John Hollinger's Wizards Forecast

[WizSkinsO's]

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/trainingcamp06/insider/columns/story?columnist=hollinger_john&page=Wizards0607&univLogin02=stateChanged

I must say...I usually really like Hollinger, but his Wizards season preview is complete crap.

Problems:
A. He completely forgot Andray Blatche.

B. He completely underrates the addition of a healthy Jarvis Hayes to the depth of our team, choosing to ignore the fact that your offseason is actually quite eventful when all you do is lose Jeffries, but gain Songaila, Stevenson, and a healthy former top pick with huge potential.

Hayes only played 21 games last year and Hollinger basically takes the attitude that "he was on the team last year." He wasn't healthy at all and made no impact. It's like trading for a potential 6th man of the year without giving up anything.

C. He continually makes up crap about a supposed lack of depth, despite the fact that I see around 5 players projected on our bench that could be solid replacement starters in the NBA (Daniels, Hayes, Blatche, Songaila, Thomas), as well as a few solid 3rd-stringers.

D. He kindly points out that we were one of the unluckiest teams in the NBA last year, and should be viewed as a 47-win team last year that improved this offseason, yet for no reason at all spirals into some crap about how this team is more likely to miss the playoffs without providing any reasoning not based on a fake lack of depth and while he's forgetting a very solid player in our rotation.

The Wizards just get no respect at all. I can't wait for the season to start.

Andray Blatche? You reading this? John Hollinger just named guys such as Calvin Booth over you, and doesn't even seem to know that you're on the Wizards. Shove it in his face.

[clathel]

1. Thomas is not a solid 5th stringer.....and there arent 5th strings in basketball.

2. Haywood is a solid third string but should not start anywhere in this league.

3. You are forgetting we dont have any defensive low post players. We dont have depth in the PF or C positions. That is not made up.

4. We have alot of tweeners but no one that should be playing PF or C. Song in 6'8" and should be a SF. AJ has the height but is a natural SF. Blatche isnt seasoned enough and doesnt have the build to play starting PF or C. PJR is awful defensively.

5. DSS is a tweener too but at least he can defend unlike Gil. Gil is our best offensive player but not a defender. He proved it at the Worlds tryouts.

6. We lost 5 or 6 games more last year than the year before. We had just as many injuries too. We are not unlucky. We are worse.

7. We didnt upgrade where needed and kept a bunch of losers at PF and C.

So where is the feces of which you speak? We will win 5-6 games less this year too. That means no playoffs.

[WizSkinsO's]

I've seen your negativity everywhere in the Wizards forums, and I have to say you are the definition of a terrible Wizards fan.

I'm all for being a realist, and do not at all think this team is above criticism. However, you're a Debbie Downer, and your posts are like propaganda against the Wizards.

1. Thomas is not a solid 5th stringer.....and there arent 5th strings in basketball.
Did I say 5th stringer? Or is this just your attempt at insulting Thomas, who was a very solid player in this league when healthy and has apparently worked very hard this offseason?
2. Haywood is a solid third string but should not start anywhere in this league.
On a team with one of the most explosive scorers in the NBA, another potential all star in Butler, and a former all-star in Jamison, it's entirely acceptable to have a center who Hollinger admits is a "very underrated defensive player." Third string? Please. He's not ideal, but big men in the league are pretty weak right now and he can be tolerated.
3. You are forgetting we dont have any defensive low post players. We dont have depth in the PF or C positions. That is not made up.
We have depth at PF. I can live with not having depth at C. And I know...we still don't have defense. Same as last year, when we won 42 but were among the most unlucky teams in the league and should have won 47. We added more offense and more depth. Explain to me again why we should only win 36 this year?

4. We have alot of tweeners but no one that should be playing PF or C. Song in 6'8" and should be a SF. AJ has the height but is a natural SF. Blatche isnt seasoned enough and doesnt have the build to play starting PF or C. PJR is awful defensively.
Songaila is fine at PF. I didn't even mention PJR, but he definitely has the potential to be better than awful. I didn't dispute any of Hollinger's comments about our defense being filled with tweeners and our PF and C positions being relatively weak. We're still better than last year though at those positions, and our smaller positions have been upgraded tremendously.

5. DSS is a tweener too but at least he can defend unlike Gil. Gil is our best offensive player but not a defender. He proved it at the Worlds tryouts.
Gil's never been a defender. But he has nowhere to go but up after last year. Again, I did not dispute anything of the sort with Hollinger.
6. We lost 5 or 6 games more last year than the year before. We had just as many injuries too. We are not unlucky. We are worse.
Untrue, and math and research proves that we were unlucky. We had a new team that didn't mesh together immediately and lost an absurd number of close games, as shown in our expected win total being above 47. How'd we get worse, exactly?

7. We didnt upgrade where needed and kept a bunch of losers at PF and C.
Stop calling our players losers. Your attacks are personal. We upgraded the depth greatly, got Hayes back for nothing...we've undoubtedly improved from last year and we were quite unlucky last year. Hollinger makes up a new lack of depth that apparently must be greater than last year's if we're going to win even less than what he admits was an unlucky season. He also forgot Blatche, unexcusable.
So where is the feces of which you speak? We will win 5-6 games less this year too. That means no playoffs.
You are wrong. I'm noting this--you better not be back on the bandwagon later, buddy.

Way to not address any of the points I stated where wrong with Hollinger's article and disregard reason, instead prefering your natural pessimism.

[XxSpearheadxX]

I wouldn't be surprised if Gilbert has a journal entitled,


"Bad things people have said about me and other stories of those underrating my talent and team."

Its all gonna come together.... Caron is gonna have a huge year, and who knows how good Gil can really be?


Gilbert was 2nd in the league in steals last season.

[kreitmaster]

Once again we will be underrated. I am expecting to be the 4th or 5th spot in the playoffs once again. We still havent made that move that puts over the top and gives a chance to compete with Miami. BTW, Go Tigers!!

[Spaceman Spiff]

I can see it both ways. I can see a big improvement...

But I also think that we won't see a significant improvement until we get a dominant force down low. Haywood and Thomas simply don't cut it.

[clathel]

I've seen your negativity everywhere in the Wizards forums, and I have to say you are the definition of a terrible Wizards fan.

I'm all for being a realist, and do not at all think this team is above criticism. However, you're a Debbie Downer, and your posts are like propaganda against the Wizards.


You are wrong. I'm noting this--you better not be back on the bandwagon later, buddy.

Way to not address any of the points I stated where wrong with Hollinger's article and disregard reason, instead prefering your natural pessimism.

Good....Then you are paying attention. Hollinger is giving what I call a pretty good analysis of the situation. He didnt need to include Blatche because Blatche isnt ready for prime time yet. Hayes has had injury problems every year. Thomas is an overpaid bench warmer and should be cut. Haywood and Ruffin are one dimensional players but Haywood takes games off. If Brenda and Poet can ever concentrate on the game for more than one game every few weeks then I might like them. I am not a bandwagon fan like you. I am a real fan that is frustrated with the choices our FO makes....how many more G/F tweeners can one team handle while not addressing defensive needs without imploding?

[LiveStrongSkins]

Clathel your posts are like a :pooh: factory. No matter how much you try to produce, it's still :pooh: You are the only Wizards (fan?) that looks to find a negative out of every possible avenue you can get it. I tell you what, since according to you the season is over before it starts, dont watch any of the games nor talk anything Wizards until they get this all world big man you are expecting falls into their lap. :rolleyes:

[clathel]

Clathel your posts are like a :pooh: factory. No matter how much you try to produce, it's still :pooh: You are the only Wizards (fan?) that looks to find a negative out of every possible avenue you can get it. I tell you what, since according to you the season is over before it starts, dont watch any of the games nor talk anything Wizards until they get this all world big man you are expecting falls into their lap. :rolleyes:....

Originally Posted by WizSkinsO's
We have depth at PF. I can live with not having depth at C. And I know...we still don't have defense. Same as last year, when we won 42 but were among the most unlucky teams in the league and should have won 47. We added more offense and more depth. Explain to me again why we should only win 36 this year?



I would have been fine with the Magloire for a sandwich trade that someone else got....not us. I admit that we added an offensive SF/PF in Song but he is a defensive liability. We needed defense and got offense again. If you had been a fan since 1974 like me and seen way too many bad seasons, you might be a bit pessimistic too. We havent had a talented big in 20 years....it is about time. If you cant handle another opinion that isnt a homer based one then get off this board and every other one too, because this is a forum for opinions....negative and positive.

Luck has nothing to do with basketball...Skill does, and we dont have the depth of skill....if one good person goes down there goes our season. I have always been a huge fan of the Wizards but I am not a homer. I think it is an insult to the Wizards to be a homer because it does them no good. They will get complacent if the FO knows that they can barely compete or not compete and keep you interested.