis said or did something that made him think better of it.

[doclinkin]

Oh boy, Masai Ujiri, Barack Obama, Tim Connelly, those were the days.

My enthusiasm was zapped immediately after the Wizards arduous effort to find a successor culminated in a Grunfeld lifer taking the reins.

I wish Ted would just sell the team.

Ted couldn't find a better GM because good GMs are smart enough to avoid working for Ted.

You could be right, I still think Connelly interviewed with the Wizards with every intention of taking his dream job and Leonsis said or did something that made him think better of it.

Yes. He made it clear he wanted a committee to have final say on basketball decisions, instead of hiring the right guy and trusting his instincts.

[payitforward]

Ted couldn't find a better GM because good GMs are smart enough to avoid working for Ted.

You could be right, I still think Connelly interviewed with the Wizards with every intention of taking his dream job and Leonsis said or did something that made him think better of it.

Yes. He made it clear he wanted a committee to have final say on basketball decisions, instead of hiring the right guy and trusting his instincts.

I don't see why Connelly would have interviewed at all if he weren't interested in the job.

I've said this before: Ted is a pretty typical case of guys who made a lot of $$ in the "dot com" era. A favorable wind blew him way up to the top of the money tree, & he thinks he got there because he knows how to fly.

For that reason, having decided his mistake with Ernie was giving him too much autonomy, he decided to create a more "collaborative" organization -- with him being the big new collaborator.

But, of course, the problem wasn't Ernie's autonomy -- it was Ernie. &, since Ted tolerated Ernie for umpteen years, you might as well just say that the problem was Ted.

[payitforward]

As to Tommy, I've gone back & forth -- in the end tho it's hard to blame him for the mess we're in.

To understand why not -- remember that Tommy took over @20 months ago. What would you have done as the Wizards GM in those 20 months?

Try & remember where we were at the end of the '18-19 season, & ask yourself what we could possibly have done to put together a team that would be more successful this season. A lot of criticism of him on this Board is coming from people who in April 2019 were discussing how much we should pay Jabari Parker & Bobby Portis.

Not leaving myself out, either -- I was saying we'd do well to re-sign Sam Dekker....

Tommy hasn't shined in the draft since he took over, but he hasn't picked a total bust! I didn't like his using the #9 pick on Rui (tho, I have Ted deeply involved in that marketing-based decision). But, at least he didn't take Cam Reddish -- there were some here who hoped he would! For that matter, some people here thought Admiral was a good pick. That made no sense whatever to me. But that was a weak R2 (including Bol Bol, btw -- he'll be out of the league soon).

For the rest, he started strong -- Brown, Bryant, Bonga, Bertans, Wagner. All good acquisitions, all for nothing (except a pick used on Brown -- a B move not an A move, but still...).

Tommy's biggest mistakes were 1) failing to trade Bertans & then re-signing him. Both errors, as I have said right along (not b/c I'm smart, because it was utterly & totally obvious) & 2) trading Wall -- though I would be shocked if that wasn't mostly Ted's decision.

[Dark Faze]

Allowing the current coach to run this team into the ground and also not addressing defense in any way are both pretty bad even if you want to clear him of the Wall move.