Eastern Conference Finals – Porter stays in the picture
If the Wizards want to reach the Eastern Conference Finals, it goes without writing again that Gortat can’t start. But above all else, Porter has to be healthy.
When coach Scott Brooks said, that Porter was “100 percent” during the playoffs. I knew he wasn’t. That was the biggest disappointment. Whatever was going on with Porter wasn’t fully addressed early on in the season.
Once the Wizards kept playing him in the postseason, I wrote that the ‘players know what’s going on with Porter. So they should just have him waiting on the 3-point line.’ Just so he wouldn’t be running up and down the court.
But Porter’s also one of the Wizards best defensive player. So others would have to step up.
I don’t care about a secret extension. There are contracts that will never see the light of day.
I cared that Porter, whom I believed was going to light up the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals, wasn’t fully healthy throughout the year.
Win or lose the Wizards would have been there, if Porter’s health was managed during the season.
Porter should have been the person taking the last shots and closing out games. He’s the best shooter on the Wizards. In fact, to start the season, there were a lot of games where he was the best player on the court.
The Wizards are very fortunate that Tomas Satoransky stepped up for Wall. But who was going to step up for Porter, if he missed extended time to take care of whatever it is?
Everyone was keeping their eyes on Wall’s health, when it was Porter all along. People want to talk about holding players and the media accountable.
So here goes.
It’s not going to hurt Porter’s value. There were a lot of games where he left to go on the exercise bike. Then there was a particular game where Keef called him back to the bench, because Porter was about to be called back into the game.
There were a lot of times where Porter was holding his hips, or slow going back down on the floor. Towards the middle of the season, he wasn’t himself physically.
Did Porter continue to play because he didn’t want to hear about his max contract? That was money already spent.
Or because he does not have a reliable backup yet?
Or because of his exceptional work ethic?
In passing, during a nationally televised game, an announcer said, that Porter worked summers in high school as a janitor. I researched that up and down while the game was going on, but couldn’t find it anywhere. But that’s apropos of Porter.
Whether it’s donating to his alma mater, or developing a strong work ethic early in his childhood, he just comes to the game to play and doesn’t say a word about his private accomplishments.
Thus, it makes sense that he didn’t speak about his private injuries. Although it was clear to see.
So if the Wizards want to reach the Eastern Conference Finals, Porter has to be healthy. No more with the “100 percent”. No one is 100 percent.
It’s not about Game 6, Porter wasn’t healthy long before then. So expecting a healthy Porter, who doesn’t take breaks for the bike, if he needs to sit out a game, he sits.
Porter could sit during the regular season, or sit during the postseason. Which way do you want it?