Wizards are champions again!

[Vespasian92]

Can't really understand the Kings offer to Fredette though. They already gave a big contract (5yr/$37m) to Isaiah Thomas last season. Plus they've got two younger (and arguably better) point guard prospects in Ryan Harrow and Andrew Harrison on their roster.

Jimmer's a guy who's probably overvalued in 2k. You gotta keep Isaiah around, but it's frustrating to see them waste money resigning Jimmer for that much...

Anyways, it seems your star-laden roster is going to put together a 50 or 60 win season. With the breakup of MIA, and struggles from Indiana and Chicago, I'm not sure who's going to stop you from getting #1 in the East.

[Phil89]

The league leaders in scoring is interesting... 4 out of the 5 players in there are guards and Louis Williams is a bit of a combo guard as well.

Realistically speaking, the day that Jennings leads the league in scoring is when he'll probably be able to get the green light to shoot 35 long twos per game.

There sure are some great guards in the league at the moment. LeBron, Durant, Gay, Melo and Wiggins are only a few ppg behind though.

Jennings is actually only taking 19 shots per game here

Can't really understand the Kings offer to Fredette though. They already gave a big contract (5yr/$37m) to Isaiah Thomas last season. Plus they've got two younger (and arguably better) point guard prospects in Ryan Harrow and Andrew Harrison on their roster.

Jimmer's a guy who's probably overvalued in 2k. You gotta keep Isaiah around, but it's frustrating to see them waste money resigning Jimmer for that much...

Anyways, it seems your star-laden roster is going to put together a 50 or 60 win season. With the breakup of MIA, and struggles from Indiana and Chicago, I'm not sure who's going to stop you from getting #1 in the East.

It annoys me seeing the AI teams giving out bad contracts. I always have to resist the urge to help them out and edit the contracts.

This season is really interesting for me because my main rivals so far appear to be the 76ers, Pistons and Bobcats. It sounds funny at first, but they have some quality line-ups:

PHI - Andrew Bynum, David Lee, Otto Porter, Evan Turner, Jrue Holiday

DET - Andre Drummond, Greg Monroe, Andre Iguodala, DeMar DeRozan, Brandon Knight

CHA - Al Jefferson, Carmelo Anthony, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Victor Oladipo, Kemba Walker

I fully expect Orlando to be right up there at the end of the season as well. LeBron and the group of youngsters (Shabazz, Randle, Vucevic, Smart etc.) will get it together sooner or later.

[Phil89]

2/12/14

Golden State Warriors [11-5] vs Washington Wizards [14-1]

Great team effort keeps winning streak alive for Wizards



GSW - 29 21 22 27 99
WAS - 26 19 31 33 109

Player of the Game: Bradley Beal
(28pts, 4reb, 7ast)
(10-19 FG, 5-12 3PT, 3-4 FT)


Top Scorers
Bradley Beal - 28
James McAdoo - 23
Stephen Curry - 22
Harrison Barnes - 19
DeMarcus Cousins - 19
Andrew Wiggins - 18
John Wall - 17
Nerlens Noel - 14
DeAndre Jordan - 14

Rebounds
DeAndre Jordan - 8
DeMarcus Cousins - 8
Andrew Wiggins - 6

Assists
Stephen Curry - 9
John Wall - 8
Bradley Beal - 7
DeMarcus Cousins - 6
Aaron Harrison - 6
DeAndre Jordan - 5

Steals
James McAdoo - 3
Aaron Harrison - 3
Kirk Hinrich - 2


Beal highlights

[Phil89]

3/12/14

Los Angeles Clippers [7-9] vs Washington Wizards [15-1]

Wizards make it 16 straight by winning tight game in LA



LAC - 24 24 21 23 92
WAS - 27 24 24 20 95

Player of the Game: John Wall
(11pts, 5reb, 14ast, 2stl)
(3-12 FG, 0-1 3PT, 5-7 FT)


Top Scorers
Tony Parker - 19
Andrew Wiggins - 19
Blake Griffin - 18
Bradley Beal - 17
Nerlens Noel - 14
Noah Vonleh - 12
Andrew Bogut - 12
John Wall - 11
Jamal Crawford - 10

Rebounds
Nerlens Noel - 15
Andrew Bogut - 10
Blake Griffin - 10
Noah Vonleh - 7
DeMarcus Cousins - 7
Bradley Beal - 6
John Wall - 5
Manu Ginobili - 5

Assists
John Wall - 14
Manu Ginobili - 5
Tony Parker - 5

Steals
Tony Parker - 4
John Wall - 2
Eric Bledsoe - 2
Blake Griffin - 2
Caron Butler - 2
Manu Ginobili - 2

[Phil89]

5/12/14

Denver Nuggets [11-8] vs Washington Wizards [16-1]

Huge finish helps Wizards grab win in Denver



DEN - 28 19 18 24 89
WAS - 27 22 13 41 103

Player of the Game: Andrew Wiggins
(21pts, 9reb, 2ast, 1blk)
(7-13 FG, 2-5 3PT, 5-6 FT)


Top Scorers
Bradley Beal - 22
Andrew Wiggins - 21
Ty Lawson - 19
Kenneth Faried - 15
Wilson Chandler - 14
Jordan Hamilton - 13
Marvin Williams - 13
John Wall - 12
DeMarcus Cousins - 11
Nerlens Noel - 11
Paul Millsap - 11

Rebounds
Andrew Wiggins - 9
Nerlens Noel - 7
Kenneth Faried - 7
DeMarcus Cousins - 6
Noah Vonleh - 5
Paul Millsap - 5

Assists
Ty Lawson - 10
John Wall - 8
Mario Chalmers - 7
Jordan Hamilton - 7

Steals
Jordan Hamilton - 5
Ty Lawson - 4
DeMarcus Cousins - 3
Anthony Randolph - 2
Paul Millsap - 2
Wilson Chandler - 2

Blocks
DeMarcus Cousins - 3
Noah Vonleh - 2
Nerlens Noel - 2

[Phil89]

Two years ago I started the season by losing 23 straight games. With the form my team is in now I could be looking at 23 straight wins.

[Phil89]

7/12/14

Los Angeles Lakers [7-10] vs Washington Wizards [17-1]

Wiggins drops career high 50 against Lakers



LAL - 18 21 25 35 99
WAS - 26 27 23 28 104

Player of the Game: Andrew Wiggins
(50pts, 2reb, 3ast, 1blk)
(19-29 FG, 3-6 3PT, 9-9 FT)


Top Scorers
Andrew Wiggins - 50
Bradley Beal - 25
Kevin Love - 24
Chase Budinger - 23
Shannon Brown - 20
Kobe Bryant - 15
John Wall - 12

Rebounds
Nerlens Noel - 10
DeMarcus Cousins - 8
Chase Budinger - 7
Kevin Love - 6
Patrick Patterson - 5
Shannon Brown - 5
John Wall - 5

Assists
John Wall - 11
Kobe Bryant - 10

Steals
Kobe Bryant - 6
Shannon Brown - 4
Kevin Love - 3
Chase Budinger - 3
DeMarcus Cousins - 2
Bradley Beal - 2

Blocks
Bradley Beal - 3
Emeka Okafor - 2

[Phil89]

9/12/14

Sacramento Kings [5-16] vs Washington Wizards [18-1]

Wizards shut down Kings in fourth for another win



SAC - 24 21 20 15 80
WAS - 20 22 25 27 94

Player of the Game: Andrew Wiggins
(24pts, 9reb, 1ast, 2blk)
(11-16 FG, 2-5 3PT, 0-0 FT)


Top Scorers
Andrew Wiggins - 24
DeMarcus Cousins - 22
Bradley Beal - 21
Tyreke Evans - 18
Isaiah Thomas - 10

Rebounds
Derrick Favors - 10
Nerlens Noel - 10
Andrew Wiggins - 9
Jason Thompson - 8
DeMarcus Cousins - 6
Tyreke Evans - 5

Assists
John Wall - 11
Mario Chalmers - 7
Bradley Beal - 6

Steals
Tyreke Evans - 4
Mario Chalmers - 3
Jason Thompson - 2
Marcus Thornton - 2

Blocks
Andrew Wiggins - 2
Bradley Beal - 2


Wiggins highlights


Cousins highlights

[john26]

great win over the Kings, Wiggins is just straight up beasting

[Phil89]

12/12/14

Washington Wizards [19-1] vs Orlando Magic [9-9]

LeBron's Magic stops Wizards' streak at 19



WAS - 23 22 15 26 86
ORL - 29 28 28 23 108

Player of the Game: LeBron James
(39pts, 5reb, 8ast, 4stl, 1blk)
(16-21 FG, 0-0 3PT, 7-8 FT)


Top Scorers
LeBron James - 39
Andrew Wiggins - 29
John Wall - 19
Shabazz Muhammad - 16
Bradley Beal - 13
Nerlens Noel - 10
Doron Lamb - 10

Rebounds
Julius Randle - 10
DeMarcus Cousins - 9
Andrew Wiggins - 6
LeBron James - 5

Assists
Marcus Smart - 9
LeBron James - 8
John Wall - 8
Andrew Wiggins - 6
Bradley Beal - 6

Steals
Marcus Smart - 5
LeBron James - 4
Maurice Harkless - 2
Nikola Vucevic - 2
Julius Randle - 2
Shabazz Muhammad - 2
Noah Vonleh - 2


Wiggins highlights

[Phil89]

great win over the Kings, Wiggins is just straight up beasting

He sure is. Perhaps he can be the difference this season between me exiting the playoffs early and going to the NBA finals.

Interestingly, Wiggins and Beal are only behind Durant and Westbrook in terms of scoring duos in the league.

[Martti.]

It had to end sometime. Looks like LeBron has a nice team around him, though they're just .500.

[Phil89]

I guess it did. I'm proud that my team achieved the equal fifth longest winning streak ever, especially because two seasons ago they equaled the third longest losing streak ever.

Rumour has it that LeBron maybe getting some more help soon. Orlando could be a major threat come playoff time.

[Phil89]

14/12/14

Washington Wizards [19-2] vs Los Angeles Clippers [8-14]

Wizards beat Clippers despite Griffin's monster night



WAS - 28 20 29 34 111
LAC - 26 25 25 22 98

Player of the Game: Andrew Wiggins
(32pts, 2reb, 5ast, 1stl, 2blk)
(14-18 FG, 2-4 3PT, 2-2 FT)


Top Scorers
Blake Griffin - 41
Bradley Beal - 34
Andrew Wiggins - 32
Tony Parker - 19
DeMarcus Cousins - 15
Manu Ginobili - 13

Rebounds
Blake Griffin - 14
DeMarcus Cousins - 10

Assists
John Wall - 10
Tony Parker - 7
Mario Chalmers - 6
Bradley Beal - 6
Andrew Wiggins - 5

Steals
Caron Butler - 4
Manu Ginobili - 2
Nerlens Noel - 2

Blocks
DeMarcus Cousins - 2
Nerlens Noel - 2
Andrew Wiggins - 2


Beal highlights


Wiggins highlights

[Phil89]

Twitter Rumours

Adrian Wojnarowski @WojYahooNBA
Magic GM Ron Hennigan working on bringing in veteran star to help LeBron. No mention of names yet though

-----

Marc J. Spears @SpearsNBAYahoo
Y! Sources: Magic chasing veteran guard to help LeBron run offense. No specific names right now

[Phil89]

14/12/14

Magic swap depth for quality as Celtics cash in on expiring Rondo



The Boston Celtics ended an era today by confirming that the last player from their 2008 championship-winning team has left with Rajon Rondo being traded to the Orlando Magic. Rondo had allegedly requested to be traded sometime last week and got his wish today. He will join superstar LeBron James in Florida. The deal that gets him there also sees young guard Ray McCallum join him, whilst former Magic pair Courtney Lee and Brandon Bass also return to the sunshine state. In return the Celtics receive a package of: youngsters Marcus Smart, Tobias Harris, Andrew Nicholson and John Henson; the expiring contracts of veterans Arron Afflalo and Jameer Nelson and a 2015 first round draft pick.

-----

There had been speculation all season about Rondo leaving Boston. The main issues seemed to be his unwillingness to sign a contract extension and to stick around whilst the team rebuilds around him. Danny Ainge had apparently worked tirelessly to try and convince Rondo to stay beyond this season but admitted defeat today by pulling the trigger on this deal. It's a deal that could really put his rebuild project ahead of schedule as he has acquired several promising young players who each have a few years experience in the league already.

Perhaps the centrepiece of the deal for Boston is 20 year old point guard Marcus Smart. The Oklahoma State graduate was selected with pick 7 in the 2014 draft before being traded to Orlando in the deal which saw them also receive Julius Randle and which got Jabari Parker to Chicago. It will be interesting to see if he gets the starting role in Boston ahead of Jeff Teague after his solid play for the Magic in the role. Another important piece for Boston is forward Tobias Harris. The Celtics have been lacking a small forward of quality ever since Paul Pierce retired. So far in the NBA Harris has shown glimpses of his talent and seems to have lots of potential. He should relish coming out from LeBron's shadow in Orlando and becoming the main guy in Boston.

Andrew Nicholson and John Henson haven't really lived up to their potential yet, but they should be solid reserve players for the Celtics and provide much needed frontcourt depth. Veterans Arron Afflalo and Jameer Nelson are perhaps only included in the deal because they have large expiring contracts. It will be interesting to see if Afflalo is still in Boston after the trade deadline passes or whether Ainge sends him to a contender in exchange for a draft pick. He's a handy player but doesn't really fit in with the Celtics' new age profile. Nelson had been complaining all season about losing his starting role to Smart. Now he is third in line and may seek a buyout from the Celtics.

The Celtics currently sit rock bottom of the eastern conference with a 4-18 record and look set to fight it out with the Heat, Timberwolves and Kings for the top pick in next season's draft. At this early stage draft experts believe that the top prospects for 2015 are scoring machine James Andrews from Duke, 7 ft 3 center Mike Armstrong from Kentucky, Duke big man Jahlil Okafor, athletic point guard Dante Exum from Australia, Kansas big man Joel Embiid and three point specialist John Dawson from Georgetown. The Celtics will be hoping to land one of those players next May.

-----

For Orlando this deal is about one thing: winning championships. There was a lot of speculation during the off-season about how good this Magic team would be with LeBron surrounded by so much potential talent. Unfortunately for them though the youngsters need time to adjust to the league and haven't really performed up to LeBron's high standards. The team who many saw as a real title threat this season only recently rose above the .500 mark by beating the Wizards. LeBron joined them to win titles and something had to change. After consulting their superstar it was decided that they needed a veteran star to help carry the load with LeBron.

It's funny how people change over time. A few years ago Rondo seemingly had little respect for LeBron, but now that his career is entering it's final stage he has apparently buried the hatchet for the sake of winning another ring. It was probably more to do with his disappointment in former team mate Ray Allen joining the Heat when they had a feisty rivalry with the Celtics. Now that LeBron is playing for the Magic though it appears as though Rondo has no problem leaving the Celtics. His addition could be vital for Orlando come playoffs time. His experience will be invaluable alongside LeBron as the Magic's young players inevitably will find the increased pressure hard to deal with.

It's true that by doing this trade the Magic are effectively swapping depth for quality, but it's not a terrible move as it would be unlikely that they would have been able to afford to keep all of those young prospects in the long term anyway. The most important thing for them is keeping LeBron happy and with him being 29 they didn't have time to develop their roster into contenders over a few years. In the wash-up of this trade there are rumours swirling that Rondo is so excited by the project in Orlando that he has already begun extension talks with Magic management. It will be interesting to see if any eastern conference contenders react to this trade by making their own moves.

The Magic have a 11-9 record at this point and are lurking ominously just outside the top four seeds in the eastern conference. Time will tell whether or not the addition of Rajon Rondo will propel them to the top of the league or not.

Boston receive
Arron Afflalo - 29 - SG - $7.50m - 1 year (79)
Marcus Smart - 20 - PG - $4.52m - 2 years (78)
Jameer Nelson - 32 - PG - $9.00m - 1 year (70)
Andrew Nicholson - 25 - PF - $1.55m - 1 year (70)
Tobias Harris - 22 - SF - $2.51m - 1 year (69)
John Henson - 23 - PF - $1.99m - 1 year (67)
Magic 2015 first round pick

Projected line-up:
Willie Cauley-Stein - Jared Sullinger - Tobias Harris - Avery Bradley - Jeff Teague
Bench:
Arron Afflalo, Marcus Smart, Jameer Nelson, Andrew Nicholson, John Henson, Kris Joseph, Rodney Hood

-----

Orlando receive
Rajon Rondo - 28 - PG - $13.00m - 1 year (90)
Courtney Lee - 29 - SG - $10.00m - 2 years (73)
Ray McCallum - 23 - PG - $1.36m - 1 year (71)
Brandon Bass - 29 - PF - $6.00m - 1 year (70)

Projected line-up:
Nikola Vucevic - Julius Randle - LeBron James - Shabazz Muhammad - Rajon Rondo
Bench:
Courtney Lee, Maurice Harkless, Ray McCallum, Brandon Bass, Doron Lamb, Glen Davis, Jeff Withey

[Vespasian92]

Wow, big deal right there. Cs got a quality haul from it with Henson, Harris, and Smart.

[Martti.]

I think Smart will do very well in Boston, he can really score.

[Phil89]

Twitter Rumours

Adrian Wojnarowski @WojYahooNBA
Rondo agrees to extension with Magic. Will get $45m over 3 years, No trade clause apparently included

-----

Marc J. Spears @SpearsNBAYahoo
Y! Sources: Rondo expects title run: "With LeBron beside me, I'm pretty confident of having success"

[Phil89]

Wow, big deal right there. Cs got a quality haul from it with Henson, Harris, and Smart.

I think Smart will do very well in Boston, he can really score.

I think both teams got what they needed, considering their respective positions in the league at the moment.

I hope this doesn't mean I have to face LeBron in the playoffs though. I can't deal with that stress again.

[Phil89]

15/12/14

Charlotte Bobcats [11-11] vs Washington Wizards [20-2]

Group effort secures win in Charlotte



CHA - 23 23 21 35 102
WAS - 24 24 34 29 111

Player of the Game: DeMarcus Cousins
(25pts, 4reb, 3ast, 2blk)
(9-12 FG, 0-0 3PT, 7-7 FT)


Top Scorers
DeMarcus Cousins - 25
Bradley Beal - 19
Andrew Wiggins - 16
Carmelo Anthony - 16
Victor Oladipo - 15
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist - 14
Noah Vonleh - 14
Al Jefferson - 13
Mo Williams - 12
Kemba Walker - 12
John Wall - 12
Perry Jones - 10

Rebounds
Andray Blatche - 8
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist - 8
Emeka Okafor - 7
Nerlens Noel - 6
Rakeem Christmas - 6
Perry Jones - 5
Bradley Beal - 5

Assists
John Wall - 14
Kemba Walker - 7

Steals
Al Jefferson - 3
Carmelo Anthony - 3
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist - 2
Kemba Walker - 2

Blocks
DeMarcus Cousins - 2


Cousins highlights

[Phil89]

Twitter Rumours

Adrian Wojnarowski @WojYahooNBA
Lakers hand out biggest contract in 18 years as Kevin Love signs 5 year/$101m extension

Adrian Wojnarowski @WojYahooNBA
After shipping out Bynum and losing Dwight for nothing, the Lakers finally secure a big man for the long term

-----

Marc J. Spears @SpearsNBAYahoo
Y! Sources: Raptors finalising 5 yr/$84m extension with Rudy Gay. That guy has one hell of an agent

[Phil89]

17/12/14

Washington Wizards [21-2] vs Minnesota Timberwolves [5-16]

Wizards beat Timberwolves despite late scare



WAS - 25 24 28 21 98
MIN - 22 18 16 35 91

Player of the Game: John Wall
(17pts, 3reb, 12ast, 1stl)
(7-8 FG, 0-0 3PT, 3-3 FT)


Top Scorers
Carlos Boozer - 29
DeMarcus Cousins - 23
Andrew Wiggins - 21
Ricky Rubio - 20
John Wall - 17
Bradley Beal - 14
Nerlens Noel - 12
Amir Johnson - 11
Toney Douglas - 10

Rebounds
Amir Johnson - 13
Nerlens Noel - 9
Andrew Wiggins - 8
DeMarcus Cousins - 7

Assists
John Wall - 12
Andrew Wiggins - 9
Amir Johnson - 5
Alexey Shved - 5

Steals
Toney Douglas - 3
Ricky Rubio - 3
Carlos Boozer - 2
Landry Fields - 2

Wall highlights


Wiggins highlights

[Phil89]

19/12/14

Washington Wizards [22-2] vs Atlanta Hawks [11-11]

Cousins has big night against the Hawks



WAS - 19 24 27 23 93
ATL - 23 22 17 19 81

Player of the Game: DeMarcus Cousins
(23pts, 9reb, 2ast)
(11-17 FG, 0-0 3PT, 1-3 FT)


Top Scorers
Bradley Beal - 24
DeMarcus Cousins - 23
Andrew Wiggins - 20
Louis Williams - 18
John Wall - 12
DeJuan Blair - 11
Kawhi Leonard - 10
Trey Burke - 10

Rebounds
DeMarcus Cousins - 9
Nerlens Noel - 9
Kawhi Leonard - 6
Andrew Wiggins - 6

Assists
John Wall - 15
Trey Burke - 6

Steals
Bradley Beal - 2
John Wall - 2
Kevin Seraphin - 2
Al Horford - 2
Kawhi Leonard - 2

Blocks
John Wall - 2


Beal highlights


Cousins highlights

[Phil89]

Twitter Rumours

Adrian Wojnarowski @WojYahooNBA
76ers sign fwd David Lee to 3yr/$18m extension. He'll be key if they hope to reach the finals

-----

Marc J. Spears @SpearsNBAYahoo
Y! Sources: Great news out of Memphis as Marc Gasol commits for 3 more years. Will earn $45m with extension

Marc J. Spears @SpearsNBAYahoo
Y! Sources: Grizzlies still holding talks with his brother Pau. Older brother could sign in next few weeks as well