Washington Wizards 2013 - 2014 Season Thread - Thanks for a great season!

Where will the Washington Wizards finish this season?

  • Out of the playoffs.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • In 8th place.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • In 7th place.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • In 6th place.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • In 5th place.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • I'm delusional and believe the Wizards will finish in 4th place or higher.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    0
  • Poll closed .
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In a game where just about every defensive possession counts, I don't mind the short bench. I haven't really seen a reason for guys like Harrington, Gooden, Temple, etc. to get extended PT, or even play. Not in this series. IF we advance, and depending on who we play, maybe Wittman can think about his rotations going forward. Against the bulls, it's just not happening.

*Wizards HAVE to find an answer to defend DJ Augustin.
 
I"m happy as HELL about the win but I'm mad we had to come back from a 10 point deficit (after being up 17 no less) and scrape hard for the win. It was good to see the WIZ fight for the win, battling the refs, POOR free throw shooting (to say it mildly), and HORRIBLE shot selection in the 3rd and 4th quarters. This kind of play will get us DESTROYED (maybe even swept) against better teams (think Miami and Indy). I was a little dumbfounded at how little minutes the rest of our bench got. Outside of Andre Miller and Martell Webster, the bench got ZERO love. Harrington, Temple, Otto, Seraphin,and Drew Gooden got prolly 5 mins COMBINED. This can't bode well for us should we make the second round, SMH. Call me a pessimist, but Wittman will be the reason we don't get farther in the playoffs than we are capable of.

I agree with most of this. I would have loved to see Wittman get a better rotation in off the bench..

I'm really trying not to worry about the "next few seasons" and "what if's" and just live in the moment.

these home games will be epic :smokin
 
In a game where just about every defensive possession counts, I don't mind the short bench. I haven't really seen a reason for guys like Harrington, Gooden, Temple, etc. to get extended PT, or even play. Not in this series. IF we advance, and depending on who we play, maybe Wittman can think about his rotations going forward. Against the bulls, it's just not happening.

*Wizards HAVE to find an answer to defend DJ Augustin.

This

unless they think the length of temple can bother DJ augustin then keep the rotations short. Harrington, gooden and seraphin shouldn't see the court a lot if at all. Gooden can give gortat and nene a blow with booker but not extended minutes.

Anyone see the article on nba.com

http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2014/04/23/where-was-this-wizards-team-all-season/

love how we are still getting criticized yet we were the 5 seed. I don't think we under achieved all year. I thought we had a good season and honestly we have stepped it up a little in the playoffs. But there were games in the regular season where we played this well. Our defense honestly has been good all year.
 
This

unless they think the length of temple can bother DJ augustin then keep the rotations short. Harrington, gooden and seraphin shouldn't see the court a lot if at all. Gooden can give gortat and nene a blow with booker but not extended minutes.

Anyone see the article on nba.com

http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2014/04/23/where-was-this-wizards-team-all-season/

love how we are still getting criticized yet we were the 5 seed. I don't think we under achieved all year. I thought we had a good season and honestly we have stepped it up a little in the playoffs. But there were games in the regular season where we played this well. Our defense honestly has been good all year.

And when Gortat and Nene get into foul trouble, then what? Nene fouled out last night, a couple of mins on the bench in the 2Q or 3Q with seraphin or even Al in there maybe buys us some IMPORTANT Nene Mins at the end of the game. I'm not saying give any of the aforementioned bench players Sizable minute increases, but jeezus, get them into the rotation if anything to relieve some starters from foul trouble or to even spark starters when the offense starts going stale (our infamous 3rd Q kryptonite).

I notice that most folks in here are Ok with our record, our seed and how we've been playing. Why settle for silver when you can have gold? We EASILY should have won 50 games this season but yaw will happily take the 44. Sorry for being sick of mediocrity and acknowledging that the WIZ are BETTER than they've been playing and have SERIOUS potential. WE could've been a 4th or even a 3rd seed.

John Wall played terribly for a couple of stretches last night and had practically lost all confidence by the end (and was evident by the last shot in regulation being draw up for Beal). He needs to improve his ability to know WHEN to turn on the "scorer" mentality (he took many TERRIBLE jump shots last night) and when to distribute and run the offense (Point Guard mentality). When Johnny starts playing with more confidence and growing into his LEADERSHIP role, we will be EVEN better. And I'm confident it can happen in THESE playoffs.
 
I'm saying. This is the very first time Wall has ever been to the playoffs. I could see if they were used to this. They've got the talent, they just have to learn how to be perennial winners. That's not gonna happen in one season
 
Man...I almost wanted them to go with Andre over Wall down the stretch there when it looked like Wall was losing composure.

Then Miller missed that layup....

It's great to be up 2-0, but I wonder how much better this team could be with a top tier coaching staff and I fear that, knowing Ted, a series win here could cost us that opportunity.

Blow the series, get a better coach? Win the series, throw more money at current coach?
 
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Then Miller missed that layup....
LOL I know. I was telling my friend how Andre Miller was one of my favorite players because he always makes good decisions and rarely screws up...Then he missed that layup.
 
What a great win. Nerve racking to say the least, but great fight to come back down ten in the fourth. Could have easily folded and settled for a split.


And yeah, no question Wittman lowers the ceiling of this team - especially offensively. There were instances in the screen and roll set where they were actually bringing Noah into it. No clue what the thought process behind that was.

Just gonna have to take the good with the bad. I have little doubt Wittman will be back should they not blow this and get to the second round, but nothing can stop me from enjoying this run.
I was thinking the exact same thing re: the screen and roll.  On the last play in regulation, you had Beal coming off a Nene screen.  You KNOW Noah's going to rotate and close.  Did Nene cut to the basket?  No, he floated out behind the three point line, as Beal retreated into the corner to heave up a heavily contested fall away.  

Granted, Chicago steamrolled Trevor on that play, so it's possible that their off ball action was stymied by the non call and we were left with a broken play (as is too often the case), but still... you play right into the Bulls' hands when you're running Beal or Wall right into Noah.  

It's just bad offense.  When we had it rolling, we were scoring in transition.  As it stands, we're counting on these LONG twos, just like in the regular season.  Again, where's the growth?  This team could be so much better offensively given all its weapons.  Instead, we run this awkward play call offense that produces far more broken plays than it does easy baskets.  
In a game where just about every defensive possession counts, I don't mind the short bench. I haven't really seen a reason for guys like Harrington, Gooden, Temple, etc. to get extended PT, or even play. Not in this series. IF we advance, and depending on who we play, maybe Wittman can think about his rotations going forward. Against the bulls, it's just not happening.

*Wizards HAVE to find an answer to defend DJ Augustin.
If the Bulls are going to play Hinrich and Augustin together, Washington HAS to make them pay for it on the other end.  This is where Miller's ability to post up really helped us out in game one.

Neither Wall nor Beal have shown much ability to back somebody down.  Somebody's gotta channel their inner Mark Jackson and punish Chicago when they go small.  All elite two guards - and many elite point guards - have the ability to play with their back to the basket.  This summer, Beal should really work on adding that to his game.  

Defensively, the Wizards need to stop getting beaten on these dive cuts.  Act like you've played zone before. 

As fans, we deserve to raise our expectations.  Most of us have waited our entire lives just to sniff the conference finals.  We shouldn't be content to become the new Atlanta Hawks.  Even the Atlanta Hawks don't want to be the Atlanta Hawks anymore.  Better coaches are out there and Wizards fans deserve better than to reward mediocrity.  Let's not forget how close we were to playing Miami in round one.  The outcome of this series may change perceptions among those who didn't get a chance to see this team play, but it doesn't change the makeup of the team or what it's capable of.  

We're NOT overachieving.  We're playing a desperately shorthanded club and they're out-working us.  We're getting lit up by DJ Augustin.  We've got a bigger, deeper lineup and we're giving up loads of second chance opportunities.  We're making careless plays down the stretch.  We can't allow a favorable draw to dictate our decisions this summer.  Does beating Chicago really mean that we should max out Marcin and give Ariza a raise?  Does it mean committing to Randy Wittman? 

Imagine if the Clippers had advanced to the conference finals last year and stayed the course with Vinny Del Negro.  Would that really have been the best move for their team?  

I fully intend to enjoy this year's playoffs - it's been six damned years since we had the opportunity, and even then it wasn't what I'd call "enjoyable - but I hope everyone keeps their eyes on the prize. 
 
Didn't get to post about the game at all yesterday but
smokin.gif
.

Proud of them!
 
In a game where just about every defensive possession counts, I don't mind the short bench. I haven't really seen a reason for guys like Harrington, Gooden, Temple, etc. to get extended PT, or even play. Not in this series. IF we advance, and depending on who we play, maybe Wittman can think about his rotations going forward. Against the bulls, it's just not happening.

*Wizards HAVE to find an answer to defend DJ Augustin.
The answer is Ariza. Wittman put Ariza on Augustin down the stretch and he didn't score again

Suddenly, Washington was out to stop him. In a huddle in the fourth quarter, Randy Wittman had settled with Trevor Ariza his new defensive assignment: Augustin. Over eight inches taller, Ariza shadowed Augustin everywhere on the court, contested every shot and misplaced his comfort.

John Wall had thrown the basketball crosscourt at the buzzer to punctuate the Wizards’ 2-0 series lead in this first round, and Augustin was walking to the tunnel before jogging to corral the ball. His teammates were off the court now, but Augustin hoisted one more baseline jumper – cascading short on the rim, as if Ariza still hounded.

“[Ariza] is 6-8 and so lengthy, it’s hard to get free,” Augustin said at his locker. “We have to be ready and adjust for next game.”
Honestly, with that adjustment the series is pretty much over. Augustin is their only guy who can create a shot, if we put Ariza on him and prevent him from getting hot we will blow them out these next two games.


Wittman has done some brilliant coaching this series (particularly on the defensive side of the ball), but it's a lot easier to coach when you have a huge talent advantage. It's like a top 5 school playing a mid-major.

We have multiple guys we can go to in multiple roles, while Thibodeau has no choice but to play his best players for the entire game.


I believe Randy's offensive strategies will be exposed badly against Indiana. Watching the game last night, we were still taking too many midrange jumpers and there wasn't enough offense in the paint. When those tough shots aren't falling, it gives the other team a chance to run off misses and get back in the game quickly. The only thing that bailed us out is Chicago's 4-5+ min scoring droughts, by far they have the worst offense of any playoff team. The Pacers have the talent to capitalize on those mistakes, and I think they will do so in a big way.
 
What does everyone think of Beal's development?

Hindsight is always 20/20, but with each passing day, I'm BEYOND relieved that we didn't pull the trigger for Harden.
 
I was highly disappointed with his shot selection and consistency this season, also wish we would've seen him get to the line a lot more.

But he's only 20. Dude has a long ways to go in terms of development. I think he can be a top 25 player in the league within 2 years.
 
I think Beal being young helps us more then Harden would. Harden is a volume shooter...idk how that would fit in with John Wall. I like that Wall and Beal will grow together. Beal has the potential to be an elite shooter which fits perfectly with johns ability to drive and kick. Not saying that harden couldn't fit in....but i feel like this is just a better recipe for success for us long term.
 
The problem w/ Harden is that he's so ball dominant, his pairing w/ Wall would be counterproductive. In due time...actually, next year, I don't see why Beal couldn't average between 20-22ppg, especially if he learns to get to the line. In another 3 years or so, he should be around 25ppg on EFFICIENT shooting. Sky is the limit for this kid...yes, kid. Only 20. **** is crazy if you think about it. The Ray Allen comparisons aren't so far-fetched. He COULD be a clone. That shooting form is about as pure as you'd find in the league. It's a thing of beauty.
 
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