It is the end of the season which marks the point where the Bullets Forever community get to weigh in on how well they think each Wizards player did over the course of the the abbreviated 2011-12 season. Each player is rated on the 1-10 scale. Next up: JaVale McGee

Continue reading this post »

It is the end of the season which marks the point where the Bullets Forever community get to weigh in on how well they think each Wizards player did over the course of the the abbreviated 2011-12 season. Each player is rated on the 1-10 scale. Next up: Cartier Martin

Continue reading this post »

It is the end of the season which marks the point where the Bullets Forever community get to weigh in on how well they think each Wizards player did over the course of the the abbreviated 2011-12 season. Each player is rated on the 1-10 scale. Next up: Shelvin Mack

Continue reading this post »

It is the end of the season which marks the point where the Bullets Forever community get to weigh in on how well they think each Wizards player did over the course of the the abbreviated 2011-12 season. Each player is rated on the 1-10 scale. Next up: Rashard Lewis

Continue reading this post »

It is the end of the season which marks the point where the Bullets Forever community get to weigh in on how well they think each Wizards player did over the course of the the abbreviated 2011-12 season. Each player is rated on the 1-10 scale. Next up: Nene Hilario

Continue reading this post »

The Wizards find themselves entering this off season without a head coach under contract. After firing Coach Flip Saunders, the Wizards finished the regular season under the tenure of coach Randy Wittman. While Wittman's achievements with the team can be viewed in a mostly positive light, this off season represents a chance for the Wizards to make an aggressive move to hire a a coach with a new voice. Whether the Wizards take that opportunity or stick with Wittman remains to be seen, but in the meantime, we'll evaluate several other coaching possibilities. Next up: Phil Jackson

Continue reading this post »

The Wizards find themselves entering this off season without a head coach under contract. After firing Coach Flip Saunders, the Wizards finished the regular season under the tenure of coach Randy Wittman. While Wittman's achievements with the team can be viewed in a mostly positive light, this off season represents a chance for the Wizards to make an aggressive move to hire a a coach with a new voice. Whether the Wizards take that opportunity or stick with Wittman remains to be seen, but in the meantime, we'll evaluate several other coaching possibilities. First up: Stan Van Gundy

Continue reading this post »

It is the end of the season which marks the point where the Bullets Forever community get to weigh in on how well they think each Wizards player did over the course of the the abbreviated 2011-12 season. Each player is rated on the 1-10 scale. Next up: Mo Evans

Continue reading this post »

It is the end of the season which marks the point where the Bullets Forever community get to weigh in on how well they think each Wizards player did over the course of the the abbreviated 2011-12 season. Each player is rated on the 1-10 scale. Next up: Jordan Crawford

Continue reading this post »

It is the end of the season which marks the point where the Bullets Forever community get to weigh in on how well they think each Wizards player did over the course of the the abbreviated 2011-12 season. Each player is rated on the 1-10 scale. Next up: Brian Cook

Continue reading this post »

It is the end of the season which marks the point where the Bullets Forever community get to weigh in on how well they think each Wizards player did over the course of the the abbreviated 2011-12 season. Each player is rated on the 1-10 scale. Next up: Trevor Booker

Continue reading this post »

It is the end of the season which marks the point where the Bullets Forever community get to weigh in on how well they think each Wizards player did over the course of the the abbreviated 2011-12 season. Each player is rated on the 1-10 scale. Next up: Morris Almond

Continue reading this post »

It is the end of the season which marks the point where the BulletsForever community get to weigh in on how well they think each Wizards player did over the course of the the abbreviated 2011-12 season. Each player is rated on the 1-10 scale. First up: Andray Blatche

Continue reading this post »

It is fair to say that one of things that isn't valued very highly on BulletsForever is the dissection of body language. After all, Brendan Haywood always had terrible body language, but the stats demonstrated that he was a decent center during his time in Washington. By contrast, Etan Thomas, who always appeared that he cared more than Haywood, graded out at a significantly lower when one judged contributions on the court. From a distance, its hard to parse body language. Did Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee not really care about results, or were we hyperanalyzing Blatche's propensity to look discouraged or McGee's seemingly false bravado? The answer lies somewhere in between. Neither player ever "dogged it" to the degree we might want to accuse them of, yet neither ever demonstrated the total investment in the game that wins fans over and silences critics.

However, one thing you can't hide on the court is joy.

In the two years I have been covering the Wizards, I haven't seen John Wall smile as much as he did tonight since he banked that three pointer to shift the momentum in the game last year against the Celtics. Yet the way Wall played tonight and fed off his teammates is a reminder of why the Wizards have invested so much in the second year PG. Wall was phenomenal tonight and more to the point he looked happy, as players executed on the plays he initiated and the Wizards seized control of the game over to Cavs to never look back and win their fifth straight game.

So maybe I overrate happiness, but since the Nene trade, John Wall has looked more like the #1 pick in the draft of a franchise that is on its way up and less like a man who is playing out his time in purgatory. Maybe it was the emergence of the MBP or the acquisition of Nene that has brought about the more positive John Wall. Possibly, it could be the addition of former Wizards castoffs James Singleton and Cartier Martin who have brought a professionalism and desperation to the team that has been sorely lacking. Whatever the reason is -- our foundation stone looks happy, and on closing note of a shortened season, that is good enough for me.

Newly re-signed (hah) GM Ernie Grunfeld will be conducting a press conference today at noon at the Verizon Center. Unfortunately, Mike is moving and I am out of town, so the biting questions will be held to a minimum. I am sure that much of the coverage will concentrate on the direction the team is heading, Grunfeld's plans for Free Agency and the draft, and where he considers the Wizards to be in terms of Ted Leonsis' "plan."

I am going to save my own thoughts for a longer piece later, because much of what I am thinking has already eloquently been stated by Mike in his piece from yesterday. Many have drawn similarities between Ted Leonsis' retention of George McPhee and his rehiring of Grunfeld, but to me its an apples to oranges comparison. The fact of the matter is that the Wizards are going to remain mired in the same lockstep thinking that has gotten them into this rebuild in the first place, and I'm not sure that another spin on the carousel is going to fix the issues plaguing the team.

Note: This is an Ernie Grunfeld press conference so do not expect a lot of revelations. Expect short answers and a lot of "Grunfeldese."

The outcome of this game is irrelevant in many ways. With Dwyane Wade exiting the game after just few minutes of play with a dislocated finger, the Wizards were placed in a no win situation. If you beat the Heat without the Big 3, then you are basically beating a group of washed up veterans and journeyman NBA players. Lose, and you reinforce the point that the Wizards have miles to go before they become a semi-competent NBA team.

So the Wizards won by two on a set play to Nene. Competent NBA team, or beating the team they should beat?

Special mention should go out to Cartier Martin for a career game and Mo Evans for hanging tough and delivering when it counted. Not to mention the contribution of Kevin Seraphin, who had his now usual solid outing, and and even demonstrated a bit of chippiness.

Actually, to hell with it. THE WIZARDS BEAT THE HEAT! I'm going out to celebrate and will have more tomorrow. Everyone go and dance in the streets.

2011/12 NBA Regular Season
45-17		16-46
April 21, 2012
AmericanAirlines Arena
7:30 PM
CSN
Starters:
Mario Chalmers	PG	John Wall
Dwyane Wade	SG	Jordan Crawford
James Jones	SF	Chris Singleton
Udonis Haslem	PF	Jan Vesely
Dexter Pittman	C	Kevin Seraphin
PRE-GAME READING Peninsula is Mightier SB Nation D.C. |

The Heat have been resting people as of late, so it is unknown whether we will be graced with the presence of either Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh. Ronnie Turiaf is questionable with balky knee.

UPDATE: Wade is in, but James and Bosh are out.

For the Wizards, Nene is active, but no one is entirely sure how much time he will get.

I am going for the reverse jinx just like Mike and say that the Wizards are getting blown out of the building tonight. Because, we saw how that worked in Chicago.

GO WIZARDS!!!!

We have talked a lot about identity and this Wizards team as the season has progressed. For a greater part of the season the team's identity was in flux, as they vacillated between being the "go go" Wizards or the Youtube Wizards, of of which neither identity has led to much success. Lately, the Wizards have begun to emphasize a grind it out mentality, relying on the emergence of Kevin Seraphin and the heady play of their motley crew of D-Leaguers to keep them in the game. Its not so much an identity as it is a unfortunate necessity, but the results have been far more positive as of late than the original incarnation.

Chicago of course, lives and dies by its identity, which is defense. In the third quarter, it looked like the Bulls were finally going to take it up a gear and grind the Wizards out of the game by breaking down the Wizards on both the offensive and defensive end. However, led by the unlikely duo of Brian Cook and Mo Evans, Washington fought its way back into the lead and managed to hold on for the win. Essentially, the Wizards stole the Wizards identity on the evening, or at least did their best to emulate it. There are worse teams to pick to pattern yourself off of going forward.

Notes after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

I won't have to resort to the adjectives that Mike used last night to describe the Wizard's loss to Knicks. Instead, tonight was simply disappointing. Playing against a team made up of former Wizards castoffs, bric-a-brack and Luke Walton, the Wizards simply couldn't muster a consistent enough offense or get to the line often enough to make up the difference in FT disparity which stood at 33 attempts for the Cavs and just 12 for the Wizards. Making matters worse is that every shot that the Cavs took during crucial portions of the third and fourth quarter seemingly always ended in a "and 1." Making matters worse, the Wizards simply did not have the shooters to get them back later in the fourth. WIth Roger Mason nursing an injured hand and Cartier Martin completely ice cold, the Wizards were forced to keep driving relentlessly to the basket and look for calls that never came. The lack of spacing let the Cavs simply clog the center of the lane against Jordan Crawford and John Wall and the Cavs hung on to their nine point lead without much effort.

Why so many fouls? For the most part it was simply over aggression on the part of the Wizards players challenging shots or going over the back for rebounds. They were fouls that good positioning could make up for, but the Wizards were too often slow to box out or out of position on the defensive end.

The good news to come out this game is that after a series of unremarkable performances, John Wall regained his shooting stroke, at least for one night. Combine this with another solid game from Kevin Seraphin and a surprisingly solid game for Jan Vesely and you might have something to build on as we close in on the final few games of the season. Notably not great on the evening was Chris Singleton, who continues to push forward the agenda that the Wizards need to draft yet another SF. I'm not sure if that is the right move, but at the moment he simply isn't capable of handling the minutes being allotted to him.

Don't ever think it can't get worse, because it can - Flip Saunders

As much as the Wizards may disappoint and infuriate me at times, I can't imagine what it must be like to be a fan of the Charlotte Bobcats right now. I have watched some bad Wizards basketball through the years, and the Bobcats may have just put on one of the truly inept performances against a below average team. The Bobcats didn't defend, didn't share the ball and basically made a point of shooting themselves in the foot at every opportunity. Keep in mind, the Wizards at one point were posting up Roger Mason, and Jan Vesely was grabbing every board that came within three feet and recording a double-double. So the next time I am cursing my fate as a Wizards fan and questioning why I continue to to punish myself year in and year out, I'll try to keep the perspective that the team is developmentally ahead of at least one team in the NBA and that my owner isn't Michael Jordan.

So if you happen to know a Charlotte Bobcat fan, stop what you are doing and give them a hug or a phonecall or something. Because ye gods it is going to take more than Kemba Walker to right that ship.

The other point to come out of tonight is the demonstration that glue guys are not a dime a dozen in the NBA and the Wizards need to change their policy of catch and release. Now I am certainly not advocating that the team signs either Cartier Martin or James Singleton to long term contracts, but having guys like that on the team who push during both practice and games and contribute effectively are more valuable in the end than long shot projects like Yi Jianlian or Hamady N'Diaye.

I have no special callouts to players tonight because every player who saw the floor for the Wizards (except Brian Cook) responded extremely well. I'm not sure what lessons we can draw from tonight's game other than it was nice to be on the opposite end of a beat down. When Kevin Seraphin is whipping no look passes behind his head, I don't know whether to shake my head and laugh or just stare is disbelief. The good news is that the Wizards checked off every single one of my pre-game actions items.

As Phil Chenier said towards the end of the game "save some of that for tomorrow night." Without Dwight Howard, I will put up Cartier Martin and Roger Mason against the best 3pt shooters the Magic have to offer.

2011/12 NBA Regular Season
7-47		12-44
April 9, 2012
Time Warner Cable Arena
7 PM
CSN
Starters:
Kemba Walker	PG	John Wall
Gerald Henderson	SG	Jordan Crawford
Derrick Brown	SF	Chris Singleton
Byron Mullens	PF	Jan Vesely
Bismack Biyombo	C	Kevin Seraphin
PREGAME READING: Rufus On Fire | SB Nation D.C.

Let the race to the bottom commence!

I don't put much faith in the "Basketball Gods" rewarding or punishing teams for their actions, but I do believe that the Washington Wizards should try their hardest to defeat the Bobcats tonight. It might take away from the amount of ping pong balls that the Wizards eventually receive, but at this point I think the team needs a win more than it needs vague reassurance that "next year" it will be different with another draft pick.

As such, I would draw up these actions items tonight:

• Beat the bad team;
• Make Jan Vesely take a few jumpers;
• Continue to develop Seraphin's post game;
• Encourage Jordan Crawford to keep distributing rather than chucking;
• Keep John Wall active and invested;
• But most importantly, beat the bad team.

As this is a weekend of joy and celebration for many people, I am not going to point out the Wizards lost their fifth straight game tonight and were once again on their heels from tipoff. Instead, I am going to be all about the positive pixels as there are quite a few positives for the Wizards to take away from tonight's loss:

• They don't have to face Gerald Wallace or Kris Humphries again, so it minimizes the chance a Wizards player is permanently maimed.
• The Wizards never have to play in Newark again.
• The team held Johan Petro scoreless.
• They gave local Maryland fans a treat by allowing former Terrapin Jordan Williams to have a monster game by going 7-7 from the field.
• Jan Vesely hit a jumpshot.
• Brian Cook attempted only one shot on the evening.
• Kevin Seraphin now has a Saturday in the NYC region to shop for animals to add to his exotic collection.

With the Shakespeare play that is currently being performed in Orlando, many are wondering if Stan Van Gundy's days in the Magic Kingdom are numbered. The Wizards can only hope that drama plays out to its fullest, because a Van Gundy exit would mean a bumper crop of recently successful coaches (Nate McMillan, Mike D'Antoni) are available to take over for Year 3 of the John Wall era.

This leads to the question of whether one thinks that Randy Wittman has done enough to merit taking the job over fulltime. Since Wittman has taken over, the team competed on a more consistent basis, although this has not necessarily translated itself to wins. One can arguably make the case that player development has also improved slightly, with players such as Kevin Seraphin taking a step forward under Wittman's tutelage. Do you reward the increased effort? Or do you mark it down to the fact that any voice would have brought greater success after the players had tuned out Flip Saunders?

Much of this depends on what action Ted Leonsis decides to take with Ernie Grunfeld. A new GM would almost certainly insist on hiring an new head coach in his quest to make the franchise respectable. However, if Grunfeld signs an extension, there is a chance that Wittman might get one more year to develop and coach the current roster.

My stance remains the same as it has been from the outset in that I believe that the Wizards need a complete organizational overhaul from top to bottom. This has less to due with the failures or successes of Ernie Grunfeld or Randy Wittman, and more to do with the fact that the franchise needs a jolt of fresh ideas and a new approach to avoid appearing moribund and stuck in their ways. If Stan Van Gundy is eventually ousted, I think he might be the best choice to lead the Wizards going forward, if only for his deep knowledge of the Southeast Conference.

I leave it to the Community. Who would you choose to be the next Wizards Head Coach.

To take a positive away from this game, it gave the casual viewer insight into the interactions between referees and players. My favorite moment on the night was when 73 year old Dick Bavetta turned to Kevin Seraphin and screamed, "I called a foul because it was a goddamn foul." This is the advantage when you conduct a basketball game in front of 15 paying fans. Perhaps they should rename the Palace the Mausoleum until the Pistons become somewhat decent again.

Goddamn fouls were the story of the evening as the Wizards were given 33 misdemeanors while the Pistons finished with 23. Reaching in, tripping, blocking, Dick Bavetta has to turn to every page of his rulebook to keep the traffic to the free throw line steady and consistent. If the Pistons has shot from the line with any accuracy, we would be talking about a blowout. Instead, their woeful inadequacy at the charity stripe let the Wizards hang around just long enough to make the game competitive in the fourth quarter. In large part, this was due to the efforts of Roger Mason and Cartier Martin being given the green light to bomb away and cut a 20 point lead to 10. It pulled the Wizards within spitting distance, but by that point the Wizards had been reduced to John Wall and whatever they could scrounge off the bench. By scrounge I mean Brian Cook, who decided that he too should be allowed to continue to air it out from long range, and of course missed both of his attempts.

It wasn't a terribly fun game to watch and I fear it will be par for the course as the season winds down and the Wizards appear more than happy to shut down Trevor Booker and Nene for the season. The good news is that John Wall appeared to pull himself out his funk to a degree, but one has to wonder who is going to help him keep these final few games competitive. It certainly doesn't appear like it will be Jordan Crawford, who might want to choose a new hometown to hail from.

Thanks to everyone who stuck around for what resembled more of a Varsity Rugby match than a basketball game. The Wizards will be in Newark tomorrow, which means that they once again have the opportunity to play in front of 100 people. Good seats, they are still available.

See y'all tomorrow.

2011/12 NBA Regular Season
20-33		12-42
April 5, 2012
Palace at Auburn Hills
7:30 PM
CSN+
Starters:
Brandon Knight	PG	John Wall
Rodney Stuckey	SG	Jordan Crawford
Tayshaun Prince	SF	Chris Singleton
Jason Maxiell	PF	Jan Vesely
Greg Monroe	C	Kevin Seraphin
Detroit Bad Boys

No update as of yet as to whether Trevor Booker or Nene will be available tonight. We will update the starting lineups as needed.

You know, the brutal sadness that is 12-42 hadn't hit me until just now. But then, how can I be sad? James Singleton is coming back home!

GO WIZARDS!!!

In honor of tonight's loss and former Wizard Etan Thomas' birthday, I think all comments should be submitted in the form of a poem. I, for one, am terrible at poetry, but I'll attempt my best thoughts of this game in the form of a haiku.

Brian Cook shoots the ball

He attempts to spear basket

John Wall is displeased

I mean, good lord man! Have a little professionalism.

Notes after the break.

Continue reading this post »

2011/12 NBA Regular Season
17-35		12-39
April 1, 2012
Air Canada Center
6 PM
CSN
Starters:
Jose Calderon	PG	John Wall
DeMar DeRozan	SG	Jordan Crawford
Linas Kleiza	SF	Chris Singleton
Andrea Bargnani	PF	Jan Vesely
Aaron Gray	C	Kevin Seraphin
PREGAME READING: Meet the Raptors | Raptors HQ | SB Nation D.C.

I am still in a state of shock after Friday. However, Sunday games tend to be the pits for the Wizards. I'm hoping the Wizards build on some positive momentum.

Nene and Trevor Booker are both out tonight, so we're guessing that Jan Vesely and Kevin Seraphin will get the start.

GO WIZARDS!!!

Does anyone have Dave Hopla's phone number? Shouldn't we be speed dialing him repeatedly at this point? I for one am willing to sit outside his house with a boombox and play some romantic tunes until he is willing to come back and teach the Wizards to shoot FTs. Much of this loss can be hung on the Wizards failing to hit the freebies, although there were other culprits at large....

Such as the complete mental breakdowns we keep seeing lately in the 4th quarter. Maybe we can mark this as an improvement, as the wheels are no longer falling off in the fourth and the team is keeping the game within reach to make the pain all the more intense at the end. However, the ball movement that got the Wizards out in front in the 1st half completely disappeared in the 4th quarter. Much of this falls on the shoulders of the guards, as both John Wall and Jordan Crawford made several terrible decisions as the game wound down. Instead of trusting in what worked in the first half, the Wizards offense screeched to a halt in the halfcourt which invariably led to a contested Wall or Crawford jumper.

To sum up, one can't be mad, but one can't be entirely pleased either. The team is competing and you are seeing several players (Seraphin, Booker) taking remarkable strides as the season winds down. However, there are still bad habits to be broken (hence the smoking metaphor) and as some of us know, smoking is a pain to give up. Speaking as someone who has been quit for two months, I still find myself craving a cigarette at least once every day. I'm sure that Jordan Crawford feels the same about his jumpshot.

Now to the jump...

Continue reading this post »

2011/12 NBA Regular Season
29-20		11-38
March 29, 2012
Banker's Life Fieldhouse
7 PM
CSN+
Starters:
Darren Collison	PG	John Wall
Paul George	SG	Jordan Crawford
Danny Granger	SF	Chris Singleton
David West	PF	Trevor Booker
Roy Hibbert	C	Nene
PREGAME READING: Indy Cornrows SB Nation D.C. | SB Nation Indiana

GO WIZARDS!!!

Mike Lee confirms that both Nene and Trevor Booker will start and play tonight.

I have to travel a lot for my job so to cover the many of the games I have to use my Slingbox connection. A few times this season the connection has cut out and I have been left to furiously hit refresh and attempt to catch up on the action I have missed. For the most part, the only thing I end up missing is the trivia or on the rare occurrence a John Wall coast to coast lay in.

Tonight, when my feed went out during the second quarter, I seriously thought about claiming "technical difficulties" and moving on with my life. I hope everyone else made the smart decision and spent time with a loved one, walked the dog, or prepared a really nice supper. Any of those actions would have been more productive then what we saw this evening.

Steve and Phil will tell you that the Wizards cut it to eight at one point, but the Wizards never felt in this game. This is a loss that I firmly chock up to roster construction as the lack of any type of shooter on the Wizards roster left the spacing clogged and confused for most of the evening. To an extent, the presence of Nene would have fixed the ball movement issue that was prevalent on the evening, but the the failure of anyone to shoot the ball with any accuracy would have rendered any impact he may have had moot.

Are there any lessons to take from this game? The only possible conclusion I can draw it that John Wall needs to be much more aggressive in attacking the basket to free up the outside shooting for his below average supporting cast. The other lesson is that the Wizards cannot afford to be intimidated and pushed around by a team like the Celtics, particularly since Boston is so weak in the frontcourt and can be exploited in forced to play at an agressive pace. Instead, the Wizards got bogged down in playing their frankly terrible halfcourt offense, which led to the Celtics coasting for almost the entirety of the evening

Frankly, we are past the age of the "athlete" and the player with "upside" potential being useful on an NBA squad unless you have a group of players surrounding that individual that allow him to freelance. NBA defenses are simply too complex for raw athleticism and hustle to overcome. Instead, tonight the Wizards started three four people who can't shoot the ball and a fifth who is seemingly only accurate from 30 feet out. The issues with the team are fairly obvious for all to see, it is up to the frontoffice to address the same issues this offseason in the draft and free agency.