Washington Wizards 2012-2013 Season Thread - Thanks for a great year!

[jking0821]

I legit yelled at the tv last night at Emeka. I love this dude lol. Those offensive rebounds....just the fact that he is giving effort

Okafor and Webster pure flames last night. Thank you for trying. Its sad that im so used to the wiz just mailing in loses that actually seeing players put in some effort makes me happy.

 

[jjs07]

the Sucky part about trading for both Leonard and Blair is that we could have EASILY drafted both guys!!

>:

Fire ernie.

I think Emeka is going to be a hot commodity by the time the trade deadline comes around. With KG probably not being moved, this is a big who could help immediately on a contending team.

 

[victor page]

The Spurs actually have a good GM.

Don't think he'd actually give up Jax, Leonard, and Blair just for Okafor.

 

[Methodical Management]

The Spurs actually have a good GM.

Don't think he'd actually give up Jax, Leonard, and Blair just for Okafor.

Have you looked at their roster lately?  All three are on expiring contracts.  Manu's in the last year of his deal.  Meanwhile, they have the following restricted free agents:  Tiago Splitter, Kawhi Leonard, Gary Neal, and Cory Joseph.  

San Antonio has great ownership, but they're not about to get killed by the luxury tax.  Manu's probably going to reduce his salary, as will Jax, but you KNOW that someone is going to throw money at Splitter, Leonard, AND Green.  Keeping all three will be nearly impossible.

If we give them a player they NEED to compete for a championship THIS YEAR, who's also under contract next year and would likely re-sign at a reduced rate thereafter, isn't that worth three guys who probably won't even be on your team next year?  You'd have the chance to sign back all three anyway.  We'd be trading Okafor essentially for the right to match any offer on Leonard.  

Blair's been in their doghouse for two years now.  He's already gone.  Jackson's needed to make the numbers work.  Kawhi's the only piece they'd have a tough time giving up, but they have to make a call on which guys to keep at some point.  

If they do the deal at the deadline, it's because they're nervous about Duncan's health.  Otherwise, I'd look at sign and trades with SA this summer.  

 

[pmatic]

Leonard is not a free agent and is looked upon as a building block for the future.

I could see Jackson and Blair being dealt though.

 

[hypebeast5]

Leonard is not a free agent and is looked upon as a building block for the future.

I could see Jackson and Blair being dealt though.

This

Popovich said it before Leonard is the future of the spurs if anything it's him they keep going forward and most likely overpay.

Blair has been on the trading block the past three years so he's most likely gone this deadline

I could see Jax finishing out this season there, mainly since wherever he goes he ask for a contract, that will be a huge distraction so yea idk how this Okafor deal would work

 

[Methodical Management]

Leonard is not a free agent and is looked upon as a building block for the future.

I could see Jackson and Blair being dealt though.

He's listed with a $1.9 million qualifying offer.  Doesn't that give him the right to become a restricted free agent, a la Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik?  If so, there's no guarantee they can keep him AND all of their other players.

My point is simply that something's gotta give there, and the Wizards should perform their due diligence and, if possible, try and take advantage.  Kawhi's a good player, but let's not go nuts and declare him untouchable.  The Spurs aren't eager to pull another Richard Jefferson move.  I expect many teams to panic and overpay for second and third tier talent.  The Spurs believe in their system, their coaches, and their scouts. 

Just look at the George Hill trade.  Many people questioned it at the time, and I'm sure if you'd asked Pop a week before that deal he'd have told you that George Hill was the future of the San Antonio Spurs, too.  

Bottom line:  they didn't want to overpay for a guy they felt they could replace.  Someone they really like on this year's team will likely fall into the same category.  I suspect that they'd rather swing a trade and bring something back of immediate value than just let that player walk, and it wouldn't shock me to see them deal at the deadline if they think it can help them in this year's playoffs.  They know their window is closing.

 

[pmatic]

He's in the second year of his rookie contract.

I'm on my phone at the moment so I can't go into too much detail until I get home to make the salary projections for the Spurs next season and beyond.

 

[jking0821]

knicks tonight....wish i could be at the game. Hopefully Tyson doesn't grab 20 boards again.

Don't think anyone can guard Melo though....good luck Ariza and Singleton

 

[jjs07]

Wizards got this. I'd like to see Singleton get some burn tonight on Melo.

Oh yea...the hell is up w. the soccer spamming?

 

[victor page]

[h1] [/h1]

[h1]Rasheed Wallace on Washington Bullets: ‘We could’ve did a lot of things’[/h1][h3]By Michael Lee , Updated: [/h3]February 6, 2013
The NBA’s last remaining Washington Bullet returned to town on Wednesday, to a building that he was never fortunate enough to call home, against a team now called the Wizards, for a game in which he won’t even play. New York Knicks forward Rasheed Wallace  has been gone for nearly 17 years but said he still can’t walk around Washington without hearing the same thing.

“Every time I’m back here, people say, ‘Man, why’d you leave?’ ” Wallace said, shaking his head, at Wednesday’s morning shootaround at Verizon Center. “It wasn’t up to me.”

Wallace still blames former Bullets General Manager John Nash for his exit after one season with the team, but Nash had resigned before Wes Unseld eventually shipped him to Portland for point guard Rod Strickland and forward Harvey Grant in one of those promising-big-for-fading-small deals that the franchise was so accustomed to making in the 1990s (ahem, Chris Webber for Mitch Richmond).

With a few more gray hairs peeking out of his scraggly beard and unkempt Afro, Wallace still looks back on his time as a Bullet as a classic could’ve-been.

“Man, I think about it a lot,” said Wallace, who averaged 10.1 points and 4.7 rebounds in his rookie season. “I understand it was all business and money, but we had a helluva squad here. I wish we could’ve stayed like two, three years together, just to be able to see what we could’ve done.”

The Bullets were stocked with front-court talent back then, with Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Gheorghe Muresan, Jim McIlvaine and Bob McCann and Wallace was often viewed as a luxury. Wallace started 51 games as a rookie, getting a lot of time at power forward as Webber recovered from a dislocated left shoulder, but he also dealt with troubles on and off the court in his short stint with the Bullets. He also didn’t need much time to establish a reputation for berating NBA officials, and had been mentioned in trade rumors since January of that season.

The Bullets reportedly offered Wallace to Philadelphia for the No. 1 overall pick, which turned out to be Allen Iverson.

Still, Wallace was stunned when he was seated in a barbershop in Philadelphia and got word that he was going to join the Portland Trail Blazers.

“My cousin called, and told me, ‘You just got traded to Portland.’ I was like: ‘Man, whatever. I didn’t get traded,’ ” Wallace said with a laugh. “About two seconds later, my agent [Bill Strickland] called and was like, ‘The rumors is true.’ I was like, ‘Aarghhhh!’ ”

Wallace, 38, went on to become a four-time all-star and NBA champion after departing the Bullets, with his career taking him through Portland, Atlanta (for one game), Detroit and Boston. He retired after helping the Celtics reach the NBA Finals in 2010 and returned this season to pursue another championship with the Knicks.

Currently out with a stress fracture in his left foot, which has sidelined him since December, Wallace hopes to start practicing again after the all-star break.  He was averaging 7.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 14.6 minutes in 20 games with the Knicks.

“I definitely want to be out there with my soldiers. I’m in practice preparing and going through game film. I’m preparing myself, but I have to say, ‘Guys, I can’t get on the airplane and go to war with you.’ It kills me, but there’s nothing I can do,” Wallace said. “I’m real anxious, to be honest. Sometimes sitting on the sideline or sitting in the back watching those guys it’s killing me because at certain points of the games I feel like that I could have gotten that rebound or I would have been able to trap here or do something there. It’s a lot of what ifs.”

The “what ifs” will never be resolved in Washington but the memories remain. When asked what he misses most about his days playing at the Capital Centre in Landover, Wallace said: “Just the enthusiasm of the crowd. The crowd felt the same things that we did. That it was a helluva team and we could’ve did some things. …I think we would’ve went far in the playoffs, because we were big. Unfortunately, I started those games that I did because Web went down. I hate to move into his starting slot like that. But man, we could’ve did a lot of things.”

 

Even tho Rod was that dude...

 

[jjs07]

Wizards got this. I'd like to see Singleton get some burn tonight on Melo.

Oh yea...the hell is up w. the soccer spamming?

 

[dt43]

Webster is ill. We better hold on to him. Huge game for Ariza as well. Even Singleton looked good.

I don't know why Wittman left Seraphin in for extended stretches, dude can't defend/rebound for **** and is useless when he's not making shots.

 

[jjs07]

Webster is ill. We better hold on to him. Huge game for Ariza as well. Even Singleton looked good.

I don't know why Wittman left Seraphin in for extended stretches, dude can't defend/rebound for **** and is useless when he's not making shots.

Webster absolutely has to be resigned. This team has been ballin' since the OKC game 3 weeks ago. Something changed. What, I don't know...but they need to keep it going.

Last 16, 9-7. Since Wall's return, 8-7. IF healthy, this team could have competed for the 8th seed. It is what it is tho...

 

[hypebeast5]

Webster has def been balling

Knowing our team we don't resign him

I'm glad I'm one of the only people who voted that for is fighting for the 8th seed

Sadly I think we'd have it if the health issues didn't kill us

 

[jking0821]

Great win last night i missed the 4th quarter i had a soccer game. But saw John put up 10 in the forth.

Webster with another solid performance and great shooting night. I really hope we keep him. His 3 point shooting really opens up the floor.

Johns Block on Melo then ran the floor, spin move down the lane to lay up...

 

[mrtarheel]

Webster absolutely has to be resigned. This team has been ballin' since the OKC game 3 weeks ago. Something changed. What, I don't know...but they need to keep it going.

Last 16, 9-7. Since Wall's return, 8-7. IF healthy, this team could have competed for the 8th seed. It is what it is tho...

I mean while the playoffs would be nice. I am worried that the 8th seed is this teams ceiling

 

[jjs07]

I mean while the playoffs would be nice. I am worried that the 8th seed is this teams ceiling

With this current squad, yea...I agree. If they play their cards right, I hope we're looking at a completely different and MUCH better squad come the 2014 season. A lot of guys off the books and they SHOULD have plenty of cap money to use. Hopefully, DC will be looked at as a good FA destination by then. A lot has to go right and change for that to happen.

 

[mrtarheel]

With this current squad, yea...I agree. If they play their cards right, I hope we're looking at a completely different and MUCH better squad come the 2014 season. A lot of guys off the books and they SHOULD have plenty of cap money to use. Hopefully, DC will be looked at as a good FA destination by then. A lot has to go right and change for that to happen.

as long as they start making big moves I wont be mad. But the last time we were in the playoffs it seemed like they were satisfied with just making the playoffs. We will see what happens.

 

[Methodical Management]

With this current squad, yea...I agree. If they play their cards right, I hope we're looking at a completely different and MUCH better squad come the 2014 season. A lot of guys off the books and they SHOULD have plenty of cap money to use. Hopefully, DC will be looked at as a good FA destination by then. A lot has to go right and change for that to happen.

as long as they start making big moves I wont be mad. But the last time we were in the playoffs it seemed like they were satisfied with just making the playoffs. We will see what happens.

Only franchise in history to print up t-shirts and hats to celebrate winning a first round playoff series. 

 

[deuce king]

Looks like this Wizards team is getting it's act together and starting to play cohesive basketball. 

 

[dt43]

Webster is ill. We better hold on to him. Huge game for Ariza as well. Even Singleton looked good.

I don't know why Wittman left Seraphin in for extended stretches, dude can't defend/rebound for **** and is useless when he's not making shots.

Webster absolutely has to be resigned. This team has been ballin' since the OKC game 3 weeks ago. Something changed. What, I don't know...but they need to keep it going.

Last 16, 9-7. Since Wall's return, 8-7. IF healthy, this team could have competed for the 8th seed. It is what it is tho...

I agree, but we still had those losses to Sacramento and Philly where we looked pretty bad. I wouldn't say we're consistently a solid team yet.

Against teams where we can get out in transition and run, we look good. But when we're forced to slow down and really grind it out in the halfcourt, there are still issues that need to be addressed. Wall has been ineffective in those games because he can't really score/make plays in the halfcourt. Then the offense relies solely on Nene and the team stalls. Beal coming back will really help in that department though, his shooting opens up our spacing.


Nice breakdown from Bullets Forever of the key Wall/Nene play in the 4th quarter:

http://www.bulletsforever.com/2013/2/6/3962274/john-wall-wizards-vs-knicks-nene

 

[jjs07]

Not much more to say than this:



The defense = :x

 

[hypebeast5]

^ truuuuuuuu

Nene be killing them I'm glad Bradley Beal is back

 

[dt43]

Is this team actually developing a defensive identity?




His horrible rotations aside you have to give Wittman some credit, he is coaching them up on that side of the ball.