Respectablity is Reached?--Washington Wizards 2014-2015 Regular Season (1 Viewer)

[TobiasFunke]

Right on cue, from Bullets Forever:

The Wiz have a major bench problem

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

I was looking at a stat just from last nights game where the shooting with Wall in the game was near 50% and with him out somewhere near 30%.

The guy who has felt this the most has been Martell Webster.His play off the bench has been way below average but he needs someone to feed him when he gets open and Maynor just isn't doing that.So the question is what did they see in Maynor to make the call to bring him in?As of now I see no reason why he should get on the floor(much like Vesely)or better yet even hold a roster spot.

So while Grunfeld has dealt Wittman another crappy hand it still is up to Wittman to get the best out of what he has and he really has no clue as to how to do this.

This..... And what's worse is hell OFTEN say exactly that....."I don't know what to do! "

 

[TobiasFunke]

I was looking at a stat just from last nights game where the shooting with Wall in the game was near 50% and with him out somewhere near 30%.

The guy who has felt this the most has been Martell Webster.His play off the bench has been way below average but he needs someone to feed him when he gets open and Maynor just isn't doing that.So the question is what did they see in Maynor to make the call to bring him in?As of now I see no reason why he should get on the floor(much like Vesely)or better yet even hold a roster spot.

So while Grunfeld has dealt Wittman another crappy hand it still is up to Wittman to get the best out of what he has and he really has no clue as to how to do this.

This..... And what's worse is hell OFTEN say exactly that....."I don't know what to do! "

I don't see this as a Wittman problem, and neither does the article I just linked. What can he do with this bunch? He's already stretching the starters too thin as it is.

 

[tom22406]

I was looking at a stat just from last nights game where the shooting with Wall in the game was near 50% and with him out somewhere near 30%.

The guy who has felt this the most has been Martell Webster.His play off the bench has been way below average but he needs someone to feed him when he gets open and Maynor just isn't doing that.So the question is what did they see in Maynor to make the call to bring him in?As of now I see no reason why he should get on the floor(much like Vesely)or better yet even hold a roster spot.

So while Grunfeld has dealt Wittman another crappy hand it still is up to Wittman to get the best out of what he has and he really has no clue as to how to do this.

This..... And what's worse is hell OFTEN say exactly that....."I don't know what to do! "

I don't see this as a Wittman problem, and neither does the article I just linked. What can he do with this bunch? He's already stretching the starters too thin as it is.

I certainly am not saying this all is on Wittman and in fact I have said numerous times Grunfeld and Wittman both need to go because both are in over their head.

I think a better coach can get a little more out of this mess though which is my point.Wittman just isn't a good X's and O's guy and never has been.No doubting they lack talent on the bench and that squarely falls on Grunfeld so you will get no pushback from me on that at all.

 

[TobiasFunke]

I was looking at a stat just from last nights game where the shooting with Wall in the game was near 50% and with him out somewhere near 30%.

The guy who has felt this the most has been Martell Webster.His play off the bench has been way below average but he needs someone to feed him when he gets open and Maynor just isn't doing that.So the question is what did they see in Maynor to make the call to bring him in?As of now I see no reason why he should get on the floor(much like Vesely)or better yet even hold a roster spot.

So while Grunfeld has dealt Wittman another crappy hand it still is up to Wittman to get the best out of what he has and he really has no clue as to how to do this.

This..... And what's worse is hell OFTEN say exactly that....."I don't know what to do! "

I don't see this as a Wittman problem, and neither does the article I just linked. What can he do with this bunch? He's already stretching the starters too thin as it is.

I certainly am not saying this all is on Wittman and in fact I have said numerous times Grunfeld and Wittman both need to go because both are in over their head.

I think a better coach can get a little more out of this mess though which is my point.Wittman just isn't a good X's and O's guy and never has been.No doubting they lack talent on the bench and that squarely falls on Grunfeld so you will get no pushback from me on that at all.

I dunno about that. I like the way this team plays from a strategy standpoint. They work the corner 3 as much or more than any team in the league, a hallmark of an efficient offense (the Heat and the Spurs being the two most prominent examples). When the talent is on the floor they play great basketball, as evidenced by the +/- numbers for the various combos that have most of the starters in them. The defense has sucked but they had a great D last year so it's not like Wittman can't coach an effective D. The problem is that they only go 6 deep with NBA-level talent. You can't win like that in an 82 game regular season.

I'm not ready to call this year's team a failure yet, but if/when we get to that point I'll probably put it 95% on Grunfeld at least. Wittman can't play Wall, Beal and Nene 45 minutes a game and he's not the one who chose the guys who come in when they rest.

 

[Ramsay Hunt Experience]

I was looking at a stat just from last nights game where the shooting with Wall in the game was near 50% and with him out somewhere near 30%.

The guy who has felt this the most has been Martell Webster.His play off the bench has been way below average but he needs someone to feed him when he gets open and Maynor just isn't doing that.So the question is what did they see in Maynor to make the call to bring him in?As of now I see no reason why he should get on the floor(much like Vesely)or better yet even hold a roster spot.

So while Grunfeld has dealt Wittman another crappy hand it still is up to Wittman to get the best out of what he has and he really has no clue as to how to do this.

This..... And what's worse is hell OFTEN say exactly that....."I don't know what to do! "

I don't see this as a Wittman problem, and neither does the article I just linked. What can he do with this bunch? He's already stretching the starters too thin as it is.

I certainly am not saying this all is on Wittman and in fact I have said numerous times Grunfeld and Wittman both need to go because both are in over their head.

I think a better coach can get a little more out of this mess though which is my point.Wittman just isn't a good X's and O's guy and never has been.No doubting they lack talent on the bench and that squarely falls on Grunfeld so you will get no pushback from me on that at all.

I dunno about that. I like the way this team plays from a strategy standpoint. They work the corner 3 as much or more than any team in the league, a hallmark of an efficient offense (the Heat and the Spurs being the two most prominent examples). When the talent is on the floor they play great basketball, as evidenced by the +/- numbers for the various combos that have most of the starters in them. The defense has sucked but they had a great D last year so it's not like Wittman can't coach an effective D. The problem is that they only go 6 deep with NBA-level talent. You can't win like that in an 82 game regular season.

I guess I just wonder why there can't be a Plan B. The offense is working well because it's perfectly suited to Wall's talents. He can push the pace and find the early three. If Maynor can't do that, then it makes no sense to run the same sets with him. Just from the OKC and Dallas games that I've watched, the offense around Maynor appears to be to look for an early post feed to Nene or pass it aimlessly and settle for a bad shot as the shot clock winds down.

I'm just a casual fan, but I think the Spurs offense has to be different when Tony Parker isn't in. Because there's only one Tony Parker. And I don't think it's crazy to ask Wittman to try to figure out a way to go deeper while still stopping the bleeding. Maybe that's slowing the game pace down a lot for those minutes. I don't know. But the swings right now are just so fast. They'll play great for five minutes to cut a deficit and then have four awful possessions on both ends and be right back where they started.

 

[TobiasFunke]

I was looking at a stat just from last nights game where the shooting with Wall in the game was near 50% and with him out somewhere near 30%.

The guy who has felt this the most has been Martell Webster.His play off the bench has been way below average but he needs someone to feed him when he gets open and Maynor just isn't doing that.So the question is what did they see in Maynor to make the call to bring him in?As of now I see no reason why he should get on the floor(much like Vesely)or better yet even hold a roster spot.

So while Grunfeld has dealt Wittman another crappy hand it still is up to Wittman to get the best out of what he has and he really has no clue as to how to do this.

This..... And what's worse is hell OFTEN say exactly that....."I don't know what to do! "

I don't see this as a Wittman problem, and neither does the article I just linked. What can he do with this bunch? He's already stretching the starters too thin as it is.

I certainly am not saying this all is on Wittman and in fact I have said numerous times Grunfeld and Wittman both need to go because both are in over their head.

I think a better coach can get a little more out of this mess though which is my point.Wittman just isn't a good X's and O's guy and never has been.No doubting they lack talent on the bench and that squarely falls on Grunfeld so you will get no pushback from me on that at all.

I dunno about that. I like the way this team plays from a strategy standpoint. They work the corner 3 as much or more than any team in the league, a hallmark of an efficient offense (the Heat and the Spurs being the two most prominent examples). When the talent is on the floor they play great basketball, as evidenced by the +/- numbers for the various combos that have most of the starters in them. The defense has sucked but they had a great D last year so it's not like Wittman can't coach an effective D. The problem is that they only go 6 deep with NBA-level talent. You can't win like that in an 82 game regular season.

I guess I just wonder why there can't be a Plan B. The offense is working well because it's perfectly suited to Wall's talents. He can push the pace and find the early three. If Maynor can't do that, then it makes no sense to run the same sets with him. Just from the OKC and Dallas games that I've watched, the offense around Maynor appears to be to look for an early post feed to Nene or pass it aimlessly and settle for a bad shot as the shot clock winds down.

I'm just a casual fan, but I think the Spurs offense has to be different when Tony Parker isn't in. Because there's only one Tony Parker. And I don't think it's crazy to ask Wittman to try to figure out a way to go deeper while still stopping the bleeding. Maybe that's slowing the game pace down a lot for those minutes. I don't know. But the swings right now are just so fast. They'll play great for five minutes to cut a deficit and then have four awful possessions on both ends and be right back where they started.

Yeah, I guess you can ask if Wittman is maximizing the talents of the limited bench. After all, the crew of 3s and 4s they picked up in 2010 and 2011 (Vesely, Seraphin, Booker, Singleton haven't improved at all, and most have regressed. Not sure whether that's scheme or failure to develop talent, but Wittman obviously as a role in both.

OK, maybe 10 or 15% of the blame on Wittman.

 

[Don Quixote]

I think when Porter gets healthy, that will be a boost with some of the bench issues. They drafted him because of his versatility -- he can play 2, which should help with resting Beal. Given his lack of practice, the question is how ready he will be.

Granted, that does nothing about Maynor though.

 

[thecatch]

I was looking at a stat just from last nights game where the shooting with Wall in the game was near 50% and with him out somewhere near 30%.

The guy who has felt this the most has been Martell Webster.His play off the bench has been way below average but he needs someone to feed him when he gets open and Maynor just isn't doing that.So the question is what did they see in Maynor to make the call to bring him in?As of now I see no reason why he should get on the floor(much like Vesely)or better yet even hold a roster spot.

So while Grunfeld has dealt Wittman another crappy hand it still is up to Wittman to get the best out of what he has and he really has no clue as to how to do this.

This..... And what's worse is hell OFTEN say exactly that....."I don't know what to do! "

I don't see this as a Wittman problem, and neither does the article I just linked. What can he do with this bunch? He's already stretching the starters too thin as it is.

I certainly am not saying this all is on Wittman and in fact I have said numerous times Grunfeld and Wittman both need to go because both are in over their head.I think a better coach can get a little more out of this mess though which is my point.Wittman just isn't a good X's and O's guy and never has been.No doubting they lack talent on the bench and that squarely falls on Grunfeld so you will get no pushback from me on that at all.

I dunno about that. I like the way this team plays from a strategy standpoint. They work the corner 3 as much or more than any team in the league, a hallmark of an efficient offense (the Heat and the Spurs being the two most prominent examples). When the talent is on the floor they play great basketball, as evidenced by the +/- numbers for the various combos that have most of the starters in them. The defense has sucked but they had a great D last year so it's not like Wittman can't coach an effective D. The problem is that they only go 6 deep with NBA-level talent. You can't win like that in an 82 game regular season.

I'm not ready to call this year's team a failure yet, but if/when we get to that point I'll probably put it 95% on Grunfeld at least. Wittman can't play Wall, Beal and Nene 45 minutes a game and he's not the one who chose the guys who come in when they rest.

The offense depends 100% on Wall driving and kicking to guys hitting open shots. That doesn't work consistently against good defenses or if Wall and/or the shooters aren't playing well. Watch them when they go into a funk - it's 3-4 guys standing still while Wall (or worse, Beal) tries to make something happen on his own. They run 0 set offense. This only exacerbates the bench problem because they have no means by which less talented players can manufacture offense. Tom's right - this is on the coach and GM.

 

[thecatch]

I think when Porter gets healthy, that will be a boost with some of the bench issues. They drafted him because of his versatility -- he can play 2, which should help with resting Beal. Given his lack of practice, the question is how ready he will be.

Granted, that does nothing about Maynor though.

If Porter is any good, that's a game changer.

 

[Don Quixote]

I don't know why I watched this one to the end... at least they were able to hang in there until Wall went out. Just looked at box score: Wall -2 in 30 minutes, and Maynor -17 in 8 minutes. (Not a perfect stat, but tells the story tonight.)

 

[tom22406]

Nene seemed a little pissed after the game last night and tossed this gem out

“They kicked our butts in the most classy way — playing the right way,” Nene said, fuming following the clinical destruction of the Wizards by the selfless Spurs. “It’s crazy, that’s what makes me mad. Our young guys think they’re so smart. But if I was young, I would watch video of that game for one week to see if I could learn something, because the way they play is how you’re supposed to play.

“They not talented as us,” Nene continued. “They have great players, a great team, but the way they execute things, the way they cut, the way they exploit weaknesses, swing the ball. They don’t think about stats. We still think about stats. Our young guys must take their heads out their butts and play the right way, because I’m getting tired of this.”

Calling out Wall and Beal it seems?

It was nice to see them at least make a run and get it to 60-57 in the 3rd before the Spurs decided the game was over and went on a 16-0 run to end it.

Watching the Spurs reminds me of what good floor spacing does for a team.They are seriously like watching a machine in action,a real thing of beauty watching a bunch of players play team ball on both ends of the floor.

 

[TobiasFunke]

Nene seemed a little pissed after the game last night and tossed this gem out

“They kicked our butts in the most classy way — playing the right way,” Nene said, fuming following the clinical destruction of the Wizards by the selfless Spurs. “It’s crazy, that’s what makes me mad. Our young guys think they’re so smart. But if I was young, I would watch video of that game for one week to see if I could learn something, because the way they play is how you’re supposed to play.

“They not talented as us,” Nene continued. “They have great players, a great team, but the way they execute things, the way they cut, the way they exploit weaknesses, swing the ball. They don’t think about stats. We still think about stats. Our young guys must take their heads out their butts and play the right way, because I’m getting tired of this.”

Calling out Wall and Beal it seems?

It was nice to see them at least make a run and get it to 60-57 in the 3rd before the Spurs decided the game was over and went on a 16-0 run to end it.

Watching the Spurs reminds me of what good floor spacing does for a team.They are seriously like watching a machine in action,a real thing of beauty watching a bunch of players play team ball on both ends of the floor.

Bad time for Nene to call out his teammates. If he had made his free throws on Sunday night this team comes home a reasonable 3-5 with a marquee win to hang its hat on and a soft schedule coming up.

 

[tom22406]

I was looking at a stat just from last nights game where the shooting with Wall in the game was near 50% and with him out somewhere near 30%.

The guy who has felt this the most has been Martell Webster.His play off the bench has been way below average but he needs someone to feed him when he gets open and Maynor just isn't doing that.So the question is what did they see in Maynor to make the call to bring him in?As of now I see no reason why he should get on the floor(much like Vesely)or better yet even hold a roster spot.

So while Grunfeld has dealt Wittman another crappy hand it still is up to Wittman to get the best out of what he has and he really has no clue as to how to do this.

This..... And what's worse is hell OFTEN say exactly that....."I don't know what to do! "

I don't see this as a Wittman problem, and neither does the article I just linked. What can he do with this bunch? He's already stretching the starters too thin as it is.

I certainly am not saying this all is on Wittman and in fact I have said numerous times Grunfeld and Wittman both need to go because both are in over their head.I think a better coach can get a little more out of this mess though which is my point.Wittman just isn't a good X's and O's guy and never has been.No doubting they lack talent on the bench and that squarely falls on Grunfeld so you will get no pushback from me on that at all.

I dunno about that. I like the way this team plays from a strategy standpoint. They work the corner 3 as much or more than any team in the league, a hallmark of an efficient offense (the Heat and the Spurs being the two most prominent examples). When the talent is on the floor they play great basketball, as evidenced by the +/- numbers for the various combos that have most of the starters in them. The defense has sucked but they had a great D last year so it's not like Wittman can't coach an effective D. The problem is that they only go 6 deep with NBA-level talent. You can't win like that in an 82 game regular season.

I'm not ready to call this year's team a failure yet, but if/when we get to that point I'll probably put it 95% on Grunfeld at least. Wittman can't play Wall, Beal and Nene 45 minutes a game and he's not the one who chose the guys who come in when they rest.

The offense depends 100% on Wall driving and kicking to guys hitting open shots. That doesn't work consistently against good defenses or if Wall and/or the shooters aren't playing well. Watch them when they go into a funk - it's 3-4 guys standing still while Wall (or worse, Beal) tries to make something happen on his own. They run 0 set offense. This only exacerbates the bench problem because they have no means by which less talented players can manufacture offense. Tom's right - this is on the coach and GM.

And if you watched any of last nights game you would have seen the only real offense they ran was just what you pointed out.It was Wall having the ball at center court and then let him create or shoot.5-19 and only 3 assists from Wall should tell the rest of the story as to how the game went.

They can get away with this against some teams but not a good team who is well coached.Ball movement was pathetic and they got owned in almost every way possible last night.

 

[TobiasFunke]

I was looking at a stat just from last nights game where the shooting with Wall in the game was near 50% and with him out somewhere near 30%.

The guy who has felt this the most has been Martell Webster.His play off the bench has been way below average but he needs someone to feed him when he gets open and Maynor just isn't doing that.So the question is what did they see in Maynor to make the call to bring him in?As of now I see no reason why he should get on the floor(much like Vesely)or better yet even hold a roster spot.

So while Grunfeld has dealt Wittman another crappy hand it still is up to Wittman to get the best out of what he has and he really has no clue as to how to do this.

This..... And what's worse is hell OFTEN say exactly that....."I don't know what to do! "

I don't see this as a Wittman problem, and neither does the article I just linked. What can he do with this bunch? He's already stretching the starters too thin as it is.

I certainly am not saying this all is on Wittman and in fact I have said numerous times Grunfeld and Wittman both need to go because both are in over their head.I think a better coach can get a little more out of this mess though which is my point.Wittman just isn't a good X's and O's guy and never has been.No doubting they lack talent on the bench and that squarely falls on Grunfeld so you will get no pushback from me on that at all.

I dunno about that. I like the way this team plays from a strategy standpoint. They work the corner 3 as much or more than any team in the league, a hallmark of an efficient offense (the Heat and the Spurs being the two most prominent examples). When the talent is on the floor they play great basketball, as evidenced by the +/- numbers for the various combos that have most of the starters in them. The defense has sucked but they had a great D last year so it's not like Wittman can't coach an effective D. The problem is that they only go 6 deep with NBA-level talent. You can't win like that in an 82 game regular season.

I'm not ready to call this year's team a failure yet, but if/when we get to that point I'll probably put it 95% on Grunfeld at least. Wittman can't play Wall, Beal and Nene 45 minutes a game and he's not the one who chose the guys who come in when they rest.

The offense depends 100% on Wall driving and kicking to guys hitting open shots. That doesn't work consistently against good defenses or if Wall and/or the shooters aren't playing well. Watch them when they go into a funk - it's 3-4 guys standing still while Wall (or worse, Beal) tries to make something happen on his own. They run 0 set offense. This only exacerbates the bench problem because they have no means by which less talented players can manufacture offense. Tom's right - this is on the coach and GM.

Evaluating offenses based on how they perform "consistently against good defenses" or what they do "when they go into a funk" isn't really a fair way to do things. No offense performs consistently against good defenses- that's what makes them good defenses. And no team plays well when they go into a funk- that's what makes it a funk.

The bottom line is that they're pretty much a league average offense to date despite having the second worst FT % in the league (and also playing 6 of 8 played on the road and having a horrible bench). The big problem isn't getting buckets when the regulars are on the floor. Defense and depth are much bigger problems.

 

[tom22406]

On the bright side of things the East only has 3 teams above .500 so it won't take much to get into the race for a playoff spot the way the conference is looking.

I still think they make it in but health is the main key among the starters.

 

[thecatch]

Evaluating offenses based on how they perform "consistently against good defenses" or what they do "when they go into a funk" isn't really a fair way to do things. No offense performs consistently against good defenses- that's what makes them good defenses. And no team plays well when they go into a funk- that's what makes it a funk.

The bottom line is that they're pretty much a league average offense to date despite having the second worst FT % in the league (and also playing 6 of 8 played on the road and having a horrible bench). The big problem isn't getting buckets when the regulars are on the floor. Defense and depth are much bigger problems.

Wait, what? Good teams still have to score against good defenses. The Wizards are a 1 trick pony right now and they are not maximizing their talent because they only use 2 players at a time on offense. This filters through to the defense (young players get down on defense when they aren't scoring) and the bench (lacks 1 on 1 scorers). Besides, they aren't in a position to add major pieces that will fix those problems independently at this point - the best and easiest fix would be to get an NBA quality coach.

 

[Man of Zen]

Evaluating offenses based on how they perform "consistently against good defenses" or what they do "when they go into a funk" isn't really a fair way to do things. No offense performs consistently against good defenses- that's what makes them good defenses. And no team plays well when they go into a funk- that's what makes it a funk.

The bottom line is that they're pretty much a league average offense to date despite having the second worst FT % in the league (and also playing 6 of 8 played on the road and having a horrible bench). The big problem isn't getting buckets when the regulars are on the floor. Defense and depth are much bigger problems.

Wait, what? Good teams still have to score against good defenses. The Wizards are a 1 trick pony right now and they are not maximizing their talent because they only use 2 players at a time on offense. This filters through to the defense (young players get down on defense when they aren't scoring) and the bench (lacks 1 on 1 scorers). Besides, they aren't in a position to add major pieces that will fix those problems independently at this point - the best and easiest fix would be to get an NBA quality coach.

I think both Nene and Gortat both have enough polish around the paint that a capable coach ought to be able to use them effectively with that guard tandem. I've got to believe some of their issues have to do with how little time those two have actually had on the floor and in practice together so far -- though Nene's comments make me wonder a bit if Wall and Beal are just going off script a lot. Still, it's a team I think ought to get a lot better as the season progresses. Big believer in the Gortat move for them.

 

[TobiasFunke]

Evaluating offenses based on how they perform "consistently against good defenses" or what they do "when they go into a funk" isn't really a fair way to do things. No offense performs consistently against good defenses- that's what makes them good defenses. And no team plays well when they go into a funk- that's what makes it a funk.

The bottom line is that they're pretty much a league average offense to date despite having the second worst FT % in the league (and also playing 6 of 8 played on the road and having a horrible bench). The big problem isn't getting buckets when the regulars are on the floor. Defense and depth are much bigger problems.

Wait, what? Good teams still have to score against good defenses. The Wizards are a 1 trick pony right now and they are not maximizing their talent because they only use 2 players at a time on offense. This filters through to the defense (young players get down on defense when they aren't scoring) and the bench (lacks 1 on 1 scorers). Besides, they aren't in a position to add major pieces that will fix those problems independently at this point - the best and easiest fix would be to get an NBA quality coach.

I'm fairly certain the Spurs didn't shut them out.

And the stats don't bear out the "only using 2 players at a time on offense" statement. Take a look at the stats per 36- the starters are just as balanced on FGA and assists as, say, the Heat or the Warriors. I think you're comparing them to the Spurs/Pop, which is the gold standard for ball movement and spacing. That's not really fair.

And on a more basic level, if the problem was something that manifests when Wall and Beal are out there together, Wall/Beal wouldn't be +3.6. It's as simple as that.

I do agree that they're not in a position to add any pieces that will fix anything at this point, but that doesn't let Grunfeld off the hook for this abysmal bench. And I don't want to sound too much like Wittman apologist; if they're still floundering at the end of November I'd be OK with giving him the boot. But it's a little early, no? Like I said before, if Nene makes 6 of 10 free throws in OKC, they're 3-5 with a signature win on a brutal road trip. staring down a soft schedule for the next three weeks, and everything is perfectly fine in Wiz-land.

 

[tom22406]

Washington Wizards guard John Wall needs to improve his play for the team to succeed

By Jason Reid, Published: November 14

You know a team has issues when a seen-it-all leader speaks out in frustration after only eight games. And when the coach and other veterans chime in, you realize the Washington Wizards are in trouble again.

There’s no question about that after Nene, Coach Randy Wittman and others criticized the team for its knuckleheaded performance Wednesday night in another embarrassing road loss to the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs’ 92-79 dismantling of the Wizards wasn’t surprising (Washington has lost 15 straight in San Antonio). But for the most established members of the locker room, it was troubling to watch a third-quarter collapse after the Wizards had whittled a huge deficit to three points. Although no one was singled out to The Post’s Michael Lee, the main target of the harsh critiques seems clear: struggling point guard John Wall.

Second-year shooting guard Bradley Beal is the only other young player in a key role. Does Beal have a lot to learn? Absolutely. In his position running the offense, however, Wall is hurting the Wizards the most. Against the Spurs, Washington was rudderless at the worst time. It’s a familiar story for the Wizards, who at 2-6 are last in the Southeast Division. At the start of his fourth season, Wall has some impressive career stats, which Wizards officials surely would cite as proof the former No. 1 overall draft pick deserved the $80 million contract extension he received in July. At the time, Wall said his “main goal” was to win a championship for Washington. Unfortunately, he has yet to prove he can play the right way to achieve that objective.
Nene hammered the point about the Wizards’ failure to play high IQ basketball in comparison with the selfless Spurs, who are as sharp as it gets in the game. “They kicked our butts in the most classy way — playing the right way,” Nene fumed. “It’s crazy. That’s what makes me mad. Our young guys think they’re so smart.

“But if I was young, I would watch video of that game for one week to see if I could learn something because the way they play is how you’re supposed to play. . . . They don’t think about stats. We still think about stats. Our young guys must take their heads out their butts and play the right way because I’m getting tired of this.”

The Spurs took the Wizards to school in the third quarter. They led by as many as 19 points, but the Wizards cut the lead to 60-57 on Martell Webster’s turnaround jumper with a little more than three minutes remaining in the period.

Unfortunately for the Wizards, Wall seemed to forget what he’s paid to do. Over the next 2 minutes 38 seconds, the Wizards took six bad shots, including three by Wall, and missed all of them. The Wizards had rallied by moving the ball, making the extra pass and finding open teammates. They lost the formula during Wall’s worst stretch in another bad outing. “We’re continually running around like a chicken with our heads cut off,” Webster said.

When an offense stalls, coaches look to point guards first. Judging by Wittman’s comments, it’s pretty clear he was staring in Wall’s direction.

“We came down and took six of the worst shots you could possibly take,” Wittman said. “Zero or one pass. All of a sudden, we’re going to play hero. We can’t do that. We don’t have a hero here. We have to play five guys.”

Wall is shooting a career-low 37.9 percent from the field. During the third quarter Wednesday night, he missed eight of nine shots from the field and made only 5 of 19 field goal attempts in the game. Wall’s vanishing act as a scorer would have been easier for the Wizards to handle if he had at least run the offense well. But the combination of his awful shooting and poor decision-making — he didn’t even look at his teammates on some possessions — was too much for the Wizards to overcome against a group with know-how.

For the Spurs, it’s all about team. The Wizards would benefit from the same approach. For that to happen, Wall, at a minimum, must do what Wittman asks of him. Wall still plays as if the fastest guy with the ball wins. Sometimes, you have to slow down to move forward. Spurs point guard Tony Parker is great at reading road signs. Parker knows what San Antonio Coach Gregg Popovich expects, and he thinks of his teammates first. The best point guards are conductors.

“It was like listening to Mozart,” newly acquired Wizards center Marcin Gortat said of the Spurs’ long-running hit. “It’s just ridiculous how they play. If we’re not going to learn how to play like these guys play . . . we’re going to have a tough season.”

The Wizards veterans and their coach said a lot about what’s wrong with this disappointing team. They can only hope Wall was listening.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/john-wall-washington-wizards-guard-needs-to-improve-his-play-for-the-team-to-succeed/2013/11/14/cbbc6f52-4d6f-11e3-9890-a1e0997fb0c0_story.html

 

[Ramsay Hunt Experience]

I'm a little disappointed in Nene. For one thing, I haven't seen him move the ball much himself. He tends to make quick post moves when he gets the ball. Which is fine. He's getting fouled a lot. But he's also missing a lot of free throws.

Does Wall sometimes try to play hero ball? Yes. But in most situations, I think that happens after the Wizards have already gone into a funk. Wall almost never starts the game particularly aggressively.

I can't say Nene is playing badly, because the +/- numbers show differently. But let's not act like the guy is Tim Duncan. I'm not sure NBA beat writers should be taking his word as gospel.

 

[Ramsay Hunt Experience]

I just scrolled up to make sure that was written by Jason Reid. I really dislike Jason Reid. 2 years ago, it would have been fair to say that Wall's problem was that he played too fast and out of control. I don't think that's his problem at all anymore. He's selective when he pushes pace. He rarely get caught out of control and in the air.

Wall's problem is that he's still a streaky (but improving) shooter and that he doesn't finish at the rim as well as he could. It's easy and lazy to say that Tony Parker plays more under control (while ignoring the fact that Tony Parker wasn't expected to lead the team until he was a veteran). Tony Parker is also one of the best players in the NBA at finishing at the rim. That isn't a matter of being smarter with ball movement or being a wiley veteran. That's been true for years. It's because Tony Parker is really good.

 

[TobiasFunke]

Reid has about as much credibility when it comes to John Wall as Sally Jenkins does when it comes to Lance Armstrong. He made up his mind a long time ago, now all he does is look for evidence to support his conclusion.

You can't draw any conclusions about a team based on how they play on the road against San Antonio in the second of back-to-back road games. Every team in the league loses that game, and most of them look terrible in the process.

I thought the effort against Dallas was legitimately concerning. You want to criticize their effort there, fine. That's why I criticize the bench- they win that game even the bench is even mediocre. But there is literally no tougher game in the sport then the second of back to back road games in San Antonio. It's basically useless as an evaluation tool. Just mark down the L, try to stay healthy and move on to the next one.

 

[thecatch]

And on a more basic level, if the problem was something that manifests when Wall and Beal are out there together, Wall/Beal wouldn't be +3.6. It's as simple as that.

Wall and Beal are two top 50 players who have complimentary games. It is no surprise that they have a positive differential. That's not illuminating.

The fact is, the Wizards run shockingly little set offense. Offensive movement is generally accepted in the basketball community to improve team performance, your citations to stats saying the Wizards are mediocre offensively thus far notwithstanding. Frankly, I'm surprised why you find this to be such a controversial proposition.

Wittman has yet to demonstrate any indication that he adds value as the coach of this franchise. If this team is determined enough to make the playoffs that they are trading first round picks for Gortat (a deal I liked, but still, it reeks of a win-now mentality), why are they so stubbornly hanging onto this guy when there are a ton of extremely qualified alternatives (including Karl, whose system is tailor made for this team)? As a de facto season ticket holder who has no positive or negative feelings for this team, it is pretty objectively shocking.

 

[tom22406]

The next 11 games should tell us where this team is headed.

Sat, Nov 16

• vs
• Cleveland

Tue, Nov 19

• vs
• Minnesota

Wed, Nov 20

• @
• Cleveland

Fri, Nov 22

• @
• Toronto

Sat, Nov 23

• vs
• NY Knicks

Tue, Nov 26

• vs
• Los Angeles(Lakers)

Wed, Nov 27

• @
• Milwaukee

Fri, Nov 29

• @
• Indiana

Sat, Nov 30

• vs
• Atlanta

Mon, Dec 2

• vs
• Orlando

Fri, Dec 6

• vs
• Milwaukee

They could very easily go 8-3 or 3-8.

I think 7-4 is a goal they can reach in this stretch if they are fully healthy but now with Ariza and Harrington nursing injuries and Porter and Singleton nowhere near being ready getting 7 wins could be a reach.

I'm still holding out hope they can be a playoff team and this stretch should tell us all we need to know because they have quite a few very winnable games.If the bottom falls out and they go 3-8 and are 5-14 I don't think they have any choice but to clean house.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

9-20 here we come !!!!!!

 

[tom22406]

Wiz gave another win away last night or you could say Kyrie Irving took it from them because he was simply a beast last night.

The ball movement was much better but at some point you have to hit your shots when you get them and that is what doomed them last night.It really did look as though the Wiz were tired and Irving just got stronger as the night went on.

Wall in his last 5 games is shooting 20 for 69 :X .Teams are just backing off and begging him to shoot.

Still should have won this but in typical Zards fashion they find ways to lose,let's hope that trend ends soon.

 

[tom22406]

Strong 2nd half effort and finally some D got them a W when it looked as though they were headed for another loss at half down 12 and giving up 63.

Wall was outstanding in getting everyone involved and running the break.His shooting,however,is still a major issue as he went 5 for 17 last night and is now 25 for 86 in his last 6.He is not really forcing things because those are wide open looks teams are giving him but he has to start hitting them at some point so I wouldn't try to get him to change anything at this point unless this continues on for a much longer period.

Vesely actually is starting to contribute on the defensive end and even got out on the break for a few easy slams in transition.He still has no offensive game but they need someone to be able to get some stops and he actually slowed down Love when the game was on the line.

Huge game in Cleveland tonight and I fully expect a W.

 

[tom22406]

With the Caps crapping all over the ice I watched most of this and was about ready to toss my tv out the window as they let a 27 point lead evaporate down to 4 at 86-82 in the 4th but then put on a little spurt to finish them off.

Ball movement was again very good with the team getting 31 assists.Wall again struggled hitting only 6 of 16 shots but again I will take it as long as he is getting everyone else involved(and he is).

4-7 and onto Toronto and again I fully expect another W here.

 

[Ramsay Hunt Experience]

[SIZE=medium]Kind of enjoying the Vesely experience. Still so bad at anything that requires him to pass in traffic, catch in traffic, finish in traffic (I assume he’d also be a lousy cab driver), or make solid basketball decisions. But he at least understands that his job is to provide energy, and he has a goofy knack for keeping the ball alive with those tips. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]Do you, Air Wolf.[/SIZE]

 

[Ramsay Hunt Experience]

[SIZE=medium]The weird thing with Wall is that his jump shot is regressing even as he’s becoming an elite FT shooter. I think that elbow jumper will come back like last year. If he only shoots it competently, it makes a huge difference considering the strides he’s made in eliminating dumb turnovers. [/SIZE]



[SIZE=medium]Eric Maynor continues to cause me physical distress.[/SIZE]

 

[TobiasFunke]

[SIZE=medium]Kind of enjoying the Vesely experience. Still so bad at anything that requires him to pass in traffic, catch in traffic, finish in traffic (I assume he’d also be a lousy cab driver), or make solid basketball decisions. But he at least understands that his job is to provide energy, and he has a goofy knack for keeping the ball alive with those tips. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]Do you, Air Wolf.[/SIZE]

Wiz are 2-2 since he started getting minutes! Obviously correlation = causation here. The Airwolf is the straw that stirs the drink.

.

 

[Don Quixote]

Haven't been able to watch the past two nights, but, hey, tied for 8th place now.

GB being in the Eastern Conference in both the NBA and NHL.

 

[tom22406]

9 points from the bench last night :X

Wall was hitting everything and went off for 37 but somehow only has 2 assists even though he made some tremendous passes for easy shots(that were missed).Beal struggled as did everyone else not named Wall and thus they lose a game they could have won.

They better get healthy soon or the starters wheels are gonna start falling off and this will go into full disaster mode real quick.Ariza,Harrington and at some point Porter should be a boost but in all honesty anything at this point would be a boost over the options they have now.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

9 points from the bench last night :X

Wall was hitting everything and went off for 37 but somehow only has 2 assists even though he made some tremendous passes for easy shots(that were missed).Beal struggled as did everyone else not named Wall and thus they lose a game they could have won.

They better get healthy soon or the starters wheels are gonna start falling off and this will go into full disaster mode real quick.Ariza,Harrington and at some point Porter should be a boost but in all honesty anything at this point would be a boost over the options they have now.

Tough matchup last night vs the Atlantic Division leading Toronto Raptors.

Wall was pretty awesome last night.

 

[tom22406]

9 points from the bench last night :X

Wall was hitting everything and went off for 37 but somehow only has 2 assists even though he made some tremendous passes for easy shots(that were missed).Beal struggled as did everyone else not named Wall and thus they lose a game they could have won.

They better get healthy soon or the starters wheels are gonna start falling off and this will go into full disaster mode real quick.Ariza,Harrington and at some point Porter should be a boost but in all honesty anything at this point would be a boost over the options they have now.

Tough matchup last night vs the Atlantic Division leading Toronto Raptors.

Wall was pretty awesome last night.

The Atlantic Division is a tremendous 22-42 combined this season

Raptors could very easily win that crapfest.

 

[tom22406]

Otto Porter, Chris Singleton, and Trevor Ariza all took part in today's Wizards practice

Got this from the Wiz official twitter so no idea how much he participated but this is the best news on him since he was drafted.Now cross your fingers and hope he has no setbacks.

 

[TobiasFunke]

Otto Porter, Chris Singleton, and Trevor Ariza all took part in today's Wizards practice

Got this from the Wiz official twitter so no idea how much he participated but this is the best news on him since he was drafted.Now cross your fingers and hope he has no setbacks.

Michael Lee ‏@MrMichaelLee 5m

Porter & Singleton both participated in some contact drills. Witt said OP looked like he missed 3 months; CS in better shape

I'm not counting on much from Porter this season, especially since Webster/Ariza are competent at the 3 even when he's ready to go.

The conference is parting for the Wiz. I'm starting to think that could not only make the playoffs, but also get a seed high enough to duck Indiana and Miami in the first round, which would be huge. Even if they don't win a 3-6 or 4-5 series, just having playoff games in DC in a series where the outcome is not a forgone conclusion would be the highlight of the last 6 seasons. Although I may be far too optimistic- after all, we're talking about the Wizards.

 

[tom22406]

Otto Porter, Chris Singleton, and Trevor Ariza all took part in today's Wizards practice

Got this from the Wiz official twitter so no idea how much he participated but this is the best news on him since he was drafted.Now cross your fingers and hope he has no setbacks.

Michael Lee ‏@MrMichaelLee 5m

Porter & Singleton both participated in some contact drills. Witt said OP looked like he missed 3 months; CS in better shape

I'm not counting on much from Porter this season, especially since Webster/Ariza are competent at the 3 even when he's ready to go.

The conference is parting for the Wiz. I'm starting to think that could not only make the playoffs, but also get a seed high enough to duck Indiana and Miami in the first round, which would be huge. Even if they don't win a 3-6 or 4-5 series, just having playoff games in DC in a series where the outcome is not a forgone conclusion would be the highlight of the last 6 seasons. Although I may be far too optimistic- after all, we're talking about the Wizards.

Agree on Porter.Maybe by the 2nd half of the season he can start to get some minutes is my hope.

The East is terrible so the only teams I see right now that are clearly better are Miami and Indiana.The rest are very mediocre to bad at best so yes a high seed is within reach for them IF they can stay healthy amongst the starters and get the bench healthy as well and into a good rotation.

 

[Don Quixote]

That is good news on Porter. Won't need him as much now, but Ariza will inevitably get hurt again.

... I just got randomly followed on Twitter by Seraphin. I'm not even sure if I've ever tweeted about the Wizards (and I don't follow him).

 

[tom22406]

And just when you think things are getting better the news dropped that Beal may miss some games with a sore leg now.

I would guess Webster steps into the 2 role with Ariza coming back tonight at the 3 but this is terrible news if Beal is out for an extended time.

ETA:

The Wizards confirmed late Monday night that Beal began complaining about soreness in his lower right leg, where he had a stress injury to his fibula, the smaller of the two bones, that prematurely ended is rookie season in April….

He had an MRI and the results will be known Tuesday, before the Wizards play the Los Angeles Lakers at Verizon Center (CSN, 7 p.m. ET).

 

[Don Quixote]

Oof. That is terrible. If Beal is out for awhile, I wonder how much blame Wittman will get for it.

 

[TobiasFunke]

Oof. That is terrible. If Beal is out for awhile, I wonder how much blame Wittman will get for it.

Blame me. I'm the one who started the premature talk of a 5 or 6 seed. I've been a Wizards/DC sports fan for decades, I should know better by now.

 

[Don Quixote]

Two weeks minimum....

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Washington Wizards announced today that guard Bradley Beal has been diagnosed with a stress injury to his proximal right fibula. He will miss the next two weeks and then be re-evaluated. The injury was diagnosed by team doctors following an MRI exam on Monday after Beal experienced soreness in his right leg.

Beal has appeared in all 13 games for the Wizards this season, averaging 20.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 40.2 minutes. He missed the final eight games of last season due to a stress injury to his distal right fibula.

 

[tom22406]

Not good at all

 

[tom22406]

So one injury now points out how bad this bench really is with Webster as the 2nd option at SG.

How does Grunfeld sleep at nights knowing what a craptastic bench he has put together?

And this is coming from someone who loves how Webster has been playing but this is asking way too much of him and lord forbid another injury happens to another starter(cue Nene being out).

Ahhh the joys of being a Zards fan

 

[Don Quixote]

Don't forget about Garrett Temple.

(He hasn't been too terrible, but still a huge drop from Beal.)

 

[tom22406]

Don't forget about Garrett Temple.

(He hasn't been too terrible, but still a huge drop from Beal.)

I can see Witt going with Temple at the 2 to start games and use Webster as the bench guy.

Temple just isn't a scorer and is better suited to relieve Wall at the PG to keep Maynor off the floor but now he really has no other options.

This could get real ugly and quick.

 

[TobiasFunke]

So one injury now points out how bad this bench really is with Webster as the 2nd option at SG.

How does Grunfeld sleep at nights knowing what a craptastic bench he has put together?

And this is coming from someone who loves how Webster has been playing but this is asking way too much of him and lord forbid another injury happens to another starter(cue Nene being out).

Ahhh the joys of being a Zards fan

Webster is a perfectly fine starter, as he's shown with Ariza out. The problem is who comes after him.

Hopefully Ariza comes back this week and keeps shooting 3s the way he has since he joined the team, they steal a couple wins here and there (tonight is a great opportunity) and are still within five or six games of .500 when Beal returns in three or four weeks. That's what we'd say if they were a normal franchise, at least. Maybe they'll surprise us and be a normal franchise for once.

 

[DCThunder]

So one injury now points out how bad this bench really is with Webster as the 2nd option at SG.

How does Grunfeld sleep at nights knowing what a craptastic bench he has put together?

And this is coming from someone who loves how Webster has been playing but this is asking way too much of him and lord forbid another injury happens to another starter(cue Nene being out).

Ahhh the joys of being a Zards fan

Webster is a perfectly fine starter, as he's shown with Ariza out. The problem is who comes after him.

Hopefully Ariza comes back this week and keeps shooting 3s the way he has since he joined the team, they steal a couple wins here and there (tonight is a great opportunity) and are still within five or six games of .500 when Beal returns in three or four weeks. That's what we'd say if they were a normal franchise, at least. Maybe they'll surprise us and be a normal franchise for once.

They are a normal franchise...Normally awful.

As Mr. Tony would say, "Les Curse of Les Buu-llezzz..." Strikes Again.