Washington Wizards 2017-2018 Season Thread

[broncos19dm]

Terrible loss

 

[Methodical Management]

I read a lot of rumblings that it was Gortat who was tight....this is on the heels of his retirement talk, amongst other things

From what we know of Gortat, and his annual "this isn't fun anymore, guys" grousing when times get tough, that seems probable.

Unfortunately, I suspect the problem is much broader and more serious than Gortat's hurt feelings. From the sound of it, Wall and Beal weren't on the receiving end of the blame in that meeting, and those who were took exception to it.

As leaders, Wall and Beal should be accepting more responsibility than they have. They're part of the problem, too.

Wall's effort has not been consistent this season. It could be argued that the Wizards' horrid fourth quarters might be influenced by overuse. Both Wall and Beal both rank in the top 30 in minutes per game, which Brooks may feel necessary to compensate for the Wizards' horrid bench. That still wouldn't explain why the team seems to get off to such poor starts against inferior opponents. Wall is the engine that makes this team go. When he's not playing aggressively, the offense tends to fall flat. Some of that is on coaching, as they could stand to run through other players more often, but some of that is on John. He doesn't want to end up like Derrick Rose or Gilbert Arenas and can't hurl himself at the basket every play, but he needs to find other ways to create for his teammates and be effective.

We all know this team doesn't have enough to compete for a title, but they should still be working to improve individually and as a team if they aspire to reach that level. They don't seem particularly committed to that process this season. As such, it's shaping up to be another wasted year.

 

[extraordinary swag]

I can definitely see Gortat being the one offended during the players only meeting but I do lean more on the Wall and Beal not taking blame side. They're not good leaders, it's just not in them. They need a vet in the locker room that would chew dudes out for losing in blowout fashion to all these terrible teams. They don't have that and it shows in the first 5 minutes of these kind of games, they fall behind so fast because they play with no urgency. They think they're better than they actually are

Part of me wants both Beal and Wall to get snubbed for the all star game so they can rest, humble themselves and play angry the rest of the season

 

[tireless drive]

New year same Wizards

 

[jjs07]

From what we know of Gortat, and his annual "this isn't fun anymore, guys" grousing when times get tough, that seems probable.

Unfortunately, I suspect the problem is much broader and more serious than Gortat's hurt feelings. From the sound of it, Wall and Beal weren't on the receiving end of the blame in that meeting, and those who were took exception to it.

As leaders, Wall and Beal should be accepting more responsibility than they have. They're part of the problem, too.

Wall's effort has not been consistent this season. It could be argued that the Wizards' horrid fourth quarters might be influenced by overuse. Both Wall and Beal both rank in the top 30 in minutes per game, which Brooks may feel necessary to compensate for the Wizards' horrid bench. That still wouldn't explain why the team seems to get off to such poor starts against inferior opponents. Wall is the engine that makes this team go. When he's not playing aggressively, the offense tends to fall flat. Some of that is on coaching, as they could stand to run through other players more often, but some of that is on John. He doesn't want to end up like Derrick Rose or Gilbert Arenas and can't hurl himself at the basket every play, but he needs to find other ways to create for his teammates and be effective.

We all know this team doesn't have enough to compete for a title, but they should still be working to improve individually and as a team if they aspire to reach that level. They don't seem particularly committed to that process this season. As such, it's shaping up to be another wasted year.

Meth, something needs to be done.

Whether it's Gortat, Otto, or someone else...it's not cool that someone has gone kinda rogue and is speaking about things in the locker room (to the press) anonymously. We're guessing here, but I 100% guarantee that the guys on the team know exactly who this person is. A trade needed to happen yesterday. Keeping this going on, day after day, is doing nothing for morale and is starting to take a toll on the team as they reach the latter portion of the season. This is the time where good teams start firing on all cylinders. Wizards are headed in the opposite direction. There are A LOT of impactful players available....Jordan, Love, Cousins, AD, etc. It's going to take some creativity, but some short of shake up is needed. Shoot, even if they wanted to buy low on someone like Nerlens Noel or Julius Randle, I think it could happen.

Going back to John Wall for a second. I'm not going to sit here and pretend like everything is peachy, because we can all see something is off. Whether it's not being 100% from injury, having the pressure/expectations on him from signing his super-max deal, or something else, I really hope he can get himself on track. This team has a tendency to play too much selfish basketball. I'm getting an OKC, Russ-KD vibe (when Brooks was coaching) where it is pretty much 2 on 5 at times on the floor with him and Beal. The optimist in me really believes that they will get their stuff together before the playoffs roll around. What needs to happen before then is for Grunfeld to trim the fat and make a trade or two. Can't have this bad aura surrounding this team for much longer. Ship is sinking as we speak...but it can still be salvaged.

Summer of '16 will forever haunt this team. EG botched it completely. The team can't cut ties with Brooks, even if it looks like he's lost the locker room. On the hook for 21 million over the next 3 seasons. Ownership isn't going to swallow that pill. Easier thing to do is to try to rebuild the roster through trades. As we've said before, the one decent thing that EG seems to be good at is cleaning up his own messes. However, we can probably kiss our 2018 1st round pick goodbye LOL.

*This was refreshing to see from Dudley...

 

[extraordinary swag]

Both Wall and Beal are all stars somehow. Hopefully they’ll be appreciative and come back in the second half of the season with better focus after being around other star players. I agree with what was said, someone has to go to improve this chemistry cuz it just isn’t there especially from the front court players. Problem is I think the only player not named Wall or Beal that anyone would want is Oubre and he’s clearly shown this year that we coulda let Otto walk last summer

 

[Methodical Management]

I can definitely see Gortat being the one offended during the players only meeting but I do lean more on the Wall and Beal not taking blame side. They're not good leaders, it's just not in them. They need a vet in the locker room that would chew dudes out for losing in blowout fashion to all these terrible teams. They don't have that and it shows in the first 5 minutes of these kind of games, they fall behind so fast because they play with no urgency. They think they're better than they actually are

Part of me wants both Beal and Wall to get snubbed for the all star game so they can rest, humble themselves and play angry the rest of the season

Experience matters. This team is sorely lacking when it comes to veteran leadership. The last time they really had that, in my opinion, was Paul Pierce. Pierce really helped the Wizards take a step forward mentally.

You need somebody who's been there before and understands what it takes to win. Who are the veteran leaders on this team? Gortat? Mahinmi? Jason Smith? Please.

Too often when teams begin a youth movement, players aren't held accountable and they pick up bad habits. You're not going to win anything if you play with an AAU mentality, as the Wizards so often appear to.

I wouldn't want to overpay for a veteran whose primary impact will be felt in the locker room and on the bench, but there are so many functionally vacant spots on this roster that we could've brought somebody in at an affordable rate this summer had that been a priority.

Instead, Ernie blew the MLE on Jodie Meeks.

Meth, something needs to be done.

Whether it's Gortat, Otto, or someone else...it's not cool that someone has gone kinda rogue and is speaking about things in the locker room (to the press) anonymously. We're guessing here, but I 100% guarantee that the guys on the team know exactly who this person is. A trade needed to happen yesterday. Keeping this going on, day after day, is doing nothing for morale and is starting to take a toll on the team as they reach the latter portion of the season. This is the time where good teams start firing on all cylinders. Wizards are headed in the opposite direction. There are A LOT of impactful players available....Jordan, Love, Cousins, AD, etc. It's going to take some creativity, but some short of shake up is needed. Shoot, even if they wanted to buy low on someone like Nerlens Noel or Julius Randle, I think it could happen.

Going back to John Wall for a second. I'm not going to sit here and pretend like everything is peachy, because we can all see something is off. Whether it's not being 100% from injury, having the pressure/expectations on him from signing his super-max deal, or something else, I really hope he can get himself on track. This team has a tendency to play too much selfish basketball. I'm getting an OKC, Russ-KD vibe (when Brooks was coaching) where it is pretty much 2 on 5 at times on the floor with him and Beal. The optimist in me really believes that they will get their stuff together before the playoffs roll around. What needs to happen before then is for Grunfeld to trim the fat and make a trade or two. Can't have this bad aura surrounding this team for much longer. Ship is sinking as we speak...but it can still be salvaged.

Summer of '16 will forever haunt this team. EG botched it completely. The team can't cut ties with Brooks, even if it looks like he's lost the locker room. On the hook for 21 million over the next 3 seasons. Ownership isn't going to swallow that pill. Easier thing to do is to try to rebuild the roster through trades. As we've said before, the one decent thing that EG seems to be good at is cleaning up his own messes. However, we can probably kiss our 2018 1st round pick goodbye LOL.

*This was refreshing to see from Dudley...

I think we can both agree that Dudley was a disaster in his one and only season in Washington, and was one of many players on expiring deals that year who were primarily concerned with their next contract. That said, it's both telling and sad that the most public, vocal support for John Wall right now is coming from a guy who's not even on the roster.

These guys aren't playing for each other right now, and they aren't rallying around each other. It's sad to see.

I honestly don't think there are many takers out there for Gortat. At best, he'd be ballast in an Oubre trade since he only has a year left after this one, and no team in the league is stupid enough to voluntarily take on Mahinmi's contract.

Unless the team plans to completely blow it up, your only real options are to move Porter or Oubre, and I'm not convinced that doing so for any of the available players makes sense for this team.

I like the idea of adding an athletic rim runner like a Noel or Randle at low cost, as the slow, plodding frontcourt we have is a complete mismatch for the dynamic backcourt and the pace the Wizards would prefer to play with. Randle, obviously, is the more attractive of the two - but the Lakers are looking for cap relief, which is not something the Wizards can offer right now. I don't think the Wizards #1 pick this year would get that deal done. Noel will be a free agent, so giving up any asset other than, say, a second rounder to rent him feels like a waste of time.

To be real, the summer of 2016 doomed this team. Forget Kevin Durant, who obviously would've changed the franchise's fortunes. Al Horford would've been nice, but we'd be in much better situation today had Ernie done absolutely nothing at all. A better owner would accept responsibility, consider those bad contracts sunk costs, and find a way to move forward to put the best possible team on the floor. We're stuck with an owner who is, to put it kindly, "cost conscious." There's no good reason for fans around the world to spend their hard earned cash in support of this sorry franchise, so he pouts about his "bad" stadium deal, mediocre fan support, and losing money. The problems start at the top.

When the Wizards missed the playoffs in 2016, that was the time to clean house. Instead, Ted doubled down on Ernie and look what it's brought us.

The last thing I want is for Ernie to make any more dramatic moves to reshape this roster and the team's contract obligations.

Honestly, I think this season is lost. If a surgeon botches an operation, you don't give them a chance to fix their mistakes. It's time to cut our losses.

 

[joe cool23]

This season has been such a wash, I’m not even mad that John is out indefinitely. He shouldn’t have been an all star anyway.

On the bright side, this *should* prevent the annual Ernie deadline deal.

 

[AgentZero]

Please don't be Gilbert 2.0

 

[extraordinary swag]

this team has the worst luck, ah well. Pray Ernie doesn't trade that first rounder for yet another band-aid

 

[broncos19dm]

 

[Methodical Management]

Wall hasn't looked right all year, so this isn't terribly surprising. Like everyone, I wish him a swift and full recovery. Losing the division to Miami will be humiliating, but the larger concern is that Wall's injury creates yet another excuse for Ernie - if he even needs one.

In previous years, I would've said that an injury like this could be a net gain for us if it ties Ernie's hands at the deadline, prevents him from giving away our first round pick, and causes him to lose his job in the offseason. I've said something like that enough times, now, that you have to wonder if Ted is even capable of making that move. He's been rudderless as an owner. Ernie was already GM when he took over, and it was Ernie who urged Ted to fire Flip Saunders. Ernie won't fire himself.

If, by some miracle, Ted does fire Ernie, what are the odds he actually makes a decent hire to replace him? The team only interviewed one candidate to replace Randy Wittman.

The last time I listed NBA General Managers by tenure, Ernie ranked fifth. Since then, Mitch Kupchak was fired for similar, if not lesser, offenses than those committed by Grunfeld in the same span. (Mahinmi's deal is almost a carbon copy of Mozgov's, had the Lakers not signed Luol Deng, Grunfeld reportedly would have.) How do you last 15 years as a General Manager in the NBA without achieving single 50 win season or conference finals appearance? That's on ownership.

Ted lacks the nerve to make the change and he lacks the knowledge to hire an adequate replacement.


Let's be real: Washington's future is less dependent on John Wall at this point than Laurene Jobs.

 

[jking0821]

Good win last night against a hot Thunder team...and without Wall.

 

[Methodical Management]

Sad news involving a former Wizard: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...y-killed-in-car-crash/?utm_term=.2c38484dcf59

Rasual Butler only played one year with Washington, but he was a major part of the team in 2014-2015. He's one of few players Randy Wittman really trusted that season. If you look back at the season thread that year, some of us questioned whether the team's dependence on him served to the detriment of Otto Porter's development, but none questioned his character or professionalism. He was known around the league as both a great teammate and a great person.

 

[AgentZero]

Been looking good so far without Wall, playing more team basketball and getting everyone involved

 

[Methodical Management]

Been looking good so far without Wall, playing more team basketball and getting everyone involved

I expect the post-injury boost to be relatively short-lived once opponents make the adjustment, but I hope this stretch without Wall helps Morris and Porter get going.

It's nice to see Mike Scott find his rhythm again, too.

For a team that's shown little fight at times this season, I have to give them credit for the resilience they've shown thus far in Wall's absence.


Rumor has it the Wizards are interested in Greg Monroe now that he's been bought out by Phoenix. I guess Ernie feels the existing frontcourt is too athletic.
Washington seems an unlikely destination for Monroe, however, with New Orleans offering a greater role and Boston offering a better chance to succeed in the playoffs.

 

[AgentZero]

\

 

[DCAllAfrican]

Gilbert Arenas a.k.a. Agent Zero joins us to talk about dropping 60 on Kobe, the state of the point guard position, and the mystery of Markelle Fultz. He shoots us straight on the whole gun issue and shares his picks for the All-Star team—and even explains why he once wanted to own every DVD ever made.

Gilbert Arenas a.k.a. Agent Zero by Open Run

 

[s0lefunk]

I don’t know what to make of this locker room drama. I want to believe they are just playing to the media. But the more I look at the choice of words being thrown out it becomes more clear there is an issue. Wall saying guys playing for stats a few weeks ago. Beal now with “everybody eats” while Wall is out.

I know better than to judge this team without a healthy Wall in the lineup, esp going against teams ready to hit the AS break. I’m just ready for the playoffs.

 

[AgentZero]

I don’t know what to make of this locker room drama. I want to believe they are just playing to the media. But the more I look at the choice of words being thrown out it becomes more clear there is an issue. Wall saying guys playing for stats a few weeks ago. Beal now with “everybody eats” while Wall is out.

I know better than to judge this team without a healthy Wall in the lineup, esp going against teams ready to hit the AS break. I’m just ready for the playoffs.

You hear Wall's interview last night? Straight up called out Gortat.

Gortat's on the trading block, but I have my doubts that the Wiz could snag DeAndre Jordan. If it doesn't happen I don't know what they plan on doing, because that locker room environment will get worse.

I'm also not sure I like the precedent that if you disagree with John, you're out, or that John would say something like that in a national(?) TV interview. Granted the Wiz could've been trying to shop Gortat anyways, but Gortat is right the team is playing more like a team now. While it is true Wall wasn't 100% and it affected his play, he was more slow/selfish in his decision-making with the ball.

 

[jking0821]

not sure what to make of what is going on right now. I feel like im fighting the thought of "what if we are actually better without wall"

I don't think we are. I honestly don't think we have beaten anyone that is any good while wall has been out. But what if the locker room is better without him regardless of the play...idk. I don't like the Gortat for Deandre move honestly. Gortat is a good facilitator and can run some offense through him which you really can't do with Deandre.

 

[jjs07]

We're not better off w/o Wall. It was just a 5 game stretch and Wall has been at best, 50% this season.

Also, unless Washington can keep Oubre and a 1st round pick, I don't want any parts of DJ. For as good as he is defensively, he's a liability at the FT line and in the 4th quarter. Not to mention, he's coming up on FA and is about to turn 30.

What I'd like for the Wizards to do is take a flyer on Nerlens Noel. For all of Brooks' faults, he's really good at developing young talent.

 

[s0lefunk]

I was honestly shocked by John’s SC interview. I expected him to laugh off Gortat’s tweet but he was definitely on the defensive. And I wish he wouldn’t be so candid with his trade talk. Yes, we need another All Star or 2 to contend for a title. But I don’t think it’s good for the locker room or for luring prospective FAs when the team leader is openly endorsing trades of specific players. He did it to Otto and now Gortat (who I want to see gone).

 

[Methodical Management]

The lack of strong veteran leadership is really hurting Washington here, and Brooks doesn't have the best track record for detecting or repairing fractures within a team before it's too late. That said, we don't have a Cavs situation here. It's not broken beyond repair.

I don't think anyone here would particularly mind shipping out Gortat, but I don't think he's such a cancer that we should add salary for the privilege. If he'd rather be in Orlando next year, let his agent negotiate a buyout - or trade him this summer or next year at this time when his deal is near expiration. The prospect of giving up Oubre AND a first to bring in Deandre Jordan and exile Gortat is wholly unappealing to me. We'd be committing far, far too much salary at the center position. Teams never have enough good wings, and Oubre gives you that at a bargain rate.

The Nets used the pick we gifted them last season to draft Jarrett Allen, who appears to be a perfectly serviceable center on a rookie contract. Would've been nice, right?

Granted, Houston's getting a lot out of Clint Capela, whose skillset isn't all that dissimilar from Jordan's: dunk, rebound, and defend. They're not paying him $25 million/year to do that, though. I'd rather let Scott Brooks try to develop McCullogh then commit big money to Deandre Jordan on the downside of his career.

I don't want to give up on John Wall yet. There's zero chance of a good return right now. What, realistically, would you want as a return for Wall? Multiple first round picks and a young player? Realistically, the only teams who will want to add John Wall will be teams in the 4-10 seed range. They won't have great picks to offer you.

There isn't one person on Earth who still believes that Cleveland got the better of the Kyrie Irving trade - even if the league gifts them yet ANOTHER #1 overall.

For better or worse, John Wall is the best player we've had on this team (excluding MJ) in our lifetimes. The Eastern conference is wide open. Injuries are abundant. If you have a chance to be a top 3 team in the East, you have a better chance of sneaking into the Finals, catching an injury break, and winning a title in the next 5 years in John Wall than you'll have of winning the title at any point over the next 10 if you blow it all up to play the lottery again.


I would hope that they can be professionals and work this out. Gortat hasn't been the most mature player we've had, but he's told Wall he meant nothing personal with his "team" win comment and it does seem blown out of proportion. So his use of quotes was unfortunate. He's not a native English speaker and we, regrettably, are stuck with a president who routinely makes the same basic mistakes, and worse, on a daily basis. John is feeling defensive, as is often the case, and took offense to it. They'll get over it.

Beal's comments seem blown out of proportion as well. When they pass the ball, everyone eats. That's not a knock at Wall per se, but Wall needs to learn from the recent criticism of LeBron James (and Chris Paul, during his stint with the Clippers), and recognize that you can be selfish and average 9+ assists by dominating the ball. The Wizards are a better team when they have more than one point of attack.

They can be a better team with Wall if he can fit into that system rather than convert it into a plodding, predictable, "everyone stand around and wait for Wall to do something" offense.

 

[joe cool23]

Ernie trying to get in on the new bought-out free agent vets craze feels like if my grandma told me she was trying to get into bitcoin: I know this is not going to end well.