Can Washington Wizards Lose John Wall If They Keep Losing

Washington Wizards Mailbag Monday: February 22, 2016

It’s already February 22nd. The winter is slowly coming to an end and the Washington Wizards‘ final push towards the NBA Playoffs is upon us.

It feels like just days have passed since we were originally excited for the Wizards’ 2015-16 campaign. But that excitement died pretty quickly. This season has been quite miserable — perhaps the most miserable since I started covering the team in 2011.

It’s Monday, though. There’s no room for that negativity. It’s the start of a fresh, new week for us and the Washington Wizards.

As always, we’ll start it off by answering your questions about the team.

Today’s questions come from Twitter and Reddit.

Thanks for participating.

If you want to be featured in next week’s edition, feel free to shoot us a question: @WizofAwes

What can we realistically expect from Morris and how long will it take for him to be fully integrated into Wittman’s line-up? – via permex22

There’s less than 30 games left to go in the season. Man, time really goes by fast. Before you know, we’ll be looking at prospects the Washington Wizards will miss out on in the NBA Draft because they lost the pick to the Phoenix Suns…

But really, this is a good question. The Wizards don’t have much time to figure it out and Markieff Morris kind of has to pick it up on the fly. I’m sure the assistant coaches are taking time to catch him up to speed, but Randy Wittman has to change his rotation quickly.

If/when Morris gets accustomed to what the Wizards are trying to do, he should be a perfect fit next to John Wall and Co.

Is there any coaching candidates that scream Wizards fit, if Wittman leaves at seasons end? – via ethanw214

There are plenty of coaches that would be better fits than Randy Wittman.

But I’ll stick to one: Mike D’Antoni.

I’ve been on the D’Antoni wagon forever. I saw what he did with average NBA players. He turned them into effective ones. Players like Kendall Marshall and Jeremy Lin looked like All-Stars under D’Antoni’s up-tempo system. Marshall averaged the most assists in the league and Lin looked like the second coming of Michael Jordan.

He’s doing the same thing right now with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Suddenly, the 76ers have looked like a real NBA team. Ish Smith, in particular, is having a career season. This is not a coincidence. Would Steve Nash had won two MVP awards if he didn’t play under D’Antoni? I don’t know. But it’s a legitimate question.

If Ish Smith can look good under D’Antoni, just imagine how awesome John Wall and Bradley Beal would be. Sure: he’s not a great defensive coach, but he gets the most out of his talent.

If we don’t start winning and making the playoffs regularly, how long until John Wall thinks about moving on to another, more proven team with more pieces already established? (Chris Paul NOLA type situation).

And what can the organization do to make sure that doesn’t happen? – via madlate

Our collective worst fear is that John Wall gets fed up with the Washington Wizards and demands a trade. I don’t think Wall is that type of player, but I also don’t think it would be the worst thing in the world. Why? Because it would put pressure on the organization to get him another star.

Wall deserves to play with another star. He’s been in the league for six years and he’s never played along side an All-Star player. That’s seriously unfair, considering what he’s done for the team.

How long until he does think about moving to another team like Paul did? You’d have to ask John Wall. I don’t know. He seems like a company man, and if he does become disgruntled he certainly won’t make a fuss publicly. I imagine Wall has discussed some things with the team already.

The team can prevent any of that drama by acquiring talent. It’s that simple. The dude deserves to play with better players — not Drew Gooden, Garrett Temple and the others they’ve surrounded him with.

What will it take for our new group to make the playoffs? The Pistons just upgraded, and the Hornets are poised to play better defensively in the backcourt.

Who can we realistically pass to get in, and is that seventh spot a real possibility? (a 1-8 matchup against Cleveland is a doomed fate, and a matchup with Toronto would be a fun continuation of a budding rivalry) – via 666eth

When you take a look at the standings, the Washington Wizards really aren’t in the worst place. The fifth placed Indiana Pacers have 30 wins and the Wizards are at 25 with the easiest remaining schedule in the NBA. On the flip side, they’re going to have a tough time hopping the likes of Detroit and Chicago — as you mentioned.

Washington would have to pass Detroit and Charlotte. I’m not convinced either are a playoff team, and given Washington’s weak remaining schedule, they’ll have a chance to get by them. Chicago has been bad too, but it’s hard to imagine a situation where they end up missing the playoffs.

The seventh spot would be a possibility, but right now, any spot is better than the eighth in the playoffs. The Wizards cannot beat the Cleveland Cavaliers four times. Everything else is kind of up in the air. There is no good match up. They’re all toss-ups.

I just wrote a quick post with five possible candidates.

Thanks for the cheap plug, Evan!

There are plenty of options.

Personally, I’d look for a trade before throwing a max contract at Hassan Whiteside or Harrison Barnes.

If the Cavaliers fail to win the championship again, Kevin Love might be placed on the trading block. The same thing applies to the Los Angeles Clippers and Blake Griffin. Both players are better options than any free agent available.

But if we’re sticking to free agency, the Wizards will still have plenty of options to look at.

Al Horford would be an interesting candidate. Harrison Barnes, Whiteside and DeMar DeRozan will also command a max contract. The Wizards could also sign a couple of solid role players — like Ryan Anderson and Nicolas Batum, for instance.

If I had to rank the options after Kevin Durant, it would go like this:

Trade for another star
Gamble on Whiteside or Barnes
Sign a proven All-Star — Horford
Sign a couple of high-salaried role player

@WizOfAwes Garrett Temple has come back to earth.Put Brad in the starting lineup or still bring him off the bench due to minute restriction?
— Alan Jenkins (@AJenks24) February 22, 2016

Garrett Temple has been so bad that the Washington Wizards pretty much don’t have another option besides to start Beal. This is what happens when you sign a bunch of unreliable veterans that are past their primes. Gary Neal has been a scoring spark, but he’s also been bit by the “I’m old and uncommitted to consistently playing” injury bug.

Bradley Beal has been awesome this season. If he stayed healthy, he probably would’ve joined Wall in Toronto for the All-Star game this year. He’s been much more than just a 3-point shooter, too. He’s creating his own shots, which is a huge plus for the Wizards.

Restriction or no restriction, Beal has to start. You have to start your best players if you want to make one final push towards the playoffs. Temple has been awful and starting him is holding the team back.

Next: Five Possible Free Agent Signings Following Buyouts

Thanks for all of the great questions, guys. Again, if you want to be featured in next week’s edition, please shoot us a question: @WizofAwes. And of course, have a wonderful Monday!

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Washington Wizards Mailbag Monday: Will John Wall Demand A Trade?

By Ben Mehic | Feb 22, 2016