Washington Wizards: John Wall and Otto Porter, Words Unspoken

Washington Wizards players will be tasked with improving their play next season to help the team advance further, as the team hasn’t been able to bring on a third star this offseason. John Wall was very outspoken in his pursuit of Paul George, but what were his alternatives? Wall wants to see the team advance to the conference finals, and Otto Porter will be very important to the team’s continued success.

What we learned during the Washington Wizards’ free agency, is that free agency really isn’t free. Some took note of John Wall’s comments, regarding the direction he wanted to take his team, including his recruiting efforts of Paul George.

Wall told Marc Spears of the Undefeated:

"“Look at our team. We are one piece away,” Wall said. “We have the point guard, we have the shooting guard, we have the center, we have the power forward. Our 3-man [Otto Porter Jr.] did great for us. You can’t take nothing away from what he did. But [George] is a guy that can guard LeBron and go back at LeBron. It’s a piece that you’re going to need to win. If you don’t have a guy who can do that, you don’t have a chance. …You got to add another star. You got to add another piece. You got to have three guys. And that’s what it’s looking like.”"

There are those who argued, that Wall threw Otto Porter Jr. under the bus, while others, including myself, saw it simply as Wall trying to make a necessary improvement to the Wizards’ roster.

What if Wall didn’t do any recruiting, then people would say that he doesn’t care, and the only thing he cares about is his extension.

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However, It wasn’t just Wall waging a war of words last week, but also Mr. Porter. I wrote about how Porter played a clever game negotiating his contract. Yet, I was recently amazed by how well he played it.

On Tuesday, J. Michael of CSN Wizards spoke to Kings’ President Vlade Divac in Las Vegas, during the Wizards’ Summer League. Divac said, that the Kings never presented Porter with an offer, let alone one valued at $106 million.

Porter never said, he had an offer sheet from the Kings, yet, at the same time, he never said he didn’t.

Porter wasn’t as sought after as some were led to believe, only returning to Washington with an offer sheet from the Brooklyn Nets.

So what makes what Porter did anything different from Wall? Porter tried to bluff the Wizards into giving him a better contract, while Wall openly tried to make the Wizards into a better team.

What if Wall never made his recruiting efforts publicly known? Only for it to be leaked out at a later date? Then there would be another camp of critics chirping that Wall tried to undercut his own teammate.

But, being the leader that Wall is, he put everything out in the open, as to how he was trying to help improve the roster.

Fans should be heartened, that Wall is being more outspoken about the direction that the Wizards need to go in, and that he took front office matters into his own hands.

Remember, it wasn’t too long ago, when Wall said former coach Randy Wittman lost control of the locker room when he played favorites with former player Nene. At the same time, who doesn’t love Nene?

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Wall wasn’t saying that Porter shouldn’t get paid, especially when it wasn’t affecting Wall’s contract. Wall was simply stating an incontrovertible fact – that the Wizards need a third star to compete against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

How far do you think Washington will go against the Cavaliers if Porter disappears similar to how he did against Boston, and scores 0 points in an elimination game?

Furthermore, Wall’s comments weren’t far from the truth. How many fans want to see Porter defending LeBron James in a Game 7?

Not only do I think that LeBron would eat Porter for breakfast, I really believe that LeBron would eat Porter for lunch or dinner, depending on what time of day the game is being played.

Wall was just expounding on what the team needed, from his view, in order to be competitive in the Eastern Conference Finals. And who else would know, what’s best for the Wizards than Wall. (I also know that Bradley Beal is the leader of the team, and he did an excellent job last season.)

And who knows? Porter may indeed become the third star that Washington desperately needs, after his breakout season last year.

Next: Dear John Wall, Please Sign the Extension

Porter knows what it takes to win, and the Wizards are betting $106 million on him to do so.

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