Comment from crozby
Time October 29, 2010 at 9:25 AM

My thoughts:

1. Blatche looked “slow”. In fact, maybe if he looses some more weight, he will get quicker. He looked out of shape and made very bad decisions.

2. Wall had open shots, but needs to work seriously on his outside shooting. With his quickness, he will always be able to get open shots- just needs to hit them.

3. Start Cartier Martin at the 3, until Josh Howard gets back. His shot looked the best last night, plus he played pretty good defense. Really only the bright spot we had.

4. Get Javale some help on positioning and his post moves. His footwork has got to get better.

5. Give Ndiaye more time on the floor to develop.

6. Play more zone defense if the guys cannot learn to rotate better. Zone may be best for us.

7. Lastly, hopefully we will never shoot this horrible again.

Comment from draftazoid
Time October 29, 2010 at 9:49 AM

I am not a big Al Thornton fan but I gotta give him his props for playing well last night.

The 3 best Wizards on the floor were Wall, Thornton and Martin.

Comment from bullets_fusion
Time October 29, 2010 at 9:52 AM

Obviously, no Wiz fan is happy today. So, I’m going to throw out some stats that happen IN A TYPICAL NBA SEASON:

1,230 games
59,040 regulation minutes
451 overtime minutes
173 games decided by 20+ points
50 games decided by 1 point
448 players who score at least 1 point
32 triple doubles

244,066 points
15,462 3pts made
30,925 fast-break points
8,870 dunks
52,089 assists
74,546 defensive rebounds
27,303 offensive rebounds
17,795 steals
11,661 blocks
35,383 turnovers
53,087 personal fouls
409 disqualifications (i.e., accumulated 6 fouls in any one game)
49 ejections

50 players traded
3 coaches fired
20,000 pairs of shoes worn by players
45,000 cases of water drunk by players

source: The Mag

Comment from draftazoid
Time October 29, 2010 at 9:53 AM

That is the best Center Javale is going to play against. We should not be down on him. Having your first game of the year be against Dwight Howard is a very, very hard task.

Comment from bullets_fusion
Time October 29, 2010 at 9:53 AM

Why did I post the numbers above? Because no one should panic. The season is long with more blowouts than close games.

Comment from draftazoid
Time October 29, 2010 at 10:00 AM

Tom, was John Walls 3:1 ration on assists to turnovers “acceptable.”
9 assists to 3 turnovers plus 3 Steals against a very, very good defensive team is a heck of a first game.

After 1 game John Wall is:
Tied for 5th in Steals per game
Tied for 6th in Assists per game

Comment from Mr. Know it All
Time October 29, 2010 at 10:18 AM

@ bullets_fusion
I wasn’t really bashing Wall. I was bashing Flip for putting so much on his shoulders this early in his young NBA career. I love Wall or should I say his talent & potential to be one of the superstars in the league in the near future. I’m sure in the back of most of the vets minds they’re thinking that Flip doesn’t think much of them!

Comment from draftazoid
Time October 29, 2010 at 11:01 AM

Mr. Know it All,

Who would you rather have as a captain?
The player who faked an injury or the player that refused to go in a game last year?

As one “anonymous” Front Office Personnel told the media: “The the rookies we are not worried about, It’s the Veterans.” And that was before Gilbert faked his injury.

Comment from draftazoid
Time October 29, 2010 at 11:14 AM

Worst Coach:

Kurt Rambis- Played Kevin Love only 9 minutes. He said that Anthony Tolliver gave them a better chance to win. (they lost).

Now that is funny.

Comment from dlts20
Time October 29, 2010 at 11:41 AM

Michael Lee is having a chat right now on the insider if you want to see

Comment from dlts20
Time October 29, 2010 at 11:43 AM

IDK if this link will work or not

Comment from dcbutler357
Time October 29, 2010 at 11:56 AM

as i said before, it’s the same thing that we saw in the preseason…..if it’s the players, do what you need to do.
if it’s the coaches, do what you need to do……eom

Comment from bullets_fusion
Time October 29, 2010 at 12:10 PM

Comment from Mr. Know it All
Time October 29, 2010 at 10:18 AM

@ bullets_fusion
I wasn’t really bashing Wall. I was bashing Flip for putting so much on his shoulders this early in his young NBA career. I love Wall or should I say his talent & potential to be one of the superstars in the league in the near future. I’m sure in the back of most of the vets minds they’re thinking that Flip doesn’t think much of them!

- – -
This is what I know – if you’re truly a great player (or in the process of becoming one), you’ll rise to the occasion no matter what types of challenges are thrown at you. Yao, LeBron, Dwight, Durant [I'm including him since he's basically as good as a #1 overall pick] – all Rose [pun intended, and include him too] to the occasion to takeover his team. Bogut, Bargnani, and Oden are solid and they still have time to get into the upper echelon. Wall and Griffin are next.

Millions and millions of dollars are riding on the success of Wall. Flip has no choice but to give him the keys now. Luckily (and many will think I’m crazy after last night’s performance), the Wiz has a good coach. There is no way the unemployed or wannabe head coaches (i.e., Eddie Jordan, Mike Brown, Dwane Casey) can take what the Wiz has right now and turn them into anything in 3 years. Flip’s on his way and he’s stilll got so much to do (and not a lot of time to do it).

Wall’s serious demeanor (completely opposite of Gil) is what tipped me off that this 19/20 year old can and will bring DC back to the playoffs (some call this mental maturity). Wall’s only solice for happiness is winning (which is what I want as a fan). Wall’s got a ways to go to improve his basketball maturity, but his brain is there. Wall’s brain is more like Colin Powell than GW Bush (if you know what I mean). And my God, Gil is GW Bush’s brain (never means any harm until we really see what’s up).

Comment from bullets_fusion
Time October 29, 2010 at 12:26 PM

There is no offensive identity for this team. A lot of the fans are concerned more about who is going to play and what positions they’re going to play. I’m like – whatever.

When you look at teams that run a specific system (Utah: Pick-n-roll; LeBron’s Cavs or LeBron’s Heat: High screen-n-roll; Magic: Penetrate and kickout), there is no mistake on what the guys need to do. I felt that last night, none of the Wizards knew who should be doing what. I’m sure they had a plan, but when the options were all shut down (i.e., Blatche double teamed; Wall couldn’t penetrate), no one knew what Plan B was. Gil and Josh Howard may be able to solve some of these problems, but this is the only thing I’m going to hang on Flip as being stupid. Flip can run his flex-motion-whatever offense to perfection, but if the end result is a bad jumper leading to a fastbreak by the other team and ultimately a layup (are you kidding me?), you have to stop and do other things (making them similar is a start).

Flip also needs to stop being a Harvard professor teaching quantum physics for guys that spell physics with an F. Dumbing it down is ok.

Comment from Arthritic
Time October 29, 2010 at 12:27 PM

i think people are giving dwight howard’s name too much credit. i saw atleast 2-3 instances where javale moved out of position to go for steals on incoming passes to dwight which obviously led to easy dunks. i know dwight is the #1 center in the league but his offensive game is still not complete. he is a beast on defense and he is decent on offense but he is not COMPLETELY unstoppable on offense. he doesnt take over games offensively like shaq used to.

i admit none of our big men can play defense well… but from what i saw yesterday yi played the best defense.

once everyone is healthy i honestly think the best 5 players for our starting lineup is

wall, arenas, howard, blatche, yi

i know yi is not a center and he is not a low post player. then who is? does mcgee have low post moves? armstrong? seraphin?? ndiaye?????

given what we have. i think its worth a shot to make yi start at the 5.

Comment from bullets_fusion
Time October 29, 2010 at 12:28 PM

oops, *simpler, not similar

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time October 29, 2010 at 12:28 PM

draftazoid — Love played 23+ minutes, not 9 minutes. I saw the same tweet, but it was a mistake. Rambis was schooling him for defensive lapses and bad shot selection in the the first half, and I think he got the message. Yes, he is their best player — he’s one of the best players in the league in fact.

Comment from bullets_fusion
Time October 29, 2010 at 12:30 PM

In addition to what Arthritic said, I didn’t think the Magic played all that well last night. This just showed how horrendous the Wiz played.

Anyways, I’m hoping the team has been demoralized enough and are ready for Atlanta tomorrow.

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time October 29, 2010 at 12:44 PM

fusey — Wall’s 3 steals vs. 3 turnovers is *just fine* you bet. His 9 assists in a game where we shot 37% is also excellent. Going 2-3 from 3 point range too. And only 3 fouls in heavy minutes — excellent esp. for a rookie.

However, he also had some *serious* deficiencies last night that made him part of why we lost big:

1. he shot 6-19 — 4-16 on 2 pointers. His shooting will improve; it’s something he can work on. Here’s hoping it can happen quickly, as he’ll be asked to shoot by every defense we face until he routinely sinks open shots.

2. he did not get to the line *at all.* Partly this was a result of the D taking away everything they could but the jumper. But he drove early, got 2 on a goal tend and was decked hard. That’s something that will happen *a lot*. He’s playing against a whole new level of defensive size, quickness and intensity. Lets see how he handles it. Has to get *crafty* rather than relying on overwhelming speed alone.

3. he got *no rebounds* — he needs to average between @5 per 40 minutes (Rondo, Curry, Sessions, T.J. Ford) and 5.7 (Evans, Westbrook) or even 6 (Lowry, Kidd). Especially because he is not a high % shooter.

Got to look at things they way they actually are.

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time October 29, 2010 at 12:46 PM

Ooops, I misread the box — John went 2-3 from the line not on 3pointers (he didn’t shoot any of those!). He needs to get to the line more.

Comment from WE WANT A WINNER
Time October 29, 2010 at 12:47 PM

I hope we can forget about this game and actually compete in Atlanta tomorrow. Im curious to see how John Wall and Blatche recover. I want to see what Miami can do against Orlando tonight.

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time October 29, 2010 at 12:50 PM

Last year, among point guards who played more than 20 per game, 8 of them got to the line 6 times or more per 40 minutes. That’s where we want John Wall to be.

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time October 29, 2010 at 12:52 PM

fusey — you didn’t think the Magic played well?

I think they are in about as intense a mode as I’ve ever seen a team this early in the season, and for an obvious reason — they face Miami next. They’ve been thinking about *stuffing* Miami since July!!

In other words, I think we ran into a buzzsaw!

We’re going to *win in Atlanta* mark my words!

Comment from Arthritic
Time October 29, 2010 at 12:55 PM

Tom i think you made some great points.

i do think though wall deserved a couple more free throws. not all of the “blocks” seemed clean, i saw a lot of body contact, but yes he does need to rely on something else rather than speed alone. i do think he’ll figure it out before the end of the season because he’s just that gifted.

its true that he did not get any rebounds… but i think when the starting PF and C get 4 rebounds combined… it was more of a failure as a team last night on rebounding.

it is pretty amazing how he managed 9 assists despite the fact that no one shot well. i do think he was also being a bit timid. he seemed too focused on trying not to turn the ball over so he only made the safest passes. i think to become an elite pg you sometimes have to push the envelope and take risks.

all in all i was pretty happy with his performance. i also think we need some help in next years draft.

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time October 29, 2010 at 12:56 PM

I agree w/ crozby that we should be starting Martin. He has played exceptionally well in pre-season and last night as well. He’s earned it.

We’re pretty small if he starts at the 3 (under 6’5″ w/o shoes), but that’s not really an issue. Martin played well on both sides of the ball.

Comment from gray16
Time October 29, 2010 at 1:25 PM

thank god the season is finally here.

in the end, i wasn’t really upset last night. i don’t expect things out of this team i did out of last years team. i expected the start to the season to be a rough one.

the only two guys i was really upset in were blatche and mcgee. blatche because he looked like he had regressed, but he was going against howard, so i wasn’t that mad at him. javale just made stupid mistakes for a lot of the game, he really needs some bball iq.

the only thing the team continued to make me mad about was defensive rebounding. you can’t give up third chances to one of the best teams in the league like that and not expect to get blown out.

but in the end, i saw a lot of stuff i liked, and plenty of places to improve on. looking forward to the long journey towards success, just have to learn from the mistakes and move on.

and yes, i agree with cartier starting. he did great last night, and i’d love to see him get more minutes.

Comment from crozby
Time October 29, 2010 at 1:37 PM

Tom, gray16, thank you guys for agreeing with me on Cartier. We’ve got to do “something”, to get the 50 wins I predicted…lol.

Comment from draftazoid
Time October 29, 2010 at 1:39 PM

Atlanta does not have a legitimate Center.
They have a power forward, a good one, in Tito (haha) Horford playing Center.
They have a small forward playing Power Forward in Marvin Williams.
They also have Josh Smith.

Javale and Andray should do better. They can’t do worse.

Comment from draftazoid
Time October 29, 2010 at 1:42 PM

I would start Cartier Martin at SG and bring Kirk Hinrich off the bench.

This team will go as far as Andray Blatche and Javale McGee take them.
I don’t think the play of anyone else will be as important if these two guys do not play great, consistent ball.

Comment from JayP
Time October 29, 2010 at 2:29 PM

I agree with draftazoid. kirk struggled playing the 2 and either NY or cartier should start until gil gets back. right now that gilbert is out kirk should be on the bench because our PG position is thin. I cant wait till Gil gets back that way we actually have an offensive threat other than JWALL and Blatche even though he did look out of shape hes still the best scorer on the team beside gil and jwall of course.

Comment from JayP
Time October 29, 2010 at 2:34 PM

Another idea would be to start a big line up. but that would make the pf and center position thin.
PG.JWALL
SG.Cartier
SF.Yi
PF.Blatche
C.Mcgee

Comment from dcbutler357
Time October 29, 2010 at 2:53 PM

LOL…We don’t have a legitimate center either….LOL

Comment from Arthritic
Time October 29, 2010 at 3:01 PM

dcbutler357

sad… but very true.

Comment from dcbutler357
Time October 29, 2010 at 3:12 PM

@Tom,

everyone in the NBA is a good player, remember? While we may not have the best players in the NBA, Flip is responsible for getting the most out of his players. I say put AB on the bench, or anyone else for that matter, if they are not doing what they are supposed to be doing. But the way it’s looking. AB getting the ball on the perimeter is part of the play, but it needs to stop, or introduce another ending.

As leaders, if they were not running the play, the captains should take charge and “coach” while on the floor. If a person is captain, that is part of their responsibilities.

There’s a lot that is not going on, besides the thought that coach himself is doing wrong. Again, i am seeing the same things that I saw in the preseason. where’s the liability for this. why sign ab to an extension? the way this is rolling, he is just as expendable as gil or anyone else. at this point i would rather him get traded and get to play in a functioning system….however, a few more of these, and flip wont be around to reach game 15.

Comment from Arthritic
Time October 29, 2010 at 3:14 PM

just wondering.

i think we’ll be getting one of the top 5 picks in the draft next year and i was wondering who you guys would pick.

i think the choices can be narrowed down to barnes, jones, sullinger and kanter.

i personally would prefer a more polished rookie in either barnes or kanter.

Comment from dcbutler357
Time October 29, 2010 at 3:14 PM

crozby, if you want to get to 50 wins, just add two seasons win total together…lol…

Comment from dcbutler357
Time October 29, 2010 at 3:16 PM

i dont even know who’s in college anymore….lol…

Comment from crozby
Time October 29, 2010 at 3:26 PM

dcbutler357, I am about to fall out of my chair “lol…ing”. And, the sad thing about it is that you are probably right.

Comment from dcbutler357
Time October 29, 2010 at 3:29 PM

lol…glad we could squeeze some humor out of this….

btw everyone, atlanta plays philly tonight, so hopefully we can get some tired legs vs us and take advantage of it tomorrow?

Comment from jeffmalone1990
Time October 29, 2010 at 3:56 PM

@Gotabig-I wonder how long fans and the front office will begin to take a look at Flip? In the 1st game all the issues of last year started to take place again. Jump shooting, on offense. Wide open 3’s on D, why would we trap the Magic when they put out 4 3 pt shooters????And an offense that was stagnant, he has yet to adjust to the players, and still is trying to hammer a system? I am at a lost for words already…

As for Arenas, we really need him back on the floor to help Wall. Dray will be okay also w\ Arenas back, and we played the entire roster and only Martin stood out to me.

Comment from jeffmalone1990
Time October 29, 2010 at 2:34 PM

Ernie G:This is a big year for you and Flip, if not then…….

Comment from jeffmalone1990
Time October 29, 2010 at 2:35 PM

Help me explain why Wall is the captain again, as well as Hinrich? Seriously, we had no leadership on the floor last night?

Comment from millie mill
Time October 29, 2010 at 4:10 PM

John Wall impresses Orlando Magic in NBA debut

John Wall finished with 14 points and 9 assists in his NBA debut Thursday night. (Gary W. Green/Orlando Sentinel)
It wasn’t the prettiest performance John Wall was hoping for, with the 13 missed shots, three turnovers and a 29-point loss. When asked to assess his performance, he said, “It really taught me what I need to work on.” When Wizards coach Flip Saunders was asked about Wall’s performance, he said, “We got beat by 29 so he didn’t do very good.”

The Magic, meanwhile, left the game extremely impressed with the rookie, who totaled 14 points and nine assists in his NBA debut.

Jameer Nelson said Wall is the “fastest player in the world.” Then he repeated, “In the world.” Faster than Rondo. Faster than Paul. Faster than Brooks.

“He’s quicker than a blink,” Vince Carter said. “He’s a young guy who seems like he has a great feel of the game. He’s not afraid to really be the point guard, be the floor general out there. That’s the first stage of it – not being afraid to run a team.”

Added Rashard Lewis: “He’s quick. Fast. Every time I tried to help on him and turned around, he was already at the basket. He’s a guy that’s going to be good in the NBA for a long time.”

Wall constantly pushed the tempo and knifed through the lane with relative ease. He struggled at times, though, with keeping himself under control. Once he began toward the hoop, he’d commit himself into traffic waiting in the paint.

Dwight Howard said Wall needs to slow down, and that’s something he’ll learn as he matures.

“I just think he’s so fast, he wants to play at that one speed,” Howard said. “And it takes a while for rookies, or anybody that’s young, to learn the game. Each year, the game slows down more.”

Howard told that to Wall after the game. Wall appreciated the advice.

“It is pretty tough to do because we are supposed to push the ball and that is what our team does,” said Wall, on Howard’s advice to slow down. “It is great to learn things from talented players out there every night.”

Comment from dcbutler357
Time October 29, 2010 at 4:36 PM

wow, your captain is your leader, but you can’t lead where you don’t go and you cant teach what you don’t know…

Comment from dcbutler357
Time October 29, 2010 at 4:44 PM

millie mill-its great to receive accolades, but he needs a teacher at this point. right now, i would like to ask him what has he learned thus far.

I just don’t see him as a leader, since he’s learning himself.

Comment from thh3s
Time October 29, 2010 at 5:06 PM

from kelly dwyer:

This was dumb, uninspired, impatient, and uncaring basketball. This was awful. And while the Magic looked every bit the inspired and confident championship contender that they are, the Wizards consistently played up the role of the team that just does not care. In their first game of the season, mind you. That was embarrassing. I don’t care if the Magic were the 1995-96 Bulls in disguise with Wilt Chamberlain guesting at center, that was about as arrogant and dismissive as bad basketball gets.

Washington couldn’t be bothered to run the floor on either end, set screens, move the ball in hopes for a better shot, talk defensively, cover for each other defensively, or give a damn. The Magic made the extra pass, it looked for the open man, it pushed the ball when appropriate, and it covered and considered things defensively.

And Washington should be ashamed. Yes, they ran into a team on a mission, but that doesn’t mean you abandon your own mission as a result

On another matter, would it make sense to cut armstrong and bring back morrisson? give H and Seraphin time at center and bring on a 3 point shooter who is weak defensively but can make a greater contribution than armstrong

Comment from dcbutler357
Time October 29, 2010 at 8:19 PM

wow, just noticed that the pregame show was an hour for miami/orlando game. feels like the superbowl or ncaa championship game…..FANTASTIC

Comment from dcbutler357
Time October 29, 2010 at 8:35 PM

Like it or not, ANYTHING that LaBron James does or is associated with will receive top billing and mass advertisement….real talk

Comment from dcbutler357
Time October 29, 2010 at 9:29 PM

Looking at DHoward’s performance, somebody give Javale the number to akeem ASAP….lol

Comment from dcbutler357
Time October 29, 2010 at 9:30 PM

Better yet, see if the wiz can hire Akeem for the whole season

Comment from Wizards4Life
Time October 29, 2010 at 9:36 PM

i LOL everytime i watch the heat play LBJ bringing the ball up the floor? over the other star player who is a point i don’t get that and this team is going to be just like the Cavs good till it counts mark my words

Comment from dcbutler357
Time October 29, 2010 at 9:48 PM

I see them putting it together. They have high BB IQs. If they get a “potent” big man, they will really be a force. Right now, the lakers and celts will eat them alive.

Comment from draftazoid
Time October 29, 2010 at 11:05 PM

Who cares about the Captain?
It does not mean a thing.

Comment from dcbutler357
Time October 29, 2010 at 11:29 PM

no iq needed for blogging huh?….lol….the captain should be the glue amongst the players, the coach on the floor, the leader amongst it’s peers….wow, why bother

Comment from dcbutler357
Time October 29, 2010 at 11:37 PM

Great night of basketball, actually i kind of like LeBron. People hate on people because they can’t do what the person that they hate on, can. So I say, if lebron can get other perks, as well as get paid in bball, go for it. There’s enough out there for everyone. Get yours, and stop focusing on hating those that are getting theirs. Guess what they are still getting theirs, and you’re missing yours because you’re focusing on what others are doing. So LeBron, keep getting yours, cuz whether you get yours or not, people will hate, just because.

Like the commercial says, Just Do It

Comment from neal
Time October 29, 2010 at 11:48 PM

Thornton played OK, Martin played very well. Everyone else needs to play better.

This was a classic case of just natural ability against better coaching, chemistry and experience. I trust we all know which is more important.

Comment from dcbutler357
Time October 30, 2010 at 12:17 AM

nets 2-0…..yay for avery johnson, the little general knows how to lead.

Comment from neal
Time October 30, 2010 at 12:22 AM

Blatche, McGee and Young need to investigate basketball IQ injections.

Comment from dcbutler357
Time October 30, 2010 at 12:31 AM

Oh well, a lot of season left. if we keep getting blown out like this, we def will have a new coach in no time.

Comment from dcbutler357
Time October 30, 2010 at 12:38 AM

if only we could have gotten childress…..

Comment from dcbutler357
Time October 30, 2010 at 12:41 AM

okay, i take that back, don’t know if we would have used him properly….

Comment from Arthritic
Time October 30, 2010 at 12:46 AM

@neal

“Blatche, McGee and Young need to investigate basketball IQ injections.”

LOL
wow that was pretty hilarious
but very true.

Comment from draftazoid
Time October 30, 2010 at 7:48 AM

Dcbutler,

My man!
“Oh well, a lot of season left. if we keep getting blown out like this, we def will have a new coach in no time.”

It’s just one game.
We win by 35 in Atlanta today.

Comment from draftazoid
Time October 30, 2010 at 7:50 AM

Dcbutler,

Who should be the Captain?

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time October 30, 2010 at 8:19 AM

@dcbutler — “everyone in the NBA is a good player, remember? While we may not have the best players in the NBA, Flip is responsible for getting the most out of his players.”

The players are responsible for doing their best; a coach can’t get more out of a player than the player is capable of giving at that moment. There is *no research* showing that any but a very very small number of coaches get better results from players than those players produce when they play for other coaches. Phil Jackson does, but only a very few others do — if what I read is correct, Flip is actually in that small number.

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time October 30, 2010 at 8:28 AM

NJ is playing very well, yes. Lopez and Harris in particular. And rookie #3 pick Derrick Favors has 17 rebounds in 40 minutes! And he’s 7-10 shooting.

Comment from dcbutler357
Time October 30, 2010 at 8:49 AM

LOL…@ draftazoid…..

The captain should be up to the players. Whomever can get this team organized(on the floor) and restore order, should be captain. How can one lead, if they don’t know where they are going? or how to get there?

Ok Tom, i hear ya. but if these players aren’t performing the way they are supposed to, let them get splinters. either way we are going to lose, so might as well get discipline established and create a foundation. Even if Seraphin is the only one running the plays correctly, put him in, raw or not.

it’s only two games, but hats off to avery. putting his players in position to excel….