The Official Washington Wizards Thread

[stevemcqueen1]

Is there anything worse than writing a long post (esp on the cell) and then getting a "Page Not Found" when you hit submit? Lose the whole damn thing, ugh.

Anyway, Thornton got bought out McQueen. He's with Golden State now.

Thanks for the update. I looked for him on the roster the other day and didn't see him and wondered what in the hell happened to him. I assumed he was thrown into one of the deadline trades. Where is Rashard Lewis? I don't even remember hearing anything about him? I would assume he's still here though because of his contract but it seems like a long time since I've seen him in a game.

Again, the thing I love about Crawford is that he can run the point. He might be undersized, but both Wall and Crawford are bigger than both Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry. I really think the two have the potential to be one of the deadliest backcourt duo's in basketball. The pairing up of that kind of speed, aggressiveness and handles is ridiculous. If Wall can get his shot down and Crawford improves on his, watch out.

Crawford came on remarkably fast once he was given an opportunity. I confess I knew almost nothing about Crawford other than what you all mentioned on here about the LeBron camp tape and what I'd seen with my own eyes over the last three games. So I just now went and looked him up on Wikipedia and had an oooooh **** moment. I didn't put it together that this kid is #55 from Xavier last year! I'd actually watched him play in college and had no idea LOL! He played pretty well against us (Richmond) and it was pretty obvious he and #52 were there best players and a really dangerous backcourt. Man that's something else, I wondered what happened to him--turns out he's on my NBA team.

Aside from the black mark of having gone to Xavier, I'm twice as excited about Crawford as I was before I found that out. I want him to be the long term starter now.

I see what you mean about Curry/Ellis and I think that's a good comparison to start from in terms of size and speed. Our duo will be better in the end though because they fit into their roles better. Wall is a big pure point guard whereas Curry is an undersized two playing a bit out of position at the point. Crawford is a long but undersized two playing in his proper position for us. Man I don't know if that makes any sense.

What I am trying to say is that our guards fit more naturally into the traditional 1 & 2 roles than Curry & Ellis do, as I think both Curry and Ellis are natural 2s. Plus Crawford and Wall might be about the same height as Curry/Ellis, but to my eye they look a lot longer and stronger. I know for a fact that Wall has a ridiculous wingspan and Crawford looks really long armed and rangy too.

Wall will eventually iron out his shot to become an all around stud. If Derrick Rose could do it, so can Wall, as I think Rose's jumper was a lot rougher than Wall's when he came into the league. Crawford needs to settle down with his shot. He looks like he gets impatient and he'll start chucking and get overly aggressive. But I'm not going to let that discourage me as he's a rookie and I just assume that he'll improve.

Young is perfect off the bench. Or he can start and Crawford is great off the bench. My concern is how much it's going to cost to keep NY. And after Blatche, I'm beyond wary of players having career performances in contract years. I was NEVER on the Blatche bandwagon and I don't feel the same vibe from Nick but still...it's something to worry about. After getting stuck with Blatche, a similar contract and resulting situation with Nick Young could be devestating. (Young is a beast in NBA2K btw. If you use him right.)

Blatche is still tradeable, so I don't think the move to give him an extension was crippling on a long term. If Young got a similar deal, he'd be fine--just as long as it didn't make him the starter by default. I agree with what you're saying about the contract year thing though. It's why I think Crawford has made him expendable. I'd like to keep him because he's a great shooter and you can never have too many of those. Plus outside of him, we don't have a consistent 3 pointer on the roster. But it's not worth breaking the bank for him and I definitely want Crawford in my plans as the long term starting 2. If Young can accept a Ben Gordon style role as a swingman coming off the bench, then that'd be ideal. If he can't then, I would let him find another team that will let him start.

And I agree with MF8 on McGee. Obviously. Again, numbers and stats don't tell the whole story. Esp in basketball. It's not like baseball.

Yes, the numbers don't tell the whole story, but I'm going off of what I saw from him the last three games in particular. The triple double was a bit empty and his showboating was childish, but at least he played hard in an otherwise meaningless contest. Other than that, I thought McGee has been excellent the past two games. He's an unselfish player who can give you 30 good minutes a game at the 5 and bring a couple of special talents to the table (finishing & shot-blocking). I don't agree that he played bad defense yesterday. He'll let things get away from him and react slowly on occasion, but that's the norm for the position (plus he's only 23). When he's motivated and playing outside Blatche's shadow, he's been extremely efficient and looks like one of the better centers in the conference. He plays hard, he's just immature. If he were lazy like Blatche I would worry, but I don't think that is the case.

The trouble is in just getting McGee to this level each night. I think it can be done. I think when you surround him in winners like Wall, Crawford, and Booker, it bleeds off on him. Give me Jared Sullinger at the 4 and then that's the perfect mix to let McGee percolate in. He's still a man-child right now but he will grow up eventually.

Regarding his numbers, they can be off, but I don't think they tell an outright lie with McGee. His PER is that of a quality starting center and it reinforces what I've seen on my own--a good but not dominant big who can play within himself offensively and show flashes of brilliance in the paint on the defensive end. McGee is probably miles ahead of where he was two years ago, and I think he'll continue to make strides the more he gets to mature with this core.

I wish he had made the US national team over the summer. I think that would have done amazing things for his development. Judging by all of the players who made megaleaps after playing on that team (Westbrook, Rose, Gay, Love, Gordon), McGee could have made the leap sooner rather than later. If the stars hold out of the Olympics, I really hope McGee and Wall make the 2012 team for this very reason.

Oh and Yi is a complete bum. I'll be beyond bitter if we give him anything more than a one year deal with a low number. And I'm not sure we should even do that. I guess as bench filler but that's absolutely it. Great athlete, beyond soft, and arguably the most clueless player in the league. And if he hasn't gotten it yet, he ain't never getting it.

Yeah, but even still, wouldn't you rather see him start than Blatche? Yi is a stiff, but at least he doesn't hinder our offense by taking up a ton of shots. Plus I get the sense that Blatche and McGee dislike each other, or at least playing with each other. Blatche is too egocentric and it's not good that he's the mature one in that pair...

I guess Yi is your 10th or 11th man and that's fine. I'm surprised that Seraphin is even less ready to go than Yi. I was really hoping for something from him. We really need a power forward.

---------- Post added March-21st-2011 at 11:13 AM ----------

Yeah, it was me.

And I'm glad to see you're coming around on Jones......just like I did on Barnes.

Yeah it took seeing him juxtaposed against a million other players in a format like the tournament for me to see him shine. He's a power forward in a small forward's body like Booker is, only he's got the speed of a guard. He looks like he's about as good an athlete as Barnes is and I would guess that he's got a longer wingspan and stronger frame than Barnes.

Barnes has him on offensive tools and basketball IQ though. Barnes is a very controlled player who doesn't seem to make a lot of mistakes. He keeps his temper and competitive fire on a leash and has the poise of a winner IMO. He's also got a very rounded offensive game for a first time wing. I know Barnes was a post player for most of his life so he's made a pretty rapid adjustment to a new role in terms of developing finesse (and still has upside).

Both are winners, so I don't really give either an edge in that category. I also like both a lot more than I like Derrick Williams and Perry Jones. Jones' teams have never been very successful and I don't have any interest in adding another raw, immature player onto our roster no matter what kind of an athlete he is. Williams just doesn't do it for me for some reason. I've seen him play a few games where he's come up big but I just don't see him being a good fit for us. I want a strong power forward or a highly versatile small forward from this lottery. Williams will be a good scorer in the NBA but I think he's soft and finesse looking.

I want to see Kanter with my own eyes aside from what you can pick up on youtube. What I've read about him is extremely impressive. There is a strong consensus on him as a player and two things jump out at you:
1) Well developed offensively
2) Rebounding machine

That's exactly what we need from our power forward and the nice thing about Kanter is he can play some center too. The problem is that I've also read from a bunch of different places that he has concerns over the health of his knees. That really worries me given the fact that our medical staff is poorly thought of and guys like Greg Oden have been so disappointing because of knee issues.

That's why I'm praying we get Sullinger.

[BRAVEONAWARPATH]

Barnes Leaning Toward Staying At North Carolina


Harrison Barnes is a top NBA prospect. Most NBA draft outlets have him pegged as a top five pick.

With those kind of projections, you'd think the 6-foot-8 small forward would be a lock to come out. Not so, according to ESPN.com’s Chad Ford.

Barnes would like to win an NCAA championship for the Tar Heels before declaring for the draft, a source told Ford.

"He's the sort of guy who cares about more than just going to the NBA," the source said. "He wants to leave his mark."

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap...#ixzz1HGY4IXaj

[StillUnknown]

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap...#ixzz1HGY4IXaj

I wonder if the impending lockout will keep some people in college an extra year

[stevemcqueen1]

He'd probably be smart to come out this year. Next year is a really strong forward class and he's going to need a great season to continue being ranked as the top SF in the class.

[MLSKINS]

I tried to defend Javale McGee on many occasions: after tonight, I won't do it anymore. I have come to a realization that he will never be an effective NBA Center. The Blazers are making him look like a poindexter out there.

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

Welcome to the family.

He did have a sick block though. That'll be enough to keep some going.

[StillUnknown]

Welcome to the family.

He did have a sick block though. That'll be enough to keep some going.

[No Excuses]

McGee is just really really dumb. Might never develop the mental aspect of the game, which is why I want him traded before he becomes just another Stromile Swift. His value is a lotto pick in next years draft.

The things he's lacking are basic fundamentals that are second nature to any NBA player, rookie or 10 year veteran. Makes me think that it's not a matter of maturity, but that he just doesn't get it and never will.

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

You should make a gif of that one footed, fadeaway something from the free throw line that hit nothing but glass right now.

[No Excuses]

lol that was embarrassing. I've been scavenging the internet for that really ****ing stupid hook shot he had earlier in the season. I can't remember which team it was against but he took a hook shot from the free throw line. Ugliest NBA play ever.

[StillUnknown]

You should make a gif of that one footed, fadeaway something from the free throw line that hit nothing but glass right now.

you can't script the **** he does sometimes

[MonkFan8]

Anyone that defends McGee or says that this team is "getting some chemistry" is flat out not paying attention. This team is horrendous.

And I know I sound like a broken record, but Blatche is a very important player in this offense when he's healthy. His passing ability alone is sorely needed on the team right now. Yeah, he may jack up shots, but at least he is capable of making them, unlike every other player in our front court.

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

I'm not sure I've ever seen the refs respect a team less. It's like they're disgusted they have to be a part of a game we're playing in and just want us to hurry up and get blown out.

[MonkFan8]

Welcome to the family.

He did have a sick block though. That'll be enough to keep some going.

Yeah, typical McGee. Always has a few highlight plays to blind people from just how poor of a player he actually is. Give his athletic ability to Aldridge and he'd be the best center in NBA history.

Sad.

[No Excuses]

Anyone that defends McGee or says that this team is "getting some chemistry" is flat out not paying attention. This team is horrendous.

And I know I sound like a broken record, but Blatche is a very important player in this offense when he's healthy. His passing ability alone is sorely needed on the team right now. Yeah, he may jack up shots, but at least he is capable of making them, unlike every other player in our front court.

How is a player who is having one of the least efficient shooting seasons ever integral to this teams offense. Without Blatche, we basically go from dog **** to horse ****. Big deal. The end result is still the same: we suck ass.