Washington Wizards

The NBA has announced the schedule of games for Las Vegas Summer League from July 13th to July 22nd, and with it, the Wizards' schedule has been set. From the press release: The Wizards will play in three preliminary round games from July 13-16 before being seeded in a tournament running through the Championship Game on July 22. Washington will play its first game on Saturday, July 13 vs. Golden State at 4:00 p.m. EST. Their next two games are scheduled for Sunday, July 14 vs. New York at 4:00 p.m. EST and Tuesday, July 16 vs. Denver at 10:00 p.m. EST. All three of the Wizards preliminary games will take place at the COX Pavilion. This year's Summer League has 22 teams scheduled to play a total of 61 games, including a tournament at the end. Each team present at Summer League is guaranteed to play five games (three before the tournament, two within it) in addition to more on their way to the ultimate Summer League championship, which I assume is a glowing piece of that radical rock. If you want to go to Vegas and attend Summer League as a fan, you can buy tickets through the UNLV box office: 702-739-FANS.

DraftExpress.com -- smart, reputable -- just came out with its latest mock draft and has us taking South Dakota State PG Nate Wolters with our first pick in the 2nd round. (DX previously had us taking Jackie Carmichael -- a phenomenal fit as a stretch-4 -- but Carmichael was already off the board in this latest mock.) Wolters is a fascinating option -- really feels like he could be a steal/sleeper, with a fairly high floor if your expectation is "3rd PG and/or back-up PG." He is more skilled than Satoransky in every facet except he gives up a few inches and isn't as athletic -- whatever: Wolters is a vastly superior shooter, passer and ballhandler, and at 6-5 is hardly small. Anyway: Thoughts on Wolters with that first 2nd-round pick? Another highly regarded stretch-4 -- Erik Murphy -- was still on the board in this version of the mock. Murphy fills a need and can step in immediately; Wolters has a higher upside. DraftExpress.com -- smart, reputable -- just came out with its latest mock draft and has us taking South Dakota State PG Nate Wolters with our first pick in the 2nd round. (DX previously had us taking Jackie Carmichael -- a phenomenal fit as a stretch-4 -- but Carmichael was already off the board in this latest mock.) Wolters is a fascinating option -- really feels like he could be a steal/sleeper, with a fairly high floor if your expectation is "3rd PG and/or back-up PG." He is more skilled than Satoransky in every facet except he gives up a few inches and isn't as athletic -- whatever: Wolters is a vastly superior shooter, passer and ballhandler, and at 6-5 is hardly small. Anyway: Thoughts on Wolters with that first 2nd-round pick? Another highly regarded stretch-4 -- Erik Murphy -- was still on the board in this version of the mock. Murphy fills a need and can step in immediately; Wolters has a higher upside.

When the clock blew on the new 24-hour deadline I put on the poll for the previous spot, Michigan's Tim Hardaway Jr. held a three-vote lead over Germany point guard Dennis Schroeder. The margin was close enough for me to add both to our board, which currently looks like this. Nerlens Noel (BF scouting report | SBNation.com scouting report) Otto Porter (BF scouting report | SBNation.com scouting report) Anthony Bennett (BF scouting report | SBNation.com scouting report) Ben McLemore (BF scouting report | SBNation.com scouting report) Victor Oladipo (BF scouting report | SBNation.com scouting report) Alex Len (BF scouting report | SBNation.com scouting report) Shabazz Muhammad (BF scouting report | SBNation.com scouting report) Cody Zeller (BF scouting report | SBNation.com scouting report) Trey Burke (BF scouting report | SBNation.com scouting report) C.J. McCollum (BF scouting report | SBNation.com scouting report) Rudy Gobert (BF scouting report | SBNation.com scouting report) Steven Adams (BF scouting report | SBNation.com scouting report) Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (BF scouting report | SBNation.com scouting report) Gorgui Dieng (BF scouting report | SBNation.com scouting report) Kelly Olynyk (BF scouting report | SBNation.com scouting report) Michael Carter-Williams (BF scouting report | SBNation.com scouting report) Tony Mitchell (BF scouting report | SBNation.com scouting report) Lucas Nogueira (BF scouting report | SBNation.com scouting report) Mason Plumlee (BF scouting report | SBNation.com scouting report) Sergey Karasev (BF scouting report | SBNation.com scouting report) Shane Larkin (BF scouting report | SBNation.com scouting report) Giannis Adetokunbo (BF scouting report | SBNation.com scouting report) Tim Hardaway Jr. (Michigan blog scouting report) Dennis Schroeder (BF scouting report | SBNation.com scouting report) Here's the vote for No. 25. Poll closes at 3 p.m. tomorrow. Poll Who earns the No. 25 spot on the Bullets Forever Wizards draft board? Reggie Bullock Jamaal Franklin Allen Crabbe Isaiah Canaan Jeff Withey Ricky Ledo Erick Green Other (please specify) 14 votes | Results

Remember how we had that awesome draft pick this year? And remember how sad we all were when he busted his wrist? And remember how happy we were when he came back after it healed? Then remember how sad we were again after he busted his ankle and sat out the rest of the year? Well good news is on the horizon! According to Michael Lee of the Washington Post, rookie phenom Bradley Beal is expected to be cleared to resume basketball-related activities on July 1st. Yippee! From the report: According to people with knowledge of the situation, Beal remains sidelined but is expected to be cleared [to participate in basketball-related activities] by July 1, nearly three months after doctors diagnosed a stress injury in his right fibula. Three months is near the timetable it took John Wall to recover from his stress injury. The original diagnosis was an absolute minimum of six weeks. With a return date of July 1, it doesn't look likely that the team would want to rush him back for Las Vegas Summer League--which starts 11 days later. It's not like he has something he needs to prove right now. He'd be one of those Summer Leaguers that unfairly schools everyone, kind of like Eric Bledsoe last year. Both Beal and John Wall were invited to be part of Team USA minicamp in Las Vegas (jeez, why does the NBA love Vegas so much in the offseason... actually, nevermind. Got it.) from July 22-25. Lee also reports that Beal should be available to play then. Here's to a speedy and healthy recovery!

Since we're a little over a week from the draft, I figured I'd throw out a dream scenario. 1. Cavs - Alex Len, C, Maryland2. Magic - Ben McLemore, SG, Kansas3. TRADE Suns - Nerlens Noel, C, Kentucky4. Bobcats - Anthony Bennett, PF, UNLV5. TRADE Wizards - Otto Porter, SF, GeorgetownWizards give: 3rd pick, 38th pick, 54th pick, Jan Vessley, Trevor Booker, Wizards receive: 5th pick, Derrick WilliamsSuns give: 5th pick, 30th pick, Marcin GortatSuns receive: 3rd pick, 26th Pick, 38th pick, Jan Vessley, Trevor BookerTwolves give: Derrick Williams, 26th pickTwolves receive: Marcin Gortat, 30th Pick, 54th pickSo the Wizards unload some cap onto the Suns, give away the 2nd rounders, and swap picks with the Suns. The Suns don't mind the cap hit because they get their center of the future and move up from the 30th pick to round out the draft (I imagine Giannis Adetokunbo or Jamaal Franklin) and all they lose is Gortat. The Twolves move a player that has a hard time fitting in the roster and replace soon to be Free Agent, Nikola Pekovic. Even if they are able to keep Pekovic, it gets rid of a player they have little use for in favor of a player that has a shorter contract and can play in their rotation. This trade allows the Twolves to use their 9th pick to address SG/SF. With the 30th, they can take a flyer on a project like Mike Muscala, Jeff Withey, Rudy Gobert, or get a SF. I think this improves all three teams without taking advantage of any of them.Starting 5:Wizards: Wall, Beal, Porter, Williams, NeneSuns: Dragic, Johnson, Beasley/26th pick, Scola, Noel Twolves: Rubio, Roy/9th pick, Kirilenko/9th pick, Love, Pekovic/Gortat Hopefully y'all agree that this is fair and would benefit the Wizards. Since we're a little over a week from the draft, I figured I'd throw out a dream scenario. 1. Cavs - Alex Len, C, Maryland2. Magic - Ben McLemore, SG, Kansas3. TRADE Suns - Nerlens Noel, C, Kentucky4. Bobcats - Anthony Bennett, PF, UNLV5. TRADE Wizards - Otto Porter, SF, GeorgetownWizards give: 3rd pick, 38th pick, 54th pick, Jan Vessley, Trevor Booker, Wizards receive: 5th pick, Derrick WilliamsSuns give: 5th pick, 30th pick, Marcin GortatSuns receive: 3rd pick, 26th Pick, 38th pick, Jan Vessley, Trevor BookerTwolves give: Derrick Williams, 26th pickTwolves receive: Marcin Gortat, 30th Pick, 54th pickSo the Wizards unload some cap onto the Suns, give away the 2nd rounders, and swap picks with the Suns. The Suns don't mind the cap hit because they get their center of the future and move up from the 30th pick to round out the draft (I imagine Giannis Adetokunbo or Jamaal Franklin) and all they lose is Gortat. The Twolves move a player that has a hard time fitting in the roster and replace soon to be Free Agent, Nikola Pekovic. Even if they are able to keep Pekovic, it gets rid of a player they have little use for in favor of a player that has a shorter contract and can play in their rotation. This trade allows the Twolves to use their 9th pick to address SG/SF. With the 30th, they can take a flyer on a project like Mike Muscala, Jeff Withey, Rudy Gobert, or get a SF. I think this improves all three teams without taking advantage of any of them.Starting 5:Wizards: Wall, Beal, Porter, Williams, NeneSuns: Dragic, Johnson, Beasley/26th pick, Scola, Noel Twolves: Rubio, Roy/9th pick, Kirilenko/9th pick, Love, Pekovic/Gortat Hopefully y'all agree that this is fair and would benefit the Wizards. Poll Would you find this trade acceptable? Yes No Yes, but it isn't possible No, even if it could happen 0 votes | Results

So I'm pretty sure most if not all of you have heard the ridiculous story of Miami Heat fans leaving the game early last night, but just in case you didn't check it out: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/miami-heat-fans-leave-nba-finals-game-6-051052669.html This really got me thinking. If we were in the same position of the Heat, I honestly don't think our fans would do something this silly, but I wonder exactly where are we as far as fan bases. I mean we have been through it, over the years, we have stuck with this team during some hard times. We ranked 20th in attendance this year average 16,343 fans per game, which places us in front of Minnesota but behind Memphis. The previous year we ranked 18th. Despite being an awful franchise we are a middle of the pack/low middle of the pack in attendance. How much credit do you give to our fans being loyal? And how potentially good can this fan base be if this team wins consistently? So I'm pretty sure most if not all of you have heard the ridiculous story of Miami Heat fans leaving the game early last night, but just in case you didn't check it out: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/miami-heat-fans-leave-nba-finals-game-6-051052669.html This really got me thinking. If we were in the same position of the Heat, I honestly don't think our fans would do something this silly, but I wonder exactly where are we as far as fan bases. I mean we have been through it, over the years, we have stuck with this team during some hard times. We ranked 20th in attendance this year average 16,343 fans per game, which places us in front of Minnesota but behind Memphis. The previous year we ranked 18th. Despite being an awful franchise we are a middle of the pack/low middle of the pack in attendance. How much credit do you give to our fans being loyal? And how potentially good can this fan base be if this team wins consistently?

I, like many of you, have been disappointed with Ted Leonsis' reluctance to consider renaming the team and was dismayed to hear a front office representative recently announce that the issue was mostly dead . Like it or not, we live in an era of political correctness. Abe Pollin cemented the "Bullets" connotation as one associated with gun violence when he announced the name change. GunGate only furthered this, making the change back to Bullets even more complicated. Perhaps more confusing is that the front office considers the name offensive, yet sells Bullets gear in the team store, brings back Bullets alums, and gives away replica Bullets championship rings at the same time. If the name was that bad, wouldn't you try to avoid it at all costs rather than coyly trying to wring a few bucks from it when convenient? So yeah, Monumental Sports is full of it, and is obviously either scared or too cheap to invest in the upfront costs that come along with any wholesale rebranding. Meanwhile we are stuck with the worst nickname in the history of pro sports ever, and it's a name that isn't even unique as it's shared with MLS' Kansas City and the now defunct D-League Dakota Wizards. I hate the contrived alliteration of "Washington Wizards" with the same fervor I typically reserve for Beltway traffic. It's corny, was obviously geared to appeal to tweens rather than serious fans, and worst of all, it just sounds awful when you say it. It rolls off the tongue in a manner that suggests MoCo youth league, not one of 30 franchises in the greatest basketball league on earth. It's gotta go, and Bullets must replace it. I'm not a marketing and public relations professional, I merely play one on the Internet. And I'm convinced Monumental Sports can get us our awesome name back by doing the following: Change The "Bullets" Connotation! - People associate bullets with violence, but the original Baltimore Bullets moniker was actually an allusion to the players' "explosive talents and speed". Of course, that excuse sounds hella flimsy in 2013, so why not change the Bullets connotation to mean someone entirely different? My idea: Trains. Many still think Bullets refers to high speed Bullet Trains that once ran from Baltimore to Boston, so why not double down on this concept? Incorporate a train into the primary logo (But don't put this anywhere on the uniform! Change the home wordmark to Bullets and the current uni kit is awesome as-is). Make the mascot a comical, bumbling engineer. Roll out the new name change at Union Station, with some shameless tie in to Amtrak. Why not throw in Thomas the Tank Engine? Go overboard with this. The entire goal is to change what people immediately think of when they hear the term "Washington Bullets". If you think this is silly, consider the name "Golden State Warriors". Do you associate this with flashy basketball players or native Americans? It's probably the latter since that team was wise enough to strip it's logo of any such imagery loooong ago. Nobody ever lumps GSW in with the Indians, Braves, or Redskins for that very reason. Bullets could be stripped of the gun violence connotation in the same manner. Get In Front Of The Inevitable PR Issue! - While nobody cares about our franchise beyond the hard core fans here in the DC area, the moment the name change is announced this issue will become a political football played out night after night on cable news shows. So the team will need to be smart about this, realizing the potential pitfalls. Have Leonsis write an op-Ed explaining the new connotation and make sure that op-ed mentions the term "train" aboit 5,000 times. Announce the name change during with the NBA Finals or training camp when there already is plenty of other sports news to fill the airwaves. Don't do this in the dead of summer under any circumstances, for obvious reasons. And by all means, flash that train centric primary logo so often that anyone who makes this a gun violence issue ends up gett

Bradley Beal is still more than a week away from his 20th birthday, but there is another significant date that the Wizards’ shooting guard is possibly monitoring with even greater anticipation: The day when he will finally be cleared to … Continue reading →

Washington Wizards 2013 NBA Summer League Schedule Announced

Monumental Sports & Entertainment Wins Two Emmy Awards for Broadcast Excellence; Six Bronze Telly Awards for Film & Video Production