The Official Washington Wizards Thread

[stevemcqueen1]

Absurd. John played better when he didn't have JC next to him.

What are you basing this on? I don't know what to tell you here because their chemistry is so obvious to me when I watch them. On paper, it doesn't seem like they'd work together. But just watch them for five minutes in a game. Watch their body language and the way they make plays for each other. They're just tight knit. They know each other and know how to play together.

I also think Jordan is very popular in the locker room.

I can agree that he was put into a bad position in that he was asked to be THE guy but you have to wonder how teammates react when he heaves one up from 28 feet out with 15 seconds left on the clock. As many times he had to take a last second shot, he also shot himself out of rotation. I'd be ok with his ups and downs provided he was at least a streak shooter, but he isn't. He is terribly inefficient. His usage is far too high.

Crawford isn't a selfish player. He dishes the ball well. His usage is high because he's also the primary playmaker most of the time he's on the floor, both facilitating and finishing. That's the role he's been asked to play.

People hate Blatche but they defend this guy? Insane.

Completely different players, completely different situations. Crawford doesn't have John and the coaching staff publicly calling him out and isn't getting shut down for most of a season for being out of shape.

The offense is no better with him on the floor then with any other D-leaguer. He shoots 40%...he has no business being in a rotation with that kind of production. Especially for a 2 guard. He has been this way for 2 years now...do we honestly expect the little light bulb in his head will turn on and turn him into a competent guard now? I also have an issue making him the alpha male on the 2nd team. If management is stupid enough to think Okafor should start over Seraphin we should expect a 2nd lineup of something like:

Mack
JC
Singleton
Booker/Jan
Seraphin

Seraphin has proven he can score efficiently against starters. I imagine with another summer under his belt and going against reserves it should only lead to more success for him. I have every belief in the world that Crawford will **** **** up. He is a turnover prone guard as well, I can only imagine how many times Seraphin will get fed up with JC's entry passes.

First off, Okafor will probably win the starting job outright if healthy. Seraphin showed well for himself but he's not a better player than Okafor in offense, defense, or rebounding. Seraphin is actually a weak rebounder, and that alone is probably reason to start Okafor ahead of him since Okafor is a very good rebounder.

Seraphin can not create offense for himself. He's a finisher. He needs space in the lane and someone to get him the ball in his spots so he can get that jump hook off. He's not an offensively diverse enough player to carry the scoring load by himself, even on the second line. He's not skilled enough yet to work his way to the hoop consistently from any spot with technique.

You're completely overlooking Crawford's offensive creativity, which explains why you think he's no better than a d-leaguer. It's almost his entire source of value. And it's an extremely valuable quality. It's what got Dion Waiters drafted 4th overall. Crawford is a highly skilled scorer and he can also run point. Those are not for nothing.

The point is, if you can get rid of both Blatche and JC while shedding long term cap space, you do it. I'd rather we sign a veteran guard to play along side Mack or get a veteran PG and let Roger Mason spot up for threes. Crawford has to make MASSIVE improvements to be a rotational player, because outside of his FT% there is nothing I can like about his game. Not to say he doesn't try, cause he does, it just just hasn't resulted in production.

That's crazy, Crawford has already demonstrated he has the qualities of a valuable rotational player.

Do you think Jamal Crawford is a valuable rotational player? Jordan is cut from the same cloth. Similar numbers, extremely similar skill set, similar build and athleticism, similar ideal role.

The team needs offensive creativity and Crawford brings it. John is the only other highly creative offensive player. Beal is a rookie and was not noted for his handles or slashing/passing ability. None of the forwards can handle the ball. The bigs aren't high volume ISO scorers. Cartier Martin is a pure spot up shooter. Get rid of Crawford and this team has absolutely no creativity when John goes out. I think it'd be a terrible mistake to get rid of him just to get a redundant big or get rid of Blatche. That's what the amnesty clause is for.

[StillUnknown]

stream anyone?

check your pm's

---------- Post added July-13th-2012 at 04:41 PM ----------

Vesely isn't hesitating on offense this game, nice to see. Much more confident on the offensive end.

[stevemcqueen1]

Thats our Vesely


All jokes aside, I've done about 180 on that kid, I think he's really going to turn heads this season.

What's changed your mind? I'm glad other people are really warming up to him now. I too think he's going to impress people, similar to how Seraphin did last year. He's a worker with a high BBall IQ and great length and athleticism. He'll be a good player eventually.

I've always had a soft spot for Vesely and was probably way higher on him than most everyone not named GACOLB last season. I think it's because I knew a little of what to expect from him. Most people were probably expecting him to look like a #6 overall pick but I knew he was raw going in and that draft class was very weak. I knew you just weren't going to find #6 production from anybody that year. So you had to look to the future with Vesely and lower your expectations.

The thing that most people thought Vesely showed well as a rookie was his impressive BBall IQ. I didn't expect him to be such a smart player. He's so long and springy and he's got great hands and coordination plus pretty solid feet. Pair all that with his energy and his IQ and you've got the makings of an impact defensive forward on your hands if he can ever add some strength to his base.

Down the road, I think Vesely ends up as our man for covering those killer stretch 4s that are shredding up nets these days. It's really hard to find a player that can defend those types of opponents without being a mismatch. Fortunately, we've got Vesely and he is really ideal for this.

Offensively, I think Vesely will one day be our best roll man for John to run his pick and roll with because he's such a good finisher. He also gets to the line surprisingly well for such a skinny player.

Vesely will never be able to create his own buckets with any sort of regularity. But he does pass and add to offensive flow and if he could just improve to mediocre as a spot up shooter and free throw shooter, then he could be a useful offensive player.

[Fight4RGIII]

Mack is gonna be out of the league in a few years. I hope we bring in a Vet PG this year.

[StillUnknown]

What's changed your mind? I'm glad other people are really warming up to him now. I too think he's going to impress people, similar to how Seraphin did last year. He's a worker with a high BBall IQ and great length and athleticism. He'll be a good player eventually.

I've always had a soft spot for Vesely and was probably way higher on him than most everyone not named GACOLB last season. I think it's because I knew a little of what to expect from him. Most people were probably expecting him to look like a #6 overall pick but I knew he was raw going in and that draft class was very weak. I knew you just weren't going to find #6 production from anybody that year. So you had to look to the future with Vesely and lower your expectations.

The thing that most people thought Vesely showed well as a rookie was his impressive BBall IQ. I didn't expect him to be such a smart player. He's so long and springy and he's got great hands and coordination plus pretty solid feet. Pair all that with his energy and his IQ and you've got the makings of an impact defensive forward on your hands if he can ever add some strength to his base.

Down the road, I think Vesely ends up as our man for covering those killer stretch 4s that are shredding up nets these days. It's really hard to find a player that can defend those types of opponents without being a mismatch. Fortunately, we've got Vesely and he is really ideal for this.

Offensively, I think Vesely will one day be our best roll man for John to run his pick and roll with because he's such a good finisher. He also gets to the line surprisingly well for such a skinny player.

Vesely will never be able to create his own buckets with any sort of regularity. But he does pass and add to offensive flow and if he could just improve to mediocre as a spot up shooter and free throw shooter, then he could be a useful offensive player.

He already does the little things well, the IQ is there. Judging from different articles, he seems to have the work ethic to get better. If he learns to shoot, add some pounds, he can be a player.

The jumpshot is probably most important, if it gets consistent, we can really big and play him at the 3 for stretches.

Mack is gonna be out of the league in a few years. I hope we bring in a Vet PG this year.

Singleton might be with him.

[Destino]

Considering the fact that singleton was starting at the three last season... He should look a lot better on a summer team than he does.

[Fight4RGIII]

There is a foul every other play in this game.

[StillUnknown]

Beal played pretty good that first half, 14pts on 6 shots. Solid defense.

[BRAVEONTHEWARPATH93]

not impressed by Vesely...every time he blows a play, he puts his head down and walks out of bounds like a child. Act like you wanna be there.

[StillUnknown]

Vesely manages to foul out despite the fact that there are 8 fewer minutes and you're allowed 10 fouls in summer league.

---------- Post added July-13th-2012 at 07:00 PM ----------

Game 1 recap

http://www.bulletsforever.com/2012/7...inal#storyjump

[nuposse87]

What are you basing this on? I don't know what to tell you here because their chemistry is so obvious to me when I watch them. On paper, it doesn't seem like they'd work together. But just watch them for five minutes in a game. Watch their body language and the way they make plays for each other. They're just tight knit. They know each other and know how to play together.

Small sample size, but as a floor general when Jordan went down for a few games with an ankle injury, I thought John performed considerably better as floor general. I'll always maintain that Wall is best suited with a catch and shoot guard in the mold of something like Hamilton. Crawford doesn't compliment much unless his shot is falling. For that reason, I never want Crawford to start for this organization again, but I know he will because he's earned PT by default experience with Wall. I don't care how tight nit they are, they only perform if Crawford's shot is falling. Crawford also has poor man to man D if you ask me, at least Nick young was capable of that.

I also think Jordan is very popular in the locker room.
This isn't a popularity contest, this is all about production

Crawford isn't a selfish player. He dishes the ball well. His usage is high because he's also the primary playmaker most of the time he's on the floor, both facilitating and finishing. That's the role he's been asked to play.
This a problem in itself, because he can't handle the load. He makes too many mistakes and just can't be effective without the ball. I really don't see how anyone can consider this guy to be efficient. While his assist to TO ration is positive, for someone who handles the ball as much as he does he hasn't really shown any sign of improving in this department.

Completely different players, completely different situations. Crawford doesn't have John and the coaching staff publicly calling him out and isn't getting shut down for most of a season for being out of shape.
true but that doesn't excuse his abhorrent shooting, he should be getting an earful and riding the pine until he learns to play within his ability.

First off, Okafor will probably win the starting job outright if healthy. Seraphin showed well for himself but he's not a better player than Okafor in offense, defense, or rebounding. Seraphin is actually a weak rebounder, and that alone is probably reason to start Okafor ahead of him since Okafor is a very good rebounder.

Bull**** on two of these. I'll be the first to admit, I'm high on seraphin but he does have his faults. However, there is no way you can tell me Okafor is a better offensive player than him. Okafor's stats this past season do him disservice because he was injured so we can take a look at the previous year as a better gauge. They both had virtually the same PER, Seraphin with 15.8 and Okafor at 16.0 the season before last. Seraphin's per is probably higher once he was inserted into the starting lineup, his stats may be weighted down a bit from the first half of the season. Okafor's TS is a bit more .58 to .55 but I haven't really seen Okafor do much in terms of a back to the basket game. He finishes well, but I don't think he could be like...a 3rd option. I think 3rd option is reasonable for seraphin when he gets in his prime. He already exhibited a superior post game display this season. Rebounding absolutely goes to Okafor. I will not deny that. You have to examine though, with Seraphin on the floor, the team's rebounding went up compared to when we had Mcgee. DrTG rating gives okafor a 2 point edge to Seraphin 103 to 105, I'd like to see how that number compares with seraphin's post all star break figures. Seraphin surprisingly, per 36 is also a better shot blocker than Okafor. I'm not sure 3 rbs a game difference is warranted to start Okafor over seraphin. I'd like to have one veteran big man with the 2nd unit anyways.


Seraphin can not create offense for himself. He's a finisher. He needs space in the lane and someone to get him the ball in his spots so he can get that jump hook off. He's not an offensively diverse enough player to carry the scoring load by himself, even on the second line. He's not skilled enough yet to work his way to the hoop consistently from any spot with technique.
I think he has shown if we get him the ball down low with good position, he can go to work rather effectively. My only issue with him at this point is will he pass back out once defenses collapse down him. I don't see many teams doubling up on Okafor as he really isn't a low post threat. If seraphin grows as a passer it would make life easier for cutting guard.


You're completely overlooking Crawford's offensive creativity, which explains why you think he's no better than a d-leaguer. It's almost his entire source of value. And it's an extremely valuable quality. It's what got Dion Waiters drafted 4th overall. Crawford is a highly skilled scorer and he can also run point. Those are not for nothing.

The guy makes great passes, I won't deny that. He also makes nearly an equivalent amount of mistakes. He isn't a highly skilled scorer. Blatche scored a **** ton when we traded the farm. He didn't do it efficiently though. While I give props to JC for exuding effort, he is demonstrating the same facade we had with Dray, nice numbers on BAD efficiency. That doesn't equate to a "skilled scorer," just simply, a scorer.

That's crazy, Crawford has already demonstrated he has the qualities of a valuable rotational player.

Do you think Jamal Crawford is a valuable rotational player? Jordan is cut from the same cloth. Similar numbers, extremely similar skill set, similar build and athleticism, similar ideal role.
jamal is a career 35% 3 point shooter at least. 2:1 in the assist to TO department. He also has a career TS of near 53%...Jamal's first few years showed he would be a good 3 point shooter, and had pretty efficient play making ability. I've seen Jordan go off for a few games, but you can't put him and Jamal in the same league yet, at least in terms of efficiency. The one similar thing is that they are both ****ty defenders.

The team needs offensive creativity and Crawford brings it. John is the only other highly creative offensive player. Beal is a rookie and was not noted for his handles or slashing/passing ability. None of the forwards can handle the ball. The bigs aren't high volume ISO scorers. Cartier Martin is a pure spot up shooter. Get rid of Crawford and this team has absolutely no creativity when John goes out. I think it'd be a terrible mistake to get rid of him just to get a redundant big or get rid of Blatche. That's what the amnesty clause is for.

I'd rather just amnesty blatche as well, but I doubt management will do that. if they do, sign someone like...Watson, anyone, just to take ball handling duties away from crawford in Mack. I seriously abhor our guard play outside of Wall and Beal.

[Burgold]

Crazy how many current and ex-Wizards are on that amnesty list. Arenas, Haywood, and now, maybe Blatche. That could be ten percent or more of all players that got amnestied were recent Wizards.

[nuposse87]

Btw as to the game itself. I'm happy Jan learned how to shoot, and is a tad bit more aggressive...but he looked a littler slower than usual. Not slower than the average 4, but what gave him some advantages last season was his superior quickness... I hope our strength and conditioning coaches notice this. The J is looking great though.

Beal looked great in the 1st half. I think the entire squad kind of sulked in the 2nd half, so I'm not terribly concerned. You can tell ATL's defenses were focusing on him, so it was a good wake up call for him. Singleton....hmmm...garbage time stats :/ Verdict is still out on him IMO.

Mack has no business in the NBA. He got toasted today.

[StillUnknown]

Btw as to the game itself. I'm happy Jan learned how to shoot, and is a tad bit more aggressive...but he looked a littler slower than usual. Not slower than the average 4, but what gave him some advantages last season was his superior quickness... I hope our strength and conditioning coaches notice this. The J is looking great though.

Beal looked great in the 1st half. I think the entire squad kind of sulked in the 2nd half, so I'm not terribly concerned. You can tell ATL's defenses were focusing on him, so it was a good wake up call for him. Singleton....hmmm...garbage time stats :/ Verdict is still out on him IMO.

Mack has no business in the NBA. He got toasted today.

I remember reading somewhere that the team plane got in later than they expected, the entire team looked dead in the 2nd half today.

[nuposse87]

I don't want that to be the reason...but...eh. There are still some fundamental flaws with some of the players. I'm more irked that we couldn't get a young PG to battle Mack for his job. That and look at the center play.