I, for one, like it when athletes are thoughtful, nuanced and honest. It makes for good discussion and it helps us think about what is really going through their heads. Bradley Beal is, based on all my interactions with him, a thoughtful, honest and nuanced young man. We shouldn't confuse dialect for intelligence, but Beal has a knack for conveying his thoughts well in public appearances. This was no different when 106.7 The Fan asked him about how he'd respond if he had a teammate like Derrick Rose that didn't come back from an injury in the intended timetable. Sarah Kogod of the Washington Post transcribed the comments: "That's hard, because I've never experienced that injury," Beal said. "And I know what type of injury that is, it's possible it's gonna happen again. Knock on wood. But at the same time, you might have to give it a go. If you're practicing for two months and everybody in practice is saying you're practicing well, I figure you gotta give it a shot in a game. "But it's his decision. I can't really have a say so in it. If he doesn't feel he's mentally confident to be able to go out there and help the team, I guess I can't really blame him for it." [...] "A little bit. Yeah, I would [lose some respect for a teammate if he did that]," he said. "The type of player he is, and the mentality and competitiveness that he has, I think he would have gave it a go. I don't know what was holding him back. I think he's scared it's probably going to happen again and he won't be the same. But you're never the same after an injury. But you just have to fight through it and do something else to be able to impact the game. I'm not sure what it is he has to do. I really can't speak for him." I present these comments in full because they exhibit an opinion that doesn't necessarily make for a good headline. (That many outlets made one out of it is understandable; you can't write a 50-word headline, after all). Beal is essentially saying that, while he doesn't know Rose's situation personally, he would be somewhat confused if, as a teammate, Rose said he was ready to play and didn't play. At the same time, that confusion would ultimately stay in his head because he respects the individual needs of Rose's body. This may seem like a "wishy-washy" opinion, but it's not. I often wonder why SB Nation's competitors do business the way they do based on what they put out, but I also respect that I don't really know their situations. (Before you get any ideas, I'm not talking about anyone specifically). It's a thought that enters my brain, but not one that overwhelms it. That Beal spoke out his thought while also acknowledging that it was just a thought is commendable to me. Why shouldn't he say what he said? Of course, the comments got around and Beal was forced to tweet this clarification. Hey @drose would hate for u to think I meant any disrespect. Only u know when u r ready to play! Can't wait to see u back out there next yr! — Bradley Beal (@RealDealBeal23) May 18, 2013 Oh well. Such is what happens when spoken word becomes written word. I do find it interesting what Beal said in the context of his season. Remember: he fought through a number of ailments at the end of the year, to the point that many of us wished he'd sit out and think about his long-term health. (That he suffered a stress injury like John Wall only added to my apprehension). From his perspective, I can understand that lingering though about Rose's own caution. The injuries are significantly different, of course, and I think Beal understands that. At the same time, Beal played through pain this season, so he is one of a few NBA players that can speak to the core issue at play. Let's use Beal's comments as a means to have a discussion rather than vilifying him in any way. That's all I'm saying.

[Wizards 2012-13 Player Reviews from the TAI crew are going down; let's reflect--- index so far: Jannero Pargo, Jason Collins, Shaun Livingston, Shelvin Mack, Cartier Martin, Earl Barron, Jan Vesely, Chris Singleton, Trevor Booker, Garrett Temple, Emeka Okafor, Trevor Ariza.] Martell Webster 6-7 : Height 210 lbs. : Weight 26 : Age 8 : Years NBA Experience 3 : NBA Teams Signed by the Wizards as a free agent Aug. 29, 2012. Time as a Wizard in 2012-13 76 : Games 62 : Starts 2,200 : Minutes 1.45 out of 3 stars Average Truth About It.net DC Council Game Rating {Webster evaluated over 66 games}  13.9 PER NBA historical PER contribution equivalent: maybe Nick Anderson for the 1996-97 Orlando Magic (13.8) maybe Ronnie Brewer for the 2010-11 Chicago Bulls (13.8), maybe Willie Anderson for the 1991-92 San Antonio Spurs (13.8) .138 Win Shares/48 Minutes NBA historical WS/48 contribution equivalent: maybe Scottie Pippen for the 1999-00 Portland Trailblazers (.137), maybe Peja Stojakovic for the 2004-05 Sacramento Kings (.137), maybe Bob Dandridge for the 1972-73 Milwaukee Bucks (.136) With Martell Webster on the Court… The Wizards offense scored 4.7 points more per 100 possessions (OffRtg) The Wizards defense allowed 1.5 points more per 100 possessions (DefRtg) Plus/Minus per 48 minutes: minus-0.7 Numbers : Per 36 Minutes 14.2 : Points 4.8 : Rebounds 0.3 : Blocks 0.8 : Steals 2.3 : Assists 1.5 : Turnovers 2.7 : Fouls 1.06 PPP Webster had 806 offensive possessions with the Wizards that ended with a FGA, TO or FTs, and he scored 1.06 Points Per Possession (PPP) on those, ranked 21st in the NBA (via Synergy Sports Technology). Defensively, he allowed 0.87 PPP over 668 possessions, ranked 196th. Shooting 44.2% Field Goals (281-636) 42.2% 3-Pointers (139-329) 84.8% Free Throws (168-198) [stats via NBA.com/stats and Basketball-Reference.com] #9 Martell Webster in 2012-13 with the Wizards: A Freak Occurrence in an Unsettled Atmosphere by Sean Fagan (@McCarrick) Martell Webster is the type of player Ernie Grunfeld has spent years attempting to acquire, but never with much success. When signed by the Wizards, Webster appeared to be a traditional Grunfeld “value pickup,” a guy who came out in a slightly glutted free agent market and had been too dinged up in the recent past to take more than a flyer on. These types of moves had worked before to some degree (see: Stevenson, DeShawn) or had been semi-spectacular failures (see: Yi Jianlian—traded for, not a FA, but you get the point). At most, the Wizards were hoping to get a guy who could sop up the minutes that Trevor Ariza wasn’t taking and provide a safety valve in case Chris Singleton didn’t work out. However, a funny thing happened on the way to the lottery. Webster not only blew up during the season, setting career-highs in just about every category, but he also displaced the incumbent starter, Ariza, when it became painfully aware that effort from Ariza would only come in fits and starts. Webster also became the go-to quote in the locker room in the early season after excruciating losses and the rare victory. However, there was a difference between Webster’s “on the record” exhortations and those of former Wizards spokesmen, such as Josh Howard or the “Captain” Andray Blatche. Webster, for one, was more in tune with the dynamic of his team and spoke of each situation in a realistic manner that provided ballast, unlike the ridiculous proclamations of players like Blatche, who would still be talking about playoffs after a fifth straight regular season-loss. Unlike Howard, Webster could get better effort out of his teammates because he was actually on the court playing. Thus, if he called out a poor effort, he was putting the blame squarely on himself and the team rather than deflecting it. He became both a media and fan-favorite, all through the strength of playing within himself and within Randy Wittman’s system. The return of

Maryland sophomore big man Alex Len arrived at the NBA draft combine on crutches, unable to participate in any drills and limited to being a spectator after having surgery to stabilize a partial stress fracture in his left ankle. The … Continue reading →

Jan 29, 2013; Las Vegas, NV, USA; UNLV Runnin (UNLV big man, Anthony Bennett, has been one of the most intriguing prospects out of this years NBA Draft. Since the Washington Wizards have failed to make the postseason once again, and have just as much of a chance to land Bennett as any lottery team, I contacted Taylor Bern of the Las Vegas Sun to give us the latest scoop on Bennett’s game. Taylor Bern has been covering UNLV sports for quite some time, and knows a lot more about Anthony Bennett than myself and the majority of NBA fans.) Anthony Bennett’s ability to do virtually everything from an offensive standpoint is the reason he is regarded as one of the most versatile prospects in this years draft class. With that said, Bennett was also the number one option at UNLV and players which are accustomed to playing in that particular role have a tendency to struggle adjusting to the NBA game (Michael Beasley, Derrick Williams, etc). How well do you think Bennett will transition into the NBA, especially since he’ll likely take on a lesser role? There were actually a surprisingly large number of possessions in big games when he wasn’t the focal point down the stretch. It was strange to see, because everyone assumed the ball should go to him, but some of that also falls on Bennett. Occasionally it seemed that if he didn’t get enough touches early in the game he would stop working as hard to get them later in the game. That comes down to work ethic, which will probably be his greatest challenge at the next level. Anthony Bennett has often been scrutinized for his lack of commitment on the defensive side of the floor. Why did he struggle so much on that side of the floor? The Washington Wizards were ranked amongst the top defensive teams in the NBA (8th in defensive efficiency) and have ultimately gotten rid of a handful of players which weren’t willing to buy into the system. Is Bennett’s lack of defensive productivity a legitimate concern or does he seem like the type of athlete who will eventually develop into an acceptable defender? I think with the right coaching he could buy into the defensive side of the ball. A lot of it certainly falls on him, but I think that at Findlay Prep and UNLV he was never really asked and forced to put the same type of effort into defense as offense, so he just didn’t. If that is made a priority by a coach, essentially by someone telling him, and then proving to him, that the only way they’ll put him on the court is if he plays better defense then I think he could make some big strides there. Because he’s athletic enough to move around better at that end and big enough to stand his ground. Is Anthony Bennett worth the investment? Should a lottery bound team take a chance on Bennett, even though they are entering the latter half of their rebuilding process? I think it’s different for every lottery team not only on their personnel but also who’s left on the board. There are only about six or seven guys I would take ahead of him, and some would say there are even less than that. I understand why teams think so highly of him because what he’s put on tape offensively is extremely enticing. Is that enough for someone to take a chance in the top five or six picks? Yes, I think it will be. Is Anthony Bennett the type of player the Washington Wizards could potentially form a “Big 3″  along side their other two young stars, John Wall and Bradley Beal? I think he certainly complements those two well, but again, it’s going to come down to his effort and how much he buys in defensively. No team is going to give him big minutes while he’s a liability at that end. And at the same time, his NBA coaches are going to be more demanded than any coaches he’s ever had before, so that’s going to be a culture shock that could take him some time to get past. If he does, then yes, I think he could pair very nicely with those guys, especially a guard as skilled as Wall. Even though th

Wizards fans are pretty much on the same page when it comes to the 8th spot in the 2013 draft. The premature consensus is that Ernie Grunfeld will be deciding between: C.J. McCollum Alex Len Shabazz Muhammed Cody Zeller One of Anthony Bennett, Otto Porter, Victor Oladipo Nerlens Noel and Ben McLemore will certainly be off the board. It's likewise hard to imagine Victor Oladipo or Otto Porter lasting past the Pistons, provided there are no surprises in the lottery drawing, unless perhaps Trey Burke is available and the Brandon Knight experiment is over. Kelly Olynyk will almost certainly be there at No. 8. Len's draft stock has probably taken a serious hit with a microfracture injury. Bennett will probably be gone by the time the Wizards pick, but who knows? The Suns are a black hole of need but if Cody Zeller makes it past them....in any case, it's too soon to tell. In the meantime, more than a few will be quietly praying the Wiz don't end up with Mason Plumlee, Steven Adams or Rudy Gobert. It may beggar belief that the team would consider using what may be their last Top 10 pick for quite some time on a point guard or shooting guard with John Wall and Bradley Beal firmly ensconced in the backcourt. At the same time, I remember the Arizona Cardinals taking a lot of crap for drafting Adrian Wilson with plenty of depth at SS. Football isn't basketball, obviously, but I tend to agree with Umair and past sentiment here on the site; if a player is clearly a tier above any other player on the board, the draft is for best player available rather than need. It's just that the Wizards need in the frontcourt looking to the future would be TREMENDOUS. Forty-one days. What say you? Poll If the Wizards are on the clock with a backcourt player clearly a tier above the rest of the field, will they draft for need or best player available? Best player available, no matter what. No certainties in the NBA. Best player available, if the difference in talent is large enough. Need and most ready to contribute immediately; gotta make them playoffs Future need, SF/PF/C is an ocean of uncertainty three/four years down the road. ADD MOAR UNCERTAINTY! 23 votes | Results

[Wizards 2012-13 Player Reviews from the TAI crew are going down; let's reflect--- index so far: Jannero Pargo, Jason Collins, Shaun Livingston, Shelvin Mack, Cartier Martin, Earl Barron, Jan Vesely, Chris Singleton, Trevor Booker, Garrett Temple, Emeka Okafor.] Trevor Ariza 6-8 : Height 210 lbs. : Weight 27 : Age 9 : Years NBA Experience 6 : NBA Teams Traded by the New Orleans Hornets along with Emeka Okafor to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Rashard Lewis and a second round pick on June 20, 2012. Time as a Wizard in 2012-13 56 : Games 15 : Starts 1,471 : Minutes 1.41 out of 3 stars Average Truth About It.net DC Council Game Rating {Ariza evaluated over 35 games}  14.04 PER NBA historical PER contribution equivalent: maybe Doug Christie for the 2003-04 Sacramento Kings (14.0) maybe Reggie Miller for the 1987-88 Indiana Pacers (14.0), maybe Kevin Grevey for the 1978-79 Washington Bullets (14.0) .102 Win Shares/48 Minutes NBA historical WS/48 contribution equivalent: maybe Lamar Odom for the 2006-07 Los Angeles Lakers (.102), maybe Mike Miller for the 2001-02 Orlando Magic (.101), maybe Shawn Marion for the 2008-09 Toronto Raptors—after being traded by the Miami Heat (.101) With Trevor Ariza on the Court… The Wizards offense scored 0.7 points more per 100 possessions (OffRtg) The Wizards defense allowed 3.0 points less per 100 possessions (DefRtg) Plus/Minus per 48 minutes: minus-1.5 Numbers : Per 36 Minutes 13.0 : Points 6.5 : Rebounds 0.5 : Blocks 1.8: Steals 2.8 : Assists 2.1 : Turnovers 1.8 : Fouls 0.93 PPP Ariza had 563 offensive possessions with the Wizards that ended with a FGA, TO or FTs, and he scored 0.93 Points Per Possession (PPP) on those, ranked 174th in the NBA (via Synergy Sports Technology). Defensively, he allowed 0.76 PPP over 394 possessions, ranked 29th. Shooting 41.7% Field Goals (188-451) 36.4% 3-Pointers (76-209) 82.1% Free Throws (78-95) [stats via NBA.com/stats and Basketball-Reference.com] #1 Trevor Ariza in 2012-13 with the Wizards: by John Converse Townsend (@JohnCTownsend) Hey, Trevor… What’s up, brother? You gonna exercise that $7.7 million player option? You, uh, gonna stick around D.C. for the 2013-14 WASHINGTON WIZARDS PLAYOFF SEASON?!? “I don’t know many people who are going to leave money on the table and I’m not one of the people to do that, so most likely.” Alright. Great. Love the enthusiasm. And I loved the way you played, for the most part. That 25-point performance against your old team, the Lakers of Los Angeles, on March 22… You pretty much won that game for the Wizards. A career-high seven 3-pointers! Martell Webster was the only other Wizards player to hit that many 3s this year. Let’s watch the highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voS4Wuj_am8 Wow. What a weird show. And nice work, you really pissed off Kobe—that alone was more impressive than the season-high 26 points you dropped on the Charlotte Bobcats (for Charlotte Bobcats reasons). What else… You dumped 20 points on the Knicks in a 106-96 win, and were red-hot from beyond the arc (5-for-7). You scored 14, and nabbed five boards, against the Nuggets in a 112-108 win. You had another good game against the Milwaukee Bucks on November 9. What had happened? Oh, just 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists. The Wizards lost, 91-101, but it wasn’t your fault. Basketball is a team sport and stuff. You shot 55 percent in the restricted area. While you only made 15.4 percent of your takes in the paint, you fared better the further you got from the rim. You shot a somewhat respectable 37 percent from mid-range and sank a rock solid 36.4 percent of your 3-pointers—47.1 percent from the corner and … 29 percent above the break (cool it from there, kid). OK, not to sour the mood here, but you probably air-balled more attempts this year than anyone else on the team because you turned down free shots like a teetotaler. And early in the season you would travel like

[Wizards 2012-13 Player Reviews from the TAI crew are going down; let's reflect--- index so far: Jannero Pargo, Jason Collins, Shaun Livingston, Shelvin Mack, Cartier Martin, Earl Barron, Jan Vesely, Chris Singleton, Trevor Booker, Garrett Temple.] Emeka Okafor 6-10 : Height 252 lbs. : Weight 30 : Age 9 : Years NBA Experience 3 : NBA Teams Traded by the New Orleans Hornets along with Trevor Ariza to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Rashard Lewis and a second round pick on June 20, 2012. Time as a Wizard in 2012-13 79 : Games 77 : Starts 2,052 : Minutes 1.43 out of 3 stars Average Truth About It.net DC Council Game Rating {Okafor evaluated over 76 games}  15.8 PER NBA historical PER contribution equivalent: maybe Tyson Chandler for the 2002-03 Chicago Bulls (15.8) maybe Erick Dampier for the 2002-03 Golden State Warriors (15.8), maybe Bison Dele for the 1998-99 Detroit Pistons (15.7) .104 Win Shares/48 Minutes NBA historical WS/48 contribution equivalent: maybe Samuel Dalembert for the 2004-05 Philadelphia 76ers (.104), maybe Bendan Haywood for the 2010-11 Dallas Mavericks (.104), maybe Brad Daugherty for the 1989-90 Cleveland Cavaliers (.104) With Emeka Okafor on the Court… The Wizards offense scored 1.0 point more per 100 possessions (OffRtg) The Wizards defense allowed 1.0 point less per 100 possessions (DefRtg) Plus/Minus per 48 minutes: minus-1.1 Numbers : Per 36 Minutes 13.4 : Points 12.1 : Rebounds 1.4 : Blocks 0.8: Steals 1.6 : Assists 1.9 : Turnovers 2.5 : Fouls 0.88 PPP Okafor had 872 offensive possessions with the Wizards that ended with a FGA, TO or FTs, and he scored 0.88 Points Per Possession (PPP) on those, ranked 261st in the NBA (via Synergy Sports Technology). Defensively, he allowed 0.81 PPP over 423 possessions, ranked 73rd. Shooting 47.7% Field Goals (328-687) 58.4% Free Throws (109-191) [stats via NBA.com/stats and Basketball-Reference.com] #50 Emeka Okafor in 2012-13 with the Wizards: A Three-Sided Coin by Adam Rubin (@LedellsPlace) The many faces of Chukwuemeka Noubuisi Okafor: Emeka the Professional, Emeka the Player and Emeka the Contract. The Professional As the Washington Post’s Michael Lee tells it, it’s not a stretch to say that Emeka Okafor earned his entire $13.5 million salary on February 27. That was the night of John Wall’s horrific meltdown against the Detroit Pistons which resulted in a fourth quarter benching, followed by a tense post-game interview where Wall blamed his teammates for mishandling his passes, followed by awkward post-game interviews with his teammates where they downplayed his struggles. It was obvious something was wrong with Wall, but no one wanted to talk about it. Asked whether any veteran said something to Wall during the game, Martell Webster responded, “It’s all about motivation at that point. You’re not gonna brow beat anybody, just going to continue to encourage them and motivate them to lift them out of their slump. … So, it’s not a matter of brow beating ‘cause why would you do that, I mean we need him to be at his calmest.” Enter Emeka Okafor. Professional brow beater. Michael Lee reported there was a heated confrontation between Wall and Okafor during which Okafor pretty much told Wall to get his head out of his ass and act like a leader. Looks like Wall needed the tough love and nobody—other than Okafor—was willing to give it to him. You can’t put a price tag on that type of leadership, although $13.5 million probably comes close. The words “leadership” and “professionalism” get thrown around a lot in sports but rarely do you get such a clear example of its impact in the locker room. It’s scary to think what might have happened to Wall (and the team) if Emeka had not, as it were, encouraged him to remove his head from his ass. The Player  Emeka’s up and down performance on the court has been well chronicled. In short, he was awful to start the season, then morphed into a double-double machine once Wall returned. He also led the league

Every so often, I find myself with enough time to watch a full game (thanks to WatchESPN's archive) and scout a top NBA Draft prospect. I'm still gathering information on prospects, so don't take these individual games as a be-all, end-all opinion. But as long as I'm watching these games, I may as well write down some notes. This will be an ongoing series. Keep in mind that any conclusions are subject to change after watching more film. Today, I'm watching Lehigh guard C.J. McCollum play against Pittsburgh on November 13. There isn't much publicly-available tape on McCollum since he plays in the Patriot League and only suited up for 12 games before suffering a season-ending foot injury, but there's a lot of buzz thanks to his breakout against Duke in the 2012 NCAA Tournament and the success of fellow small-school star Damian Lillard. I'm curious to see if McCollum can function off the ball, because that will make him a much more useful player with John Wall and Bradley Beal already in the fold. McCollum's team lost badly in this game, but he scored 17 points on 11 shots. Here are some notes I took while watching: McCollum has really long strides when he drives. On the first play of the game, he got his shoulders by his defender going left, then planted off his right foot to go back to his right and glide through the air to finish. A hell of an impressive move, considering he'll have to elevate through trees in the NBA. One thing I watch for very closely is one-foot jumping, because if you can power off one leg, you can get to the rim faster. This was an impressive one-foot jump. McCollumn does seem to look to score more on the pick and roll that pass, though that might be a function of his team. I didn't really see him look for the second pass when coming off screens. Normally, you want to see young point guards have down the first (roll man or at least closest man to the ball) and second (spot-up shooter) passing reads down, but McCollum's were slow in this game. He committed one turnover waiting to zip in a pass to a big man until a beat too late and should have committed another. I was pleasantly surprised how much Lehigh used McCollum off the ball. While he did go at it in the pick and roll and on isolations, he also navigated through screens to catch the ball. I even saw him run off a Crazy 8s screen once (this is when a player curls off two screens like he's drawing an "8" on the court before popping to the wing) and a Paul George-like screen the screener set another time. While most of these plays were designed to get him a pick and roll touch in a certain spot on the floor, he did demonstrate the ability to quickly act on the move. His pull-up jump shot is probably his best trait. He didn't really show it off a lot coming off screens, but he did nail a couple shots in pick and rolls and on isolations. His jump is on-balance and I suspect this will be how he gets most of his points early in his pro career. His handle was very good as he drove, as he used his off arm nicely to shield defenders that pressured him. However, he really struggled when trying to gather and finish, whether it was on a pull-up jumper in traffic or trying to finish with a layup. He also seemed to like driving left, but committed four of his five turnovers on that side. If this is indeed an ongoing problem, he'll need to clean up his motion and get a bit stronger with the ball. He missed both his floaters, but I liked the form he showed and it's good that he has that shot. Defensively, he did better than I expected on the ball. Trey Woodall, his man, had a big game, but a lot of the production was on other players. I'm curious to see how he measures out, because he at least looked like he had the wingspan needed to guard backup 2s. Off the ball, though, he was caught ball-watching a lot and seemed to relax when his man didn't have it. Several of Woodall's buckets came because McCollum was a beat behind him on a screen. He got a bit

Apr 9, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Washington Wizards point guard John Wall (2) gestures during the third quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 120-99. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports By now you’ve probably heard or read in multiple reports that Washington Wizards guard, John Wall, thinks he’s a max player. You may have also read that he would be hurt if he wasn’t offered a max contract from the Wizards. And if you’ve seen all of this, then you’ve certainly seen or heard the report that the Wizards plan on offering him a max extension as early as this July. While the thought of Wall thinking he was a max player was laughable to some people in early March, it has since become plausible, if not expected given the way he ended the season. I think for this franchise, giving him the max contract is warranted. He has been the face of the franchise from the moment he was drafted – the full red carpet treatment. No really, he was literally given the red carpet treatment from his first visit to town after the 2010 NBA Draft. It has been a bumpy ride for him, but fans (and the franchise) finally started to see some of the star potential everyone thinks and hopes he can achieve.  I know the thought of paying/rewarding Wall before seeing the consistent production is scary given past failures (there have been a number of names over the years, but most recently, see Blatche, Andray), the relatively small sample size of stellar play and the fact that the Wizards haven’t won 30 games in a season since 2007-08, but I think this is different. I get every impression that Wall wants to be great, works hard at getting better and takes his craft seriously. I believe that the success that he tasted will motivate him to continue to get better, not get paid and rest on his laurels. I understand that he represents a different type of star from the team’s immediate past. His jumper, ballhandling, and other aspects of his game are all works in progress, but you would be remiss to not admit to have seen improvement. It is apparent in how much better the team played when he played versus when he was out, but also in his individual improvement, particularly in the last two months of the season, when something clicked with either his confidence, health,rhythm, or some combination of the three. The notion that Wall has improved is supported statistically. Using data from basketball-reference.com, Wall averaged 20.4 points per 36 minutes, with a PER of 20.8 (ninth in the league among guards) in 49 games for the 2012-13 season. Wall’s field goal and true shooting percentages were up to 44.1 and 52.1, respectively. These are up from 40.9 and 49.4 in his rookie year and 42.3 and 50.2 in the 2011-12.  His assist percentage was fifth best in the entire league at 43.9%. His turnovers, long an issue, were down to 15.3 per 100 possessions. His three point shooting is still awful, and his rebounding numbers were down slightly, but it is clear that Wall showed noticeable improvement. I can see the argument that from a goodwill standpoint the Wizards have to offer Wall a max contract. He’s fought through the worst of times with the franchise. They’ve built the roster completely around him, he’s finally starting to find his niche as a player, and you’d have to think he’ll continue to improve. He’ll have just turned 23 by the time the 2013-14 season begins, and he and Bradley Beal have the makings of a dynamic backcourt for years to come.  I think even before the surge at the end of the season, many Wizards fans, right or wrong, me included, expected the team to offer him a max deal. Now that a max offer seems a foregone conclusion, the question is: How much will all of this cost? The salary cap structure in the new CBA is pretty intricate. As always, Larry Coon’s NBA Salary Cap FAQ is the source for most of the language here.

Bradley Beal doesn’t consider himself to be very superstitious, but the Wizards are hoping that he can be a good luck charm next week. One day after it was announced that he was named to the NBA all-rooke first team, … Continue reading →