Comments on: WIZARDS ANNOUNCE 2008 PRESEASON SCHEDULE

By: d.c.

d.c. — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:15:05 +0000

I think aunra has a point.I think something that we all gotta admit as fans is that we have no idea what any of the young guys are capable of because they aren’t given any responsibility to shoulder. who cares what most team’s formula is minutes wise.Every team and it’s individual parts and stregths are different.My knock on Eddie Jordan and staff is their lack of confidence in the team as a whole.I know that it’s a differemt sport but if you pay attention to what the N.Y. Giants did in their super bowl run.They simplified the game so that players not so hip to the playbook could work to their strengths ie.Ahmad Bradshaw. Sometimes you gotta coach your team.Instead of killing guys confidence by letting them watch the season from the bench blend them in with with starters sometimes,and give the young guys a sense of responsibility. In the playoffs this past year the coaching staff killed the chemistry by allowing Gil back into the starting lineup .Killing the chemistry that took all season to build up.And if Abe Pollin forced that move…shame on him too. Regardless of how talented lebron is I thought we had the tools to win,but if your leaders don’t show that confidence in the team the battle is already lost. We all as fans can say what we want,but noone knows what any player could have done if given a chance in those games.The pistons’s situation isn’t unique.Sure their young guys have talent,but talent is spurned by confidence and a sense of belonging.Those players knowing that every man on the squad has a part to play in the team’s success is transforming.And it’s bought into when that sentiment is shared and executed from the top of the organization to the coach and staff in the preparation of the players to the players. .Example: Look how well the team played without Gil.Producing two All stars in the process.Everyone wrote the wiz off as dogmeat when gil hung it up.The players played inspired team ball this past year because the egotistical mad gunner Gil wasn’t aroung to jack up jumpers all game. I’ve said it before and i’ll say it again…there is no big three in D.C. and the sooner the wiz understand that the better. Team ball and accountability should be the order of the day,but with a player’s coach who lacks imagination or guts to stray from the norm i’d b suprised if the wiz win anything under this coaching staff.And hey for all I know..maybe eddie’s hands are tied by the desires of Abe and co. Just as Abe says :Gil is his man,but we must remember so was Wes Unseld who literally drove team into a wall with dumb personell moves.I appreciate Gil’s contribution to Wizard’s history,but the mistake made this past offseason was letting a injusred player hold the team ransom instead of playing to win and signing Elton Brand and Theo Ratliff as a inside presence to take the load off of Jamison.Let Antawn play the three to extend his shelf life instead of having to face the 4 every night. We don’t need a prima donna at point we just need someone who canmake people around them better,and hold their own when they are in position to score.Just meat and potatoes.I can predict that the wizards are farther away from the east finals or a finals appearance not for lack of talent,but lack of identity,and vision.or as audra said,value system. Will the wiz brass ever get it?

By: Tom Mandel

Tom Mandel — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:41:44 +0000

Actually, Amir Johnson has been a much more effective player than Andray so far. They were both picked out of high school at the end of the ’05 draft — but Andray missed a year. You are right that Andray’s development is important to the team’s immediate future.

The only way we improve this year is if Gil and Antonio eat up *all* the minutes that Roger and Antonio played last year. If Nick gets more minutes than last year’s 1150, then either he has improved *a lot* (I don’t really expect that) or we are in trouble.

Oh… one other factor — Etan has to take up most of Darius’s minutes. There again, we should see an improvement in our results.

By: doclinkin

doclinkin — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 06:25:24 +0000

Funny Bulletsforever suggests Nick Young may have been distracted by the vegas ladies as well.

By: doclinkin

doclinkin — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 06:15:02 +0000

I’m pretty sure I could find 40 minutes for Stuckey and Maxiell if they were Wizards players.

Blatche is equivalent to Amir Johnson– and imagine if Billups were out all year with only Lindsey Hunter to back him up. Hunter is analogous to Antonio Daniels– not quite as good, but in the same spectrum. Detroit is consistently one of the deepest teams in the league.

Also, it’s tough to put a ton of ‘trust’ in Songaila or Etan considering both of them seem to collect nagging injuries that take them out for half the year.

I want to see more Dominic, provided he’s playing well. Last year he was lost and foul-happy early on, but he won us a couple games along the way with his defense and hustle. I agree that Summerleague jumper was a pretty smooth shot, hopefully Nick Young regains his form after the the debacle in Vegas. The boy just didn’t show up. Distracted by showgirls and gambling perhaps.

Me I’m thinking Blatche’s development is key, especially if Songaila’s nagging back injury sidelines him for any length of time. We need somebody who can run the highpost offense and the pick & pop game with Daniels off the bench.

By: GlingGling

GlingGling — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 03:27:03 +0000

Does anyone know when tickets for the October 10th preseason game go on sale? I’d like to see the Wiz at discounted rates.

@Wizfan4life, you don’t trust Darius or Etan? What have they done to make them untrustworthy? Also based on summer league we should be able to start trusting Dominic a little this year – I hope that kid explodes, I hope he gets more minutes than Nick this year.

By: Wizfan4life

Wizfan4life — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 03:08:36 +0000

Well the reason the Pistons r able to pull that off is because they seem to have had a pretty nice bench for the past several years….I mean the only players on the Wizards bench I really trust to have significant minutes are Blatche and Daniels……but maybe thats because the others havent had many minutes themselves? I dunno, I think its a combination of inexperience and lack of playing time that makes our bench sub par

By: GrifonRacing

GrifonRacing — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 02:23:26 +0000

That is why the Pistons are at the top of the league every year with the same basic team. They know how to manage the players time for each member of the team.

Everyone in the press, on here, and on the street are hoping Gilbert and Caron can stay healthy this year. Why not give them a little bit of a break and not play them 40 minutes a night? I’m guessing that would certainly help to keep them healthy all season. What concerns me most about that is we are the thinnest at their positions.

By: Wizards4Life

Wizards4Life — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 02:16:20 +0000

yeah that would be cool to see at least the first 3/4 of the year get everyone some time so no one is too banged up at playoff time but we could just go in blow every team in the NBA out an rest our starters for 3 months that would work too ; )

By: Wizfan4life

Wizfan4life — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 01:40:27 +0000

millie i agree with you on that, but sadly over the years the Pistons are the only team that I’ve seen that’s been able to pull off that strategy……most teams give their big stars 36-42 mins a game

By: millie mill

millie mill — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 01:13:00 +0000

Wizfan4life- I’ve been thinking that same thing for years, but just hoping the coaches know what they are doing. 38-40 mpg for the big three I think is a little too much.

Look at Pistons MPG:

Richard Hamilton 33.7
Chauncey Billups 32.3
Tayshaun Prince 32.9
Rasheed Wallace 30.5
Antonio McDyess 29.3
Jason Maxiell 21.6
Rodney Stuckey 19.0
Jarvis Hayes 15.7
Juan Dixon 14.4
Arron Afflalo 12.9
Amir Johnson 12.3
Theo Ratliff 13.9
Walter Herrmann 7.1
Lindsey Hunter 9.0

If we don’t young give our young guys time to play then how are they going to develop?