The Wizards Are On Schedule

[Xist2Inspire]

Last season was fun. I nabbed the two players I'd pegged as top targets prior to free agency, they pretty much performed as expected, and we went further than expected, reaching the Conference Finals. Unfortunately we were swept, which I honestly have to say I totally saw coming. We just didn't have the offensive punch to capitalize on the limiting effect of our D.

As for this season, the reason why I say "we're on schedule" is because when I came up with this direction a few seasons ago, this was the season that expected us to be a threat. And while last season's success definitely proves that...I can't help but feel as if something's missing, and I'm not sure if we have it, or if it's able to be acquired if we don't. We're a dangerous team to face, but it's in part because we don't really register in most people's minds as a team to be wary of.

When looking back on last season's disappointments, the uneven play of the Vulture (Vaughn Millsap) and unexpected down years for Noodles (Alfredo Menendez) and Doughboy (Chris Dunkle) definitely stood out. If we're to really be a threat moving forward, at least two of those three need to have their breakout moment now.

We were dead during the offseason because there really wasn't much out there that was affordable and fit within our gameplan and future goals. So yeah...any questions?

[pennpanther1]

I dont think you will be under anyone's radar this season after last year's success. What do you think is the Wizards DNA? What makes your team great? Who are your biggest threats to get to the Finals?

[IamQuailman]

Would you be interested in adding a COUPLE STUDS to your already defensively stout team? HAVE I GOT A COUPLE FOLKS FOR YOU!

[Xist2Inspire]

I dont think you will be under anyone's radar this season after last year's success. What do you think is the Wizards DNA? What makes your team great? Who are your biggest threats to get to the Finals?

When it comes to our core philosophy, it's heavily team-based. We rarely have players who are just kinda "along for the ride", if you're on the squad and playing more than 10 minutes per game, you're on the roster for a reason. We're always looking to maximize everyone's talent, no matter the quality of player. Consistency is the second major thing we strive for.

Defense is what makes this team great, especially when it comes to intangibles like steals and blocks. As such, our biggest threats are teams with the offensive firepower to offset the many turnovers we'll force. So, that means the Grizzlies, Bulls, and Nuggets are probably our biggest threats to making the Finals.

[Xist2Inspire]

Would you be interested in adding a COUPLE STUDS to your already defensively stout team? HAVE I GOT A COUPLE FOLKS FOR YOU!

[garbageman]

Sham Smith, Bulls.com: As someone who has entered a lot of DCs, I can say that your game plans go against the grain of what a lot of less successful GMs do. What do you do in the planning room that you don't see a lot of other GMs catching onto for their own game plans.

[digiskunk]

Leslie Hooters, ESPN: Despite having a winning season, the cloud of controversy surrounding Elliot Thorpe's involvement in the kidnapping plot of Francis Fontaine's niece has left many fans feeling disenfranchised by the volatile locker-room culture. How do you respond to these critics and how do you plan to remedy the situation?

[greepleairport]

Antonio Moreno had your team's best TC, finally crawling out of the orange. What are your plans for Moreno? Do you think he'll meet his defensive potenials?

[Xist2Inspire]

Sham Smith, Bulls.com: As someone who has entered a lot of DCs, I can say that your game plans go against the grain of what a lot of less successful GMs do. What do you do in the planning room that you don't see a lot of other GMs catching onto for their own game plans.

While I can't say for sure, I don't think a lot of GMs really focus on what their team is as opposed to what they want it to be. I feel like there's generally a singular idea of what a good team "should" be and look like, and in striving for that, one loses the ability to take advantage and make the most out of the things that make their players and teams unique. You really have to look at the settings and think about how those relate to your squad.

Take the Crash Boards setting. It's more than just "Rebounds good, so set fairly high." If your team doesn't have good rebounding skill overall, you're wasting energy setting it high. Even if you have one very good rebounder, that person will still gobble up boards regardless of the settings. Now said person would probably average more with a high setting, but that comes at the cost of players who shouldn't even dream about crashing the glass trying anyway.

Even the offensive/defensive split with Crash Boards matters. If you're a team that wants to limit your opponent, then high Defensive Crash Boards settings are almost always worth it, because you're striving for a higher chance that every opposing possession will be a one-and-done affair. Even the most high-powered offense can't shoot 100% for the entire game, and by making sure that they will only get one chance to shoot the ball, you're putting a hard cap on how much their offense can theoretically score.

I could honestly go on about just this setting alone, there's so much more depth and nuance to these things that I'm not sure is often explored by GMs.

[Xist2Inspire]

Leslie Hooters, ESPN: Despite having a winning season, the cloud of controversy surrounding Elliot Thorpe's involvement in the kidnapping plot of Francis Fontaine's niece has left many fans feeling disenfranchised by the volatile locker-room culture. How do you respond to these critics and how do you plan to remedy the situation?

Well, we actually haven't seen Thorpe since Game 4 of the Conference Finals. We knew he'd bought a house in Detroit, but his house in DC has been totally abandoned for months now. We eventually had to formally trade him to Detroit as per an anonymous phone call from what we assume was his camp. We don't know what happened, but given that Francis' niece has indeed been found and lives with him now, we're all afraid to ask.

[Xist2Inspire]

Antonio Moreno had your team's best TC, finally crawling out of the orange. What are your plans for Moreno? Do you think he'll meet his defensive potenials?

Unfortunately, Moreno never really showed enough promise early on for us to fully invest in him like we'd hoped to. His future's pretty unclear at the moment, though it's very likely that he'll be a great defensive spark off the bench in a year or two.