It's Past Time for Ernie Grunfeld To Go

The Washington Wizards have a huge problem with their team. It is not a new problem, this is a problem that has existed for generations, this team is horrible. There is clearly more than one problem actually, but one that can clearly be fixed. This problem has been around since 2003 and it must finally be dealt with. The Wizards must fire Ernie Grunfeld who is unfortunately the 5th longest tenured General Managers in the league. Grunfeld has led to or contributed to a multitude of other problems.

Let's start with the most obvious reason for dismissing Grunfeld...His record as GM is 444-606! The team has only won 42% of games during Grunfeld's tenure despite the Eastern Conference being incredibly watered down throughout virtually the entire tenure. A failure to win half of your games in a bad league could be plenty of reason to be let go. Never making the Eastern Conference Finals when you have been around since 2003 is also not acceptable. Those reasons alone are sufficient, but it gets worse.....

Ernie Grunfeld has had an incredible 22 draft picks in his time in Washington, many of which were top 5 selections. With those selections he has managed to pick one all-star. That all-star he should not even get credit for. John Wall was the no-brainer #1 pick that everyone would have made. The fact that he received the #1 pick should show you about his underwhelming teams at the same time. He did get one easy selection correct though. Look at all the misses below though and you will see how awful he was...

Complete draft history for Grunfeld in Washington

2003 Draft
Jarvis Hayes (10) and Steve Blake (38)
While Hayes was not what he was supposed to be, I did not mind this pick at the time so hard to fault it now. Hayes seemed to be the shooter Washington needed, but just didn't pan out. Steve Blake is still a productive player in the league, so that is probably Grunfeld's best pick there at 38. David West went 18, Josh Howard 29, Mo Williams 47, and Kyle Korver 51.

2004 Draft
#5 Pick traded for Antawn Jamison, #32 Peter John Ramos
It is hard to fault the Wizards for trading for Jamison, as he was incredibly productive and an all-star. However, picking Iguodala who went #9 would have been the ideal move. Iguodala would go on to be Finals MVP in the 2015 NBA Finals. He will again start for Golden State's dream team next season. Ramos was one of the biggest busts Grunfeld had and that is saying a lot. He played only during one season and only 6 games. He contributed nothing! Trevor Ariza meanwhile was drafted by the Knicks 12 picks later.

2005 Draft
#20 Pick Traded for Brandon Haywood, #49 Andray Blatche
As deep in the draft as he was picked, Andray Blatche was a pretty solid pick by Grunfeld. However, Marcin Gortat was still available at that point. Additionally, any good will with the selection was erased by the fact that Grunfeld extended him two years before he would have had to for way too much money. That contract and Blatche's attitude following the extension set the Wizards back for years. Overall it was a weak draft and while I wanted the team to pick Nate Robinson (a personal favorite) at 20, Brandon Haywood was a good trade.

2006 Draft
Olekisy Pecherov (18) and Vladimir Veremeenko (48)
Pecherov was the WORST SELECTION that I can remember in Wizards history besides Kwame Brown. He was terrible. It gets worse everytime you see Kyle Lowry be so successful in Toronto. Lowry was selected 24 overall by Memphis. Veremeenko never even played in the NBA. Meanwhile Ryan Hollins a 10 year vet was selected #50 that year.

2007 Draft
Nick Young (16) and Dominic McGuire (47)
Nick Young is probably my least favorite Wizards player of all-time. Dude was a black hole on offense who never passed. He won a few for the Wizards, but lost infinitely more games than he won. The top player selected after young was Marc Gasol, who was selected all the way back at 48. They could have had him in the 2nd round, but selected the underwhelming Dominic McGuire instead. Washington could have come out of this draft with Carl Landry (31) and Marc Gasol and really shored up that interior that struggled for years.

2008 Draft
Javele McGee (18) and Pick #47 Traded
McGee had some promise and the Wizards faithful were always hopeful that he panned out. Unfortunately, he never became the player we were told we were getting. DeAndre Jordan however was one of the best players in the draft all the way down at 35. What makes this pick really bad though is that every player picked 19-37 in that draft with the exception of 3 players (Donte Greene, JR Giddens, and Walter Sharpe) ended up as better players than McGee. 16 of 19 selections immediately following McGee were decidely better picks.

2009 Draft
The Wizards trade both selections in this draft. This will be described further below as it is the biggest miss that the Wizards had under Grunfeld. All of that to obtain Mike Miller!?!?!?!?

2010 Draft
John Wall (1), Kevin Seraphin (17), Trevor Booker (23), Hamady N'Diaye (56)
It was no surprise that the Wizards would get the top pick after trading a top 5 pick for Mike Miller. John Wall is the lone all-star that Grunfeld has selected, but you could argue that he is just the 5th most productive player in this class. Paul George, DeMarcus Cousins, Greg Monroe, and Gordon Hayward have all been slightly more productive to date in their NBA careers. Still, we can give Grunfeld credit for doing the smart thing in taking Wall, who still has a lot of upside.
Now after Walll...Kevin Seraphin always had the talent, but just did not produce to an adaquate level. The Wizards could have had Grevis Vasquez (28), Avery Bradley (19), or the most productive player at that point who was selected a pick later, Eric Bledsoe (18). Each of those would have been effective in pairing with Wall and building a nice young backcourt. Trevor Booker is no longer a Wizard, but he has had a solid career and was a very decent pick at that spot.

2011 Draft
Jan Veseley (6), Chris Singleton (18), Shelvin Mack (34)
Veseley and Singleton were each out of the league after 3 years, while Mack is still in the league and was a solid selection. The 1st two were busts. Singleton was the pick I liked at the time as a Nole. He had a great first year and then just stunk it up. To think this team could have come out of this draft with Kawhi Leonard (15) and Jimmy Butler (30) is enough to make you sick. This team could have competed for titles if they selected Leonard and Butler. Those two paired with Wall, almost certainly would have won a championship. They could have had the top 2 players in the draft. However, so could have a lot of other teams, Butler did fall all the way to 30. Still, Leonard should have been a player on the radar at 6. The Spurs certainly knew what they were doing....
It is hard to fault the Mack pick, but Isaiah Thomas and Chandler Parsons were still on the board. This draft should have set up the Wizards for a championship run with Kawhi, Butler, and Isaiah! Ahhhhhhhh!

2012 Draft
Bradley Beal (3), Tomas Satoransky  (32)
The Wizards were given a unique chance to rectify their God awful 2011 draft with a few high picks in 2012. Unfortunately, they blew it again. Bradley Beal has been an injured mess, but they could have selected big man Andre Drummond (9). Drummond is flourishing and would have been ideal to pair with Wall. However, if they wanted to get a backcourt mate, they could have gotten Damian Lillard (6). Are you sick to your stomach yet? No, Well Draymond Green went (35) while Satoransky never played professional basketball! We could have had Andre Drummond and Draymond Green! Again, this should have been the building blocks of a championship!

2013 Draft
Otto Porter (3), Glen Rice Jr. (35)
It is hard to fault this one. Porter is developing into a nice player and needs time, but that being said, Giannis Antetokuonmpo is clearly the top player to this point and will likely remain top.

2014 Draft
Trade their picks again! Bunch of Morons!
They had the 18th pick and could have drafted Rodney Hood who ended up being a solid player

2015 Draft
Kelly Oubre (16) and Aaron White (49)
This actually looks solid

2016 Draft
Again traded the picks
I guess Grunfeld at least knows he sucks at picking by this point because he keeps trading picks.

Let's go over one of these in detail. Heading into the 2009 NBA Draft, the Wizards have the 5th pick in a loaded class. This draft had Blake Griffin, James Harden, Tyreke Evans, Ricky Rubio, DeMar DeRozan, Ty Lawson, Jeff Teague, Taj Gibson, Danny Green, Darren Collison, and some guy named Stephen Curry. Curry would go 7th during that draft. He was from Virginia and went to school in North Carolina. Picking Curry would have been perfect. But no.......Ernie Grunfeld trades the pick and 3 players for Mike Miller and Randy Foye. The Wizards thought they were close to competing for a championship and traded for the duo instead of picking in a loaded draft class. Any of the above players would have helped more than the short and unproductive stints of Miller and Foye, but this move especially stings knowing that the 2 time MVP and local boy could have been picked. This bonehead move and missing on Curry alone could be enough to fire Grunfeld, but we will continue....

I could talk about more bonehead free agent moves and terrible contracts, but this article just makes me angry. I am writing it and I am still mad. Ernie Grunfeld is a complete joke of a general manager.

All of this is irrelevant though in the grand scheme as Grunfeld still has a job. Even if Ted was able to let all of the other bonehead moves slide though, the question still remains?
Why wasn't Grunfeld fired for this failed plan this offseason?
The Wizards cleared cap space for this offseason and inadverntenly signaled to fans that they were going all in on #KD2DC. That plan failed. KD signed with the Warriors. We paid a rediculous contract for a guy that has averaged 5 points a game for his career instead.
How can we not see that Ernie has failed at this point?

Oh well, I guess I will never see a Wizards Eastern Conference Finals appearance or an MVP in my lifetime. Every other team has done one of those in the East except my Wizards (even the Raptors who haven't been around long), but hey at least we have those memories of Mike Miller and we get to see Ian Mahinmi this year right?

Why win anyways?

This is a DC Sports team after all!

- Noland

2015-2016 NBA Season Review

This NBA season was filled with a lot of ups and downs for me. There were some spectacular moments, some cool moments, and some not so cool moments. It is all up for review here.

Let's start with the main team that this blog has focused on, the San Antonio Spurs...
The Spurs had a monumentally successful regular season. San Antonio won 67 games this year, which is a franchise record. However, the team was shocking ousted in the 2nd round by a younger and seemingly hungrier Thunder team. It was great to see the regular season and Duncan still being a contributor at his age, while hoping for him to get another ring and go out on top. It was cool to see the transformation to it being Kawhi's team and to see Leonard emerge as a true MVP candidate. Seeing Popovich's unselfish system continue to thrive is never a bad thing either...

So what happened in the playoffs?
The Spurs like I said, were outworked by a younger and hungrier team. It seems that everything was clicking all the way through Game 1 of the second round. This team dismantled the Thunder in Game 1. Then Father Time caught up with San Antonio in a big way for the rest of the series. Tim Duncan looked terrible all series until the deciding Game 6 when he tried to give it one last hurrah. It was painful to see at times. The knees and back were affecting his play and he just seemed to be losing it. For someone that has seen Duncan dominate for so long it was sad. It was sadder in knowing that this is probably it for Duncan and that he likely will not get to 6 championships now. A class individual and class player like Duncan should get to go out on top for the classiest organization in sports. Not meant to be though. The Thunder wanted it more and deserved the Western Conference Final appearance more. While it is sad that Duncan is likely done, the future is bright for Kawhi Leonard and possibly for the San Antonio Spurs still because of Leonard.

Now to the team that ousted the Spurs....
I have not focused too much on the Thunder here at ran. I don't think most of the people that read my stuff care too much. However, the Wizards fans care about Durant and the team has intrigue because they knocked out the Spurs. Kevin Durant is perhaps the most likable guy in the league and him leading the Thunder to knock out the Spurs is good for him and probably for the NBA. Getting more eyeballs on him and Westbrook is great for the NBA. Speaking of Russell Westbrook, I'm happy to see the haters starting to go away. The guy is an elite NBA player. Easily top 10 in the game and probably top 5. He needs to be treated as such. Glad to see Westbrook finally get that respect. The 1,2 punch of Durant and Westbrook will likely stay. Sorry for all of the #KD2DC fans out there. This combo is too great to break up.

The combo also has one of the best coaches in the NBA. As a die-hard Nole, I cannot tell you how excited it makes me that Billy Donovan is coaching the Oklahoma City Thunder instead of coaching in Gainesville. This guy just knows basketball. He is one of the elite basketball minds on the planet. Assuming that Durant stays with the Thunder (I assume he will), this team has future NBA Champs written all over it.

Heck they almost won this year. The Thunder were up 3-1 on the team with the best record in the NBA during the Western Conference Finals. Did it all come crashing down?
Yes. It came crashing down when the Warriors made the proper adjustments and their two best players finally started playing like they had all season. Klay Thompson took over the series and the Warriors ended up winning. The team had the best regular season record in NBA history for a reason. Still, the Thunder had them down 3-1. That says a lot about the potential of Oklahoma City.

The Thunder certainly upgraded over Scott Brooks with Billy Donovan. However, Brooks was a good coach that helped the Thunder get to the next point. He helped develop two young superstars. Brooks is a great hire for the team that I do regularly talk about, the Washington Wizards. Hired just a few weeks ago, Brooks looks to improve on his career 62% winning percentage in a weak Eastern Conference. There is absolutely no excuse for the Wizards being as horrendous as they are, and Brooks has the potential to mold this team at least into a consistent playoff contender. With Brooks, they should at least make the playoffs every year. With some solid roster movement, this team can contend in the Eastern Conference.

Which leads me to my next topic, the underachieving Bradley Beal. This guy is supposed to be offered a max contract this offseason. Why?
Beal played in just 55 games this season and his injury prone status is a large reason why this team underachieved so much. Do they really want to make the playoffs only when an injury prone guy is healthy?
Beal has played in just 247/328 regular season games in his career. The career just started and its been filled with injuries. This is the guy you want to offer the max to. The guy you want to make Wall's 2nd best option. Sure he has a pretty 3 point shot, but why risk it. Can't we go with a safer and more reliable alternative here to giving Beal 22 million?
He says he is past the injury thing, but is he really?
The dude derailed the Wizards season and they missed the playoffs in a weak Eastern Conference. That he averaged 17.4 is of no consequence, he played in just 55 games. There are a lot better ways to spend 22 million. He has a nice shot, but he isn't a great defender and rarely can create his own shot. Not to mention that he has the 39th worst turnover rate among NBA guards. The guy doesn't play and when he does, he turns it over. I just don't see why this guy deserves a max deal. If you want to bring him back, fine, but structure the deal in a way that the team still has financial flexibility. A team with two injury prone max guards will stay a fringe playoff contender. That playoff status will continue to remain on the backs and legs of two injury prone guys. Not how I want to spend my time as an NBA fan. If you give Beal the max, you deserve the broken player you get. Here is a solid article on what the Wizards should offer Beal.

Speaking of the weak Eastern Conference.....

LeBron certainly continues to dominate the pathetic conference. However, as a hater of the LeBron narrative, I thought it was worth pointing out that the Miami Heat pushed the Raptors (that gave LeBron fits in the Finals) to 7 games the series before. They did it with largely the same team LeBron had, just minus LeBron. They also did it injured. Guess they are solid help and I guess Wade did have plenty in the tank, just like I said. The biggest difference between this Heat and LeBron's Heat in my opinion is that this Heat did not include Chris Bosh either. They must have some pretty solid contributing parts. Led by a pretty fantastic guard in Dwayne Wade.....

Stay tuned next week, for more from the world of sports...

-Noland

2014 A Great Year In Sports

There is one thing that is for sure, 2015 has not started off like 2014...
Looking back at 2014 the year in sports will always be special for me. Just about everything in that year went right. It started in early January with my favorite team of all, Florida State football took care of business and secured the National Title.
The whole season was epic, but securing that title really put the bow on it. That would have made 2014 an awesome sports year, but then Florida State Football went on to win all of their games in the calendar year during the fall. An amazing streak that would stretch all the way to 29 wins. Jameis Winston, who has taken so much nonsense for very little reason, led the Noles through perfection. Although I would have obviously liked them to close out this season with another title, I am thrilled with the performance of the Noles and excited for what Jameis and Jimbo have prepared for our future. It really does not get any better than this past year especially with all the hate our program has received. The hate makes it that much better and as Seminoles we have learned to embrace that hate. We have embraced the most hated team in recent memory and wear that as a badge of pride. Everyone hates us, but we love our team and are proud of our team that deserves 0 hate and 0 backlash.

Let's stick with FSU for a second. As an FSU fan for me it is football, track, baseball, basketball, and then the other sports. However, I love absolutely every sport at FSU and I have been to every sport as a student. It really was a great year for all of Seminole athletics. This fall in particular was spectacular. FSU Volleyball advanced to the Sweet 16 and FSU Soccer won a National Championship. Our fall sports were simply dominant. Men's Golf is actually a spring sport, but they had some Fall action and the Noles are #1 in Men's Golf. FSU happened to secure the FGCU Classic in late October to stay #1 and look quite strong for this season. Track is looking strong heading into 2015 and had a fantastic season in 2014. FSU Softball advanced to the College World Series in 2014 and baseball once again was a National Seed. All FSU programs represented the school brilliantly in 2014, and while it is over 2015 looks strong as well. That should not stop us from remembering what I believe is our best year to date though. Two national championship wins in a calendar year is impressive for any school. Great job Noles.

After the Seminoles, my favorite team is the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles were actually the first team I loved and the 1st sport I loved was baseball. This is a team I grew up watching and my entire immediate family loved. They were our local team growing up and when the Nationals came to town, I kept my allegiance to the Baltimore Orioles. During those years as an Oriole fan since my birth in '87 they have been awful the overwhelming majority of the time. However, this year they won the AL East (which I have seen twice) and they advanced to the ALCS (which I have also only seen twice). I have never seen them advance past where they did this year. This is also only the 4th postseason appearance period of my lifetime for this team. When you consider all of these factors and the fact that this team overcame so much, I am so proud of their 2014. AL East Champs and advancing to the American League finale is something I will gladly take from my Baltimore Orioles!

The Orioles didn't win it all, but I was happy with the result. On Halloween, I wrote a piece about the greatness of two of the players that did win the World Series. While neither of those players are on the Orioles, I would take each one in a heartbeat and I am not upset that they won. The fact that one of them is a former 'Nole and my favorite current athlete helps. Add in that the Giants are managed by Bruce Bochy and you have another successful element of 2014. So another element of the best sports year being 2014, has to be two former Noles winning the World Series for the Giants.

My other hometown team I loved from VA was the Washington Wizards. I have not seen many great years with the Wizards, but that was different in 2014.The Wizards made it to the Eastern Conference Semifinals in 2014 and have started the 2014-2015 season very strong. Much like the Orioles, the Wizards have been traditionally terrible in my lifetime, and this is the furthest I have seen Washington advance. The Wizards looked good doing it too as this team looked quite capable of knocking off the Pacers in Round 2. Washington looked so good to close out last season that I picked them to win the Eastern Conference this year. No doubt this has been the best time in my lifetime to be a Washington Wizards fan.

My next favorite team is actually another NBA team in the San Antonio Spurs. I followed David Robinson when I was young because he shared most of my name and because he went to the Naval Academy which I thought was awesome. In college I really enjoyed the fundamental play of Tim Duncan who naturally became my favorite basketball player when the Admiral retired. I stuck with liking Duncan and the Spurs post Robinson due to my admiration and respect of Duncan and Popovich. San Antonio is the best example of team sports play and they are an absolute thrill to watch. They put on a clinic this past season and you cannot complain about any of it if you like the Spurs. Tim Duncan is also finally getting some of the much deserved respect for his fantastic career. In 2014, Duncan added a 5th championship ring to his resume. He could well be starting the run to his 6th ring this season.

Finally, we get to the NFL. I used to be a Redskins fan, but dumped them like a bad habit when they got rid of a family friend and Snyder took over. I refused to even consider going back when they brought in Steve Spurrier and loaded up on Gators. That was the last straw for me. I went to the Bucs at that point because they had my two favorite Noles (Warrick Dunn and Derrick Brooks). They also had a strong Christian Head Coach in Tony Dungy and an exciting defense. I was a good Bucs fan until they handled Dungy inappropriately and then I went back and forth between the Texans, Ravens, and Bucs. I am not even going to lie about my NFL allegiance. These past few seasons it has been root for the team with more Noles and against the team with players I do not like. It has worked out pretty well. Now, what does this have to do with 2014? The Buccaneers, the team I want to root for, has a golden opportunity for 2015 based on their play in 2014. They can secure the best player in the 2015 NFL Draft because they tanked in 2014. Tampa Bay can draft Jameis Winston (assuming he goes pro) and I can be a Bucs fan forever. Of course, they could screw it up take Marriota and go with the status quo, but I prefer to think positively. I like Lovie and will love the Bucs if they get Jameis. There will be some meaning of this year in the NFL so that this truly can be my best sports year ever,

Regardless of that though, it still was the best year. 2014 was a banner year in sports. Here is to more of this stuff happening in 2015. Go Noles! Go Orioles! Go Wizards! Go Spurs! and Go Bucs?

-Noland

Is Leonard Hamilton the Right Guy @ Florida State?

Before I get into this post, yes the playoff preview is coming a week from today. However, today I thought I would get into some college basketball and my thoughts on our coach in particular.

You see it every year from some fan at some school calling for their head coach to be fired. Luckily, at Florida State for football, soccer, girl's basketball, volleyball, and track, that hasn't happened too often, However, for the other sports, it happens all the time. No case represents this more than basketball coach Leonard Hamilton. Every year you hear the calls for his ouster. This year those calls seem to be getting louder and louder. Are they justified though?

As a Wizards fan, I think I have some unique perspective on Coach Hamilton. I followed him as Wizards coach and never wanted him to come to Tallahassee. In fact, after his failure in DC, he was just about the last guy I wanted to see coaching my alma mater. This guy just seemed like a bumbling idiot to me and one that should find a new profession.

Therefore, it is easy to see that I had low expectations for Coach Hamilton. I expected Hamilton to be gone in 3 years and be a complete failure for the Seminoles. There is no doubt that he exceeded my expectations. Hamilton is currently in his 13th season for the Seminoles and this one looks like it could be his worst. The Noles are off to a horrible start, but let's look at the record before this season because this one is still a work in progress.

During his 12 full seasons at FSU, Hamilton holds a 241-157 record.
That record has a (.606) winning percentage overall.
He is 98-98 (.500) in the ACC.
Winning 60% of your games is pretty good, but it is not elite.
He has won a ACC Tournament Championship, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament 4 times.
Under Hamilton, the Noles have averaged an NCAA appearance every 3 years which is not that impressive.
Hamilton's team has maxed out at one Sweet Sixteen appearance in 12 years.

FSU has absolutely had the talent. Nobody questions Hamilton's ability to recruit. He may be the best recruiter in the country vs. what he has done on the basketball court. This team rarely has exceeded expectations. Even with studs like Chris Singleton and Toney Douglas, this team has maxed out at the Sweet Sixteen. The Noles are normally known for fantastic free throw shooting and incredible defense (except this awful season), but terrible clock management. During that one Sweet 16 run, the Final Four was there for the Noles and Hamilton absolutely blew the game against VCU. Terrible offensive strategy and clock management issues have been a major handicap for FSU teams under Hamilton. However, these teams have traditionally played fantastic defense, so it puts fans in a tough spot to evaluate the guy. I keep going back and forth on the guy for example. One year I am stunned by the fact that we won the ACC Title and then disappointed at a way to early exit in the NCAA Tournament with 6 seniors. His in-game strategy is not elite, but it is not poor. He seems to be just on the edge of either deserving his money or being overpaid and needing to go. Therefore, it seems like a great idea to look at that salary number.

Before last season, Hamilton's annual salary was 2.25 million (that is still his salary) and he was the 3rd highest paid coach in the conference. Buzz Williams was just hired for 2.3 million so he was bumped slightly to 4th. However, the fact that he is paid this high shows the value Florida State has placed on him. It seems that his performance is nowhere near that value. Good coach, great recruiter, but 4th best coach in conference?  It seems that this is highly debatable. Let's look at one more stat to see if Hamilton is overvalued or if he should even be the coach.

Forbes lists Hamilton as the 9th most overpaid college hoops coach. He made 1.6 annually following his contract extension in 2009. The list was made before he received another extension in 2013 which raised his salary to 2.25 million. His contract now runs through the 2017 season, so he will have at least until then to prove his value. This extension was likely thought up when he led the Noles to the ACC Championship during the 2011-2012 season. However, it is extremely odd that he received this deal (which at the time made him the 2nd highest paid coach in the ACC) after being bumped in the first round of the NIT. Last year, the Noles lost in the NIT Semifinals. It seems that Hamilton needs to start performing a little better to justify his lofty contract. I would love to see it happen, but have my doubts. I would not renew his contract unless there is serious progress over these next three seasons. Letting him  finish out his contract though seems like the way to go. I am definitely intrigued by this next batch of recruits and hope that they can deliver more success. Whatever happens with Coach Hamilton, GO NOLES!!!!

Oh and have a very blessed and Merry Christmas everyone.

-Noland

NBA Season Preview

The NBA season is less than a week away and basketball fans are excited. They want to see what the defending champs will do and if Duncan can match Jordan with 6 rings. Lebron James has returned to Cleveland with much anticipation as well. This will be one of the most anticipated seasons in league history. So there is only one thing left to do, I must give my predictions for what will happen.
Here is my NBA Season Preview for the 2014-2015 season.

My Predicted Playoff Field
Eastern Conference
1 Chicago Bulls
2 Cleveland Cavaliers
3 Washington Wizards
4 Toronto Raptors
5 Miami Heat
6 Atlanta Hawks
7 Charlotte Bobcats
8 Boston Celtics

Western Conference
1 San Antonio Spurs
2 Dallas Mavericks
3 Los Angeles Clippers
4 Portland Trail Blazers
5 Golden State Warriors
6 Oklahoma City Thunder
7 Los Angeles Lakers
8 Houston Rockets

League MVP
Dirk Nowitzki

I think Dirk has one more teriffic run in him and I honestly think he and the Mavs are the biggest threat to a San Antonio repeat. KD is hurt to start the year and it will take LeBron some time to gel with his new teammates. That makes the race for MVP wide open. Do not be surprised if Kobe is a serious threat to the award. Stef Curry will also be a force in the race as will (gasp) Joakim Noah. John Wall will be a strong finisher in this race and Derrick Rose is another name to watch.

6th Man
Taj Gibson

Gibson is the best player off the bench for anybody. He will put up the best numbers, and his team could easily finish with the top record in the East. This guy will certainly contend for this award again if nothing else.

Coach of the Year
Brad Stevens

The Celtics 2nd year coach will get coach of the year for leading the young Celtics to the playoffs against expectations. Once the Brooklyn Nets fall apart again without their best player, Paul Pierce, the Celtics will fill a spot in the wide open East. This is something that is not widely predicted and being the biggest surprise should land Stevens in this spot as frontrunner for Coach of the Year.

Rookie of the Year
Jabari Parker

Parker IMO is the best rookie, in a good situation to succeed and therefore will have the biggest impact. This guy is going to be really good for a really long time.

5 Other Bold Predictions
1) Not only will Jabari Parker win rookie of the year, but he will also be an all-star
2) Milwaukee however with Jason Kidd as Head Coach will be a bottom 5 team
3) The closest race in the league will be between the Celtics and the Knicks for the final playoff spot in the East
4) Kobe finishes top 5 in scoring again
5) After the season a loud portion of Lebron's fans will claim that he needs more "help" and I will be able to add to this article

Conference Finals
Spurs over Mavs
Wizards over Heat

I forsee a Derrick Rose injury late in the year after the Bulls clinch the one seed. That injury opens it up for the 4/5 seed to possibly upset the 1 in the postseason. The veteran Heat take advantage and force the issue to get in. The Wizards ultimately end up being too much for the Heat.
The Spurs in Mavs are destined for another epic postseason clash. The only question is when that clash will happen in this postseason.

Who Wins It All?
San Antonio Spurs

Honestly, they are the best run team and the best team period. If these guys stay healthy, this thing really should not be that close. They are a fantastic team from top to bottom and as long as they got 21, I am not picking against these guys.

-Noland

Introducing New Wizards Assistant Coach Don Newman

Last week the Washington Wizards named Don Newman as an assistant coach. I am sure most of you are thinking, who is Don Newman? That's what you have me for.

Don Newman has 20 years of coaching experience. He also spent the past 7 seasons in San Antonio. If you do the math, you realize that Newman has 2 rings from his time with the Spurs. If you know anything about the Spurs system, you realize that they get a bunch of no names to produce next to Duncan. So it seems like a good move to add someone from a winning organization to a team that has had problems with that as of late. The Spurs are also one of the classiest organizations in sports and Newman should help bring some more class to Washington.

Newman managed to help the Spurs win 50 or more games in each of his 7 seasons with the team. Can you remember the last time the Wizards won 50 games? It sure has been a while. He helped the Spurs to the top record in the West last year. Have the Wizards had a top record in my lifetime? No! I am excited to have Newman on board and I am not the only one.

“Don is an outstanding coach and a great addition to our staff. He brings championship experience from his time with the Spurs and has been very successful in every stop of his career.” - Randy Wittman

Welcome aboard Coach Newman. This is a great low profile move.

-Noland

Wizards Summer League Update

Why should anyone care about the Wizards Summer League? They should care because the future players of the team are there. They should care because it may signify where the Wizards will be going soon. They should care because Bradley Beal is playing his first games with his Wizards teammates.

Anyways Washington is now 1-1 in Summer League Play and they play again @ 10 p.m. tonight. Last night was a success for the Wizards as they neat the Rockets 76-70. However, the Wizards only had 4 players with any chance of playing significant minutes playing in the game. Gotta love summer league basketball.

Let's start with Bradley Beal. He went 4-10 from the floor and 5-10 from the line, finishing with a team high 14 points. I sure would like Beal to pick up those percentages though. 50% from the free throw line is not good, especially from a guy that is supposed to score for us. It is just summer league, so I am not going to go crazy over it, but it needs to come up. One surprising sign is that the Wizards were +18 with Beal in the game. That margin is a very good sign. Beal also had 5 rebounds and 4 assists.

The other guard, Shelvin Mack, had 11 points on 4-9 shooting. Mack is the least likely to get significant minutes out of the 4 sent, but I'd like to see him shoot better as well. The Wizards were +15 with Mack in the game.

FSU alum Chris Singleton is also in summer league action. He had a horrible night and committed 6 fouls. He also went 3-7 shooting. The only positives for Singleton are that he had 10 points and the Wizards were +13 with him in the game. Singleton must play much better.

Jan Vesely was 4-6 with 8 points and the Wizards were +11 with him. Good to see Vesely producing some. Here's hoping he keeps it up.

I will keep you posted on Wizards Summer League action.

-Noland

Giving Bradley Beal A Fair Shake

If you know anything about me and my sports interests, you would know that I love the Seminoles and loathe the Gators. I just cannot stand the University of Florida, like most Seminole fans. Because of this, I sometimes get a little biased against Florida athletes, especially when it comes to the draft. However, I can usually tell when a player kills us and look past it. For instance, I knew Al Horford was going to be an animal inside and I think Mike Zunino is going to be a solid major leaguer. I was not so sure about Bradley Beal though. I did not want the Wizards to take him.

Then I took a closer look...

While I still would have traded down, Beal was the right choice for the Wizards. He was the best player in the draft, and it was at a position of need. The Wizards need a guy that can knock down shots and Beal is that guy. Additionally, Beal wants to be a Wizard. After reading about his pre-draft workout on Wizards Extreme, I warmed up to the idea of Bradley Beal in a Wizards uniform. I still wasn't sold after the workout like most Wizards fans, but I was a lot more receptive. Then the day of the draft came and I was upset about the non trade, but welcomed Beal to the team. Then came the interview following the pick.

Following that interview, I realized that despite being a Gator, Bradley Beal has a good head on his shoulders. Beal had class and seemed mature, despite one year in college. I am still skeptical of the pick, but Beal may work out very well for the Wizards. It is good to have him join the team.

-Noland

The Wizards Trade

The Washington Wizards completed a very surprising trade on Wednesday. This trade came out opf nowhere, and I did not even know about it until Friday. When told on Friday I was in shock. I didn't even think to check the Wizards news. After a day of driving on Thursday, this was really good news. I waited until today to collect my thoughts, because this is a big deal.

Who the Wizards Got

They got two solid pieces. Washington picked up Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza, pictured above. These two players combined salaries are also lower than that of the player we are getting rid of. More on the exiting player later, but let's focus on what we got. These guys are serviceable veterans who can definitely fit in the Wizards rotation. I especially like Ariza, who was one of Kobe's favorite teammates in LA a few years ago. The duo averaged a combined 20.1 points and 13.1 rebounds per game last year combined. That production is nice for some role players. It would be good for a Wizards team that hasn't been deep on the front line. Both of these guys are hard workers and play defense, so they will fit in nicely with the new team first Wizards.

What They Give Up

Rashard Lewis is leaving the Wizards! Before you get upset about giving up the cap flexibility of using the amnesty on Lewis, think about it in the right way. First, no top name free agent is coming to Washington right now. Dwight Howard certainly isn't and we weren't on his short list. Also this frees us up to amnesty Andray Blatche. We could only amnesty one, and getting rid of Lewis frees us of both contracts. Just by that standard alone, this is an excellent deal.

The Wizards managed to get rid of all of the people I can't stand since the trade deadline if Blatche is amnestied. First Young and McGee, and now Lewis in Blatche. It is finally looking up for Washington basketball. Here is what Wizards Extreme had to say about the trade. Personally, I give this trade an A+.

-Noland

Why NBA Teams Should Pick Bernard James

All FSU basketball fans love Bernard James. As I have previously reported, he should be loved by all Americans because he is a patriot. That post can be found here. Now CBS 9 News in Washington released an article about the positives of Bernard James. I'd love for the Wizards or Spurs to get James in the 2nd round because he is such a positive influence. He would definitely be a welcome addition in Washington where he could be reunited with Chris Singleton.

I will get back to why I want him in Washington later, but I wanted to get to the CBS article. The NBA Draft is in 11 days and the article points out that James will likely go in round 2, but then it goes deeper.

It talks about James' age and that he is 27. Mentioned is the fact that James got cut from his Freshman HS team, but it goes further than that. James dropped out of school and earned his GED. Quite the unusual path. Then James took an even more unusual path. As I mentioned in my previous post on James, he joined the Air Force a month after earning his GED. The article talked in detail about his service just like my last post on James, but then it talked about why the Wizards should add him and I agree. I will quote the end of the article right from the site and you can easily see why I want him in Washington.

"James walked away from the interview with a quote that should be stapled above most of the Wizards players lockers.
"I understand teamwork. I'm mature. I'm a professional and I know how to come to work everyday."
How could an NBA executive not salivate over James' real-life approach? On a Washington team that's almost too young for it's own good, adding the maturity of a player like Bernard James should be valued much higher than gambling on a second round pick and his "upside.""

That is exactly it. Bernard James is a leader, he works hard, and he gets it. On a team that has been lazy in the past and has had a problem with effort, James is a refreshing change of pace. On the Wizards frontline to go with Kevin Seraphin, don't we want guys like Bernard James. We have a great start with Nene and Booker, but James can only add to that. Adding James would give Wizards fans a front line that they can be proud of for the first time ever. This guy should be added to the team.

Maybe adding him would make my cousin Adam a big basketball fan again too, maybe.

-Noland

Wizards Reportedly Big Fans of Thomas Robinson

Before I begin this entry, I'd just like to say that I am back on Twitter. My new account is @norob87. The old one had issues that Twitter wasn't fixing so I opened up this bad boy. Be sure to follow me on there and here as well. I will do my best to follow you back.

Now on to the news story. The Washington Wizards are reportedly looking hard at drafting Thomas Robinson according to a report. The original report came from SI, but I got this story here. Apparently, the Wizards think Thomas Robinson can make an immediate impact in the frontcourt and they don't want a high risk guy. That type of high risk guy like Andre Drummond failed the Wizards before (Blatche, McGee).

Thomas Robinson is a hard working safe pick. The former Kansas Jayhawk would fit right in with the mentality that Wizards coach Randy Wittman is trying to instill in his team. I am just not sure Thomas Robinson is the impact player and scorer that the Wizards so desperately need.

I'm ok with the Robinson pick though, because he will start and you can then bring in Booker's energy off the bench. This move would make the Wizards far more versatile and help build depth. They can do a lot worse than Robinson at #3.

-Noland

Wizards Draft Plan

This post will outline various scenarios for the Wizards draft. Everyone knows that Anthony Davis is going to the Hornets at 1, the question is what do we do at 3? Another question is what do the Bobcats do at 2? Going by Jordan's track record there is a good chance he will blow the #2 pick so many scenarios are on the table.

Scenario #1: Bobcats select Kidd Gilchrist
Kidd Gilchrist is one of the few guys in this draft I can be ok with the Wizards selecting. I prefer Singleton starting and so do the Wizards I believe, but I think we can survive with both guys starting. Kidd Gilchrist, Singleton, Seraphin, Nene, and Wall is a solid starting five. That five also gets at it on the defensive end and Crawford can come off the bench if we need a scoring punch. With Gilchrist off the board it makes it less likely the Wiz get a capable starter. Without Gilchrist I prefer the Wizards trade the pick.

Scenario #2: Bobcats select Harrison Barnes
Barnes is a UNC guy just like Jordan. Don't dismiss the connection. Barnes is actually the player I prefer if the Wizards stay at 3, but I don't know if they will reach for him. With the Bobcats selecting Barnes, the Wizards should either select Kidd Gilchrist or trade the pick.

Scenario #3: Bobcats select Bradley Beal
I do not want to touch Bradley Beal with a 10 foot pole in this draft. This is the scenario I am wanting and the one I think has a realistic chance of happening. I still believe trading the pick has more value and the value of the pick goes up as Beal is picked. However, if the Wizards select Barnes or MKG I am ok with that.

Scenario #4: Bobcats select Andre Drummond
The scouting report on Drummond is big, strong, and talented. The knock is that he needs to be motivated all the time. Big, strong, talented, trouble being motivated, does that sound familiar? We don't need Blatche or Brown version 2 in Washington. This is the other player I don't want in Washington. We finally have a young team that works hard. The Wizards do not want to ruin that by bringing in more lazy players. If the Bobcats pick Drummond we should be thanking our lucky stars.

Scenario #5: Bobcats select Thomas Robinson
The Bobcats may opt for the veteran leader in Thomas Robinson. That pick might work out for the Bobcats. They may decide that Robinson needs to be there so they have a player who is ready to contribute and get better. I wouldn't mind having Robinson on the team in Washington either. You don't want a bench guy with the #3 pick though. Again if Robinson fell the Wizards probably wouldn't take him. If the Bobcats do pick Robinson it won't really hurt the Wizards.

So since the best option appears to be trade, what are our options there?
On the trade front there isn't to much that meets the eye. A few teams have multiple 1sts, but not many.

Golden State has picks 7 and 30
Portland has picks 6 and 11
New Orleans has the best setup as they pick again at 10 after picking 1
Houston picks 14 and 16
Boston picks 21 and 22
Cleveland picks 4 and 24

Obviously the two of those that jump out as appealing are Portland with picks 6 and 11 and Cleveland at 4 and 24. Cleveland is appealing because if you can get an extra 1st rounder by trading one spot down in this draft it is huge. Portland would be even better. If we could get Barnes and Lamb, we'd be hitting the jackpot in my opinion. Not likely we get both, but we can compete with those two added to our rotation. Either one of those and Austin Rivers would be another way to go. I like the potential scoring from Rivers, Barnes, and Jeremy Lamb. Those three have more potential than the majority of draft picks as well.

Perhaps the most likely trade down scenario is Golden State. Golden State is appealing. You pick up a back end first rounder and still get a shot at Barnes or Jeremy Lamb. You can probably trade the 7th pick down to 10 or so and get Austin Rivers also. Rivers may be the pick here to fit with Washington. I say that for a couple of reasons. Rivers is a scorer whom the Wiz desperately need. However, Rivers also passes the ball and is a good ball handler. Sometimes, Wall is most effective as a scorer and Rivers can reset the offense when things break down. He also is a hard worker and coach's son, so we don't have to worry about work ethic, attitude, and basketball IQ. Not only that, but he tries to make everyone around him better. With Rivers and Wall we would have an incredibly small backcourt, but they could work well off one another. The appeal of Rivers is one of the reasons I want to trade down. Rivers is a bit of a risky pick and picking up the other 1st rounder could be huge.

Another likely trade down partner is Houston. There is a slim chance Rivers will be there at 14. Is it worth risking if Rivers is our guy? Perhaps not, but there are decent players available at those spots. Rivers is currently projected 13. You never know if the Celtics will trade up to get Rivers to pair with Rondo. Perhaps, they are done with the big 3. The draft presents so many interesting scenarios. Currently the 14th pick is projected to be John Henson. Henson is the ACC defensive player of the year and will obviously contribute on that end. He could provide insurance for an injured Nene and again isn't one of the players you need to worry about with the smarts and effort. At 16 the North Carolina point guard is projected. By adding Marshall, the Wizards have their back up point guard. Marshall is a very good back up point at that. I'd be ok with landing those two. I would prefer Henson and Rivers if we went this route, but you never know what will happen.

I think Boston is too far down to make it appealing unless they package a player. Should sure be interesting to watch. Soon, I will have other trade scenarios not involving picks. That one will be really interesting.

-Noland

Draft Lottery Results

For the past 30 minutes I have seen the Toronto Blue Jays destroy the Orioles on my computer (MLB TV's Free Game) while watching the NBA Draft Lottery. The lottery went a little better than the O's game during that time, but not by much.

The Wizards could have done no worse than 5th in the lottery after finishing with the 2nd worst record. However, the Wizards won't pick 2nd, they will pick 3rd. Not too bad, but it could have gone much better. New Orleans ended up with the top pick. In other words, the Hornets will get Anthony Davis. Who will the Wizards select though?

The #2 player on most boards is Michael Kidd Gilchrist. He was the SF on Kentucky's National Championship Team, playing alongside Anthony Davis. The Wizards have Chris Singleton, but could they pass up on Gilchrist if he fell to 3. The #3 player on most boards is now Bradley Beal. Beal plays a position of need for the Wizards, SG. However, Beal is a gator and not even a good one at that. I would not pick Beal. After Beal is Thomas Robinson. Robinson is a very solid player, but with Nene in the fold with Seraphin, I would rather have a more dynamic scorer from the 2 guard than Robinson. These imperfect solutions make me desire a trade.

Perhaps the Trail Blazers would want to move up? The Blazers have two lottery selections. If another team would be willing to part with 2 first rounders I would jump on that offer as well. There isn't much difference between 2 and 10 and frankly you might rather have Harrison Barnes or Jared Sullinger than Beal or Robinson. You sure would have rather had one of the former two last year at least. It should be an interesting story to follow going forward. I'd be ok with Harrison Barnes at 3 actually. Most would say it is a reach though. This class just doesn't have a clear cut person to pick outside of #1 though.

-Noland

Less Than 1 Week Until NBA Draft Lottery

In 6 days the NBA Draft Lottery will be held. ESPN will air the draft lottery Wednesday May 30 @ 8am live from New York. This will be held before Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The event will really be about finding out who will get Anthony Davis. The Wizards have a realistic shot and fans have got to be hoping for it. Davis is an absolute stud and someone that can help the Wizards compete quick. So what are the chances the Wizards get him?

Here are the odds by team.
Charlotte 25%
Washington 19.9%
Cleveland 13.8%
New Orleans 13.7%
Sacramento 7.6%
New Jersey 7.5%
Golden State 3.6%
Toronto 3.5%
Detroit 1.7%
New Orleans 1.1% (from Minnesota)
Portland 0.8%
Milwaukee 0.7%
Phoenix 0.6%
Houston 0.5%

Notes: New Orleans has two picks so they actually have a 14.8% chance of getting the #1 pick. The Nets lose their pick to Portland unless its in the top 3. Golden state loses their pick to Utah unless their pick is in the top 7. If everything holds to form, Golden State will pick 7th.

-Noland

The Andray Blatche Rant

With the NBA Playoffs now moving toward the conference finals it is a familiar sight for Wizards fans. We are on the outside looking in and seeing other teams compete for the title. Never in my lifetime have I seen the Wiz have a very good shot at the title. Well maybe, the one year they were in 1st for a while with Arenas, Butler, and Jamison, but even then not really. These guys just aren't competitive. So we are left thinking of what it will take to make this team competitive.

Whenever I think of this question, I can only think of one answer. Why the heck did we give Andray Blatche a contract extension? The guy is a malcontent and a horrible teammate. He doesn't try hard, he is overweight, and he makes way to much money. Why did we keep him at all? This guy is horrible for the Wizards. It will be difficult to escape him. Should we amnesty him then?

Blatche bashed his coach in the media. He proclaimed himself the team captain. The fans boo him everytime he touches the ball. His career as a pro in basketball may be done period and not just with the Wizards. The guy is out of shape.

I was working on this post and then checked Wizards Extreme they also have a post on Blatche. They are working on grading all the Wizards and Blatche got F's straight down the board. Here is their review.

This guy has got to go. I say use the amnesty clause. Otherwise, Blatche will make a ton of money over the next three years. Get rid of the guy. I am fine with Lewis for another year off the bench, we can use his expiring contract in a trade or get the cap space in a year. Andray Blatche is far more of a problem than Rashard Lewis.

-Noland

Who Will Be The Wizards Coach?

Over at Wizards Extreme they recently did a piece on who the Wizards coach will be next season. This coaching piece is something that will be critical to the Wizards success next season. Due to their success towards the end of the season and the fact that he did decent with poor circumstances you would think Randy Wittman would get a shot. This article got me thinking though, what if he doesn't?

Would Sam Cassell be the next in line? I'd love for the former Nole to get a shot, but I doubt they go with him if they pass on Wittman. He may well be a candidate though down the road.

The post argues that the Wiz should bring in a college coach. I'm not sure that is the way to go, remember the last time that happened. The Wizards had one of the most successful coaches in college, Leonard Hamilton, and he didn't do so hot in Washington. I love Hamilton, he is great as a Nole, but he didn't cut it as a professional coach. If we looked to the college ranks, wouldn't he be at the top of the list again? Do we really want a repeat of that incident?

To me only two college type coaches make sense for the Wizards. These coaches are Brad Stevens of Butler and Gary Williams the former Maryland coach. Why these two? I chose these two because of their connection to Wizards basketball and because I think their coaching styles could translate to the pros. Brad Stevens is a two time national runner up who coached Shelvin Mack in college. He has a track record, is young, successful and is proven to help develop talent. His track record with Shelvin Mack could help give Mack his highest chance to succeed as a pro. Gary Williams is a legend of Maryland basketball. He has won a National Championship and made Maryland a powerhouse. I think the world of Williams as a coach. I doubt Williams would consider it, but wouldn't mind him coaching the Wizards one bit. It might lead to yet another return of Juan Dixon as well.

Of  course, the ideal college coach is Coach K, but does anyone think he is leaving Duke? If Krzyzewki doesn't leave Durham for the Lakers, he isn't leaving for the Wizards. I don't see it happening.

Therefore, I say go with Wittman, but am open to something new. What do you think the Wizards should do? Is there someone better than Randy?

-Noland

Wizards Win Fifth Straight

It is a little late Wizards, but better late than never. This team is showing some promise, they are showing some fight, they should because they are fighting for their jobs. They look like a team that can actually contend for a playoff spot. Washington looks like they actually care finally and that they are trying their best. Some may not care at all, but I absolutely love this. This is the Wizards longest winning streak since 2007 and it was long overdue.

John Wall played like an elite point guard last night. Wall had 21 points, 13 assists, and 7 rebounds. This was against another stud young point guard in Kyrie Irving who he held to 5 points. The Wizards won this game without the black hole Jordan Crawford in the lineup. This is a large part of the victory in my opinion. Without Crawford in the lineup, the Wizards started 4 forwards and Wall. They were able to balance the minutes really well too.

Nene did not start, but he contributed a great deal, scoring 12 points off the bench. The guy is a gamer, sure he makes too much money, but take him over the poor attitudes of Nick Young and Javelle McGee anyday. Nick Young was another black hole on offense. Rookie Jon Vesely got a rare start and did not disappoint as he grabbed 12 rebounds. Cartier Martin also got a rare start and scored 7 points. Kevin Seraphin had another solid game adding 12 points. My favorite Wizard, rookie Chris Singleton, had 10 points and again played terrific defense.

In addition to the wins, the Wizards have extended Ernie Grunfeld in what would seem to be a move to go forward with the plan of building around Wall with guys who play hard every night. Grunfeld will have two years added to his contract. If you want to read more about Grunfeld's extension, the Washington Post did a pretty good job in this article. I like the strategy of building through the draft, I think that is how you get a winner, that is if you hit your picks.

-Noland

Wizards Win Back-2-Back Games

The Wizards won 2 games in a row. Leave it to the Wizards to wait until the end of the season and until they have no shot at the playoffs to start playing basketball. As I said before though, I will take it. This time the Wizards beat the Milwaukee Bucks which hurts the Bucks chances of making the playoffs. The final score was 121-112.

John Wall had one of his best games scoring 14 and adding 10 assists. The Wizards need Wall to play this type of game in order to win consistently. Chris Singleton added 10 points and 5 rebounds and played very solid defense as always. As a FSU alum I appreciate even more than most what Singleton does for the Wizards. He is a solid piece for the team and can contribute. Seraphin did not play as well as last game, but he still had 14 points. Most importantly for the Wizards though is that Jordan Crawford had 32 points. Crawford is usually a black hole on offense so when he contributes it is huge for the team. The young team looks like they are starting to gel. Nene even added 14. This is how you play basketball gentlemen.

-Noland

Wizards Upset Bulls 87-84

Kevin Seraphin had another amazing game last night as the Wizards upset the Bulls last night. The Bulls were probably mailing it in to get ready for the playoffs, but it was still a good game for the Wiz. Seraphin scored 21 and had 13 rebounds in the victory. Like I said in a previous post, if Seraphin has games like this, they have a shot to win. Let's see if Seraphin can make this double double stuff consistent.

Maurice Evans added 14 points off the bench in his best game of the season. John Wall had 16 points. The Wizards increased their record to 15-46. The Wizards play the Bucks at home tomorrow night. The Bucks are fighting for their playoff lives so it should be a good test.

-Noland

Wizards Upset Magic

Last night the Wizards upset the magic. What is the big deal right? The Wizards stink so who cares that they won a meaningless game against the Magic? Well, I do. For me it is important to see progress and for the young guys to get some experience winning so our team can possibly compete for a playoff spot next year. The more progress I see this year, the more likely I think it is to happen. Yes, it gives us less lottery entries if we win, but somebody has to get the #1 pick. I never would want my team to lose anyway, especially in the NBA where there is the beauty of the draft lottery. This was a great game from the Wiz.




The final score was 93-85. The Wizards increased their record to 14-44 and still have the second worst record in all the NBA. Star point guard John Wall scored 15 and added 7 assists while playing a very solid game. The reason for the win would seem to be the solid play of forward Kevin Seraphin. The French forward scored 24 points and added 13 rebounds! What a terrific game from Seraphin. The Wizards have a bright future if Seraphin will make this a consistent thing. A front court of Seraphin, Nene (healthy), and Anthony Davis would be a solid team with John Wall as point guard. Just need to dump that black hole Jordan Crawford. Great game Seraphin!
-Noland