Bullets Forever ll Wash. Wizards Association

**NSSpartans81** · 12-31-2012, 01:18 AM

Re: Bullets Forever ll Wash. Wizards Association

2012-2013 Washington Wizards Season Preview

Will the third year of the John Wall era feature the first Wizards playoff appearance since 2008?

Last Year's Record: 20-46 (14th in the Eastern Conference)

Key Roster Losses: Andray Blatche, Rashard Lewis

Key Roster Additions: Trevor Ariza, Emeka Okafor, A.J. Price, Jannero Pargo, Martell Webster

Rookies: Bradley Beal, (Tomas Satoransky will play in Europe)

What significant moves were made during the offseason?

Bradley Beal, drafted third overall out of the University of Florida, already looks like an excellent draft pick. His jumper has been every bit as good as advertised so far, and he'll only see more open looks with John Wall and Nene sharing the court with him. Beal's also a surprisingly steady ball handler and, in a marked contrast to his predecessor at shooting guard in Nick Young, excels at finishing through contact and getting to the line. At the very worst, he'll be a solid starter at the 2 for a decade, possibly as soon as this year.

The team also swapped one bloated contract for two, dealing Rashard Lewis to the Hornets for Ariza and Okafor. Ariza and Okafor should at least in theory be very valuable veteran defenders, but there are a few signs that both could flop in Washington. Okafor dealt with knee issues last year and isn't skilled or big enough to contribute much when he's a step slow, so his previously great defense has fallen off quite a bit and could continue to decline in 2013. Ariza, although uninjured and at his athletic peak, has spent the majority of his career playing for teams that have been more relevant than the Wizards will be and might struggle to stay motivated as a complementary piece on a fringe playoff team without a very high national profile. With newcomer Martell Webster and sophomore Chris Singleton waiting in the wings, it's possible Ariza could lose the starting job if he gets off to a slow start this year.

What are the team's biggest strengths?

Washington finished with the league's 21st best defense on a per-possession basis last year, but the numbers only tell part of the story. The defense was awful until Javale McGee was swapped out for Nene, at which point the team suddenly turned into the 76ers. While the Wizards lack a traditional rim protector -- Seraphin, Okafor, and Nene are all slightly undersized for a center -- they have a lot of length and quickness at every position, with a few players who could eventually become elite defenders. Nene, while not the shot blocker or rebounder McGee is, excels at all of the little things you want a center to do, particularly switching onto perimeter players and boxing out. All this explains why the team was fourth in the league in defensive rating from the time of the trade to the end of the season. The additions of Ariza, Okafor, and Webster, as well as the continuing development of the team's young core should make the Wizards at the very least a respectable defensive team this year.

The Wizards are also a surprisingly deep team, especially in the frontcourt. While Nene and John Wall are the only players who are above-average starters, the team has three rotation-caliber small forwards and a half dozen productive big men. Players like Jan Vesely and Trevor Booker aren't going to scare anyone, but as far as second or third big men off of the bench, you can do a lot worse.

What are the team's biggest weaknesses?

Shooting, Or rather, a lack thereof. Everyone knows that Wall's a Rajon Rondo-esque outside shooter, but the bigger problem might be the team's lack of shooting from the power forward position. All of those productive big men I mentioned earlier are productive because they're good at getting garbage buckets and rebounding, not hitting jump shots. As a result, the team's spacing is going to be bad this year. Beal, Webster and Cartier Martin will help, but this is a team that is going to struggle to score this year, especially if their opponents decide to pack the paint.

The Wizards' management and coaching staff also doesn't inspire much confidence. While GM Ernie Grunfeld has been involved with the NBA for many years, the best any one of his teams in D.C. has ever been is mediocre. A large part of the problem is a tendency to overpay in trades and free agency rather than stay patient with cap space. Ariza and Okafor will cost more than $20 million during the last year of their contracts, for example. The coaching staff also doesn't have an especially proven track record. The players took to Randy Wittman after Flip Saunders got fired, but he also has never won more than 32 games in a season as a head coach. Wouldn't the team have been better off making a Godfather-type offer to, say, Donnie Walsh and a Van Gundy?

One thing that isn't a weakness this year is professionalism. Post-McGee trade, the team is devoid of knuckleheads and is comprised entirely of high-character guys with solid work ethics.

What are the goals for this team?

On a macro level, the team is taking a playoffs-or-bust attitude this year. With a still-improving Wall surrounded by quality veterans and youngsters who actually know how to play, the Wizards have a legitimate shot at the No. 8 seed. The Raptors, Pistons, Cavaliers, and Bucks have assembled similarly talented teams, though, so simple luck might mean the difference between getting swept in the first round by Miami and the sixth pick in the draft.

On a micro level, continued development for the youngsters is the most important goal for the upcoming season. Washington has pulled together some intriguing young pieces, but the franchise's spotty track record when it comes to player development makes it hard to get too optimistic about anyone. Wall, Seraphin, Vesely, and Singleton all have significant holes in their games that, if filled, could lead to dramatic improvements in their overall production.

Is John Wall really a franchise player?

After two up and down seasons,Wall still hasn't turned the corner and staked a claim as one of the NBA's elite. He still needs to be more disciplined on defense and improve his ball handling, but he's actually become somewhere between good and great at almost everything that doesn't involve shooting. While he shot poorly from the outside last year, a lot his problems might have been mental -- no one is a bad enough shooter to only make 3 of 42 three pointers -- and he became much more effective as the year progressed. Even if he never becomes a good jump shooter, he's still demonstrated the court vision and defensive potential necessary to be a real difference maker on both ends of the court. If those jumpers start falling, though, he could very well find himself playing in quite a few All-Star games.

**NSSpartans81** · 01-03-2013, 10:31 AM

Re: Bullets Forever ll Wash. Wizards Association

Game 1: Wizards blow 4th quarter lead in season opener 105-93

The season is finally here! With Game 1 in the books, here's what we can take away.

Welcome back to the NBA Regular Season! We've waited many, many months to get to this point. For a minute there (and by minute I mean 3 quarters) it looked the Wizards were going to get by the Cavs (double-double by John Wall and 30+ points by the bench of Jordan Crawford and Kevin Seraphin), but that fourth quarter was a freaking nailbiter. The Cavs came back from 10 down, but the Wizards really couldn't hit their shots towards the end of the fourth and fell, 105-93.

Washington Wizards (0-1) at Cleveland Cavaliers (1-0)

Oct. 30, 2012	1	2	3	4	Final
Washington	25	21	33	14	93
Cleveland	25	18	29	33	105

Top Performers

Washington Wizards

J. Wall - 16 PTS, 12 AST

K. Seraphin - 14 PTS, 10 REB, 1 BLK

Cleveland Cavaliers

K. Irving - 25 PTS, 6 AST, 2 STL

D. Waiters - 19 PTS, 6 REB, 4 STL

Team Stats Comparison
	WAS	CLE
FG Made-Att	39-79	44-86
3PT Made-Att	2-11	9-18
FT Made-Att	13-16	8-14
Rebounds	45	42
Assists	23	20
Turnovers	15	8
Steals	2	11
Blocks	3	3

**NSSpartans81** · 01-03-2013, 11:35 AM

Re: Bullets Forever ll Wash. Wizards Association

Game 2: Wizards hang on to upset Celtics in home opener, 88-85

Well, that turned out to be a lot more interesting than anyone thought. Led by Kevin Seraphin off the bench, the Wizards played tough against the Celtics and earned a 88-85 victory, that nearly lost late in the 4th quarter. Seraphin continued to show why he should be starting and should be featured more, especially in the short term. Right now, he's the only guy that can score against contested defenders, and he's the only guy that merits a double team. Okafor can't say that.

The Wizards don't have great offensive players, but it's striking to see just how much more difficult they make it on each other with their spacing. The timing of plays are off, and as a result, there's always someone that decides to break off the play to create something. A team with poor perimeter shooting has to be pristine in their execution to use whatever inch of spacing they get. The Wizards do the opposite of this.

Despite an injury, Paul Pierce still erupted for 25 points to led the Celtics. Only Jason Terry and Jeff Green scored in double digits along with Pierce, and somehow they still only lost by 3. Just show the defensive merit that the Celtics have.

These two will see each other again on Wednesday as the Wizards will travel to Boston.

Boston Celtics (1-2) at Washington Wizards (1-1)

Nov. 3, 2012	1	2	3	4	Final
Boston	25	15	25	20	85
Washington	26	19	23	20	88

Top Performers

Boston Celtics

P. Pierce - 25 PTS, 4 REB

J. Green - 10 PTS, 7 REB

Washington Wizards

K. Seraphin - 20 PTS, 5 REB, 1 BLK

J. Wall - 12 PTS, 6 REB, 9 AST, 3 STL

Team Stats Comparison
	BOS	WAS
FG Made-Att	31-70	36-85
3PT Made-Att	4-18	3-14
FT Made-Att	19-23	3-14
Rebounds	47	37
Assists	20	24
Turnovers	20	11
Steals	5	12
Blocks	1	5

**Gronk4M13** · 01-03-2013, 05:22 PM

Re: Bullets Forever ll Wash. Wizards Association

Good games so far, following.

**NSSpartans81** · 01-11-2013, 12:52 PM

Re: Bullets Forever ll Wash. Wizards Association

Players of the Week Oct. 30-Nov. 3
East: LeBron James (MIA) l West: Kevin Love (MIN)

Notable Injuries - Week Oct.30-Nov.3

NAME	TEAM	INJURY	DURATION
Lamarcus Aldridge		Lower Back Strain	Out 1-2 weeks
Steve Nash		Back Spasms	Hurt 1-2 weeks
Paul Pierce		Broken Finger	Hurt 2-4 weeks
Andrea Bargnani		Sprained Wrist	Hurt 1-2 weeks
Iman Shumpert		Strained Calf	Hurt 1-2 weeks
Andre Miller		Broken Jaw	Out 6-8 weeks
Jeff Teague		Broken Arm	Out 6-8 weeks
Blake Griffin		Strained MCL	Hurt Day-to-Day
Andrei Kirilenko		Strained MCL	Hurt 1-2 weeks
Tyler Zeller		Dislocated Finger	Hurt 1-2 weeks

**NSSpartans81** · 01-24-2013, 02:32 AM

Re: Bullets Forever ll Wash. Wizards Association

Game 3: Wizards fall to Celtics in Beantown, 98-91

Well, that was heart-breaking. After fighting back against an early deficit, the Wizards fell apart over the last few minutes of the fourth, losing to the Celtics, 98-91. Boston's legendary toughness was on full display, as Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry in particular seemed to get under the skin of a number of Wizards. Still, the team did a lot of good things and should look at their loss as a learning experience. Boston's a good team and there's no shame in losing to them in Boston.

Washington Wizards (1-2) at Boston Celtics (2-2)

Nov. 7, 2012	1	2	3	4	Final
Washington	19	21	30	21	91
Boston	34	16	28	20	98

Top Performers

Washington Wizards

J. Wall - 12 PTS, 6 REB, 7 AST

Nene - 12 PTS, 9 REB

Boston Celtics

Rajon Rondo - 13 PTS, 4 REB, 9 AST

K. Garnett - 12 PTS, 14 REB

Team Stats Comparison
	WAS	BOS
FG Made-Att	38-92	34-77
3PT Made-Att	3-15	4-17
FT Made-Att	12-15	26-34
Rebounds	56	45
Assists	22	15
Turnovers	17	12
Steals	8	10
Blocks	2	3

**NSSpartans81** · 01-24-2013, 04:42 AM

Re: Bullets Forever ll Wash. Wizards Association

Game 4: Wizards get shot down by the Bucks, 109-102

Another game, another loss. Once again, the Wizards fought hard, but they couldn't get good possessions when it mattered late and couldn't get quite enough stops to rally in a 109-102 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Washington falls to 1-3 on the season.

Milwaukee Bucks (2-2) at Washington Wizards (1-3)

Nov. 9, 2012	1	2	3	4	Final
Milwaukee	30	33	28	18	109
Washington	33	27	22	20	102

Top Performers

Milwaukee Bucks

B. Jennings - 31 PTS, 5 AST, 4 STL

M. Ellis - 30 PTS, 9 AST

Washington Wizards

T. Ariza - 21 PTS, 6 REB, 3 AST

J. Wall - 21 PTS, 12 AST

Team Stats Comparison
	MIL	WAS
FG Made-Att	39-82	41-76
3PT Made-Att	8-21	4-14
FT Made-Att	23-30	16-21
Rebounds	38	43
Assists	24	24
Turnovers	10	18
Steals	8	3
Blocks	1	8

**NSSpartans81** · 01-26-2013, 02:04 AM

Re: Bullets Forever ll Wash. Wizards Association

Game 5: Pacers beatdown the Wizards in Indy, 127-92

INDIANAPOLIS -- This game was a see-saw for the first 24 minutes. Ties. Turnovers. Missed bunnies. Runs. Unfortunately for the Wizards, the Pacers came out in the 2nd half and took no prisoners.

Overall, I think the early parts of tonight's game, and really every game so far this season, have shown tremendous signs of improvement from seasons past. They're passing the ball and looking for the open man. They're trying to get easy baskets. The contested-fadeaway-jumper-with-20-seconds-on-the-shot-clock style of the Wizards feels like it's in the very distant past at this point, but their inability to close out games in the 2nd half looks like the next demon to be vanquished.

Washington Wizards (1-4) at Indiana Pacers (5-2)

Nov. 10, 2012	1	2	3	4	Final
Washington	20	34	22	16	92
Indiana	29	31	31	36	127

Top Performers

Washington Wizards

Jo. Crawford - 24 PTS, 4 REB, 5 AST

Nene - 22 PTS, 11 REB

Indiana Pacers

D. Granger - 27 PTS, 3 REB, 3 STL

P. George - 17 PTS, 7 REB, 6 AST, 4 STL

Team Stats Comparison
	WAS	IND
FG Made-Att	33-72	44-79
3PT Made-Att	5-11	9-19
FT Made-Att	21-29	30-38
Rebounds	41	43
Assists	16	22
Turnovers	18	9
Steals	4	8
Blocks	3	4

**NSSpartans81** · 01-26-2013, 04:08 AM

Re: Bullets Forever ll Wash. Wizards Association

Players of the Week Nov. 4-Nov. 10
East: Deron Williams (BKN) l West: Kevin Durant (OKC)

Transactions - Week Nov. 4-Nov. 10

DATE	TEAM	TRANSACTION DETAILS
11/5/2012		Mavericks waive G Derek Fisher

Notable Injuries - Week Nov. 4-Nov. 10

NAME	TEAM	INJURY	DURATION
Lamarcus Aldridge		Lower Back Strain	Out 1-2 weeks
Steve Nash		Back Spasms	Hurt 1-2 weeks
Paul Pierce		Broken Finger	Hurt 2-4 weeks
Andrea Bargnani		Sprained Wrist	Hurt 1-2 weeks
Iman Shumpert		Strained Calf	Hurt 1-2 weeks
Andre Miller		Broken Jaw	Out 6-8 weeks
Jeff Teague		Broken Arm	Out 6-8 weeks
Blake Griffin		Strained MCL	Hurt Day-to-Day
Andrei Kirilenko		Strained MCL	Hurt 1-2 weeks
Tyler Zeller		Dislocated Finger	Hurt 1-2 weeks
Jamal Crawford		Back Spasms	Hurt Day-to-Day
Marcin Gortat		Sore Back	Hurt 1-2 weeks
Shawn Marion		Broken Arm	Out 4-6 weeks
Danilo Gallinari		Plantar Fascitis	Hurt 2-4 weeks

**NSSpartans81** · 01-26-2013, 06:07 AM

Re: Bullets Forever ll Wash. Wizards Association

Game 6: Wizards fall to winless Bobcats

Alternate title: Michael Jordan's revenge.

Raise your hand if you had a bad feeling about this. This year's Charlotte Bobcats are about as bad as last year's version in many ways, and this year's Washington Wizards did themselves no favors. Things started off right-ish and went downhill from there. From an avalanche of turnovers, defensive breakdowns late in the shot clock to the team being flat out-hustled and out-executed. This was an abomination of a game and the Wizards don't look to be getting better anytime soon.

Ever wonder what would happen when at least one of the team's streaky players doesn't catch fire? Who knows how this might have been if Jordan Crawford didn't score 19 points on 18 shots? When Michael-Kidd Gilchrist badly missed a long, contested two which turned into a Bradley Beal three on the other end and I thought, maybe we'll have this game in hand. Little did I know that was to be Beal's only make from the field. It never got better. Even when the Wizards pressed to within two (SOMEHOW), it felt like fool's gold, and the Bobcats proceeded to hold on from there.

And it doesn't get any easier as the Wizards travel to Dallas tomorrow night. Followed by home games against Utah & Indiana and a road game against the Hawks, then returning home to face these same Bobcats.

Washington Wizards (1-5) at Charlotte Bobcats (1-5)

Nov. 13, 2012	1	2	3	4	Final
Washington	22	29	17	28	96
Charlotte	27	26	19	28	100

Top Performers

Washington Wizards

Nene - 20 PTS, 10 REB, 6 TO

J. Wall - 17 PTS, 7 REB, 8 AST

Charlotte Bobcats

K. Walker - 25 PTS, 4 REB, 7 AST, 5 TO

G. Henderson - 16 PTS, 6 AST, 4 STL

Team Stats Comparison
	WAS	CHA
FG Made-Att	36-75	38-75
3PT Made-Att	3-11	3-14
FT Made-Att	21-34	21-28
Rebounds	49	35
Assists	18	23
Turnovers	22	15
Steals	5	9
Blocks	3	6

**NSSpartans81** · 01-26-2013, 06:44 AM

Re: Bullets Forever ll Wash. Wizards Association

Game 7: Wizards go down again to struggling Mavs 111-95

The Wizards weren't great or even good, but they weren't totally awful! That's the silver lining from the Wizards fifth straight loss, this time to the Mavericks. They dug themselves into a 22-point hole midway through the third quarter and it looked like they were headed for another humiliating reality check. (See: Bobcats game).

But then things got better! Well.. better enough that they only lost by 16 points and not 22. And they're now closing in on Toronto as the worst team in the NBA, but there are silver linings, and it won't be this bad forever. You cannot fault the effort.

Washington Wizards (1-6) at Dallas Mavericks (4-5)

Nov. 14, 2012	1	2	3	4	Final
Washington	31	22	27	15	95
Dallas	29	25	35	22	111

Top Performers

Washington Wizards

E. Okafor - 13 PTS, 11 REB

K. Seraphin - 12 PTS, 8 REB, 2 BLK

Dallas Mavericks

R. Beaubois - 21 PTS, 6 REB

D. Nowitzki - 19 PTS, 10 REB

Team Stats Comparison
	WAS	DAL
FG Made-Att	37-88	42-84
3PT Made-Att	7-15	8-17
FT Made-Att	14-24	19-23
Rebounds	55	48
Assists	21	23
Turnovers	12	6
Steals	3	6
Blocks	4	6

**NSSpartans81** · 01-31-2013, 06:33 AM

Re: Bullets Forever ll Wash. Wizards Association

Game 8: Wizards fall to 1-7 with 114-97 loss to Jazz

I mean, I don't even know what to say anymore. When the Washington Wizards raced out to a 15-5 start, it looked like this would finally be the game where things would change. Alas, here we are, about two hours later, commiserating yet another loss. This time, the Wizards went ice cold from behind the arc to finish the first quarter and got crushed on the defensive end by a hungrier Utah Jazz team that simply wanted a win more than the Wizards did. The 114-97 result is closer than the game actually was.

Utah Jazz (5-6) at Washington Wizards (1-7)

Nov. 17, 2012	1	2	3	4	Final
Utah	35	24	26	29	114
Washington	22	24	18	33	97

Top Performers

Utah Jazz

Mo. Wiiliams - 31 PTS, 6 AST

P. Millsap - 12 PTS, 10 REB

Washington Wizards

Nene - 14 PTS, 8 REB

J. Wall - 15 PTS, 7 AST

Team Stats Comparison
	UTA	WAS
FG Made-Att	41-82	41-86
3PT Made-Att	11-17	5-18
FT Made-Att	21-25	10-13
Rebounds	48	41
Assists	20	23
Turnovers	12	12
Steals	4	6
Blocks	4	9

**NSSpartans81** · 01-31-2013, 09:17 AM

Re: Bullets Forever ll Wash. Wizards Association

Players of the Week Nov. 11-Nov. 17
East: Kyrie Irving (CLE) l West: Kevin Durant (OKC)

New Notable Injuries - Week Nov.11-Nov.17

NAME	TEAM	INJURY	DURATION
Dwyane Wade		Sprained Toe	Hurt Day-to-Day
LaMarcus Aldridge		Back Spasms	Hurt Day-to-Day
Paul Pierce		Broken Finger	Hurt 1-2 weeks
Marcin Gortat		Sore Back	Out Day-to-Day
Shawn Marion		Broken Arm	Out 4-6 weeks
Bradley Beal		Sprained Wrist	Hurt 1-2 weeks
Paul George		Sprained Foot	Out 2-4 weeks
Wesley Matthews		Broken Jaw	Out 4-6 weeks
Jeff Teague		Broken Arm	Out 4-6 weeks
Andre Miller		Broken Jaw	Out 4-6 weeks
Danilo Gallinari		Plantar Fascitis	Hurt 1-2 weeks

**NSSpartans81** · 02-03-2013, 01:21 PM

Re: Bullets Forever ll Wash. Wizards Association

Game 9: Different game, same story as Wizards fall to Pacers, 99-73

Washington -- The Wizards are 1-8 after yet another terrible loss to the Indiana Pacers, 99-73. The Pacers controlled the game from the opening tip, never letting up on their defensive intensity. Not much more to say, this was a thrashing.

Indiana Pacers (7-5) at Washington Wizards (1-8)

Nov. 19, 2012	1	2	3	4	Final
Indiana	20	23	21	35	99
Washington	14	17	21	21	73

Top Performers

Indiana Pacers

D. Granger - 28 PTS, 8 REB

T. Hansbrough - 11 PTS, 6 REB, 3 STL

Washington Wizards

Nene - 12 PTS, 10 REB

J. Wall - 11 PTS, 9 AST

Team Stats Comparison
	IND	WAS
FG Made-Att	40-86	29-69
3PT Made-Att	9-21	2-7
FT Made-Att	10-12	13-18
Rebounds	47	44
Assists	21	16
Turnovers	15	25
Steals	12	7
Blocks	5	4

2012-2013 Washington Wizards Roster
#	NAME	POS	AGE	HT	WT	SALARY
1	Trevor Ariza	SF/SG	27	6-8	210	$7,260,000
30	Earl Barron	C	31	7-0	250	$1,150,000
3	Bradley Beal	SG	19	6-3	207	$4,130,000
35	Trevor Booker	PF	24	6-8	240	$1,380,000
15	Jordan Crawford	SG/PG	24	6-4	195	$1,200,000
14	Shaun Livingston	PG/SG	27	6-7	175	$909,000
20	Cartier Martin	SF	27	6-7	220	$916,000
42	Nene	PF/C	30	6-11	250	$13,000,000
50	Emeka Okafor	C	30	6-10	255	$13,540,000
12	A.J. Price	PG	26	6-2	185	$885,000
13	Kevin Seraphin	C/PF	22	6-9	275	$1,800,000
31	Chris Singleton	PF/SF	22	6-8	230	$1,600,000
24	Jan Vesely	PF/C	22	6-11	240	$3,330,000
2	John Wall	PG	22	6-4	195	$5,920,000
9	Martell Webster	SF/SG	25	6-7	230	$1,600,000

Washington Wizards Depth Chart
	STARTERS	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	John Wall	A.J. Price	Shaun Livingston
SG	Bradley Beal	Jordan Crawford
SF	Trevor Ariva	Martell Webster	Cartier Martin
PF	Nene	Trevor Booker	Chris Singleton	Jan Vesely
C	Emeka Okafor	Kevin Seraphin	Earl Barron

Bullets Forever ll Wash. Wizards Association

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