Is Bradley Beal A Poor Man's John Wall?

A lot of Wizards fans and the media have been talking about the Washington Wizards using their third pick on Florida freshman Bradley Beal, a shooting guard.  This is a position that the Wizards need some help as their current SG Jordan Crawford is more of a black-hole guard than a shooter.  But looking at Beal's stats, I noticed that they looked a lot like John Wall's:

So why would the Wizards want two small players who aren't actually that great of shooters to play the guard position together?  Beal is "supposed" to be a better shooter than his stats suggest but John Wall was also "supposed" to start knocking down shots in the NBA by now.

John Wall was the no question #1 pick 2 years ago, and Beal's stats are very similar to that despite not even being a starter on a lesser Florida team.  On paper it doesn't look half bad.  But we have seen in DC that Wall's college success did not translate into immediate NBA success.  Do the Wizards have time to wait another 3 years for Beal to improve.  Will he be a force that keeps Wall in DC?

I'm not sure what Ernie will do or who we will pick, but I question picking an 18 year old "semi-project" that is a step down from John Wall.  Please leave some comments to make me feel better about this!

Wizards Can't Win 7th Straight

It wasn't awful.  It wasn't the best.  In fact it was technically right in the middle.  The Washington Wizards left the draft lottery one slot below what they finished, with the 3rd pick in the upcoming draft.

Ted Leonsis was there.  Ted's son was there.  Ted's father's lucky charms were there.  But the luck was not.  But after luckboxing Wall two seasons ago, you can't be too disappointed with the outcome.

===Conspiracy Side Note====

New Orleans ended up winning the top spot, which is somewhat fishy.  Back in April the NBA, yes the same NBA that runs the lottery, sold the franchise to Saint's owner Tom Benson.  Not sure if any #1 overall picks were promised in the deal.  "The Fix Was In!" just like in 1985 when the Knicks somehow ended up with the #1 pick and Patrick Ewing.  Or was it? You will have plenty of outlets to read about the conspiracy theory in the morning.

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As of the night of the lottery (with plenty of time to change) it seems like the first three picks have been predicted by a majority of outlets to be the following:

• 1.  Hornets - Anthony Davis
• 2.  Bobcats - Kidd-Gilcrest
• 3.  Wizards - Brad Beal

We will look at the rest of the top possibilities later, but quickly what would Brad Beal mean to the team?  A shooting guard / possible combo guard.  It is something that could help the Wizards, but how would he fit with Jordan Crawford & John Wall.  Would Crawford ruin him?

Another option that could be a possibility is Ernie Grunfeld trading this pick.  It is doubtful there will be another Miller / Foye type trade, so most likely they would try to move down in the draft.  Maybe they can pull something off like the Redskins did when they traded down for Ryan Kerrigan and a draft pick.

No matter who they choose, it isn't likely to be a game changer for the upcoming 2012-13 season.  It is going to be another rebuilding year, hopefully with some improvement.  Perhaps they can draft a player who fits in with the current cast, and one who will be ready to blossom when the team takes the next step forward.  Or perhaps they will draft another guy named Janet.

Another Depressing Day For Wizards Fans

So are you all ready for the NBA Draft Lottery tonight?  Maybe a more important question...Are you ready for Ted Leonis to allow Ernie Grunfeld to draft Furkan Aldemir (F/C) from Turkey with the 5th pick (lowest odds) of the 2012 NBA Draft?

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Two years ago in 2010 I didn't even know what day the NBA Draft Lottery was taking place.  The Wizards were in the 5th slot and had little to no chance to end up with the #1 pick.  During that draft, John Wall was the clear cut number 1, but outside of him there weren't any really big names.

So I chose to accept my fate as a Wizards fan and be happy with the 8th pick they were going to miraculously receive (.004 chance).  Sure it was impossible, but with the history of the Wizards, this was bound to happen.  I wasn't going to watch this horror take place.

Then one night at a bar for a sports team gathering, someone pointed out to me (the well known Wizards fanatic) that the lottery was about to take place.  I explained to the person that I didn't care and I didn't want to see it.

But 5 minutes later I heard a bunch of people cheering and screaming.  No...it couldn't be...something else crazy must have happened.  That sound couldn't be the Wizards landing the #1 pick could it?

Well it turned out to be true and that moment I thought one thing.  This is the Wizards only chance.  If John Wall isn't Michael Jordan, we are screwed.  If Wall isn't the next chosen one the Wizards will never luck into a number one pick ever again.

The next season, with the Wizards in the 4th slot they dropped down to 6th in the lottery.  The year before Wall they dropped from 2nd to 5th place.  So what is going to happen in 2012?  Nothing good...the luck in this city won't allow it.

So tonight I will do the same thing I did in 2010.  I will ignore the draft.  I will accept my fate.  I will wait for the next Ernie pick or trade...

Simulate the Lottery tonight here

Fork In The Wall

An "impartial" look at the Wizards and their upcoming draft by a Celtics fan.  Wizards fans may take offense to some of these views, but that's what comments are for.

By FC Kendrick

I’m not a Wizards fan, let me make that clear from the get go, I bleed green and white always have and always will (side note, growing up a Celtics fan in Las Vegas would be like rocking a Troy Aikman jersey in Alexandria) but I have an unhealthy obsession with all teams DMV and that includes the Wizards.   

So as an impartial observer I can tell you things like Kevin Seraphin is at best a poor man’s Taj Gibson, and far more likely a Nick Collison or Ronny Turiaf type, this a best case scenario.  Sorry all you Le’ Bullet fans that were hoping he’d be the second coming of Al Horford. 

Or I can say things like John Wall is the fastest human being I’ve ever seen on a basketball court, but has the least amount of fun playing the game of any star in the last 20 years.  Does he even enjoy playing basketball?  

These and many other reasons have made 2012 one of the most important drafts in a long time for the Wiz.  Let’s assume that one lucky lottery bounce doesn’t change the course of 40 years of bad luck and history overnight and that Anthony “The Uni’Brow” Davis is off the table.   

Excluding that happening, and we know the ping pong balls could swing any which way, but let’s also assume that the pick lands somewhere in between 2-4 (yeah you can blame me if it’s like nine or ten).  What happens with that pick could determine the rest of John Walls career. 

You may, or may not know, that Wall has not signed an extension yet with the Wizards, hell it really hasn’t even been determined if he even warrants a max payday.  The constant flux in style of play, and the emotionless glare that sometimes takes over his personality indicate, as does his time at Kentucky btw that what John Wall really needs is a big brother.  

Someone to hangout with, but that’s not trying to go clubbing 24/7, someone to jam home an alley-oop and actually point to Wall as the guy that deserves the credit.  He seems like a lonely dude sometimes Ernie and Tedd need to give him a basketball family and a reason to want to be a wizard for a long time (or not CHANGE the f'ing name back to the bullets already)

If the pick is the #2, the best players after Anthony Davis are all one and done freshman, Michael Kidd Gilchrist and Bradley Beals might both end up being stars, but this draft isn’t about finding a star.  It’s about finding John Wall a partner to bring this team out of the garbage with (though I will miss the gun in locker room over a poker game, running backwards on offensive rebounds etc, goofy wizards of the last few years).  

You want someone to finish what Wall started on catch and shoots and flush down alley-oops on the fast break, yeah maybe MKG is the next Scottie Pippen, but John Wall is more Kevin Johnson than Michael Jordan.  Whomever the selection is needs to be someone that Wall enjoys playing with; of all the #1 picks of the last 15 years has there ever been someone who has less fun playing basketball than John Wall.

V For Anthony Davis

Feeling confident about the Draft Lottery hooking the Zards 2 years in a row...Really want to see this movie coming out May 30th...

Wizards Draft Lottery Year 2

Once again the Wiz finished the season with a terrible record, so now they are back in the hunt for the #1 pick. Last year I went to a bar (not to watch the lottery) and my brother started screaming. I was like WTF, and he said the Wiz got the #1 pick. That's when the John Wall chants started. (if a chant is when 2 guys yell someones name over and over with onlookers looking at you like you are nuts).

So this year I am planning to watch intensely like when they open up the envelope at the Academy Awards, which means I will be terribly disappointed in the results (like when Lord of the Rings won best picture) due to my superstitious mindset. So with that I decided NOT to watch the lottery, but then thought "that's just what superstition wants me to do." Anyways this conundrum goes on to infinity and I'm not sure who will win the battle.

Looking at the draft class, I like the guy from Arizona, but I think that someone later than the top 3 (Jimmer!!!) will have the highest impact. So what number will the Wiz end up with? Who will be passing the ball to Andray Blatche so he can turn it over next year? Let's Find Out!