Wizards give ‘not losing’ a try, find it to their liking, beat Blazers to reach 1-12 (Ball Don’t Lie)

 Miami  No Responses »
Nov 292012
 

Shortly after tip-off in Wednesday night’s game between the Washington Wizards and Portland Trail Blazers at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., the CSN Washington broadcast duo of Steve Buckhantz and Phil Chenier offered a lone “key to the game” for the hometown team: “Just win!”
It seems kind of odd to think that the Wiz wouldn’t have at least tried popping that particular key into the ol’ competitive ignition and giving it a turn at some point during their first dozen games, all of which ended with their opponents’ hands raised, but after lineup-juggling that led fans to call for his firing , openly wondering whether he might be dumb and allowing his players to celebrate Festivus a bit early this year didn’t bring home a W, coach Randy Wittman was clearly ready to try anything. Maybe … just maybe … this “Just win!” thing was crazy enough to work.
Sure enough, CSN’s strat proved sound, as the Wizards’ all-hands-on-deck, try-anything approach came through with an 84-82 win over the visiting Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night. The Wiz are winless no more; their record now stands proud and tall at 1-12.
It was, as you might suspect given the low and close score, something of a Wizard-y contest, with Washington digging themselves an early 15-4 hole before Buckhantz and Chenier could even offer their “Just win!” advice. As they’ve done all season, the Wizards opened with stagnant offensive possessions that resulted in contested midrange jumpers taken by guys (Emeka Okafor, Trevor Ariza, a struggling-with-his-stroke Bradley Beal) who can’t really shoot, and having early difficulty containing the penetration of Blazers rookie point guard Damian Lillard, reacting to the resultant ball movement that led to open and makable shots for the likes of LaMarcus Aldridge, Wesley Matthews and Nicolas Batum. Nearly eight minutes into the game, the Wizards were down 11 and their game-opening unit of Okafor, Ariza, Beal, Kevin Seraphin and A.J. Price looked badly overmatched by the Portland starting five.
Luckily, Portland’s bench had to play at some point, and they — as presently constituted — stink on ice . The Wizards’ roster might not be great, but it’s at least more balanced than Portland’s is, and especially with a still-working-his-way-back-to-health Nene now available on the bench, gave Wittman a distinct advantage over Blazers coach Terry Stotts.

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The Washington Wizards briefly place 19-year old rookie Bradley Beal in a team-sponsored beer ad (Ball Don’t Lie)

 Washington  No Responses »
Nov 032012
 

With star guard John Wall out for an extended period of time and the team’s fortunes not exactly on the up and up, the Washington Wizards will have to scrounge and hype their way into bringing the fair weather fans into the home arena this season. Or, more specifically, they’re going to have to attempt to loosen up those potential fans with macro-brewed pilsners before a random Saturday early-season contest. The most recent plan involves a solid deal — $25 buys you a ticket, and $2 Budweiser bottles at participating Wizards-helpin’ locations hopefully situated real close to the Verizon Center.
One problem, sort of. The promotional company that put together the ads trumping up the Game 2 pub crawl, left with paucity of Wizards stars due to injuries to Wall and center Nene, placed Bradley Beal on their online ad. Beal, a rookie, is only 19 years old; and Americans that age can’t legally enjoy a $2 Budweiser unless they have a really cool uncle or an older girlfriend from Canada. Wizards beat writer extraordinaire Michael Lee first noticed the iffy pairing, and Washington Post scribe Sarah Kogod dug in to research from there :
I reached out to the team to ask about the decision to use Beal. In this case, the ad was created by TiqIQ, who partners with the team on ticket promotions and who placed that particular ad on our site. There was an oversight in the approval process between the team and the ticket company, which led to the unfortunate placement.

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Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards Are Too Much for the Cleveland Cavaliers: Fan’s Reaction (Yahoo! Contributor Network)

 Chicago  No Responses »
Oct 142012
 

Bradley Beal and the Washington Wizards gave the Cleveland Cavaliers too much to handle on Saturday, October 13 defeating them by the score of 99-95. Rookie guard Bradley Beal led the Wizards with 14 points on the night while Tristan Thompson shined for the Cavaliers scoring 18 points and grabbing 10 boards.

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Dion Waiters Admits He was Out of Shape for Cavaliers’ Summer League: A Fan’s Reaction (Yahoo! Contributor Network)

 LA Lakers  No Responses »
Aug 292012
 

When the Cleveland Cavaliers announced they had taken SG Dion Waiters with the No. 4 pick in the 2012 draft there was some vocal disappointment at the draft party in Quicken Loans Arena. This was compounded by the fact both widely popular Bradley Beal and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist were off the board by the time the Cavaliers were up. Still, the likes of Thomas Robinson and Harrison Barnes were available. Cleveland opted for Waiters, who after Beal, was the next best SG available.

Boston Celtics: Does Avery Bradley Have Perennial All-Star Potential?

 Rumors  No Responses »
Jul 172012
 

This past season, Avery Bradley was a revelation for the Boston Celtics. The guard out of Texas showed flashes of the brilliance that scouts had long gushed over.

Many scouts believed that Bradley should have stayed for more than one year at Texas, where he started in 34 games and averaged 11.6 points per game.

He was not drafted earlier than 19th, where the Celtics scooped him up, likely for two reasons.

For one, he is undersized at the shooting guard position at 6’2”, which is a huge size disadvantage against some of the bigger 2′s in the league.

NBA executives have been drafting bigger shooting guards over the past few years, with many of them eclipsing at least 6’4”. Look at James Harden (6’5”), DeMar DeRozan (6’7”) and Bradley Beal (6’5”).

Secondly, his offensive capabilities really were limited out of college. He struggled creating his own shot in college and was not a good isolation player.

Luckily for him, Bradley found the perfect situation in the Boston Celtics because he does not need to be a scorer. His potential is through the roof, especially as long as Rajon Rondo is the point guard in Boston.

The question begs to be asked for a player so young: Can Avery Bradley become a perennial All-Star player?

At first glance, I would say no. To be voted or chosen to be an All-Star year after year as a shooting guard, you need to be able to score the ball at will.

In some ways, Bradley is hurt because he plays in such a balanced offense, where he is not asked to put up 18-20 points per game.

Even so, when he played 32.9 minutes per game in April, Bradley averaged 15.1 points. He has the potential to score the basketball, especially when given the minutes to do so.

Bradley will be able to develop his game over the next two years, as he finishes out his rookie contract in 2014. By that time, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett will either be in the tail ends of their careers or might even be retired.

Before we jump to conclusions on Bradley’s scoring potential, it is definitely prudent to wait to see the improvements he makes in his first full season as a starter.

He has the ability and the players around him to be a perennial All-Star. The question is whether he will put all the pieces together.

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NBA Summer League 2012: Rookies Who Will Continue to Shine in Las Vegas

 Rumors  No Responses »
Jul 162012
 

Rookie point guard Damian Lillard’s performance for the Portland Trail Blazers’ Summer League squad on Sunday night in Las Vegas solidified him atop the mountain of first-year floor generals entering the NBA in 2012.

Lillard scored 21 second-half points and helped Portland overcome a 17-point deficit to knock off fellow rookie point guard Austin Rivers and the New Orleans Hornets.

Lillard finished his Summer League debut with 25 points, four assists and only three turnovers.

However, the Weber State product isn’t the only rookie sure to continue to light up Vegas this summer.

 

Jeremy Lamb

Lamb is averaging 21 points per game so far in Vegas on 53.8 percent shooting from the field in two Summer League games for the Houston Rockets, who drafted him No. 12 overall last month. 

The 20-year-old averaged 17.7 points per game last season with Connecticut, and became even more of an outside threat thanks to an incredible 6’11″ wingspan. Lamb’s length makes him a scary perimeter defender as well as a better shooter who can rise above the defense with ease. 

Lamb has certainly made a great impression on the Rockets’ coaching staff early on this offseason and should be a significant piece in Houston’s rotation next season as a rookie with star potential. 

 

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

The No. 2 overall pick from June’s NBA draft has already demonstrated his dominance after one outing in Las Vegas. Kidd-Gilchrist, 18, finished Charlotte’s dismantling of the Sacramento Kings on Friday with 18 points, eight rebounds, five assists and four steals. 

The superb stat line speaks volumes to Kidd-Gilchrist’s motor and drive on the court. It is why the Bobcats chose him over the other big-name prospects at No. 2.

Kidd-Gilchrist may not produce outstanding numbers in one particular area, but his desire to win and be a factor when and wherever he is on the court will make him a force to be reckoned with in the NBA. 

 

Bradley Beal

Although the Washington Wizards’ lottery pick Bradley Beal has struggled to hit from beyond the arc through his first three summer league games in Vegas (3-for-12), he is still averaging nearly 19 points per game.

The solid Summer League numbers are encouraging for Washington and suggest the 19-year-old will continue to shine in Las Vegas this July. After all, Beal’s scoring prowess above everything else was why the Wizards fell in love with his game.

A 6’5″ shooting guard, Beal is an elite shooter who will feast on outside jump shots in the NBA. He made 63 three-pointers during his freshman season at Florida. That being said, Beal will only become more consistent and ultimately lethal from downtown. 

 

Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter For More Reaction on 2012 NBA Summer League Action. 

Follow _Pat_Clarke on Twitter

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Vegas Summer League 2012: 3 Things Every Team Will Look for This Summer

 Rumors  No Responses »
Jul 162012
 

Basketball never stops being played by players around the world. It’s just one of the great things about the sport.

Just because the NBA is over with doesn’t mean there aren’t important, developmental games being played across the globe.

Look at the Vegas Summer League, for example. Players from around the globe are receiving the opportunity of a lifetime. Don’t tell them this summer isn’t important.  

Here are three things teams will watch for from the Vegas Summer League. If you’re looking for reasons to watch the Summer League, you can pay attention to these things, too.

 

Who sticks out?

Forget the score and just focus on players who stand out. Who is a player that jumps off your screen? 

I’m not talking about a dunk like Gerald Green’s monster slam in Summer League action, I’m talking about the players who are consistent; players who look like they are the best on the floor.

Those are the players who will earn playing time during the regular season.

All those high-flying dunks and posters are great TV, but that doesn’t make you a great basketball player. 

The AND1 circuit was all about alley-oops, posters and electrifying action. However, how many of those guys made the league? Not too many.

Just pay attention to players who consistently score in a plethora of ways, play great defense and can do other things on the floor well.

 

Rookie’s first glimpse of professional basketball

Guys like Bradley Beal, Austin Rivers and others are expected to do great things in the NBA. Watching players with such a high ceiling is another reason to watch the Summer League.

Five years down the road and some of the guys playing this summer will be All-Star performers. Why not watch their greatness now?

Why not try to make an intelligent guess to which players will be successful and which ones will succeed? 

It’s all a part of the fun.  

 

Improvement from sophomores

Summer League is about players improving their play. It’s a place to hone your skills, get experience and work on some of the aspects of the game you struggle with.

As the summer progresses, you will see players get better with playing time—or, at least, that’s the point. 

The ones who improve the most will probably be the players who receive a legitimate opportunity for more playing time next season.

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