Cards stacked against teams like Wizards in NBA

When the Wizards were selected third in the NBA Draft Lottery, excitement grew at the prospect of adding another key piece to the team. After the team’s dramatic turnaround with the return of John Wall from injury last season, the Wizards already look poised to challenge for a playoff spot. Adding the number three overall pick will be a major asset to this team.

But will it be enough in today’s NBA?

Miami’s second straight NBA championship underscores the uphill battle the Wizards face. Even the most casual of basketball fans know the story of ‘The Big 3’ coming together in Miami. Since that time, the Heat have gone to the finals three straight years and have won it the last two. Now, Dwight Howard and Chris Paul are reportedly talking about playing together next season.

Do you think the Wizards are on their list of teams they would play for?

In this era of the NBA, free agency is being driven by superstars planning coming together and picking where they want to go. The problem is, none of those superstars are picking places like Toronto, Milwaukee, Washington, etc.

Sure, there are smaller market teams that have found some success, such as Oklahoma City, but they hit the draft jackpot with Kevin Durant. Not every team can rely on finding a Lebron or a Durant in the draft.

There are only two formulas for success in the NBA. Either a team drafts a superstar who can recruit others or traditional basketball powers (Celtics, Lakers) or popular cities attract superstars in free agency. The last team to win the championship that did not fit this mold was the 2004 Detroit Pistons.

What really makes this unfair is that for those teams without a superstar, making the playoffs can actually hurt your chances of eventually building a championship team.

Making the playoffs in the NBA is different than in the other sports where every year each team has a chance to win regardless of the seeding. In the history of the NBA, the lowest ever seed to win the championship was the 6^th seeded Houston Rockets in 1995. Upsets are always possible from series to series, but for the most part only a handful of teams have a real shot at winning the championship.

Milwaukee made the playoffs this year, but they had no shot of winning and were swept in the first round by Miami. How are they supposed to get better? Do you think they can get Chris Paul? Of course not. The Bucks, however, will not get a lottery pick because they made the playoffs. Unless they find a real steal in the draft, the Bucks will not be able to lure superstar players to Milwaukee in free agency.

What about Memphis or Indiana who made it to the conference finals? Don’t  these smaller market teams prove every team has a chance? Not really. Both these teams will be competing with the Lakers, Heat, Spurs, and Celtics for the same free agents. I seriously doubt we will see Howard in Memphis or Paul in Indiana any time soon.

Getting back to the Wizards, they have the chance to add another weapon, but with the relative weakness of the draft, they are unlikely to add a Durant-level star. Barring another injury-plagued season, the Wizards will likely make the playoffs in 2014.

It will be exciting to see playoff basketball in DC again, but Otto Porter Jr. or Anthony Bennett or whomever they take in the draft will not make them a championship team. The only real way to continue building is through free agency.

Are John Wall and Bradley Beal enough of a draw to bring in big time free agents? Probably not.

As unbelievable and unfair as it may be, the Wizards are rapidly approaching the ceiling of the Wall era. In five years, Wall will be 28 and at best the Wizards will be a middle of the pack playoff team, capable of playing their way to the conference championship, but no further. Then, the team will have to start over.

Unless they can find that big time star in the draft, the cards will always be stacked against teams like the Wizards. That is, until the NBA institutes a hard salary cap.

For the latest sports news, check out CSNWashington.com or follow me on Twitter @TheDC_Sportsguy

Chris Wright hosts 1st MS Basketball Jamboree

http://www.csnwashington.com/basketball-washington-wizards/talk/chris-wright-hosts-1st-ms-basketball-jamboree

For the latest sports news check out CSNWashingt.com and follow me on Twitter @TheDC_Sportsguy

Nats' bats going silent

Tell me if you’ve heard this one before. The Nationals get great pitching from their starter, hold the opposing team to two or three runs, and still lose.

Sound familiar?

The Nationals have been unable to replicate their offensive success from last season, despite the addition of Denard Span and continued development of Bryce Harper. Last season, the Nationals had the ninth best batting average in the MLB. This year, they are currently ranked 28^th. They are also 28^th in runs scored, 29^th in hits, and 23^rd in home runs.

The fact that the Nationals have a .500 record is a testament to how good the pitching (except from poor Dan Haren) has been. With that sort of offensive futility, their record could easily be worse.

Obviously the team's injuries have taken their toll on the offense. Harper is still recovering from running into the wall in Los Angeles and Werth has returned to the lineup only recently.

Danny Espinosa was pretty much a guaranteed out every time he stepped up to the plate. He has been dealing with a torn rotator cuff and fractured wrist, though he stated neither injury was contributing to his struggles at the plate. With a .158 batting average, however, I think you can safely assume it was affecting him more than he was letting on.

The Nationals also continue to struggle with leadoff hitting. Span teased fans with what he could contribute at the start the season, but he has since struggled to get on base. He currently has an OBP of only .307. Not only is that low among other leadoff hitters, its low among the Nationals. He’s behind Harper, Werth, Anthony Rendon, Ryan Zimmerman, Adam LaRoche, and Ian Desmond. It is hard to score runs if your leadoff hitter cannot even get on base.

Pinch-hitting is an often-overlooked aspect of the game unless you are not getting any production. Clearly that is the case for the Nationals. Steve Lombardozzi leads the reserve corps with a .227 batting average. Chad Tracy was a major weapon last season and he is hitting only .149 with 5 RBIs. Tyler Moore struggled so much that he was optioned to AAA Syracuse. There just has not been enough production to help out the starting nine.

There is still hope for the Nationals. Harper is expected to begin a rehab assignment on Wednesday or Thursday and will likely return one or two weeks after that. Desmond has returned to all-star form as well and has been unstoppable of late and Rendon has played very well in place of Espinosa. Harper’s return will make this lineup much deeper than it has been all season.

As of now, the Nationals are one game over .500 despite being one of the worst offensive teams in the league. They currently sit five games behind the Braves, by no means an insurmountable hole. Even if they get average offensive production for the rest of the season, they should shoot up the standings.

There is still time for the Nationals to wake up some offense and plenty of reasons to expect them to do so.

For the latests sports news, check out CSNWashington.com or follow me on Twitter @TheDC_Sportsguy

NFC East preview

The Redskins may be the defending NFC East champions, but the uncertainty of Robert Griffin III’s health has left experts scratching their heads as to who may emerge as champions for the 2013-14 season. No one seems to know just quite what to expect from the division this season. Here’s a quick synopsis of the other NFC East teams to try and give you a better idea of what the division has in store for 2013.

 

The Dallas Cowboys

 

The Cowboys every year seem to assemble plenty of talent but are never able to live up to their potential. The main problem has been the constant meddling of owner Jerry Jones. As owner of the team, he is well within his rights to run things however he sees fit. What he fails to realize, however, is that the Cowboys would be better off if he left the decision making to people who actually know about football (sound familiar Redskins’ fans?).

 

The drama started early this year when it was found that offensive coordinator Bill Callahan would take over the offensive play calling duties for head coach Jason Garrett. As Jones was the first to announce it to the media, I have to believe he had something to do with it. I'm also pretty confident this was not Garrett's idea.

 

So Garrett, who was originally brought in because of his offensive acumen, will not be calling the offensive plays? Doesn’t sound like Jones trusts him anymore. Publicly undermining the head coach does not really sit well with a locker room.

 

The Cowboys also re-signed the widely mocked Tony Romo for $108 million. While he has not been able to win when it matters most, I do understand the signing. Good quarterbacks are hard to find. Without Romo, the Cowboys would have found themselves overpaying for Matt Flynn or putting their hopes in a rookie. Judging by this year's draft class, Romo was definitely the best option.

 

Coming out and saying that he needs to work harder, however, is not exactly a confidence booster.

 

Yes, Jones threw both his head coach and quarterback under the bus this off-season. If the Cowboys struggle at any point this season, then these stories will pop back up. Did Romo really deserve that huge contract extension? Does Jones really believe in his head coach?

 

The moment this team starts to struggle, things will fall apart. I think they win eight games based on talent alone, but they have too many issues to overcome to actually challenge for the division.

 

Philadelphia Eagles

 

The Eagles proclaimed themselves the‘dream team’ two years ago, but failed to make the playoffs either season and really hit rock bottom last year with only four wins. With a talented, but under-achieving roster and a new head coach straight out of the college ranks, it is hard to really know what to expect from the Eagles. They could really turn things around this season or they could be a complete disaster.

 

Chip Kelly was the head coach at Oregon from 2009 to 2012 and compiled an impressive record of 46-7. Success in college has not always translated to success in the NFL, but given the recent success of college coaches in the pros (Jim Harbaugh, Pete Carroll) the Eagles decided to roll the dice.

 

Big mistake; Kelly will be remembered as Philadelphia’s Steve Spurrier.

 

When Spurrier came into the NFL, he went with what he knew without any real plan of how to adapt his coaching style to the NFL. This was evident when he brought in both Danny Wuerffel and Shane Matthews. Both were quarterbacks for Spurrier in Florida and both were terrible in the NFL. They were the embodiment of everything that was wrong with Spurrier as an NFL coach; ultimately he just could not separate himself from the college mentality.

 

Kelly has never coached in the NFL at any level. His offensive system relied heavily on his team’s advantage in speed. The Eagles have fast players, but talent at the NFL level is much more even. Kelly will not enjoy such a large advantage.

 

What really screams ‘Spurrier’ to me though is that the Eagles traded up to draft quarterback Matt Barkley. Barkley is not a particularly mobile quarterback which means unless Kelly dramatically changes his offense, he will not be a great fit.

 

So why draft him?

 

Barkley was the starting quarterback at USC for four years, so he is someone Kelly is very familiar with. There is nothing wrong with bringing in players you know and Kelly's past with Barkley gives him insight as to what type of NFL player he could be. Only going with what you know, however, and not adapting to a very different NFL style of football is not a recipe for success.

 

Kelly traded up for a quarterback he was familiar with who probably will not fit the type of offense he wants to run. That’s not a good start.

 

The Eagles have undoubtedly underachieved the past few years with a roster filled with talented, speedy players. Desean Jacskon, Jeremy Maclin, and LeSean Mccoy could all potentially thrive under Kelly so it is hard to gauge what they will do this year. This team is too good to win only four games and with a new coach, I expect they will play much better though it is only a mirage. Kelly will not last long, but for at least one year things will look much better for Philly. They will win seven games.

 

The New York Giants

 

The 2011 Super Bowl Champions failed to make the playoffs in 2012, going only 9-7. With the dysfunction of Dallas and Philadelphia, the Giants are the Redskins’ biggest challenge to repeating as division champs. The good news is that the despite the Giants’ playoff success, they seem to struggle in the regular season.

 

Since 2007, they have won 10, 12, 8, 10, 9, and 9 games in the regular season missing the playoffs three times and winning the Super Bowl twice. While the Giants are probably the best team in the division, they will remain very catchable through out the season.

 

The Giants have had the quietest off-season of any of the NFC East teams and look to be about as good as they were last season. There was some talk that Victor Cruz would not sign his RFA tender which would have been a major loss, but he ended up signing it Friday.

 

How well they do will depend on how they respond to not making the playoffs last season. Either they come back with a strong effort or they blow off the regular season once again and we will be treated to the yearly speculation over Tom Caughlin’s job security. Either way the Giants will win ten games and either just miss the playoffs or barely sneak in.

 

There is a lot of dysfunction in the NFC East, but there is also a lot of talent. Still, with no one poised to run away with it, the division looks to be up for grabs. With a healthy Griffin, the Redskins can definitely repeat as champions.

Should RG3 play in training camp or the preseason?

All the football talk in DC seems to be focused on Robert Griffin III, not surprisingly. Fans got their first look at Griffin on the field since last season during the Redskins’ OTAs.

He looked great.

He sprinted, threw the football, ran drills, and it did not appear that the knee was bothering him at all. Though he was working with the other injured players and was not taking snaps with the first team offense, one could not help but be impressed with how good he looks only five months removed from suffering the injury.

It’s that kind of optimism that scares me.

When asked if he would be practicing with the team at the start of training camp, Griffin told reporters “Without a doubt”. You can already see the coming storm.

While Griffin may be optimistic, it is up to Mike Shanahan and Dr. James Andrews to figure out if training camp is a good idea regardless of what Griffin may think or say.

Training camp is very important, especially for a player in only his second year in the league. He will practice in a non-contact jersey as all quarterbacks do and no one on defense will even think about tackling him. If he is healthy, he would definitely benefit from practicing. Most likely, he will be fine, but he also would not be the first quarterback to suffer an injury in camp.

The preseason is another story. While no one will be allowed near him in camp, everyone will be gunning for him in the preseason. Few players ever approach a situation with the intention of injuring a player, but that does not mean defenses won’t be trying to hit Griffin as hard as they can. There will be opposing players competing for jobs on the field. What better way to make an impression than smashing one of the most electrifying quarterbacks into the ground?

I’m not advocating locking him in armored truck until opening day, but the Redskins must be careful with Griffin even if feels healthy in time for camp. If Dr. Andrews thinks he needs more time, sit him.

If he is cleared to play, I think you still have to sit him for the preseason. The Redskins went to great lengths to re-sign 21 of their 22 starters from last season. Griffin does not need to get used to a new offense, new coaching staff, new center, new receivers, etc. At most, he should play only a handful of series and then should be taken off the field. I don’t know that the Redskins would gain anything by putting him at risk in a meaningless game situation.

The point is, let’s tamper down the optimism. Griffin looks great, but despite what he says the Redskins still need to determine for themselves just how much to push him in camp and in the preseason. It makes sense to play him with the first team offense at camp, but not so much during the preseason. Even if he is healthy and cleared to play, that does not mean he needs to go 100% until the start of the season. There is still need for caution.

Griffin looks to be on track to start the season opener vs. Philadelphia, but only if both he and the team continue to handle his recovery responsibly.

Nationals’ injuries hampering their championship hopes

It has been a rough year for the Nationals. The days when they were declaring “world series or bust” now seem like a lifetime ago. The Nationals currently ‘boast’ a record of 29-29, 7.5 games behind Atlanta for the division lead.

Not the start most people had in mind.

Bad fielding and a weak bullpen have unquestionably played a role in the team’s struggles, but the biggest reason is the laundry list of injuries they have suffered.

Danny Espinosa was added to the DL on Tuesday, joining Bryce Harper, Wilson Ramos, Ross Detwiler, and Ryan Mattheus. Stephen Strasburg was placed on the DL today after the team initially hoped he would not have to miss a start.

With all these injuries, the Nationals have held players out a day or two in the hopes that they would not have to be put on the DL. That, more than anything else, is what makes these injuries so troubling. Every team gets hit with injuries; some teams get hit harder than others. The Nationals have had their share of injuries, but have they made things worse on themselves by not shutting down players immediately?

Harper was placed on the DL due to knee bursitis. The Washington Post reports he first injured it in Atlanta about a month ago. Of course, running full speed into the wall in Los Angeles likely made things worse. Harper was not placed on the DL after that game, however. In fact, he appeared in nine more games before he was finally shutdown.

Detwiler was not expected to go on the DL after being pulled May 15 against the Dodgers. The team decided to hold him out of his next start, but he continued throwing and ended up aggravating the injury.

Do you see a pattern developing here?

Espinosa came into the season declaring he had a torn rotator cuff, but that he would be able to play through it. Guess what happened. He did not allow himself to heal by continuing to play and has looked awful all season long.

Why are players being allowed to talk their way out of the DL only to end up on it later?

When players do not allow injuries to heal, they can often get worse or at least fail to get better. That is especially true in a sport like baseball with so many games almost every day. It is up to the manager and training staff to determine when a player needs to sit.

The Nationals had no problem with this last year when they sat a seemingly healthy Strasburg once he reached his innings limit. Yet, this season they have not exercised the same amount of discretion.

Harper pinch-hit two days after running into the wall in Los Angeles. Where was the caution? Why not sit him a few more days? He may have said he was fine, but that’s what players do. Heck, Harper tried to convince Johnson he could stay in that game in Los Angeles. Why not give arguably your best player a couple extra days off to make sure he is ok or immediately place him on the DL?

The Nationals mercifully put Espinosa out of his misery Tuesday by placing him on the DL. His season has been a disaster from the word go. He announced before the season that he had a torn rotator cuff, but that he would play through it. He was terrible. Then it came out on May 24 that he was also dealing with a fractured right wrist.

Espinosa has insisted his injuries were not affecting his play. I sure hope they were because it would explain why he has been one of the worst hitters in the league. That’s no exaggeration; he has literally been one of the worst hitters in MLB this season with a .158 average and a .193 OBP.

Why the Nationals allowed this train-wreck to continue for as long as they did is baffling. The highest Espinosa’s average has been this season is .200. He reached it once on April 10 and again on May 8. His average has been below .200 for the rest of the season.

Even if you argue that Espinosa is one of the best defensive players on the team, which both Johnson and Rizzo believe, you cannot afford to carry this hole in your lineup for over two months. How could they not see that Espinosa trying to play through his injuries just wasn’t working? How could the Nationals have made this same mistake multiple times this season?

The only reason I can think of is desperation. This team has pushed all the chips into the middle and gone all-in. They declared openly this spring that they were the team to beat. With the team already struggling they suddenly faced decisions on whether to put Harper, Epsinosa, Ramos, Detwiler, and Strasburg on the DL. Hoping everyone just ‘plays through it’ and then deciding whether to put them on the DL is a terrible strategy. Had the Nationals been cautious with their star players from the start, had they listened to the doctors and trainers instead of the players and the standings, then I think we would be a lot closer to seeing the full lineup than we are right now.

Hopefully the Nationals did not gamble their season along with the health of their players.

For the latest DC sports news, check out CSNWashington.com and follow me on Twitter @TheDC_Sportsguy

Chesapeake falls 12-11 in overtime to Hamilton

http://www.csnbaltimore.com/blog/bayhawks/chesapeake-falls-12-11-overtime-hamilton

For the latest DC sports news, check out csnwashington.com and follow me on Twitter @TheDC_Sportsguy